Undeath Beckons

Chapter 12 – Freebooters

LOADING…

FETCHING CHARACTER DATA…

CHARACTER SELECTED: DYSTRESSI

ENTERING WORLD…

I plunged my dagger into another chunk of cactus and drank heavily from the cool liquid within. It was mildly flavored, sweet and tangy. Perfectly refreshing as we rested beneath the shade of a towering, prickly plant on the soft sand. Though the sun beat down with more fury than I'd ever seen, I could not feel its heat; instead I felt only the sting of the piercing rays as they bored into my companions and me. We'd soon be redder than the blood of the hyenas and scorpions we'd slain in making our way to this place.

Spectress offered me a third piece, which I took gratefully, my thirst seemingly unquenchable. Only a few hours out here, and already I was sick of this damn desert. Too bad the Kirin Tor could track Spectress's portal use; I'd greatly prefer a quick tumble through the Nether if it meant we didn't have to walk all the way to Orgrimmar.

"Mmm," Katyaa grunted, slurping up the innards of a cactus. "Dat be da good stuff mon!"

"Agreed," I said with a smile. This troll, with her creamy blue skin and vibrant orange hair, was a welcome friend in the harsh environment of Tanaris. She knew every trick and tactic for staying comfortable out here. And although it was a bit hard to understand her accent, I nonetheless found myself enchanted whenever she opened her tusked mouth. Spectress seemed similarly enthralled.

"Looks like the sun is lower now," our draenei friend noted. "Time to move?"

Katyaa nodded. "Good eye. Da hottest part a da day be ova. We be headin' dat way." She gestured to the northeast. We gathered our supplies, packaged up a few extra slices of cactus for the journey, and began making our way past rows of soaring plants and rock formations.

I'd stripped off most of my thick leather armor, and was hiking along in the white shirt from the prison. I'd tied it in the front to give my thin stomach some air. Funny: unlike living women, I wasn't afraid to show a little skin. After all, dying is an excellent weight-loss program. The bones of my hips stuck out like handles on the side of an urn.

"How far to Gadgetzan?" Spectress asked. We'd only just begun our journey, and were nearly out of the cacti now. Katyaa opened her mouth, but all I heard were strange guttural noises and clicks. Ugh. Not this again. I elbowed Spectress gently, and she rolled her eyes at me. "Hang on Katyaa," she said, mumbling an incantation. I felt my intellect expand ever so slightly, bringing Katyaa's words into focus.

"…no more den tree days at da most." She scanned the horizon. "Dis weatha be pretty good. Long as we don be gettin' a sandstorm, we be doin' fine mon." Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. "Hold on. Da spirits be speakin' ta me." The troll cocked her cute little head sideways and listened to the winds. I heard nothing. "Dis way," she ordered, changing course.

Spectress and I followed as she led us past a huge rocky outcropping. "Oh! That's-" Spectress gasped, startled. I saw why as I rounded the bend: we were standing before a large brown and tan turtle. He seemed to be in quite a flustered mood, insomuch as I could read the moods of giant reptiles. Katyaa was squatting beside his head, which looked about big enough to bite her in half.

"Uh huh… oh, I be seein'… ya mon… ya don say?" she mumbled. Nodding, she placed her hand on the turtle, and I saw a small spark of energy pass between them. Katyaa spun to face us. "Dis turtle be lost out here. He say he be rewardin' us if we can take him back ta da coast up by Steamwheedle Port."

My jaw dropped. "Wait, what?"

Spectress was similarly dismayed, I was happy to note. "No offense meant Katyaa, but what sort of a reward could a turtle possibly offer?"

Katyaa gave us a frown. "Look, do ya be trustin' me or doncha? Dis be wort da trouble, I promise."

I sighed. "Fine."

Spectress cautiously approached the beast and patted its shell. "Does he have a name?"

"Tooga," Katyaa informed us. "Now, let's be movin' on."

Great, I thought. Just when we finally get rid of that raptor—Katyaa had given him detailed directions back to Gadgetzan and let him run at his own pace—we find another big cold-blooded headache to take care of. This one didn't seem to make Spectress nervous, however. Her fear of raptors was both understandable and a little bit adorable. I couldn't place my finger on why, but thinking about my purple-skinned, cloven-hoofed companion made me feel… tingly inside. In a good way.

