"Hyah!" Salin screamed out, lashing out with his metal staff once more.
Dal'bin held his ground on the red dirt while training outside the cave. Unlike his opponent and his metal staff, he held no weapon. Yet, the troll was confident that his body was just as deadly as any blade. He ducked underneath the blood elf's swing and quickly stepped to the side to avoid the immediate downward bash. Without hesitation, the scout kicked out against his opponent's chest, pushing him away. His foot was sore from striking the metal armor the blood knight wore, but through his years of training, he could overcome the pain.
Salin took a few swings at the air, regathering himself after being pushed back by his opponent. Despite not having landed a single hit, his lips curled up into a grin, revealing that he was still confident victory would be his. Like most other blood elves, he had green eyes radiating with fel, fair skin and pointy ears. His blonde hair, usually spiked backwards, instead fell down past his neck. Dal'bin assumed that he forgot to pack whatever he used to get his hair like that. From his neck down, he wore crimson armor, signifying that he was was a member of the Blood Knights, Silvermoon's mysterious order of paladins.
Many in the Vanguard looked down at Salin for his behavior. He was quick to jest in any situation regardless of how appropriate it was and came up with ridiculous plans no one took seriously. It was hard to believe that a blood knight would take joy in being seen as a fool. Still, he was accepted in the Vanguard. Belara seemed to held some respect for him from their past while Naur and Balthar appreciated having another follower of the Light traveling them. For Dal'bin, as always, he respected his commanding officers, no matter who they are. While Salin had yet to win a sparring match against the troll, he never gave up, and the scout was noticing that his makeshift staff fighting style was starting to improve.
"Could this be the day?!" Salin called out, holding his arms out. "Could this be the day that the underdog, Salin Sunwrath, finally defeats the terrifying and menacing Dal'bin?!"
"We could find out if ya stopped makin' announcements and kept fightin'," Dal'bin pointed out bluntly.
"Oh, but this is a grand moment, my frenemy," Salin chuckled, pointing his staff at Dal'bin as if it were a rapier. "As it stands, our record is twenty victories to you and none for me. If I can knock you down just once-"
Dal'bin ignored Salin's theatrics and charged forward while his opponent's stance was down. The scout was well aware that the blood elf made use of long speeches in battle in an attempt to distract his foe, but in reality, they were more of a distraction to himself. He grabbed onto the metal staff, holding it in place to prevent the blood knight from moving it. Without hesitation, the troll launched a kick at his foe's gut, knocking him back and forcing him to let go of his weapon. Now armed, he grip the metal staff with both hands and crouched down, taking a defensive stance.
Salin continued to grin, briefly holding his stomach in pain. It was at this point he should surrender but Dal'bin knew there was only one way to have him stop. The blood elf charged forward, roaring out as he swung a fist forward at his opponent. The troll swung the metal staff at his forearm, striking it with enough force to injure it but not break bone. The blood knight recoiled from the blow, stepping back while holding his injured hand in pain. The scout pressed the offensive, slamming the staff down on his side before going in for the finish with a palm strike to the face. Once again, Salin was sent crashing down to the ground.
"Dat be twenty one ta zero, mon," Dal'bin told him, dropping the staff. "Ya know, if ya stop holdin' back and use da Light, ya might be able ta best me."
"I never imagined you as someone who twisted the knife," Salin chuckled for a moment, eyes closed, before groaning in pain. "It hurts to laugh now. Hurts so much."
"Take five," Dal'bin advised, taking a few steps back. "When ya are back in fightin' condition, ya can continue."
"Admit it, I had you on the ropes back there," Salin coughed out. "I'm going to get you this time, just you watch."
Dal'bin shrugged as a reply, not really caring for the plan his comrade had in mind. He took this time to look out at the rest of the Vanguard, checking to see how they were doing. Balthar was the closest to him, seated on the ground and reading the book gifted to him by Naur. The human was one of the more younger members of the Vanguard, along with himself and Oliktalv. His short blonde hair was starting to grow out and he had to brush strands of it out of his blue eye's sight so he could read. Underneath the silver armor he wore, he had a slim and weak body unfit to support a warrior. The troll was glad that he was pursuing the path of the priest instead, although was unsure if he would finish his journey at this rate.
