Still don't own Warcraft. And another heads up for returning readers: Anistrianna is now called Arianna, because it is less unwieldy but quite similar.

Chasing Through Hell

Wistful Voyage

Maurus was leaning on the railing of the "Green Boar", looking back toward the land he had been born in as the ship made its way out of the bay. The sun shone down on the Barrens, turning the hills and plains beyond gold. The water sparkled silver and sapphire, and Ratchet's ugly streets were partially obscured by the hundreds of sails in the harbor, hiding metal, soot and steel behind a riot of color, greens, blues, even purple and very prominently, various shades of red. The smell of salt and seaweed, wood and tar filled his nostrils, soft and gentle compared to the suffocating smell of smog and smoke and too many people, which he'd breathed the last week. The groan of wood, creaking of sails, the lazy slosh of the waves and even the shriek of the seagulls seemed to caress his ears after the forceful drone of Ratchet's industry.

Maurus' mood wasn't as bright as the day. The encounter with Sprack and the memories it had stirred still lingered in the back of his mind, sore like an old wound that had been ripped open, and the sight of the shore slowly growing more distant put a hollow feeling in his gut. A whisper of fear crawled along his skin and through his body, as light yet impossible to ignore as the tread of a spider.

On his right, Arianna leaned against the railing, her head resting in her right hand. The mild breeze coming off the shore played with a strand of hair and made her ponytail sway slightly. She seemed lost in thought, her slightly narrowed eyes unfocused, as she idly traced circles on the rough wood with her left hand. For once, her staff was not within her reach and its absence and that of Ash, was jarring. The felhound had not been welcome on the ship so he'd been sent back to the Nether and with how packed the ship was, that was probably for the best, but it was still an odd sight. Many passengers stood along the railing as well, looking back at the city they had left with expressions ranging from boredom, to excitement to trepidation.

"It's a wonder we were able to get out of the harbor." Mathias' voice was hoarse, but otherwise he gave no sign that he hadn't gotten any sleep. He was on Maurus' other side, a flask of wine in his hand. Maurus nodded absently, his eyes again trailing over the myriad ships still in the harbor. From here they looked like a solid wall of wood, upon which grew the most colorful forest he'd ever seen.

"You missed out on a good night," Mathias continued. "I tripled my winnings after the fight."

"So you paid Nott," Maurus muttered, glancing toward Mathias just in time to catch him nodding. That explained why the innkeeper had refused payment for the damages earlier, saying it was fine though still taking a good handful of copper for handling Maurus' letter.

"Any of your victims on the boat?" Maurus asked, looking around him at all the strangers on the deck. He really didn't want to have to watch out for sore losers the next month and a half.

"I honestly have no idea," Mathias said nonchalantly. He leaned forward, a little stiffly, to look past Maurus to Arianna. "You should ask the elf too, she also won herself some money."

Maurus grunted and shrugged and Arianna didn't even react.

"You're not very lively today and you're the one who got a night's sleep," Mathias mused. "Still hung up on what that snot stain said?"

"No," Maurus grumbled, only half-lying. On his other side, Arianna tilted her head just slightly while Mathias raised a wispy, dry eyebrow. Maurus snorted irritably and shook his head. "Doesn't matter."

"Doesn't look that way," Mathias said bluntly. Then he lifted the wine bottle to his lips and upended it, before throwing it overboard and turning his back to the sea.

Maurus sighed and turned his head to Arianna. "So, are there anyone on the ship we should look out for?" he asked, mostly just to change the subject.

"None that I have noticed," she answered, sounding bored.

"Then again, her memory might be as hazy as mine," Mathias said lazily, turning his back to the railing, putting his weight on his elbows and leaning backwards so he could still see both his companions. "As I recall, you outdrank a shaman last night, a tauren one."

Maurus looked Arianna up and down. He would never deny that she was tough as bone, but as thin and small as she was, he could hardly believe that she could keep up with a tauren.

"Really?" he said, a chuckle bursting from his lips at the thought. She seemed to drag herself out of whatever she'd been thinking of and nodded, a smile appearing on her lips. Maurus whistled before asking: "How are you standing?"

"Weak constitution on his part, I presume," she said, though her expression was slightly smug, almost proud. That she would take pride in that seemed odd somehow and he chuckled again.

"What about the other three you outlasted?" Mathias asked. "That also a fluke?"

Maurus felt his eyebrows rise as he took that in, still looking at Arianna.

"The goblins make thin wine," she said half-heartedly.