"Tooga be knowin' da ways of da crechas out here, mon," Katyaa explained as we walked. "He tol' me some tings ta watch for." Sure enough, his knowledge came in handy: no sooner had Katyaa informed us to beware large skeletons in the desert than we came upon one such locale, and skirted around it. Good thing too: a huge swarm of carrion birds landed in the area shortly after we passed.

The day wore on, and on, and on. In these rolling dunes, it was impossible to tell if we'd made any progress. Nothing was visible for miles in any direction save those huge cacti we'd come from, which were disappearing rapidly at our backs. I tried chatting idly with Spectress and Katyaa, but the former was more exhausted than I was, and the latter responded primarily with random babblings about "da spirits" and cries of "da be good choice, mon!". So I just shut up.

Tooga, at least, was a steadfast companion. Plodding along beside us like a faithful dog, he aided us in combat when wandering hyenas or scorpions came to snag a bite of the bipeds. I laughed aloud when Spectress's blizzard spell turned to rain before her eyes. This desert was hot. The sand beneath my nearly bare feet felt nice, even though it wasn't warm. I really hated that. Warmth was one feeling I truly missed from being alive. Couldn't think of too many others though: many of the discomforts of living—and being a woman, for that matter—were completely gone. Still, it'd be nice to experience toasty sand under my toes again.

By evening we'd reached a tiny network of rocky outcroppings that formed a convenient dwelling for the night. At last something was visible in the distance: the wide ocean stretched out beyond the horizon to the east. I could hear the furious pounding of waves. It'd still be a while before we reached the coast, but at least we had a landmark… erm, seamark. Katyaa suggested we get to sleep now and wake up in a few hours to hike in the dark. We'd save ourselves the pain of the sun if we covered ground beneath the stars. Agreeing to this plan, Spectress and I made camp, while Katyaa scouted the area for food and fresh water. She returned later with both. Clever girl.

We sat round the campfire, chewing on roasted hyena chunks and sipping cactus juice. It wasn't much, but with resources as scant as they were out here, I was glad to have anything. Spectress took to polishing her hooves—something she claimed she did every night—and Katyaa was watching the fire, as if in a trance. I decided to speak up: "So, this desert kind of sucks during the day, but it's not so bad at night."

Spectress nodded. "You are correct, my friend."

"Dis place be notin' compa'd ta Silithus," Katyaa chimed in. "You been?"

We both shook our heads. "What's Silithus?"

The troll immediately broke into a fanciful tale of a barren wasteland, with skies darker than pitch and insects bigger than even Tooga and the three of us combined. Silithus, home of the Qiraji, she claimed, was a place few ventured to and even fewer returned from. Supposedly, great treasures awaited anyone brave enough to delve deep into the southern reaches of that forbidden land and journey past the Scarab Gate, into the temples of the Qiraji prophets. Katyaa explained that she'd been a member of a raiding party destined for such a fortune… with tragic and terrifying results, which she enumerated in gory detail. Her story put me in a jumpy mood. We laid down to rest and I shut my orbs, but already I could tell sleeping would not be easy tonight.

Thank the Gods for that.

I'd only just drifted off when the sound of a dagger being drawn from its sheath awoke me. In milliseconds I was armed and alert. My fighter instincts came in handy that night. I scanned the area, looking for our attacker. Whoever he was, he was about to be very, very sorry.

A pair of blades glimmered in the starlight off to my left. There you are. I slithered from my bedroll, performed a deft tumble, and, with a fierce battle-cry, drove my weapons into the back of the masked figure hovering over Spectress's sleeping form. A piercing scream rent the air. The would-be assassin crumpled to the sand, bleeding. I withdrew my weapons just in time to hear a roar of several voices rise up from nearby rocks.

"Spectress! Katyaa! We're under attack!" I cried, dropping into a stealthy crouch behind a large stone. My friends, though not as quick to awaken as me, were nonetheless soon up and combat-ready. Tooga withdrew into his shell. Couldn't say I blamed him; this wasn't the kind of combat a snapping turtle excelled at. Spectress cast her arcane intellect spell, causing a blue eye to appear briefly over her head. She did the same to Katyaa, whose eyes shimmered with increased perception, and me as well. Just in time, too: things were about to get interesting.

