The Western Plaguelands. It is a place where the undead Scourge rule. Once it had been a lively place where Andorhal and Hearthglen stood as major towns. But now those days have come and gone. All that is left is the cold grasp of undeath. A smoky grey mist fills the air at all time. The trees decay and only brown grass remains. The infected wild life has been claimed as well for anything that drinks the infected water from Dorrowmere Lake shall join the armies of the undead.
But even in a place like this, there are humans. The Scarlet Crusade, whose main base in these lands was Hearthglen, had many camps set up all over from the Eastern Plaguelands to Tirisfal Glades in order to combat the Scourge. At first, these humans had been part of the Silver Hand. They were paladins who fought to protect the people of Lordaeron. Yet as time went on they began to take more drastic measures to keep the plague at bay. Eventually they became the Scarlet Crusade, whose mission was to eliminate all of the undead regardless of whose side they were on. However, in recent years, some parts of the order had a growing belief that all other races other than human needed to be eliminated from their world. Most have become known as the Scarlet Onslaught, while others have remained in the Crusade.
It could be easy to see why they hated the Forsaken. In their eyes the undead were all the same and that they were saving their souls. The Orcs and Troll, well, there had been bad blood between them for years. And the Blood Elves were nothing more than traitors who had become more like the demons. Gnomes and Dwarves, however, had always been good allies with the humans. Yet, those in the Scarlet Crusade began to see them as distortions of humanity and were jealous of their skills. The Night Elves were seen as two faced creatures for being part of the Alliance and allowing the Horde to build itself up on their continent. Finally, the Draenei came from the same place as the Orcs and thus were not welcome in their world.
Within the Western Plaguelands, across Thondoril River, there is a keep were the men and women of the Scarlet Crusade believe such ideals. And it is there that we can find two guards in a heated discussion.
"You cannot be serious," said the first guard at the gate. "Such things do not exist! They are from fairy tales!"
"But I tell you I saw a unicorn," said the other. "I hear that the elves used to drink their blood and shave their horns in order to give themselves everlasting life. What I have seen, it is a sign!"
"Yes a sign," replied the first. "It is a sign that you are a true fool!" The other guard began to respond, but was silenced when they caw a rider coming towards them. Quickly they readied their swords and raised their shields. It could be friend or foe and they would be prepared either way. As the rider neared they realized that his mount was a Talbuk. However, its rider was not a race of the Horde.
"I am Lord Ravenwrath," said the rider in a commanding tone. "I wish to speak to the commander of this keep." The two guards simply stared at him. He wore a black shirt and long black leather coat with a hood. He also wore fingerless gloves, pants, and leather boots. His attire was not that of someone with the title of Lord, but it wasn't unheard of for nobility to dress in such a manner when traveling in secret. They also made note of his large mace and several bags tied to the sides of his mount.
"You want in then you have to go through security first," said the first guard.
"But of course," said Ravenwrath. "One should always take precautions. Epically in these times." Ravenwrath then dismounted and allowed the two guards to pat him down for hidden weapons as well as check his belongings. Finding nothing threatening, other than the mace on his back, they order the gates to open. They then motioned Ravenwrath to walk through and with a nod he took the reins of his mount as he complied. As he passed through the gate he also passed through a magical eye that had been placed on top of gate which caused any illusion spell to be undone. Seeing that the man before them was human, the guards took him to see the commander of the base.
-x-
Crusader Volhammer was a bald headed man with a black beard. Some called him Red Beard the Crusader due to a battle many years past that, when it ended, his beard seemed to bleed the blood of his enemies. After that the name stuck, bringing fear to all those who heard it. And now Ravenwrath stood in his private office which was in a tower separate from the keep. It was a circular room where he signed documents and hung his trophies. The walls were covered in the skulls of Orcs, Trolls, demons, and many other races. And there, behind his desk, was a large two handed sword. The sword used to kill all those whose skulls decorated the walls.
