The past several days had been long, to say the least. Zuljynn didn't mind blood elves, in fact on occasion he kind of liked them. However, in light of the recent events, the amount of laughter insisted on by the sin'dorei grated on his nerves a little bit. However, the past few days had been important to Himni. The scholarly paladin had proven himself worthy, and now was an accepted member of the Shattered Sun Offensive. As he had so many times that day as they rode Zuljynn caught his friend smoothing his intricately woven new tabard with pride. Zuljynn smiled, his helmet shielding the expression from his old friend. Letting Himni have his moment in the sun, he winced at his own pun, was no skin from his back, however, the sin'dorei didn't need to know that.
A few more miles fell behind them as the pair rode, but it wasn't long before the warrior heard the voice of his friend behind him.
"Remind me why we rode this direction, and indeed why we are riding on land. Wouldn't a wind-rider have been faster?"
Zuljynn replied without slowing, and without looking back, keeping his alert eyes on the road for any hint of danger. They had already nearly ridden through one of the elemental rifts as it was opening, and it was only Veneficus quick tail lash across the rump of Himni's charger that had made the horse leap ahead, barely avoiding the chaotic magicks that signaled the arrival of the rage filled denizens of the elemental planes.
"Simple," was the orc's reply, "I wanted some of these candied sweet potatoes, and the only place you can get them - is Mulgore," and as if to emphasize his point he pulled one of the morsels from a pouch at his belt and popped it in his mouth, savoring the taste."
"That answers half of my question," Himni replied dryly.
"I like riding, its quiet, its calm and it clears my head. The reported trouble in Gadgetzan wasn't that serious, the runner himself said the defenders were holding there own. Besides, more than a score of others had leapt aboard wind riders at the first chance to get out of Thunder Bluff before another attack. We spent a great deal of time where you were most comfortable," the indication of Quel'danas was impossible to miss, "so I decided it was only fair if we spent some time where I was comfortable."
Himni simply laughed, clapping his friend on the shoulder. The paladin didn't really mind the ride, but during the time the pair had been at Quel'danas, the elemental attacks on Azeroth had grown even more intense, and Zuljynn always got restless when he missed any chance for a fight. This was the most comfortable Himni had seen his friend in nearly a week, and if a ride was what it took to bring him back into good spirits, then by the Light, he'd take a ride.
However, the peaceful ride was cut short about midway through Thousand Needles, when the earth began to buck and roll beneath them. Their mounts, disciplined as any could be, did their best to move with the earth, dodging boulders that began to tumble from the great spires above them.
"Elf, watch out!" Zuljynn cried to his friend, as a boulder crashed down where only seconds before the paladin had stood. The warrior cast his eyes about for a second and then shouted, "Ride!"
The two spurred their mounts hard, seeking a more open area, trusting their mounts to carry themselves across the rebellious terrain without question. The two pulled into a wide stretch of open rock, just as the earth seemed to settle. The pair glanced at one another, noting the other was safe, but it was then that they heard the weak voice.
"Help- please, help!"
Zuljynn and Himni wheeled their mounts around, hands on their weapons, but it was then they saw the small figure of a troll woman, caught beneath a heavy boulder. Her body was contorted, and it was clear that she was in dire straits, a closer look revealing that she'd passed out, expending the last of her conscious energy to call to the duo. Himni rushed to her side, and pushed against the boulder.
"Zuljynn, help me."
Zuljynn moved slowly, placing his hands on the side of boulder, but before pushing he asked his friend.
"You're sure you can heal her?" his voice sounded dubious.
Himni raised an eyebrow, "I've kept you alive often enough."
Zuljynn nodded, raising a hand to ward off his friend's prideful outbust, "That isn't what I meant elf. Half her body is crushed, are you sure you can heal her?"
Himni considered that for a moment, and then nodded. The orc warrior shrugged, rolling his shoulders and setting himself against the stone. Together the pair gave a mighty shove, and after what felt like an eternity the boulder rolled, and the troll woman was freed. However, she was hardly better off. Her lithe body was crushed almost to the hips, her long robes lying nearly flat against the ground. Himni quickly knelt, and softly began to intone a prayer. Zuljynn watched as his friend's hands began to glow with the brilliant healing light. Himni began to sweat, his hands trembling. Zuljynn had never seen him like this. The glow grew in intensity, and Zuljynn raised his hand to shield his eyes, and then all at once the glow was gone. As his vision cleared, and as he lowered his hand Zuljynn could see his friend, laid back on the stones, panting for breath. But to Zuljynn's utter amazement, the Troll woman's legs looked significantly better, and the massive cut on her head had closed, and, she was breathing.
"Than- thank you mon," she breathed softly, her voice still weak.
Himni nodded, turning to his friend with a soft smile, "And you were doubtf--"
He was cut off by a loud cracking noise, unlike anything any of them had heard, and then once more the earth began to shake, almost as though it was a child in pain. And then the noise intensified, the cracking growing louder. With a look to the east Zuljynn gasped, and Himni weakly raised himself slowly to his feet, following the gaze of his friend.