Not too far away, Colben and Kelvin were in an intense sparring match. Dal'bin was surprised to see the former forced to be on the defensive while the latter attacked aggressively. The gnome was quick on his feet and agile when not wearing his coat, allowing him to dash around and jump to strike high up on his opponent with his two blades. The veteran was fortunate enough to have reflexes fast enough to bring his own sword to block each attack, although he was not going to be able to land an attack on himself. The scout was unsure which of them was the superior warrior but they were in a league above himself. When it came to melee, the troll knew that he would not be able to best either knight or tactician in battle.
To his other side, Dal'bin saw Oliktalv letting out a frustrated grunt, growing angry with each second. At his opponent's insistence, he wielded both of his sharp swords, swinging them wildly at the druid. Finnal, who was in her large, purple furred saber form, had retracted the claws from her paws, ensuring that she does not hurt the orc. Whenever she struck, she was careful to dodge the wild swings before pressing both paws against his armor, signifying that she had landed an attack. Afterwards, she was quick enough to leap again, avoiding further attacks from the warrior while prowling at a distance. The troll had to give credit to counterpart when it was due. His commander was not the warrior to face directly in battle and her hit-and-run tactics were working out well enough.
"I hope you're ready for the beating you are about to receive," Salin taunted, standing back up with support from his staff. "I am a Blood Knight! Defender of Quel'thalas, champion to the Light, par-"
"Another word of advice, but if ya spend less time talkin', ya might be able ta land a hit on me," Dal'bin interrupted, turning up and assuming his combat stance. "Show me what ya got, mon."
"Very well," Salin nodded, taking up his own stance. "On this day, I shall claim victory, and you will know the bitter taste of defeat as long as you draw breath!"
"What did I just tell ya?" Dal'bin sighed at his opponent's ranting.
There was a brief moment of pause, the two fighters analyzing each other before the fight started. As usual, Salin was the one to press the offensive, charging forward and quickly closing the distance between them. When he came close enough, the blood elf jabbed out with his staff. Dal'bin instinctively sidestepped the blow and brought his fist forward, intending to punch out his foe. The grinning fighter ducked underneath the blow, and close enough to the troll, swung his staff at his side. The scout was quick enough to grab the metal weapon before it could impact him, trying to place it between him and his foe.
Salin made no attempt to stop him from doing so, and instead, started to press up against it, moving his opponent back. Dal'bin realized that if he tried to flee or continue the attack, the blood elf would finally land a hit on him. He would ensure that did not happen today. With his free palm, he grabbed onto the metal staff, pushing back against the force and digging his heels into the dirt. The scout was strong enough thanks to his hand-to-hand combat, but he focused mainly on enduring the blows of his hits rather than the power. The blood knight was plenty stronger than the troll, and he had to use all of his might to press against the staff. Neither moved, both caught in a deadlock as they continued to push against each other.
"Dis standstill won't last forever," Dal'bin warned.
"Of course not, but I worry little," Salin smirked. "My superior strength to you is as clear as Finnal's affections for you."
"What?" Dal'bin asked, eyes raised in shock.
Instead of offering a verbal response, Salin brought his head forward, slamming his forehead directly onto his opponent's nose. Dal'bin let out a yelp, tears naturally forming at the edge of his eyes as he fell back. Not ready to give up, he recalled his training and as he hit the ground, he rolled backwards, back onto his feet. He let out a curse in Zandalai, realizing what the blood knight had intended. He had managed to say something that caught the scout off guard, even for a moment, and pressed the attack before he could recover. The strategy was finally paying off.
