Alex was making his way along the edge of the river when his attuned sense of hearing picked up strange noises coming from the forest. His head turned and his ears twitched. Growling. Sounds familiar. Probably just some of the feral worgen that make their home here. He was about to continue when the sound of gunfire exploded in the silent forest, startling him and causing him to jump.
"Holy hell," he muttered, looking towards where the sound came from. Stealthily, he dropped to al lfours and sprinted towards it. He broke through the trees and came across what one would have presumed to be a slaughter.
There were a few dead bodies laying on the ground in dried pools of blood. One of them - a goblin by the looks of it - had been half-gnawed on. He saw six dead bodies that, in life, were feral, vicious worgen. Bullet marks dotted their bodies, and the widening pools of crimson beneath their forms were a testament to how long they'd been dead. The last two things he noticed were just as surprising.
A man stood, armed with a rifle and dressed in what Alex first took to be one of the Night Watch of Darkshire. Curious, he caught himself from staring at the man and looked at his vicious enemy: One of the remaining worgen.
By the looks of it, the man wasn't one for melee combat, and would probably be cut down by the worgen effortlessly. Alex found himself hesitant to aid the man, but also willing to. Maybe I can use him to get to Stormwind. It's not like everyone knows who I am. Sure, I might run into a few notable fools, but they'd be easy targets to dispatch if they decided to cause trouble. On the other hand, if this man does recognize me from somewhere... I'm dead meat. He weighed his options for two seconds, then made up his mind.
He carefully made his way around the pair, so that he was standing behind the worgen, and drew his shortsword. Approaching his target, he was extra careful to make no noise whatsoever, until he was millimeters away from his prey. In one swift motion, Alex lunged, grabbing the worgen by the shoulder and plunging his sword into its back. He shoved his sword through the feral worgen as blood splattered the grass. Withdrawing his sword, he released the dead body, letting it drop to the ground with a thump.
"How terribly clumsy of me, to be a damsel in distress at such a situation." said Thor, before letting out a cheerful laughter. "Ehm.. Excuse my manners." he said while trying to get more serious. He half-bowed before the worgen and introduced himself: "Ralof Thoradin Cornwall, adventurer, proud Arathorian.." and while still bowing graciously, he raised his head to meet Alex's eyes to finish his sentence ".. and womanizer.". That said, another wave of laughter took him over.
He raised back and drawed on of his pistols. His other hand reached to his side pocket and removed some cartridges, then he started casually filling his seven-shooter. Meanwhile, he spoke to the curious worgen: "Say, my friend, i would not like you to think that i am not grateful for what you have just done, but i was wondering... What a fellow Gilnean like you might be doing in such a place, especially so early in the morning?".
While asking that, he raised his careful gaze from his pistol's wheel to the worgen, and started glaring at him. His fur seemed dry, but most of his equipment -especially his pants seemed moist. Swam? Thor also remembered how he moved so fast that the moment he attacked the feral worgen, Thor could not see him but only a mere shade passing behind the feral beast, then a lightning fast stab that did the job at one hit. He knows how to use that sword of his and exactly where to land a hit with it. He finished filling up his pistols and sheated them back to his belt with a stylish flip. Then he took his hat from the ground and put it on his head, and leaned his shotgun to his shoulder.
Alex shrugged, his dark, glowing-orange eyes meeting Thor's. "Alex Bloodfang, rogue and mercenary." He felt the tension inside his limbs fade a little; this man clearly did not know him from anywhere. He was grateful for that, and now all he had to do was find a way to convince him to aid his furry behind. "I'm, ah... " He paused, unsure of what exactly to say. He licked his fangs carefully, shaking the blood off his sword and sheathing it silently. He quickly sniffed the air, checking for any sign of trouble, then dismissed his worries. "I'm merely making my way to Stormwind. You're welcome to join me; Duskwood is full of perils, and two would travel swifter and safer than one." Inside, his thoughts were whirling. If those druids and the hunter catch up to me, I'm dead. This man's life means absolutely nothing to me; I still don't think I need to involve more people than I should. Get to Stormwind, snag a gryphon, and I'm gone.
