Ganked V 2.0b

Chapter 6 Into the Fire

Bill had a harder time starting up his experiment than he had anticipated. The first problem was Sol, who actually stayed out all night and did not come back until morning, feeling refreshed and invigorated after a dip at the hot springs after a night camping out. Apparently, his bed was an obliging tree. He shrugged at Lucilin's concerns. There was not a creature in these parts who could do him any damage.

Secondly, the Alliance members stayed out all night as well. The party lasted into the night, and they were too polite to disrupt the sleeping Horde members. Some, like Cyrus, had partied too hard and were suffering for it the next morning.

And third was Neiana herself, who was not cooperating. What was she thinking going out of Everlook on her own? Didn't she know how dangerous these parts where?

It was around nine o'clock that Sol finally crossed the gates into Everlook, looking thoroughly refreshed. On his way in, he noticed a mage crouched over an herb, quietly collecting it by the wall. Since this was a common enough sight, he paid it no further mind and continued on his way. After dismounting by the stables, he nearly bumped into a human who was leaning heavily against Lorenna. They were on their way to the well, he desperately needed a glass of water.

"You drank too much last night. Forget going out today, you'll be useless," Lorenna teased.

"The light is so bright. Take me indoors before my head splits open!" he moaned.

"That's what he gets for challenging a dwarf to a drinking game!"

The voice came from the ground and that's when Sol noticed there was a gnome woman trailing them. Her elaborate maroon robes marked her as a Warlock.

To the right, beside a group of homes, he saw Geldie the dwarf, looking very refreshed and ready for work. Every strand of her golden brown hair was perfectly in place, combed, with a single braid hanging off the right.

"It seems that 'umans can't 'old as much as they boast, can they, Uncle Skinflint."

"That they cannot lass," Skinflint replied.

He was nearing a venerable age. His beard, waist length, was still brown but was spotting considerable strands of gray. He wore the armor of a fellow Paladin with pride, silver and white, contrasting with Sol's black and red plate.

"Ya know lass, I am thinkin' we should go ta tha hot springs wit' Donova. Maybe we'll 'elp 'er find what's cookin' it," he said.

Sol winced. He hated that accent more than anything. He remembered how much he hated it when he traveled the length and breadth of the world before the Scourge hit. He decided he didn't care much about what was happening and headed to the stables.

But that was not the end of his run-in the Alliance. At the stables, Daela was conversing with another elf druid, a male, with vivid purple hair and a thick beard.

"So you think we should stay at Starfall Village? I do have family there, although it has been a long time since I have seen them," the man said.

"Well, when I stopped by, Wynd Nightchaser invited me to stay in one of their empty rooms. I'm sure he can find us accommodations, Denevell" she offered. "Besides, they wanted me to go into the ruins of Kel'Theril, but Geldie and Lorenna said they weren't interested in going to some stuffy old Night Elf ruin. I really wish to go, though..."

"Hm, young races have very little appreciation for history. I will talk it over with Skinflint," Denevell.

It seems the group is fracturing, Sol thought.

It wasn't a complete surprise. This land was rich in minerals and rare herbs, but it was not particularly dangerous. Danger was generally easy to spot, Yeti and corrupted Furbolgs abounded, but easy to avoid by simply not going into caves or fortified dens. Other than the occasional saber cat and bear, which were easily dealt with, there was little to fear. Unless one traveled South to Frostwhisper Gorge. That place was so dangerous, they hadn't visited during their stay. Sol and Guntar judged that a five man group was optimal. Sure they could survive the trip, but they weren't fools. It could wait, despite the treasures it held.

Furthermore, it was no longer a popular destination since the opening of the Outlands. So it was common for larger groups to splinter at their leisure without fear of ganking. It made sense that the dwarf would be enticed by geological phenomena, while the elves would be more interested in their own history and explore Kel'Theril.

When Sol entered the Inn moments later, he found most of his party gone, with only Bill the Forsaken Priest, and the two humans and a Gnome. One of the humans, the big lug of a man with auburn hair, lay on the bed with his head on his hands. The blonde hovered over him with a vial filled with purple liquid. The gnome was standing on the head of the bed, leaning over the man. She was so light she barely made a dent on the shallow mattress.