Dal'bin tried to raise from the ground to continue the fight, drying his eyes with his sleeve. Instead, Salin charged forward, swinging his metal staff at Dal'bin's knee. He let out another yelp as the pain spread throughout his leg, which started to buckle. Not stopping, the blood knight finished his offensive by throwing a punch aimed right at the troll's chest. The blow landed, and the power from it combined with his injured leg was enough to send the scout crashing onto the ground. A firm, metal boot then placed itself on top of his chest, the blood elf pointing the tip of his staff at his opponent's neck, victoriously grinning.
"Twenty one to one," Salin announced, stepping off of Dal'bin. "Woo! Is this how you feel after beating me up? I feel like I'm king of the world right now! Although, I'd rather be king of Azeroth than Outland. There's not a lot to rule here."
"Good for ya," Dal'bin remained on the ground, waiting for his leg to recover. "What were ya talkin' about?"
"You mean you didn't know," Salin asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought we all knew that our resident druid has a thing for you, if you catch my meaning."
"I don't," Dal'bin told Salin, starting to sit up.
"Well, you are pretty slow when it comes to seeing how people act," Salin shrugged. "Me? I can tell what's on someone's mind, and with Finnal, you're always on her mind."
"So, what's da big deal if she thinks about me?" Dal'bin asked.
"Are you really that clueless?" Salin chuckled heartily. "She has feelings for you. She's falling for you so hard. You should consider yourself lucky, my dear friend. You have won the attention of the only female and living member in the Vanguard."
"Are ya done yet?" Dal'bin interrupted, sighing. "Look, all ya did was caught me off guard with dat. Finnal has only known me for weeks so she can't love me. Finnal and I are just partners."
"You are more than just partners," Salin argued. "She talks to you all the time. You fight together all the time. You two make for a great team. The two of you were the first to build the bridge between the Alliance and Horde members of the Vanguard. How come you're not seeing this?"
"Name someone else who shares ya thoughts," Dal'bin challenged.
"Balthar!" Salin turned to face the young man. "Please, tell our dear friend here that I speak the truth."
"About Finnal?" Balthar asked, not looking up from the book. "I never saw anything romantic between them. Just friends is all."
"See?" Dal'bin slowly stood back onto his feet, trying not to put too much pressure on his injured leg. "Dis be somethin' only ya see."
"I was hoping to save this as a distraction for our next sparring round, but this is a matter that cannot wait until then," Salin brought one of his hands on Dal'bin's shoulder. "The reason you're so in denial about it is because you too are falling for her."
"Am not," Dal'bin shook his head.
"You just need to realize your feelings for her," Salin corrected. "I shall be your wingman in this regard. Trust me, with the way your brain works, you're going to need my help when it comes to wooing Finnal."
Dal'bin sighed, knowing that this conversation was going to get him nowhere. Out of all of his traits, he never expected that Salin would be stubborn. Even if the blood knight was speaking the truth regarding Finnal, it really did not affect anything. They would continue to work together until Illidan was defeated, and then, the Vanguard would disband. The troll knew that once their objective had been completed, it would be the end for them. Oliktalv and Kelvin were loyal to the Horde and Alliance respectively, and with the two of them making up half the leadership, that would likely mean the downfall of the Vanguard. Colben could try to keep it together by himself, but the troll knew that he had no reason to.
Dal'bin brushed the hand off his shoulder, taking a moment to look around the others. Colben and Kelvin were still in a standstill, neither one of them managing to land a blow on their opponent. The scout was impressed that they could go this long without none of them making a costly mistake. As for Oliktalv and Finnal, it seemed like their fight was winding down. The former was hunched over, taking deep breathes as he tried to contain his anger, and the latter shifted back to her elf form, stretching her arms up. The troll knew his commander well enough to know that he had been holding back but could not be sure on why. The two seemed to talk then made their way over to join him and Salin.
"Hail, friends!" Salin greeted when they approached. "You just missed it! For once, I sent Dal'bin crashing to the ground! It was amazing and only Balthar got to see it!"
"Actually, I didn't see it," Balthar corrected, still reading his tome.
"Well, if no one saw it, I guess it didn't happened," Finnal giggled.
"But it did!" Salin argued, sighing out in defeat.
