Sisters of Westfall, Part 5: Nature

Content warnings: violence, brief mentions of cannibalism.

Dalaran

"Anna…" Elsa whispered. "Anna, get off!" She had woken to find the redhead not only wrapped around her in bed, but covering her like a blanket. Ordinarily, Elsa wouldn't have minded, but she had to relieve herself. Finally, she managed to escape her sister's grasp by casting Blink, a very short-range teleportation spell that even the most novice mages learned early on.

Afterwards, she returned to her quarters and closed the door as quietly as she could, only to see Anna sitting up in bed with a sly grin. "Morning, sis! How did you sleep?" she asked, her copper hair a wild tangle.

"Not too bad, though you were laying on me the whole night!" Elsa chuckled, staring at Anna's untamed mane. "How about you?"

"Well, after we finished," Anna blushed, "I slept very well, thank you. I always do after we're… together." She smiled at the memory of the evening. Their schedules were so incompatible that seeing each other for a few hours, months apart was customary. An entire evening together was decadent luxury, and Anna had made the most of it in her sister's arms.

It was Elsa's turn to blush. "Yes, well, I do too. We should probably get our day started and head down to the infirmary to check on Mama." She donned her apprentice robes and made a mental note to ask Oliserra for a small healing tonic; Anna had left a few bruises that were more conspicuous than she liked.

Anna's stomach rumbled. "Can we get something to eat along the way?" she asked over her shoulder with a grin as she ducked down the hall to the bathrooms.


After a quick stop at the Legerdemain Lounge for some pastries and Blackrock coffee, the sisters headed towards the infirmary. Anna sipped her coffee thoughtfully as they walked.

"What are you thinking, Anna?" Elsa asked as she sipped her own coffee, wincing at the strong, bitter brew. The Legerdemain's staff knew mages tended to stay up too late, so their coffee erred on the punishingly strong side.

"I saw your old roommate again on my way to wash my face, and she… uh…"

"She what?"

"She sniffed a whole lot in the air and then winked at me before closing the door to her room. Why did she do that?"

Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose as she slowed her walk. "Camille is a Worgen. In her Worgen form, she has all the faculties of a wolf as well as a human. So she…" Elsa turned crimson, "she smelled… me… on you…"

"Smelled? Smelled what- OH. Oh. Oh! Oops. I mean, it's not like I didn't wash my face and everything but… oh. Oops. Sorry?" Anna giggled, cringing slightly.

"Let's… just get to the infirmary?" Elsa said as she chugged her coffee, wishing she was a high enough ranking mage to cast invisibility on herself and vanish from embarrassment.

As they entered the infirmary, Oliserra was tending to the patients, checking each one. Iduna lay sleeping in one of the cots, still pale and with a slight greenish tinge to her skin.

"Master Oliserra," Elsa started, bowing to the healer, "How is our mother faring?"

The high elf turned to face the sisters. "Not as well as I would like, Apprentice Jansen. Your mother is still resting, but she is not healing any further. I am at a loss as to why." The elf administered a cold compress to Iduna's head as she listlessly tossed in her sleep. "I have never seen anything like this. Usually patients begin healing swiftly after an infusion of the Light, if not fully recovering during it."

Anna knelt at the side of her mother's cot, carefully taking Iduna's limp hand in her own. "She's… she's so warm, she's burning up!"

Oliserra checked Iduna's pulse. "She is. This is highly unusual for a simple knife wound, even a severe one. Master Alesso's healing should have repaired most of the damage and eliminated any possibility of infection." She stopped as a thought crossed her mind, turning to the small table next to the bed. "This knife… have you ever seen anything like it?" Oliserra asked, holding up the dagger that they'd removed from Iduna's back the previous day. It was a short, stubby knife with a wide blade, a hand guard that looked like dragon wings, and vicious serrated edges along both sides of the blade.

The sisters both shook their heads. Elsa was the first to speak, carefully holding the knife by its leather-wrapped handle. "I can check the libraries in the Violet Citadel. Perhaps we have some record of a blade like this?"

A high-pitched voice spoke up behind the women. "Be careful not to touch the edges of that blade." A gnome, dressed in crimson leather from head to toe, his face obscured by a blood red mask, stood at the entrance to the infirmary. "Forgive me for interrupting, Master Oliserra. I was just stopping by for some bandages and couldn't help but overhear your conversation."

"Pathstalker Gilen," the high elf bowed. "Always a pleasure to see you, especially uninjured."

