Warcraft Fan Fiction ❯ World of War in War ❯ First Quests in Azeroth ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

World of War in War.
 
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Baran Sunheart.
 
Notes: I finally resolved my problems with my email, you can write to me without any difficulty.
 
It should be noted that I intended to not use magic, Arcane or Divine, for my character. He will use his guts, wits and his Psionic powers.
 
After much reflection, I'm going to use anime characters popping in this story. They won't be the original ones, but rather their Azeroth counterparts. I'm doing this to spice a little the picture of the story.
 
One final note, I have officially join the club of “No-Life”. I have bought “World of Warcraft”. So far, I have only two characters. One human male paladin called Karigan and one Blood Elf female mage named Lufeng. Of course, I am on a French server called “Kirin Tor”.
 
 
Chap 2: First Quests in Azeroth.
 
 
The abbey was a fortified monastery, typical of medieval settings. The flag of the country represented a golden lion-head on a blue sky background. There were an anvil upside and crossed arrows set on two gears downside. A hippogryph and a gryphon flanked the design.
 
There were also some armed soldiers in blue and gold and what could only be people of Faith, farmers, loggers and miners were working in the area. The Guardian of Dimensions noted that they were mainly humans of Caucasian appearance, but also some elves and dwarves. The funny thing was that the elves looked like almost like the elves of Lodoss with their long ears. The only difference was their luminous eyes, a feature that was hauntingly familiar. Apart from the strange cut of his clothes, Baran Sunheart thought he shouldn't have any difficulty to blend in. Unless they asked pointy questions on geography and history.
 
Since we were in the early spring, much of the work was to repair the damages made during winter. Plenty of work for someone who hadn't any money and wasn't afraid to take a direct hand.
 
He looked around and walked to a tall man that seemed to be an officer of sort.
 
“Excuse me, sir? My name is Baran Sunheart. I am currently unemployed and without money. I was wondering if I could find some work to do in the area. At least enough to pay for something to eat and perhaps a corner to sleep tonight. Can you help me, please?”
 
The Deputy Willem smiled. Here was a polite young one. Too many times, he had encountered arrogant adventurers who thought they were the new heroes of the Alliance…before they finished with a blade between the shoulders or in the stomach of a beast. Speaking of blade…
 
“I hope you strapped your belt on tight, young man, because there is work to do here in Northshire. And I don't mean farming.” He paused and ostensibly stared at the sash of Baran. “Although, it seems that you are also without weapon. We should perhaps refer you to the priests to see what they can do for you.”
 
Baran waved away the concerns of the man. “Don't worry. I know how to defend myself. On the way here, I was forced to deal with a wolf intending to make me its diner. Its cadaver is now nourishing the worms.”
 
Willem nodded. The young had spoken without arrogance. The wolf kill was mere information and not a boast. “Good. The Stormwind guards are hard pressed to keep the peace here, with so many of us in distant lands and so many threats pressing close. And so we're enlisting the aid of anyone willing to defend their home.” He looked up to the flag. “And the Alliance. If you're here to answer the call, then speak with my superior, Marshal McBride.” He waved to the building behind him. “He's inside the abbey behind me.”
 
Baran nodded. He already had some information. He was currently in a realm at war and the flag seemed to be the one of a group of allied races calling themselves “the Alliance”. “Thank you, sir. I will.”
 
“Oh, yeah! I forgot. Call me Willem. Deputy Willem if you must and not sir.” He grinned. “I work for a living.”
 
Baran entered the church-like building. It was nicely furnished and he listened to the people as he searched for the Marshal. The religion seemed to be a simple one called “the Holy Light” that encouraged people to seek the “Good Side” of themselves and the others. Funny, he could almost compare it to the Force of the Star Wars universe.
 
He finally found the Marshal, a powerfully built and moustached man, as he wrote something while examining some crates.
 
“Excuse me? Marshal McBride…? Good morning, sir. My name is Baran Sunheart and your deputy has recommended that I talk to you regarding jobs around.”
 
Inquisitive grey eyes gazed at the young Guardian and a small smile hid under his moustache. “Ah, good. Another volunteer. We're getting a lot of you these days.” He paused as he stroked his moustache. “I hope it's enough.” He shook his head and extended his hand for a vigorous handshake. Baran managed to not wince at the pressure.
 
