Its About Elfen Time (with AlphaZero)

Lyra

Lyra

Supernova
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
The Dragonblight. It was a Light forsaken wasteland on the best days, covered in nothing but snow and ruins. This day, however, was made that much more bleak by a raging snowstorm. It seemed to come from nowhere as far as Rinnisia Raydancer, better known as Rinni to the orcs she had been living with for the past several months. Of course, she had grown up in the perpetual spring of Quel'Thalas, so she wasn't particularly well versed in such things, but this storm had even seemed to catch the Frostwolf in her unit unawares. Gathering up the furs she wore over her armor against herself, she squinted in an attempt to make out anything through the gloom. She didn't have much hope, though. She doubted that she would be able to spot anyone. She doubted anyone would be able to spot her, either, despite her distinctive shock of red hair. The short bob it was cut into was all covered by the cloak anyway. She couldn't help but curse at having gotten seperated from her patrol. It would most likely spell her doom.

The sound of massive wing beats reached her ears long before she was able to make out the vague outline of... something in the distance, a very large something. Rinni had been in the Dragonblight long enough to recognize a dragon when she saw one, even in such low visibility. They were kind of hard to mistake. Unfortunately, recognizing what kind of dragon was another matter. It only took her a second to weigh the options. If she didn't seek out the dragon, she would most likely freeze to death. If she did, it would either result in a quick fiery death at the hands of a black, Light knows what if it was a blue, and possible salvation if it was some other kind.

The decision was easy. She would take her chances with the wyrm. Luckily, it seemed to be touching down for a landing nearby. As quickly as she could manage in the snow, she began trudging in that direction. It took some time, but she managed it. Unfortunately, what greeted her was less than a pleasant sight. The dragon was still there, crouched down as if ready to spring. Circling from above, however, were three slightly smaller forms. Drakes, the elf noted warily. Apparently, it was the beginning of a skirmish, and she had walked straight into it. She was so focused on the tableau before her that she almost missed the shapes passing on her flanks toward the center of the emerging conflict. Next to her, they were massive, but compared to the great and lesser wyrms they were heading to engage, they were not very impressive. Dragon kin, she assumed.

It was obvious, fairly quickly, that the small shadows were moving against the greatest one, not to support it. An ambush, then, and it was meant to capture judging from the lines the dragonkin were tossing over it. The dragon struggled against its bonds, sending several of the dark forms flying in various directions. There were too many though, and the great one's only viable escape.route was being cut off by the drakes. With one last roar of desperation, it seemed to explode in a ball of golden light that rushed forward like a tidal wave, treating up the forest as it went. Rinnisia only had the to let out a startled scream before it slammed into her like a sledge hammer. Then, everything went dark.

It was sometime before she regained consciousness and even then it was fleeting. As the world faded to black, she couldn't help but wonder at how the day had cleared up so quickly.
 
Karith Dune crouched low, peering through spyglass towards the ruin ahead. They had been receiving reports of Horde stranglers in the area in recent weeks. Their numbers had been dwindling since the destruction of the portal, many of the Orc and their allies having gone into hiding, striking out at Alliance supply convoys and civilian travelers alike. And thus the small scouting party he commanded was sent out into the mountains in search of these raiders. After three weeks in the mountains and his twelve man scouting party had encountered only a few clusters of Syndicate forces that the alliance scouts dealt with swiftly enough.

With a sigh of irritation he shoved the spyglass back into the satachal bag hanging from his shoulder and, with a surprising amount of agility for a human, quickly descended to the base of the cliff he had been seated upon to where his men had made camp. There where a dozen in all, men and women culled from the races of the Alliance. His second in command, an elf woman named Vereesa approached, handing him a skin of water before asking if he had spied in trace of their foe. Karith whipped at his mouth with the back of one gloved hand, relaying to her that he had found nothing atop the cliffs but a cluster of ruins to the east before handing her back the skin and pulling up his hood when he felt her eyes on the crescent moon scar that started near his left eye and ended at the corner of his mouth, before he moved to join several of his men around the fire as they carved blackened meat from a fresh killed deer.

From nowhere a great crash sounded, echoing through the mountains followed by a brilliant flash that left Karith temporarily blinded. By the time he had managed to blink his vision back he troops where already tearing down the camp, smoothing the fires in snow and hastily stowing things away in bags.

