Conquest of the Horde

Ironforge. Stronghold of the dwarves. Inside it's hallowed halls lived arguably the most jovial race in all of Azeroth. There were dwarves living out their lives seperate from the world. There lived smiths, barkeepers, guards, riflemen, warriors, and even entire clans of families. Valda stared through an amber filled glass pint at a pair of dwarves. They were a father and son. Father... Where is my father. Why did he leave me. I want a family, my own. No I don't, it'll turn out the same way. Because I am weak like mother? Yes. Look at me. I am an evil person. Fred is half-dead and I already have plans to undermine his trust. Again. He's even only been honest with you, yet you deceive him at every turn. He is probably the most likely to be your husband. No. If you treat him like this, then all you deserve is death. He's a warlock hunter. Maybe you should kill him first. He's vulnerable, kill him now. That's right, if you haven't done it now you never will. Because you are weak. The weak die Valda. You don't want to die do you? The eternal abyss. That's where you'll go. Doomed to relive your failures over and over. Just like the father you ran off. Yes you ran him off. You and your conniving mother. She's dead. You'll join her soo-

Splash!

"Och! Ye damn wench, I said wake up!"

She looked up with a agonizing moan at the burly dwarf. "Pack et up lass ye cannae stay here like dis. Runnin' off me good payin' customers!" The dwarf grabbed her by the collar of her overalls and chucked her out the door. Scrambling down the stairs faster than she liked caused her to tumble to the ground. She looked down through a drunken haze at a road-rashed hand. She gritted her teeth in pain as she picked herself up. Valda wasn't far from Frederich's house. She leaned heavily against the door trying to put the key into the lock. It hit the ground just before she did. She collapsed with her back against the door, legs sprawled out and head tilted to the side on her shoulder. The small silver key lost in a warm pool of scarlet and gray matter.

Valda leaned heavily on a borrowed shovel as she stared into a fresh hole in the ground. Her eyes focused to the mangled ear she held in her hand. You ran from your problems... from us. To what? Drink your days away with the Dwarves? Weren't we worth more than that to you? What an end... too drunk to get away from a wild bear. Or perhaps you were hunting? Probably both...

She wiped her face with a dirty glove and let the last remnant of her father fall into the grave. She pulled out a clear flask of whiskey from a pocket and stared at it. Valda could hardly focus as the tears welled up inside her. She reeled her arm back and launched her personal booze into the grave. Like in slow-motion, she watched the glass bottle shatter against a stone. Valda's face was wet as she gritted her teeth. She grasped the shovel and began to bury the past.

I ain't you father. I won't die... wasted... like you. I am stronger than you. You'll see... you'll both see...

Valda dropped the blade of the shovel into the ground as her eyes went over the finished grave. With a heavy sigh and a mountain of weight off her shoulders, she handed the shovel back to it's owner. With a grin he took it and slung it over his shoulder. Valda walked to the back of the Ashomle cemetery and looked over the sea.

"Well then, lov' we can start when you're ready."

The heavy wooden door flung open and a hooded figure rushed in and slammed the door shut again. The mighty storm of the night beat against the door to no avail. The cloaked figure stood at the door as the rain dripped of her long, dark robe. The woman made it to the bar and leaned against the bar. The burly man with an eyepatch walked up drying a glass. As the hood fell back, a woman with long blonde hair smiled at the man. "I'm here to see your basement." The barkeep raised his eyebrow as he looked her over from the chest up. He snickered, "Lemme buy you a drink first."

Valda sighed sternly at the man, "I can leave." The man stopped drying his glass and set it in front of her. "Lighten up lady. Have a drink on the house." He grabbed for a whiskey bottle before the woman spoke up, "No, thank you. I'm... working." The barkeep tossed her a plain key, "Tch, whatever lady. Just don't come back screaming when ye break a nail." Valda missed catching the key and it rattled on the floor. As she bent down to pick it up she heard some crude comments from the barside. She clenched the key and her teeth as she stomped off for the door behind the bar.

The door creaked open and the woman stepped inside. She quickly shut the door behind her and felt for the stairs. It was completely dark except for the stray light that shone through the floor boards. It was a dank and musty cellar. Racks of booze lined three of the walls while the last had a mess of crates holding foodstuffs. One of the bottom crates were busted open and crumbs littered the area. Valda grabbed her large, heavy and unwieldy training staff and took a seat. She leaned the staff on a shoulder and set out a chunk of moist fruit on the floor in front of her. She flipped up her hood and grasped the staff with both hands as it leaned on her shoulder.

It didn't take long before a small hairy creature scurried around the room. The rat walked up to the fruit and stared at the statue guarding it. In a blur of motion Valda pulled down with both hands and swung her staff at the rodent. It smacked the vermin to the wall and it flopped unconscious. Valda scooped the rat up in a sack and slung her staff back over her shoulder. She held the sack in front of her for a moment before heading back up the stairs.

A few moments later she exited the tavern as quickly as she entered before. The cloaked figure disappeared into the stormy night once again.

