While the Alliance of Lordaeron and the Orcish Horde prepared for the opening battles of the Second War, Lorad grew impatient waiting for me to return from my meditation. By now, the orcs conquered most of Khaz Modan, and while the Stonefist Clan remained hidden, there was an air of fear among the clan that they would be discovered and forced to fight without the aid of potential allies.
I'll admit that my meditation back then lasted longer than typical. The truth was that the elements were louder than before since the Dark Portal first opened. There were many voices to listen to and many visions to go through. I had to be careful in making my decision as to what was true when there were so many conflicting opinions among the elements.
It goes against tradition and law to interrupt a farseer's meditation yet Lorad decided to defy both. He needed a decision, and since he was unable to convince his father, he had to take measures into his own hands. Surprisingly enough, he was able to convince Ingor to join him in such an endeavor. The captain needed the thane's support to focus on defending Stonefist Hold just as much Lorad needed Denolan to support joining the humans to fight the orcs. While they disagreed on many things, the two found common ground in doing whatever it took to force a decision.
Their plan to reach me was bold, I'll admit, but not thought out well. Although they were formidable warriors, the defenses I had in place were meant to keep intruders out, no matter if they were family or not.
"This is a terrible plan, Lorad."
"Aye, maybe so, but it's going to work. Now keep moving!"
Ingor grunted but followed behind Lorad further into the tunnel ahead, clutching onto a waraxe with one hand and his stormhammer in the other hand. Ingor was one of the best warriors in Stonefist Hold and there were few dwarves that would want to pick a fight with him. As for Lorad, he knew how to fight with a stormhammer but preferred to fight with his rifle. Ingor and the more traditional warriors of the clan looked down on the long firearm that Lorad now carried, but at the end of the day, the threat of a bullet was enough to stop a fight.
The Stonefist Clan didn't make their own firearms but Lorad was fortunate enough to get his hands on his rifle from a traveling gnome merchant years ago. Since then, he honed his aim and learned some basic engineering to keep his rifle maintained and to make gunpowder and bullets so that he could continue practicing. Although the traditional dwarves of his clan didn't approve of firearms, he saw that there would be a place for them with different armies. Lorad had used his rifle to fend off Marshfang raids with ease and knew that it would do the same when it came time to fight the orcs.
It also helped that Lorad's rifle was loud, and for his plan, he needed to be loud. He decided a simple approach to getting his uncle's attention was best. They were going to enter the cave that his uncle meditated in and make as much noise as they could to put an end to his meditation. Between Lorad's rifle and Ingor's stormhammer, there would be little chance of a peaceful meditation. While clan law states that anyone who interrupts the farseer's meditation would be punished, the two dwarves felt that they needed to take action before it was too late for the clan to make a decision.
Fortunately, the cave was unguarded, allowing for the unlikely pair to proceed down into the cave when night fell. Lorad felt it odd that there weren't any guards. He knew that there weren't any dwarves in his clan that held a grudge against his uncle but the Marshfang Tribe was always looking for a fight against the dwarves. Lorad knew that his uncle could look out for himself but it seemed foolish to not have a way to ward off any potential invaders. He decided not to complain about it too much given that the lack of guards made his plan possible.
Unfortunately, Lorad and Ingor learned that the cave was protective when they came across the guardians. Hulking masses of rocks that resembled humanoids levitated toward the pair. Lorad frowned at the sight of them, realizing that they likely belonged to his uncle. He didn't think that they would listen to reason but it did give them targets to make noise. Lorad cocked his rifle and Ingor stepped forward to place himself between the rifleman and the earth elementals. Despite their differences, they knew when it was time to work together.
"I'll keep them off you the best I can," Ingor said quickly as the elementals advanced on them.
"Aye," Lorad nodded. "I'll keep them off your back."
Lorad took aim and shot at the head of one of the elementals with the rock bursting into smaller pebbles. With a war cry, Ingor charged into battle, and while his axe hardly made a dent against the creatures of stone, the force of his stormhammer's thunderous enchantments was enough to destroy the earth elementals with ease. The caverns echoed with thunder crackling and booming gunshots. Several earth elementals fell to their attacks with Ingor careful to avoid their mighty fists while Lorad shot any of the elementals that tried to come at the warrior from behind.
Some of the earth elementals weren't as mindless as Lorad believed with a trio of them moving past Ingor and toward Lorad. Given the close proximity of the tunnel they found themselves in, he only had time to fire off two shots, destroying two of his foes. The third elemental slammed into Lorad, knocking him against the wall as his rifle fell out of his grip. With the dwarf stunned for a moment, the elemental grabbed him and slammed him against the wall, keeping him pinned.