Marshal McBride finished his inspections of the latest deliveries then signed the young man to follow him. The young one seemed to be a scholar of sort with his curious glasses on his nose. Gnomish trinket probably. He didn't have the bulk of a warrior or the litheness of someone more preoccupied with the Arcane art. His clothes were made of richly coloured silk, so he must have some money in the past. Perhaps the son of a noble wanting to make his ancestors proud. A newbie, but one of his duties was to form such young men into refined weapons.
 
He stopped at a balcony and gazed silently at the landscape. One good point for this Baran Sunheart, he had learnt patience. “The lands around here are threatened from outside, and so many of our forces have been marshalled abroad. This, in turn, leaves room for corrupt and lawless groups to thrive within our borders.” He turned to the young man and could see only serious interest in the green eyes. Good. “It is a many-fronted battle we wage, Baran. Gird yourself for a long campaign as long as you stay here.”
 
`Fantastic. I'm in for so much fun. Thank you, sister. Note to self: Find an “appropriate” gift for my “dear little sister”.' “I will do my best, sir.”
 
Marshal McBride didn't have long to think about an appropriate mission to bloodied his newest volunteer. Despite the frequent patrols, there have been many rumours about something behind the Abbey.
 
He nodded to himself. It would also be an excellent test for a newbie. “Your first task is one of cleansing, Baran. A clan of kobolds have infested the woods to the north. Go there and fight the kobold vermin you find. Reduce their numbers so that we may one day drive them from Northshire.”
 
Baran smiled. Kobolds? He had fought against some in the past. Low level monsters, but dangerous in numbers. “Will do, sir!” Baran turned around, intending to begin his first mission when his stomach grumbled about the lack of food.
 
He blushed as he heard the chuckle of Marshal McBride. He sheepishly looked at the man while scratching the back of his head. “Hum… Could I grab a little something before going? I didn't eat since yesterday.”
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
Dodging the teasing from the soldiers and the jokes from the priests, Baran managed to scrape a piece of bread with some cheese before rushing to the north wood.
 
After letting behind the sounds of civilization, Baran began to walk with all his senses on alert, searching for his target.
 
In general his Psionic abilities could be broken in six main disciplines: Clairsentience which focused on precognitive powers and allowed to gather information in many different ways. His famous sixth sense which had helped him so many times in the past was issued from this discipline. Metacreativity which drew ectoplasm or matter from the Astral Layer and shaped it into various forms. Psychokinesis which enabled to manipulate and transform matter and energy. Psychometabolism which could alter your own psychobiology or that of creatures nearby. Psychoportation that could propel or displace objects in time and space. And finally Telepathy which could allow mental contact and control of other sentient creatures. Even his Psi-Blade was a result of a blend of those main disciplines.
 
Although limited in range and scope because his power hadn't been harnessed for long in this world, Baran knew that he could detect the kobolds long before they sensed him.
 
Of course, that implied they didn't hear his fights with some hungry wolves along the way…
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
Baran smiled as he observed the small camp from a distance and under the wind. The wiry creatures bear as much of a resemblance to a rat as they did to a humanoid. They stood short of four feet tall and moved with a rapid, hunched gait. Although they were in group and protected from the light by the cover of the trees, their nervousness was evident in their large, rodent-like eyes darting here and there. One thing he also remembered about kobolds was their sense of smell. A dozen of those creatures were camping in a small clearing. Some rocks gave some cover and enabled them to make a smokeless fire.
 
He achieved to bind his small wounds from his fights against the wolves as he searched for those kobolds. It was nothing and already his enhanced metabolism was closing the scrapes and cuts.
 
He stopped and blinked as a psyche saturated with despair drifted in his zone of perception. His green eyes widened as he noted something new in the camp.
 
It was a barefoot young human girl as tall as her captors with dirty long black hair, of six-eight years old, clothed in a filthy rag that was perhaps a coloured dress some time ago. She was holding a bundle of twigs and was roughly led by a kobold. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the leash and the leather collar around the dirty slender neck and her muddy and badly bruised face.
 
This changed everything. He had a plan to take care of those kobolds in small groups or one by one. The presence of a potential hostage required a radical alteration. Baran was tempted to go back for some help, but the blank white face of the child with the tracks of her tears tugged at his heart.
 
He smiled evilly as he slowly climbed down. Those kobolds were so dead.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
The kobold guarding the entry of the temporary small camp blinked in confusion. Their newly “acquired” slave was walking toward him and yet, he could have swear that he had seen her just a few moments ago on the other side of the camp.
 