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Bloodfang." said Thor, happy to meet someone that could accompany him on the roads. "I hope you are not planning to run all the way up to Stormwind through this forest. It's full of feral worgen packs and they are as savage as those brutes you see lying around." said Thor, pointing at the bodies lying around, then added "That would be dangerious even for someone with your skills. I would suggest taking the road East to Grand Hamlet. There is a kind fellow named Steven Black that keeps local stables, my beloved horse Noir is also in his custody. I suppose he can lend a ride to you as well. That would make travelling much faster and easier for us.". Then he removed his blade, slowly walked towards the worgens, and started chopping their heads off. Meanwhile, he said "And i have this bounty to collect from Mr. Carevin. You got one of them so count it as compensation of hired ride to Stormwind, will you?" then he started to laugh again.
(( Grand Hamlet is the old name of Darkshire. I suppose getting inside an Alliance town would effectively cut off our horde pursuers. ))
Last edited by Mengucekli; 2012-09-23 at 01:55 PM.
((Well, tauren/worgen druid, both a part of the Cenarion Circle. Still, I doubt they'd be welcomed, except for Chris. As for Velirra... yeah. XD))
Alex nodded. "Sounds fair enough to me." He watched as Thor decapitated the corpses and retrieved their heads. A horse to Stormwind, a gryphon to wherever I need to get to. Perfect.
As duo started walking down the old path towards Darkshire, Thor turned to his companion and said "Mate, you better take your shape of a human if it is possible. I do not think neither Ebonlockes nor Master Carevin's gang got used to the idea of a sane worgen yet.. Worgen curse has caused deep wounds in subconcious of people of Darkshire. All would be better if we were two humans walking in.". After a few steps, he added "Say now, where were you coming from? It was a timely rescue indeed, you have my thanks for that.".
Alex stopped, then reverted to his human form. Long, shaggy, midnight-black hair fell down his back, and his dark eyes glowed with a hint of the orange. His sleeveless leather vest, the colour of black trimmed with crimson, revealed vicious scars along his forearms. He flexed his hands, which were covered by fingerless leather gloves the same colour as his vest and leggings. Numerous sheaths and weapons decorated his armour, and a crossbow hung from his shoulder. A deep, three-clawed scar went across his left cheek, and he revealed more of it as he brushed away a bit of his hair from his face. Rolling his shoulders, he continued walking, taking two long strides to catch up to Thor.
He hesitated for a split-second before answering Thor's question. "Stranglethorn. I was staying at Booty Bay, and-" He stopped, searching for a good explanation. "And had to get to Stormwind. Unfortuately, my horse had broken its leg in a nasty fall while I had been riding, and I had to leave it behind. So, I decided to continue on foot." Damn me, I'll have to find a way to leave this guy without causing suspicion once we arrive. Should have kept to yourself. I told you; don't do anything stupid. What do you go and do?
He suppressed the deep-throated growl that tried to force its way through his system and shot back, I know what I'm doing. No; no, you don't. You're immature and childish, and believe your little fanatical adventure to Stormwind has to be filled with 'heroic rescues.' Thik of who you are! You're a rogue and a mercenary; you kill for money, not save to endanger what you're doing. If you'd kept to yourself, you could have continued running at your own pace. Now, you must follow this fool of a human to Elwynn, slowly, allowing your pursuers time to catch up to you! Don't forget; they didn't know what your worgen form looked like. You would have had that advantage as well. Now, every single passerby you see will have both you and this idiot's description in crystal detail.
Alex rolled his eyes and ignored his conscience, focusing on what lay ahead. Don't worry yourself over me; I've got this.
((Okay, I've let you two get acquainted. Time for the chase! Oh, and as long as Jorn sticks with Chris, he'll be fine. Small, secluded human villages may not like outsideres, especially those massively different than them, but they would know a Cenarion druid from his gear/tabard, and generally no ordinary folk want to pick a fight with someone who can call the forests down around them :P))
Jorn quickly makes his way to the North East, flying through Duskwood on a diagnal. He paid little attention to the land below him in his haste to reach the fork in the river, the only place to intercept the assassin's most logical route.
