Author's Note: This side-story was actually written quite a while before the other chapters of "The Wearing Sands of Time", but it fits in along that story line. This is mainly just a goof side-chapter, none of these characters (with the obvious exception of Ghaku) will be re-occurring, so don't feel bad if you have no idea who they are. Enjoy!
MANY WHELPS!
The orc smiled a wicked, knowing smile. A smile that spoke to the world "I'm going to be covered in blood by the end of the day if I have to kill every elf in Kalimdor to do it!" He was Ghaku, the Bloody Prince, a man of with a title earned through cruelty and warfare. Though his battle plans for the day were made on a drunken bet, he took them as seriously as he would any battle...
"Bogorne that's the goddamn shtupidest thing I've ever heard!" Ghaku spoke, as sober as he was classy (that is to say not at all), "I don't care how strong you are, it'll take more than the two of us to slap around the bitch that is Onyxia in her own lair!" The tauren giggled (in a manly way, he would later insist) at Ghaku's ramblings, reminding Ghaku that they were a part of the mightiest group of fighters the Horde had to offer, "Whatever, Ghaku, I'm shure we can fool some people from the guild in to helping us..." Bogorne shouted to be heard over the madhouse that was the Drunken Kodo tavern in Ratchet. Ghaku nodded, almost dropping his skin of ale in the process, "Okay Mr. Cow, if you can find ush a solid group of good hordies, I'll go on your silly dragon hunt!" Bogorne winked slyly at the orc before shouting out across the bar, "OI! FAIRBANKS!" much to the surprise of half-naked corpse in the corner, who was taking off his pants in his drunken slumber. "Wha?" yelped the high-pitched Forsaken priest. Fairbanks, who unfortunately did not have time to fully awaken himself before he was rudely kick in the shins by a very large very drunk Tauren, "Get up, we're going to the marsh!" cackled Bogorne. "The marsh of booze and where I get a decent hour of sleep?" shrieked the corpse. "No." Ghaku replied shortly, delivering another sharp kick to Fairbanks before dragging him arms-first out of the smelly goblin tavern.
"Damn undead, makin' me drag them everywhere... crying like women..." Ghaku grumbled as he carted Fairbanks to the Ratchet docks. "I mean really... who screams like th-AIEEE!" shrieked Ghaku in a most un-orc-like manner, coming to a halt before the pale unmoving visage that was the face of Gronck, his brother in arms. "Damn rogues. Comin' out of nowhere like that..." grumbled the red-faced orc, blushing in the face of his friend's smirking grin. "Did I... scare you?" Gronck whispered in Ghaku's ear, winking slyly, "Where are you three off to, all dressed up with someone to kill? he spoke softly. "Gronck!" joyously yelled Bogorne, "its dragon hunting time! Get the crew, yer coming!" Gronck nodded, before slipping back in to the shadows. "Dustwallow!" cried out Bogorne in to the darkness where the rogue had vanished. "Got it covered." the tauren said smugly at Ghaku, slinging the unconscious priest over his back. "To the marsh, then!" Ghaku exclaimed, taking off at a job towards Dustwallow Marsh, his sword clanging against his waist at every step. The orc smiled a wicked, knowing smile.
"This place is creepy!" wailed Fairbanks, still hung over Bogorne's shoulder. "What!" yelled Ghaku, "You see people die every day, you create plagues that kill most of them, and to you a few spiders and puddles is CREEPY?" the orc sighed at his skeletal friend. "Where're Gronck and the crew meeting us, Bog?" Ghaku asked, feeling too sober for his own liking. The druid looked around mischievously, squinting his eyes at the darkness that enveloped the marsh, then shrugged. "Who knows." As the trio neared the entrance to the bitch queen's cave, the smell of brimstone and fire became stronger. "Reminds me of home..." Ghaku mused softly to himself. The jagged teeth of Onyxia's lair peeked out in the distance, fire erupting from the mouth. "Oh good, that means she's in." Bogorne laughed, "Only a few dozen dragonkin between us and her, at least." he said, noting the black dragons roaming the area, "They probably won't even bother us, they're pretty small..." but it was no use, Ghaku was already charging towards one of the beasties, his sparkling King's Defender poised to attack, "TIME for FUN!" the Orc yelled.
