Voodoo Child
Chapter 5 - Mission: Not terribly difficult
By Genoscythe
The next day, Xan'Jin and Alani parted ways. She left for Orgrimmar to meet her husband, and Xan went looking for more work. Neither were too broken-up by their separation. Alani had a better man waiting in Orgrimmar, and the truth about her had left a bad taste in Xan's mouth. Orgnil had, of course, congratulated them on killing such a fierce warlock (all things considering, Xan'Jin couldn't help but chuckle), and was now calling in Xan for any small favor he could think of. It was mid-afternoon, however, when he gave him a less-than-small favor to take care of.
"Talk to Gar'Thok, he knows more about it than I do," Orgnil had said, pointing up to the orc standing inside the bunker. Naturally, Xan talked to Gar'Thok.
"Did you happen to see some castle ruins on your way here, rogue?" Gar'Thok asked. Though he hadn't, for he was too busy laughing at poor, dead Ukor, he knew what ruins Gar'Thok was talking about.
"Tiragarde Keep? I know the place," Xan said. "It's right nex' door to Sen'jin."
"Well, recently, Admiral Proudmoore's reserves have retaken the keep." Gar'Thok shook his head sadly. "These humans show no respect for diplomacy. They're violating the Warchief's pact!" Xan nodded. This was old news to him. "Prove your honor and eliminate the human invaders. Make sure to slay Lieutenant Benedict, their leader."
Xan's eyes narrowed. "Sounds tough."
"It's not terribly difficult," Gar'Thok said with a laugh. "We just need to keep all our men here in case a real human army comes along."
"So you not just lazy?"
Gar'Thok fixed him with a withering stare. "Get going, runt."
Naturally, Xan got going.
It was the work of five minutes to reach the outer walls of Tiragarde Keep, or what was left of it. Humans in billowing green uniforms marched about, looking for any intruders. Fortunately for Xan'Jin, they couldn't see him. This time, there was no sexy priestess to distract him. He was perfectly invisible. This would be a cakewalk.
Das what I thought about da last one... he reminded himself, creeping through a massive hole in the wall. He quickly found out that this wouldn't be like the last one. The humans were so blind and self-absorbed that they wouldn't know him coming if he were a hair's length away.
He slipped past the courtyard without any difficulty, but as soon as he stepped through the smashed gates, he came across a different breed of human. A woman in full armor stood at attention to his left. He knew just by looking at her that she would be impossible to sneak by. So, he got as close as he could and stuck his knife between her helmet and her shoulder armor. She dropped without a sound.
Down the hallway, another marine walked back and forth. This would be even easier; now Xan had a clear shot for a backstab. He crept forward, but just as he raised his dagger, the human turned and plowed right into him. Both fixed each other with looks of astonishment, almost forgetting that they were supposed to be fighting.
Xan recovered first. He leapt forward, kicking the marine's sword out of his hands and slashing for his neck. The human ducked his head so that the blade glanced off his helmet. The marine stepped forward and punched Xan in the stomach, sending the wiry troll sprawling down the hall. As the human ran to retrieve his sword, Xan got an idea. He reached up, grabbing a wooden beam overhead and pulling himself into the rafters.
The human ran back into the hall, and immediately began looking for the rogue. He started walking down the hall, assuming Xan had gone into stealth. In some ways, he was right. This was just a different kind of stealth.
As the marine passed under Xan's perch, he dropped from it and attempted to land on the human's shoulders. As one who knows Xan's special blend of incompetence and bad luck, you can guess that he missed. You would be right. However, this didn't matter much in the big scheme of things, for Xan still had a clear shot at the man's neck. He took it, and the armored man slumped to the floor.
Xan looked down the hall. This could take awhile...but then he noticed something. Up where he had been hiding, there was a hole in the ceiling that looked like it led straight into a room several floors above. Xan'Jin smiled, glad that his luck was finally starting to turn around.