Wile it would be near impossible for the untrained ear to tell which direction that sound had come from, he was certain it had come from the west. And with great speed he snatched up his quiver and bow, pausing only to ensure that his sword belt was infact secure before leading his troop off to investigate whatever they had just heard.
 
Garrem Irontoe held up a hand to call his hunting party to a silent halt. It hadn't really been necessary, fools tended not to last long among the Frostwolves after all, and charging out into the clearing ahead of them without taking stock of the situation first would have been foolish indeed. Still, it wasn't worth taking chances. With another hand motion, he beckoned over another orc.

"Karn, I'm going to take Dartak and Belgoth out to investigate. I want you to have the rest take up covering positions in case we need to withdraw quickly. Whatever made that bright flash could still be a threat," he explained in a sift whisper. Then, glancing at the two orcs he had named, he nodded towards a sought depression in the snow before checking the axe tucked into his belt. As he began to slowly and quietly make his way forward, quite impressive in snow cover such as this, he expertly drew and nocked an arrow, keeping the head pointed to the ground allowing him to draw and aim the bow quickly should the need arise. Dartak and Belgoth followed suit, mirroring his actions in almost perfect sync.

When they finally made it to their destination, Garrem's eyes narrowed in confusion. He'd only seen a couple of elves in his life, but there was no mistake that he was seeing one now. She was obviously a young one too, looking scarcely old enough to be wearing such armor as she was. From what was visible beneath the furs, the armor looked finely crafted as well. It was a bit embellished, however, gold and red with what appeared to be an open book on each shoulder with swords resting atop them. He also thought it was odd that, instead of greaves, her legs were covered in what appeared to be a skirt that had strips of metal sown into them. His first thought was that the armor was ornamental, but then he recalled that the human warriors known as paladins often wore such things into battle. He also noted a large golden shield strapped to her back and a matching hammer slung at her waist. Signalling for his two companions to take up positions on either side, he leaned down to check on the elf, setting his bow carefully aside. She was still breathing but she was a bit pale and her lips appeared to be turning an unhealthy shade of blue. She stirred a bit, shivering against the cold, as he moved her furs aside to check for injuries. He didn't find any, but what he did find gave him pause. Across her chest was , unmistakably, the Horde insignia. Of course, the tabard was of a much finer craftsmanship than he had ever seen on an orc, especially since orcs didnt really wear tabards that often. Only a few of the higher ups in the Horde had adopted the practice from the humans, the chieftans and such.

Garrem gave a meaningful glance at his nearby subordinates after replacing the furs. Reaching again for his bow, he slung it over his shoulder before storing the arrow in his quiver. Wordlessly, he began to gather the elf up in his now free arms.
 
The scouts moved through the underbrush, swiftly, silent and invisible amid the ancient trees. At the edge of the clearing Karith raised a balled fist, signaling the unit to hault.

Blue eyes, cold and clear as the winter sky watched as a handful of Orcs crept forwards, advancing on body laying in the midst on the clearing ahead of them. There where more just beyond the far edge of the clearing, but he was unsure of their numbers.
He slipped back to where his troops waited and in a hurried whisper handed down his orders.

"Garret,take Minz around the left side and position yourselves so that you've got a good field of fire. Hawk, you'll come with me and we'll do the same.". His attention turned to his second in command, "Veeresa,take the rest of the unit around to the far side of the clearing and take the Orcs from behind and try to drive them out into the clearing. We should be able to catch them in a cross fire easy enough. Any stranglers, put them to the sword."

Each of his troops nodded in agreement and set about their business. Karith found himself a decent vantage point on his side of clearing and pulled a dozen arrows from his quiver, planting them head down in snow for easy access. He nocked an arrow and gently brushed at the fletching with one gloved finger.

As he watched one of the Orcs stooped over the body for several seconds before lifting it over one should, giving the ranger a glimpse of unmistakeable pointed ears of an elf. His plan had to adapt and quickly. The horde was making off with an Alliance solider and there was no time to loose.

He drew back his bow string to his ear, gauging the distance and wind before adjusting his aim. There was a twang as he released the string, another arrow nocked into place before the other had a chance to find its mark.
 
Garrem stumbled as the arrow bit into his exposed shoulder. A surprised grunt through gritted teeth was the only sound he made as he dropped to one knee, losing his grip on the elf as he did. It was enough to alert the other two orcs though, and they immediately drew their bows and took up defensive positions around their leader, searching for targets. Garrem was only a second behind them, snatching his axe from his belt.

