Twisted Fate
Chapter 6

The next few days went slowly but eventually they arrived in Stranglethorn. As Nariel stepped off the ship, a familiar voice sounded to her side.

"Hey Nariel! Wait up!" Solarius shouted, Molikor a step behind him.

"You were running off again." The Orc said, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

She shook her head with a smile. "Not just yet, only going to the inn." She said.

"Perfect, so were we." the Paladin replied quickly.

How convenient. She thought, though the words never materialized. The trio made their way around the docks to the small goblin tavern and settled in at a small table in the corner, where Molikor offered – insisted really – that he buy the drinks as a sort of sorry-my-pet-tiger-almost-mauled-you-the-other-day apology. Nariel had argued at first but finally relented, slipping her mask off with a sigh.

"So have you changed your mind about our offer?" asked Molikor.

"No." She replied firmly, trying to sound determined.

In truth she had given it some thought. Perhaps it was that act alone that had pushed her towards declining, afraid that her defenses were failing.

"I wish you would reconsider." Said Solarius, but Nariel only shook her head as a small goblin placed three mugs of ale before them.

"What if we could change your mind?" he added.

"Solarius…" Nariel began, growing exasperated.

"Hear me out, please." He replied raising his hands in a calming gesture before adding "Molikor and I are heading to the Searing Gorge. We've been asked to poke around Blackrock Mountain."

"And?" she asked.

"Come with us." Molikor said. "One trip, from start all the way through to the end."

"If we finish and your mind is still set on going your own way, then I promise we will not argue." Solarius said.

Nariel said nothing but stared intently at her drink. All of her instincts were screaming at her to leave. Her internal alarms warning her of the impending danger to all of the protections she had managed to put in place. Still, something about the pair drew her in. She didn't know what; it was subtle, but against her better judgment she had been on the very edge of taking their offer when they had asked on the ship before her cold logic had caught up to her.

Finally she gave a defeated sigh before asking "If I agree, will you stop following me?"

"I suppose, if we must." Said Molikor with a smirk.

Nariel felt her stomach lurch slightly at the realization of what she was doing. This was a bad idea. No matter how it played out, all possible paths led back to her. They led back to her being trusted, being asked to trust again, and certainly to her being prodded for answers about questions she had hoped never to be asked. To stay with them was to open herself up to more pain. In the short time she had known them both, she had grown to like them, and that small fact alone terrified her. Still…

"Ok." She said quietly.

"Ha!" shouted Molikor, throwing his hands into the air in victory.

"She'll come with us!" yelled Solarius, accidentally knocking over his mug in his excitement.

"Hey, that's good beer you're mopping the floor with!" cried Molikor, his joy instantly turning to horror.

"Perhaps we'll need a few more in light of our new friend's decision." Said Solarius with a grin.

"Here here!" Agreed the Hunter.

Nariel, who had watched the whole thing couldn't help but smile. All she could do was shake her head in disbelief before tossing back the remainder of her drink. It was the first of many for her that night, and when she finally stumbled up to the room she had rented and collapsed unceremoniously on the bed, she thought that perhaps the alcohol and the evening's entertainment - which had ended up as a drunken Molikor trying to dance to the tune of Solarius banging a few empty bottles and yelling – might even help her weather the impending storm that she knew was coming when the reality of her foolish choice finally caught up to her in the stillness of her own bed.


She awoke in the morning before light, as usual. Her predawn routine of lacing up her armor was modified to include her mask before she went down for breakfast this time – I suppose that will be normal with these two around – and before long she was downstairs again to see the not unusual scene of an empty bar on the ground floor of the inn. The barkeeper had a few bits of meat left over from the previous day, one of which she bought and carried out to the small upturned boat that made up the makeshift stables.

Approaching the oversized ball of fluff that she recognized as the trio's deadly huntress, she prodded the cat with her foot until an eye crept open, to which she offered the meat. At the sight of food the giant cat popped up, licking her lips happily as Nariel placed the offering on the straw before Frostbite. As the cat gnawed at the meat, Nariel sat down beside it, stroking the creature's soft fur and peering out over the ocean where the sun was just creeping up over the edge of the horizon. There she stayed, whiling away the early morning hours with a hand buried deep within Frostbite's fur, the cat having returned to sleep with a very satisfied purr until the noise of the small port beginning its day grew to be too disturbing for her.

