Before the Vanguard had formed, both the Alliance and Horde struggled to defeat a commander of the Fel Horde in Hellfire Peninsula. Although they found out that the commander was named Brak'thur, there were some among the Horde that called him Deathrunner for his habit of running away from a losing battle rather than to fight. Salin briefly fought him when Brak'thur led a group of fel orcs to attack the recently formed Vanguard. During the battle, Dal'bin shot Brak'thur through the neck as revenge for the torture the fel orc inflicted on the troll before.

However, Brak'thur survived his terrible injury and fled the field again. Worried that he would report their presence to the rest of the Illidari, the Vanguard launched an attack on Hellfire Citadel which ensured that Warchief Kargath Bladefist was killed. Yet, no one found Brak'thur in the battle and the fel orc slipped from everyone's mind. Salin was surprised to see that Brak'thur had found his way to the naga but was able to quickly realize why.

Brak'thur was warning the rest of the Illidari of the Vanguard's actions. There was no saving his warchief in Hellfire Citadel but he could spread word of the new enemy to his allies. That was why the naga were prepared for the adventurers when they launched their attack. Salin was worried about what happened to the rest of his companions but had bigger problems to deal with such as being surrounded by the naga led by a fel orc with a grudge.

"Deathrunner," Salin greeted with a smile. "Good to see you again. How's your throat feeling?"

"Surrender…" Brak'thur said, his voice mangled as each word pained him. "...or…she…dies."

Finnal shook her head, still caught in the net. "Don't do it, Salin. Don't worry about me. Just keep on fighting."

"I am worried about you but I know that he's bluffing," Salin told her. "If he wanted you dead, you would be dead, but he needs prisoners."

"Only…need…one…" Brak'thur growled.

"So you do," Salin said with a nod. "I have to say it really doesn't make a lot of sense to kill her and capture me. You've already caught her. Wouldn't you want to kill me instead?"

Brak'thur grunted, then with a wave of his hand, ordered the naga to remain on standby. Although Salin was surprised to see the fel orc having some command over the naga, he wasn't shocked that he was going to fight. The blood knight knew his taunting would keep Brak'thur away from Finnal and was confident that with the Light, he would be able to take down the warrior. Salin took up a defensive stance with his trident while the fel orc pulled out a battleaxe.

The two warriors eyed each other cautiously. Salin charged forward, jabbing out with his trident. Brak'thur backed away from the deadly prongs before swinging his axe at his foe. The blood knight, calling upon the Light to enhance himself, was able to move fast enough to block the weapon with the shaft of his trident. The force of the attack shoved him back a few feet. Despite his cowardice, Brak'thur was a strong and formidable opponent. Salin couldn't afford to make a mistake or it could cost him his life.

Salin backed away from Brak'thur's swing and his counterattack missed the fel orc by inches. The warrior continued to attack the blood knight and swung his axe downward. Salin raised his trident to catch the handle of the battleaxe between the prongs of his weapon. The two weapons were stuck with both warriors trying to overpower the other. Although Salin tried to use his disarm maneuver, Brak'thur held onto his weapon with both hands with a sturdy grip.

Fortunately, Salin had a few tricks up his sleeve. He concentrated on his weapon, infusing it with the Light just as he did when training against Dal'bin and Kelvin. The blood knight knew that he could beat his opponent if he was blinded. As the trident glowed brighter, Brak'thur clicked his tongue three times. Although confused by such a motion, Salin continued and even had to look away from his own weapon to not damage his eyes.

"Behind you!" Finnal called out.

Salin looked over his shoulder but it was too late for him to react. A naga had thrown his trident at the blood knight which pierced into his back. Brak'thur grinned when he heard his foe scream in pain and pressed the advantage. He pulled his axe free of the trident's prongs and swung it towards Salin's chest. The weapon pierced through his armor and into his flesh in a massive blow. When Brak'thur pulled his battleaxe free, Salin collapsed onto his side. His trident, losing its light, fell out of his reach.

