Morning came quickly, and as promised, they moved at first light. And as promised, they moved fast. Alexei expected that, what he didn't expect was the turn north instead of south, and he didn't expect to follow the Prophet forward.
"North?" Ranith asked under her breath, and he glanced in her direction. She had chosen to drop the robes again, going back to the same brown and black she had traveled Zangarmarsh in. Laretos had made no comment either for or against her decision, but Alexei could feel his new commander's complete relief. The white and blue robes of an Aldor priest were unmistakable, and a favored targeting point of the enemy. There were so many vindicators in the company that Alexei's shining mail made him merely yet another in the group, and was safe, but they traveled with so few priests…
"North." He agreed slowly. Shattrath and the other toeholds they had managed to retain control of rested to their south, across the marsh. It had been a long time since they'd had any presence north… He was suddenly very happy to be traveling with one of their few priests, virgin… target… it didn't matter. So many had died in the north… Facts stated that it swarmed with the enemy, and rumors whispered that it swarmed with their own restless dead. Alexei had faced down the enemy before, and they died…. But those that didn't stay dead? He'd been trained to handle them, yes. But the idea unnerved him; he wanted to kill the enemy. That he was comfortable with.
"Stay to the middle of the unit." Laretos' second, Eudolia, snapped when he drew up with her, and he fell back. Ranith had not followed him up, and he grimaced. Combat priests maintained the safest position, the middle, of any unit, and now that he had apparently been volunteered to keep her safe, that was his position. "We must be going through the caves… it's the only way north."
Again, north, the ground held in force by the enemy, forsaken by the draenei when they had been unable to hold it. Alexei nodded to himself, feeling calm descend. He was committed. The time for doubt was over. The best of his people was on the move again, following the Prophet, and headed deep into their enemy's grasp.
Had there ever been a time when Ranith hadn't been walking? Just one hoof in front of the other, too tired to swing her tail, hot, thirsty… blinded by the sun on baked dust, the only touchstone of reality the thick tail of the vindicator in front of her… which had halted… she stumbled, held upright by Alexei when he grabbed her. "Shhhh." He hissed, and pointed…up. "Gronn."
Gronn were one of those things, like man'ari and dragons, which Ranith knew existed. Of course there were gronn. Of course there were man'ari, why else did they run? And dragons, yes. They were said to be huge, as tall as the gates of Shattrath… how silly was that? Now that statement didn't seem quite as silly as it had…
"Will we have to take it?" Alexei asked calmly, and Ranith's heart skipped a beat. Take that? The damn thing was as tall as an orcish watchtower…. Mottled in the same dark brown and black as she wore, hunched and meandering, but definitely meandering in their direction…. Its knuckles barely skimming the ground as it moved.
"Yes." Laretos stated in the same calm. "Before it sees the lead element… We can't let it charge."
And the Prophet riding with the lead element. Ranith swallowed down dust and stared at the gronn, trying to encompass it as a target. "Go!" he yelled, a call taken up by dozens of other strike team commanders. The gronn paused, twisting as it scanned the ground for the source of the noise. They were about as bright as an average ogre, which was to say not very, but were far above mere animal intellect.
Rifle reports shattered the air, and Ranith began casting. First cast, divine shield on the charging Alexei. If he was the one given the onerous duty of keeping her safe, he should receive the bounty of her attention. That would leave him untouched for a little while, not long… but it should survive his first contact. Now… She narrowed her eyes at the target… time to inflict a whole lot of pain, which was what she was best at.