In every direction, varied humanoids rose from the dark sands. Most were clad in matching purple uniforms, and many had eye patches or cutlasses. All were wearing tabards adorned with the skull and crossbones. Pirates! I recognized humans amidst the crowd, but the other two races were new. Squat, green, spindly creatures, and what appeared to be hyenas walking upright in ragged clothing. What were these beings? Didn't matter. As long as they reacted to steel like their comrade had, we'd be in business.

A powerful voice roared, "Southsea Freebooters! Attack!" I couldn't make out the remaining words of the pirates' war cry, but their intent was clear: slaughter us by any means necessary. I felt a rush of wind as a musket ball whizzed past my hiding place. Damn, guns? Who said they could bring guns to a swordfight? Well, two could play at that game: I extracted a throwing dagger from my toolkit and lined up a shot at the gunman. The blade whizzed through the air. Thunk. Two kills for me now.

A dozen mercenaries swarmed into the area, while the rest held back, perhaps waiting to see how their more eager comrades fared. Spectress unleashed a nova of frost, freezing a number of the Freebooters in their tracks. Katyaa, meanwhile, demonstrated her extreme fighting prowess again and again as she weaved through the throngs with mace and dagger outstretched, her body swirling like a tornado. A tornado made of lightning. She waved her hand and four tribal totems rose from the earth; I felt myself grow substantially stronger and more agile. Now, needed to time this ambush right… go! I lunged from my hiding place and nearly killed one attacker outright. A quick eviscerate finished him off.

"C'mon me hearties! They ain't goin' down easy!" a voice cried. A flood of pirates washed into the area. Spectress called down a blizzard from above, and many of the pirates caved beneath the barrage, but it wasn't enough to stave the flow of sword-wielding scallywags.

"Dis be gettin' serious, mon!" Katyaa cried. She snapped her fingers and another totem appeared, along with… by the Gods! From the earth rose a colossal being made of crackling orange flames. The fire elemental surged into battle, incinerating three pirates immediately and hurling fireballs at another pair. I kept up a rapid pace, slicing and dicing my way through the crowd.

"Aaugh!" Spectress shrieked. I looked over; one of the pirates had nearly cut her tits off. Her beautiful robes were bloodstained. She collapsed to the ground, barely conscious. Feeling a sudden wave of protective fury, I hurled myself on the offender and tore him to pieces. Bastard. That'd teach him to mess with one of my girls.

"Katyaa!" I called, fumbling in my bag for a bandage. Phew, no need. A healing wave restored Spectress's torn flesh. She shook her head, clearly a bit shaken up, and allowed me to help her to her feet. "You okay?"

She smiled at me fondly. "Yeah, I-" Kaboom! A tremendous explosion shook the night air. I saw one of the giant rocks we'd camped beneath explode as a cannonball burst through it.

"Look out!" I shoved Spectress out of the way, barely avoiding the falling debris. "A cannon? They brought a fucking cannon?" Even as combat wore on, my brain immediately began mulling over the implications of this event. There were a number of strange factors at work here, and I found I could contemplate them even as I parried thrusts and sliced throats. One: the pirates found us in the middle of the desert. Not impossible, sure, but certainly a difficult challenge. Two: there were like a freaking million of them. Why bring so many? A standard raiding party would contain only ten or so. They'd brought an entire battalion. Three: the cannon. Either they were shooting from their ships, which seemed a bit of a long shot—pun fully intended—or they'd carted a massive weapon all the way out here just to fight the three of us.

Conclusion: someone sent them. Someone told them where we were and how much of a threat we presented. It was the only reasonable conclusion; why else would these Freebooters go through so much trouble? And if they were sent, it probably meant two more things: there'd be a reward for our heads, and others might be after us as well. Inevitably my thoughts returned to Kaelana and Lieutenant Sinclari. Who else would want us dead bad enough to pay off an army of pirates?