The cat made her feel strangely safe. She had no concerns about growing to like Frostbite; a tiger couldn't hurt her the way he had after all. A tiger wouldn't claw away at your secrets, dragging up long forgotten memories. A tiger wouldn't judge her. Frostbite was special, that much Nariel had come to understand in her short time with the cat. She was smarter than a normal beast. It seemed sometimes as if she could understand how others were feeling; once, while aboard the ship, Molikor had tapped his foot along with the beat of the music that a few sailors were playing in their free time, and Nariel had glanced over to see the cat's tail swishing back and forth in time with her master. Another time, the cat had stepped in to lazily swat away a rolling bottle before it hit Solarius in the foot. They were tiny actions, almost invisible to most, but Nariel could read more in them. Frostbite wasn't just a pet to Molikor and Solarius. She was a friend, the same as either of them, and Nariel could understand why.

Eventually she rose, heading back to the inn where she found her two new companions at the bar, Solarius noisily devouring whatever the bartender had given him to eat while Molikor sat with his head buried in his hands.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked, pointing to the Orc.

"Hm?" said Solarius, turning to see who had spoken. "Oh. Hangover." He said, to which Molikor gave a pained grunt.

Nariel rolled her eyes and turned to the bar. She found a mug of plain water before rummaging through her pack to produce a small vial of brownish liquid and a large glob of what looked like seaweed. She mixed them all together and placed the resulting brew before Molikor.

"Drink." She said simply.

He grunted again and opened an eye, dragging his head up long enough to examine it.

"Down it at once, it won't be pleasant." Nariel said, a smirk forming as she prepared to enjoy the show.

Molikor raised an eyebrow at her and then picked himself up off the bar before throwing his head back and pouring the mix down his throat. Immediately after finishing it he keeled over to the side, throwing up. When he had finally finished, he looked tired but glanced up at the pair.

"Any better?" asked Solarius.

"Actually yes." The Orc replied slowly, to which Nariel grinned.

"Really?" Solarius asked, turning to the rogue. "What was in it?"

Nariel shook her head, tapping the small vial of liquid. "My secret." She said, partially teasing them but mostly because if she actually told them, Molikor may very well be sick again.

Having finished her work with Molikor she took a seat between the pair. "With that out of the way then, it seems you two have convinced me to stay, and I would feel bad to go back on my agreement after the show he put on last night" – she motioned to Molikor – "so where are we heading?" she asked.

"Blackrock Mountain." replied Solarius. "We were contacted by an Orc; an old friend of Molikor's in fact." He said. "In his earlier days the Blackrock Clan was more of a threat than they are now. They raided the villages of everyone who was not among their clan, orcs included. In one of these raids, this Orc lost a very dear artifact." said Solarius. "It mostly only holds sentimental value to him, but he asked us to try and find it, suggesting that if the clan still had it, they would undoubtedly be holding it in Blackrock Spire, their last remaining stronghold."

"What type of artifact is it?" Nariel asked.

"A totem." Molikor said, having recovered enough to join the conversation. "He was the village shaman." He said, adding "to him losing a totem would have meant losing his attunement with one of the elements. It would have been like losing a brother."

"What makes him think they still have it?" She asked.

"The Blackrock clan experimented with dark shamanism a bit, but having twisted the elements they would not have been able to produce their own totems; the act requires the consent of the element being bound to it." Solarius said. "A totem would have held much value to them, serving to give them greater control of an element that would not have otherwise been granted through choice."

"I see." Nariel said.

"There's a delegation from Silvermoon here." Said Solarius. "For the most part, their business is no matter to us" he added with a wave "but one of the Magisters traveling with them has agreed to provide us with transportation to a small outpost of the Thorium Brotherhood near where we need to go called Iron Summit."

"It wasn't cheap." Grumbled Molikor.

"Such is life." Pointed out Solarius, before turning to Nariel and saying "Actually, they should be arriving soon. We'd better get out front and find them."

Nariel nodded as the group rose. They stepped out of the inn to where they had agreed to meet the mage. Near the stables, Nariel spotted a small goblin leading a hawk strider and a charger to their places – The delegation she supposed. As they waited, she passed the time running her eyes over the stripes on Frostbite's back, while the tiger herself was waiting patiently beside Molikor, licking her paw lazily. They didn't have to wait very long before a small commotion drew her attention to the side.