"By the light," was all the sin'dorei could say.
Rising up over the mountains to the east, higher than was, at least as far as any of them knew, possible was a tidal wave. A literal wall of water, and it was moving towards them, swallowing up entire peaks in its watery maw.
"Move Elf!" Zuljynn shouted, reaching down to scoop up the injured troll woman, slinging her over his shoulder and hauling himself into Veneficus' saddle. To his right Himni had clambered aboard his charger and the two urged their mounts into a dead run, making for where they knew the Great Lift lie.
"We'll never make it!" Himni shouted, barely audible over the roar of the approaching wave.
With a glance over his shoulder Zuljynn realized his friend was right, there was no way they could make the lift before that deluge turned the canyon into the largest resevoir in Azeroth. It was then that he felt a gentle tug at his beard. Glancing down he saw the troll woman, and she motioned him close. Trusting in his ravasaur he leaned down, and she spoke into his ear, though over the roar of the approaching wave, he could barely hear her.
"--- mon, if ye--- portal."
That last word was all he needed, and he raised a hand, signaling a halt. Himni reined in hard, his horses rump nearly sliding along the rock floor. Venificus ground it's claws into the stone, bringing itself to a stop as well.
"Why are we stopping?" Himni shouted.
"Portal," Zuljynn replied gruffly, doing his best to prop up the troll, who had just revealed herself as a mage. She began to chant, and weave her fingers intricately. It was then, that the earth once again gave a great heave, nearly taking the trio from their feet with its first surge. It's subsequent surge caused a great crack to form, and Zuljynn watched in horror as it separated himself from his sin'dorei friend. To his further dismay Himni was swept from his feet by the roll of the earth, and the wave was drawing ever close.
"You have less than two minutes!" Zuljynn shouted, "Veneficus! Keep her standing!"
The ravasuar hissed, and moved into position, giving the mage somewhere to lean as she finished her spell. Zulynn meanwhile grunted, for once cursing the heavy plate armor he wore, as he took a running leap, feeling the air rush out of him as he didn't quite clear the widening chasm. With one hand gripping the cracked stones atop the cliff he now dangled over, his other hand sought his brilliantly glowing sword, and with a heave and a battle cry he hauled himself as high as he could, driving the fine saronite blade into the earth, using it as a second grip to bring himself up on top of the cliff. Himni still lay there, dazed, and at this point no sound could be heard over the rushing waves, and the water had begun to fill the canyon, and was rushing towards them, a wave of strangely lukewarm air rushing past them. Zuljynn ran to his friend, hauling him to his feet, and with dismay finding him unconscious from the blow to the head when he'd struck the ground. With a grunt Zuljynn hauled the paladin to his feet and moved toward the still widening chasm.
"Hurry mon! I can't be holding this portal foreva!"
Zuljynn simply grunted, though he knew she couldn't hear it. With a look behind him, he knew that he was doomed. There was no way he could make the distance now that the chasm had grown even larger, especially not with Himni in his arms. It was then that he made the decision. With a cry that echoed throughout the canyone, despite the crashing sound of the waves, he ran at the chasm. As he neared the edge he stopped, and flexed his bulging muscles, and with every ounce of his strength hurled Himni through the air.
"VENEFICUS!" the orc shouted, and the ravasaur moved, positioning itself directly underneath the paladin. It moved rapidly to the portal, stepping through unquestiongly, the mage and the great charger that belonged to the paladin right behind it. The slight wrench of the portal roused the Blood Elf, who looked up through the shrinking window into the forever changing Thousand Needles. The cry that escaped the paladin's voice was stricken, one of indescribable pain.
"Zul!"
The portal had shrunk to barely the size of a window, and the now sobbing paladin, and the troll mage, her eyes filled with tears, watched as the proud orc, turned to face down the approaching wave. The warrior ripped his sword from the earth and swung his shield in front of him, looking as though he intended to do battle with the approaching deluge. As the portals window closed, the survivors watched as the warrior charged, a guttural shout issuing forth from his lips, only to be crushed beneath the impossibly gigantic wave.
Himni collapsed, a gout of spray covering himself, the two mounts and the troll, as well as a few of the traveler's moving through Dalaran's streets who had stopped to stare at the scene unfolding beyond the portal. The paladin couldn't stand, and the word he could speak was the name of his friend, repeated time and time again. The troll mage, hobbled to his side, and without fear of the racial implication, wrapped her arms around the sobbing man, holding him close.
"He was a hero mon, and he died as such. He saved meh life, and yurs as well mon. Don't cry, he was a warrior, and he went out saving his friend. I think that be how he wanted to go."
There was nothing that Himni could say, and in despair he buried his face in the shoulder of the mage, and cried.
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