My theorycrafting was validated a few minutes later. After gutting yet another thug—thirteen kills now—I noticed a bright scrap of paper sticking out of his vest pocket. I pilfered it, seeing all I needed to see on the top corner: the Violet Eye. Mark of the Kirin Tor. Kaelana was undoubtedly behind this assault.

Another deafening explosion shook the ground and sent a shower of rocks on our heads. The fire elemental had long since dissipated, returning to whatever plane he hailed from. I glanced at my companions: they were clearly growing weary. Spectress and Katyaa used mana, right? That wasn't good. I felt like I had endless energy to expend, but I knew they'd be running out of steam in short order. We needed to get out of here.

"Time to run?" I hissed as I made my way past the caster duo, blocking blades left and right.

Katyaa looked over as she launched a burst of lava from her fingers. "Ya mon, I be tinkin' so."

"Do you have a plan?" Spectress asked, breathing hard.

"Yeah. Hold hands, quickly!" I cried. I reached into my tools as Spectress took my clawed fingers in her own. What I was about to attempt normally only succeeded for one person at a time, but oh well. Worth a shot. Three oughta be enough. Hope this works. I hurled a cluster of smoke pellets to the ground and Vanished, dragging my teammates along at a breakneck pace. We weaved through the rocks and emerged on the other side, totally clear of the pirates.

"Nice goin' mon!" Katyaa whispered happily as the outcropping disappeared behind us.

"Keep running!" I instructed.

"Uh oh, we've got company!" Spectress cried urgently, pointing over our shoulders.

I looked. Shit, they'd spotted us. A rolling wave of pirates, brandishing cutlasses and growling like hungry wolves, was hot on our trail. I spied a large rock formation in the distance. "Head for that cave over there! We can bottleneck them in the opening!" We covered ground at a fast clip. I didn't sprint at full speed because I knew I'd leave the others behind, but they were faster than I expected, and the pirates failed to move any closer. Still, the chase was on, and they didn't seem interested in giving up. A minute or so later, the caverns loomed before us.

"What now?" Spectress asked.

"Dat way!" Katyaa replied, pointing. She'd spotted the mouth of a nearby cave.

"Good, let's gooowahhhh!" I screamed, for at that moment my foot met not with the expected—firm sand—but the unexpected—empty air—and I sank straight downward into a black tube of dirt, rubble, and wind. I clawed at the sky, feeling my hand almost grip the edge before it slipped free and I dropped.

"Dystressi!" I heard Spectress wail just as she disappeared from sight. I meanwhile, clocked my head against a rock, and was unable to enjoy the remainder of my journey down the sinkhole due to being unconscious.

A large, yellow, reptilian eye met my orbs as I came to. I yelped and skittered away, dragging my aching body with my arms. The soil was cold beneath my backside, and the only source of light in the area was coming from the ceiling above. My black heart thumped in my ears. Where were my weapons? I'd lost track of them during the fall. Not that they'd help much against a monster like this one; damn thing's eye was bigger than me.

"Do not be afraid, mortal. I intend you no harm," the creature rumbled, its voice vaguely feminine. I studied it, now more curious than afraid, though still cautious: it was easily the size of a house, with brilliant amber scales, a pair of enormous wings folded at its back, and teeth big enough to cut me in half with a single bite. I spied deadly claws on its feet and spikes on its long, muscular tail, which was coiled comfortably about its body. Our surroundings were also worth noting: I could see the roof of a cave high above, but one of the walls nearby… no, that couldn't be right. I must still be delirious from the concussion.

"What… what are you?" I asked tentatively, not wishing to upset the creature.

It chuckled. "I'm a dragon of the Bronze Flight. My name is Zidormi. And I have some very important things to tell you." Zidormi rose to a stand and emitted a blinding flash of light. When the spots faded, I saw a startling figure before me: a gorgeous human female, with cocoa skin and sexy black hair done in a stylish bob that sprouted from her head like wings. She wore white robes with two black stripes down the center, interrupted by a gap through which I could see her deliciously toned stomach.

"Zidormi?" I stammered.

"Apologies," Zidormi said, her voice now human and sickly sweet. "Perhaps this form is a bit less intimidating?" She bit her lip. "I didn't mean to scare you."