"And that was before the knife-throwing, wasn't it?" Mathias said. Maurus quickly looked from Mathias and back to Arianna.

"Why didn't you cut loose the other nights? I missed out," Maurus laughed, clapping a hand on her shoulder. She winced and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Oh, that's why," he said. He padded his belt and found the pouch he usually used for small amount of food. Today, it only contained one wizened, twisted root, the color of bone. "This should help," he said, holding it out to Arianna. She looked at it suspiciously.

"Well, I didn't end up needing it. Might as well put it to use."

"What about me?" Mathias asked, feigning an affronted tone and giving Maurus a mock glare. "I feel all neglected."

"You don't get hangovers, do you?" Maurus asked, then added: "There should be enough; it's a dosage for me after all."

The irritated expression on Mathias face vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "True," he admitted easily, studying his right hand curiously. "And I wouldn't be needing it for a while yet anyway."

Maurus turned back to Arianna, who still hadn't taken his offering. "I tried your demon magic," he said reasonably. "And it's not only tauren who use this, if that's what you're worried about. Just take a good bite."

Still looking skeptical, she took the root. The look of surprise on her face when she realized how tough it was made Maurus' lips twitch in a smirk, one that got wider when she had to gnaw on it for a few moments before she managed to rip a chunk off it. It simply clashed with her usual air of dignity.

"That should take the worst of it," Maurus said. "Keep the rest, I'll see if there is some work they can use my help with."

With that, he turned and walked away. His dour mood had been considerably improved by that conversation and Maurus silently thanked Mathias for that. The darker thoughts still lurked in his mind, but the empty feeling in his stomach had almost vanished. He was determined to keep his spirits up. Otherwise, it was going to be a very long trip.

Green fire danced in the black armor and the same flame filled the eyes which looked at him with cruel intent. The dreadlord smiled.

"Take him to the summoning room. We still have use for him."

The felguards stepped towards Maurus and he tried to move, tried to scream, but he was frozen, his muscles numb and unresponsive. He could do nothing but watch as the demons reached for him and their blue hands clamped down on his shoulders like twin vises.

His eyes snapped open and he sucked in a startled breath. The world under him lurched alarmingly and his hands shot out to either side, trying to find something to brace against. His left hand found only air but his right hand flattened against a wooden wall and he managed to steady himself enough to look around in confusion. His heart beat furiously as he glanced dazedly around the small, dark room but after a few moments, the feel of rough wood against his palm and canvas against his bare back cleared his muddled thoughts and he recognized where he was, the cramped little cabin they'd paid for. Above him, swinging gently, was another hammock, and the faint outline in the fabric told him Arianna was still fast asleep. That was a small mercy. Some nights, when she'd happened to be awake, she'd woken him from the nightmares, but seeing eyes green with fel fire was the last thing he needed when he woke from these nightmares. Several times, only her quick reflexes had allowed her to avoid his fists when he'd groggily lashed out. As grateful as he was for her cutting his nightmares short, he'd rather she let him be and avoid the risk of injury.

She hadn't stopped her from waking him though and he'd returned the favor by nudging her hammock whenever she began turning and tossing too much for her sleep to be restful. It never failed to stop her thrashing.

Mathias' hammock, placed in extension of his own, was empty, like it had been almost every night of the trip, only the bags beside it betraying that there was anyone using the room beside Maurus and Arianna.

His heart still thudded in his chest and the nervous electricity running through his body told him he wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon so, with a sigh, he turned and carefully put his hooves down on the floor to avoid disturbing Arianna. He rose, picking up his mace in the same motion and took two short steps to the door and opened it as quietly as he could, fumbled his way through the hold and climbed up to upper deck. There was little activity on the deck, only the bare minimum needed to keep a steady course, and the night was quiet, with only the rustle of the wind and the creak of sail and ship disturbing the silence. It was only just now he realized how noisy and smelly the hold was, practically rumbling with snores and heavy with the smell of unwashed bodies.

He immediately spotted Mathias. He was sitting with his back against the railing, his sword resting in his lap, head tilted backwards, stretching out the wounds in his throat. His face was slack, empty, displaying neither the sardonic amusement nor the intensity it usually did and his milky eyes stared into the sky.

Maurus walked over to Mathias and put his hands on the railing, taking in the sight. Sky and sea bled together into a dark, all-encompassing void that seemed to only contain them and the other ships around them and the myriad of stars above were mirrored in the water, making it seem like they sailed through the night sky itself. The sight was both beautiful and frightening, so very alien to him, even after weeks at sea and the homesickness, which had faded to almost nothing over the weeks, became a little stronger at the reminder of how far away he was from what he knew. He stood there in silence for a few moments, looking down at the glint of light on the waves, before he glanced at Mathias again. He didn't seem to have even noticed Maurus' presence.