"A pleasure to have you here Lord Ravenwrath," said Volhammer as he extended his hand. "You must forgive me but this is the first time I have ever heard of you." Ravenwrath smiled and shook the crusaders hand. Their eyes locked and their grips tightened.
"While I am of noble blood," said Ravenwrath in a low voice, "we were of low standing. My father also stressed the importance of not standing out. Fear of drawing too much unwanted attention and all that." With that Ravenwrath released his grip.
"I must say you have a strong hand," said Volhammer as he rubbed his own. "I see that mace isn't just for show."
"Hardly," was the reply. "Before my father's passing I was a soldier stationed in Hellfire Peninsula. I picked up the mace and mount from an Orc I slew. I find it amusing to kill those vile creatures with their own weapons."
"Good man," said the crusader with a laugh. "Now then, on to business. What do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
"I am here so that we both my prosper," said Ravenwrath as he walked to the window and began to gaze outside. "While my father desired to remain unnoticed, unburden by the duties of the courts while living the life of nobility, I have no such desire. I had hoped that by going to the Outlands I could gain honor and favor in the Alliance. Sadly, my father's recent passing makes that no longer possible since I must now tend to his estate. So you can see that I am in a bit of a bind. I cannot gain glory on the battlefield and my influence with the other nobles is…minimal at best. So I asked myself, how can I possibly move up in the world. That's where you come in."
"I'm afraid I don't follow." Ravenwrath turned around and smiled at Volhammer.
"I'd like to sponsor you."
Volhammer felt his jaw drop for a moment. It wasn't unheard of for a noble to sponsor a guild or private military organization like theirs. It was one of the ways the world worked. A noble would give gold to the group that would pay for their weapons, food, mounts, and other such needs. In exchange, when the noble needed a favor or the land under his charge was attacked they would come to his aid. What was odd was that fewer people had been donating money to their cause since the call came out to eliminate all the other races. Still, Ravenwrath walked back over to where he once stood and picked up one of the bags he had brought with him. He then tossed it onto the desk which caused all the gold and gems to pour out of it.
"By the Light!"
"This is only a small sample of what I plan to provide. I also plan to help promote your cause to the other cities and villages as well as making sure you have the finest mounts at your disposal." Volhammer stammered over to his desk, his eyes fixed on the small fortune. With his hands he picked up a large handful and watched as it fell out between his fingers.
"I see, I get it now. You fund us and your proceeds help us reclaim the Plaguelands. Your efforts will get noticed King Wrynn and your standing in the courts will rise. But, what of the other races? I am sure they will look down on you from aiding us."
"Ha! It is hard for a dwarf or gnome to look down on me! And the opinions of the Night Elves or the Draenei do not concern me. And do not think that we will stop with the Plaguelands. Nay, we shall retake Lordaeron herself! Is that not possible?"
"It is my lord," said Volhammer as he stared at the money. He then turned around and faced the young noble. "It is possible indeed my lord! With your assistance our victory is assured to occur sooner than we thought. We have always known that we would put the undead to rest and make this land ours once more. How can we not with the Light on our side? But we believed it would take many more years. Now the Light has sent you to help us and quicken our pace. Praise be the Light!"
"Praise be."
"Now, since you are here, allow me to have one of my men show you around our little keep. By the time the tour is done, you will have proof of what I say is true!"
"I would have insisted on it sooner or later," said Ravenwrath. Volhammer gave him a light smile and bellowed for the guard just outside the door.
"Riverson, find someone who is not occupied at the moment to show our new patron around. And make it quick!" With a nod, Riverson left only to return a few minutes later. Besides him was a young blond haired man who could be no older than twenty-five. "Lord Ravenwrath, I would like to introduce Private Adros. He'll be the one to be your escort and answer any questions you might have so that there will be doubt in your mind that you have made a wise choice. My good man, does something trouble you?" Indeed, for a brief second Volhammer had seen a rage greater than a thunderstorm in the eyes of Ravenwrath.