The jolt from being dropped did wonders to rouse Rinnisia from unconsciousness. She sat up, head swimming as she did, but she quickly got it under control after taking stock of the situation. Three orcs, standing in a tight circle with their backs turned inward towards her, one of them with an arrow sticking out his shoulder, immediately let her know something was wrong. She struggled to a kneeling position and began to fumble drunkenly with the line securing her shield to her back. Somehow, she managed to get it lose and she slipped her arm into the leather straps on the back before unslinging her mace and staggering to her feet. "What's going on?" she asked in fluent, though slightly accented, Orcish as she moved to join their defensive posture. Her voice sounded disturbingly weak to her ears, but it was enough to earn three surprised, but very brief glances.

"We found you here in the clearing, out cold, and we were about to take you back to our camp when we were attacked," Garrem explained curtly. "I'm guessing it's humans. Nothing else out here would be using bows."

Rinnisia simply nodded at the explanation, a grim look of determination settling onto her features. "We need to make it to the trees. We're too exposed out here," she began. "They've probably already moved to surround us, though. We'll have to carve out a position just inside the treeline as quickly as we can."

"No need," Garrem replied. "We have four of our brothers holding a position to the northeast. If we can make it to them, we can make a stand there. The attack came from the west. You should cover that direction since you have a shield."

Rinnisia nodded at that, feeling a little relief at the one bit of good news. The four began to move as quickly as they could without breaking their impromptu formation, the circle promptly rotating to put Rinni's shield between them and the source of the attack. Thankfully, they made it to where the other four orcs were holed up taking cover behind trees. They all shot Rinni confused and wary looks before looking to Garrem. He shook his head almost imperceptibly and they went back to watching the woods for movement, trusting his judgement in the matter.
 
Karith moved quickly, tugging his arrows from the ground and slipping them through his belt before breaking into run, sticking to the brush as to remain hidden from sight. The situation was different then he thought and he cursed himself under his breath for acting to rashly. He had assumed to elf was Alliance but now that he had a better look it was clear she wasn't. He clapped Hawk on the shoulder as he passed, the younger man taking the signal from his Captain to move fell into step behind him.

Ahead Veeresa's party crept towards the Orcs, daggers and bows at the ready to dispatch the rear guard troops. Slowly but surely they moved on wards. The first Orc fell without so much as a word, the twang of Veeresa's bowstring the last sound he heard before an arrow pierced the back of his skull.

Ahead Karith and Hawk dropped into cover behind a fallen log, the scared captain peering over the top of it as he assessed the situation. He caught site of one of the rear guard drop, and a glimpse of Veeresa as he tugged the arrow loose from him as he sprinted silently past the body. There was a tight band around the one who had taken the arrow, and he assumed that one had to be the leader, and the elf woman seemed to be sticking close to him. A hail of arrows launched from behind the Orcs, giving Karith an opening to do something stupid. He tossed his bow aside and leapt from behind the log, drawing his sword as he did and charged headlong towards the small cluster around the leader, throwing all his weight into the elf woman's shield.
 
Garrem bellowed in rage as he watched Tarkuk die, an orc that he had watched grow up. He didn't lose his head though, remaining in control. "They have us surrounded and outnumbered," he reported loudly. The situation didn't look good at all. Thankfully, the rest of the hunting party was just as collected, quickly repositioning themselves to put trees between them and the group advancing from the rear.

Upon hearing the warning, Rinnisia immediately began to reach out mentally for the Light. It coalesced at her feet flowing upward all around her until it formed a golden glyph above her head. It only lasted a second before it dissipated, but afterward, her mace seemed to glow with a slight halo of light.

Her jaw tightened as she watched two humans advancing toward her. "Tell your orcs to focus their fire in one place along their line, at one end of their formation. Try to punch through and make a break for it," she instructed, voice still waivering. "I'll hold them off as long as I can."

Garrem could only nod solemnly, before relaying the instructions. Two arrows fired, finding their mark in an unlucky human's chest, while the rest were used to keep any of the other Alliance from moving to intercept. At once, they took off in a sprint through the opening.

