World of Warcraft®

((This is a story I've posted once on the Pia website, but I've gone back and reworked bits of it that I found awkward. It's based on a quest in the Draenei starting area. Hopefully you all enjoy it. Feel free to make a note of areas that still need polish or are confusing so that I can clean em up!))

“You’ve done well, young one. Go ahead open it.”, the old vindicator said. He motioned to an oaken chest. Zephilyn’s eyes had been fixed on that chest for the entirety of her training with Aureius. On her first day, she had asked what was inside and he replied simply, “Everything you need to start your journey.” And now, he was saying she was ready. For a full year, she had imagined what lay inside. She had pictured herself as a vindicator in a shining suit of plate armor wielding a holy hammer of the Light. Or perhaps an enchanted weapon lay inside? Or a sturdy shield that gleamed like sunlight… Her imagination had run wild and the reward in the chest had spurred her on through the training.

She popped the latch and opened the lid eagerly. Inside lay an old, but well preserved chain vest, a pair of heavy boots, and a wooden mallet that looked more like a carnival strongman’s mallet than a true weapon. Her heart sank. She had worked so hard for this? The remnants of someone’s junk chest? She almost said so, but the old one had been so kind and patient with her. She did not wish to hurt his feelings.

Her disappointment must have been obvious to the old paladin. “Young one, a proper warrior of the Light needs weapons and armor. It is true.” His eyes narrowed a bit, and he continued with a speech he had obviously given many times before. “But more than that, she needs courage. She needs honor, and she needs wisdom. The Light will provide for you what you have proven you can handle.” She turned the phrase around in her head for a moment. The truth of the matter made it hard for her to argue more. It didn’t take away the disappointment though.

Aurieus paused for a moment, looking into her eyes as the message sank in, “There is a second edge to this blade. The Light will not ask more of you than you can handle. Understand these two things.” She simply nodded, thinking on his words and trying to see any other meanings than what he had said. It seemed simple enough, if difficult to believe.

Scarcely an hour later, she set off, determined to prove herself worthy. The chain vest clinked like coins in a coinpurse as she moved down the road. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice Aureius’ pleased and wistful smile. The old vindicator spared her a lingering glance as her silhouette faded into the distance.

The small camp of Azure Watch was set upon a rise and an intersection of several roads. Zephilyn heard the familiar wheezing of the bellows and tinking of the blacksmith’s hammer. The forge was working today. With a smile, she made her way over to her mother’s friend the blacksmith. Dulvi was hard at work, pouring molten metal into ingot molds. “Hello, Mistress Dulvi.”, she waved, leaning her mallet on her shoulder.

Dulvi looked up with a smile at the familiar voice and then also relief. “Zephilyn, it is good to see you.” Dulvi paused to wipe her brow and then looked the young paladin up and down, lingering on the old chain shirt and mallet. She continued, “Aureius has released you from his training, then. It is fortunate that you came here.”

Zephilyn raised an eyebrow, and shifted her weight onto her other hoof. “What is it? Is everything all right?” She was concerned for the craftswoman and it crept into her voice. Working in the forge was hard labor to be sure, but she was not a trained warrior. If danger was near…

Dulvi waved her concern away, “Oh, we’re quite safe here. But an injured elf was found. She’s resting in the aid tent, right now. I don’t think she’s in a condition to talk.” Zephilyn let the forgemistress continue uninterrupted, “But she said that the owlkin attacked their home without warning. She fears for her husband and daughter. Dulvi eyed her armor and mallet again. “Perhaps it is better left to one of the more experienced vindicators, but they are so few and problems so many…”

The neophyte paladin shook her head. “No. The Light brings us what we can handle.” She smiled, proud that she had recalled the gist of Aureius’ words, if not verbatim. “Where is this fisherman’s home? I will find it and check on him and the daughter.” What better first task for a new paladin?

A few hours later, she was rowing a small skiff across the inlet, out to the island. The morning mist had long since burned off, leaving clear air above the blue waters. A breeze carried across the briny smell of the sea further out.

The moonkin were normally harmless. Friendly even, if approached cautiously so as not to spook them. She was concerned about the story she had heard, what could be afoot? Her stomach churned with nervous energy. What would she find there? Her imagination ran amok. She hoped that her worst fears would not be confirmed. How does one tell a mother that her husband and child are gone?

The prow of the skiff ground to a halt on the silty sand of the beach. She hopped off and quickly dragged the little boat up so that it would not be caught by the tide. She sniffed the salty air and made a mental note of her surroundings. If this isle was truly dangerous, then she might need to know how to quickly find the boat – but not before she completed her task. A large rock jutting out into the inlet would serve well enough as a landmark.