"You've made yourself scarce," Maurus said finally. It was true. He'd hardly seen Mathias after the first few days on the ship, quite a feat considering the size of the ship and especially the size of their cabin. In the silence that followed his question, he looked out into the darkness again. Some distance away, a little to his right, two dots of light, warmer than the surrounding pin-pricks of light, revealed the ends of the ship at the rear of the group.

"I seem to recall you saying that I wouldn't make any friends by winning money," Mathias finally answered, the words coming out quietly, dispassionately. "Thought I'd stay on the good side of the ship by not fleecing them all."

Maurus frowned and it took him a moment to recall when exactly he'd said that. "That was weeks ago. You didn't seem to take it to heart."

"Garm always said I was slow," Mathias said quietly. He was limp, his gaze vacant. He hadn't moved, hadn't even changed expression. Maurus completely forgot the lingering unease from his recent nightmare and the hollow in his stomach. Instead, something heavy settled in his chest as he remembered the spray of blood and Mathias' heartbroken cry.

"How long did you know him?" he asked quietly.

Still Mathias didn't move. "Light's Grace, years," he said, just a hint of emotion seeping into the words. "Met him just after we joined the Horde. He visited the Tirisfal with some other shamans. First orc I met who didn't seem disgusted. Of course he was blind drunk, but still."

'From how you describe those lands, I would have gotten drunk too,' Maurus thought, but he didn't let the rude thought show on his face. He just gave Mathias an encouraging nod.

"Most people are disconcerted by this," he continued gesturing to the holes in his throat. "Garm thought it was brilliant. Said it just meant I could drink even the worst booze without having to taste it." As he spoke, muscle moved around bits of exposed spine and Maurus forced down a slight, oily nausea. It had taken him a long time to get used to the walking dead, especially the fact that many of them were now allies and he was usually able to ignore their injuries, but it was harder when they were pointed out. Garm apparently had a stronger stomach and a disgusting sense of humor but Maurus still felt his lips quirk upwards a bit.

Mathias continued: "More than that, he was the first person I'd met since my rebirth who seemed genuinely happy. Our lands discomfort the living." He raised an eyebrow and Maurus got the feeling he hadn't kept a straight face as well as he'd thought. "And back then, even the most cheerful of us had an edge to their smiles."

He paused for a heartbeat.

"Of course, most of us still do," he admitted, echoing Maurus' thoughts. "But joining the Horde was the best that ever happened to us." He ran a hand through his straw-like hair and sighed. "I should have stayed and buried him. Honored him properly and told his family in person, not through a damn letter."

Maurus turned and slid down next to Mathias before he reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. Mathias' head jerked round in a very stiff motion which betrayed his lack of sleep.

"You do honor him," Maurus said gravely. The sight of mounds of rock hiding a hundred dead and the sound of orcs falling screaming to their deaths appeared in his mind and his words slowly intensified as he continued: "You seek to avenge his death and when we succeed, we will not only have avenged him and all the others that died during those weeks, but we will have done the Horde a great service."

"If we find the dreadlord," Mathias said tonelessly, his gaze going back to the stars above. "If we have not already lost the trail for good. We don't even have a name."

Maurus finally understood. With no certainty that they were even on the right track and unable to do anything but wait and hope, restlessness and doubt, the same Maurus felt some of the days, had let grief come to the surface. He squeezed Mathias' shoulder, then shook it just slightly when he realized Mathias couldn't feel it through the steel shoulder plate. Mathias looked at him again, eyes tired.

"Arianna will get the scent," he said firmly. "And I swear, on my honor, that I will see this through, or die trying."

Mathias looked at him, the slight widening of his eyes telling Maurus that he realized how serious that vow was.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

Maurus nodded grimly at him. "The demon has a lot to answer for. We'll make certain he does."

Mathias nodded and looked back up into the black sky. Maurus patted him on the shoulder before lowering his arm and looking up too. They sat there in silence for a long while, until Maurus again drifted off to sleep.