The ominous look of the gnome's armor conflicted with his high-pitched squeal of laughter and his exceptionally short stature. "Yes indeed! Now, if you don't mind, may I see the knife?" he said, walking over to Elsa and gingerly taking the knife from her hands. He turned it at all angles, staring down the spine, and finally sniffed it repeatedly like a dog, deeply confusing Elsa.

"Master Pathstalker, what is it?" Elsa asked softly, feeling guilty for interrupting the gnomish rogue.

"Please, just Gilen. This is a blade known to us rogues. Its name is the Dusk Blade, and it has been lost to us for some time. We last saw it in Stranglethorn Vale years ago. There is a poison of some kind on the blade - nothing mystical, which is why you cloth-wearing folks weren't able to sense it. But it's not a poison I recognize, and that's pretty rare," Gilen said, carefully placing the blade back on the nightstand. "You might want to head for Stranglethorn Vale and see what you can find. If you can hunt down this poison's source, you may be able to create an antidote. I can't tell you much more than that, save that it almost certainly comes from a plant, probably native to the area." The gnome waved cheerfully, picked up the package of bandages from the counter, and wandered off, leaving the women speechless.

"Umm… I guess we should start packing?" Anna said with a shrug of her shoulders.


An hour later, the sisters had a couple of ebonweave travel bags filled with basic supplies on Elsa's bed, along with some light armor they'd been able to procure at the auctioneers for a few silver. Anna had wanted to buy something heavier, but they didn't have much money to spare.

As they finished inventory of their supplies, Archmage Elandra knocked on the door.

"Archmage!" Elsa startled, bowing deeply. "I- I wasn't expecting you. Did I forget something? Was I supposed to report to you?"

Elandra smiled kindly at her apprentice, watching fear and respect war in her eyes. "No, Apprentice Jansen. I had just stopped by the infirmary and heard from Oliserra that you were planning to chase down the mysterious poison afflicting your mother."

"Yes, we'll be leaving shortly for Stormwind from the Greyfang Enclave. We should be able to find passage from the city to Stranglethorn Vale," Anna offered as Elsa stood speechless. "It probably would be easier to take a gryphon, but that's an expensive trip, especially for two."

Elandra tilted her head. "Why would you not simply teleport there? Your sister could take you directly to the jungle's entrance - its ley lines are well known."

"Oh! Well… umm…" she looked at Elsa, confused.

Elsa bowed her head, finally overcoming the shock of seeing her mentor, her teacher taking such personal interest in her mother's cause. Elandra typically kept all her apprentices and adepts at arm's length, the better to observe them. "I didn't think it would be appropriate for me to ask after teleporting yesterday without permission, Archmage."

Elandra smiled at her apprentice. "You honor the Kirin Tor with such humility, Apprentice Jansen. Here," the archmage fished a parchment out of her robes, "… is authorization for you teleport to Stranglethorn Vale with your party and return to Dalaran at any time. You will note that it has been signed by an Archmage - myself, of course - and witnessed by another."

Elsa's eyebrows shot up. Quests of these nature were often reserved for adepts or full conjurors; an apprentice being given such latitude was beyond irregular. "Pathstalker Gilen has endorsed this? Why?"

"He has not been fully forthcoming, but I suspect the poison you are in search of is something that both the Pathstalker order and your Stormwind's SI:7 have also been looking for. Gilen may appear a harmless gnome, but he is shrewd and calculating, as any rogue should be. This is an opportunity for his order." Elandra rolled the scroll up and sealed it with a magical rune. "Travel safely, Apprentice. May you find what you're looking for." The archmage teleported away in a flash, leaving the sisters momentarily quiet.

"Well… that was… something," Elsa murmured. "I've never seen Archmage Elandra be so interested in such a… quest like ours. And Gilen! What have we stumbled into, Anna?"

Anna shrugged. "Whatever it is, I'm glad they're interested enough to help us. I wasn't looking forward to spending a few hours on a horse from Stormwind. I'm a little sore from last night," she cackled, making her sister bow her head into her palms. "Ready, sis?"

Elsa nodded, her cheeks still burning, as she began casting a portal to Stranglethorn Vale.


"Oh my god it's so hot here," bemoaned Anna, sweating profusely as the sisters walked down the dirt paths of the jungle. Even with light mail armor instead of her usual plate and a bastard sword instead of her preferred two-hander, Anna felt like she was melting. "You're a frost mage, Elsa. Can't you do something about this heat?"