Lorad gritted his teeth in pain, and although he had no other weapons on him, he still had some threat. As the descendant of the first thane of the Stonefist Clan, Lorad held the same gift as his father. Focusing his thoughts on his fist, he felt his right hand harden and turn gray. With a violent yell, Lorad slammed his stone-encased fist at the elemental's head, breaking through it with ease. He fell down to the ground and noticed how silent the cave tunnel was as his hand returned to normal. Ingor looked over his shoulder at Lorad and held a free hand to help him up.
"That's the last of them," Ingor said as he lifted Lorad back onto his feet. "Think your uncle is still meditating?"
"I'd like to say he isn't but you know how he is," Lorad answered. "We'll have our answer once-"
Suddenly, Lorad and Ingor were lifted from the ground by a powerful gust of wind. The wind carried them against the nearest wall, holding them there. They resisted, but unlike when Lorad was pinned, there was no chance to escape. The two dwarves looked down at the tunnel where they heard footsteps approaching from.
The dwarf that approached the pair had his hand held out, channeling his magic to keep them pinned. He was an old dwarf with a long white beard with his hair styled in various kinds of braids. His face was hardened without wrinkles, his forehead was covered in lines of blue tattoos, and his nose was large and round. The elder dwarf was adorned in simple brown robes and his blue eyes looked at the pair of intruders with amusement.
"If it isn't Captain Boldrest and my nephew. I thought that the two of you didn't get along."
"Uncle Uruair, I can explain," Lorad started.
Uruair held his other hand up with his finger raised. "Wait a moment, lad. We have visitors."
Denolan, Druleth, and four warriors emerged from the tunnel that Lorad and Ingor entered from. The thane held onto a stormhammer and looked ready for battle despite wearing a pair of trousers he wears to bed. Lorad cursed under his breath, realizing that his plan to make as much noise as he could meant that his father would come to protect his brother. It was a surprise to many that Uruair was older than Denolan, which was clear when the two brothers were together. However, per clan tradition, Uruair couldn't serve as farseer and thane, and as Lorad heard from his mother, he didn't hesitate to let his younger brother rule the clan.
Uruair dropped his hands, letting Lorad and Ingor drop to the ground. The guards that accompanied Denolan and Druleth surrounded the pair with their weapons drawn. Lorad and Ingor stood up, realizing that there was very little they could do to escape from their judgment.
"The two of you should be ashamed for interrupting the farseer's meditation!" Druleth said, shaking his head in disapproval. "Do you not know that the punishment for doing so is exile from Stonefist Hold?"
"We were tired of waiting," Ingor crossed his arms.
"I take responsibility for what happened," Lorad told Druleth. "Ingor came along because I commanded him to."
"Be that as it may, he is to be punished with you," Druleth insisted.
"Why would they be punished?" Uruair questioned. "My meditation ended five minutes before they entered the cave."
"It did?" Druleth blinked in surprise. "But what of all that noise and the shattered stone? I don't believe you."
"You don't have to believe me at all," Uruair said with a chuckle. "I only need to convince one dwarf that I'm telling the truth."
Denolan, who had been silent in contemplation, slowly nodded. "Stand down, men. If Uruair's meditation ended before they arrived, then Lorad and Ingor didn't do anything wrong."
The guards lowered their weapons at Denolan's command. Druleth shook his head in disbelief but knew better than to question both the farseer and the thane. Lorad and Ingor glanced at each other, surprised yet grateful at the turn of events, before turning back to Denolan and Uruair. The farseer stroked his beard, still amused from the situation.
"It's nice knowing that I have a brother who'll rush out of his bed to come to my rescue," Uruair said with a chuckle.
"Brother, it is time," Denolan told Uruair, his tone stern. "You know that we stand on the edge of war and the question on my mind. What do the elements have to say?"
"Come closer, brother," Uruair said, his voice quiet. "The elements say much, and if the people of Azeroth are to stand against the coming darkness, you must heed my words now."
Denolan nodded and stepped toward, letting Uruair embrace him in a hug. Lorad saw his uncle whisper into his father's ear but couldn't hear anything he said. The thane gasped and released his brother, who stepped away after spending nearly a minute whispering to him what the elements had revealed. All was silent for several seconds with none brave enough to ask for Denolan to make a decision.
"I see," Denolan finally said before turning to Lorad and Ingor. "Captain Boldrest, I need you to prepare your men for battle."
"Do we march for war or hold our ground?" Ingor asked.
"We fight to protect our home," Denolan answered. "There is no time to go on the offensive when the orcs are plotting our destruction. It's too late to take action but we will stand our ground."
