1,554Chapter 4: Volume 1: Chapter 4
Lost Lion
Disclaimer! I don't own warcraft, it is the property of blizzard.
Volume 1: Chapter 4
The 'Drunken Lion's Inn' was famous among the grunts. The higher ranked officers tended to go to the famed Lakeshire Inn while nobles or rich folks enjoyed the more sophisticated 'ambience' of Red Dragon Queen Tavern. The reason why us low ranked footmen go to the Drunken Lion's Inn was for one reason only.
Cheap ale.
However, that was not all it had. The floor room of the bar space was a lot bigger than most of the taverns and inns which allowed them to fit more people. Finally, if you were inclined to stay the night with your companion, the cost was relatively cheap. However, you get what you paid for. The rooms were more compact, the soundproofing was horrendous, and the floors creaked when you stepped on it. You basically rented a room when you wanted any kind of walls to cover you from sight. It was all fun and games until you hear the company in the next room moaning out loud your good friend's name. Worse was if she was screaming two of your friends' names. However, like the military on earth for a time: don't ask, don't tell.
For me, however, none of that really mattered. The reason why I liked this inn the best was because, unlike the other posh inns, the bard group here were more free with their song selection. On my way past Lakeshire Inn and the Dragon Tavern, I could hear the music being played there were of the generic variety that was often accompanied by soft singing. In other words, a fancy high society type of song list. With the rules being lax, I was able to slowly corrupt the bard group.
I think the SI and transmigration stories into the world of Tolkien or George R. R. Martin severely underplayed the entertainment factor or rather, the lack thereof.
Now, don't get me wrong, I quite enjoyed my time here in the Warcraft universe. Unlike real medieval society as portrayed in historical fiction, high fantasy people have a high standard of living. The civilians–I refuse to call them peasants–could take baths any time they wanted and write mail if they were so inclined. They could travel safely on the roads to go on vacation and while there was no public library like on modern day earth, the local town hall acted like such. The selection was smaller the further out from the major towns you got, but it was still an available resource regardless.
I also understood why most other SI stories wouldn't miss modern day convenience. Frankly, you were forced to engage with your environment if you were poor. That engagement was entertainment, and it was fulfilling. I myself haven't had any stretch of boredom since my enlistment. There were just a lot of things that needed to be done; there simply was no time for idle hands.
I realized that–had I ended up in a lower fantasy world–the food selections that were available would not have been that great. Not true in Warcraft where the culinary art was far higher in terms of quality and sanitation. Right now, because I was in Stormwind Kingdom, I only had access to mid 1800's era British cuisine. I looked forward to traveling to Lordaeron one day; I read somewhere that Lordaeron was inspired by the French. I missed a good baguette. As for Chinese food, if I could find a certain Wandering Isle, they would probably have access to it. However, I would pass on the Night Elves' paleo diet.
The entertainment was good and the food was good. So what was my complaint? It was the music.
The thing I missed most from earth was the music. The plethora of different music. I loved it all, rap, rock, death metal, punk rock, bounce music, synth music, Chinese music, Japanese anime songs, k-pop, bollywood, arabic… The only requirement for me was if it sounded good to my ears; my taste in music has no borders. Unfortunately, being a high fantasy setting, they only had things like the vielle, harp, psaltery, flue, shawm, drums, etc.
I had resigned myself to listening to such limited music until one day, I remembered a certain Youtube channel that I had found pretty funny. Back before my reincarnation, there was a group of people who translated modern day songs to the medieval age using the instruments of the time. There was that old saying that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Well, if I couldn't listen to modern day songs, why not teach the bard groups to play some? Those YouTube videos had proven that it was possible. Those studios were free to cross the dimensional barriers and slap me with a lawsuit if they didn't like it! However, I was not a pirate and would give the artist the credit for said songs that I helped 'create'.
The bard group was skeptical at first, but Warcraft humans were very adaptable. After paying them some money to humor me, we worked out the beat and lyrics via my humming of what I could remember. Surprisingly, we actually succeeded since I was half-expecting it to fail. What more, they found that they liked the beat and since then, they had been pestering me for more.