The first few steps away from the boat were the hardest. She was heading into danger for the first time. What would happen? Did she have the skill and courage to deal with what was ahead? Her head said yes, but in her heart of hearts she wasn’t sure. The questions niggled at her as the beach gave way to a forest.

I’d best get to some high ground. If I can get up over the trees a little, I might be able to find their house and dock. And from there, find out what happened to the fisherman and his daughter. She continued planning in her head while treading carefully. A large hill loomed in the center of the island. That’d be as good a vantage point as any.

As she made her way up the hill, her battered mail vest clinked along and seemingly caught on every treebranch. Fallen trees were even more of an obstacle as the wind had obviously battered the isle. Each meant a treacherous step up and over. She began to curse them. Still, no sign yet of danger. Then, she thought she heard a noise coming from something that wasn’t her. Wary, she paused again, listening and watching. Another branch snapped, not close, but not far away either. Something’s out there. Or someone.

She readied her mallet and she headed in the direction of the noise, as quietly as she could manage. Zephilyn’s heart jumped as a night elf girl, not much younger than she burst from a patch of brambles. Seeing the Draenei, the girl waved to her and spoke urgently, blurting out, “My family was attacked by the murlocs and owlkin of this island several weeks ago. I managed to escape but I think that both my mother and father have been slain. I don't know what I'm going to do now, but I must try and get back to my home - or what's left of it... Will you help me get through the forest?”

Zephilyn smiled, relieved that at least part of her worst fears would not be realized. “Relax, young one. I have seen one who may be your mother at our camp at Azure Watch. She is injured but she will survive. Now, first, let us introduce ourselves. I am Zephilyn and of course I will take you to your home. I only hope that we are not too late to help your father.”

The girl calmed and seemed very hopeful. “I am Magwin. My mother and father and I lived in a cabin just over that hill. My father fished.” Worry seemed to overtake her at the mention of her father. Zephilyn simply nodded and put a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Do not worry. We will face this together. Now, which way?”

The pair set off and in a few moments, Zephilyn could see a faintly worn path emerging. The undergrowth was thick, but their pace quickened. If the girl’s alive, the father must be. Right? Unless he died try to distract them or protect her. She couldn’t know until she got there.

She was so lost in thought that she nearly stepped on the moonkin. It was barely an armslength away and it raised itself up to its full height. Clearly enraged, the beasts feathers and fur ruffled, making it’s already huge form appear even larger. It pawed her with an arm as it bellowed what sounded like an owl’s call from a bear’s throat.

The blow hit her in the stomach like a hammerblow, sending the paladin sprawling. Magwin yelled out and charged the thing with a ridiculously small knife. As the beast’s attention focused on the night elf girl, Zephilyn rolled to her feet and used the momentum to power the mallet into the moonkin’s head. One blow was all it took and the moonkin collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Her ribs aching, heart racing, she leaned on the mallet for support while cautiously watching for more. Where there’s one, there may be a den, or at least a mate. “Are.. you… alright?” she asked the night elf breathlessly. “Of course I am. It never hit me. Why did you walk right up to it?”, Magwin replied. “Didn’t see it.” She replied succinctly as she fought to bring her breath back under control.

They collected themselves for a few moments while Zephilyn channeled some of the Light’s power to heal her wounds. Wounds of my own stupidity is more like it. I will need to be more cautious, she thought to herself.

((More to follow as I finish revising, it's like weeding, you're never done :P))

06/17/2014 01:31 PMPosted by Zephilyn

((More to follow as I finish revising, it's like weeding, you're never done :P))

((Hehe! Don't I know it! :D Good work, and a good read. If I may suggest one thing, it would help the eyes and flow if you separated out the dialog from the descriptive text. It's not a biggie, but just a suggestion. I look forward to more! :) ))

As they crested the rise above Magwin’s home, Zephilyn could see the damage to the Kal’Dorei dwelling had been extensive. Furniture lay strewn about the forest floor, bits and pieces of wreckage were all over. It was difficult to determine what some of it had even been before.

The night elf girl dropped to her knees sobbing at the loss of her home. “This is everything we worked for. It’s all gone.”

Zephilyn steadied her with a comforting hand. “Do not trouble yourself with things. My people have lost our homes many times. I too lost mine when I was a little younger than you. Things can be replaced. Homes rebuilt. Be glad that your mother still lives. And have hope for your father. We yet have no sign that he has been slain.”