"Just drink a little of this Cyrus and you'll feel better," Lorenna said with a grin.

"Yeah, do you want to sleep all day? It won't take the whole thing. Just a little bit of that you'll be ready to go in less than an hour! I promise!" the gnome said.

"But, it's valuable..." Cyrus groaned.

"Just a sip will do," the gnome insisted. "Give him the stuff Lorenna."

Sol glanced at Bill, who managed to roll his eyes without having proper eyes and put his head on his hands.

"They've been like this all day!" he moaned.

"Was there a party last night?" Sol asked curiously.

"Yes, but they were polite enough not to have it here, at least. It appears that the three Alliance girls are all connected to the party that arrived last night in some way. It was a huge reunion," Bill explained.

"I see..."

Inquiries were made after the two other teammates. After it was learned that they left very early in morning to search for him, he sighed with displeasure.

"I told her not to follow me," he said.

"Well, you know Lucilin. She couldn't help herself it seems."

"Indeed."

It was then that Neiana entered the room with a clump full of Icecap. Her face was hidden beneath the hood of her heavy green cloak. She entered without paying attention to the two Horde within.

"Did he take the potion I made?" she asked hurriedly.

"He says he refuses to because it is too valuable," Lorenna replied.

"Well, I can always make more. But each day is irreplaceable, so take it," Neiana said with a serious tone.

She removed her cloak and set it upon the bed casually. Bill, hoping for some drama, flashed a look in Sol's direction to see if he had noticed anything. But, to his unending frustration, he had not. This was not good at all! This wasn't how it went in all the stories he read, where the man, upon seeing his beloved for the first time in a while is frozen in shock.

Instead, Sol had picked up the project he'd been working on for a while, a Thorium setting. It was clear that he was planning on making another one of his trinkets, as Bill thought of them. Although they brought them a lot of money, and they were shiny and pretty enough, as a Forsaken he simply could not understand the appeal. Perhaps he had in his human days, but not now. It generally took several days of work to complete one of his pieces of jewelry, and that was if it didn't involve cutting the jewel. That act alone could take weeks. So when he set his pieces, he took utmost care.

Bill knew that if he didn't act now, that all would be lost. And how would he add drama to his work if Sol refused to cooperate?

"I think they look familiar," Bill said offhandedly.

Sol was too busy working on his piece to pay him any mind.

Bill cleared his throat.

"I said, I think they look familiar, Sol, wouldn't you say?"

That got the Blood Elf's attention.

"What did you say?"

After Bill repeated the observation for the third time, Sol looked at the group curiously. It consisted of two human women, a gnome and a man. The blonde woman he knew. But the rest he couldn't quite place. It wasn't until the brunette woman called the man by his name, Cyrus, that a flicker of recognition passed through his face.

"Huh, I think that's the same group of Alliance that we ran into at Southshore. Well, what do you know. What a small world it is," he said dismissively as he continued to work on his setting.

Well, that was the end as far as Bill was concerned. No forbidden romance; no dramatic declarations of love; no desperate chases and duels. He was really looking forward to that part: an epic clash between Cyrus, the human warrior and Sol, the Blood Elf knight, for the hand of the fair...whatever her name was. Pity that Sol had to go on and be so bloody pragmatic. Oh well, he just had to cross that out of his list of things he would put in his book.

"I'll be going out to tell the two that you are here. They gave me the pattern of their search, just in case you were to arrive before them," Bill declared grumpily.

Sol nodded absentmindedly as the Forsaken left in a huff. Meanwhile, the Alliance group had made plans. Wigget was going to study under one of the engineers in the area. It would take her all day, she said, because engineering was complicated.

"I can't just take a schematic and copy it in my book and consider it learned. It takes a whole day to study and pour over every part and piece, and then days to construct it if I must."

Meanwhile, Lorenna had a great idea. There was a cave that until recently had crawled with Yeti. But due to theirs, and a certain orc's, hunting prowess, the cave was completely cleared. It would be weeks before a wandering yeti would find it and month, maybe years, before it would be as populated once again. While they were hunting the yeti, she'd noticed some silver and lead deposits. Perhaps Cyrus would like to go with her while she collected them, just in case the cave was not as empty as it was thought.

