The Vanguard had been marching for several hours across the featureless crimson wasteland, growing more tired with each step. Oliktalv pressed on, taking point of their march. Directly behind him was Colben, who despite being confined to a frail, rotting body, had managed to keep up with him for the march. Next up was Salin and Finnal, deep in their own conversation regarding their life on Azeroth that the orc drone out. Balthar was barely keeping up with the group since he was carrying an exhausted Kelvin on his right shoulder. The tactician shouted at the priest to keep up, but with wearing metal armor too big for him, the young man could not hope to. Finally, Dal'bin covered the rear, keeping an open eye out for danger.
Asides from the heat glaring down on them, the group also had to worry about possible pursuers. There was no cover out in the open, meaning that they were potential targets. The Alliance or Horde could finally catch up, having seen them from afar. Or perhaps the Fel Horde seeks vengeance on this rag tag band of warriors for slaying their warchief. Regardless, Oliktalv was confident that the pursuers would have the advantage in a fight. They would most likely be mounted and the Vanguard was exhausted enough as it was. Thankfully, Dal'bin had yet to spot any trouble, so for the moment, they were safe.
The group was currently nearing the western mountain ranges, rising up to pierce the dark sky above. Oliktalv was able to make out a path between the ridges, covered in thick vine with giant thorns sticking out. The orc grinned upon seeing that sight, knowing that very little plant life grew naturally in Hellfire Peninsula. It was safe to say that the path would lead them to Zangarmarsh, which Colben had previously described as "too damn humid but more vibrant than this hellhole." Within the hour, they would finally leave the current region and lose their trackers in the marshy swamps.
Oliktalv saw movement, both from the passageway and the exposed plains leading up to it. Although his eyesight could not identify the beings in the passage, he could tell that they were beasts of some sort. The one in the plains was hard to make out, an incredible feat as it continued to run towards them as if it was covered in shadows. The orc grinned, coming to the realization of what was coming to them. He raised his fist up into the air, signaling for everyone behind him to stop. The group gathered itself, finally reuniting with another member of the Vanguard when the figure finally arrived to their location.
"Good to have you back, Belara," Oliktalv welcomed her.
"I'd say it's good to be back, but I don't really care either way," Belara replied with a shrug.
Belara pulled down her hood, revealing her unnatural pale hair, piercing red eyes, and obsidian hair that fell down to her shoulders and covered her elven ears. She wore dark leather armor with no weapons seen on her person. Oliktalv knew better than to underestimate her, remembering that she preferred to keep her daggers hidden from sight. Still, even though her trade was primary one that relied on surprise, she could handle herself well enough in a fight. The dark ranger frowned at the group and crossed her eyes before letting a sigh escape from her lips.
Oliktalv's thoughts on Belara had varied from assassin that could not be rusted to reluctant friend. When it had been just him and his officers in the Horde, she was the one who opposed him every step in the way, which left the orc to think on whether he was taking the right action. Although he despised her ways as an assassin, he had to acknowledge that her mind was sharper than his own. The warrior was not sure if he would even be able to beat her in a fair fight. Even when she was one of the strongest opponents to working with the Alliance, she followed the rest, even when Gotur returned to the Horde. For now, he could trust her.
"So, you didn't decide to bail on us," Colben grinned. "And here I thought you were the smart one of the group."
"Actually, I believe that I am the smart one of the group," Kelvin announced, jumping off of Balthar's shoulder.
"Actually, I'd like to argue that I am the smart one" Salin joined in.
"And any seriousness this conversation had just went up into flames," Colben cackled. "So, what do you got to say for yourself, Belara?"
"I thought I would stay around to see how you get through the passage," Belara started her report. "There's a nest of ravagers there."
"How many?" Kelvin asked inquisitively.
"I didn't bother to count," Belara shrugged. "There was no way to tell one from the other, but for the sake of statistics, let's just say there's just enough to do us harm if we're not careful. They're very territorial so they will attack if we try to pass."
"Well, we're going to have to pass," Oliktalv told the group. "If we go back, we're going to risk catching the attention of one of our factions. We have to press on despite the risk."
"He's right," Colben agreed with a nod. "No backing down now. Besides, if you fall to a ravager, odds are you wouldn't survive another fight with the Illidari. Sir, you got a plan yet?"
"Just one," Kelvin answered, turning to face the group. "If we're going to move through hostile territory, we're going to have to be in a tight formation, shoulder to shoulder almost. Oliktalv, you're going to take point. With your fighting style, you are best at clearing out the ravagers as we move through the ridge."
