[Luebella]

"I'm glad you decided to stay. Competent mercenaries are a valuable resource".
Yurrie bowed her head to Luebella.
"Are you aware of the events that have occurred recently?"
Yurrie shook her head 'no'.
Luebella looked at her for a minute, Yurrie could see her disappointment. Luebella stood next to Yurrie, leaning towards here right ear, her voice now a whisper. “ Someone in your profession should be paying more attention to the events taking place around the world, and not just for the pay”.
Luebella leaned back, “You may be paid loyalty, but even paid loyalty has it’s benefits” The death knight took a few steps forward, away from Yurrie. “This way Pandaren, I shall bring you up to speed”.

[Luebella]

The two walked out of the quarter and around the canal that encompassed the inner rings of Undercity.
“ As you know the former Warcheif was to stand trial for his crimes”.
“ Of course, the trial seems to be taking a long time to complete, I still have not heard anyone speak of an official verdict” Yurrie responded.
“ That is because no verdict was given. Garrosh escaped at the trial”.
Yurrie paused for a moment, this is news she did not expect. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but was cut off by the Forsaken.
“ He did not do this on his own, he had help. He disappeared into a portal and has not be seen since”.
“ It will be difficult to track him down” Yurrie said quickly.
Luebella shook her head from side to side. “No, but that is not why I have called for you. Something of much more concern has happened since, that Orc will have to wait”.

[Yurrie]

" That Orc?” Yurrie repeated.
“ Yes, you must keep this information to yourself for the time being; it is spreading quickly, but the longer we can keep it from the majority of the population the better. Do you understand?”. Luebella’s eye sockets had a faint glow of green.
“ Yes, I understand” Yurrie responded. She had heard rumors of experiments and other horrors the Forsaken practiced, and did not wish to be part of a new 'exploration'.
“ Good”. The glow in her eyes faded. “ I do not know if you have been to the Blasted Lands in the south, but I am sure you are vaguely aware that there is a gate there that linked Azeroth to the Orc home world of Draenor. It is gate that not only brought the Orcs to Azeroth, but it has contributed into the shaping of our world”.
Yurrie nodded. “I have done some reading in regard to the gate and the first wars with the Orcs”.
“Good, then you are aware the world on the other side of the gate now is merely a few chunks of land floating in the nether. What remains of the world is slowly dying”.
Yurrie again nodded.
“What you don’t know then is that the portal has turned to the colour red a couple of weeks ago and brown skinned Orcs have been pouring through with modern Horde weaponry”.
Yurrie looked over to Luebella, their pace still even as they continued walking next to the canal.
“ An invasion from the wastes of Draenor?”
“No”, Luebella quickly replied, “The Orcs appear to be coming from a ‘different’ Draenor, an alternate version. The Horde and Alliance leaders feel strongly that this is tied to Garrosh’s escape”. Luebella lowered her head. “They made a successful push into the Blasted Lands; but the Horde, working together with the Alliance, have retaken the Blasted Lands. A small army pushed it’s way into the portal from our side, and then managed to close it on other end”.
Yurrie raised an eyebrow, “But, there is still work to be done on this ‘other’ Draenor”. She had a small smirk on her face.
“Yes. We have been able to open small portals, briefly, to this world and have set up an outpost called Warspear on the outskirts of some Orge ruins. I have been selected to go to the outpost and ‘assist’ there. I will require your assistance, and the that my charge and his pet”. Luebella ground her teeth. “ We may not return to Azeroth”.
Yurrie thought for a moment. She had no ties to anyone, she had chosen to sell her skills as a monk in order to explore the world. Exploring a ‘new’ world would be another new experience away from the Wandering Isle. Beside, she hadn’t had a good fight since she was last sent out with the undead warrior and his ‘talking’ rabbit. She stuck her paw out and shook Luebella’s boney cold hand. “ I am at your service”.

[Luebella]

“Good. I will first require you to go and collect my charge. I am told he was last seen leaving Stonard and heading for Booty Bay with a Blood Elf. Collect him and then meet me in Orgrimmar in one month time. We will travel through the next portal with the reinforcements and supplies at that time”. Luebella admired that Yurrie readily accepted her request. The monk may only be a tool for her use, but she was a reliable tool that did as she was told.
Yurrie nodded. “ What are the terms of payment?” she asked.
Luebella reached for a small pouch on her belt and handed it to Yurrie.
“ Consider this a down payment. I can guarantee your supplies when we arrive at War Spear. If we make it back to Azeroth the Apothecary has authorized hefty compensation for you”.
“ I shall return to Brill then and make arrangements to go to Booty Bay this morning”. Yurrie cracked her knuckles, and then bowed her head towards Luebella.
“ One month time, Yurrie”. Lubella nodded and turned back to the military quarter.