"I will be fine." Ravenwrath then turn to Adros. "After you Private." With that the two left. Riverson was about to leave as well, but Volhammer's voice stopped him.
"Riverson, I want you to contact Stormwind and see what you can find on this Lord Ravenwrath."
"But sir, he has agreed to fund us."
"And we would be fools not to do a background check. Something about all this just doesn't feel right. I know he's lying about something, but I don't know what. He could be an agent of the Lich King or Lady Proudmoore. That woman has been a pain in the Crusades side ever since we began to kill all those filthy non-humans."
"Then why allow him a tour?"
"I don't know what he is lying about and what he is being truthful about. For all I know he could be lying about fighting in Hellfire. If we hold him while we do a background check, we risk losing him as a sponsor. If that's all it is then he'll never know. But if it's something more then he won't leave here alive!"
-x-
Ravenwrath walked alongside the young soldier as they toured the keep. It was basically as square building with circular towers at its four corners. The main floor was used as a mess hall and for storage. There were also room that held weapons and armor. On the second floor held a large room used for meetings and other such things.
"I am not impressed," said Ravenwrath in a bored tone. "This looks like any other keep with low grade weapons and defenses. Perhaps I was mistake to pick this keep."
"Please my lord, be patient," said Adros with a smile. "The prize of this keep is yet to come." He then led Ravenwrath up a flight of stairs in the southeastern tower. Several flights later, they came across a door guarded by two men. Adros walked over to them and then whispered something to them which caused them to open the door.
On the other side was a circular room which was bare except for one thing. The object was egg shaped and about the size of a gnome. Sticking out of it was several crystal like structures. Ravenwrath stared at it, almost in a daze at what he saw. He could barely believe it, a Nether Dragon egg! Were they insane? Did they not know the danger they were in just by having this?
"Nice, isn't it?" said Adros with a smug look. "This is just the first. An old friend of mine, a rogue named Cayton, brought it here from Shadowmoon Valley. Managed to convince him to start bringing more. Just think, in a few years we'll be a force to be reckoned with!" He said this with great pride. No doubt his superiors were very pleased with this deal and thus pleased with him.
Ravenwrath did respond at first. What Adros said was true, to a point. Dragons mature quickly needing only a year before they can carry a rider. And the ability to pass through objects was certainly handy. Yet the idea of using dragons was far from original. The Orcs had once used the Red Dragon Flight as their weapons back when they were under demonic influence. In a way it was amusing to see that they were imitating those who they thought inferior. Still, credit where credit is due.
"It is a fine plan," he said after a while. "I feel more at ease now."
"Very good my lord," said Adros. With that, the two of them left the room. They continued in silence until they were back on the main floor. That was when Ravenwrath stopped in front of a large wooden door.
"Where does this led?"
"To the dungeon."
"Well then, let's have a look."
"My lord, I won't advise it. We currently have a prisoner and it could be dangerous."
"Bah! I know how to handle myself around prisoners. I also must know that the security of this base is strong enough to keep one prisoner in its cell. Both Doomhammer and Thrall escaped their confident and look what happened. If this keep is unable to keep one prisoner in chains then why should I sponsor it? Now open that blasted door!"
Adros paused for a moment, but under the heat of Ravenwrath's eyes he did as commanded. Once again they went down a flight of stairs and entered the dungeon. It was a single room lit by a single torch. It was set up with two cages to be used as cells with hay to be used as a bed in each. The first cell was empty, but the second held a Draenei. Her skin was a light blue and her hair, which went down to her shoulders, was black. She had two horns which were curved backwards. She had been allowed to keep her white mail armor which was kind of them. Better than being stripped and left with nothing. She was in a knelling position with her back facing them.
"Caught this Shaman a couple of days ago. Seemed to be looking for something, but luckily for us it had already been moved. Right now we're starving the blue devil for more information."
"What has she told you so far?" Adros shrugged.
