Belara and Oliktalv were fortunate enough to shake the naga from their trail and find a cave in the mountains to the south to hide in. However, that was about all they had going for good news. Oliktalv was injured, and even after Belara removed the trident from his leg and covered his wounds to the best of her ability, it wasn't enough to get him moving. The orc drifted in and out of consciousness during his treatment and the dark ranger was currently trying to settle on a plan to get the both of them to the Cenarion Refuge alive.
Although Belara currently held Oliktalv's communication stone after taking it from him, she didn't think calling for help was an option. She knew a trap when she saw one, and if the naga were able to ambush them at one pump, it made sense that they would be able to do so at the other pumps. The rest of the Vanguard were likely dead or fighting for their lives. Either way, they wouldn't be able to help. Belara pocketed the stone, ensuring that any messages that came through were muffled.
Belara knew that carrying Oliktalv over to the Cenarion Refuge wasn't an option. She was barely able to carry him this far when he was conscious and able to fight off the enemy. Between his adrenaline fading away and the loss of blood, the orc wasn't going to be able to help and there was no doubt in Belara's mind that the naga would be able to find them in the open. The dark ranger was tempted to leave him behind, knowing that she would be able to make it to safety on her own.
It was that line of thought that gave her an idea on what to do.
Oliktalv groaned when he opened his eyes, regaining consciousness. Belara sat across from him, a small campfire with a pot of boiled water between them. The orc slowly sat up from his prone stance and took deep breaths. He looked more pale than usual but no blood leaked out from his bandaged wounds. Belara wasn't much of a healer but knew enough first aid from when she was alive to keep him from dying.
"Are you feeling tired at all?" Belara asked.
"A little," Oliktalv admitted. "I think I can keep up though."
"Good," Belara said and stood up. "I scouted the rest of the cave. You should be safe if you stay here."
"Safe?" Oliktalv frowned. "What are you planning?"
"You'll just slow me down if I head to the Cenarion Refuge, and if you move the wrong way, you may bleed out," Belara explained. "I need you to stay here while I head out alone."
"And then what?" Oliktalv questioned.
"I'll let the Cenarion Expedition know that you're here," Belara told Oliktalv. "They can transform into birds and fly over the naga while possessing the magic to heal you."
"I doubt they'll be strong enough to carry me out," Oliktalv grunted.
Belara nodded in agreement. "You'll likely have to fight your way back to the Cenarion Refuge. The naga are everywhere."
"And you'll be fine making it on your own?" Oliktalv asked.
"I should be able to sneak through their ranks on my own," Belara answered. "It isn't a perfect plan but we don't have a lot of options."
Oliktalv gazed into the fire for several seconds before speaking. "You're right. I just hate sitting around and doing nothing."
"You'll have your chance for a fight once you're healed," Belara reminded him. "I've boiled some water so that it'll be clean for you to drink. Try to tend to the campfire if you can to stay warm, and if you have to move, I'm leaving behind the trident the naga impaled into your leg that I want you to use as support."
"Thank you," Oliktalv bowed his head. "I'll see you back at the Cenarion Refuge."
"See you then," Belara said and made her way to the cave exit.
Belara would be able to make it to the Cenarion Refuge, and once she arrived, she was confident that the druids would be able to make it to Oliktalv. She knew that the rest of the Vanguard would hold it against her if she left Oliktalv behind without some sort of plan to help him, and even though he wasn't the greatest fighter in their ranks, the orc had shown himself capable of surviving worse wounds before. It was important for the Vanguard to recover as quickly as they could so they could think of some sort of counterattack.
X
Colben remembered Kelvin's final order to find somewhere safe to hide and to forget about Balthar. However, the gnome failed to account for the soldier's love of a good challenge. There was no greater challenge than to navigate an alien marshland in search of a failed squire while contending with the naga that were trying to hunt him down as well. Colben pocketed the stone away and walked in the open, practically challenging his enemy to try something against him.
Despite what Kelvin said, Colben looked forward to causing trouble.
At first, the naga threw whatever they could against him, intending to kill or capture their prey. However, they hadn't fought against someone who didn't care when they dragged him underwater. Colben didn't have to breathe at all and his skill with the blade was greater than any of the warriors they had. The undead warrior left a trail of naga, bleeding and burnt, in his wake.
After a half hour of fighting, the naga knew better than to pick a fight with him. They decided to try to watch him from afar. However, whenever Colben saw one of them poking their head out of cover or emerging from the water, a quick bolt of fire tore through their skull. The naga caught his message, and eventually, left him alone. Although it was boring, Colben enjoyed his newfound privacy.
Unlike Hellfire Peninsula, Zangarmarsh was vibrant with life. The Cenarion Circle made the right choice to send an expedition to this part of Outland as it was capable of sustaining villages. Colben even thought that the Alliance and Horde would be able to establish outposts without having to rely on supplies from the Dark Portal. Although it was an intriguing idea to make his new home here rather than the desolate wasteland to the east, he thought against it. There was too much danger in Zangarmarsh to live by himself, and although he loved a good fight, knew he would get bored.
Colben was already bored of fighting naga, so he thought it best to stay in Hellfire Peninsula after the Illidari was dismantled.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of Balthar. Although he was never the best tracker, Colben did his best to head in the direction he saw the young man run off to. Still, he had failed to catch sight of the priest-in-training. For now, Colben thought it was best to look on the bright side. Even though he hadn't found Balthar, he also hadn't found his corpse. It was possible that through adrenaline and blind luck, Balthar would be able to escape from the naga. It was just a matter of finding him before they found him.