Grumbling, he reached for her and intended to teach her another lesson. It seemed that she needed another “breaking in” session to tame her. He blinked as he felt the strange cold and slimy sensation of her flesh.
 
The Astral Construct shaped in the image of the young human girl and designed for speed followed the mental commands of its creator and ripped off the head of the bewildered monster with its superior strength. It then ran to attack the other kobolds, unmindful of its survival since it wasn't sentient and couldn't feel pain.
 
Baran was already in position behind the clearing, undetected since he used his mastery of Psychometabolism to change his overall colour to match his surrounding.
 
His psyche reached for his target: The kobold, guarding the young girl as she tended a fire, collapsed as a Mind Thrust transformed his brain into a cooked hamburger.
 
The Psionic warrior leapt from his hiding place and caught the girl in his arms, his right hand over her mouth. He whispered rapidly to her ear. “Shhh… I'm human. I'm here to rescue you. Do not struggle I'm taking you to safety.”
 
She turned her head and big brown eyes widened as they plunged into green eyes. Amazingly, Baran could already sense the calming of the emotions of the young child and her acceptance of her rescuer. Nodding briefly and smiling, Baran focused his psionic energy to his muscles and leapt away in the trees like a hyper-active ninja.
 
He quickly arrived in the small nook high in another tree he had prepared for hiding the girl and proceeded to camouflage the spot by using ectoplasm shaped and coloured to match the bark of the tree. He smiled one last time to her. “Stay here and do not move no matter what happens or what you hear.” His voice gained a little hardness. “I'll deal with those monsters and come back for you. It's a promise.”
 
Baran rushed back to the kobold camp, unmindful to cloak himself as he needed to vent his righteous anger on something. What he red into the brown eyes and his psionic senses had deeply angered him and only the blood of those beasts could appease him.
 
His construct had managed to halve the population before falling to their attacks. Baran appeared right in front of the snarling survivors and smirked. A two foot-length blade of blue-white psionic energy materialized in his hand and he took the precaution to manifest a psychokinetic set of integral armour around him.
 
He ran into battle, a warcry on his lips.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
The young girl listened to the sounds of battle in the vicinity and prayed the Holy Light for the safety of her saviour. She had been mesmerized by the warmth into those green eyes and had felt perfectly safe into his arms as he took her into hiding.
 
She sighed in relief when she heard his voice screaming his victory. A few minutes later, he heard him reaching for her hidden spot and she smiled a gap-toothed smile when the strange camouflage material dissolved to reveal the dark-blue clad warrior.
 
“It's finished. Come.” Without fear, the young girl settled into the arms of Baran and he brought her at the feet of the tree. Baran crouched to her level and examined the child with a critical eye. “My name is Baran…would you like to share my lunch?”
 
The girl's wide brown eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically. Baran stood up, and held out his hand. “Come on, then…we need to get cleaned up first and there is a stream nearby.”
 
The hand was taken without hesitation, and the girl stared without fear up at the black-haired man, who smiled so kindly at her. Baran took her up to a stream and first gathered wood for a quick fire that he lit with a burst of his power. He then search and found rapidly some plants he knew to be a natural soap and used again his power to shape ectoplasm into a pseudo wool blanket.
 
The water was damn cold, but a simple application of Matter Agitation brought it to a nice temperature. The girl shed her rags and hopped right in. Baran lathered up her body while checking it for any wounds and bruises. He also scrubbed her hair for her. Whenever he sensed or saw a wound, he applied a glowing hand and soothed the trauma with his psionic energy, mending the flesh.
 
During all this, the girl witnessed those feats of power without a sound and only her shining brown eyes betrayed her interest and awe. With dread, Baran understood that the overall trauma of her ordeal had provoked a psychic blockage and rendered her mute.
 
He also blinked for an instant as he suddenly recognized the child: It was Rin! As in Rin, the little Japanese orphan that Lord Sesshomaru had taken as his ward in the Inuyasha series. She was of European build, but due to the conventions in an anime about the form of the eyes and the skin colour, Baran could easily identify her. What the hell was going on? He certainly wasn't in an Inuyasha universe and he didn't sense any Youkai in vicinity, so why Rin was here?
 
When she was all clean, Baran dried her off and dressed her in the warm woollen blanket. He then washed her dress and used anew his mastery over ectoplasm matter to repair it, and brought it back up to dry over the fire.
 