Elsa rolled her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time and cast the smallest, weakest frostbolt she could at Anna's armor, chilling it.

"Thank youuuuuu!" her sister sang.

After crossing over several of Stranglethorn's questionably maintained rope and log bridges, during which Elsa cast Slow Fall on them both just in case the bridge gave way, they found themselves on the outskirts of what looked like a hunting camp of some kind. They crouched down in the dense foliage to observe, the mid-afternoon heat and humidity clinging to them like iron weights.

Parties of hunters came in and out of the camp, mostly Dwarven, but more than a few humans. On the perimeter, one hunter lay asleep on a rock, a giant stag next to him. The sisters watched for another half hour, attempting to discern whether the camp was friendly or hostile. Finally, an adventurer strode into the camp wearing a Stormwind tabard and none of the camp denizens reacted in a hostile fashion, the adventurer procuring some supplies before riding away.

Anna approached the sleeping hunter first. The man, a burly fellow dressed in dull reddish leather, snored under an equally dull beige lether hat. His rifle, slightly rusted, lay next to him while a giant stag snored against his side. The stag was enormous, easily an 18-point antle rack on his head, and his coat was a majestic silver. "Hey! Hey buddy!" she stage-whispered, tapping the sleeping hunter's boot with hers.

The hunter coughed and lifted his hat. "Hemet, come on, I just got back to… uh, hi?" The man sat up, taking his hat off his head to reveal dirty, unkempt blond hair. "Who are you?" He stared in confusion, looking at both sisters.

"Anna and Elsa Jansen. Who are you?"

"Kristoff Bateman. I'm a hunter from Redridge, and this here is Sven," he said as he patted the giant stag on his rump, who looked up from his nap in annoyance. "So… what brings two beautiful women to Stranglethorn?"

"We're looking for a plant."

Kristoff snorted and gestured to the grove of trees around them. "No shortage of those around here. You, uh, want to be a little more specific?"

Anna scowled. "A poisonous plant."

"Look," Kristoff said, rubbing the back of his neck, "this whole damn jungle is full of poisonous plants. You two are obviously new and have never been here before, so a word of warning. Literally everything in this jungle will try to kill you. I honestly couldn't tell you what ISN'T poisonous here."

Elsa interrupted, scowling. "We're looking for a poisonous plant of some kind that would be used to make a poison for a dagger."

"Lady, no one hunts in a jungle with daggers. Not unless you're an idiot. See that tiger over there?" he scoffed, pointing at the feline prowling the perimeter of the camp, "If you have a dagger, poisoned or not, it's not going to do you much good against one of those. About the only people who would use poison in this jungle would be… the trolls, probably."

Anna's eyes lit up. "And where would we find them?"

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? No one sane goes anywhere near the Gurubashi trolls. If the trolls catch you, they'll skin you alive and then eat your organs… and then if you're lucky, you might die."

"I think we're done here," Elsa sighed, curling her lip at the graphic description of the trolls. "Thank you, Mr. Bateman, for your help. We'll be on our way." She ushered Anna away, only to find the hunter's stag following them. "Umm… hello… err… Sven?"

The stag started to walk alongside the sisters, bobbing his head up and down.

"Sven! Hey, Sven! What- where are you going?" Kristoff yelled, running to catch up with them. "Come on, buddy. These two are nothing but trouble." The stag huffed and walked closer to Elsa's side. "Okay, okay, fine. We'll help them find their mysterious poisonous plant."


A day's walk later, the trio of humans passed an area filled with crudely written wooden warning signs. "Beware: Mosh'ogg Ogres", Anna read aloud as they walked down the dirt road, idly scratching at the bug bites she'd gathered over the past day's hike. "What's a Mosh'ogg?" she asked.

Kristoff shrugged. "I'm not actually sure, I've never been this far south on foot," he said, looking around nervously and clutching his rifle. Sven stamped his foot, indicating his unease with the area. "What is it, Sven?" Kristoff then lowered his voice pitch and pretended to answer. "I bet something's coming our way!"

The sisters looked at each other uneasily. Anna whispered, "Is he pretending to speak for the deer?" Elsa shrugged, wondering the same thing, and struggling to contain her laughter as the stag looked at Kristoff in what she swore was annoyance.

Before Kristoff could embarrass himself further, the sound of footfalls broke the quiet, and the underbrush of the jungle shook vigorously. A moment later, an elderly green jungle troll with white hair burst out from the undergrowth, running frantically. Anna drew her sword, while Elsa held her hands up, readying her magic.