I smiled uneasily. "That's… it's okay. I'm fine." I gazed around in wonderment. "Where are we?" My orbs kept darting back to the curvaceous woman standing—correction, floating—in front of me. Despite the fact that I knew she was actually a gigantic, scaly dragon beneath that supple skin, well… I had several things in mind that her human form would certainly enjoy. Rogues don't always do it from behind, after all.

"Can you walk?" Zidormi asked, stirring me from my inappropriate musings.

"I think so," I answered, rising. Yeah, legs still worked.

She beckoned me forward. "Come, I want to show you a few things." I strolled alongside her, wincing a little from a pain in my limbs. Overhead, the impossible vision I'd had earlier kept repeating itself, as though defying reality just for spite. I steadfastly refused to believe it, but my resolve was weakening.

"Seriously, where are we?" I asked. Another thought occurred to me suddenly. "And what happened to my friends?" I realized I had no idea how much time passed while I was out.

She shot me a reassuring smile. "Your friends are safe. Don't worry. I'll return you to them when we're finished here." We were moving down a gradual incline, which soon leveled out in a wide circular room. I stared, awestruck. The center of the room had a raised platform, on which slept another bronze dragon, this one easily ten times the size of Zidormi. Various high elves, humans, and small, bulbous-nosed humanoids wandered around the area, talking amongst themselves. I spotted a few dragons patrolling the cave as well, but these walked on two legs and wore armor. The ceiling was what had me enthralled: large gaps in the cavern roof revealed the infinite reaches of space, swirling with stars and colorful bands of light. A belt of pockmarked stones orbited into view occasionally. This place, it seemed, was bigger inside than out. No way we were still under Tanaris.

"Welcome to the Caverns of Time," Zidormi said proudly. "From here, the Bronze Dragonflight oversees the timeline of this world. We are the protectors of fate; we move to correct any intrusions in time that might cause events to unfold incorrectly."

"Incorrectly?" I commented. "By whose standards?"

She gave me a mysterious smirk. "That is not for me to say. Come, I want to point out a few things." We strolled over the soft sand, soon arriving at a strange extension of the cave lined with buildings and trees. The objects and people—I spotted a few armored guards amidst the structures—were frozen in place and, I assumed, time. "This cave leads to a portal, which in turn leads to a point in the timeline that's been attacked by outside forces."

I nodded, pretending to understand. "Uh huh. Outside forces." What forces did she mean? Who or what could possibly be screwing with time itself?

"That's where we dragons step in. Our agents are working against the intruders to prevent the shattering of history." She gestured at a pair of high elves who were at that very moment charging down the tunnel. They morphed into dragon form before my eyes and disappeared out of sight.

"You… you don't want me to do that, do you?" I asked, suddenly nervous. Fighting pirates was one thing, but time travel? Not my cup of tea. I was hardly in any condition to be saving even myself right now, let along the entirety of Azeroth's timeline.

Zidormi laughed good-naturedly. "No, no. Don't worry. That burden does not fall on your shoulders." We continued traversing the sandy circle. I spied several more tunnels with varied décor—a swamp-like path, a path lined with tall pines, and a path that reminded me of a very familiar city, though I couldn't remember the name for the unlife of me. Zidormi cleared her throat, and her tone became serious. "There is, however, another matter."

"Another matter?" That didn't sound good.

"Yes." She bit her lip again. "Your destiny, for reasons that have nothing to do with any actions you took or didn't take, has suddenly become extremely important to the Bronze Dragonflight. So much so, in fact, that Nozdormu-"

"Who?"

"The leader of our Flight."

"Oh."

"Nozdormu has authorized countermeasures unlike anything we've previously undertaken," and here she paused to smile knowingly at me, "well, previously undertaken according to your linear understanding of time, anyway—in the history of Azeroth. And you, my undead friend, play a key role in the proceedings, as do your companions on the surface. You shall become a Defender of Time."

I felt my jaw drop. "Me? But… why?"

She patted me condescendingly on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I can't say anything else except this: you must seek out-"

"No, wait, hold on," I snapped, putting up a clawed hand. "I want to be clear on something here: you're asking me to be an agent of the Bronze Dragonflight, but you're not going to explain why? You're asking me to put my life and the lives of my friends in danger so we can further goals that we're forbidden from knowing or understanding? Is that what you're telling me?"