Valda rose off the last crate of leafy contraband and let the goons pick it up and cary it on the ship. A short gnome in a red suit walks up smoking a sample of the rolled leaf. "This stuff is great, it's going to keep my customer's very happy on the G.c.P.H." Valda smirked as she signed the last of the transport papers. "Don't worry mister Goldcog, there is plenty where that comes from." The gnome looks over the muscle working, "Thank you for your generous support of the Hotel. I wish you'd consider my offer to join us on the hotel." The woman hummed lightly, "Perhaps another time, I am quite busy you must understand." The gnome tips his hat and tells his men to hurry it up before turning back towards her. "Of course, I can relate. I won't take up any more of your time miss Valda." The gnome scurried up the plank to the ship as Valda headed for the local inn.

The woman enters the goblin establishment and takes a seat at the bar. Besides a couple bad pick-up lines and stale water it was a rather uneventful night. She retired to her room for the rest of the evening. Valda stared up into the celing of her room as she tried to get some sleep. She looked up from her bed at a faint scratching. The woman glided to the door and peeked outside, nothing. She looked down at the orange tabby brushing against her leg. Valda cradled the purring cat in her arms and softly shut the door.

The goblin auctioneer walks over to the next item for sale and points to several features of it. "Now here we have a fine staff... from the far reaches of the world! Note the... ornate woven metal along the staff, sure to... ward off any blades that strike it! And just look at this... headpiece! This is solid metal folks, sure to leave anyone with a bruise when you unleash your wrath. Speaking of wrath, do we have any spell-fingers in the crowd? This staff is designed to handle enchantments of all kinds... be it flames or... something else... mage-y."

The auctioneer seems to tire from his exaggerating description of the staff. He quickly turns back to the crowd, " Now the bidding will start at fifty silver. Do I hear seventy-five"
Valda raises her hand.
"Seventy-five to the lady in purple. Will anyone out bid the arcanist?
A gnome raises his hand.
"Seventy-five going once!"
The gnome furrows his brow and shoves his way to the front of the crowd, "One gold!!"
"One gold for the gnome! Who else wants this staff?!
"I'll bid one gold and one silver!"
"This is a mighty threesome, do I hear fo-Two?! Two gold?"
"Two gold."
"Two gold to the man in the green!"
"Two gold going once!"
"Two gold going twice!"
"Two and a half."
"If there is no one else..."
Sold! To the lady in the purple robe."

Valda curls the staff under her arm and calmly walks down the Booty Bay boardwalk. Come now my new companion, we have much to do... Much to do indeed.

A dusty evening trail leaves behind a light plume of dust as a lone Pinto, Harley, trods along a path to Duskwood. Upon her back is a light-weight woman and average sized man in mail armor. The pair carry idle banter as two figures slip in and out of trees overlooking the path.

A dual-crack of rifles echoes in the forgotten vale and a whimpering gasp escapes Valda's lips. She hits the ground as Harley spooks with a thud and clutches at her bleeding left shoulder. The sound of muffled glass and metal escapes the large satchel of contraband. In the meantime the highwaymen begin to reload. Harvey manages a more graceful dismount as Harley bolts, and slips the rifle from the scabbard. Valda clutches the bag as another pair of bullets pepper the ground before her. Harvey offers a round of cover fire and the pair make it behind a tree.

"Did you see how many?"
"Two guns, two men."
Another pair of bullets pepper the tree and shouts can be heard, "Giv' us tha' gold an' we'll kill ya quick n' painless like!"
Valda speaks in a hushed tone to her bodyguard as she lowers the hand from her bullet wound, "Together now... One, t-"
"But you don't have a gun!"
"Shut up Harv' this isn't the time! Three!"
The pair spin out from either side of the tree and fire. Valda lets loose a bolt of shadow and Harvey fires the rifle. Both connect with the same highwayman and he drops to the ground. The other fires one more shot and takes off. The bullet lodges in Harvey's armor and he gives chase. Valda clutches her arm angrily and stomps towards the fallen highwayman.

She kneels next to the wheezing man, the life slowly draining from his pain-wretched face. The bullet lodged itself in his liver, and the shadow bolt left a gnarled wound over the left side of his chest. Valda looms a hand ominously over the wound and glares into his eyes. They grow wide for a moment, before drifting from fear to a lifeless dull.

Harvey comes walking back with the Pinto's reins in hand. He frowns as he looks down at her, "No luck Val'. Is he dead?"
Valda begins to work at a small coinsack on the highwayman's belt, "Yeah, you're a pretty good shot Harv'."
"You should of warned me that you're a Witch?!"
"Would you have agreed to come along if I told you all my secrets?"
"Yeah, it would have given me a better idea of what I'm dealing with."
Valda pinches the brow of her nose, "Harv' this isn't the time for this!"
Harvey lets out a sigh and nods, "You're right- we'll discuss this later back in Darkshire."
Valda tosses Harvey the highwayman's coin bag and quickly slips something into her satchel. "Yeah we'd better not linger here any longer, Nightwatch."

~

The sound of light snoring breaks the still of the night. Valda stands next to the window and glances at Harvey. That chase must of worn him out, he's not even sharing the bed. I do hope I can get more of these drugs sold. Maybe then She'll see I'm not as useless as I was when I was rescued. She turns back to the window and peeks out behind the curtain. The typical Nightwatch guards pepper the town with their torch-light. Valda ashes a thin black cigarette onto the window sill.Perhaps I should write to Don, he might suspect something if I don't show up regularly like normal. She drops the butt of her cigarette in an empty eight-ounce flask and rubs her shoulder. Stupid doctor, I think he dug that bullet out with a spoon. Still, it should feel better if I can get some sleep. She lies on the edge of the bed and stares out towards the window.