Chris and Velirra make their way back to the river at the border of Stranglethorn and Duskwood. Chris quickly finds the point he noticed before, with various worgen tracks and flattened grass. He nodded to Velirra, allowing the huntress to take the lead, following her as she used her time-earned tracking skills to follow Alex from the air. They quickly made their way northward along the river, hoping to catch their target soon.
Thor, without further suspicion, said "Well i am sorry to hear that. It's a pity you had to leave your horse at such a place. You know wha? I like horses. They are the only animals that can dream, did you know that? Pretty damn smart too. I don't know what i would do if my beloved Noir broke his leg. I'd rather shoot myself than him!" and laughed again.
Duo passed under the twisted entrance arc of Darkshire. They stopped, in front of the Carevin's house which was directly in front of town hall. Thor looked at Alex and said "You better wait here mate. Jonathan's not a man you can call open-minded. You are not his type." he said, giggling after last sentence. Shaking bloody worgen heads that were hanging down his belt, he walked in yelling "Master Carevin!".
Velirra and Chris flew for a while, following the tracks they'd found a while ago, when, suddenly, Vel held up her hand, gesturing that they stop. Emberfire slowed and landed close to the ground, allowing Vel to hop off. Adrenaline rushed through the blood elf as she sprinted towards the spot she'd noticed from above.
"Anar'alah belore," she breathed, both shocked and fearful. She cautiously approached the site of the slaughter, eyes scanning over the various decapitated worgen corpses. At first, she'd thought that her quarry was one of them. But as she more closely inspected the bodies, she realized that all of them were dressed in shoddy, ragged clothes, their builds different than Alexander's. Then again, I don't know what he looks like transformed... I've only seen him in his human form. Blast it. She saw numerous gun shells and small piles of gunpowder, and many pools of crimson blood, soaked into the dirt. She saw bloodstained pawprints in the grass, accompanied by a pair of bootprints. They were both headed towards the town of Darkshire.
Her first thought was to follow them. Then she stopped, thinking her thoughts through. If he's found a friend, they're both likely Alliance. Unfortunately, I don't know if his friend is human, or worgen. If it's worgen, and Alex hasn't transformed, then I can still get a description out of whomever I can find. However, if his friend is human, and Alex is in his bestial form... Her head began to whirl, and she rubbed her temples with two fingers.
"Blasted rogue. Why can't you just turn around and fight me. I'd rather size myself up to you and fight you hand-to-hand then chase you across the Eastern Kingdoms." She heard Chris approach her from behind, but ignored him, thinking. Where would he go? Where is he planning to go? I wish I knew what he was thinking of, she knelt down beside the bloodstained pawprints, growling to herself. but that's just take all the fun away, now wouldn't it?
"They're heading to Darkshire, by the looks of it," she told a silent but observant Chris. "I can't be seen there; the Alliance would have me shot down and in bonds before I could have an arrow nocked - That is, if they didn't kill me outright." She paused, closely examining the tracks. "I want you to make your way there. I don't know where Jorn could be right now, but he's got to be nearby. See if you can't contact him. If the rogue and his little friend are at Darkshire, perhaps you can flush them - or atleast Alex - out. I can wait nearby, and catch him if he's spotted." She stopped as Chris gave her a look. "I know your original intentions were to make sure he's okay, but you don't understand what catching him means to me. The crimes he's committed have to be paid for, and they will be by whichever method General Brightwing sees fit. On my honor, you have my word I'll not harm him, but I can't promise the rest of my people won't." She walked up to Emberfire, hopping onto her companion. "If he's not there, our next destination will be the border of Elwynn forest. I'll do a round around Darkshire's perimeter in case they're moving from Darkshire. If you can't find Jorn, continue to Darkshire. He's probably up north somewhere, either searching or waiting for one of us." She took one last look at the bodies and blood, then said one final statement: "Al dial shala, and anu belore dela'na." She wasn't sure if Chris understood her, but she didn't care; the prayer'd been said. All she had to worry about now was finding her quarry. She tugged Emberfire's reins gently, and the dragonhawk took to the air.
