Some would say the spin was unnecessary. Some would even call it reckless to leap over a crevasse in full plate, let alone adding a flourish. Those that would make that claim, however, simply do not understand blood elves. The fact of the matter is when blood elves jump, they occasionally spin. It's not something they truly actively choose to do. Instead, it just... happens. One moment they're jumping forward; standard, perfunctory. The next, it's a twisting, graceful turn in midair. It's one of the many great mysteries of their people. Fortunately, this time Yrella felt that it served a purpose. It made the leap across the broken terrain in Wailing Caverns leading to the eastern tunnel systems look all the easier for the rest of her party.
Being the leader of the group, Alsius followed quickly after, making the leap with a great push from his powerful form. Unlike the blood elf, he most certainly did not do a spin. The monks were next, easily traversing the gap with agility that belied their softer exteriors. All that was left was Myraah. The little vulpera that could. She bit her lip while her fingers twisted into knots. The action made her look smaller than ever.
Yrella suddenly felt for the priest. The blood elf could protect her party, heal their wounds, and inspire them with her stoicism and faith, but she could not instill courage. That could only come from within. She did, however, take some of the blame upon herself. She had been especially hard on the vulpera, unable to resist the cheap comments about her stature. And the fur. And the ears. There was a lot of material to play with, after all.
"You can do this, Myraah," Yrella said. The words sounded strange. True, honest encouragement was typically reserved for her blood elven brethren. She wrinkled her nose, not quite feeling right about it. "It's not a far jump. You're more than capable. You've proven that much so far."
Myraah nodded, looking at least somewhat more encouraged. It was at least enough to try. Taking a few steps backwards, she went for a running start. Her tiny legs pumped furiously, planting for a tremendous leap, launching herself forward...
...and hardly making it half way. She tumbled down the edge, fortuitously remembering to cast a protective shield around herself to block some of the rocks that struck her along the way and to cushion the blow of the fall. Her pride, however, could not be shielded in much the same way.
"By the light..." Yrella mumbled. "Not even close."
"Are you alright?" Shalai called down. "And - is that earthroot by your feet?"
"I'm OK!" she whispered back, her voice echoing through the cavern regardless. "It might be earthroot - but I'm more concerned about the vipers. There are a lot of vipers. The big ones. The ones with fangs the size of me."
"Lucky us," Yrella called down. "They must not yet be fully grown. Now use your priestly ways and lower them down with that levitation spell of yours. Them, I will emphasize, as you shall not dare cast that upon me." She had long ago firmly decided she would not receive any spells from a priest. She found the concept of using light and shadow to be reprehensible; why would one need shadow when the light could provide all that one would need? As a paladin, she believed a priest that used the art of shadow was just a warlock born of half-measures. She instead called upon what was good and righteous to provide her a temporary invulnerable shield, a glimmering sphere protecting her whole physical form. Knowing she was immune to the pain of the fall, she leapt from the ledge and landed heavily on the ground without so much as a scratch. A waste of a good spinning jump to traverse the cavern, in her mind.
Myraah instead used her levitation spell on Alsius, who looked profoundly uncomfortable but at least willing to accept the easier descent. Baoshii, meanwhile, made good on the name "Tumblebelly" and slipped from the ledge. Yrella was one of many healers that felt mana was a resource solely dedicated to healing the careless.
"The long route, then," Alsius said, slinging his axe over his shoulder and motioning to the next group of crazed druids just ahead. "Feels as if this whole cavern is the 'long route' anyway..."
---
"Skum?" Yrella asked, partly in disbelief and partly in frustrated resignation. "Do we truly need to stop just to battle a creature whose very name is synonymous with grime?" She picked at a spot of dirt on her armour, restoring it to its brilliant shine - an increasingly difficult thing to do in a cavern full of miscellaneous slimes, poisons, and other such vile substances.
"It is of the utmost importance," Baoshii said with vigour.
"There is nothing of greater need," Shalai agreed.
