"So, where have you been?" Jacob asked as he lay on the sleeping shelf in his cell.

"Pardon?" Tohopekaliga asked as she looked across the candle lit jail.

Jacob grunted as he worked himself into a sitting position. It took him a bit more work than normal as dinner was only just past and despite the harsh welcome, Northwatch jailers at least fed their charges well. "I mean to ask, where have you traveled to?" Jacob reiterated. "You've mentioned you've traveled a lot."

"Oh," Toho said. She took a moment to think back and collect her thoughts and memories before she spoke again. "Well, aside from Mulgore, Durotar, and the Barrens, I've been across Kalimdor as far south as Tanaris and Un'Goro Crater and as far north as Winterspring. I even spent a fair amount of time in Desolace."

"Desolace?" Jacob asked. "I haven't heard of it, thought it doesn't sound pleasant."

"It isn't," Toho replied, shrugging. "It is a barren wasteland that makes the Tanaris Desert look welcoming by comparison. The creatures there are fierce and the native peoples even more so."

"So why did you go there?" Jacob asked, interested now.

Toho shrugged. "Duty, mainly; enemies of the Horde make their home there in hopes that their scheming goes unnoticed." She smirked a bit then. "They were mistaken."

Jacob absorbed this and thought for a moment. "Any of them the kind I would know?" He asked carefully.

"If you mean Alliance, no," Toho replied gently. "Oh, the Night Elves have an outpost there, but the Horde is unconcerned with them being in that area. We're far more concerned with the centaur and demons."

"Demons?" Jacob asked in a startled tone. "I thought they were defeated six years ago?"

"Their leader and main army, yes," Toho replied. "But enough of them and their cult followers have survived to make enclaves here and there. Then there are the Satyr, a lesser kind of demon that comes from corrupted Night Elven stock; they've had outposts across northern Kalimdor for centuries." She paused then and gave the human a confused look. "Should you not already know this?"

Jacob shook his head a bit. "To tell the truth, I'm not sure," he explained. "Information about Kalimdor is spotty back home. A few explorers have published accounts but most are considered frauds or hoaxes, and the military tends to classify its reports so any enemies can't see how much we know.

"Basically, most of what I know about Kalimdor I have had to learn the hard way." The warrior looked pointedly around the jail at this.

Toho chuckled lightly, garnering a mildly irritated look from the human. "I'm sorry Jake, I am only laughing at the situation, not at you."

Jacob's irritation melted away and he smiled at the tauren. "Well, I guess it's funny… If you like gallows humor."

"Like what?" Toho asked, as it was her turn to be unfamiliar with a concept.

"Gallows humor. You know, the kind of dark jokes someone tells to another when they're in a dire situation," Jacob said, trying to explain but only getting an odd look from Toho in return. "Like, for instance, when two men are facing the gallows, and one makes a joke about not needing to pay off a debt he owes money on."

"Oh," Toho said, her face lighting up a bit. "I think I understand now. It is not so different for my people, though I think most of us prefer to be silent and contemplative in such situations."

Jacob shrugged at that. "Well, I guess us humans are just odd," he said, sheepishly smiling. "But for what it's worth, I'm glad you're not so quiet as you say; it's nice to have someone to talk to."

Tohopekaliga smiled lightly and shrugged. "It is not that bad yet, I think," she said evenly.

Just then the door to the jail opened, surprising the two prisoners. Three armed men stepped in, none wearing the usual tabard that was a part (and usually the whole) of an Alliance soldier's uniform. The significant lack of this cloth set warnings off in Jacob's head, which only magnified when the last man through the door closed it slowly to avoid making noise.

Toho dropped her head and placed her hand over her face while muttering something in her native tongue. Then after a moment she looked up and glanced over to Jacob with a question on her face. Jacob gulped and nodded slightly, which caused her features to harden.

"Which one first?" One of the men asked of their leader, whom Jacob recognized as the man named Farrik he'd seen in the tower.

"The squib," Farrik said, taking out his darkened blade. "Make it quick and don't worry about the noise, Jacen's got the nearest boys away on a drill." The other two drew their weapons as well and followed their leader as he advanced on the two prisoners.