Warm, her pain taken away and feeling safe, Rin, since it was truly her, watched with widening eyes as her saviour extracted from nothing a pan and filled it with some animal grease, wild vegetables and meat sausages. He also watched the man prepared a pot of hot water with some dry herbs to infuse in and poured her a cup with honey as sweet. The whole feast was deposited in front of her with a wooden spoon. She stared from the food to the smiling man and half-starved from her slavery among the kobolds began to shovel the food with scarcely a moment for breath.
 
Baran had taken the time to take everything of any value in the camp of those monsters. He had also used his psychokinesis to manipulate their corpses for anything of value and their crude weapons and used an application of Psychoportation to eliminate all traces of dirt and germs from the food and tools. After all he needed to replenish his Dimensional Pocket.
 
Unfortunately, now was the time to ask for some questions. Baran dreaded the probable answers to his questions. “Little one, are you alone, without anyone to care for you?”
 
The expressive brown eyes gazed to him with deep sadness and the small head bobbed once. Baran started to ask another question but stopped and shook his head. “I'm doing this the wrong way.”
 
He looked into her eyes. “Little one, do you trust me?” The head nodded with enthusiasm and Baran winced internally at the adoration he red within Rin. He hoped he never betrayed such deep admiration. “Alright, listen. I can speak with you within your mind and hear anything you think to me. Would you like to try it?”
 
Once again Rin bobbed her head without hesitation, although Baran could sense some confusion in her. Sighing, he nonetheless reached for her mind with his telepathic powers.
 
This was what I meant by speaking within your mind.
 
The brown eyes widened, but her answer came back clearly. “Master…Baran…” Her mental voice was wispy and faint as if the fact she didn't use her physical voice for a long time had influenced her indirectly.
 
Baran managed to hide his dismay by hearing a little girl calling him “Master”. He knew that medieval people didn't hold the same importance and signification of that word like a modern person, but nonetheless…
 
He took a gentle tone and continued the conversation. “What is your name, little one?
 
Rin.” Well that confirmed what he suspected. He didn't know why, but his instincts were telling him that he was doomed to meet other people who should be virtual twins from various anime.
 
The deep and warm brown eyes called for a decision and Baran chose it willingly, acknowledging his responsibilities. “I will look after you from now on. Understood?
 
A very faint, but definitely warm smile was his response. “YesMaster Baran…Rin understands.
 
He took the dry dress and tenderly clothed the little girl that strongly reminded him from the time when he took care of his younger siblings when they were small. He wrapped her again in the blanket and took her in his arms. “Let us depart.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
The Marshal McBride had been surprised by the prompt actions of his newest recruit. He had also been agreeably surprised when Baran Sunheart returned with a little girl in his arms.
 
After a few questions and with the help of the strange magic that the young man mastered, the Marshal had established that the young girl was truly an orphan. Her parents came from the devastated West and had been killed by the kobolds when they tried to reach Stormwind. Baran had managed to bring her back the small gold bracelet that was the property of her late mother and avenged the slaughter of her family.
 
He smiled as the young man also brought back a weapon for him: A masterwork quality quarterstaff, that, according to Baran, the kobolds were using as… a fire stake. Now washed, polished and oiled, it revealed its true and deadly nature to everyone. The fire seemed to have only strengthened it.
 
The Marshal put the last lines on the parchment in front of him and sealed it with the Alliance seal. “There! It is done.” He looked into the serious green eyes. “Are you sure you want to adopt her? We have many fine associations back in Stormwind. They won't have any trouble to take care of the little one.”
 
Baran Shook his head. “No. Rin is my responsibility and I will take great care of her.” He smiled. I just need you to look after her during my ventures around the Abbey. Once I have enough money, I shall transfer in Stormwind to give her a proper education.”
 
McBride nodded. “Well, you're determined and it's true you can easily gain a living by helping the Alliance around here.” He frowned and looked seriously to the young man. “Be sure to come back for her. I'm not sure she could go on living should you disappear.”
 
“I will.”
 
“Well, anyway. I must say well done, citizen. Those kobolds are thieves and cowards, but as you have seen in large numbers they pose a threat to us.” His eyes narrowed. “And the humans of Stormwind do not need another threat. For defeating them, you have my gratitude and this.” He threw a small purse to Baran that jingled with coins. “And speaking of providing her everything she needs, go see our Master Hunter Eagan Peltskinner. I think he can help you.”
 
Baran raised an eyebrow “Oh?”
 