Before the first orcish arrow was fired, however, one of the humans was already charging Rinnisia. As she stumbled backwards from the impact, barely managing to stay on her feet, light seemed to gather across the face of her shield. She slung it forward, and the light lept off in a solid wall of blunt force that dissipated after a couple of feet. It didn't hit anything though, only buying her some seconds before the human could close the distance again and allowing her step back a few steps. The second she was sure the orcs were clear, she gathered up the light once more before pushing it out of her feet. Travelling out in every direction for several feet in the form of a golden cloud, it left glowing lines of crisscrossing energy in its wake. Taking a deep breath to steady her breath she let out a loud cry. "Lok'tar ogar!" she shouted at the top of her lungs before smacking her mace against her shield in challenge.
 
Karith staggered several steps backwards from whatever magical assault had been launched by elf woman. He took a moment to risk a glance back, seeing Hawk rushing towards the fallen Miz who had two arrow embedded in his chest.

With his free hand the ranger reached for clasp of his cloak, undoing it and letting it fall to the ground. The armor he wore under was simple, leather and chain in simple drab colors of dark greens and browns that would allow for camouflage. Save for the Alliance crest that had been the clasp of his cloak nothing of his allegiance was visible upon his person.

Both hands grasped the hilt of his long sword and he returned his attention to his opponent, bringing the weapon to level he narrowed his eyes at her and spoke, but not in the common tongue, instead in a slightly broken form of Orc, "If you surrender now, I'll be sure the tribunal goes easy and doesn't have you exicutied."

Veersa gave a shout to the remaining scouts, ushering them deeper into the brush in pursuit of the Orcs, leaving her captian to deal with this odd triator who had fallen in with the horde.
 
Rinni's vision was swimming in and out of focus as the human began speaking. It was a little hard for her to follow his words, but she got the gist of it. Casting a meaningful glance over her shoulder at the rapidly cooling body of the orc several feet away, she turned back to him resolutely. "Are you going to offer me the same surrender you did to him, then?" she asked, her voice sounding sorrowful. "It would be easy to convince a tribunal not to execute someone if they're already dead, after all. A knife to the back is a wonderful shortcut through beauracracy," she spat venomously. "No, I stand by my words, human. Victory or Death."

As the energy on the ground faded, she once again began gathering more, this time causing her hammer to glow like a mini sun. She brought the hammer down in an overhand strike through the air but the energy surrounding it flew forward as if she had thrown it. It even retained the shape of the hammer. Unfortunately, the effort proved a bit too much and she stumbled mid throw, the strain of channeling that much energy in her weakened state causing her to fall unconscious.
 
Dodging a blow like the one sent hurdeling his way was like trying dodge raindrops, a novel idea but ultimately a pointless gesture. All Karith was able to do was plant his feet, raise his sword in defense and take the hit full on. And pray that he'd be able to walk away from it.

The light hammer struck him square on, his sword taking the brunt of the attack and the blade shattering from the force of the impact. Karith himself was launched backwards through a snowdrift before slamming forcefully into a tree. He tasted blood in his mouth as he staggered back to his feet, letting the broken hilt of his sword fall from his fingers as he dragged himself back towards the enemy.

He found her much as she had been in the clearing, unconscious in the snow. He retrieved his satchel from where he had dropped it with his cloak before wrestling her weapons from her and using his spare bowstring to tightly bind her hands.

With some effort he dragged her out into the clearing before building a fire and with some luck killing a pair of rabits that he set about roasting over the fire. Dusk came and night setteled across the montians and his unit had yet to return.
 
A soft groan heralded Rinni's return to consciousness as her face scrunched up in displeasure. Head pounding, just the thought of opening her eyes made her wince in pain. Even with her eyelids closed tightly, it wasn't sufficient protection from the light that was her present enemy but, when she tried to bring her arm up to drape it across her face, she found that something was holding it in place. From the tug she felt on the other arm, the young elf had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what it was. A quick probe withe her still glove clad fingers confirmed that her hands were, indeed, bound behind her back.

Taking several moments to steel herself for the monumental task of opening her eyes, Rinnisia let the warmth that the light produced sink into her exposed face. Finally, she cocked one eye open to take stock of her surroundings. The first sight that greeted her was a softly crackling campfire with two small rabbits roasting over it. From her current position, that was about all she could see, though, as it filled her vision and obscured everything behind it. Struggling to sit up without the use if her hands, she nonetheless managed it after a few moments. Squinting, partially to see past the fire and partially to protect her eyes from it unusually harsh light, she scanned the immediate vicinity. She certainly wasn't looking her best, though she wasn't really conscious enough to realize it, let alone care. Her hair was in disarray, some strands falling down into her face while others flopped over and stuck out at odd angles, hers was the very picture of bed head.