She nodded, tilting her head. "Yes… is that a problem?" I sensed a startled innocence in her tone, and my cold heart softened a bit. Maybe I was reading her wrong.

"You… don't interact with mortals much, do you?" I asked gingerly.

Zidormi bit her voluptuous, pouty lip once again. "Um… no, not really. Have I said something wrong?" She appeared on the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry if I've offended you! I really don't talk to mortals much, you see."

Now it was my turn to pat her on the shoulder and smile. "It's all right sweetie. Don't worry about it. Please, tell me who I'm supposed to find." Inside, however, I was still fuming: where did people get off telling me what to do all the time? First David Trias, then the Kirin Tor, now the Bronze Dragons… who'd be next? The Lich King? The Makers themselves? I wasn't pleased about my latest mandatory assignment, to say the least. Then again, if it meant I got to spend more time with Zidormi, well…

The dragon-turned-human took a deep breath and said, "You must seek out the one who shares the mark on your neck. Her name," I felt my breath catch in my throat, "is Blightfire. She is a Forsaken warlock, currently learning the ropes in Deathknell, although by the time you reach the Eastern Kingdoms she'll have moved on. In fact," and here Zidormi shot me a conspiratory wink, "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but since I like you I'll share one secret: she's bumping elbows with your mentor as we speak."

Trias. "Really?"

"Oh yes. She'll set in motion a chain of events that will lead to… well, perhaps I'd better not say. But listen closely Dystressi. This is the important part."

I leaned in. "Go ahead."

Zidormi's tone was grave. "As I said, the Bronze Dragonflight is working tirelessly to repair the timeline. Your role in that endeavor isn't clear yet, I know, but please: find Blightfire. Once you do, I promise you'll gain new understanding of what's going on and what your part is in all of it." She gave me a beautiful smile. Then her face lit up with a sudden realization, and she shuffled in her robes. "Oh! I have some things to give you." She extracted two items and passed them to me. One was a magnificent crystallized amber pendant on a gold chain, and the other was-

"A stopwatch?"

"Nifty, isn't it?" She giggled. "When you channel power from the necklace, you'll be able to call for the aid of a bronze drake. Use this ability sparingly; Nozdormu may have agreed to let us carry out a huge operation, but our resources are still spread thin, and if you ask too often the drakes may tire of helping you. As for the stopwatch… you'll know what to do with that when the time comes." Another charming grin.

"Thank you," I said humbly, stowing the watch in my toolkit and putting on the amulet. It matched my eye orbs.

"One more thing." She snapped her fingers at me, and I felt a weird tingle run down my spine.

"What was that?"

"A little gift from me to you," she said with a kind wink. "I think you'll comprehend later." She giggled and clapped her hands together. "Well, that concludes what I brought you down here to tell you. Are you ready to return to the surface and see your friends?"

I nodded half-heartedly. What I was really ready for was probably the furthest thing from Zidormi's mind right now. Dragon or not, this chick had it goin' on. "Yes, I'm ready," I told her firmly. Ready to see what you look like without that robe on. Yum.

"Very well. Hold still." She waved her perfect hands over my body, and the world began to fade, giving way to milky whiteness, while the air rang with bell-like chimes. I could see Zidormi standing before me, and as I wavered in and out of existence, I saw her lean forward, right up next to my ear, so close I could feel her breath on my clammy skin. "Oh, and Dytressi," she whispered seductively, "later on, we do. And it's more amazing than you're imagining right now." She winked at me and ran her tongue across those luscious lips.

Well, shit. My girly parts still worked fine, I immediately discovered. I reached out a decrepit hand to touch her divine face, but before I could make contact I was gone, washed away by Zidormi's soothing magic. The world faded to white, and I slept peacefully, completely at ease—and a bit soggy between the legs. Sex with a dragon… I guess working on the behalf of the Bronze Flight does have its perks.

