The world was cold and dark and the north wind wrapped his cloak about him like a shroud. It was always cold this far North. This was a land that never knew spring...the ice did not thaw...it just cracked and moaned more during what might be the warm months down below. Right now it was 12th month...as cold as cold can get. Water froze in minutes and a person would freeze if exposed in less than 2 hours. Here the elements were your enemies, they were the silent stalkers creeping up on you from behind, ready to pounce if you were careless.
They sat by the crackling fire, huddled close to try and absorb as much heat as possible. There were six seated around the flames, Mert, Brian, Xo, Mara , Dara and Orious. Ass and Nite were reconoitering outside as well as guarding the ancient titan ruin which they held as shelter. Nite strode through the gap in the titan wall that served as a door and laid a parcel wrapped in hide at the feet of the rogue. "Make yourself useful rogue and slice up that mammoth quick...lets eat soon, I'm starving" Xo looked at Nite, the hunter was a rail-thin night-elf, much younger than Orious, with a pronounced slash on his left cheek from a fight he had with a chimera when questing in Winterspring about half a dozen years ago. "Look alive rogue" laughed Nite "and cut us some steaks". The rogue stood up and placed the meat on a worn stone column that had been broken off about waist high. he positioned the bloody mammoth flesh on the makeshift table, looked a second, cleaned his blades to be sure there were no poisins on them and then with movements almost too fast to see and a bladesong that sounded like wind in the trees, the steaks were all sliced as neat and regular as could be. "Nice" said Nite, patting the rogue on the back.
They passed the steaks around and began to cook them over the fire on branches Brian and Mert had fashioned into huge meat forks."Sorry for the primeval dinnerware folks, but its all we could manage, fine wooden cutlery requires a bit more work", said Brian. "Mine are better", said Mert and Brian retorted with a "whatever, Frumunda...eat your steak" Suddenly Beta came through the door "Dinner, great, I'm freezing and famished." "Where's Shut?" asked Mara. "He's been up in that tree looking for that damn drake so long the tree has grown up his ass and he looks like the christmas angel on top." Everyone laughed. "You can take him a steak when you go back Beta", said Orious. "Why, let him come outta that tree...he's been up there all day everyday for a week." retorted the boomkin. "Shapeshift back, Beta...there's something about arguing with an overstuffed owl that still strikes me as funny" said Brian. Betas boomkin form melted into the night elf like a mist falls back into a lake as the sun rises. "Good mammoth", said Xo between bites..."Thanks" said Nite "I do know where to find them most of the time, and I pick healthy ones for good eating...I have enough for a week for us". Orious looked out into the night. The moon was bright and nearly full. The tallest mountain in Azeroth loomed above him...below that was the deepest pit...he really wanted to motorcycle base jump that...he had tried unsuccessfully a couple times....he hoped he could do a few more tries before they left the area.The night passed quietly enough and without incident...a rarity these days. Their adventuring in Naxx was well underway and they had been reasonably successful while partnering with Valorous' guild. One day they would tackle it on their own.
While the sun was still burning a pool of blood on the edge of the world a message came it by courier for Orious. "Take care of it all Ass," he saud and summoned his violet protodrake...fastest mount he owned...and he headed off in the direction of Dalaran. Ass noticed that Orious did not wear the tabard of the Shadow Walkers nor of the Argent Tourney, he wore the Achiever tabard, his most colorful and wore the star of the exalted on his brow...he was going to Dal for some meeting that overshadowed guild and alliance...he was going to talk with someone, and something important was afoot.
When he arrived in Dalaran, Orious was met at the Krassus Landing by Lovetails and Rosin. They greeted him warmly and made their way to the Heros Welcome, dropped off O's baggage at the Inn and proceeded directly to the Silver Enclave and one of the meeting rooms in the upper gallery. Helena of Shadow Walkers and Valorious of Truthiness clans met them there. They went in and the door closed. A scant hour later the doors opened and they all parted ways, Shadow Walkers went their way, and the trio went to the guild house. There Grol met them and they picked out a tabard with a blue and white sun. Across the top of the tabard were inscribed these words "Amicus Infinitum." The trio swore to work together, pool their resources, never let a member go without, never let a member stand alone. They swore to be friends forever and that was what was written across their chests.
Orious took a dozen tabards for distribution as did the others. They had finally become their own guild. Shadow Walkers wanted them for their missions, Truthiness, though on very good terms with them all, wanted them for raiding, but AI needed to exist as a seperate unit and now it had a name and a tabard and a leader. Rosin and Orious convinced Love that as she already led them she should continue to lead them. Orious was convinced that Rosin and himself were to hard to lead a guild...that it needed a softer touch and they would provide the iron hand covered by her velvet glove. She knew the men listened to her and gave her the respect due a leader, so she agreed to be the guild master of AI. The trio went to the rooftop and looked out upon the city and icecrown in the distance. They had not made things easier for themselves, hardly, but they could now make a name for themselves and the glory wouldn't go to a less than interested overlord, but it would be theirs alone. They spent an evening in celebration.. the folks in attendance were few as most of the new found guild were away on missions and had yet to be approached about their involvement in this. He knew the men he rode with would join up. A few might hang back, but eventually they all would join.
A blind man at the landing as Orious prepared to return to Storm Peaks grabbed his hand. "I see great deeds" and then he grabbed Lovetails hand "and great sorrow", and then he grabbed Rosins hand "and great victory". "Tales of your lives will color a thousand tales, and your stories will be woven into the myths of many lands, but the road you must endure is the unendurable path, the way you must pass through is unaccessible, and yet you will succeed, but not unscathed, o no, not for you" and his blind eyes fell upon Orious and then upon Lovetails. They looked at each other and he put their hands together. "This is as it should be, but your road is not one of peace, alas, it is a road of pain, and you will need each other to live through it, and yet...." He trailed off shaking his aged head and turned into the golden morning mist on the Landing and vanished. They stood together wondering for a long moment, then kissing Loves gloved hand, Orious lept upon his violet protodrake and with a salute to Rosin he flew into the golden air of morning.
When he arrived back at the ruins where they were camped, Assassen noticed the new tabard. He broke out in a wide grin, and accepting a tabard from Orious he said..."Well you've done it...and about damn time."
Orious passed the remainder of the tabards out and the contingent was very happy. Orious felt good about their decision...but something in the back of his mind told him that there was something happening behind the scenes, fate was playing the field and it was a battlefield they would have to take....this did not bode well in his heart...but he kept it to himself...no use worrying the troops for his moodiness, if that is all it was. Still something scratched at the edges of his consciousness like a half remembered dream and it made him feel restless and unsettled. He busied himself working at his alchemical studies and went rather far afield in search of the herbs he needed, more to quiet his unrest than just as an effort to be industrious.
No comments:
Post a Comment