At first Cyrus refused to go, but Neiana insisted. She needed to work on some dried specimens and prepare the plants she had just collected. Cyrus left with some reluctance, taking his pick axe along with a sword. A little smile crept up Neiana's face as she watched them leave. She thought they made a cute couple, and it was clear that Lorenna wanted to spend some time alone with him.

Then she got to work. She opened up her back of herbs and removed from it a towel. In the towel were several older herbs she'd picked some days before, now dried and ready for preparation. She took a clump and put it in the mortar, before she began to grind it with a pestle, careful not to let any extra bits spill.

It was then that Sol, knowing he was alone and free of disturbance, glanced at the woman working. She was certainly the same girl that had made an impression with the passion she exhibited to her work. And here she was, now working to her heart's content. It saddened him slightly that she hadn't remembered him at all, for all the impression he'd thought he'd made on her. But no matter, he would let it go. And so he looked down and continued on with his work, but it wasn't long before he felt a pair of eyes looking in his direction. That is when he noticed that the shuffling and grinding of her work had stopped.

He looked up, only to find that she had stopped working, although her hands were still on the pestle. She was looking at him, her eyes filled with recognition.

"What are you doing? You should complete your work, silly girl," he teased in Thalassian, knowing full well that she wouldn't understand a word.

It worked. She blushed and, although she didn't understand what he had said, seemed to understand the meaning behind the tease. It was with some effort that she continued on crushing the herb, trying very hard to concentrate. It made it worse when her approached the table and sat in front, openly staring at her work. He could tell she was nervous because her pestle began to shake slightly.

"You missed a spot," he said, pointing to a leaf that was still intact.

She frowned and crushed it.

"And there," he said.

She took her pestle and crushed that piece of stem that he was pointing at. He frowned with mock displeasure.

"You are no good! You've missed the whole leaf here," he teased.

This riled her up and she glared at him defiantly. She thrust the mortal and pestle in his direction. There was a challenge in her irritation.

"You do it then," she said.

He pretended not to understand, pointing at himself with puzzlement.

"Yes, you, go on and do it if you're so bloody good at it. I want ta see ya try."

The slip of the accent was noted, but he merely assumed that it came from hanging around Dwarfs for too long. Instead, he busied himself with irritating her more.

"It's a bunch of flowers. How hard can it be?" he remarked offhandedly, with as much elf arrogance as he could muster.

He began to crush the clump. Being an elf, he'd lived long enough so this skill was not completely foreign. If he wanted to, he could fake it. But at the time, he did not. He accentuated his clumsiness.

"NO! You're doing it wrong. It's not...no you're going to spill it! Oh, my Light!"

She reached for it but he snatched it back.

"No, you wanted me to do it, so I will," he said with mock defiance.

He began his clumsy work again, noting that she was becoming increasingly desperate. Too much work had been put into gathering those plants for her to let it all waste. She reached for it again desperately, but this time, he let her catch him. Perhaps she didn't notice, so intent was she in saving her work, that she quickly placed her hands over his in an effort to stop him. He obliged. She immediately flinched and drew back, blushing once again with embarrassment.

He nearly continued their little game, when he became alerted to an incoming group of people. Instead of rising swiftly with shame, as a boy caught with some contraband, he merely passed the mortal and pestle to her casually, which she took swiftly, and turned to meet the group. Guntag could be heard roaring from outside the stables.

"I'm going to get that snooty Blood Elf. I'll tan his hide and feed him to GlubGlug!"

"I'll help you along," Lucilin declared.

"Now, now, he did say not to follow, Lucilin, if you recall," Bill interjected.

The three burst into the Inn, talking among themselves. Sol stood to greet them.

"He's right, Lucilin, I told you not to follow me," he said evenly.

"You were gone all night, Sol! You can be such a selfish ass sometimes," she yelled.

He raised his hand in her direction, as though cautioning her to stop, and the pointed at Neiana, who was busy pressing the flower she had recently required. She as only half-pretending that she didn't notice the argument, as she was once again becoming immersed in her work. The Blood Elf had done a surprisingly good job considering his apparent clumsiness.