"Should have seen that coming," Salin said with a chuckle that turned into a groan. "Should have realized you didn't care about honor."

Brak'thur picked up Salin's trident. "Don't…need…you…"

"Salin!" Finnal screamed.

Brak'thur stabbed downward with the trident, impaling through Salin's right arm completely. The blood knight screamed in pain. He tried to get back up but the trident was firmly planted into the ground. Salin would have to pull it out before he could move although it soon became apparent that was an option. Brak'thur looked down at Salin and slowly holstered his weapon.

"Not going to… not going to finish me off, huh?" Salin said in both a taunt and a question.

"Lady Vashj ordered us to take prisoners," one of the naga said, talking to Brak'thur. "Shall we take him with the druid?"

Brak'thur shook his head. "He…won't…survive…"

Salin wanted to argue against Brak'thur but knew that it was a futile gesture. If he did, the fel orc would simply execute him on the spot. However, he knew that his odds weren't great to begin with. The blood knight had two tridents impaled into his back and arm respectively and was currently bleeding out from an axe wound on his chest. Salin had a few spells to heal himself but knew that he wasn't likely to concentrate enough to save himself. The pain was simply too unbearable for him.

"You're going to regret this, Deathrunner!" Finnal called out. "The rest of the Vanguard will come for you!"

"If they survive the ambushes," a naga holding the next taunted. "So are we leaving the blood elf?"

"Let…him…die…alone…" Brak'thur ordered, walking away from the injured blood knight. "We…are…done…"

Salin could only move his head partly to see Finnal, caught by the naga's net. She struggled as best as she could but the naga knew to prepare for a druid. Two of their warriors grabbed the net and dragged her into one of the channels. Salin could hear the rest of his enemy disappear, leaving him alone with Brak'thur. The fel orc shook his head at the fallen blood knight and walked away. Salin was having a harder time maintaining vision and couldn't keep sight of Brak'thur when he finally disappeared from view.

There was very little that he could do to save himself unless a miracle occurred. Although he wished that Balthar or even Naur could stumble upon him and heal him, he knew the chances of that happening were next to impossible. Instead, he focused his efforts on doing what he could do to help Finnal. His left arm was still free and he reached for his pocket. With a grunt of pain, he was able to grasp the communication stone and hold it in the palm of his hand.

"Message," Salin said, although his blurry vision made it difficult to see if his command word worked. "Anyone there?"

"Salin," Kelvin's voice echoed from the stone. "What is your status? The naga are all over Zangarmarsh in patrols."

"They have Finnal," Salin coughed out. "They captured her."

"What?" Kelvin gasped. "Why would they bother with prisoners?"

"Don't know…" Salin admitted with a sigh. "Deathrunner was around. I think we have the Illidari's notice."

"Can you make it back to the Cenarion Refuge?" Kelvin asked.

Salin thought about it for a moment. "I… I don't think I'm making it out. Is Dal'bin with you still?"

Kelvin remained silent for several seconds before answering. "He's listening. We're both safe right now."

"This was a trap," Salin said, his voice growing quiet. "The others are in jeopardy. Dal'bin, I'm trusting you to save them. Do that for me, okay?"

"Salin, we need to-" Kelvin started.

"Let me hear Dal'bin," Salin demanded, calling upon what little strength he had left.

After a few seconds passed, Dal'bin's voice came from the stone. "I hear ya, mon. I'll do what I can."

"That's all I'm asking for, my friend…"

Salin dropped the stone to the ground and closed his eyes. He always thought death wouldn't be painful, but as he bled out, he could feel nothing but pain. The stone grew quiet out of his reach but the blood knight could hear footsteps. He tried to muster the energy to open his eyes but his head fell back.

The last thing Salin could remember before blacking out was screaming in pain as something pulled the trident out of his arm.

"Salin, are you still there?" Kelvin asked, having ordered Dal'bin to give the stone back to him. "Salin, are you still with us? Salin, come in."