"Nothing much. As far as I know, she came here to get some crystals that came along with the egg. We were paid to hold onto them until they were picked up. Guess they knew that people would be after them so they made the trail lead here. Nasty thieves!" At that, the Draenei jumped to her feet, turned around, and raced toward the door. She reached out with both hands to grab them but Adros jumped back. Ravenwrath stood his ground with her fingers coming only an inch short.
"Lair!" she yelled with tears running down her face. "You know those were stolen from the Naaru! The only thieves here are you and your lot!"
"Pipe down," said Adros as he unsheathed his sword. He then made several stabbing gestures at the girl before she backed away. Adros then put his sword away and turned to face Ravenwrath. "I am so sorry for that my lord. I will have a talk with the Crusader about this outburst and recommend that she be executed at dawn."
Not trusting his voice, Ravenwrath nodded. Seeing that the tour was over, Adros gestured them to leave. As they did, Ravenwrath looked at the Draenei once more. Their eyes locked and he could see the silent plea in her eyes. Yet he said nothing as he walked back up the stairs and allowed the door to close behind him.
-x-
Later that night, Ravenwrath laid in the bed they had given to him. So far everything had gone according to plan. He had found Adros and better yet he wasn't recognized. That wasn't really surprising since he had changed so much over the years, but still he had worried about it. Now all he had to do was enact the next phase in his plan.
As he began to go over the plan once more in his head, the image of the Draenei appeared. With a scowl he dismissed this image and not for the first time. Ever since he had seen her his thoughts had been drawn to her and her plight. Even more so when he had learned of her fate at supper. At dawn she was to be hung and then stabbed with spears as her body hung from a tree. He also heard that some of the men were planning on having some 'fun' with her before that. It could have meant anything from rape to torture and everything in-between.
"It's not my problem," he muttered. But even as he said that, his thoughts returned to the times he had spent as a prisoner. He could try to help her, but that might cause his plan to fail. His prey was right where he wanted him! Why should he throw away this chance for someone he didn't even know? But he already knew the answer. It was because someone else had once helped him when he needed it most.
-x-
At night all was quiet. The only creatures that seemed to stir were the guards as they patrolled the grounds. But all that seemed to change in an instant. Vines began to grow out of the walls of the wall that surrounded the keep. At first they were tiny but they quickly grew to the size of branches. And as they grew the wall began to crumble and break apart.
"Everyone, to arms," yelled the first guard who noticed. Horns sounded and all the guards began to hack away at the vines. Then, as if someone had foreseen this, from out of the ground came dozens of treants. A mixture of human appearance and tree, these creatures began to push the human soldiers back away from the wall.
"Don't let up men!" yelled Volhammer as he swung his two handed sword at a treant. "The Horde has come. There must be at least a dozen of those cows out there!" As they continued the fight, Volhammer saw a section of the wall fall to the earth and gasped at what he saw on the other side. Scourge skeletons, ghouls, and other zombies were heading right for the wall. "Cut through them quickly men. We must stop this soon or else we won't make it through the night!"
-x-
Inside the keep, had no trouble moving around. Everyone was outside, trying to take down his vines. It had been a simple task to place the seeds in the walls during the tour as well as drop a few treant seeds as added insurance. It kept them all busy, which made it almost too easy to get the nether drake egg. Like he was really going to leave something like that with them.
However, getting to the Draenei would be more difficult for one reason. Someone had locked the door! The fake noble knocked on the door and could feel items pressed against it. Someone was on the other side. Ravenwrath took a step back and then began his transformation. Green wisps of energy circled around him as brown fur began to cover his body. As his hands and feet became clawed he fell on all fours. Tribal marks appeared on his shoulders and then it was done, Ravenwrath had taken his bear form. With the strength he had now it only took one swing from his paw to break the door down. And there, at the end of the stairway, was a sight that would have made him smile if he could.