With a squeeze on the girl’s shoulder, Zephilyn set off down the steep embankment by the home. The wreckage was near total. Some of the walls and portions of roof still stood, yes. But clothing, cookware, furniture were all ruined, strewn all about the inside of the home. She cast her eyes about, looking for blood, arrows, cuts that could have been made by Kal’Dorei weapons. Anything. No signs of a fight here. Just ransacking.

She shook her head. Where was the father? Even if the moonkin had eaten him, there’d be blood smears and spatter. And hardy wilderness folk like these survived by being cautious. Why was no one armed? She narrowed her eyes as she thought. This world is strange. These are elves and what seems sensible to we Draenei, pursued for millennia, may be difficult thinking for those with a safer home. Not all think as Draenei do, and I’d best get used to it.

The girl had returned to her side, eyes red from crying. Here and there she picked up a tattered memento or keepsake, and tucked it in her backpack. After a few more moments, Zephilyn’s nerves were wearing thin. Every creak in the weakened roof threatened to bring the whole structure down. Every rustle in the bushes outside held a score of moonkin.

“Come, young one. Let’s get you back to safety. I will come back and look for your father again.” She tried to reassure the child, while staying ready to fight if need be. The girl looked broken. She simply nodded quietly and closed up her pack with the last little wrecked treasure she could find.

An idea came into the paladin’s mind as they left the house. “You said your father was a fisherman, yes?” Magwin nodded silently again. “He used a boat?”, Zephilyn continued. The girl nodded again, following her thinking.

“Yes! He normally ties up at the pier. Here, let me show you!” Life seemed to spring back into her and Zephilyn swore she could actually see hope pouring back through the girl. Magwin bounded away, almost too fast for the mail-laden paladin to keep up.

As they raced from the house, down a small path to a crude, wood-planked pier, Zephilyn could make out a figure sitting on the edge of the dock. It was bent over, holding its head in its hands. The night elf girl took on a sudden burst of speed. Zephilyn knew none of the Kal’Dorei’s language when she awoke that morning, but she was certain she knew the word for “father” as Magwin shouted the word from the tops of her lungs.

The father barely had time to turn, react and then set his feet as the young girl launched herself at him. Zephilyn stopped at the beginning of the dock and stifled a laugh as the normally graceful night elf teetered, nearly falling into the water. She felt her eyes beginning to water and couldn’t prevent herself from smiling the broadest smile she ever remembered having. Far better than a suit of shiny plate, she thought to herself.

((Epilogue, many months later))

As she stepped off the ship from Darnassus, she felt the wind blowing the warm sea air in her face. It is good to be home at last, she thought to herself. As she made her way along the path to the Exodar, she felt butterflies in her stomach, even though she knew it was foolhardy to be so nervous.

The partially buried home of the Draenei broke the horizon and loomed closer, she couldn’t help but feel how small it looked. This is where I began my journey. After the wonders I have seen, it is still wondrous and it’s still home. Despite her nerves she could barely hold back a smile.

The two guards nodded to her as she entered the ship and she returned the wordless greeting. Her hooves clanked on the metal deck as she descended down and her pace quickened. How would Aureius react? He would approve, would he not? By the will of the Naaru, I hope he does not embarrass me with one of those questions that have no answers. She grinned nervously at the memory as she rounded the corner towards the hall where the junior paladin initiates trained.

She paused a moment, smoothing her tabard, checking to make sure it was still clean. Her armor was spotless, resized and repaired by herself. The gray Titansteel shone brightly and the purple accents were unmarred. She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and continued on.

She could hear the clang of weapons against the training dummies, before she saw the initiates. The old Vindicator walked between them, as he always had. Pausing at each to murmur corrections or to ask questions of the ones who seemed to have the lesson down. “It’s a hammer, not your mothers rolling pin, swing it like this!”, he grumbled. Each word of encouragement or cajoling was tailored to the trainee and the intended effect, she knew. Aureius always had a sense of who needed harsher prodding and who responded to his soft praise. His voice, although he never raised it, still carried across the chamber.

She lingered at the edge of the training ring, so as not to disturb the lesson. The initiates looked so young and so enthusiastic. It reminded her of how she had first felt when she was selected for the training, her dreams of being the one others relied on. Her dream of defending her people and their allies. The best and the brightest, how many will succeed? How long ago that seems. Another life.

The lesson ended, and as the trainees broke apart to study their librams, Aureius immediately turned to her. He shambled over to her, the same way he always had. Where his eyes before had always been questioning, prodding, and inspecting her, now she saw something else: Respect.