Dal'bin crouched down by the gnome, listening to him make one final attempt to contact Salin. He couldn't believe that Salin may be gone for good and that the naga were able to capture Finnal. The troll always kept his emotions in check, and while he couldn't tell what it was, he was feeling something in his chest. It wasn't sadness over the loss of a friend or anger of what the naga were doing. It took Dal'bin several seconds to process his thoughts to realize what it was.

The Vanguard was in jeopardy. The other two groups were likely caught in a trap, and without Kelvin's devices, they were likely unable to escape from the naga. Dal'bin knew that Oliktalv and Colben would fight on the hardest but even they may struggle against overwhelming numbers. Someone needed to do something if the Vanguard was to survive and continue the fight against Illidari. Dal'bin needed to do something to help the others.

The feeling Dal'bin felt in his chest was determination to see Salin's request through.

Dal'bin walked over to the edge of the mushroom when Kelvin noticed him. "What are you doing?'

"Helpin' da others," Dal'bin said, glancing over his shoulder. "We're doin' nothing by stayin' here."

"We are surviving," Kelvin shook his head. "If we go back down there, the naga will be after us."

"Are ya sayin' we should let the others die?" Dal'bin asked, his tone growing hostile.

"I am ordering you to stand down, Dal'bin. Right now, we need to wait for an opportunity to sneak away. We stay here where it's safe and wait. Maybe we'll take a few hours to rest."

Dal'bin turned to face Kelvin, unable to hide his glare. What Kelvin suggested was safe for them and arguably the smartest thing they could do. Yet, the scout found himself struggling on what to do. Oliktalv commanded him to follow the gnome's orders as if they were own. Yet, Kelvin was ordering for Dal'bin not to help the others when they were in need. Dal'bin wasn't sure if he should stay and follow orders or take a risk by trying to save the others. There was much to think about for both options.

Their standoff ended when Colben's voice came from the stone. "Anyone there?"

"Coblen," Kelvin gasped in surprise. "What is your status?"

"The naga tried to drown me," Colben said, unable to stop himself from laughing. "Those fools tried to drown someone who doesn't need to breathe and now they're all dead."

"That's a relief. We're currently hiding out on top of a mushroom."

"Good idea given that the naga are swarming the place," Colben noted. "What about the others?"

"We haven't heard from Oliktalv or Belara," Kelvin said and paused for a moment. "Salin's likely dead and Finnal's been captured."

"Damn," Colben cursed. "Are we going to do anything about it?"

"Right now, we're scattered across enemy territory," Kelvin explained. "Our priority is to hunker down and wait for a chance to make it back to the Cenarion Expedition. From there, we can plan our next move."

"So, I know you want me to hunker down, but the kid's gone," Colben revealed.

"You've lost Balthar?" Kelvin asked with a frown.

"I didn't lose him," Colben defended himself. "I told him to run and he did. Now, I don't know where he is."

"You've lost him," Kelvin repeated. "Don't bother looking for him. You'll just cause more trouble."

"I guess I would," Colben said, although Dal'bin could tell that he wasn't fully convinced.

"End," Kelvin said, deactivating the stone.

"Are ya goin' ta leave Balthar ta die as well?" Dal'bin questioned bitterly.

"Get some rest," Kelvin ordered. "I'll take the first watch."

After a moment of thought, Dal'bin slowly made his way back to the center of the mushroom to take a nap. He wasn't convinced if he should disobey orders, and as it stood, he would need a plan if he was going to save the others. For now, the best thing the scout could do was follow orders and wait.

Dal'bin's determination faded away, replaced by worry for the rest of his companions.

A/N: Another chapter, and moving on, I hope to answer some questions that you may have after this part. Why are the naga taking prisoners? What happened to Salin before he lost conciousness? Where is Balthar and what is the status of the rest of the Vanguard? All of these will be answered as the groups start to recover and plan.

Until next time.