"Dystressi!" I heard Spectress wail. I blinked, feeling the weight of my weapons at my sides again. Thank the Gods she'd restored them to me. Where was I? Wait… no way. This couldn't be possible. I was standing beside a stone wall, just a few yards from the sinkhole and apparently at the same moment I'd sank. Well, that's time travel then. I watched my hand disappear into the loose earth. Weird. Both my friends dove to the ground, clawing at the sand, trying to catch my fingers. "Oh no!" Spectress groaned. "What do we do now?"

Katyaa shrugged. "Dunno, but we best be doin' sometin' fast, mon!" She pointed at the incoming swath of pirates.

How best to handle this? "Ahem," I coughed. "Not to worry ladies, I'm right here."

Spectress peeked up and let out a tremendous gasp. She looked at me with eyes the size of dinner plates, then at the sinkhole, then back at me. "But… you were… how did…" I saw her wipe a tear from the side of one eye. "Thank Gods you're okay!" She climbed to her feet and gave me a quick hug. Mmm. That felt nice.

Katyaa was also wearing a deeply confused expression. "You be workin' some kinda magic, Rogue," she said in awe. "How you be doin' dat?"

"No time to explain. Just get yourselves ready and hope what I'm about to do works." I clutched the amber necklace and shut my eyes. I could feel energy pulsing into my fingers, waiting for me to activate it. I did so. A sound like the screech of a raptor filled the air, or was that just in my ears?

"Look!" Spectress cried. Overhead, a large bronze drake materialized out of a cloud of arcane symbols. It roared fiercely and immediately dove on our Freebooter friends, shooting jets of golden fire and raking with its sharp talons. We joined the fight immediately, hurling spells and daggers. It was over almost before it began; the first wall of pirates fell beneath the drake's relentless assault, and the remaining band, perhaps finally seeing how unprepared they were to face us, turned tail and fled. The drake shredded a few stragglers before flying back to my side. He landed next to me with a crash.

"Dystressi,"I heard a deep voice rumble. The others didn't react. This beast was speaking to me telepathically. "Be careful. This band of ruffians will not be the last to assault you on your journey. Summon our aid when you need it, and know that although we cannot always assist, we'll do our best to support you."

I nodded. "Thanks." The drake let out another roar, and flew up into the sky, disappearing in a burst of colors and symbols.

Spectress and Katyaa gaped at me. "Okay," Spectress stated decisively, "have you been holding out on me? How in the world did you do that?"

I grinned wickedly. "Let's go find Tooga. I'll explain when we get there." We made the trek back, following our own footprints—and the trail of bloody pirate corpses—to the shattered rocks. Tooga was still hiding in his shell, apparently unharmed. As we gathered our supplies—none of us could sleep after that nerve-obliterating fiasco—I related my experience in the Caverns of Time: waking up beside a dragon, the tour, Zidormi's explanation of my mission, the gift of the necklace and stopwatch, and my return to the surface. I conveniently left out the erotic bit right near the end. That was something I'd prefer to keep for myself.

"So she transported you back in time to when you fell?" Spectress asked. "Wow." She was clearly impressed.

"I seen bronze dragons in Silithus before," Katyaa commented. "But you say she be sayin' we all connected ta dis?"

"That's right," I answered. "I… hey, wait. I can understand you!" In a flash, I recalled Zidormi's third gift: the odd sensation she'd sent through my body. Comprehend… hmm. "Katyaa, what other languages do you know?"

Katyaa gave me a surprised look. "Um… I be speakin' Orcish now, mon, but I also be knowin' da language of da Darkspea's, and somma da words of da spirits. Why?"

I felt my heart race with excitement. "Say something in Darkspear."

"What, like dis mon?" Although I could hear different words leaving her mouth, somewhere between my ears and my brain they morphed, and I understood everything. Spectress watched me with rapt interest.

"This is so cool!" I answered in the language of the trolls. Whoa, that felt weird. I didn't know my tongue could bend that way. "I can speak your language!"

Katyaa was duly impressed. "So ya can, mon! Ya be soundin' like a real troll."

"Can you understand this?" Spectress asked me, in what I assumed was her native tongue.

"Yeah, I hear you loud and clear."

She gasped. "That's quite astounding!" We'd finished packing our supplies and started our trek northeast. "Zidormi must really be serious to give you a power like that." I detected a bit of jealousy in her voice.