Their 'new' songs were also a big hit bringing in large crowds to the Inn which boosted the Innkeeper profit. I was going to burn in copyright hell, but it was worth it.
Currently, what they were playing was a crowd favorite for its bawdiness by a certain Bard named 'Flow Rider'.
'Madam has thee apple barrel gown
Boots lined with fur
All the castle looketh at her
She struck thy floor
and unbeknownst"
Madam got low, low, low...'
I regret nothing.
It was a funny thing. My Company clearly enjoyed the music, but not knowing the correct dance, they just let their body move however they wanted to. Even their companions were also trying to move to match the beat. One day, if I remember the moves, I was going to teach the guys the infamous John Travolta dance, and I would definitely teach the ladies in my group the macarena.
I could only laugh into my cup of berry ale at the future thoughts before I sensed a familiar presence approaching.
"Where do you come up with these songs?" Aloman asked me as she brought a plate of meat and cheese and sat down at the bar with me.
"The Light, of course!" I answered with a faux serious expression and saw her give me a half lidded look.
"That's your excuse for everything!"
"Hey!" I pretended to look outraged. "I'll have you know that the Light wills it! I mean really, who would know better about what the Light wants? Me or you?"
I looked at her challengingly. She knew that it was bullshit. She also knew that I knew that it was bullshit. So, like a good friend, she did not rise to the bait but instead chose to smack me upside my head.
"That hurt, woman!" I pretended that her slap hurt and rubbed the spot where she struck.
"Heal yourself if it hurts." Aloman snorted as she rolled her eyes at my antics.
"Dah- aym...that's cold. I thought we were bosom buddies!" I gave her a mock look of hurt.
"It's times like these that make me doubt you're Lord Lothar's son," Aloman countered as she shook her head.
I immediately grabbed my heart and staggered on my feet as if her verbal strike hurt me physically.
"This is a betrayal most foul, Aloman," I said gravely.
"You'll live." Aloman snorted again in an unladylike manner.
"Well, looks like you are hard enough for the Brotherhood." I straightened myself and took some cheese off of her plate.
"You think so?" Aloman asked with an eager gaze.
"You're one of the toughest women I know!" And I meant it. She was one of the tallest women in our legion, standing at six foot three, and could confidently hand men who were over seven feet tall their asses.
Aloman flushed red–which was clearly not from the ale–at my compliment. I found it suited her, made her look prettier. I took a glance around at the rest of the women in my company who were here in their off duty clothes. They really wasn't an ugly one among them. I could only chalk it up to high fantasy beauty and maybe an actual rule of the genre.
"Look like you got the best of her finally, eh young Lothar?" The Barkeep, Jonas, laughed. He was an elderly man almost in his fifties from what he claimed.
Like a good barkeep, Jonas had blended into the background and didn't speak up until appropriate.
"I mean if you really wanted, I am sure young Lothar here would be more than willing to put in a good word with his father for you, right?"
The Barkeep winked at me while Aloman's mouth morphed into one of horror.
Aloman, like most Stormwind soldiers, wanted to join the kingdom's most elite fighting force, the Brotherhood of the Horse. Again, when I learned about them during my younger years, I realized that the movie never said they didn't exist so they could have been in the background for all I knew. Like in the game lore, my father led the Brotherhood. As I understand it, they were like the special forces for Stormwind. Each knight in the Brotherhood was the best of the best. They themselves numbered enough to fill a legion, but unlike a legion, they didn't stick with one another. Instead, they were scattered across the land, though mostly on the frontiers. However, the one that failed or didn't make it was put in the Stormwind Royal Guard, the secondary elite force after the Brotherhood. Unlike the Brotherhood, their job was to keep the peace in Stormwind City. They numbered three full legions. That was nine thousand peacekeepers for a city of five hundred thousand.
I was taken out of my thoughts when my friend backhand slapped my left arm.
"Do not do that, Callan!" Aloman turned to me with a panicked expression. "I want to get in on my own merits."
