It was the next morning; if ‘morning’ was a thing that could be attributed to such an unearthly place.
“That was you?!”
Theluin smiled modestly at the flabbergasted Draenei Ambassador. “After a fashion.”
The Ambassador blinked, clearly struggling to regain his usual composure. “Surely you must have had a score of warriors accompanying you – that Citadel is the epitome of lethality!”
“Actually, t’was jus’ th’ three of us,” Eleazar interjected lightly. “Danath Trollbane wanted a scouting mission, an’ that’s what we went in ta do … an’ then it kinda got outta hand.”
The Ambassador looked back and forth between the Priest and the Paladin with a new, tremendous respect in his luminescent eyes. “… I do not think there are enough words in any language on Azeroth nor Draenor to properly express what a fate-defying deed it truly is that you have been part of,” he finally said in a quiet but resonant voice. “The Citadel is the dark heart of all of my kin’s sufferings in this shattered land’s past. To think that we are so much closer to finally wiping its twisted countenance from our present, and all thanks to you …!”
“There is still a lot left to do, Ambassador,” Theluin remarked with gentle urgency. “The Bladefist chief still lives, as does the pit lord chained in the Citadel’s depths.”
The Ambassador nodded soberly. “Nevertheless, we and our Alliance comrades are now in a position of opportunity that hasn’t been seen in years.” He bowed smoothly to the Moon Priest, who returned the gesture graciously. “You are truly exemplars of your kind.”
As if on cue, Tuan chose that moment to emerge from the temple’s interior, hustling down the broad stairs with backpack slung over her shoulder. She glanced up, spotted the Ambassador, and threw a sloppy salute with a lopsided smirk. The Draenei merely smiled in return, and inclined his head politely. Somehow, it had become a collective, unspoken agreement not to make any overt mentions of the she-rogue’s reckless but indubitable prowess.
There was a slight agitation among the outermost line of temple guards, and a female scout came lithely running up to Amaan who was stood alongside the Ambassador and the three ‘escorts’. She saluted crisply. “Elder Amaan, we have spotted something approaching the temple from the southeast. They are moving at some speed along the main road, but we can’t determine their identity due to the dust cloud they’ve kicked up.”
The two Exarchs accompanying the Ambassador immediately stiffened, grasping their warhammers clasped to their belts. The Ambassador exchanged quick glances with Theluin and Eleazar.
Suddenly, Tuan dumped her backpack to the ground, yanked something metallic out of it, and promptly shoved past the congregated delegation, eliciting a rainbow hue of stares. “I’ll check on it,” she snapped tersely, hurrying down into the temple grounds proper before anyone could retort.
Eleazar quickly looked at Theluin with mild alarm, but the elderly Kaldorei simply kept his gaze on the she-rogue, observing her calmly.
Tuan took a few quicker steps, breaking into a swift-footed run – and leapt up against one of the makeshift covers erected in the temple plaza, literally running up its side before kicking off again, swinging with one hand over its top edge and landing in a crouch on the roof, all the while ignoring the Draenei flinching away in wide-eyed consternation at the woman’s sudden display of acrobatics. Pausing just long enough to clip her spyglass to her belt, she sprang away again like a great mountain cat, seizing the edge of the outermost defensive wall and vaulting onto its parapet. Sitting rakishly astride it, she lifted the ornate contraption to her face, extended it and peered through its intricate oculars toward the steadily approaching dust cloud down the road.
The Ambassador leaned discreetly towards Eleazar, still staring at the she-rogue. “I have to admit, Master Eleazar, that I never seem to run out of moments to be astonished by the versatility of your race,” the Draenei remarked quietly.
“That makes two of us,” Eleazar mumbled back, just as stunned.
After a few tense heartbeats, Tuan turned back towards the assembled delegates and raised a hand in the air, making a thumbs-up sign. Eleazar duly relaxed his shoulders and Theluin nodded. “It would appear that the armoured column carrying our mounts from Honor Hold has arrived,” he explained to the Ambassador. The gathered Draenei calmed visibly.
“I apologize for our moment of anxiety there,” the Ambassador murmured. “We have been given ample reason in the past to fear the worst in this world.” Theluin nodded again, this time in sympathy.
The group of Broken that had taken refuge at the temple gathered near the entrance, chattering among themselves in their coarse Draenic dialect as the imposing metal behemoths came into view. The leading tank let out a sharp, shrill whistle, and the entire column slowed down amidst great puffs of smoke and thunderous exhaust blasts. With ponderous grace, the tailing tanks spread out in a fan formation, swung around and pulled to a halt with deafening hisses of vented steam.
Eleazar was among the first to approach, waving to the lead tank’s driver as the other man emerged from the top hatch. “‘Ey thar! Had a smooth ride?”
The driver pulled off his metal cap and ran a gloved hand through sweat-tousled hair. “As smooth as could be expected, Sir Paladin,” he replied in an everyday-conversation tone. “We had a bit of a bottleneck by the bridges leading past Broken Hill and the Stadium, but those bridges are built well. Some obnoxious wildlife, and a few Horde goons trying to take potshots.” The man nodded to the Exarchs approaching, and other vehicle personnel stepped up to open the gargantuan rear hatches and release their precious cargo. “We did what Trollbane had instructed us to do: pedal to the metal and don’t look back. Too bad those Horde flunkies couldn’t be stupid enough to get in front of us.” Without further ado, the driver vanished back down the hatch.
Eleazar smiled lopsidedly, walking over to the tank where his charger and Tuan’s armoured stallion had just been led off the rear ramp. The Exarchs had likewise retrieved their mounts, calming the snorting, stamping War Elekks with gentle pats and rubs. Tuan came sauntering up on cue, taking Sandy’s reins and ruffling the horse’s mane lightly. Sandy nodded his head vigorously by way of reply.