Jacob and Toho both naturally moved their bodies as far from the barred doors as possible, but both were only too well away that the help it afforded them was negligible. Jacob's eyes traced over the inside of his cell in growing panic, but with the dinner dishes having been taken hours ago he found nothing that could even remotely be used as a weapon.

Just as Farrik was closing in on the door, however, the last man in the group suddenly paused and then spun on a foot. "Do you hear that?" He asked, his voice starting to quake.

"What?" Farrik asked, stopping to look back. "I didn't hear anything."

"Why can't you hear it?" The man asked as his face and voice started to show panic. "It's getting louder. Oh Light I can't stand it! I've got to get out of here!" Before either of his compatriots could act, the man bolted to the door of the jail and virtually slammed it open before running outside.

"Wester!" The man beside Farrik called. "What the devil is going on?"

"I don't know, Daren," Farrik growled out while he turned back to the fearful and confused prisoners. "But we don't have time now, we need to finish this."

"Right," the man said, somewhat shaken but nevertheless focused on the task. Just as he turned back to face Jacob, however, the latter saw a change come over the young man's face: his eyes seemed to glaze over and he froze for a moment.

Farrik didn't see this, as he was too busy focusing on using one hand to pull out a key from a pocket while the other held his sword. "When I get the door open make sure to keep the squib from escaping should-" The older man didn't have a chance to finish his sentence as Daren slammed the hand guard of his sword into the back of Farrik's head.

Farrik fell forward and slammed against the bars of Jacob's cell, clearly knocked halfway senseless. Nevertheless he managed to push himself off of the bars and away from his attacker just before Daren tried to smash the pommel home; instead he slammed the hilt of the sword into the bars while Farrik leaned against a roof support and kicked the young man back.

Daren seemed unfazed by this, though, and he boldly launched himself at Farrik, batting the other man's sword aside with his own blade before ploughing into him. The fight degenerated into a tangled mesh of fists and kicks and grappling as both men sought to incapacitate or kill the other. Jacob watched in perverse fascination as the battle shifted back and forth, with Daren's youth balanced by Farrik's experience and training. Yet, whatever had impelled Daren to attack his co-conspirator seemed to give him an unnatural focus, and before long he had Farrik down and in a chokehold that slowly drove the elder man into unconsciousness.

Before either Jacob or Toho could even think of saying or doing anything, a robed figure carrying an ornate staff walked into the jail and casually strode up to where Daren had stood up following his victory. The young man was holding attention as if he were on parade, but his eyes remained glazed and his expression blank. He seemed to take no notice of his surroundings or of the approach of the newcomer. "You've done well," the robed figure said as she reached the last would-be assassin. "Time to sleep now," she added, and then waved her staff in front of Daren's face. One she finished the young man's eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed on top of Farrik's unconscious form.

Silence reigned for a few pregnant moments before the newcomer used her free hand to pull back her hood, and Jacob finally saw the golden-haired woman clearly. Her face showed a mild concern as she looked between the two prisoners, and after a moment she spoke. "I see I arrived in time; excellent."

"Who are you?" Jacob asked warily. "And what did you do to those men?"

The woman nodded to him. "I am called Omiya," she said as she kneeled down to retrieve Farrik's key, which had fallen to the floor in the scuffle. "And as to what I did, rest assured that these men will suffer no permanent damage."

"Why are you here?" Jacob asked.

"To prevent a tragedy from occurring," Omiya replied as she turned and unlocked Tohopekaliga's cell. The tauren watched her warily with narrowed eyes as Omiya entered the cell and then kneeled again, this time to unlock the chains around the huntress' ankles. "Both of you are marked for death, though for separate reasons."

"And why do you care?" Toho asked, moving to rub her ankles as the priestess stepped back. "I have yet to see anyone in this hold who would be so concerned."

Omiya nodded once to Toho before she turned and went to open Jacob's cell. "Because I am a follower of the Light, and the Light cries out against the senseless loss of life that comes from such malicious behavior." She stepped back then as both Jacob and Toho left their cells, and then smiled. "Also, I have something that belongs to you," Omiya added, and seemingly from nowhere a necklace appeared in her open palm, replacing the jailer's key.