Finally, Colben caught sight of someone in the distance, and from the way they were shaped, they weren't naga. The soldier picked up his pace, a small part of him hoping that he found naga. Instead, he was surprised to see that the stranger wasn't Balthar, but rather, a young human woman in armor. Her skin was pale and her black hair was tied back into a ponytail. She carried a large greatsword, much bigger than Colben's blade, in her hands. The undead warrior was quick to note that her blade and armor was covered in the blood of naga, not that there were any in sight.
So the mysterious warrior had struck fear into the naga as well.
"Hail, stranger!" Colben greeted with a chuckle. "It's a nice day for fishing, is it not?"
"Are you Colben Sampson?" the woman asked, not caring for his question.
Colben frowned. "I am he, and I assume you're some bounty hunter after that bounty on me in Azeroth."
"That would be correct," she said with a nod and stepped forward. "Shall we do this the easy way or the hard way?"
"As fun as the hard way would be, I have other business to take care of," Colben admitted. "So, the easy way."
"Really?" the bounty hunter asked in surprise. "I didn't-"
What Colben didn't tell her was that the easy way was destroying her with magic. He interrupted her mid-sentence with a fireball meant to set her aflame in a fiery explosion. When the magical fire closed in on her, the bounty hunter lifted her arms up and runes on her bracers sparked to life. A barrier formed around her and the spell was absorbed with the runes glowing orange before fading away.
"That's new," Colben commented.
"I took these bracers from a rogue Kirin Tor sorcerer," the bounty hunter said in a bragging tone. "The enchantments he made were designed to fend off minor spells from his foes although he never thought of what would happen when a blade slipped in between his ribs."
Colben laughed. "Damn, that's hilarious. It's almost a shame that I have to kill you. Almost."
"You'll find that even though I don't have your magic, I can keep up with you in a fight," she said and held her blade in front of her. "Only one of us has died before."
"You're right about that," Colben said with a grin as he held his sword's hilt in both hands. "I died when my sword was shattered and my chest pierced by a runeblade that stole my very soul. So, unless your bracers can top that, I like my chances."
The two warriors locked eyes and slowly stepped forward until they were only a few feet apart. The greatsword that the bounty hunter wielded was similar in size to the greataxe that Gotur used in battle. There was no doubt that her blade would cause damage if she was able to land a hit. However, Colben could tell that while she had honed muscles beneath her armor, the bounty hunter lacked the inborn strength that Gotur had. Although he wasn't as swift on his feet as he was when was alive, the soldier felt that he could keep up.
There was no signal on when to start the duel, but the two reached a silent agreement and charged forward.
Colben stepped to the side to avoid a wide swing from the bounty hunter and tried to strike at her. However, his blade bounced harmlessly off of the armor that protected her gut. The undead warrior took a step back to avoid another swing then parried a third with the blades only contacting for a brief moment. Colben couldn't risk blocking every of her attacks out of fear that repeated attacks from a powerful weapon would break his own weapon.
After ducking from another swing, Colben rolled back in an awkward manner to get some distance from his opponent. He released one hand from his sword's hilt and aimed his palm at her to fire off several minor firebolts. The bounty hunter lifted her arms up to absorb the magical attacks with her bracers while stepping forward. Colben knew that he wouldn't be able to land a hit on her with magic but realized that his foe's stance was awkward when having to block his firebolts.
It's as she said: the bracers weren't going to protect her from a sword.
When the bounty hunter closed the distance on her quarry, Colben made his move. He charged forward and swept his blade low, catching her across the knee. He didn't draw blood but the bounty hunter stumbled from the force of the blow. She was fast enough to raise her greatsword to block a lunge that would have impaled her through the chest but not quick enough to block the next attack. The bounty hunter gasped and grimaced as Colben swung his blade toward her face. Although she stepped back, she had taken a glancing blow across her cheek.
Colben grinned when he saw her blood drip from his blade. She was a good warrior but he was better. He may have died before but there was nothing saying she couldn't die.
The bounty hunter regained her composure and charged forward. When Colben moved out of a downward swing, he didn't expect for her to keep running and slam her shoulder into his chest. The undead soldier grunted and gripped his sword with both hands just in time to block a greatsword swing. Their blades locked and Colben was thankful that his blade didn't break from the force of the attack that nearly knocked him off his feet.
While Colben thought of what to do after their blades break apart, he realized that her bracers' runes were glowing again. The undead warrior knew he didn't cast a spell but realized that wasn't what activated them. The bounty hunter's greatsword burst into flame and the few embers that jumped off of the sword struck him in the chest. He gasped and took a step back only for her to press her advantage, and with one final swing, disarmed her prey of his blade. Colben could only watch as his sword flew out of reach and into a nearby river.
Colben slowly raised both of his hands in the air with a frown. The flame's from the bounty hunter's greatsword flickered away as she pressed the tip of her weapon to his neck.
"The bracers were part of a set," she explained. "They absorb the magical properties of spells to enhance this greatsword with their effects."
"Don't let this get to your head," Colben warned her. "If you didn't have your magical tools, who would win?"
"You would have," the bounty hunter admitted. "Your skill with the blade surpasses my own and it doesn't help that I'm learning how to fight with a two-handed weapon. Still, a victory is a victory."
"Except you haven't won," Colben said with a smirk.
"Your perspective must be rather twisted," she said. "Yield or I will take your head."
Colben locked eyes with the bounty hunter. Even with the threat of decapitation, he stood his ground fearlessly.
He knew that she wasn't going to kill him.
"Let's talk," Colben said.
A/N: I'm back with another chapter. I look forward to showing who this bounty hunter is and how she will affect the rest of the story, but for now, that will have to wait.
Until next time.