Gronck gazed quizzically at his blood brother. "What?" Ghaku asked, "is there something on my face?" laughed the warrior, aware of the large quantities of black blood that stained every part of his body. "So why do they call you the 'Bloody Prince'?" Gronck asked sarcastically, "Anyway, I've 'borrowed' a summoning stone from Deekon, I'm sure he won't miss it. We've got a few pyromaniacs among others waiting for us." Gronck said, leading the other three towards the stone. A short while later the air was filled with the sounds of chattering mages and warriors. Unotos grunted at the others as he arrived, "Killing time, is it?" murmured the tauren. The mages Shambler and Smoldersoul chatted excitedly with one another, discussing how to best explode dragons. The Blood Knight, Fellina, sauntered up from the stone, standing on her toes to peck a kiss on the orc's cheek. "And a good day to you, madam." Ghaku replied with a wink. The motley crew strolled in to the dragon's lair, taking a slightly more serious tone as they readied for the battle ahead.
"Security has been tightened since our last visit!" exclaimed the warrior, trying to hold off two of the massive Onyxian Warders that guarded the lair. Ghaku shouted obscenities that would make a Blood-Elf hooker blush as he slammed his shield in to the draconic guardian's stomach, grabbing its attention. "See how YOU like it!" the green skinned man yelled, his Defender blazing with speed. Ghaku jabbed his sword repeatedly in to the scaled beast's midsection, long after it ceased to live, shouting still. The other guardian, unmolested, made its way towards the small form of the Elven Paladin, knocking her down. Fellina's eyes went wide as she immediately shielded herself with her divine power, rendering the dragon's attacks futile. "Ghaku!" she cried out. Luckily, Gronck in his vigilance was shortly behind the behemoth that was assaulting his companion, bisecting the creature with his newly acquired artifact, the Talon of Azshara. The blade hummed as it pierced scale, skin and bone alike, followed by an unpleasant slurping sound as the dragon literally fell to pieces. "That was closssse..." hissed the forsaken mage, Smoldersoul. "Wouldn't want to losssse that one..." With most of his lower-jaw missing, the pyromaniac spoke seldom if ever. Ghaku sighed as he marched further in to the lair, "She survived..."
Bogorne giggled in a most un-tauren-like manner (though there was much more about him that was unusual), "There's the bitch!" he whispered to the group, pointing to the largest cavern within the cave. Housed in this massive mountain were the rows upon rows of black dragon eggs, just waiting for one unfortunate soul to break them all. In the middle of the scorched dome was the queen Onyxia herself. The dragon cocked one eye open, a slight smile spreading across her gargantuan face. "Ahh, how fortuitous, usually I must leave my lair in order to feed!" resonated a deep voice throughout the mountain, as the behemoth of a dragon rose towards the group. "Okay, listen the fuck up!" shouted Bogorne. Whatever the tauren said next was never heard over rumbling as Onyxia bounded towards them across the cavern. Removing one of the plethora of weapons from his side, Ghaku threw his Planar Edge Axe at the beast, grabbing her attention. Even the dragon's knife-like claws and flaming breath could not penetrate the tower of steel that was the orc warrior. Pure determination (or perhaps stubbornness) was all that kept Ghaku in his place, few men alive could stand the sight of one of the largest dragons in existence bearing down directly on to them. He scarcely had time to attack, for the fury of the bitch kept him defending at every move. More than once she turned to attack a more vulnerable target, but such an opportunity was taken to hit her where it hurt, returning her attention to the warrior. Unotos sprinted towards the beast, his mighty Bone-grinder brandished and ready to crush even this mighty of a foe. Above the roaring flames and clanging of steel could be heard the cackling of mages as they lit up the mountain with their magics, Shambler's face covered in his trollish tattoos lit up with fire as he channeled pure energy in to destruction.