"Ain't dat da truth," Katyaa added. "Well, anyway, if we be marchin' da rest of da night, we should be makin' it ta Steamwheedle by tomorrow evenin'." Spectress and I agreed to attempt such a feat, and we journeyed onward.

The night went fast, followed by another achingly long, hot day. But I barely noticed the sting of the sun or the pain in my feet from walking for so long. I was too busy mulling over the possibilities, replaying every instant of my encounter in the Caverns of Time, and trying not to get extremely turned on whenever I thought about Zidormi. The lattermost task proved very difficult. Nonetheless, my deliberations yielded a few conclusions by the time we reached Steamwheedle.

First, it was clear this was serious. Zidormi wouldn't go through all the trouble of locating me, talking with me, and giving me powerful artifacts and abilities if it wasn't a grave matter. Second, whatever the connection was between Blightfire and myself—beyond the tattoos, of course—I'd have my work cut out for me when we reached the Eastern Kingdoms. It'd be days before we got there. She could be anywhere. Third, the problems with the timeline Zidormi referred to were, for the moment, far beyond my grasp. I figured I wouldn't understand that any better until I found the Warlock I'd been charged with locating.

My thoughts were interrupted by an excited cry from Tooga. We'd just reached the outskirts of the tiny Steamwheedle Port. The turtle hustled away, quicker than I'd seen him move the entire trek here. I saw why moments later: two other turtles were standing on the shore, grunting elatedly at Tooga's approach. He nuzzled against the larger one and clunked his shell with the small one.

"Aw," Katyaa said sweetly. "Dat be his wife an' child." She led us down to the shore, where Tooga stood waiting. "What's dat?" The troll communed with the turtle once more. She gestured at the bigger of the two new creatures. "Dis be Torta, his mate. Da little one be Verde, his son."

Spectress smiled. "It's nice to see a family reunited."

Tooga withdrew into his shell. When he emerged again, he was clutching a number of rings in his mouth. Katyaa took them, wiped off the slobber, and distributed them among us. "Da reward he promised," she explained.

I slipped one onto a finger, feeling my agility increase slightly. "Thanks!" I said. "Tell him thanks." Although I could now speak many languages—perhaps every language—I didn't have the magical prowess to communicate with animals.

Katyaa whispered something to Tooga, listened to his reply, and grinned. "He says ya welcome. And dey be promisin' us sometin' else, too."

Spectress and I perked up our ears. "Oh?"

"Ya mon. Dey said in da mornin' or whenever we wanna go, dey be ferryin' us ta Orgrimmar!" She laughed. "Dat be much fasta den walkin' across Thousand Needles, da Barrens, and Durotar!"

I was excited. No more hiking! "Fantastic! But, can we sleep, please?" I felt my eyelids drooping.

Katyaa nodded. "Ya, da be good choice mon."

We made camp on the shore—Steamwheedle had no accommodations available, Spectress reported—and passed the night uneventfully. I dreamt of clocks. In the morning, Tooga, Torta, and Verde briefed us on the journey ahead. Which is to say, Katyaa translated their instructions like so: "Dey be sayin' we gon pass by Dustwallow Marsh and up along da coast a da Barrens. We'll swim by da Echo Isles—my old home—an' arrive at Orgrimmar by evenin'. Dis be a long journey, mon, but Tooga promises he be swimmin' fasta den he walk on land!"

I chuckled. "Good thing. Let's ride!"

Spectress climbed astride Torta, while Katyaa sat on Tooga and I—being the smallest and lightest—was given Verde. The turtle's shell proved more comfortable than I'd expected, and spacious too—I had enough room to spread out my whole body if I liked. I contented myself with reclining as we shuffled out of the shallows and into deeper water. The sun overhead sparkled in an azure sky, and the waters beneath me gleamed bright blue with its light, but the only color I saw in my eyes was bronze. Defender of Time… that was a title I could get used to, I'd decided. I waved happily at Spectress and Katyaa, who were riding a few yards away. I was glad to have some friends along for the journey. I didn't want to do this alone.

Tanaris faded into the distance behind us. Next stop: Orgrimmar!