[Yurrie]

Yurrie sat outside the east zeppelin tower in the gloom of the predawn morning. The ever present Death Guard held their posts around the towers. She could hear them chatting amongst themselves; topics such as the weather, a new sword, reminiscing of favorite foods, and even how one's ear had fallen off the previous day when he had placed his helm on before his shift. Yurrie sat next to the tower wall, sharpening her Halberd. The zeppelin to Grom'gol was set to arrive in the hour. After a day in the air she would arrive in Stranglethorn Vale and then continue south to Booty Bay by wyvern. Including a few days to stop and take in the scenery of the south jungle she planned to be in Ogrimmar in just over three weeks. Plenty of time to prepare for her and her associates venture into this new Draenor.

The sharpening stone made a smooth metallic sound as it moved over the edge of the blade.

Her thoughts began to turn to this 'alternative' world. How was it possible that another Draenor, a Draenor not directly connected to the reality she has known, could possibly exist; and how could this world from a different reality even reach out and touch this reality? She wracked her mind with this question as she unconsciously kept sharpening her weapon. Was this the doing of the mythical Titans? Why would the Titans want and new war with this Azeroth and that version of Draenor? Were the inhabitants of that Draenor the victors of their war with that Azeroth? Was this to be a pit battle where these ancients of the Nether pitted the victors of wars from different realities against each other over and over again to see which world, in which reality, would be the ultimate warriors of the two realities? But, if there is more than on reality, couldn't there be hundreds, thousands, millions, even infinite realities? If that was the case then the battles would never end. The armies of the countless worlds of the infinite realities would simply battle forever. There would be no victor, ever, only continuous battles forever and ever for the amusement of the Titans. Did Garrosh somehow make a deal with the Titans to finally enter this version of Azeroth into the battle royale? Why Garrosh? Would this Azeroth suddenly be put back into battle if we succeeded in subduing this alternate Draenor? Would they force us to war against an alternate Azeroth? Would I have to fight myself if this happened? Which 'me' would win if there was another me?

A sharp pain shot through Yurrie's hand. Her sharpening stone lay on the ground and a long cut ran down the middle of her palm. A steam of rich red blood ran down. Yurrie stood up and leaned the weapon against the tower wall. Digging into her pack with her good hand, careful not to dirty it with a drop of blood from her other hand, she scrounged around , all the way to the bottom, and then produced a bandage roll. " The halberd wins I suppose" she said to herself with a small grin. After wrapping her hand, and placing the remainder of the roll back into her pack, she sat back down and picked up the sharpening stone. Placing it between here thumb and finger she stared at it. Maybe only a few hours of sleep combined with the stress and excitement of a possible one-way trip to a new world had gotten to her. She closed her hand around the stone, stood back up, and placed it in a pouch on her belt. "Magic, I'll go with 'magic'". She picked up her pack and her Halberd. She could see the zeppelin approach from the distance.

[Yurrie]

"Welcome to Grom'gol! Watch yir step when disembark'in the zeppelin, and don't firget to thank the captain. A crash free flight is always a good flight!" the co-captain exclaimed loudly as the zeppelin docked at the Grom'gol tower. The flight had not been a full one. A few goblin merchants with cloth and ore to trade at the outpost. A small group consisting of four tauren and a couple of trolls traveling from Kalimdor to take part in an archeological exploration at the old ruins of Zul'gurub. It had been a uneventful trip. the only excitement came from conversation, and playing dice with the Goblin merchants, and one of the trolls. Yurrie had come out with five gold less. The meals served on the duration of the flight had been 'sketchy' at best, the seats and cots had been uncomfortable; not one of the passengers enjoyed more than a restless nap on their journey. As Yurrie disembarked the old zeppelin she nodded to the co-captain and then shook the captain's hand.

They had arrived early in the afternoon. The sun hung high in the sky, and the air was hot and humid. From the top of the zeppelin tower she could see the vast jungles to the north and east, while the waters from bay to the south and sea to the east greeted her with a cool breeze. The outpost below her was bustling with merchants, tourists, hunters and those hoping to find lost information or treasure in the ruin rich jungles.

She ventured down the tower and walked into the center of the outpost; looking around her to spot the inn. She had decided to stay the evening here and then hire a wyvern to take her to Booty Bay in the next day or two. The main inhabitants of the town appeared to be orcs, as they out numbered everyone else there. She had stopped an orc guard who pointed her in the direction of the inn.

The inn was full, and as such Yurrie was 'lucky' that a bed opened up; only after she had offered to pay double the rate, and for two nights. Delaying her 'mission' to Booty Bay by a couple of days would be good she decided. A nice break before she continued on. Maybe the last time she would have a chance to enjoy this part or Azeroth.