She slowly began to smack her lips in an attempt to work some spit into her mouth when her eyes fell on the human she had been fighting before. He looked a little worse for wear than he had during their fight, she noted, hoping that it was her attack that was responsible and that it had hurt. She couldn't help but scowl at him, though, despite that pleasant thought.

"So, going to take me to take me to your Alliance masters instead putting a knife in my back, after all? I suppose that makes sense. Wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to get a pat on the head and a shiny new metal for bringing in a Sin'dorei prisoner," she said, using the Thalassian name for her people in a noticeably hoarse voice. "Well, I hope you choke on your little victory feast."
 
The weapons had been left to one side of the fire, outside of easy reach, the hammer and shield along with Karith's bow and quiver.

"Can't say I know what a Sin'dorei is, but the Alliance already had their victory feast. After the Dark Portal fell and Doomhammer taken in chains, they feasted for three days. Depending on who you ask, Bronzebeard still hasn't sobered up. But I didn't get invited."

The light of the fire cast shadows across his weather beaten face, as he turned to face her, the crescent moon scar cutting a path through three week beard he sported. He slowly turned the wood spites that he had run through the rabbits, allowing them to cook through more evenly, "If I untie you so you can eat, do you give me your word you won't start problems?"
 
Rinni was mostly able to keep her face impassive during the man's response. Her eyes were the only thing that gave away her confusion, eyebrows knitting together ever so slightly as she tried to puzzle out what the hell he was going on about. That he didn't recognize the Thallasian term wasn't surprising. Many non elves struggled with her native tongue. That fact had led to her nickname among the orcs, after all.

No, the confusion came from the references to Doomhammer and the Dark Portal. They were just so... outdated. The former Warchief had been dead for almost forty years now. The only conclusion she could come to was that he was clinging to victories long past because the Alliance could claim so few of any significance in the present. It struck her as quite pathetic really.

That thought was pushed aside at the mention of food, though. The smell of it had already been causing her some distress but, when she conisdered the possibility of actually eating it, her stomach immediately gave protest, causing her already pale skin to blanch further. She had to suppress a sudden urge to throw up.

Closing her eyes to help focus through the spike of nausea, she replied, " I'm not hungry," in a curt tone. She knew she should probably try to eat something, but she couldn't muster up the will. Besides, she wasn't particularly thrilled with the company.
 
"Your choice." he responded, plucking one of the rabbits from the fire and drawing his knife from benith his heavy wool cloak and cut off a chunk of meat, "We've got a three day hike to the nearest Alliance outpost, and the idea of carrying you doesn't exactly appeal to me."

A series of whistled notes cut through the still night air, drawing the attention of the ranger away from his captive and he whistled a response of his own. It was an old Ranger trick, a call with a counter call to indicate safety. After several moments Vereersa emerged from the wood along with the remaining members of the unit, "Captain, someone should be sent to deal with Miz before...." she trailed off when she caught site of the captive. Her eyes remained locked prisoner as she continued to speak to Karith, "You managed to capture the trator?"

He gave a slow now, "Wouldn't say I captured her really. She passed out before the fight barely started. Its odd though, she fights like a Paladin. Once we reach the outpost I plan on sending word to Uther, see if he knows of one switching sides."

The elf narrowed her eyes at the prisoner, a hand reaching for the knife on her belt, "We should just execute her now and save time."

In an instant Karith was between them, the ranger captain stood a full head taller then his second and he glared down at her with those cold eyes, "You know my rules about prisoners. When you have your own command you can execute whoever you want when ever you want. But in the here and now you are under my command and you will follow my orders. Is that clear RANGER Windrunner?"

Silence hung over the clearing, as if the whole world was holding it's breath, waiting to see what would happen next. Vereesa's eyes darted back and forth between her commander and the prisoner, her enemy, then slowly her fingers released the hilt of her knife and she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, "Yes Captain..."