The sun rising over Stranglethorn Vale was the most beautiful sight Maurus had seen since they'd left the Ge'Am Islands. A thin white band of sand separated the blue waves from the blooming green of the jungle, which stretched to the north and west as far as the eye could see and seemed to go on endlessly towards the east. The only thing on the shore that wasn't green or white was directly ahead of them. Grom'Gol was a fortress of sharp, black wood and ruddy red roofs. A single, massive zeppelin tower stood out from the other, lower buildings, which was partly obscured by the scores of colorful sails in the harbor. Hundreds of people scuttled over the piers and ships, loading and unloading crates and sacks and bags.

The day was hot, like the previous days, but it was only as they edged into the harbor, when the air became filled with cloying sweet smells and the heavy, wet scent of rotting wood and plants, that Maurus really noticed it. At sea, the fresh spray of water and the breeze took the edge off, but between the other ships in the harbor, the humidity closed around him and dampened his fur, making it hang limp and heavy from him. He was not looking forward to donning his mail and leathers.

"Finally," Mathias murmured beside him and he couldn't agree more. Over at months at sea was not his idea of a good time, despite the voyage having been as smooth as one could hope for, according to Arianna. It seemed to take an hour before they laid down the gangplank and finally got off the ship and it was an effort of will to not simply push his way through the crowd on the pier. When he finally stepped onto the continent, feeling earth instead of wood beneath his hooves, a nausea he had hardly noticed vanished and it was only now that it was gone that he noticed how off-balance he'd felt the whole trip. He felt refreshed despite the humid air and didn't even care about the people pushing past him.

"Cow, keep up!"

Maurus blinked and looked at Arianna. She was standing a little further ahead and Maurus realized that he'd stopped and that the crowd was moving around him, some of the people giving him irritated stares or rolling their eyes at him. Mathias had already vanished in the crowd, going ahead with his errands without a word. He shook himself and waved for her to just go ahead. She did so and Maurus began looking around for butchers and bakers.

Grom'Gol was almost as busy as Ratchet, but that and the roar and stink of the crowd were about the extent of the similarities. The roads were straight paths of dark, damp earth, churned up by the hundreds of feet and hooves that moved along it and the squat buildings around were sturdily built, completely unlike the thin, teetering buildings in Ratchet. Outcriers stood at every crossroad, shouting for the men and women of the Horde to report to the northern path out of Grom'gol, to begin the journey to the Blasted Lands.

It didn't take him long to find supplies. Getting a somewhat reasonable price for the bags of bread, cheese and smoked raptor meat however, did. Getting some fresh fruit was even harder, but he managed. After the weeks at sea he really needed something that didn't require soaking it for a while before it could be chewed. By the time he was finished with his purchases, he was feeling noticeably poorer, despite the fact that his purses still were pretty heavy, and the relief of being on land again faded somewhat, dampened by the wet heat and the unceasing assault of Stranglethorn's mosquito population.

Two hours before noon, he met up with Arianna and Mathias. They were waiting in the shadow of the zeppelin tower, seated on an empty crate someone had left behind and their bags and some bundles of cloth Maurus assumed to be tents had been placed against the wall of the tower. Between them lay three round, yellow-orange fruits and what looked like peels from more of the fruit was scattered on the ground around them. Mathias was slicing up a fourth fruit with his knife, while Arianna was peeling her own with slow, methodical movements, while she studied Mathias' shield, which lay in her lap.

"Now we won't starve," Maurus said by way of greeting as he reached them and dropped the bags of food on the ground. "But you're carrying some of it yourself."

Mathias lifted his head and grinned at him and Maurus was pleased to see that the intensity was back in his gaze. "I take it you have good news?"

"She found him again," Mathias said.

Maurus snorted. "Good to hear that our faith was well placed," he said mildly. Something flashed across Mathias' face, but it was gone a moment later. He leapt off the crate and picked up one of the bags.

"Yes, you were right, now I've said it," he said impatiently. "Let's get going before we lose him again."

Maurus looked down at the bags he'd just put down and made a show of sighing. "If you insist."

"I do," Mathias said, snatching up his shield before walking up the north road with quick steps. There was something different in his stance, more like a predator curled up and ready to pounce than like someone carrying a heavy weight. 'To think I can tell the difference in how he slouches,' Maurus thought wryly before he looked at Arianna. She sent a slight glare after Mathias before she picked up her bag and packed the strange fruits.

"If only we could take a zeppelin," she said, sending a short, wistful glance upwards. Maurus followed her gaze and felt a little shiver go through him. He was somewhat glad that the zeppelins were all reserved for supply transport though that thought made a slight sting of shame go through him. He should be as impatient as Mathias, not concerned with such petty unease.

"At least we're sure we don't get incinerated before we get to the Portal," Maurus said as Arianna shrugged on her bag.