Once her room was settled, and gear stowed away under lock and key, Yurrie wandered out on to the street. The outpost wasn't overly large, and there were merchants selling their wares from small stalls all around. She found a cook serving crab meat out on the beach outside the outpost walls. It was the best she had eaten in a long while, and the grog the orc was also selling wasn't too bitter. It still didn't have the sweet taste or 'kick' she had enjoyed while she had been in Pandaria, but it was good for an orc brew.

She walked down the beach on the bay to a deserted spot, unbuckled her leather armor and then lay there in the sun. The sound of the breeze and the waves lulled her into a brief sleep, the warm sun her blanket.

[Yurrie]

The time had passed by quickly, and for once uneventfully. Yurrie spent most of her time lounging on the beach, eating, and of course drinking. It had been awhile since she was able to sit in a full pub with music playing in the background, and loud ecstatic conversation filling the rest of the air.

The evening of the day she arrived Yurrie had befriended an Orc guard named Garjira that had the night off, and a Tauren laborer that went by the name 'Stone Horn'. While drinking at the inn their conversation turned to jesting, and then, after some prodding, to competition. They started with an arm wrestling contest. The large 'Stone Horn' quickly bested both of his adversaries, and gloated as he did. He had no problem downing his grog while hammering Yurrie and Garjira's hands into the wooden table. " HA-HA-HA! You two should be fighting for second place. *buuuuuuurrrppp*. Never forget THE STRENGTH OF THE TAUREN, BAH-HA-HA!".

And so they did. This actually turned out to be a competition as both Yurrie and Garjira stayed deadlocked for the first few seconds; then, slowly, Yurrie started to gain ground. She flashed a grin at Garjira as she continued to lower her hand to the table. Even Stone Horn had become quiet as he watched. This was it, Garjira's had a warrior's look of defeat on her face as her hand inched ever closer to defeat. Yurrie's grin widened, and she looked Garjira in the eye, "I suppose the Pandaren will have to be happy with second place" she said with some competitive smugness.
Garjira looked Yurie dead in the eyes, and then smiled, her hand was an inch from the table top. "I'm sorry" she said in an almost evil tone. Just as she was about to lose she torked her shoulder, quickly adjusted her grip, and then pushed back, hard. In a matter of three or four seconds Yurrie was now struggling to have her hand stay up, but it was no use. Garjira forced her hand to the table. "This Orc will settle with taking second place for now". Stone Horn bellowed loudly, and Garjira followed him with a chuckle. Yurries pride has bruised, but a few pints later and it had healed.

Stone Horn was there the next evening and the two of them shared drinks and stories. Garjira was on duty that night, but did stop in to make sure there were no friendly competitions going on, and to remind Yurrie that she'd hate to have to 'crush' her again.

Yurrie was up early on her last day at the inn; hangover or not, it was time for her to move on to Booty Bay.

[Yurrie]

'I'm sorry my friend, but I was told it was a 2 gold flight to get here from Grom'gol, and that is all I am willing to pay". Yurrie forced the two coins into the flight masters hand, and walked away as he continued to haggle her for a few extra silver.
She stopped for a moment to look out over the bay a short distance away. The sea breeze continued to be refreshing, even between the whiffs of fish that came with it. "Now, where to start?" she said softly to herself, not that she didn't know. The Inns would be her first stop, as well as some friendly conversation with the local guards. It wouldn't be to hard to locate the Forsaken and his 'pet', one tends to take notice when a corpse seems to be having a conversation with a rabbit.
Surveying the area again before she moved she could see there was a commotion on the water. Some small boats seemed to be searching for something in the bay, and a group of guards were heading down one side of the dock. "Well, that was easy" she said, shaking her head from side to side.

(( See Hide'n'Seek for this story : http://www.ravenholdt.us/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=109 ))

[Luebella]

((The following takes place following the events in Hide'n'Seek http://www.ravenholdt.us/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=109 ))

Thump-Thump.


The Cleft of Shadow was sparsely populated. Warlocks had started to return to the cavern since Garrosh's fortress had been cleared out. The warlocks typically found in the cleft had been removed or killed by the former Warcheif's 'True Horde'. Warlocks reminded him of the faults of Orc history, a history he would have liked to erase.

Luebella sat inside a hut behind a small table. A few candles flickered inside providing a little light. She held a long piece of parchment in her hands, and was pouring over the contents of the document. Another Forsaken across the table from her stood, tapping his fingers across the flat wooden surface. Luebella rolled the scroll up, and looked up to her company across the table.

"Our assets could have been more thorough. Reports of Orc warlocks does not come as a surprise".

