The banging on the door would not cease. Meechi rolled around and placed her pillow over her head, trying to drown out the noise.

 

“Wake up, small fox!” Halvor’s voice rang loud and clear. The vulpera mumbled several words of dissent, but they were too quiet to reach the vrykul’s ears.

 

“Please, get up, friend,” he pleaded, “there is someone here to see you!”

 

Whoever it was, it could wait. “Who is it?”

 

“It is big lizard man,” Halvor replied, “he says his name is Sslisk.”

 

Meechi abruptly opened her eyes at the mention of the one who wished to meet her. Sslisk? What was he doing here? The vulpera put aside the pillow and sat up on her bed.

 

“I’ll be right there,” she called out, “give me a few minutes.”

 

“Okay.” Halvor turned away from the door and left.

 

The alchemist rubbed her face and blinked several times to attempt to hasten the lifting of grogginess. Her head flowed with possible ideas as to why one of her fellow crew members had come here. Was it a test? Did the captain want to test the initiate’s ability to follow orders? Meechi did not exclude the possibility that it might be a trap, and, after quickly dressing herself, warily walked out her room towards the exit.

 

The vulpera had barely stepped across the threshold of the inn when a large creature ran up to her and hugged her tightly. Meechi struggled to break free of its grasp and let out a grunt.

 

“Oh, sssorry,” the creature let go and took a step back, “did I hurt you?”

 

“No, no,” the alchemist replied as she straightened out her clothing, “you’re fine. I just wasn’t expecting you.”

 

“I’m ssso happy I found you,” Sslisk spoke, “we mussst go, we have no time to ssspare.” He began to guide Meechi towards the town center.

 

“Wait,” she stopped him, “you must first tell me why you’re here and in such a hurry. I’m supposed to be looking for an arti—”

 

“No!” The saurok cried out in protest, his orange and yellow eyes widening, “There is no artifact!”

 

“No artifact?” the vulpera repeated as she stared at her fellow crew member. “Then how am I supposed to pass the—”

 

“It’sss a trap!” Sslisk cut her off. “There isss no tessst.”

 

Meechi frowned. She opened her mouth to speak but the saurok continued.

 

“I…I don’t know how elssse to sssay thisss,” he spoke quietly, “but Moldmane wantsss you gone. He wasss going to leave you behind asss sssoon asss we were out of your sssight.”

 

The vulpera’s mouth fell open in disbelief. She shook her head as she took several slow steps backwards and leaned against the wall wearily, clearly taken aback by the news.

 

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked in a hushed voice.

 

The saurok placed a webbed hand on the initiate’s shoulder in comfort.

 

“I wasss onssse a new crew member like you, Meechi,” Sslisk answered gently, “but I wouldn’t have gotten through it without my friendsss.” He smiled warmly, showing an array of sharp teeth. “You dessserve to be asss sssupported asss I wasss.”

 

Meechi fell silent with gratitude.

 

“Moldmane isss up to sssomething now,” the saurok hissed, “ssso I thought I would come find you to help ssstop him.”

 

“I’m traveling with some new friends,” the vulpera motioned to the vrykul and the blood elf who had recently stepped out of the inn. “Perhaps they will help us.”

 

The saurok held up two arms. “I’m not joining you on thisss quessst,” he backed off slightly, “I am here to guide you to your contact.”

 

“A contact?” Halvor frowned. “Who is it?”

 

“Hisss name isss Wrathion. He—”

 

“He is a black dragon!” Mori blurted out, eager to share her knowledge and even more eager to meet the dragon himself. “I know him!”

 

“You do?” The warrior glanced at her.

 

“Well, not personally,” Mori spoke with a sigh, “but I know of him.”

 

“Good,” he commented, “I would be concerned if you were friends with black dragon.” He ignored a sneer from the young necromancer and continued. “So, what do you know about this Wrathion?”

 

Mori thought for a brief moment. “Um, so, the red dragons wanted Wrathion to be nice, so they took his egg! Then, when he hatched, he didn’t become corrupted like his grandfather, Deathwing!”

 

Little intimidated the proud warrior, but the name of the gargantuan Aspect of Death who was responsible for the Cataclysm caused him to turn several shades paler for a brief while.

 

“How do you know all this, anyway?”

 

“My mama is a red and black dragon! She told me! Every dragon knows about Wrathion!”

 

The vrykul rolled his eyes and sighed. Not the dragons, again. He decided he would not trust this contact, but the group had little choice in the matter.

 

“Very well, we will go see dragon.”

 

“Yay!” Mori cheered. She had wanted to meet a black dragon for so long, and she would finally get the chance. The young blood elf stood still and began daydreaming at the thought.

 

* * * * *

 

Like a panther stalking its prey from the shadows, Sahtra stood still in the doorway of the inn, his dark figure partly obscured to those standing out in the sun. The young necromancer’s perceptive eyes, however, found him, and the death knight held a finger to his lips before she could greet him. Sahtra had taken great care to wraith walk back into his room so that no one could suspect him of ever having left. None but Mori knew, and he intended to keep it that way. She had to act without causing suspicion.

 

“Ah, there you are, death man,” the vrykul greeted him as he finally stepped out into the sunlight. Sahtra held a hand up to the portion of the helm that covered his eyes to shield them from the blinding rays of the sun.

 

“Good morning,” the death knight replied coolly. He could tell Halvor was disappointed to see him up and about, but Sahtra was not one to care when others held distaste for him.

 

“Very well,” the warrior frowned, “now we are missing only friend orc. Anyone know where he is?” Halvor glared intently at the death knight despite addressing the entire group.

 

Sahtra kept a stoic expression on his face and posture, unwilling to tell the vrykul of their encounter the previous day. It was not as if the orc was dead either; in fact, Vel’rosh had appeared to be particularly grateful for his new form. But Sahtra did not know what the orc had done afterwards, and he did not really care, either. That information would not be of use to Halvor, regardless.

 

As if to divert the vrykul’s attention from the death knight, Mori spoke up. “I saw Vel’rosh yesterday!” she exclaimed as she pointed a small finger towards a ticket of trees across the path from the inn. “He went that way!”

 

Halvor turned to Mori and peered at her with doubt. There was no sign of a lie or bluff written on her face, however, and she spoke the truth. The warrior looked back and forth between the death knight and the young necromancer, then shook his head as he threw his arms up in frustration.

 

“So be it! We go without friend orc.” Halvor motioned to the saurok. “Come, friend lizard, take us to black dragon.”

 

Mori grinned widely as she ran up to Sahtra and held onto his cloak for the duration of the trek. It was time to meet Wrathion!