Alex impatiently waited outside the Carevin's house, wondering what was taking Thor so long. He leaned up against the side of the house, powerful arms crossed over his thick chest, eyes half-closed. The earlier events he'd been through were beginning to catch up to him, despite is great endurance and fortitude. His biggest worry was that they were wasting time standing around here. The more time they spent in Darkshire, the closer his pursuers would get, and the less likely chance he'd escape the hunter's grasp was just peeking around the corner. If she caught him, then it was all over. Bloody hell.
"Sorry mate." said Thor while walking outside the house, smiling. "Jon was not in his talking mood this early in the morning." he added, while bouncing a purse of coins in his hand, "Let's fetch ourselves our rides now, shall we? I reckon we will be in Stormwind by the noon.".
He walked towards Steven Black, stable master of Darkshire, who was standing in front of the inn, drinking some cherry juice. Thor waved towards Althea while walking, winking his left eye naughtily, and Althea made a rude gesture towards him in response. Thor let out a laughter as he saw that, and handed over purse of coins to Steven. Steven said "Sire, that is.. Far more than we have agreed upon. Please, i cannot accept that." but Thor raised his hand in objection, "You have a son in the Academy right? Just keep it, will ya? Magi are expensive to grow, just like snuff weed." he said, and another wave of laughter took him over. While continiously thanking them, Steven walked the duo to stables where most of the horse power was stationed in the town.
As Thor catched the glimpse of his beloved horse, Bolt Noir, he let out a sigh of relief. Slowly walking towards the noble animal, Thor started caressing its head, moving his fingers slowly through its soft mane. "Has he been a good boy Mr. Black?" he asked, while looking at his horse with loving eyes. "Better then any horse here my Lord." answered the man. "I told you to spare me the pleasantries Steven, Thor is enough." said Thor, turned his face to Steven and said "My friend here, Mr. Alexander, needs a ride too. He will accompany me towards Stormwind. Say, Steven, do you happen to have an Highlander stabled by chance?". Steven grinned and answered "I have much better sire. I have a Grizzly.". Thor's eyes widened in surprise and a smile took over his face as he said "You are full of surprises Mr. Black. A Hills mustang, and here? Well then, you would not mind lending it for a ride to ol'Castle now, would you?". Steven smiled, "Of course not sir, it's all yours." he said. Thor turned to Alex that was trying to understand what just transpired in front of him and said "Well my friend, you are indeed in luck today. Do you know what runs faster than the Deeprun Tram? A pure breed Grizzly Hills mustang!" and started laughing merrily.
Duo mounted their horses and rode towards the northern exit of town. Thor turned to Alex and said "Now my friend, hold your veins tight! That may just be the fastest ride in your life. We may reach Stormwind earlier than expected after all.". Then he stopped for a moment, and said "Say, if you feel like adventuring, we can pay a visit to my old friend J.J. in Redridge. We can also set out immediately to Stormwind, however you like.".
Last edited by Mengucekli; 2012-09-25 at 01:41 PM.
Alex, gripping his powerful steed's reins tightly, mulled over Thor's words. Redridge... Actually, I have a friend there that might be able to help me hide my tracks. Maybe a detour there might not be such a bad idea. He nodded to Thor. "Redridge. I need to see a friend there, anyway. Stormwind can wait a while longer." He gestured onward. "Lead the way."
"Redridge then it is." said Thor, happy to find someone like-minded. Ramping up his horse, he yelled "Bolt! Fly like the wind!" and rushed the animal northwards.
As their horses moved with lightning speed through Duskwood, Alex stayed alert, eyes watching the shadows. He knew he'd left his pursuers behind - how far, though, he knew not - and what he was worried about now was being ambushed by whatever could be sitting in the shady woods that gave this area its name.
(( Knep has posted in absences topic that he may not come back for a while. I don't think two of us would make this totally enjoyable. Finish it here maybe? If he comes back and wants to join, we can set a new topic and continue there. I hate expansions when they kill rp :/ ))
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