The undead stopped tapping his fingers on the table, and crossed his robed arms.
Luebella rose from her chair, scroll in hand.

"It is also no surprise that True Horde weaponry is being used, considering Garrosh is on Draenor. Are you here to confirm I am being sent into a meat grinder?"

The Forsaken smiled as best he could, considering he had no lips.

"It's been some time since you've seen action Luebella. Don't tell me you've become...soft".

Luebella leaned across the table, looking the messenger in the eyes.

"Soft? No, I think not". She leaned in a little closer, placing one of her hands on the table to steady herself.
"Rusty? Well, I do admit training in the War Quarter is not the same as battering an enemy in the field. Perhaps you'd like to help me with some more 'lively' sparing before I depart? "

The robed Forsaken chuckled."I don't think I would be of much service if I were split in two, old friend".

Luebella straighted herself back up. If she could smile she would have then, but the flesh on the lower part of her face had given way to bone some time ago. "Perhaps when I return then, old friend". Luebella held the scroll over a candle flame, the edge of it catching fire. She looked down at the burning document, the flames on the parchment quickly danced towards her boney fingers. "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"Only that I am instructed to tell you that you are not to return until the enemy is defeated on Draenor, or unless you are able to acquire something that may be of significant use to us".

Luebella placed the burning scroll on the table. The flames licked upward, the light giving the undead faces an even more grim look than usual. A goblin could be seen walking towards the hut with the hurried pace of one not wanting be long in the darkness of the Cleft.
She walked round the side of the table and stood next to her 'friend'. "And what of your own personal requests? You didn't come here to inform me of what I already know. What is it that you require?".

"If you happen to find anything that might 'help' an old warlock improve upon his mastery of fel magic, I suppose that would be worth a significant personal favor".

"I suppose it would", Luebella agreed as the Goblin entered the hut.

Nervously the goblin stood in front of the two undead, spitting out his message as quickly as he could.

"Sorry for tha interruption, b-but the zeppelin from Brill arrived and your guests were on board, so I came here straight away to tell you just like you, er, asked". There was beads of sweat building on his broad forehead.

Lubella gave him the slightest of nods and raised her hand to shoo him away. The goblin turned and quickly walked out of the hut. The quick walk had turned into a full run by the time he was a dozen or so feet away.

Lubella placed her hand down on the remnants of the scroll, snuffing out the remainder of the dwindling flames.

" We shall be departing for Draenor through the next portal with the reinforcements and supplies", Luebella said before saluting the Forsaken. He, in turn, saluting her.

"Until next we meet" she said as she walked out of the hut.

" 'If' we meet again, old friend", he replied as she walked away.

[Luebella]

She had know the warlock for some time. They met after the Ebon Blade rebelled against the Lich King. Luebella had been posted at Vengeance Landing on the coast of the Howling Fjord to assist the Forsaken at the outpost. The warlock had been with her throughout the campaign in Northrend. They had been paired upon her arrival, as he refused to waste his time with the 'weak', and she did not see weakness in the warlock. Together they had killed Scourge, Vrykul, and Alliance. They eventually made their way through Venomspite, Ebon Watch, and finally battling the Lich King's forces at the stairs of Icecrown Citadel.

Mikkeh had come to the north to hone his fel magic. Power was what he yearned for, power to ensure the Forsaken would never fall. Power so he would never fall. His loyalty to his own, and the constant search to make himself stronger. Luebella admired that about him. She too yearned to become stronger, be it through her abilities as a Death Knight, or through rank and holdings, power would ensure she would last.

After the Lich King fell Luebella swore her services to the Forsaken. The Ebon Blade had no real direction after their enemy was dead, and Luebella felt the strong community the Forsaken fostered with their own kind. Mikkeh would help her rise in the Forsaken ranks quickly, and she in turn assisted him in his studies where she could. Together they grew, and so did their influence.

Luebella walked out of the tunnel of the cleft and into the sunlight beating down on Orgrimmar. The street was crowded, but a small bubble of space cleared around her as she made her way through.

It had been Mikkeh's influence that had brought Mockrabbit, and the rodent, into her care. She would have thought it a poor joke, something to try her patience, but Mikkeh would not waste her time in such ways. They had more respect for each other than that. The charge was an annoyance, and the mystery of the rabbit perplexed her, but Mikkeh noticed something in the pair that warranted them coming into her care.

The elevator came to a stop and Luebella disembarked. The zeppelin towers were crowded. Luebella would not waste her time pushing through more crowds. Yurrie and Mockrabbit would come to her. She had ordered this to Yurrie back in Undercity. She crossed her arms and then stood motionless near the elevator, in sight of the towers.