Author's Note: I have no idea why, but I suck at writing accents. Dwarf accents are crazy. _
Chapter Two
Your Shield
Stormwind Harbor, Stormwind City
"... You can't be serious."
"'Ey! Wot's wrong with her? Dinna say there were anythin' wrong with her. She can get ya' where yer need ta go."
Rosette stood there, staring down at the dwarf on the dock with the flying machine that popped and sputtered behind him. Her eyes darted around, looking for Audric for some sort of support, but he still hadn't returned from dropping off Mara at the only place that would take her after some convincing and pleading on Rosette's part, the Orphanage. She brought her attention back down to the Dwarf who was already turned around, muttering something about gunpowder after burping loudly.
"Are you sure this thing is safe? Can it hold three people?" She asked, dreading the answer.
"Aye, that she can, might be a fit though." The dwarf muttered, leaning into the flying machine and tinkering around with it. Rosette stared blankly at him, shoulders slumped.
"Why couldn't we just take Tula there..." She spoke to herself, her eyes drifting to Audric as he made his way down to the dock. "Audric! Why can't we take Tula there?"
"She doesn't know the way there and neither do we. It would be better if we had a guide." Audric nodded to her as he slung his pack over his shoulder.
"Have you SEEN this thing?" Rosette gestured to the plane, the dwarf suddenly slapping the side of it as it sputtered again.
"She's a beaute awright, Flintlock APPROVED!" The dwarf shouted, causing Rosette to cringe. Oh if she still had the fur of a cat, it would be sticking up on it's ends right now!
"Now let's git goin', dunna have time ter waste!" Flintlock laughed, taking Rosette's hand and pulling her into the plane, strapping her into the back.
"W-Wait a second!" She cried out as a twine rope was tied around her waist.
"Don't worry, I got you." Audric said, fitting snug next to her in the small seat while Flintlock got in the front.
"I want ta git yer thar fast as possible, so we'll be burnin' the fuel a little early." The dwarf grinned, pulling back a lever while the plane jerked forward and took off into the sky. "Wotever ya' do, dunne black out!"
"WHAT?" Rosette cried out, clinging to Audric's arm as the flying machine jerked forward and tore through the sky with a loud bang.
Twilight Highlands
Sedisa moved along quietly through the untainted fields of the highlands. She limped slightly due to her injured leg, it was frustrating how mortal bodies took so much more damage then that of a dragon. Not trailing too far behind was her new unwanted companion, Edmond. The Worgen continued to follow after her, catching her when she stumbled, warding off wildlife that even attempted to look at her the wrong way. While she should have felt flattered, she found herself getting more annoyed with every step.
Soon she came to a stop, whipping around as she glared at the worgen. He stopped short, looking at her with concerned eyes.
"Why are you still following me? I'm fine now." Sedisa hissed out. Edmond frowned lightly.
"Ya' say that yer fine, but yer still limpin'." He sighed softly after he spoke, moving closer to her before picking her up into his large arms. "No more walkin'."
"NRGH! Put me down!" The elf sputtered out, trying to flee from his arms but like always, it was a futile effort. He carried her effortlessly, compared to the shield that rested on his back, her weight was nothing.
"We're goin sumplace ya' can rest." Edmond grunted, carrying her along as they headed towards the nearest place he could find. Sedisa growled like an angry cat, she didn't need someone doting on her like she was a pet. A pet... Sedisa glared down at her leg, looking at the red colored bandage that wrapped around it. This beast wanted to be close to her, then he would have his wish.
"This is enough!" Sedisa suddenly threw her weight forward, causing Edmond to stumble forward.
"Wot's this then?" The worgen grunted again, gaining his footing rather quickly.
"I will not sit here and be kidded like a child by you. If this is going to work out, you will do what I say." Sedisa moved out of his arms while he was distracted. Edmond stood, gray fur rustled in the slight breeze as he stood at attention.
"Is that understood?" She pointed to the ground at her feet. Edmond quickly responded, kneeling to the ground before it.