Lucilin bit her lip shamefully. This was the second time she'd lost her temper over him, and both times before Alliance wretches! It was all too embarrassing. Maybe Guntag was right and she should just leave the group. As she simmered with anger, Sol turned to them and began to share with them an idea he had been mulling over while teasing Neiana.

"You know, it is rather too late to leave. Why not head down to Darkwhisper Gorge instead? There is a great deal of Thorium and Darklotus there, enough to finance our trip to the Outlands without a problem."

"But we decided it would be best with five of us so that none of us is got killed in the process," Guntag retorted.

"That is true," Sol said as he sauntered to them. "Which is why I propose a fifth person for the expedition."

"But who?" Lucilin asked, confused. "There hasn't been another Horde member..."

That is when she noticed Neiana, innocently working on her herbalism without a single clue that she was now the topic of conversation.

"...you don't mean to say..." she began.

"I do," Sol replied simply.

Bill could have jumped for joy. His experiment would go on after all! The drama was already being layered thick. He could tell that there must have been some sort of dramatic meeting that they were obviously hiding from everyone out of pride and embarrassment.

"I am not sure that's a good idea," Guntag said.

"I don't see why not. Her party has splintered. The Dwarves have headed to the Frostfire Hot Springs. They should be busy there for days. The Elves have gone to Starfall Village. The rest of the humans have undertaken a mining expedition to the Ice Thistle Hills, which should take all day, and possibly night, and the gnome has gone to apprentice with Zap and Xizzer. That leaves her alone for a while, with nothing to do but crush leaves," he explained.

"How do you know all this," Gunter asked, curiously.

"Vizzie told me," he lied. "At any rate, I don't see why we shouldn't take her with us. It's not an expedition that is of particular interest to the Horde or Alliance. It would be beneficial to us both, and with the proper incentive, she could be persuaded to help."

"Hrm, that's true," Gunter murmured. "And if I recall correctly, she is the same person we ran into at Southshore. She didn't seem without Honor, unwilling to have you ganked when the Alliance had the chance."

Lucilin thought back to the time in Southshore, when they first ran into Neiana. She thought that they had merely been interrupted in the middle of their "game." But now she realized that though it had been a game, it was not the one she was accustomed to playing. This game was as ancient as the eldest among them, and would continue until the last man and woman on earth breathed their last.

She understood at last the peril he was under. It was not jealousy that drove her this time, but a cold calculation. This enterprise, though profitable, was a ruse. He was looking for a way to keep her near and prolong their stay. How better to do it than to offer them what they all wanted, fortune and adventure? But if they were to stay and if he were to reveal the truth, that he could speak common and heaven forbid, pairbond with her, then it would be disastrous. It was bad enough when High Elves pairbonded with humans, the union itself was frowned upon, and the children generally held in disregard. This prevented much mixing among them. But at least then, they were allies. But as enemies? The world was not big enough to harbor such a mistake.

Lucilin, being somewhat intelligent, formulated a plan of her own. She had to accept the woman's inclusion for the expedition while protesting against it. Then, after the expedition was complete, she would kill her.

So that is exactly what she did. Lucilin argued loudly against the whole idea, calling him a traitor, weak, and claimed she was bored of the area. She even accused him of the very motives she had considered. A lesser man may have been shamed into ending the expedition. Truth be told, she was hoping that he would. But seeing that he would not yield, she at last begrudgingly agreed.

Bill, enjoying the drama, was up for anything. And Guntag was concerned for many of the same reasons that Lucilin had mentally listed. Unconsciously, he came to the same conclusion as Lucilin. They should take her, use her services, and then gank her once they were out of the Gorge. Even if it dissolved their group, even if Sol ended up hating them, it would be the best thing for him. He needed to cut all ties with the past and understand, quite seriously, that this is war. For all of his talk of hating humans, it seemed that he did not hate them enough.

"If Lucilin agrees, then I will go as well," Guntag finally said.

Sol then turned to the girl and tapped gently on the table, in order to get her attention without startling her. She looked up with trepidation. The truth was that even in Neutral ground, she was intimidated by four set of Horde eyes on her, some of which were only slightly veiled in their hostility. The Forsaken had no eyes at all, but merely stared at her with hollowed out black eye sockets where his eyes should have been. It sent a shudder up her spine. Only Sol's eyes, which were reassuring while maintaining a cool distance, kept her calm.