"Good, now take Hawk, see to Miz, I'm worried the wolves may have already been at him. As for the rest of you..." He turned his attention towards the rest of the gathered unit, "bite some jerky and bed down for the night. We leave at first light. I'll take the first watch, Garret, I'll wake you when its time to change."

The brawny ranger nodded in understanding and the group broke, Vereesa stealing one last venomous glance back before vanishing into the woods along side the youngest of the rangers.
 
Rinni found herself glaring at the other elf. The blonde had some nerve calling her a traitor when the bitch had obviously chosen the humans over her own people, even after they had abandoned the Silvermoon forces to their fate following Arthas's attack. The glare only intensified as the woman continued to speak, right up until she heard what the human called the woman. Windrunner. The name was, of course, familiar to her. A famous lineage of rangers, all of which had met tragic fates but one.

The only Windrunner she knew that was still alive, well fully alive anyway, was Vereesa, but that made no sense. Why would the leader of the Silver Covenant submit herself to an Alliance command? The Silver Covenant did tend to support the Alliance, but its allegiance was to the Kirin Tor who were strictly neutral. She doubted the woman would betray her own husband so blatantly, certainly not for such a lowly posting.

Speculation ran rampant in Rinnisia's mind but, no matter how she looked at it, it just didn't make sense. She couldn't help biting her bottom lip as she puzzled it out, but no answer came to her. Finally, she gave up trying. Waiting until the ranger captain had finished dispensing his orders, she visibly struggled with herself over whether or not she should ask him. Finally, her curiosity got the better of her. "Did something happen in Dalaran?" she asked softly, hesitantly.
 
He knelt down next to her, watching her face, trying to read her reactions. He brought his water skin to his lips and drank deeply, internally stalling, both to see what she did and to try and choose the right words to answer her question.

Was Dalaran in danger?

Had she been helping the Horde plan some attack against the city and was trying to determine if it had been a success?

Or maybe this was some kind of subtle threat. Trying to imply that if she was not released the Horde would decend upon Dalaran and burn it to the ground.

He offered the water skin to her, she sounded horse and the water may do her some good.

"Dalaran is safe,"he replied slowly, watching her face for anything that may betray her feelings, "the Kirin Tor still rule and the mages are still....well...mages. Other then a few minor scraps with Horde remains everything is just fine."
 
Rinnisia's initial reaction was one of obvious relief. She had met several Sunreavers during her time in Northrend and it would have saddened her if the city had somehow fallen to the Scourge, not to mention the tactical implications. The man's follow up comment caused her more than a little bit of confusion, though, right up until she jumped to exactly the wrong conclusion. Treachery.

In her mind, the "Horde remains" could only refer to Sunreaver forces within the city. Forces that the Kirin Tor and The Silver Covenenat would have found easy pickings if they were caught unawares after a successful infiltration.

Normally, Rinnisia wouldn't have been so quick to form a conclusion with so little information but, circumstances being what they were, she was exhausted and predisposed to thinking the worst of her current hosts. After all, the little skirmish that had led to her capture looked to be nothing more than an unprovoked ambush on the part of the Alliance from her perspective, despite the fact that there was an unspoken truce between the Kor'kron out post at Angra'thar and their Alliance counterpart on the other side of the pass.

So, it was little wonder that her final reaction was sorrow. Even at the very gates of death itself, it seemed, the two forces couldn't escape the sins of the past. "I hope you're satisfied," she replied simply, sounding melancholy. Not finding the words to express herself further, she turned away from the man and his offer of water to stare sadly into the fire.
 
Her response had not been what he had expected. Once she turned her back to him he waited for several moments to see if any thing else would be said on the matter. When she said nothing more he pushed himself to his feet, dusting the snow from his knees before he walked away, leaving the water skin where it lay.

He cycled the clearing slowly only really half aware of what was going on around him as he tried to piece together what the best corse of action would be.

By the time he gave the toe of his boot Garret shortly after midnight the decision had been made to head towards Dalaran. He still couldn't put aside his suspensions that something was a miss. The city would also add more security for their prisoner and bringing people in for the tribunal would be easier.

He wrapped himself in the warmth of his cloak and nodded off into a light doze. Karith never slept heavily, he had learned long ago that a sound nights sleep could often be dangerous.

As dawn broke the ranger captain was already awake, inspecting the sword that had been taken of the dead Miz to replace his own damaged one before going about waking his troops, and the prisoner for the long trek ahead.
 