"Stay back beast," threatened Adros as he reached for his sword. He was nervous; Ravenwrath could smell it all over him. Ravenwrath let out a primal roar as he charged, knocking Adros against the wall and pressing him against it with all his might. Adros tried to fight back, pushing the bear away from him but the bear weighted more and was stronger. He soon found it hard to breath and then his world went black.
-x-
It wasn't looking good and Volhammer knew it. Many of his men were dead and there were holes all over his wall. They had managed to kill the Scourge that had attacked them but a second wave could come at anytime. And the next time he was sure this base would fall. He cursed those vines, the source of this mess, for now he and his men would have to retreat for now.
Without warning the doors to the stable opened up and out shoot the Silver Talbuk, as well as its owner, flew out. The Crusaders, who were all tired from the recent attack, could not react in time to do anything. But Volhammer was no normal soldier. He alone was able to move fast enough to block the mounts path. Yet, with so many other options now available, Ravenwrath turned his mount towards a gap in the wall and left.
Volhammer stood there pondering. Had the young noble been a part of the attack or was he simply running away? Did he not know that it wasn't safe out there? And what was in that large sac the was on his mounts back? These questions and more raced through his mind as he turned back to the keep. But before he could reach the door a wolf shot out of the keep. It was a white wolf that was there, but wasn't. It too left there one of the gaps in their defensive wall before anyone could do a thing.
-x-
Adros groaned as he opened his eyes. Sadly, the darkness remained. He felt pain which meant he was still alive. But what had happened? Why was there a bear in the keep and why had it attacked him? Why did it have to come down to the dungeon? Then he heard a voice.
"Drink this," it commanded as an object pressed against his lips. Feeling the cold splash of water against his lips, Adros opened his mouth and began to drink. However, he soon began to cough due to the waters foul taste.
Whatever had been blocking his vision, spell or cloth he had no idea, was lifted. He looked around and realized he is in the mouth of the Weeping Cave. In front of him was a fire that was slowly dying out. And sitting next to that fire was Lord Ravenwrath!
"It was only by chance or fate that I went down to the dungeon," he said as he stared at the fire. The light glow of the embers seemed to darken his image.
"My lord, I can explain," said Adros. "Someone had to survive and report back what had happened. I was only thinking of the mission and-"
"You were thinking of yourself!" snapped Ravenwrath. "Just like last time."
"I-I don't understand," stammered Adros. Ravenwrath sighed as he looked up at the sky. The sun had yet to rise, but the darkness was already losing ground.
"How about a story? Yes and I know a good one. Not so long ago there lived a boy and his father. They were simple farmers and nothing more. All they had was each other and the land they both loved.
"One day the lord of the land took that family and several others across the Great Sea on a business trip. Once they reached their destination the children, who were all good friends, were allowed to go off and play. They were given one rule to follow: do not leave the village. But they didn't obey that rule. No, they left to go and play hide and sneak. The boy was it and before he could find anyone he was captured. Captured in a net and dragged off while his friends watched." Adros began to sweat and looked nervous as he began to remember that day. But, how did Lord Ravenwrath know what really happened?
"The boy was taken to a cave much larger than this one and enslaved. But, he never blamed his friends for not rushing out to help him. He knew that if they had done that then they would have been captured as well. He knew that they would tell their parents what had happened and then they would start looking for him. So year after year he worked as a slave waiting for help to arrive. But it never did! The lied about what happened and went on with their lives like nothing had happened! And when the boy finally escaped, he found out that his father was dead after killing Orcs because he and everyone else believed killed his son. Time and innocents lives were lost due to a single lie. On that day the boy, now a man, sworn his revenge. He discarded his name and picked one that would fill his enemies with fear and terror. A name that would embody his intent to them. Yes, on that day Darwin Fairfield truly died!" At the sound of that name Adros gasped. His eyes bulged at Ravenwrath who stood up and walked to the middle of the cave entrance. At the moment, as if on cue, the sun rose filling the background with a reddish color. "And Lord Ravenwrath was born!"