McBride nodded. “Eagan Peltskinner is looking for someone to hunt wolves for him. That's good news, because we're seeing a lot more wolves in Northshire Valley lately. If you're interested then speak with Eagan. He's around the side of the abbey, to the left.”
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
During the week that followed, Baran began to build a routine. He worked with hunter Eagan Peltskinner to bring back Timber Wolves that he killed in the forest around the Abbey. With the help of the rough hunter, he learnt how to make nice pelts and how to cook the meat from those beasts.
 
The rest of his time was consecrated to his newly adopted daughter. He couldn't make her stop to refer to him as “Master Baran” but he began to give her an education and slowly but surely broke through her trauma with the help of his powers and his heart.
 
Rin simply genuinely loved him and he gratefully returned it. The first time she managed to voice his name instead of using their mental link had brought tears to his eyes. In fact, Rin preferred this silent method of communication. Even with the people in and around the Abbey, she was a person of few words when she began to speak. She preferred actions and gestures with the non-telepaths and her warm smile soothed any resentment at her silent way.
 
Baran had used his psionic powers to manipulate some pelts to make her some nice fur-lined clothes and even a little doll shaped as a cartoon-like and cute wolf.
 
In fact, Eagan was so enthusiasm about his help that he rewarded him with a brand new and solid pair of Wolfskin Bracers. Since Baran favoured a style of combat without much armour, that was fine to him.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
After two weeks since his arrival, Baran was summoned in the office of Marshal McBride. The stout man seemed worried about something and didn't lose time. “Baran, my scouts tell me that the kobold infestation that you already know about is larger than we had thought. A group of kobold workers has camped near the Echo Ridge Mine to the north.” He looked straight into the green eyes. “You have proved that you could be both efficient and discreet by yourself. Go to the mine and remove them. We know there are at least a dozen of them. Kill them, see if there are more and then report back to me.”
 
Rin wasn't happy that Baran was going away without her. After a time, Baran had enough experience and power to bring her during his hunt and protect her efficiently. But she understood that it was different and she was a very obedient girl.
 
Well, many would have say that Baran was completely wrapped around her pinkie, but the little girl was very intelligent and knew her limits. So she waved away at her protector after he gently kissed her on the forehead.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
Reaching the mine didn't pose any particular problem to the Psionic Warrior. However, a nasty surprise awaited him on site.
 
Baran swore internally as he spied on the kobolds under the camouflage cloak of his powers. There were simply more than a dozen of kobolds within the mine. The ten or so outside the shaft were merely the sentinels.
 
In fact, it plainly looked like as if the kobolds were formally exploiting the mine. But for whom and for what. The situation called for some fancy footing and reporting to McBride would only give the kobolds more time to accomplish whatever they were doing.
 
Baran nibbled his lower lip and then raised an eyebrow as he looked closely the entrance shaft. The mine showed signs of his abandonment by the humans long ago and the kobolds had only crudely reinforced the shaft. He smirked: He had found the solution to isolate the kobolds outside from those within.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
It was a simple mouse and the sentinels that actually saw it dismissed it as inconsequent except perhaps for a snack later. The Astral Construct reached the overture as its instructions bid him and exploded with the strength of a modern grenade.
 
Shocked, the sentinels all turned to the blocked entrance and began to scream their confusions around. Baran rushed to them, skating on a frictionless path created with his powers, his glowing Mind Blade ready to be used.
 
The surprise was total and deadly. Baran began to hack into the confused mass of the monsters with the ease of a hot knife cutting through butter. Once he had finished his enemies, he stripped them of anything of value and started the second phase of his plan.
 
Baran waited for the miners to pierce through the rubble, hidden under his chameleon cloak just above the entrance. Once they began to emerge, he waited for them to be alert for attackers since the corpses of their comrades proved that some humans were nearby.
 
Baran didn't know the infamous Neko-Ken, but his Psychometabolism and Clairsentience disciplines could give him a piece of this lethal technique. His fingers grew claws that he empowered and coated with a mild poison. Mild for a big and stout man that is. Against those creatures, it was potentially lethal.
 
He focused on all of them and blasted with a mind attack that dazed and stunned them. He rushed through their ranks and slashed as he passed. Most of the kobolds screamed in pain and felt on the ground as the poison coursed through their veins.
 
After some minutes of a one-sided combat, Baran brought his breath back to normal when the last kobolds ran back to the mine. He couldn't let the initiative back to those beasts and called anew for his power to grant him a low-light vision. The Warrior from another world entered the mine shaft.
 
High-pitched screams and various sounds of battle echoed from within the mine and after an hour, it was finally silent.
 