"What are ya two doin'?" Dal'bin asked, curious.
"We thought it would be best to finish our sparring session by swapping partners," Oliktalv offered. "I decided it'd be best to approach you two. I'm not taking the risk of interrupting Colben and Kelvin."
"I wouldn't mind sparring with ya, mon," Dal'bin told him. "It's been a lon' time since we fought."
"That it has," Oliktalv grinned. "I bet I could hold out against you now."
"Are you saying the last time you two fought, you lost?" Salin taunted. "A commander bested by a lowly scout."
"He also had Gotur fighting with him," Dal'bin added.
"A commander bested by a lowly scout when he had the advantage," Salin corrected himself.
"If I wasn't so tired already, you'd be down on the ground," Oliktalv smirked. "Things have changed since Gotur and I first met Dal'bin two years ago. I think I have a better understanding of the way he fights with his hands."
"Actually, now that you bring it up, I was hoping to spar with Dal'bin," Finnal brought up.
"Fighting Dal'bin is no joke," Oliktalv warned her. "I'm only confident that Kelvin and Colben could take him on in a fight with nothing holding him back. Maybe Belara is she had time to prepare."
"Well, I was hoping that he would teach me to fight hand-to-hand," Finnal suggested, playfully holding her hands into fists and threw a punch to the side. "I already know how to fight as a druid and Belara isn't here to give me more pointers on how to fight with a dagger."
"Then you came to the right troll!" Salin grinned, slapping Dal'bin on his back. "This fine specimen right here is the best hand-to-hand combat expert we have on the Vanguard. I can testify that his performance is outstanding!"
"I'm not a teacher," Dal'bin spoke up, shaking his head.
"You know, I now want to see you try to teach," Oliktalv told him. "Salin, you don't mind if we don't fight? I want to see this with my own eyes."
"Of course, as do I!" Salin agreed.
Before Dal'bin could offer another word of objection, the two commanders quickly walked off, joining Balthar. Salin sat next to the priest in training, who continued to read his book, and Oliktalv sat down next to the blood elf. Their eyes focused solely on the scout, who let out a sigh upon seeing their interest. He turned back to Finnal, seeing her continuing to punch the air in front of her, waiting instruction from her new mentor. The troll knew that she was going to be disappointed with his way of teaching. Unlike Belara, who jumped immediately into the action, he planned on taking his time to ensure that her fighting style was perfect, just like his.
"Enough of dat," Dal'bin told her. "Ya goin' ta have ta take ya trainin' seriously."
"Alright," Finnal stood at attention. "So, what am I learning first?"
"How ta defend yaself," Dal'bin answered. "Dat be da start of learnin' how ta fight with ya hands."
"So, no punching today?" Finnal asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Nah, so I want ya ta take up dis fighting stance," Dal'bin raised his forearms in front of his chest. "Dis way, ya can block your chest, and if ya have ta, bring up ya arms ta protect ya face."
"Like this," Finnal tried to mimic his movements. "What about my legs?"
"We'll save dat for another time," Dal'bin replied, dropping his arms. "Now, here's what's goin' ta happen. I'm goin' ta test how good ya defense be. I'm goin' ta-"
Dal'bin was interrupted when Finnal broke her stance and threw a punch right at his face. Having not expected her to attack and dropped his combat stance, the fist connected with his nose roughly. The troll took a few steps back, slowly trying to recover from the blow. The nose was one of the more sensitive parts to hit in a fight, and already, tears were forming at his eyes again. He dragged his sleeve across them, drying them. The moment of weakness and surprise had pass as the scout assumed his stone cold, neutral face once more.
To the sidelines, Dal'bin heard the obnoxious laughter of Salin, who roughly slapped Balthar's back. The young priest dropped his book, groaning in pain, but was now interested in the scene that was unfolding in front of him. The scout was disappointed to see that Oliktalv was sharing in the humor of this, the orc resisting the urge to laugh and snorted out loudly. The troll was hoping that the commanders would retain their maturity, but he was disappointed. Finnal looked at the trio, confused as to why they were laughing
"Did I do something wrong?" Finnal asked innocently. "A good defense starts with a good offense, right?"