With her attention locked on him, he removed a map from his nearby atlas, unrolled it before her, and pointed to Darkwhisper Gorge. The meaning was ascertained at once. She pointed at herself, shocked.

"Me? Are you saying you want me to go to Darkwhisper Gorge with you?" she asked.

He then said three words in Thalassian that he knew she would understand, even if not perfectly. They sounded almost exactly the same in every language.

"Thorium. Diamonds. Darklotus."

Then he extended his palm toward her, spreading his fingers so she could clearly see that he meant "five." The meaning was plain even with the language barrier. If she went with them to help collect the items they desired, she would get a cut from the loot, equal to that of everyone else. Although she sensed that he was not lying, she could not bring herself to agree. She did not trust them, even Sol. The words that Denevell had imparted in Southshore had not been forgotten,

Neiana, the issue is not whether they are good or bad...The issue here is that they are our enemies, and that is why they are not to be trusted.

She shook her head slowly.

"AH! She will not go," Lucilin exclaimed. "She's not quite as stupid as I thought she was."

Sol narrowed his eyes, glancing at her judiciously. Indeed, she was not as childish as he had thought her to be, for all her blundering and blushing.

"Lucilin, bring me my Jewelry Case," he commanded.

She obliged and handed it to him without complaint, for once. Truthfully, she wondered what it was that he would try to bribe her with. Many of the items contained in the box were of some value. It was only due to the very strong sense of honor among adventurers that he did not take it everywhere with him.

He opened it, and to Bill's surprise, removed only the Thorium setting that he had been working on.

"Diamond," he said once again, handing it to her.

At first, Neiana didn't quite understand what he was offering. But then, at long last, her eyes widened with excitement. She rose swiftly from her chair, almost knocking over the work she had spent so much time meticulously doing.

"The Diamond Focus Ring! You will give me the Diamond Focus Ring for helping you?" She could have hugged him for sheer happiness.

He smiled, pleased with himself.

"This will augment my intelligence! It will increase my mana reserves by quite a lot...Are you sure?" she asked, forgetting they couldn't understand.

Then she turned to him one more time.

"So let's be clear: Diamond, Thorium, Darklotus, and Ring," she said holding the ring aloft.

Sol laughed at her audaciousness. Of course she wouldn't be getting that much. And so they haggled wordlessly for several minutes, while the rest of the group watched, fascinated. It was as though they were watching a silent auction in progress. At last it was decided: she would get the Diamond Focus Ring, a full share of Darklotus, half a share of Thorium, ten percent of miscellaneous drops, with the right to roll for relevant items when they appeared, and absolutely no diamonds. That was fine with her, she didn't have a need for them anyway.

Then he did something that surprised Neiana, even though it should not have. They were going on an expedition, after all. He pointed to himself and said a single word.

"Sol."

"Oh! That's right, your name!" she exclaimed. "Well, I should give my name too!"

She pointed to herself and said quite proudly, "Neiana."

Lucilin snickered loudly.

"Like we don't know. What a stupid name. She's one of those fool humans who tries to come up with a silly Elvin sounding name. I wonder what her real name is. Probably something stupid, like 'Lulu.'"

For the first time since meeting them, Neiana's feelings became genuinely hurt. Although she couldn't understand the words, she knew that Lucilin was mocking her. Indeed, her tone was exactly the same as the bullies who had bothered her at school.

But instead of crying, she put her hand on her chest defiantly, glared at Lucilin and said once again, "Neiana!"

"Hrm, she has pride, that one!" Guntag said with admiration. He pointed at himself.

"Guntag." Then he gestured toward the fearsome spider, "GlubGlug."

Neiana wondered if it was her imagination, but it seemed as though the spider gave a bow. That left only Bill. They all looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to introduce himself. But Bill merely stood still, vacantly staring at the table. The whole thing had bored him, there was no drama in auctions or pleasant introductions, so his mind was somewhere else instead.

Guntag poked him with his elbow.