The effect was immediate. Adros began to panic, pressing his body against the wall of the cave. His face showed only horror. He wanted to get away, he had to!
"Please," begged Adros. "You don't understand. It was all Lexise's idea."
"And you went along with it!"
"It wasn't just me. W-We all did. We all thought you were dead so who cared who got blamed."
"Because you lied my father went around killing innocent Orcs! He killed as many as he could before they caught him and took his life. I don't blame them because what he was doing was wrong and justice had to be done. No, the ones I blame are you and the rest of my so called friends! Had you not lied then he might not be dead right now! You lied for what? To get out of a spanking?"
"Please," begged Adros. "Have mercy." Darwin, no he was no longer Darwin for only Ravenwrath existed in that body, looked at him and smiled. And a truly wicked one at that.
"I'm not here to kill you." Adros blinked.
"You're not?"
"No, I have bigger plans for you," Ravenwrath explained. "Did you think I did all this just to kill you? No, I did not go through all this trouble to simply do that. I did this so you would deliver a message that will have the entire Alliance talking."
"Wh-What are you talking about?"
"Is that so strange, to deliver a message? I would think it would be simple. Once you do this, the entire Alliance will know of my existence. I want them to try and hunt me down. I want them to put up wanted posters and issue bounties. And as I continue on this path, the others will see the connection. They will soon come to realize that I still live and am coming for you all. They will live each and every day of their lives wondering if today will be the day they die, just like I did. And when I have killed all of you…I will allow the Alliance to finish me off."
Adros stared as he realized the meaning of those words. Ravenwrath didn't care if he lived or died. He had decided to throw everything away all for his revenge. But one thing didn't make sense. From the way he was talking, it seemed like he was planning on killing those who kept the secret. But he was one of them. He was going to be a messenger and then…
Adros doubled over in pain. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. Parts of his skin felt like they were melting away and his insides were being ripped out. But the worst part was the whispering that he was starting to hear. A voice in the back of his head, urging him to kill.
"W-What have you done to me?" asked Adros as he reached out a hand toward Adros. But he said nothing and that scared Adros more than anything he could have said. He then watched as Ravenwrath turned around, spread out his arms, and turned into a raven that flew away.
Adros, in frantic fright, managed to stumble to his feet. Slowly he made his way out of the cave and looked around and saw he wasn't too far from the base. Yet, as he was looking, he saw a single raven in one of the trees. And as he stared at it, he began to notice all of the worlds bright colors were beginning to dim.
"No," he cried out. He ran as fast as he could as the pain began to lessen, but was replaced by a type of numbness. But he kept running, even when he reached the Thondoril River he kept on going. But the water began to fill up his plate armor and he began to sink. Luckily for him he was able to reach the other side before he drowned. He then began to remove the armor as fast as he could. It was only then did he realize the horrible truth that the skin and muscles on his right arm were gone.
"This can't be happening!" yelled Adros as he began to run again. Yet as he ran, more flesh began to fall off his body, yet he felt nothing. Worse, the world had become black and white leaving him color blind. Just like the undead. This can't be happening, he thought. But the whispers in his head said it was. It mocked him, laughed at him, and urged him to kill. I have NOT been infected. I am a good a pure human soul that desires to serve the Light by destroying all of the filth in this world. Whatever spell has been placed on me will be undone once I reach the keep.
Then, he spotted the keep in the distance. Soon he was able to make out shapes. He saw the two guards in the front rush into the courtyard after they saw him. Adros was excited for he knew they were getting a healer. But what came out were not healers but archers. Adros held out an arm to tell them to wait but before he could say anything he had at least a half dozen arrows in his chest.
-x-
Volhammer walked out of the front gate at a quick pace. Following him in his wake were several of his guards. He had just been informed that a single undead had tried to attack the keep. A Forsaken most likely, not that it mattered to him. As he looked down at the body, he began to scan it for anything unusual that would make an undead try to attack a keep by itself.