Tohopekaliga's eyes widened. "My necklace!" She exclaimed, and then reached out and delicately plucked it from Omiya's outstretched hand. "Thank you so much," Toho said as she quickly refastened it around her neck.

"Thanks are unnecessary as it was my duty," Omiya said, bowing her head slightly. "I was there years ago when that one was made, and then given to a friend." She tilted her head slightly and regarded the tauren for a moment. "Arthur would not have given it away lightly, even in his missionary work. And if it had not been given freely, it would have dissolved on his death." Omiya smiled as a befuddled look came over the two beings standing in front of her. "Your ancestor must have proven himself a worthy figure indeed."

A moment of silence fell in the jail for a moment before Jacob cleared his throat. "I… am rather confused," he said hesitantly.

Just then Farrik moaned slightly, lightly startling Jacob and Toho. "Now is not the place to explain," Omiya said, and then turned to stride for the exit. "Now follow me and I will take you to your mounts and equipment. There is little time to waste."

Jacob felt like was walking on pins and needles as he followed Omiya through the compound. The mysterious rescuer seemed unperturbed by the fact that she had essentially broken two prisoners out of jail and was now walking them towards the stables in plain sight, and her continued calm in the face of the situation was eating at him. "How are we not being spotted and chased?" He finally asked after the issue became too much for him.

"I have cast a spell that lowers our visibility," Omiya answered without so much as a glance back. "So long as we do not go too close to the others, nor raise our voices much, we shall remain undetected."

"I know of this spell," Tohopekaliga said from where she walked behind Jacob. "But I thought priests could only cast it upon themselves because of the strain? And also that it cannot deaden sound."

Omiya said nothing to that. Instead, she and the others continued to head down the path that led from the upper plateau to the level that held the stables. The silence became oppressive, and Jacob suddenly realized why. It's a part of the spell, he thought. It muffles sound coming in as well as going out. This idea disturbed him in a manner he could not quite understand, but it made the hairs on his neck stand up all the same.

Soon enough he had other thoughts to occupy his mind as the trio approached the stables. "Your mounts are inside, unguarded," Omiya quietly said as they reached the main doors. "Although your ravasaur is cordoned off, given its poisonous skin," she added, looking to Toho.

Jacob also looked to the tauren. "Poison?" He asked, alarmed. "I was handling bags that were riding on it."

"And if you had contacted any poison you'd be sick right now," Toho countered. "Now hush," she added, and then looked to Omiya. "What about our equipment? The Barrens are too dangerous to go through without protection."

Omiya waved her staff towards an outbuilding across the lower bailey. "That storage building contains your effects. However, there are at least two guards inside at all times. Acquiring your equipment will be tricky and require more stealth than even my spell can provide."

The group stood in silence for a moment before Tohopekaliga sighed briefly. "Tauren are not known for stealth," she said evenly. "I will get our mounts ready while you two get the equipment."

Omiya nodded at that. "As was my supposition," she said, and then turned to Jacob. "Come now, we mustn't tarry."

Jacob shook his head briefly as he held up a hand. "Wait," he said, and then glanced to Toho. "Are you going to be alright by yourself?"

Toho smiled at him. "I am a big girl, Jacob," she teased. Then her countenance grew serious. "I will be fine."

Glumly, Jacob nodded and then turned to Omiya. "Alright, let's go."

The priestess simply turned and walked off at that, and Jacob followed while Toho gently opened the stable doors and slipped inside.

"So what do you think of that commotion earlier?"

The guard, Krikan, shrugged briefly, causing the armor he wore to clank softly in the night. "About the supposed noble or the tauren?" He asked the other guard sitting across from him in the storage building.

The other man shrugged. "Either, I suppose," he said. "I'm just bored and need something to talk about."

Kirken grunted as he leaned back on top of the barrel he'd appropriated as a seat. "I don't rightly know about either of them, really," he said. "Garren and Jacen had the duty in the keep today. Jacen's been kind of cagey about it, though Garren mentioned that the pair of 'em ticked off the captain something fierce."

