Post by Monday
((
Storybook.))
Black Walker slid into the gates of the Cathedral District, and passed through. The portcullis slammed shut, blocking off anything coming through. Korsin slid out of his seat and onto the floor, unconscious. Avery bent down over him, and placed a hand on his head. Avery closed his eyes, and opened them immediately and pulled his hand away.
“He’s bad,” Avery muttered to Brother Walker. “Whatever it is that touched his mind left a curse inside. It’s slowly eating away at his sanity. All I can see is ice covering the world from one end, and the southern reaches of Azeroth falling into endless caverns of stone, among other things.”
Walker winced. “These visions have been plaguing less devout members of the clergy for the past several days.”
“I think it has something to do with that stone pillar… but I don’t know what to do about it!” Avery repled.
Brother Walker shrugged. “There isn’t much we can do now. Korsin will need to fight it off himself.”
Gorgron and Ironbeard tottered away from Thundermar. “One last place we can go,” Ironbeard told the ill orc. “That’s Firebeard’s Patrol. They cleaned out the town since the war and it’s been goin’ strong.”
“As long as it can get us out of this Element forsaken and corrupted land!” Gorgorn gasped out. Ironbeard glared at him.
“This is my homeland we’re talkin’ about, orc. I suggest you shut yer mouth before I chop it off,” Ironbeard replied curtly, fingering his axe.
Gorgron blanched. This was the only person he was afraid of making angry. “My apologies, dwarf. Let us leave this land so we can aid our allies.”
And let me get home to find out how bad it was destroyed, he added mentally.
Ironbeard nodded. “Very well. I can accept that.” Gorgron said nothing else, and the hours slipped away as they passed through the Highlands. Eventually, the town came into sight. Still affectionately dubbed “Firebeard’s Patrol” by those who fought in the war against the Dragonmaw, it was a good sized town, and mercifully as Ironbeard and Gorgron saw, intact.
“Hail! Who comes to this city?” called the sentry as the two came into sight. The dwarf held his gun protectively out in front of him, and kept it locked in place at Gorgron.
“It is I, Ironbeard!” called Ironbeard. “And Gorgron Axeshatter, Shaman! We come bringing grave news!”
The sentry lowered his gun slightly. “You are known to us, Ironbeard! Come in!” he said, and waved the two inside. A sudden sound and blast of air made Gorgron recoil, and a gryphon swooped from the air and landed, and a dwarf slipped off it’s back.
“Ironbeard, Gorgron! Thank th’ Air! Where’s Korsin ‘n’ Avery?” asked the dwarf urgently. Gorgron stared at the dwarf for a moment, then it clicked.
“Ah, Forndar! Korsin and Avery are in Stormwind right now. We jumped off to stop a…
thing from destroying the walker, and we got left behind.”
Forndar chuckled. “That sounds like ‘im. Anyways, you came from Thundermar, yes? Did you see what ‘appened there?”
Ironbeard nodded. “Aye. The whole town was slaughtered, Forndar,” he said quietly. “They were fed to a beast, which grew in size fer each dwarf it ate. I shudder at th’ thought of it.”
Forndar shuddered. “That’s what the rumors were. I was ‘oping ye’d say somethin’ different.”
“’fraid not. Forndar, we need yer help. We need a gryphon to Stormwind so we can reunite with Korsin and stop whatever’s goin’ on there. It’s connected, I can feel it!” Ironbeard urged the shaman, taking a step forward.
Forndar shook his head. “I can’t. They need my help ‘ere,” he said shortly.
Ironbeard sighed, thinking. “Gorgron, convince ‘im!” he said at last. Gorgron nodded.
“I swear an oath that if you come with us, we will return and aid you here. We can hurry ourselves with Air, the two of us.”
Forndar sighed. “Very well Shaman. But yer gonna teach me a few of yer Horde shamanistic tricks.”
“Only if you teach me your Alliance tricks,” replied Gorgron, grinning. Forndar smiled and stuck out a hand, which Gorgorn shook.
“Agreed.”
And with that, my homeland draws ever further… thought Gorgorn.
The gate shuddered as a black of stone slammed against it. The stone drew back, and slammed again, knocking dust from the wall around it. A Stormwind soldier ran to the gate, and slid his sword through. A choke and blood answered him, and the cultist manipulating the stone fell to the ground, drowning in his own blood.
The soldier drew back, and several spires of stone flashed through the gate. Two stuck in his shield, and the rest missed. Thankfully, the soldier dodged away from the gate. Avery glared. “We need to get to the spire, but we can’t unless we can get through the gate. But we can’t get through the gate unless we can destroy the spire! They’re too powerful!”
Walker sighed from where he sat on the ground. “Patience, Avery. Something will manifest itself.”
Avery turned in anger. “But what? What?” As if in answer, an orc fell from the sky on a ball of air. “Me?” he asked, grinning weakly. Forndar followed, and Ironbeard guided the gryphon down, dodging several spires of stone shot from below.
“Gorgron!” the priest cried, and drew the orc into a bone crushing embrace. “I thought you were dead!” he said, and turned to Ironbeard. “Same with you!”
“You underestimate my powers of survival...ness,” replied Ironbeard. “Now let’s get movin’! The Highlands are in trouble, and so are you! What are we doin’? And where’s Korsin?’
The priest’s expression turned dark. “Korsin lies in a mental apocalypse. That stone pillar pierced his mind with it.”
“Then we destroy the pillar, aye?” asked Forndar.
Avery nodded. “That’s the plan.”
Forndar grinned. “I’m starting to like you already.”