"If it means continuin' to watch over ya', then I will do as ya' command." He spoke with nobility, head lowered in a bow.
"Good." With a nod of her head she lowered her hand down to him. "Continue as you were. You have my permission to carry me."
She wasn't going to pass up a free ride if he would refused to let her walk on her own, but rather instead of carrying her in his arms, Edmond plucked her up by her waist. Her body stiffened as she was unprepared for the sudden lift, he however remained gentle with her and placed her on one of his large shoulders. Plate wasn't exactly the most comfortable to sit on, but it was better then feeling enclosed by his massive arms. Sedisa crossed her legs as best she could, hands sitting on either side of her on his shoulder as he carried her to the nearest resting place.
Highbank, Twilight Highlands
"DEAR LIGHT!" Rosette screamed out as the wind whipped at her hair and face. She had removed her hands from Audric's arm, now clinging to any piece of metal that she could reach on the plane while it shot through the sky.
"WER' ALMOST THAR! JUS' NEED TA' KICK IT IN TA' OVAHDRIVE!" Flintlock called out as he began to nosedive the plane. Through the entire flight Audric managed to keep his cool, however now that they were approaching landing he was starting to lose that cool. The whole trip had been nothing but bumps and close calls, his knuckles were white from how hard he was holding into his seat. He wished he had listened to his wife.
The flying machine dipped and sputtered, blasting out a final wave of fire behind it before the metal death trap sank into the sands of Highbank. It slid along the ground, the sand eventually making it stop and as soon as it did Rosette was in a fight with her seat belt to remove it. She looked like a cat tangled in a leash, fighting for her life to get free. Once she managed to rip apart the ropes, Rosette leaped from the seat onto the sand, digging her toes into it to make she was actually on the ground. Even if Audric was just as nerve wracked as she was, he managed to calmly step out of the plane.
"See? Told ya' we'd git ta yer destination, might be a little worse fer wear, but evuryon' here." Flintlock burst from the smoking front, stroking his beard in thought. "Coulda used more explosions though..."
Rosette suddenly leaped forward, reaching out to strangle the dwarf but was caught around the waist by the quick actions of Audric. She glared, still trying to reach out to kill but Audric placed her over his shoulder, walking with her towards the keep while he waved over his other shoulder.
"Many thanks for the ride, Master Flintlock." Audric called out.
"Wot's that? Master? I suppose I am tha master of fine explosions!"
"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Rosette screamed out after him, still raging over Audric's shoulder. The two left the dwarf the ponder the use of more gunpowder, Audric setting his wife down only when he knew she was calm enough.
"Now, I suppose we wait, since she said she'd know when we're here." Audric let out a sigh, looking to the already gloomy sky.
"It just feels like we're waiting for a death trap. How do we know she hasn't gotten stronger? We could be waiting on our dooms." Rosette frowned, her head lowering.
"There's nothing to worry about dear, I know as long as you're by my side, nothing will go wrong." Her husband grinned at her, that same smile that made her melt years ago still had it's effect today.
"You're right. We can do this." Rosette smiled, reaching up and placing her hand on his cheek before bringing him down for a kiss.
Twilight Highlands
"They're here..." Sedisa lifted her head to the sky as she felt the sickening presence of Audric and his wife. She couldn't sense their child, least they were smart enough not to bring her. Edmond looked at her as she remained on his shoulder, his head tilting slightly.
"Who's here my lady?" He asked softly as they began to approach a small base camp.
"It doesn't matter to you." Sedisa snapped, then gave a small frown once she realized it was a simple question. "I … there are some people here to meet me."
"Here?" He asked with pure curiosity. She looked down at him, shaking her head with her answer before she cringed. Sharp pains pulsed on the purple skin of her back, the 'bruise' growing a little more. The sudden shock of the pain caused her mental barriers to fall momentarily, her mind quickly assaulted with the nightmarish images of what was to come, what was to become of her.