"I wonder what that's about then? The captain's been acting awfully strange lately."

"More like she's doing her job," Kirken snorted. "We should be attacking the Horde, not waiting for them to attack us. The captain knows that and she's been taking the fight to them."

"What fight?" The other guard asked. "There's been a peace made you know."

"Peace with Orcs?" Kirkan snorted. "They kill and burn everything that isn't theirs. I ask you, what kind of a man would tolerate peace instead of killing the lot of 'em?"

"This kind," a voice said from behind the sneering guard. Surprised, he spun around just in time to see a vague shape materializing out of thin air before a large object smashed into his face.

Jacob let the shield he'd taken from a nearby rack drop while the injured guard reflexively brought both hands to his face and started to breath in for a yell of pain. The escaped warrior didn't allow for that, though, as he grabbed Kirken's shoulder with one hand and used it to hold the man in place as he drove a fist into the guard's abdomen. With his diaphragm stunned, Kirken wordlessly expelled the air from his lungs as he collapsed to the ground.

Satisfied that the guard was out of commission for the moment, Jacob turned to deal with the other one. When he turned around, however, he was surprised to see that the other man was already on the ground and unconscious, with a lump on the back of his head. Standing behind him was Omiya, who brandished her staff in a two-handed grip. Surprised, Jacob just gave the priestess a look, to which she shrugged. "Even one of my calling is sometimes required to use violence."

"That's not very religious of you," Jacob countered as he turned to reach for some rope he saw stockpiled in the corner of the shed.

"This is an imperfect world; those who forget that lose their path amongst the rushes," Omiya replied somewhat cryptically. "Besides, I will heal them both once you have them secured, so in the end they have only endured a temporary suffering."

Jacob merely grunted to that as he kneeled to get to work, focusing on Kirken first before the latter could recover his breath. "You don't much sound like the priests and priestesses I know," Jacob commented as he finished tying and gagging Kirken, and went to the other. "And given what you said earlier, I find myself asking just who, or what, you really are?"

Omiya smiled politely, her features lacking any trace of negative emotions that someone else might show at being challenged. "All in due time, Jacob," she said. "Suffice it to say for now that your suspicions are not unfounded, though they are misplaced."

"Easy for you to say," Jacob replied as he finished with the unconscious guard and stood to look for Toho's equipment. "You're not the one depending on a cipher amidst a host of hostile soldiers."

"True, but considering the alternative you nearly received, I hope you can suspend your disbelief for a bit of time," Omiya answered. As she spoke she held out her staff and warm, subtle rays of golden light suffused the bodies of both guards. Jacob watched in fascinated awe as the wounds on both men melted away, leaving behind unblemished skin. "As you can see, whenever I do tell you something, it is the truth," the priestess added coyly.

"Uh, yeah," Jacob muttered, turning back to his immediate task. "So you said 'in due time', does that mean you're coming with us?"

"No," Omiya replied evenly. "But the events that have precipitated tonight's actions have converged in a way I have seldom seen before. Although our paths will diverge after your escape, I have confidence they will come together again in the future."

At that, Jacob paused and stood frozen for several moments in thought. Then he turned and gave Omiya a look of utter confusion. "Just what do you mean by that?"

"You shall see, eventually," Omiya again replied mysteriously. "For now, time runs short: the guards will return to their regular nightly rounds after the drill Farrik's ally arranged as a distraction. So let us hurry your things over to the stables."

"Toho's things, anyway," Jacob said, decided to take the priestess' advice and concentrate on the immediate future. "I'm not using that old Horde gear when there's top-grade Alliance stuff here." He cast a wary eye to the light-sworn woman. "Unless you have a problem with my taking it?"

"You pay your taxes, right?" Omiya asked. When Jacob nodded, she smiled again, this time displaying a bit of cunning behind her normally sweet visage. "Then as far as I'm concerned, it's your property as well."

"How practical of you," Jacob replied, smirking despite the situation and his suspicion. "But again, not very religious."

"And again, this is an imperfect world," Omiya reminded him. "The Light understands the needs of the moment. Speaking of which…"

"Yeah yeah, I'm going, I'm going," Jacob said and returned to his work.