Rinnisia started awake and promptly gave a miserable groan. While her head felt marginally better, sleeping in plate armor in the middle of a field left her body stiff and sore. She was sure the prior day's exertion had a little bit to do with it as well but, whatever the cause, she awoke hungry, tired, and in low spirits. She was determined, however, not to show any signs of weakness or defeat to her captors, and she quickly got to her feet and prepared for the forced march to... wherever.

Recalling the Rangers words from the day before, she knew they would be marching for at least three days and she didn't relish the thought. She was really regretting her refusal of food and water the day before, but it probably wouldn't have helped much anyway, considering how nauseous she had been at the time.That didn't change the fact that she was parched and hungry now, though. Her pride, however, wouldn't let her request food or water of her captors. She would just have to tough it out until the first rest stop and hope they offered her some trail rations. So resolved, she adopted as stoic an expression as she could muster, hoping that she looked more regal and composed than she felt.

The group set out soon after. Rinnisia hadn't really had a chance to gain her bearings since being caught in the storm, but it appeared they were headed west. That would be in the general direction of Warsong Hold, she noted, but somehow she doubted they would be turning her over to the Horde forces there. No, Valiance Keep would be their destination it seemed.

By noon the next day, Rinnisia began to realize that something was wrong. A day and a half, and they had yet to come across anything the blood elf recognized. The terrain was much too mountainous for the Dragonblight, she thought. Her growing suspicions were confirmed as the ground began to transition from snowy white to a green carpet of grass while the air gradually lose its chilly bite. She could feel her pulse quicken as the realization struck her. She wasn't in Northrend any more. There was no other explanation for it. Well, unless she had gone mad. The humans didn't seem to notice, anything amiss though, which meant they had probably hadn't been misplaced by whatever force, magic she assumed, had teleported her here.

As the third day of the journey began , Rinnisia still hadn't ascertained her location. She listened to the men's conversations, but it was all merely idle chatter. Wherever they were, it was fairly flat, with only gently rolling hills and a lake visible to the north. Eventually, though, a city came into view as they topped a hill, and the sight of it stopped her in her tracks. A quick and none to gentle prod from one of her 'escorts' got her moving again in short order, but she barely noticed it. She recognized the city of course, despite the fact that it wasn't floating like it had been the last time she had visited. Still, it was unmistakably the wizard city of Dalaran. "I thought you said nothing happened to it," the blood elf girl said accusingly as she shot the ranger captain a suspicious glare.
 
Karith had run his unit hard over the last few days, waking at dawn and marching until well after the sun had set. The first night he had gone about rebinding the prisoners hands so that they where no longer behind her, allowing her the use of her hands to eat. Trying to hand feed her wile they where walking would have been difficult.

As they topped the hell he came to stop next to the elf prisoner, digging into his pack and producing a slab of salted beef, which he handed to her before producing his spy glass and turning it towards the city. All looked safe, no signs of battle, not bodies. He caught site of riders on the road, armored knights flying the banner of Lordaeron. Wile not something that we be considered normal Karith hardly considered it suspicious.

He returned his spyglass to his pack and shifted the heavy load on his back, the hammer and shield they had taken from her, before drawing another hunk of cured beef from his pack, "Nothing has happened far as I can tell" he said before taking a bite of the meat, "all looks safe and sound and knights of Lordareon are even visiting for some reason. What, where you expecting to find the city floating or something?"
 
Rinnisia took the piece of meat with both hands by necessity, but she just held it for the moment, too concerned with the state of the city before them to eat. She couldn't help but fidget while he inspected it through his glass, though he only took a few seconds. She was growing more anxious by the second as possibilities ran through her mind. Had the Sunreavers been able to strike back in the end? Had it required Kirin Tor been forced to return the city to the ground for emergency repairs? All those thought were derailed, however, when the ranger spoke.

As soon as the man mentioned Knights from Lordaeron, the elf woman turned to look at him as if he had grown a second head. Her eyes, then, quickly flashed to the clasp on his cloak, which she had originally taken as a memorial to the fallen kingdom, before turning to search the road ahead of them for the riders. She spotted them quickly enough but, without a glass, they were all but specks in the distance. Still, it was easy enough to make out that they weren't Forsaken, not that she really expected them to be at this point. Her earlier sinking feeling now began to worsen. Something was definitely not right.