"They won't shut up until we kill it," Alsius grumbled. He craned his neck to look up at the thunder lizard ahead of him. Skum was a massive, dark-hued beast, corrupted by the energies of the nightmare that tainted the druids just the same. Why the monks wanted to defeat it so desperately, no one knew. At this point, he was quickly realizing it was easier not to ask.
"Get on with it, then," Yrella sighed, the sentence not even leaving her lips before a mug of ale was lobbed towards the creature. Quickly, she learned just how the "thunder lizards" had earned their name. The giant creature shot lightning straight from its maw, illuminated the darkened cavern in its strange, beastial energy. Yrella suddenly felt somewhat worried. For one, her experiences have taught her that lightning and plate armour were typically not a combination she very much enjoyed. Second, lightning also may not play nice with those soaked in alcohol. But, she was their healer, and the light demanded of her to save those that she was allied with. Even those she considered to be fools. Perhaps, especially.
It certainly didn't help that both of the monks seemed to be directly taunting the creature to fire its great blasts of lightning at them. Baoshii held up his keg to take the brunt of the attack while Shalai held out her teapots like she wished to be the conductor of the energy.
The battle was arduous, and by the time they finally emerged victorious Yrella's reserves of mana were all but spent. And yet the monks were jubilant, their hair singed and standing on end, still jittery from the raw energy that coursed through them. In what was beginning to feel all too normal, Alsius began cursing and shouting, furious at their recklessness. Yrella would have joined, but she instead sat down in exhaustion. The orc's fury would certainly be sufficient.
"Why?" he yelled at them. "Why would you directly try to be struck by the beast's attacks?"
"Well," Baoshii answered hesitantly. "We heard of these dwarves..."
"Dwarves!" Yrella managed to laugh. "Here we go..."
"You see... their clan is called the Thunderbrew. So we wondered..."
"Stop," Yrella said, holding up a hand. "Please. Please do not tell me we fought a colossal lizard that fired electricity from its face because you heard the name of a dwarven clan and thought it could make a decent flavour."
"Well..." Baoshii said quietly.
Shalai shrugged. "This can't come as much of a shock." She perked up. "Shock! I didn't even realize it when I said it!"
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Alsius slung his axe over his shoulder again. "One more fight. One more. And then never again." Before he moved on, he placed a hand on Yrella's shoulder. "I miss the days when the Horde would fight with axes, not mind magic and... mugs. But you've done well." He brought his fist to his heart. "Strength and honour."
She wearily smiled up at him. "It's just brutes that carry axes," she said. When he started to scowl at her, she laughed. "But someone's got to heal the brutes. Otherwise, I'm not needed." For the first time since their adventures in the caverns began, Alsius laughed. It sounded like old goblin machinery, but it was something.
---
The colossal, sheer white murloc emerged from the pools surrounding the sleeping Naralex. It was a living, physical manifestation of the very nightmares that haunted the sleeper, and a grim reality of the evil that corrupted the entirety of these forsaken caverns. The murloc tilted its head back, letting loose a roar that shook the very foundations of the cavern, its challenge ringing in their ears. Yellowed, diseased teeth, jagged and vicious, caught the scant light that remained in the deepest reaches the cavern had to offer. Alsius readied himself, holding his axe tightly and preparing to lead the charge.
"Oooh, pretty!" Shalai said dreamily. The party turned to her, confusion marking their faces. A moth had alighted on her hand, walking up her arm casually, as if they were old friends. "Oh. Sorry. Moths... it's a family thing." She looked up. "Wow, look at that murloc! How decidedly unpleasant."
"They're not nice creatures," Baoshii agreed. "Lost my toe to one. At least I think I did. Had a lot of
brew that day. Either way, the toe is gone and ever since I've stumbled around plenty more than ever before."
"Yes, certainly, that must be the reason," Yrella said. "Now can we please be done with this mucous-ridden horror before it spills its slime on me? Shield wax is worth its weight in gold."