Marek Belheim listened vaguely to the balding lieutenant, concentrating more on catching the eye of the female guard at the door.
"...once Razor Hill gets wind of a paladin here, they'll send all they have at us," Lieutenant Benedict cautioned.
"Naturally," Marek said, whistling in a you're-boring-me fashion.
"Aren't you worried?"
The taller human laughed. "Worried? Why should I be? Razor Hill's full of recruits. They'll be easy pickings." He ran a hand through his long, well-preened golden hair, trying to look as sexy as possible. The guard turned a disgusted eye on him before she returned to simply ignoring him.
"Don't underestimate the savages, Mr. Belheim."
Marek gave Lieutenant Benedict a withering glare. "That's Sir Belheim to you, skinhead."
"The last time I checked, you were a freelance mercenary and not a knight."
"Last time I checked, it really hurt to get beat with a hammer!" Marek now hefted his large warhammer over his shoulder menacingly. "If you want my help, better treat me with some respect."
"Isn't –"
"Like respecting my need for some fresh air," the paladin cut him off, stretching his heavily plated arms. Without another word, he strode toward the door. However, his massive silver and gold shoulder armor got caught in the door frame. Benedict couldn't believe that Marek hadn't learned from coming through the door the first time.
The lieutenant leaned back against the wall, wondering why he had bothered hiring a mercenary. Marek Belheim was useless, always disappearing when he was needed most despite the fact that he was both a paladin and immensely strong. The man was nigh-indestructible, and he still shied away from doing some dirty work. Probably doesn't want to mess up his damn hair, Benedict thought grudgingly.
Something odd interrupted Benedict's thoughts. The woman guarding the door was looking intently at something behind him. She blinked, as if she had seen a mirage.
"What is it, Felicia?" Lieutenant Benedict asked, but before she could answer, he felt the strangest sensation in his neck. It felt like unimaginable pain. He looked down to see a knife point sticking out of his neck, and watched as it retracted. Stumbling back against the wall, he watched as a troll materialized before his eyes, running at Felicia.
The troll's shockingly white hair looked like fire in Benedict's delirious state. It pointed straight backwards, like an arrowhead, and shimmered as he struck at Felicia. She soon fell, and the troll turned to look at him. Across his crimson eyes, a dark stripe had been tattooed to his deep blue skin. As Benedict slipped into the land of the dead, he felt the rogue rummaging through his pockets. His last thoughts were to protect the key nestled inside.
Marek Belheim, not-so-esteemed paladin formerly employed by the Silver Hand, inhaled the smell of fresh seawater gratefully. The castle was starting to stink like blood. Any right-minded person would wonder why Tiragarde Keep would suddenly begin to smell like a slaughterhouse, but if anyone asked Marek he would probably tell them it was using bad deodorant. Yes, that's the kind of person Marek Belheim is.
Next to him, an old, weather-beaten chest sat next to the ramparts. He wondered madly what was in it, but he couldn't open it. Oh well, it was for the best. Part of his contract dictated that any property damage would be deductible from his pay.
Marek suddenly had an odd feeling, the kind that alerts you when you're being watched. He turned toward what he thought was the source, only to find nothing there. That smell of blood was getting stronger now...
A loud, metallic clink made Marek's head snap to the left. The chest lay there, open and empty. For an instant, Marek saw a troll standing on the edge of the ramparts. Then, with a glance back, it disappeared over the edge. The paladin leaned over, looking down at the ground where he would've landed. Nothing.
Defying his better judgment, Marek planted an armored boot on the wall and jumped off himself. He looked through the ruins, now furious. The troll was nowhere to be seen. A paladin of his strength would've seen through Xan'Jin's stealth trick easily, but Marek was far too narrow-minded for that. Instead, he did the best thing that came to mind.
"Heed this, rogue! If I find you, I'll turn your spine into a comb! I'll make your skull into a cup! I'll kill you in ways you don't have words for!"
Naturally, Xan heeded it.
End of chapter 5