The she-rogue glanced along the impressive row of idling tanks. She raised an eyebrow quirkily. “… a tank each for the elekks? I know those things are big, but come on.”
“War Elekks, with the full accoutrements of mount plating,” the lead driver quipped back as he exited his tank through a side hatch. “That, and we didn’t want them to step on anything important during the trip.” Tuan grinned back rakishly.
She snapped around as a light, somewhat sinewy hand touched her shoulder, and raised an eyebrow again; this time at Theluin, who had approached her quietly. He smiled faintly and motioned behind him towards one of the Broken; apparently a resident elder, by the wisdom and keen awareness in his deep-set eyes.
Tuan sighed lightly and stared at her ancient confidante. “What.”
“This is Elder Ikan,” Theluin explained calmly. “It would appear he wishes to exchange a few words with you.”
Tuan raised both her eyebrows at this, giving the aged Night Elf a decidedly dubious look, but nevertheless turned and sauntered over to the Broken leader.
Ikan bowed curtly. “I would like to thank you for your gift last night,” he began in heavily accented Common. “You see, I strive to offer freed and escaped Krokul a sanctuary here, but with little to keep them, they rarely stay for long … exposing themselves once more to less benevolent influences.” The Broken furrowed his brow in resigned sorrow. “We Krokul have suffered terrible pain from demonic magic, and we are easily confused and taken advantage of. Other adventurers such as you have made great progress in freeing my enslaved kin, but … if they do not see a reason to stay here and learn the old ways, there is nothing I can do for them. But you have.” He suddenly held up his palm, and Tuan blinked at the sight of the little mechanical bird she had made on a whim the night before. “Where there was nothing, you have given them something.”
The she-rogue struggled visibly for a moment, before cracking an awkward smile. “… I just made that thing out of the blue. Tinkerer, y’know.”
Ikan smiled faintly. “They have grown quite fond of it. So fond, that in fact … they wish for you to repair it. It apparently stopped working at some point last night.”
Tuan blinked again, and glanced down at the little trinket. Plucking it neatly from the elder’s palm, she turned it over in trained hands, poking and prodding and testing the spring key.
“A-ha. The spring mechanism probably gave out. I didn’t put that much thought into this when I made it – horrible cobblejob, really.” She paused for a moment, obviously deep in thought – and then she turned around to Theluin, raising her voice.
“Mind if we hold off leaving for an hour or two?”
The Moon Priest turned around and looked at the Ambassador in turn. The latter called back: “I don’t see why not. Better to make sure our provisions are in order than to hasten ourselves needlessly.”
“Be right back,” Tuan quipped tersely in turn, shoving past the Broken and hustling back up the stairs towards the smithy.
Ikan stared after her for a while, and Theluin walked over to him. “She is dangerous, reverend,” the hunched-over Broken finally said in a low voice to the tall, stately Night Elf. “Very, very dangerous.”
Theluin blinked and looked back at the Krokul elder. “She knows how dangerous she can be, Elder,” he replied carefully in a diplomatic tone.
Ikan suddenly turned towards the Night Elf, a new firmness in his sunken eyes. “She doesn’t. And that’s why she is.”
The Moon Priest simply fell silent, returning the Broken’s gaze with a pensive one.
It turned out to only take slightly less than an hour before Tuan came back from the anvil, holding out the little mechanical bird to Ikan. “There. I’ve fixed it up and added a couple reinforcements. Even if they keep it going non-stop, it should last another month minimum. As long as they don’t sit on it or something.” She cracked a lopsided smirk as the Krokul elder accepted the trinket with a light bow and nod, and then Ikan wandered back to his kinsmen, once again huddled at a safe distance from the she-rogue. There was a noticeable air of excitement as the treasured toy was returned in its new, durable state.
Tuan glanced up at Theluin with a glare that contained every warning in the world. He merely smiled back pacifyingly. She sighed, shook her head and retrieved her backpack with a disgruntled huff.
When she came up alongside Eleazar who had been holding their steeds, the Paladin had barely time to draw his breath before the she-rogue silenced him with a raised finger and a threatening scowl. He wisely clamped his mouth shut.
With the last few harness straps checked and secured, the delegation and its escorts mounted up, the Exarchs’ adjutants (who would continue travelling on foot) standing to attention by their respective masters. Provisions were distributed and stored away in saddlebags and backpacks, and finally Amaan came down to the entrance to bid his guests farewell.
He approached Theluin first. “I assume you are familiar with the Cenarion Circle?”
Theluin nodded and smiled. “Indeed I am, Anchorite.”
Amaan nodded in return. “They have had a semi-autonomous expedition operating in Outland for some time now. There is a small post maintained by their members on the way to Zangarmarsh, just before entering the area of Thornfang Hill. They are quite well-established at this point, but I would nevertheless be remiss in not mentioning their presence. Feel free to pay them a visit, if you have the time.”
Theluin smiled warmly and bowed his head. “Thank you very much, elder Amaan. We will do so.”
Amaan bowed smoothly as well, and then he turned to the assembled travellers.
“Light be with you, and the gaze of the Naaru watch over you,” he intoned, lifting his palm in blessing. The Ambassador and the Exarchs bowed their heads reverently, touching their foreheads. Eleazar bowed his head as well, mouthing a quiet “amen”, and Theluin likewise made a gesture of acknowledgement. Tuan just rolled her eyes heavenward, but remained quiet.
And with that, the delegation turned to the road, and left Telhamat behind.
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Originally written by Tuan Taureo
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