"Actually, I'd like to think that job best falls up me," Colben brought up, grinning. "I can easily set those bugs into flames."
"I took your magic into account and decided that you will take the rear to cover us and dispatch of any surviving ravagers with your fire magic," Kelvin argued while every nodded. "Finnal and Belara will take the right side of the formation while Salin and I shall take the left side to deal with any potential flankers."
"What about me?" Balthar asked, voice barely audible.
"Balthar, your job is to stand in the center of our formation and not to do anything to break it," Kelvin told him bluntly. "The same goes for Dal'bin. Although you are capable at hand-to-hand combat, you can't punch or kick a ravager to death. You'd be just as useless as Balthar out on the field. Now, unless there are any objections, I suggest we take that formation and move onward."
The members of the Vanguard mostly nodded in agreement at the plan Kelvin thought of. Oliktalv took notice of Dal'bin's glare, who had been annoyed by the gnome's declaration that he was useless. Although he hated to think lowly of the men under his command, he had to agree with the tactician on the scout's placement in the formation. The orc did not want to waste the troll's life on the formation, and if it did break, he could swiftly escape and continue on their task. Hopefully, he would understand their decision regarding this strategy later.
The group started to get into formation, pulling out their weapons and preparing for battle. Oliktalv took the lead, holding both of his swords in each hand. To the sides, slightly behind him, Belara and Salin stood, likewise brandishing their weapon. Behind the former, Finnal assumed her saber form, and behind the latter, Kelvin tied his jacket around his waist and held out his own swords. Directly behind the orc stood Balthar, who held his tome nervously, and Dal'bin. Finally, at the end of their formation was Colben, wielding Balthar's spare sword in one hand.
"And march!" Kelvin ordered.
The group moved forward, taking each step as one. Remaining in formation was essential for their survival in passing through the ridge. If one of the flank defenders broke off, the ravagers could focus on that side and overwhelm them. If Oliktalv fell in battle, the ravagers would swarm over the rest of the group with ease. If Colben abandoned his post, the ravagers would attack from behind and dispatch the Vanguard. Only by working together would they all make it to the safety of Zangarmarsh.
The Vanguard neared the ridge with ravager scouts spotting the group, who made no attempt to hide themselves. The beasts appeared to be that of a large, mutated bug, with four, clawed legs and carapaces covering their body. Oliktalv heard reports about how their sheer numbers were enough to overwhelm the most seasoned veteran and knew to be careful. The scouts did not charge forward, instead screeching out loudly as a warning. The group pressed on, nearing the ridge ever closely. The orc took notice of more ravagers joining the scouts, having been alarmed by the screeching. The element of surprise was gone as dozens of the beasts started to fill the ridge, making their job more tough.
When Oliktalv set foot on the path, the first ravager lunged at him, claws raised to slash across him. Instead, Oliktalv swung upward at the midair beast, cutting through its carapace and ending its life. As it fell to the ground, deceased, two more ravagers started to press forward. With a swing from both of his blades, both collapsed to the ground, dead as well. When the rest of the group started to make their way across the path, the ravagers as a whole surrounded the ground before charging forward.
At first, Oliktalv could take note of each individual ravager he cut down. However, as they proceeded through the path, the numbers started to pick up. Getting closer to Zangarmarsh, the orcish warrior was starting to have to use a single sword to cut down multiple ravagers at once. Thankfully, with his quick reflexes and sharp blades, cutting through their carapaces was easy. Behind him, the warrior could hear the sounds of battle, his comrades fighting hard to ensure the safety of the group. Slashing down a trio of charging ravagers, he pressed on, doing his best to lead the group to safety.
Eventually, four ravagers charged at him at once, leading to the warrior trying to take two down with each sword. Only three fell to his blades with one to his left injured but in fighting condition. It slashed out, inflicting a deep gash upon the orc's thigh. Oliktalv let out a roar of pain as he started to bleed, the claw being strong enough to cut through his leather armor. Salin quickly stepped into the rescue, bashing the ravager down with a quick swing of his quarterstaff. The commander only grunted in thanks, pressing on with a noticeable limp.