"AUGH!" She shrieked out, leaning forward, curling herself in a ball as she began to fall off Edmond's shoulder. Edmond dropped everything, his sword, shield, reaching out and catching her in his large arms while she convulsed in pain.
"Sedisa! Wot's wrong?" He panicked, holding her close to try and calm her.
"No … you will not … take me yet!" The elf growled out as she closed her eyes tightly, once again constructing the walls in her mind through the pain. Edmond watched her, seeing that the bruise had spread farther along her back.
"This is no' good..." He murmured to himself, running his hand along the bruise. Sedisa was too engulfed in her own mind to notice his hands running across her. Edmond was caught by surprise as his palm ran over the bruise. It was scaly, much like the skin of a dragon. He wasn't sure what kind of ailment she had, but if it was turning her body into a scaly monster, he would be sure to fix it. Whatever this was it hurt her, and he wouldn't allow anyone to be pain, especially this lovely lady he just met.
Sedisa finally had built her mental barriers again, panting hard as sweat beaded on her forehead. It wasn't even near completion and she already wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. It was like the curse was eating away at her very soul. She grunted as she lifted herself up, unaware she was still within the worgen's arms. Knowing she would get upset, Edmond set her down as gently as he could before she would have time to notice.
"Wot kind of illness creates a bruise of scales?" He asked gently, resisting the urge to examine the scales farther.
"I told you not to touch it!" Sedisa growled as she whipped around, smacking him hard on the nose like you would scold a dog. Edmond yelped out, stepping back as he held his nose in his large hands. His ears lowered lightly, tail drooping as he gave the look only a sorry canine could. Sedisa stared at him, eyes narrowed with a 'Don't give me that look.' stare. Yet Edmond continued to look like scolded dog, playing on Sedisa's weakness for animals.
She finally rolled her eyes, reaching up as high as she could before patting him on the cheek. It was as high as she could reach. Edmond smirked lightly, letting his head lower enough for her to pat him on the head. With wagging tail, Sedisa couldn't help but smile lightly. Even if this worgen she just met annoyed her to no end, he was cute in that animal sort of way.
"This bruise … it's nothing for you to worry about." She smiled lightly to him, petting his snout. Edmond backed his nose away.
"Didn' seem like nothin' if ya' are in so much pain ya' can can't even move." He growled low, then without her words picked her up in his hands, starting to carry her to the small camp. Sedisa squirmed, spewing curses as she tried to free her arms from his large hands. It was a futile effort, as always.
"Where the hell are you taking me?" She growled out, going limp in his hands since nothing else seemed to be working.
"We're getting' ya' checked out by a priest, or a doctor." He grumbled to her. Sedisa's eyes went wide, she moving her body side to side to try wiggling free.
"I don't need a check up!" She spat out, her movements causing him to lose grip and she fell to the ground. Right away she got up, running with a crawl at first but once she got up she began to limp away as fast as she could. Edmond watched her a moment, snorting before lowering himself onto all fours. Like a race horse he charged after her, catching up to her with ease. Even in all his plate armor, sword and shield, he ran remarkably fast.
Sedisa glanced over her shoulder, seeing Edmond bounding behind her. Her eyes widened, she starting to swing her arms at her sides to make herself gain faster momentum. It worked, but not as well as she wanted it to. If she could just turn into a dragon it would be so much easier to get away from him. Her wounded leg wasn't helping either, sharp pains from stressed muscles in her leg was causing her to slow down.
With all the effort she gave, Sedisa couldn't outrun him and Edmond caught her quickly, tackling into her with a hard slam. The two rolled across the grass as Edmond curled himself around her, taking the full impact of the ground while Sedisa let out a squeak once he caught her. They came to a stop, Edmond still curled around her like a metal death trap as he held her against him. She wasn't going to get away from him again. He only released one of his arms to give her room to talk, to which she did, very loudly.
"Let go of me! I command you to release me at once!" Sedisa roared out, pulling one had free and uselessly slapping his plate armor on the arm held across her.