"Assuming you don't get on the bad side of any mages," she answered, nodding at a passing pair of trolls in brightly colored robes as she picked up her staff and the peeled fruit. "Or me."

"I doubt you'll want to burn me again," he answered as they walked out of the shade and into the street. Traffic was lighter than in Ratchet, but that just meant that there was about a foot or two between them and the orcs, elves and trolls around them.

She considered him for a moment as they walked. "There were some times on the "Boar"," she said with a slight smirk. "But it seemed irresponsible in such flammable surroundings."

Maurus thought back and mentally winced as he recalled the worst of the days, where he, in hindsight, had been insufferable from a mix of seasickness, homesickness, worry and boredom. He thought a little more and shrugged. "You had your moods too," he said pleasantly. He put exaggerated seriousness into his words when he added: "But I am thankful for your amazing restraint."

"You pushed me out of my hammock, more than once," she said, sidestepping a brown-furred, plate-armored tauren hurrying in the other direction.

"Those weren't the only times you were about to light someone on fire," he answered calmly. He looked straight ahead, towards the gate in the distance, when he continued, voice quieter and a great deal more serious: "You seemed to be suffering."

There were a few moments of silence and Maurus wondered if he'd touched a nerve. He kept his gaze pointed towards the gate, absently noting the large number of tauren rising above the crowd. Then Arianna's hand appeared in front of his face, holding the peeled fruit.

"Orange?" she asked. Thrown by the question Maurus asked dumbly: "Yes it is?"

"Just try the fruit, cow," she said. He accepted it with a raised eyebrow and took a bite. Sour and sweet juice filled his mouth and in a few more bites he'd eaten it all.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he said: "Huh, that's something else. Much better than the limes."

Arianna wrinkled her nose. "Of all the fruits on Azeroth," she sighed, before shrugging. "Then again, we still have our teeth."

Maurus nodded, opened his mouth, then stopped and frowned as he realized something. "Where's Ash?" he asked, raising his voice to be heard over the outcrier they passed. He'd gotten used to Arianna without her demonic pet, but now that he thought about it, he'd expected her to summon the demon as soon as possible.

"I didn't summon him," she answered simply. "I'm considering consulting some of my other minions about our quarry."

Maurus waved a hand for her to continue as the crowd thinned ahead of them.

"Don't tell Mathias, but the horn still might go cold. I've never worked with tracking a dreadlord before and if that happens, a name, or any lead really, would be worth a lot."

Maurus frowned. He'd become accustomed to Ash, he was even comfortable with the hound at times, and that worried him now that he thought about it. But having one of the other demons with them, one of the more intelligent ones that could talk, truly concerned him. Then again, he couldn't deny the logic in seeking out more information and Arianna would do what she found necessary, regardless of what he might say.

"Why aren't any of them around then?" Maurus asked as they walked through the gate. The area around Grom'Gol had been cleared of trees, leaving maybe four hundred feet of flat dirt between the walls and the nearest looming trees. The space was filled with people and beasts though, and it was almost as noisy as it was inside the walls.

"I don't have the components," Arianna said. When he glanced toward her, she added flatly: "Not even a shard."

Maurus recalled the ominous crystals she had used to summon Ash and decided he didn't care for further explanations at that moment. Instead he straightened and looked around.

"Now, we should probably find our forsaken friend."

It took them only a short time to find him, impatient and irritated by the news that no-one was leaving till early afternoon. He almost looked like he was about to set off by himself, but Maurus managed to convince him that going along with the group was more likely to go well.

Secretly, Maurus was glad to have a few hours of rest on solid ground before they headed into the jungle and he used the time to get some less urgent supplies before leaving his things with his companions and heading out into the water a little ways from Grom'Gol. He wasn't alone in taking the opportunity for a quick dip. A lot of those who had made the trip across the sea seemed to have had the same idea and the number of other people in the water calmed any worry he might have had about being ambushed by murlock or sharks, making it the most relaxing bath he'd had since the one he'd had just before coming to Ratchet.

Finally, with the sun an hour past its zenith, the two hundred strong Horde regiment and a motley collection of animals and a lot of kodos pulling wagons set off into the dense jungle.

What do you think? And sorry for the long wait, I got swamped and this was a hard chapter to write. Hope this chapter well still entertain you, despite its lack of action. I need to work on character interaction and I thought that there were some things I needed to mention, like Maurus' feelings on this whole thing and the fact that Mathias is actually grieving, still, just mostly in a "avenge the dead"-kinda way.