It wasn't long before her head snapped back towards her captor, seeking desperately for some kind of answer. "Who do you owe your allegiance to, human? Who is your King?" she asked hurriedly, though she almost dreaded the answer. A dragon attack that produced light the color of bronze, Dalaran sitting in a green field near a massive lake and Mountain range, Knights of Lordaeron. It was all starting to make a twisted form of sense.
 
Karith furrowed his brow in confusion at her question, chewing his jerky thoroughly before answering her slowly, "Terenas Menethil the second, his son Arthus, for better or worse, will succeed him once he pases." He narrowed his eyes, trying to read her now, trying to make sense of this strange woman.

Had she lost track of time wile she had been living amid the horde?

Was he sense of reality somehow warped?

He continued to watch her, tugging another chunk of meat loose between his teeth, the other rangers passing by the two as they continued down the hill towards the road. Vereesa was bringing up the rear of the group, stopping not far from where the Captain and the prisoner had stopped, fixing the other elf woman with the same venomous stare she had given her over the last few days.

Karith glanced between the two, catching the prisoner lightly by the arm the tugged her down towards the road, "lets go."
 
Rinni's eyes widened in horror as the man spoke, confirming her fears. It was almost as if the world around her stilled suddenly and all of her focus was on him. She didn't even spare Vereesa a glance. She was simply oblivious to her entire existence in that moment. She was pulled out of her shock slightly by the man's sudden tug on her arm though.

She stumbled slightly, but managed not to fall, as they made their way down the hill towards the riders. Her mind was whirling with thoughts. If she had been sent back in time, how far? What had and hadn't happened already? Would she be able to get back to her own time?

By the time they reached the bottom of the hill, Rinnisia was able to see the riders a little better. They were apparently riding at a fair clip from what she could tell, though she couldn't imagine why. She noted that they were flying Lordaeron's banner, as her captor had said, but they were flying another as well. It would be the banner of the highest ranking member present in the area, she knew, but she didn't recognize it. Not surprising, really. She had been to young to remember such things before Lordaeron's fall.

As the riders drew up to them, reining in their horses, she noted that their commander was young. Still adolescent, actually, with long blonde hair and a smooth, almost pretty, face and an eager smile. "Well met," he greeted Karith in a friendly manner. "I hope you don't mind the royal welcome. The wizards spotted you coming through their sentry wards, and I was curious what might bring a scouting party to Dalaran," the boy quipped in a confident and charismatic manner. Then, with a meaningful glance over to the elf woman who had been bound at the wrists, he added, "And this looks like it will be much more interesting than those stuffy old men."
 
Karith pushed to the front of the group, keeping himself between the riders and his men, looking up at the one who had spoken.

Benith the thick scruff of his beard his mouth turned downwards into a scowl as he registered who he was looking up at. When he spoke there was a formality behind his words, masking his true feelings towards the boy he spoke to, "I wasn't aware a small ranging party was worthy of having you come out to meet them personally Prince Arhtus." he replied, moving to make the slightest of bows before prince of Lordaeron.

"We've been up the high mountains some three weeks now hunting a group of Orcs who'd been causing problems for traders and supply caravans in the area. We encountered them some three, four days back and dealt with them," he jerked his head towards the prisoner, "She was with them, traitor to the Alliance by the looks of it so we brought her in for a trail. I was hoping to send word to Lord Uthor to see if he knows anything of her. My rangers could use a good meal and someplace to rest if that's at all possible your highness."
 
"I take it you've never spent a week in the company of the old men who run this city. At this point, anything is worth my attention, Captain," Arthas joked wryly, and Rinni blanched as she realized who she was standing before. The future Lich King himself was within arms reach. Could she... could she prevent the tragedies of the years ahead?

Physically, it was doable. She was sure she could get to the boy and pull him down off his horse before he captors realized what she was doing. She would die immediately afterwards, of course, but she was OK with that. What bothered her was the moral dilemna. Here, he was still a boy and relatively innocent. Could she hold him responsible for things he hadn't done, yet?

A moment later, her thoughts were derailed by Karith voicing her charges aloud to the young prince. "I can't be a traitor to the Alliance," she blurted out angrily, without thinking, drawing the attention of everyone in the field. Realizing her mistake, she bit her lip uncertainly. "I mean, I was never a part of the Alliance," she reluctantly explained, her voice suddenly small.
 
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