The troll kept running, and ran past the party, Kristoff watching in confusion. Then the ground started shaking.

Like the footfalls of a giant approaching.

Bursting through the brush was a giant two-headed ogre wielding an ugly club with spikes protruding from it. "TROLL DEAD!" the ogre shouted, swinging its club wildly. It spotted the hunting party and grinned, mouth full of sharp, broken teeth, and started running towards them.

"Shit," Kristoff muttered, taking aim with his rifle. "Sven, go!" The stag ran at the ogre, lowering its head to gore it with the enormous horns as Kristoff shot the ogre square in the chest, causing it to roar in pain.

Anna charged at the ogre, ducking under the wild swings of its club as her sword bit into its legs. The club nearly caught her, but she brought her shield up at the last second and caught only a glancing blow.

Elsa gasped, momentarily stunned watching Anna's deadly dance, before she cast frostbolts and ice lances at the giant creature. She managed to hit it in the head with a frostbolt, slowing it down considerably, and kept pummeling it with blast after blast of icy magic.

It felt like hours, but was less than a minute as the ogre fell to the ground, vanquished. Sven had suffered some minor injuries that Kristoff tended to, mending him as best as he could, while Anna cleaned her sword off and Elsa checked her sister for injuries, cooling off her bruises with her magic.

"Dank you, pink skins," rumbled an elderly voice from behind them, causing Elsa to jump. "Not many adventurers would help a troll." The troll that had been fleeing the ogre was sitting on the ground on the opposite side of the road.

"You're… you're welcome," Elsa offered tentatively. "We're glad we could help you. I'm Elsa, and this is my sister, Anna, and… umm… our friend Kristoff."

"I be known by many names in dese parts, but my tribe's name is Jin'Pab'Do. De pink skins I trade wit at Fort Livingston call me Pabbie," the troll said, watching the humans carefully as he walked in a slow circle around them. "What brings you to my people's lands?"

Kristoff started to speak, before Anna shoved him aside with a bright smile. "We're looking for a plant that can be used as a poison to stop someone from healing!"

The troll laughed and shook his head. "Silly pink skin, no one plant does dat. You combine plants together to make such a ding. Otherwise it be too easy to find an antidote. My people use several plants here to make poison for our darts." He sauntered over to a copse of trees and dense brush, motioning for them to follow him.

Anna followed him closely, with Elsa and Kristoff behind. "Here, pink skin. Dis be swifthistle. It makes poisons act fast," he indicated, kneeling down and pulling out a handful of the sharp, thorny leaves. Anna opened her backpack and carefully wrapped the leaves in a cloth.

"Dis be wildvine. It makes de poison stronger," he commented as he pulled a dense green vine from around the roots of a tree. Anna cut the vine with her knife and added it to her backpack.

"And dis be de secret, pink skin. I don't know what de words are in your tongue, but dis herb slows down your body. My people use it for trances, but when you mix wit de other two, it becomes a deadly poison," he intoned seriously as he retrieved some herbs from his own leather satchel. "Mash dem up, two parts dis to one part everything else, den put on your darts."

Anna smiled. "Thank you so much, Pabbie. This is exactly what we needed!" She tossed caution aside and hugged the elderly troll, much to his shock and discomfort. "We'll be on our way. Thank you again!" She looked at Elsa knowingly.

Pabbie bowed and slipped into the undergrowth while Elsa began summoning a portal for her and Anna to head back to Dalaran. Anna turned to Kristoff. "Thank you for your help too, Kristoff. And you too, Sven," she said, patting the stag on the neck. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"You're welcome, lady. You're really kind of feisty, just charging at the ogre like that. I like it," he grinned as he turned to his pet. "Okay Sven, let's head back to camp. I imagine Nesingwary has the next bounty ready for all of us."

Just as the portal finished forming… Sven jumped through it. All three gasped, speechless, before following the stag back to Dalaran.


Author's Notes

For those who don't play World of Warcraft, this sort of "rush around from place to place on quests" is exactly what happens in the game. One minute you're standing in your home city, the next minute you're in some weird jungle hunting quills of a porcupine or beating up trolls for some poison.

And for those who do play, you'll enjoy learning more about Kristoff and Sven in the next chapter.

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The Usual Disclaimer

Disney owns all of its characters and intellectual property. Blizzard owns all of its characters and intellectual property. No infringement is intended, nor is this work commercial in any way.