Fortunately, Oliktalv could still cut through the beasts since his arms remained uninjured. While cutting through the ravagers, he had to resist falling into his lust for battle and going berserk. A flaw that the orc noticed was that when the battle continued on for a long time, he started to grow more furious and frustrated until he could no longer think. While he believed that his leg wound would not hinder him if he did berserk, he knew it was not a good idea for the long run. While the warrior pushed on in an unrelenting assault, he was left exposed, which had been taken advantage by many of his foes. He had to endure through the pain to ensure the rest of the Vanguard was protected.
Eventually, after cutting through dozens of the ravagers, the attack stopped. The thorns signifying their lair were gone. From behind, Oliktalv heard the same warning screeches from before with the beasts not wishing to pursue their prey. With the Vanguard safe, the orc collapsed against the ridge's wall, gritting his teeth in pain. Balthar rushed up to him, flipping through the pages of his tome while chanting. The rest of the group gathered around while the priest-in-training finished his chanting, although nothing happened.
"This isn't good," Balthar muttered, turning towards the rest of the group. "He needs to be patched up!"
"I'm fine," Oliktalv grunted. "Just need to rest."
"Not on that leg, you're not," Belara told him, kneeling down next to him. "I can stitch it up quickly. That'll stop the blood loss until we can get it properly closed."
"That'll take too long," Kelvin told her, analyzing the situation. "Finnal, druids know healing magic, right? Can you help him."
"I don't think I can," Finnal shook her head. "I focused more on shapeshifting than I did with spells."
"Well, if magic is going to be the solution, I think I might be able to cauterize his wound," Colben offered. "Just try not to scream like Dal'bin did."
"Balthar, your tome, please," Salin brought up, walking forward.
Hesitantly, Balthar handed the tome over to Salin. The blood knight flipped through the pages, kneeling beside Oliktalv. He pressed his free hand onto the wound, earning a grimace of pain from the orc. The blood elf started to chant out loudly, his hands starting to glow golden. The gash started to close and the pain slowly faded away. The warrior relaxed up against the ridge wall, resting while Salin stood back up and turned back to the rest of the group.
"Just give him a moment to rest and we shall be off," Salin told the others.
"Salin, I didn't know you knew how to harness the Light to heal others," Balthar looked on in awe.
"Well, I was taught mostly to harness the Light into my weapon's attacks so that I may smite down my opponents," Salin admitted, holding the tome back out. "However, when presented with this, I had the material needed to patch up our dear companion."
"Enough rest," Oliktalv grunted. "I'm ready to move out."
Balthar took his tome back while Salin helped Oliktalv up from the ground, grabbing his hand and lifting him up onto his feet. The orc nodded in thanks, and then the Vanguard pressed on. With the threat of the ravagers gone, there was no need for formation. Kelvin and Colben took point, Salin and Oliktalv covered the rear, and the rest of the group was between them. Thankfully, the rest of the group did not suffer any extensive injuries. Without Naur, there was no true healer that they could rely upon after a battle.
As the Vanguard proceeded downhill, the terrain started to change, the dead dirt fading away as dark grass grew instead. In the distance, giant mushrooms could be seen, standing taller than most towers. Up ahead was a small town with wooden buildings, stone towers, and tents and huts set up. Most of the Vanguard was surprised to see the sight of civilization. They were expecting a marshland that was untouched by man and instead found signs of a small colony. A banner flew at the gates with a brown body and a patch of grass in the center of it.
"Well, that's new," Colben commented dryly, turning back to face the rest of the Vanguard. "Alright, someone tell me whether or not we're dealing with the Alliance or Horde."
"It's not the Horde, I can say that much," Oliktalv told him. "The Fel Horde was giving us too much trouble to advance."
"The same goes for the Alliance," Kelvin joined in. "I heard no reports of any attempt to move past of Hellfire Peninsula yet."
"Well, I can tell you now that the architecture there doesn't match up with any of the organizations on Outland, so they have to be from Azeroth," Colben argued. "So, you're telling me that neither of you heard of a large enough force for a basecamp traveling through the Dark Portal."
"I recognize those banners," Finnal spoke out, walking forward. "It's that of the Cenarion Circle. They must have sent an expedition to Outland when the Dark Portal opened."
"The Cenarion Circle is one of the largest druidic organizations on Azeroth and a neutral force," Oliktalv reminded the group. "If we present our case to them, they may be able to offer us protection."
"And we have a druid with us, meaning that negotiations may go along smoothly," Kelvin added.
"Looks like we're going to be safe, everyone," Finnal announced, smiling.
A/N: The Vanguard's journey continues in Zangarmarsh!
Until next time.