"We don't have time for distractions Arcanis." Came an annoyed voice.

"I understand Captain, but they have already paid me. It will take only a moment." Replied a tall, white haired blood elf.

The captain, trailing behind out of view gave an audible sigh before giving in. "Very well, make it quick then." He said. "We are to be halfway through Stranglethorn by the end of the day, and we'll need to make good time to do it."

Nariel caught sight of the captain's armored hand waving behind the mage and glanced up at him, wondering at the source of the frustration. The Paladin's light blond hair was the first thing she noticed, followed by his eyes. It wasn't until he turned to look at her that the full weight of her chance encounter hit her: standing before her, in full armor of the Blood Knights was Captain Sath'rovok.

No…She thought, the terror on her face hidden beneath her mask.

Her heart froze and her eyes locked with his, unable to pull away. Here was the one who had caused her so much pain. The one she had run to the far corners of the world to escape. The one who haunted her dreams and the source of her single most devastating vulnerability.

Please let me be seeing things. She begged, praying that it was just a horrible dream, but as reality faded away she stood there, staring silently at the cruel joke that fate had decided to play.

Sath…

As their eyes met, he gave a slight pause, his complaints immediately forgotten. His eyes narrowed as his expression hinted at recognition, but behind her mask she prayed he would not know the truth. Slowly he scanned her face, knowing there was something there for him to see, but unable to find it.

He looks just the same. She thought. His hair still fell off his shoulders in a mess, his eyes still glowed a soft pale green. His voice was still smooth, though it had grown more commanding. He still leaned slightly forward on his stronger right side and his gaze still felt like he could see into her very heart.

"-y?" She heard the echo of an unknown voice, but the outside world was lost to her, eyes locked with her former lover until a heavy green hand placed itself upon her shoulder.

"Did you hear me?" Molikor asked. "Are you ready?"

It was perhaps the hardest thing she had ever done, but slowly she tore her eyes away and nodded; she did not speak, remembering her vow that day: He will never again hear my voice.

As the mage conjured his portal, she felt Sath'rovok's eyes locked onto her. She prayed the caster would hurry up, but just as the portal was finished and she thought that finally escape was in sight, Solarius spoke, in one short sentence revealing her the secret she so desperately wanted to keep to the person she hoped would never discover it.

"Are you ok Nariel?" He asked, the last word resonating like the blast of a bomb echoing off the walls of a deep canyon.

Sath'rovok's eyes shot open, and his jaw dropped just as Molikor stepped through the portal. His reaction was lost on the Orc, but not on Solarius who turned, thoroughly confused.

"Nari?!" Sath'rovok said, confusion and panic in his voice. She twisted her head to look at him, her eyes holding nothing but cold hatred. She grabbed Solarius by the arm, turning to the portal and pushing him through just as it closed. As she did, Sath'rovok lurched forward and his own arm shot out, his hand grasping at her, but where moments earlier she stood, there was now only emptiness as the portal sealed shut with a soft pop.

Half a world away, the pair materialized and dropped down onto the charred rocky ground. Solarius rose immediately, and glanced from the waiting Molikor to Nariel, who was still where she had landed on her hands and knees, shaking visibly as a silent tear dripping down into the ground.

"Er – Is she ok?" Molikor asked.

"I don-" Solarius started.

"Sorry." Nariel said rising as she steadied herself with a deep breath. The pain on her face was gone, as were her tears. Instead her well trained eyes were blank, her expression a mask of indifference. "I'm still not used to portal travel. It takes me a few moments to recover." She added.

Solarius' expression grew confused, and his eyes shot from the Orc to Nariel, who returned his searching gaze. There, beneath what he now saw was her false happiness, beneath her practiced calm, he saw what he was looking for. Her eyes begged him for silence as they moved from him to Molikor. He glanced back to the Orc, and then slowly his mouth closed with a barely noticeable nod.

The trio were resigned to stay there for the night, having been told that the dwarf who was to serve as their source of information was out on patrol. Solarius busied himself with preparations and various other tasks, but nothing he did could remove the image that was seared in his mind of Nariel on the ground crying. Had he not been present for her encounter, he would never have known that there was agony so expertly concealed behind her eyes, but even Molikor could not help but comment on one fact they both did notice:

Nariel was missing.