"Hunt…us," said the corpse as it tried to speak. It was then and only then that Volhammer had noticed his face. It was Adros! He had assumed that the undead that taken the Private or eaten him. But this…was too much. Volhammer knelt down besides the body and took out a dagger.
"Be calm," said Volhammer. "We'll give you a quick death."
"Warn…," coughed Adros as blood began to pout out of his mouth. "He will find…us all. No… escape. Too…late…he's Dar…Ravenwrath." At that point, whatever was left of his mind was gone. A growl erupted from his as he lunged at the Crusaders neck. Volhammer, with dagger in hand, cut off his head with a single blow. When it was done, Volhammer stood and stared at the body. He then turned to his troops who just stood there.
"I want him found!" he roared. "I want wanted posters at every Scarlet Crusade and Onslaught base. Also, contact Lord Lexise Westron and tell him what happened here. If I know him then he'll be sure to tell King Wrynn. Once that is done, we ride out. I WANT RAVENWRATH!"
-x-
Back at the cave, Ravenwrath was back in his original form while listening to Volhammer's words. To anyone else it would have been impossible to hear it at all, but not for a druid. All he had to do was ask the wind to carry the sound of his voice over to him. Pleased by what he heard, Ravenwrath thanked the wind.
He had known from the beginning that there would have been risks to his plan. The biggest had been Adros doing his part. He was to be the message after all and had he not returned to the keep then Ravenwrath would have had to make a flashy appearance himself. Also, had he turned to soon or had not made a single attempt to warn them about him then the fake noble would have had even more work on his hands. However it pleased him greatly to see that Adros was the same as he had been when they were just children, a coward and a boot licker. And like a coward, he ran right to the place where he felt safest. A place he thought would protect him.
A snap of a branch alerted him to someone or something near bye. He turned around and saw a shadow wolf. He looked at the wolf and the wolf looked right back. A moment later it changed into the Draenei he had seen in the cell. She must have gotten her weapons back because on her back was a shield and on her hip was a sword that seemed to be made out of crystal.
"Many thanks," she said in a cheerful tone. "I thought I was going to be joining the Spirits of the Wild for a moment. The names Ellia by the way." Ravenwrath blinked in surprise. He had met several of her people before and they were all serious and devote followers of the Light. But then again, it takes all kinds.
"Don't mention it," he said. "I was in a similar situation once. Now, you'd had best be going back home and away from here. I won't save you a second time."
"I can't," she replied. "The Naaru have picked me for a very important mission. The Spirits agree that this is a very important matter. A rogue stole three crystals from the Naaru which contain vast amounts of power. When the three are used together, they are a power source equal to that of the Sunwell and can last for several centuries without rest."
"So they intend to use the stones to heat their bathhouses for the next several hundred years?"
"They can also be used as a weapon. The Naaru fear that if they use it for evil then all of Azeroth will be destroyed."
"Well…good luck with that." That said, Ravenwrath began to walk to where he had tied his mount up. However the Draenei ran in front of him and blocked his path.
"Look," she said as she stared into his eyes. "Whatever is going on with my quest is too big for me to handle by myself."
"Find someone else," said Ravenwrath. "I have to be on my way to Ironforge and I have no time to be sidetracked."
"Then we share the same destination," she said. "The human who picked up the stones is an engineer in the Dwarves capital." Now she had Ravenwrath's attention. His eyes widened as he took in this information. It was too big of a coincidence. It was impossible. But if two of them were working together then it was possible that…
"What's the human's name?"
"You'll help me then?" she asked hopefully.
"Did I say that?" he barked. "I asked you a question!" Ellia puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms.
"Dewey," she answered. "That was the name on the form in Volhammer's office." She then took a step back as she watched his skin turn slightly red with rage. His fists were clenched so tightly that they were beginning to bleed. Then he spoke in a low, rough voice.
"What the hell have they been up to?"