Belara knew who it was that swapped their vote. She knew Oliktalv's handwriting well enough and knew that Kelvin and Colben would not go against each other. That only left Dal'bin as a valid option. She was unsure on what to think of the scout's change of plans. The dark ranger thought it was good that he was starting to stretch his independence, having previously thought that he was too obedient for his own good. Yet, she was reminded of when the troll had acted out on his own by following after her to murder Colben. He had a darker side to him, most likely with various problems he hides from the others, but that was none of her concern.

Belara sat on top of a mushroom stomp by herself, sharpening her trusty daggers for the upcoming battles. Everyone else had split off into the pairs to train, leaving her by herself. Their training was not for her liking as she preferred a more stealthy approach to put an end to her foes without their knowledge. Some, like Oliktalv, would find her tactics distasteful for their lack of honor. Once, she had lived with honor, and it had gotten her killed. Now, they are on a journey to do good for a world that is in the past, and she was intent on surviving.

Towards one of the small islands in the swamps, Oliktalv and Colben sparred against each other. The battle was quick to draw her interest because of how intense it grew. The orc slammed his blades away on the veteran's borrowed sword, his furious offense meeting an unbreakable defense. The dark ranger was curious on what the fellow undead was up to with his plan as a whole. There was no way he could simply intend to take this world for his own for it had no future.

Not far away, Salin and Balthar sat together, studying the tome that Naur lent the latter. With the vindicator gone, the two had taken up a student and master bond, although she questioned if it was going to work out. The draenei revered the Naaru, a deity that was foreign to humanity and elvenkind. Yet, it seemed her former comrade had an understanding of the Naaru, a fact that surprised the dark ranger. There was little she knew about his secretive order, meaning that asides from him hiding the damage in his mind, he was hiding facts of who he was now.

Finally, Dal'bin and Finnal sparred together, the latter trying to learn something new just like Balthar. Under the troll's instruction, she was learning different punches and strikes for hand-to-hand combat. It seemed strange that a druid would want to learn how to fight with her hands when she could shift into an an animal instead. The night elf was a quick learner, and much like Salin and Balthar, did not seem to care about the factions when it came to interacting with others. Might be foolish to admit, but maybe the Vanguard would have some sort of future.

After several minutes of training, Belara caught Kelvin walking towards Colben and Oliktalv. The two put an end to their duel when the gnome called out to them and went over to talk. Although the Vanguard was making excellent work in improving the bonds across factions, it was clear that there was one subgroup that was not as good. Although they were supposedly equal, the trio was the leadership, and already, they were trying to exercise their authority. The dark ranger hated how they left her uninvolved, feeling that they could use her expertise if they wished to be successful.

"Training's over!" Oliktalv's voice boomed out. "Vanguard, to me!"

As commanded, the other four members of the Vanguard started to make their way over to join up. Belara was tempted to wait, but with nothing else to do, she followed. The five lined up in front of their de facto leaders, who stood in their own line. After a moment of silence, Kelvin was the first to step forward, walking between the two lines while casting glances. He was taking his time to think on his words, the plan that would define the Vanguard's path.

"There are five pumps draining the Zangarmarsh," Kelvin announced. "Four at separate lakes: Serpent Lake, Umbrafen Lake, Marshlight Lake, and the Lagoon. These pumps are directing water to the largest pump, Coilfang Reservoir, which is at the center of Serpent Lake. From there, the water is taken elsewhere for purposes unknown to us."

"So, strike at Coilfang Reservoir full force and call it a day," Salin suggested. "Easy enough."

"Coilfang Reservoir is too heavily fortified, but the other alternative is not much better," Kelvin sighed. "Four teams of two will each strike one of the pumps, and with seeds enchanted by the Cenarion Expedition, clog them up. All strikes have to be done at once to ensure that the naga cannot reinforce them after a single strike."

"That's going to get us all killed," Belara muttered.

"We are all skilled in our own right," Colben told her bluntly. "I think that we can handle a few nameless naga on our own."

"Uh, that should be seven," Balthar whispered, looking down at the ground. "I'm not that useful."

"You're with me, kid," Colben shot back. "Stay out of my way, watch from the expert, and you'll walk away just fine from the Lagoon."

"So, you all decided on the pairs?" Belara asked.

"We have," Kelvin nodded. "We will be going with the captain system from Hellfire Citadel. Us three will be captains, and the leftover pair will get to decide whoever they want to lead."

"And who did you pick?" Belara continued her questioning.

"Dal'bin," Kelvin answered. "The perfect soldier and the perfect leader. I see no possible way of that failing to take down Marshlight Lake's pump."

"Finnal, I'll be leading our pair," Belara glanced at the night elf.

"Sounds good to me!" Finnal smiled.

"Oliktalv, good luck with handling Salin," Belara smirked. "He's going to be a lot of work."

"That's why I picked you," Oliktalv grunted. "We'll strike at Umbrafen Lake."

Although Oliktalv's choice surprised her, Belara thought it make sense after some thought. The partnership he had in mind would be with Dal'bin, but seeing as how he was no longer an option, she was the next best. Salin struggled to prove himself to the orc and the warrior knew little of Finnal. Although they had their differences, it could work out for their operation. While the naga were distracted downing the captain, the dark ranger would slip past their ranks and deal with the pump.

The other two duos surprised her as well but strangely enough made sense. Like Kelvin described, Dal'bin was physically fit for action and followed orders without question. The gnome was better at giving out orders than doing them himself, so it would work out for them. Meanwhile, Colben was the type to steal all the glory for himself, and with his swordsmanship and magic, could do it. As long as Balthar stayed in the back, they should be fine. The only pairing that made sense at first glance was Salin and Finnal, but given that the druid was willing to follow Dal'bin's orders, probably meant she would not serve as a captain.

"I shall lead us to glory at Serpent's Lake!" Salin declared, hoisting his trident up into the air. "Mark my words!"

"Of course," Belara sighed, then looked at Oliktalv. "Let's just deal with the naga so we can get on our way."

"Agreed," Oliktalv nodded. "Dal'bin, follow Kelvin's orders as they were my own for the time being."

"Yeah, mon," Dal'bin agreed.

"And are you sure that you want me?" Balthar briefly glanced upwards at Colben. "I'll just hold you back."

"The others would hold me back," Colben told him. "You won't hold me back at all in the sense that you won't get any credit."

"I suppose so," Balthar replied.

"With no objections to the group, we shall rest soon, then proceed with the operation," Kelvin announced. "Any final questions?"

"We should do some sort of team building training before then," Salin suggested, lowering his trident. "Get to know each other and how we fight better."

"Salin, that's-" Kelvin took a moment to think mid sentence. "Not that bad of an idea."

"The world must be ending now," Belara grinned.

"What kind of team building?" Finnal asked.

"I have an idea," Salin told them. "Give me a hour to prepare, then meet back up here. Come on, Balthar! I'll need your help!"

Before anyone could stop them, Salin ran off, grabbing Balthar's wrist and dragging him along with him. Belara eyed after the two, wondering what her former friend had in mind, then walked off as well. For now, their business was completed, and she had to get back to preparing for the future battles. Working with Oliktalv was not something she expected. They might argue about their ways, but if they were smart enough, they would be able to reach an agreement on how to handle the pumps. That is, if Oliktalv's honor would cooperate with her tactics.

A/N: What does Salin have in mind? Well, unfortunately, you're going to have to wait until April 12 to find out, for I will be taking a brief break from writing.

Until next time.