"Introduce yourself to the lady!" he grumbled.

"Oh? Oh! My turn already?" He bowed before saying his name, "Bill."

"Bill?" Neiana asked, bewildered. "Bill! What sort of name is that for an adventurer? A Forsaken at that! I thought Forsaken were supposed ta 'ave odd names like 'Malfoie' or 'Raistlian.' But Bill? Fancy meetin' a Bill without a 'eart!"

Sol barely managed to keep his ruse of not being able to understand her. As it was, he bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"Well then," he said at long last. "Let's get ready."

Half an hour later, they were all packed and ready to go. Before they mounted and left, Lucilin had given the odd suggestion of taking all the bags with them. Since they had anticipated leaving the area that very morning, their bags had all been packed. She also wanted to take their pack mule, which was Sol's old Hawkstrider. Sol was in such a hurry, he didn't pay attention to the odd nature of the request. But Guntag noticed it immediately. Lucilin and Guntag's eyes met, and they understood each other at once. He gave her a slight nod, acknowledging his shared intentions.

Unbeknownst to them, Neiana had spotted that slight exchange. Although she didn't quite understand what was meant, their clandestine glances gave her a very strong impression that something was wrong. An acute sense of danger chilled her heart, and she nearly changed her mind. But then, as she watched Sol approach upon his Charger, he looked so gallant that her heart wavered and her worries were eclipsed.

He caught her staring and slowed his horse as he passed beside her. She held her mount by the bridle. With a cocky smile he held out his hand.

"Will you ride with me today?" he asked.

She glanced at the ground demurely and patted her lovely white stallion's nose. He grinned at her subtle refusal, he hadn't expected her to agree at any rate, and clicked his horse forward to the front of the group, taking his place as leader.

Neiana saddled her horse and took her place at the rear of the group, where she felt the most comfortable. Whatever Sol's motives, she didn't trust the others. The last thing she wanted was to be trapped between them. Before parting, she noticed Vizzie, the Innkeeper, pass her by.

A horrifying thought occurred to her then. She was leaving with a party of Horde to a very dangerous place, and not a single member of her group knew where she would be!

"Vizzie!" she called.

"What is it?"

"If anyone inquires about me, then tell them I've gone to Darkwhisper Gorge with these people, and that they've agreed to take me on as a full partner with promise of safety until we return tonight."

She sounded so much more self-assured than she felt. Vizzie's googley eyed stare had an appraising quality, as she measured the weight of the information with the value she believed it contained.

"I don't know if I will have the time. I am starting repairs to the Inn today," she said with feigned hesitation.

Neiana didn't have to wonder at the Goblin's motive. She removed two gold coins from within her purse and tossed them at the small, green woman.

"I suppose you will be able to find the time now?" Neiana asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"I think I can find the time," Vizzie said contentedly as she pocketed the money and waddled to the Inn.

With their interlude over, she looked up, only to see the Horde party members staring back. They had all been waiting on her. The Orc, Guntag, was not mounted. He could run as swiftly as any mount so he didn't need it. His trusty spider, who was a hideous green monstrosity to her, was clicking her legs on the ground, as though sensing her master's impatience. The elf woman, Lucilin, looked angry, or at the very least annoyed, that she had been made to wait at all. Bill's vacant eyes sockets were directed at her, seeing everything but revealing nothing. Only Sol's eyes provided comfort. They were calm and sure in that sea of anger and hostile intent.

She nodded at him.

"I am ready."

He acknowledged the signal and then turned to Everlook's entrance, urging his handsome armored steed forward. First in a steady gait, until he reached the entrance. Once passed, he urged his horse to a swift gallop. Faster than one would think possible with all the livery and armor, it set a frantic pace that they all readily followed.

Snow began to fall, covering the already frozen ground with a fresh, powdered layer. Neiana's heart beat swiftly as she passed under the heavy white arch of Everlook's entrance and entered a gallop herself. Before her lay danger, not only from the denizens of the Gorge, but also of her own teammates, who would as soon betray her as help. This uncertainty only augment the excitement of the chase, and she yielded herself to it. This is why she lived! And if she died, then it would be with her eyes fully opened, diving head first into the fire.n