Baran emerged from the shaft covered in bruises, cuts and various wounds. He deeply thanked his powers of Psychokinesis that blocked or deflected so many attacks within those tunnels. The use of his so-called “Psycho-Nekoken” had proved deadly in those restrained close-quarters. He also certainly had brought back some hard-won rewards: A nice ivory comb that he reserved for Rin, money, a few semi-precious gems, some antitoxins and the jackpot was a few potions of Light Healing.
 
He smiled as he remembered how jealous some people of the Abbey were about his always perfect silken clothes. He laughed as he used his powers to mend the cuts and tears of his clothes. Well since they took him for an Arcanist with some cool spells, he could hardly disappoint them now, couldn't he?
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
The Marshal wasn't very happy about the dangerous initiative that Baran took during his mission. After all, he specifically ordered him to report first. However…
 
“I don't like hearing of all these kobolds in our mine or about your reckless attitude. But I can understand why you took that decision… In fact… I would have done the same. Once again, you have earned my respect, and the gratitude of the Stormwind Army. There may yet be kobolds in the mine, but I will marshal others against them. We have further tasks for you.
No good can come of this. Here, take this as payment, and go see your daughter. She has called for you all the day.
 
As he watched Rin beaming as she admired the fine comb in her dark black hair in a mirror, Baran buckled his new leather belt wearing the symbol of the Alliance.
 
Another week passed and Baran acquired new experience over his mastery of his psionic powers as he battled the kobolds that proved to be more numerous and were indeed occupying some other mines in the region. As he battled the monsters, his reputation grew and Marshal McBride knew he had found a fine pearl. In fact, the Abbey couldn't continue to serve as a base for the young man. He needed a bigger environment to shine truly. Beside, his daughter would gain in comfort and possibilities.
 
In that regard, he prepared some papers and called anew the young warrior. “Baran Sunheart, you are a fine protector with proven interest in the security of Northshire. You are now tasked with the protection of the surrounding Elwynn Forest.” Baran blinked. “If you accept this duty, then I have prepared papers that must be delivered to Marshal Dughan in Goldshire. Goldshire lies along the southern road, past the border gates. The town will prove to be more defended than our Abbey and you can provide more for your young charge. So, are you interested?”
 
“Of course I am, Marshal!” `Finally, a way to learn more about this world. I still don't know where I am and I'm sure that I know about this dimension.'
 
“Then here there are and good luck to you and your daughter. Bring Hope and Pride to the Alliance!”
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
Rin smiled and giggled as she rode on the shoulders of her master. The sun was shining and the unfortunate wolves and big spiders they met were easily dealt with by the use of crystalline shards and rays of energy.
 
After some hours of travel, they finally reached the town of Goldshire. Baran smiled and nodded at the various and numerous men-in-arms posted along the town limits and the protective wall built around it. It was a lively little town at the crossroad of two major ways and commerce boomed. Here, he should easily find what he and his daughter need.
 
He politely asked a guard for the Marshal and was directed near the main forge. He advised a tall young man harbouring the same symbols as Marshal McBride and went to him.
 
The young Marshal took into account the strange clothes of the man with the little girl on his shoulders and opened the letter. His eyebrows rose as he red it and a large smile bloomed on his lips. “Well, it says here that you've been awarded Acting Deputy Status with the Stormwind Marshals.” Baran was a little flabbergasted as the Marshal extracted a little brooch with the Alliance symbol and put it on his chest. Rin applauded as his saviour was awarded for his past deeds. “Congratulations.” Dughan smirked. “And good luck… Keeping Elwynn safe is no picnic... what with most the army busy doing who knows what for who knows which noble!” He shook his head. “It's hard to keep track of politics in these dark days...” He sighed and clapped on the shoulder of the young Psionic Warrior. “I will assign a bedroom for you and your daughter. Don't worry, there are numerous persons already taking care of the children of my men. There shouldn't be any problems. And I will also open the armoury for you to complete your equipment. As long as you are reasonable and take care of your weapons and armours, you should…”
 
Baran could only nod as he listened to the young Marshal and followed him as he toured the town to point its various places to the newly appointed Acting Deputy.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
 
Notes: I'm not too sure about using cameos from various anime, but…
 
Well, the reviews will answer that question.
 
I hope I did bring out the ambiance of the World of Warcraft without sacrificing too much to the game mechanics.
 
Don't hesitate to write your suggestions and remarks, thank you.