Onyxia roared in pain, shaking the cavern tremendously, causing many of the overhanging rocks to collapse down upon the bitch. The air was filled with black blood, as the beast rose from the ground to destroy the band of Bloodrite from the air. As she rose, Bogorne was caught upon her tail and thrown deep in to the whelp caves. "Bogorne got flung in to the whelps!" cried out Fairbanks, shrill as ever. Bog's eyes opened wide alone in the middle of several hundred pulsing black eggs. But not alone for long. Quickly shifting in to his crow form, the druid flew back towards the group. Unfortunately, he brought along with him many whelps. To add torture to discomfort, soon the crew was bombarded from above by Onyxia's flaming breath! "MANY WHELPS!" Ghaku shouted out. Gronck's blade it seemed was everywhere, wherever there was a dragon whelp to be spawned there was the assassin to put it down. Along-side him was his brother in arms, shield flying and his Defender blazing with speed. "Nothing we can't handle!" cried out the Bloody Prince, battle was what Ghaku lived and breathed, and so long as the blood ran he was where he belonged. The cavern blared with heat as everyone could hear the bitch queen take a sudden breath intake, "Get down!" shouted out the Blood Knight, as fire cascaded throughout the mountain, Onyxia's deep breath was devastating. Ghaku, at her side tried to drag her to the cave's walls, lost grip of her during the chaos. Though most of the group remained unscathed, the bleeding body of Fellina was alone in the middle of the cavern. A silence swept over the fighters. "You left her." Gronck said coldly. "I did..." Ghaku replied somberly, "but the bitch is still up there!" he shouted out. "Tiji would have saved her..." Gronck whispered after him. The bloodied warrior halted in his steps, "She isn't here, Gronck, don't say that name around me." he replied, with pain in his voice. "Its true, she never would have left Fellina, and she wouldn't let her rage control her like it does to you!" Gronck shouted after him. "The bitch up and left us!" Ghaku turned, yelling at his comrade, "She abandoned us! She abandoned ME!" he said blinking back tears. "Hey mon," Shambler interrupted the pair, "You don't be knowin' that, we all saw Tiji get lost in da Caverns of Time! She be stuck in that hellish battle of da elves, mon!" the mage went on, trying to remind them of the slightly more urgent matters at hand. "She'd be back by now..." Ghaku said as he kneeled over his elven friend's body. Bogorne pulled the warrior up, the druid's typically jovial face was calm and concentrated. "By the power of the Earth Mother..." he whispered, as a shining light enveloped Fellina's smoldering body, mending her wounds and restoring her life. "Rebirth!" cried out the tauren.
Another bounding crash resonated throughout the mountain as Onyxia landed with one intent in mind: destroy those still standing. The orcs, understanding that matters had to be put aside, ran towards where the bitch landed. The fighters marched as the air burned around them, Ghaku grabbed his Sun Eater longsword from his back and hurled it at the beast, carving itself in to the dragon's chest. Onyxia roared with pain, but there was little she could do but unleash her bellowing roar. Still an effective weapon despite her injury, the roar delivered fear itself in to the Horde. All that stood still were Ghaku, tears down his face mingling with blood both of the dragon and his own, and the bitch herself. "Smash!!" Ghaku roared. "SMASH!!!" Gronck replied with a roar. Together they cried out in unison, tearing the sword out of her chest, the Dragon Queen's still beating heart along with it.
Ghaku collapsed to the ground, he ached everywhere and then some, but it was the ache of battle, the ache that felt more home to him than anywhere else. The fighters of Bloodrite slowly gathered around the corpse of the black leviathan. "Excsssselent..." Smoldersoul whispered, rummaging around for an Onyxian egg to take home to study. The grim tauren warrior closed his eyes and smiled, Unotos always loved a good brawl, removing his mighty Bone-grinder from a large tauren-shaped hole in Onyxia's body. The lanky troll mage was busy giggling to himself as he eyed over the pile of loot that had yet to be divvied out. Gronck strolled over to Fairbanks' unconscious body, the dead priest having fainted sometime during the battle, the tauren kicked him in the shins softly before slinging him over his shoulder. Still holding Fellina's unconscious form, Bogorne nudged Ghaku, giving him a warm smile. "It wasn't you." he reassured the orc. Ghaku nodded and smiled softly, not feeling any the better. The motley crew of Bloodrite strolled out in to the dark of the warm Kalimdor night, each with a new shiny toy from Onyxia's treasure horde to play with.
The orc gazed across the war-city of Orgrimmar, dried blood and tears still covering his unwashed face. His dark red hair was darker still for the black blood that it had washed in throughout the day. Sitting next to his long-time friend, the Frostwolf Howler, he closed his eyes and dreamt of a world where his sword was always awash with the bodies of his enemies, a world where the Bloody Prince would be at home. A hand landed lightly on his shoulder, Ghaku didn't hear anyone approach, being lost in his own dream. He looked up slowly to meet the smiling face of his brother in arms. Neither said a word, neither needed to, Gronck nodded and sat down next to him.
"So, you come here often?"