Shalai gently put down the moth, wishing it well on its journey through Azeroth. She'd love to play with it further, but more important issues were at hand. This monster here, this was what she had come for. This was the purpose of her journey, this slimy, vile creature. She braced herself, deciding she would be the one to lead the charge. She dipped underneath the swings of its webbed hands, striking hard and fast, ducking and diving, a force of vigour and vitality the party had not yet seen. Her strikes were strong and swift, and through all their time together the party was finally working together in some level of cohesion. Together, with Shalai leading, the battle was won.
Alsius breathed a sigh of relief. Yrella scrunched up her face, flicking aside a stray glob of slime that the murloc had shed upon her bright red armour. Myraah was ecstatic, knowing full well she was finally an instrumental member of a Horde war party. The two monks, however, still had work to do. Baoshii leapt atop the body of the murloc, and by now knowing Shalai would be doing the same as him, offered a hand to help her up. Each removed one of the murloc's massive, glossy fins.
"It's why you came here, isn't it?" Alsius asked.
"Murloc fins. Nothing in the world tastes quite like it," Shalai explained.
"There are many murlocs across Azeroth. Why come all the way here?"
Baoshii looked down and answered on her behalf. "This is a really big murloc. So it has a really big fin."
Alsius shook his head. "Very well. You've served the Horde one way or the other. It was unconventional, but we've done our duty. I would hope to see you again in the ranks of the Horde." He issued a sharp salute. Heaving his axe over his shoulder, he began to walk out of the cavern - but not before turning to Myraah. "You too, little one."
She returned the salute with vigour. "It was an honour!" she said with poorly disguised glee, following him out of the cavern.
Yrella turned to the monks. "If you ever decide to give up the path of the brewmaster, the way of the light is open to you."
"Pale ales are light enough," Tumblebelly replied with a laugh. Yrella smirked, gave a nod to the both of them, and left the same way as the others.
Shalai began packing the murloc fin, already thinking well ahead to what teas she could brew using this very special ingredient. She knew her new friend would be making some sort of exquisite brew just the same. "Know what you'll make yet?" she asked.
"Oh, it'll come to me. But it'll be delicious - as will yours! Tea... brew... it's just two sides of the same coin, isn't it?"
"Well, if you're ever in the Jade Forest, my family runs a silk farm. I sell my teas there. It might not be brew, but-"
"I would be honoured!" Baoshii said. "And my family - you might have guessed they run a brewery! If you're ever inclined to try something a little stronger than tea..."
Shalai beamed back at him. "I would be honoured just the same." She saw he was picking up his keg and slinging it over his back, stumbling just as he had when he first joined the party. "Farewell, Baoshii Tumblebelly. May we meet again."
"Invite Alsius when we do. I think he was starting to like us!" With a wave and a nod, he went the same way as the rest, leaving Shalai alone in the cavern.
Well, almost alone.
"By Cenarius, I thought they'd never leave!"
Shalai jumped so high in the air she thought she'd hit the cavern's roof. Naralex, the sleeper - and notably, a night elf - had awakened. "I beg your pardon! I had forgotten you were there."
"I pretended to stay asleep. They were... they were members of the Horde! What were you doing with them? Had they taken you prisoner?" he asked, clearly still unsure if they were yet safe.
"And how do you know I'm not a member of the Horde myself?" Shalai asked, placing her hands on her hips. "Pandaren have joined both factions, you know. It's not good to assume."
He raised a tired finger, just now rising from where they had found him. "One of your teapots - it's of night elf origin. And another one - gnomish. Now, either you've travelled the world slaughtering Alliance for their quality tea-steeping apparatuses, or you're not one of them at all. And, I might add, fortunate that they did not notice."
Shalai blushed, surprised she was found out. It was exceptionally risky for a Tushui pandaren to join a party of the Horde. She wondered what Alsius would have said if he had learned the truth. But that was neither here nor there. "That's the thing about the Horde and the Alliance, sleeper. All that silly feuding... they just need to sit down and have a cup of tea." She looked back at the way the members of the party had left. "Or, perhaps, a brew."