"Ya got some strength with ya punches," Dal'bin complimented. "No more of dat. Ya need ta learn how ta punch properly before ya can incorporate dem into ya defenses. Do ya understand?"
"I do," Finnal replied, her cheeks turning a darker shade of purple in embarrassment.
"Good, now, assume ya combat stance like this," Dal'bin took up his combat stance once more.
"That part's easy," Finnal quickly assumed it as well.
"Good, ya be a quick learner," Dal'bin told her, keeping his combat stance up.
"Are you keeping your arms up to block her from punching you again?" Salin taunted, the trio starting to giggle uncontrollably.
"Shut up, Salin," Dal'bin replied bluntly, earning a round of full laughter from Oliktalv and Balthar. "Now, Finnal, I'm goin' ta test how good ya defense be. Ya goin' ta-"
Suddenly, Dal'bin let out another gasp from his mouth as Finnal struck out with a kick towards his right knee. He had been expecting an attack from her in the back of his mind, hence why he had kept his arms out. The troll never considered that she would kick him. Worse, she had struck the knee already injured by Salin during their sparring session. Unable to remain standing, the scout fell down onto his back, pain surging throughout his leg.
Laughter broke out from the spectators. Salin laughed loudly as usual but the mature Oliktalv and the quiet Balthar finally joined in on the chorus. Likewise, Colben, who had finished his sparring session, joined in with his own chuckle. Kelvin was right behind his former subordinate, putting on his jacket and keeping silent, finding no humor in the situation. Dal'bin was thankful that there was at least one person who could remain serious. Finnal yet again looked surprise at the laughter, looking around at the laughing crowd.
"Oh, I'm glad we call that match early!" Colben snorted out. "To think that we almost missed that!"
"I don't see the humor in physical violence," Kelvin commented with a shrug. "The proper way to tell a joke-"
"Yeah, yeah, we get that you have no sense of humor, sir," Colben interrupted with a grin. "Alright, enough training. We got a lot of walking to do if we want to stay ahead of the Alliance and Horde. So, let's get a move on! Oh, and we're going to need someone to carry Dal'bin."
"Carry him?" Finnal turned back to the troll, worry clear on her face. "I'm sorry! I didn't think I could hurt you that bad!"
"Don't worry about it, mon" Dal'bin waved her off, remaining on the ground. "I can walk. Just need a minute or two."
"We'll train again tomorrow, right?" Finnal asked. "I think I have a lot left to learn about hand-to-hand combat."
"And Dal'bin will continue to serve as your teacher," Salin quickly ran up while the others were moving out. "I insist on it."
"Dat be an order, right?" Dal'bin asked with a sign.
"Maybe," Salin winked at him. "Finnal, you best catch up. I can help Dal'bin out from here."
"I'll talk to you two later," Finnal smiled at the duo. "I look forward to training with you again, Dal'bin."
And with that, Finnal ran off to join the rest of the Vanguard, already making progress in moving to Zangarmarsh. Salin looked down at Dal'bin, grinning at him while extending his hand down to help. Slowly and hesitantly, the scout took the offered hand, being lifted back onto his ground. His leg was killing him now but he would do well enough to keep up. The two started to walk side-by-side to rejoin the others. The troll noticed that they were out of their earshot and that the blood knight's grin had yet to fade away.
"What do ya got on ya mind?" Dal'bin asked, sighing.
"You should know by now," Salin answered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "How can you still deny that there is a connection between you and Finnal."
"Ya do remember dat she just assaulted me twice, right?" Dal'bin reminded him.
"You were going easy on her," Salin argued. "How else could she have beat you."
"I was goin' easy on her because I was tryin' ta train her," Dal'bin pointed out.
"Keep telling yourself that," Salin winked at him.
A/N: And with this chapter, we conclude the catch-up to the Vanguard and move on with the plot.
Until next time.