“How long are you going to linger in the shadows of the ring? You shine with the Light, sister.” His hand clapped her shoulder, hard. A warrior’s greeting to an equal, or near-equal. She smiled sheepishly, “I did not want to disturb your lesson.”

Aurieus looked her up and down, nodding with approval. “You’ve got your suit of shiny plate it seems. And your enchanted hammer of the Light. Does it measure up to what you thought it would?” She let out a laugh, the sound echoing off the chamber’s ceiling. The students around the edges of the ring looked up from their studies, obviously wondering who would find anything the grizzled old vindicator said funny.

With a twinkle in his eye, the old Draenei continued, “So, I was right about something. Was I not?” She nodded, smiling, “More than one thing, Vindicator. Most of all, you were right that helping others is the most rewarding part of a Paladin’s path. The armor, the enchanted items, merely tools.”

He nodded again as she spoke and then his eyes lingered on her tabard. “You’ve chosen a guild then. The Pia Presidium is an honorable group. I have yet to meet many of their order, but what is said of them has been good.”

She smoothed the tabard again, “They are an excellent group, indeed. I am to be a squire soon. And then a knight, once I pass the trials.” Aurieus nodded. “Good. Do not forget what you just told me about helping others. You will find your greatest rewards there. Now, come, let these youngsters hear of the world outside from one closer to their own age. Somehow, they become deaf to an old man’s words after a time.”

She chuckled again. “Never, Vindicator. Never.”

With that, the old Draenei clapped his hands together loudly to get the attention of the group. “Listen, babes. A true paladin has graced you with her presence. I know an old man’s words float through your empty skull cavities and out the other side, but do make an effort to hear what she says. Perhaps it will stick.” With an exaggerated sigh he continued. “The Naaru know you bunch need all the lessons you can get. Now, Lady Zephilyn, what words do you have for the group?”

She smiled to the old Draenei and stood before the trainees, their eyes holding her with rapt attention. She held up a single finger. “The Light will set before you the tools that you have proven worthy enough to use.” She paused a moment, then held up a second finger. “The Light will set before you tasks that you can handle. Understand these two things.”

((And another little bit, inspired by in-game events. It seems to fit, so here it is.))

She strode into the dim tavern, seeking a moment’s respite from the day’s crisis. It hadn’t been a big one, but it was enough that it was wearing her down and it was just one in a string. She needed a break, and she knew it.

As she slid up to the bar, ordering her usual milk, a young human she didn’t recognize positively gawked at her. He was seated at the table nearest the bar with one wearing the robes of a priest. The young man was wearing a mismatched set of mail, clearly the castoffs of the merchants. She smiled and nodded to him, taking her milk.

“Greetings, is there something I might help you with?”, she leaned back on her hooves and tried to smile a friendly smile.

“Oh, no, my lady. I am just in awe of being in the presence of a great paladin such as yourself!”, the young man barely managed to stammer out. In awe of me?, she thought. I will have to teach him the error of his ways. She smirked to herself. She might try her best, but she was certainly not perfection embodied.

Zephilyn made a show of looking over her shoulder, as if searching out the object of his admiration. Then she returned her gaze to him and spoke, keeping her tone friendly.

“Let me ask you a question then. Being a knight or a paladin, it is like being on a road, yes? Do you stand in awe of one further along the road?” The young man started to stammer out an answer, but she continued, “It is a journey with no destination. There is no end. You simply do the best you can with the tools you have. May I sit?” She gestured to an open chair at the table.

“Of course!” the young man replied excitedly.

After their introductions, the two continued discussing the Light, their pasts, and other topics with the priest occasionally interjecting. Zephilyn did her best to impersonate Aureious. To distill his lessons and make them her own for the young man.

After their conversation was over, she made her way to the Dwarven district. She had to haggle with an irritable dwarf, purchasing a small quantity of bronze. Claiming one of the anvils in the forge, she set to work.

The metal glowed white hot, she added a small amount of iron to stiffen it. Turning the piece over, she hammered the breastplate into shape, quenching it, then heating it again to a dull orange glow and put on the finishing touches. The last of which was a small stamp, in the shape of a stylized “Z”. She smiled slightly at the flourish to her own ego.

When she was done, the suit of bronze was boxed up in a small crate and she deposited it by the mailbox in Stormwind along with a small note for the recepient.

Aureious was right, the best part of being a paladin is helping others. It wasn’t much, just a suit of cheap, unenchanted armor. A few hours time, really. But she couldn’t help but smile at the memory of wearing such a piece herself. It was at once ages ago and yesterday. Perhaps this will make a difference for that young man, and that will be enough. Then she realized she hadn’t needed that break after all.