"It will be done," Ingor nodded and shot Lorad a triumphant look.
Lorad's shoulders fell down in defeat. It was good to see his father make his choice but he had hoped that the Stonefist Clan would do more than fight to protect themselves. Lorad was then surprised to see Denolan pick up his rifle, and although he frowned, he stepped forward to offer it to his son.
"Lorad, you are to take two of our best gryphon riders and fly north to the human kingdoms. We cannot spare many warriors to fight but you, as my son, will show that the Stonefist Clan stands against the orcs. You'll fly out tomorrow."
With a nod, Lorad took the rifle from his father and smiled. "I'll see it done."
Lorad held tightly onto Silvertail's reins, preparing to fly the gryphon away from Stonefist Hold's gryphon roost. Behind him, Keldirn Hammersong and Roldark Stormmane prepared to follow him to join the human kingdoms in their war. Lorad was outfitted in leather armor, and having learned his lesson from last night, had his stormhammer attached to his hip and a dagger stowed away in its sheath along with it in addition to the rifle he had holstered across his back. It wouldn't be an easy journey ahead of him but he would be prepared for the fights ahead.
With Denolan holding an assembly to inform the Stonefist Clan of his decision and Uruair joining him, only Suri was present to see him off. She approached him and grabbed his hand tightly. It pained Lorad to know that he would have to leave his family to defend Stonefist Hold but he was confident that they would hold out against the orcs. Ingor had many plans ready to defend his home, and with Uruair out of his meditative stance, the orcs would have to face the farseer in battle.
"Stay safe, Lorad. Your father and I are proud of you."
"I'll come back one day," Lorad told his mother. "The human kingdoms will learn that the Stonefist Clan stands against the orcs and come to help."
"That they will," Suri nodded softly and released Lorad's hand. "I won't keep you any longer. Fight well, son."
Lorad nodded, and with Suri stepping away, ushered Silvertail to take flight. Keldirn and Roldark flew after him on their gryphons, and soon, Stonefist Hold was a blur. Although the human kingdoms waited for them in the north, Lorad led the way west into the Wetlands. The orcs had conquered Khaz Modan, and he thought that if he was going to help the northern kingdoms, it was best to bring them information vital to the war. He took note of several orc war camps, and with how high they flew up in the sky, there was little chance of any archers shooting them down.
It wasn't the war camps that concerned Lorad. When he made it to the shoreline, he took note of a large orcish fort and gasped in shock. The orcs had built ships and were amassing a fleet. Instead of attacking through the Thandol Span like many thought, they were traveling by sea. There was no doubt that the human nations would be caught by surprise if they weren't warned as the orcs had a fleet large enough to launch an invasion.
With a plan in mind, Lorad continued to fly west, traveling over the sea. He would make it north soon but he thought it wiser to find the closest human ship and warn them. That way, no ship would be caught by surprise by the orcish fleet. War was coming for the northern kingdoms and there was much to do if they were going to stand against the orcs.
As fate would have it, the first ship that Lorad found at sea was captained by Doyle. When three gryphons landed on his deck with their riders warning him about how the orcs were building their own ships, Doyle made the decision to sail back to Southshore to report to Kelvin and the Alliance of Lordaeron. With this warning, the human kingdoms would have plenty of time to send their fleet to match the orc's fleet, even if attacking them at port wasn't possible at the time.
Doyle introduced Lorad to Kelvin, and when my nephew expressed interest in fighting the orcs, Kelvin was quick to see the value of having three gryphon riders under his command. The dwarves of Aerie Peak had yet to join the Alliance of Lordaeron at this time and Kelvin knew that Lorad, Keldrin, and Roldark may be the only aerial forces in the coming battle. Kelvin believed that while the orcs had ships, they wouldn't be ready to face gryphon riders in battle. He was quick to send letters to the right people and had the three riders assigned to Seventh Company.
Given that Lorad was the son of a thane, he was considered to be nobility. He didn't have a formal rank but was considered an officer by the soldiers Kelvin commanded. Lorad would attend the meetings Kelvin had with his other officers along with Gregory and Gerome. With Doyle and his crew staying on the land at the time, the founding members of Lion's Vengeance were in the same place, even though not all of them would fight in the opening battle of the Second War.
A/N: So, this chapter took me longer than I would have liked. Along with my other fanfic stories, I've been working on rewriting Broken World. While it first started as a chance to show how my writing has improved and fix any mistakes that I missed at the time, it's since evolved into a larger project. I'll share more details when I finish rewriting Broken World.
With the members of Lion's Vengeance all part of the Alliance of Lordaeron, I imagine that there'll be another chapter or two before the first battle of the Second War.
Until next time.