"I gladly will, once ya' get a look over." He smirked at her, taking his tongue and running it slowly over the side of her face. She cringed, slapping his armor harder in protest to his lick. Edmond pushed himself up, hugging her body close to him still and turned around, walking towards Victor's Point while Sedisa slammed her free hand against his plated arm the entire time.
Highbank, Twilight Highlands
The next morning was a rather dull one. The gray clouds that hung in the sky the night before had turned to rain, making the sand the small fort was built on wet and slick. Rosette stared out the window of the inn they were staying at, her eyes already halfway shut due to lack of sleep. The night before they were constantly woken up by the sounds of cannon fire, after almost a year of waking up to baby cries, a full night's sleep was almost a fleeting dream. It seemed even with this small vacation, sleep was not going to be a luxury.
Audric opened the door to the room they were staying in, looking at Rosette as she was drifting off to sleep already. He shook his head with a smile, walking across the floor as quietly as he could. The sounds of his feet were not soft enough, and Rosette's head lifted, turning to look at him before a tired smile lined her lips.
"Any sign of her?" She asked, raising her arms into the air as she stretched herself out.
"Nothing yet. Why would she call us out here if she wasn't going to show up?" Audric pondered the thought, tapping his chin. "Do you think something happened to her before we got to her?"
Rosette shrugged, looking back out the window as she rested her chin in her hands. "I'd say call it a blessing, the later we have to fight her, the better."
"Maybe she changed her mind..." He removed his finger from his chin, walking next to his wife and looking out the window with her. The rain was becoming heavier, thunder rumbling off in the distance.
"I don't think she would. She seemed pretty determined to kill you." Rosette turned her head, looking over at him as he seemed lost in the sight of the rain.
"We'll give her today and the rest of tomorrow. If she doesn't show up, we'll go looking for her. She's right, this needs to end now."
"... Audric! Why press this? Why do you want to do this so badly?" Rosette stood upright, crossing her arms as she looked over at him.
"Rose, you read what that letter said, if we didn't come to her, she would come to us. Either way this was going to happen. I would rather do it here where not as many lives are at stake." Audric lifted himself, looking at her square in the eyes. Rosette opened her mouth to protest, but was left speechless by the look in his eyes.
"Fine." It was all she managed to say before striding over to the bed and flopping back on it, arms out at her sides. She could never win an argument with him, he always knew what was right it seemed. Audric frowned softly, he didn't want to disappoint his wife but he had a point. Where ever they would be, Sedisa would find them and try to end it there. Rosette would just have to deal with the way things were going now.
Victor's Point
Edmond sat up next to the place Sedisa lay, watching as she clenched her teeth and sweat. His yellow eyes kept locked on her, his tail only swaying slightly behind him. He wished he knew what was going on with her, why she was in so much pain, why her skin was starting to become scaly and purple. She looked like she was having a nightmare, he wanted so much to wake her from it. Slowly he lowered his head, giving a snort and shifting his body to pull himself out of the tent they were given.
His large frame moved across the grounds to one of the officers in charge of the fleet. The officer turned to see Edmond's frame tower over him like a large beast, the man jumping back in surprise. Edmond didn't say a word, just simply pointed to Sedisa's tent with a small frown on his canine lips. The officer looked to where he was pointed, watching as she threw fits in her sleep. He looked back to Edmond, giving a small nod before he walked off, supposedly it find their medic.
With that in action, Edmond returned to the tent, sitting down in it with a small grunt. With his legs crossed and his tail moving impatiently behind him, the worgen watched as Sedisa's fit was starting to calm down. He watched as the purple scales started to spread, moving to half of her neck before stopping. His eyes widened then narrowed as he reached out, running a single claw over the newly formed scales. The large worgen let out a sigh, moving his hand back before placing them both on each of his knees as he sat.
Edmond knew this was something no one should face alone, and he would not let her. He would be her shield, protecting her from what he could. And even if he couldn't he would give his life to her if it meant to free her from the illness she had.