"I know, I know." I held up my hands in surrender. "I'm not sure my words would mean much with the old man anyway."
"Callan!" This time, she was incensed at how I addressed my father.
I turned to Jonas who was clearly enjoying the little havoc he created with a deadpan expression on my face.
"I told you many times to call me Callan; young Lothar sounds funny to me," I rebuked him lightly before I decided to broach a serious matter. My face must have shown it since he stopped.
"So any news from the frontiers?"
"Nothing but the usual pests, spiders, and trolls," Jonas answered and gave me a curious look.
"Why exactly are you looking for lad?"
"I couldn't tell you really. Just a gut feeling," I replied evasively.
It turned out that Stormwind's merchant groups traveled around the kingdom to ensure stores as far north as the Redridge Mountains could get goods from as far south as Lushland Pass. It was through the Stormwind merchants association that goods from the frontier were circulated all throughout the kingdom, allowing the frontiers to be strengthened. So I asked Jonas to ask the merchants to keep an eye out on strange happenings near the Black Morass and the Swamp of Sorrows.
"So, really nothing?" I asked again to be certain. I wanted him to be very, very sure.
"Nothing, and that information is only three weeks old," Jonas replied proudly.
Three weeks would be very old news for me if I was back on earth. Once more, I missed the information age where the slightest change in an area was almost instantly known.
"You still feeling uneasy?" Aloman asked me with concern clear in her voice. "It's been two months since that strange feeling of yours. Should we get a Cleric to look you over?"
"No!" I answered quickly and saw her doubting expression. "Umm. No. I'm fine. No cleric visit needed."
I had so much Light in me now that if any clerics were to examine me now, they would know right away, and then questions would start to be asked and certain people's attention would be on me. People I want nowhere near me at the moment. At least, not until I could get my hand on one of those fancy runeblades like Lothar's Ashkandi to give me more of a fighting chance.
I shook my head and saw Aloman and Jonas looking at me. I took out fifty silver coins and handed them to Jonas.
"Thanks for the info."
Jonas only took five silver for the drink and Aloman's plate and pushed the rest of the silver back to me.
"I told you boy, it's not something out of their way so no charge."
"Well then," I turned back to the floor room of the inn and sucked in a deep breath. "There are only forty-five silvers worth of drinks at the bar. First come, first serve!"
There was a momentary silence before the majority of the room rushed to a horrified Jonas. I grinned at the man. Man should have just taken the money as a thank you.
Aloman took her plate and cup to follow me to a nearby table which had been vacated due to free ale.
"So, is your mind at ease now?" she asked as she settled into the chair.
I thought about it for a moment and finally concluded that if the merchants didn't spot anything, they didn't spot anything.
"I guess so," I replied and saw her give me a smile. I noticed the bard group was playing something more homier again. I wanted something more upbeat now that I was feeling more at ease.
"Bard! Play–"
Whatever it was I wanted to play was interrupted by the loud ringing of the town bell, accompanied by a bunch of smaller bells.
Aloman and I locked eyes and quickly scrambled up, food and ale forgotten even as a panting runner from our legion entered the tavern and, after giving us a look, shouted loudly.
"Stormwind City is facing imminent attack! All soldiers on leave are to report back to Stonewatch Keep for further orders!"
"What happened?!" I shouted, but the messenger was already gone.
We all ran out of the inn and rushed to Stonewatch Keep, the bells never ceasing as the legion on duty were running everywhere. The town militia, what I learned was the equivalent of police, was out in full force to keep order.
Thankfully, we were in plain clothes and without armor weighing us down so we made it back to base fairly quickly. Once in the base, we made a beeline for our armory. Everyone was snapping on their armor expertly and was ready inside a minute.
"Anyone know what happened?"
"–sudden attack, complete surprise."
"–heard the 40th, 23rd and 15th legion on the way all missing–"
"–coming back after all this time?"
Priest was the last person in, but he was also the only person who did not take any leave this time. So we all looked to him, hoping he would have more information.
"Priest, you know anything?" I asked him urgently. I had a bad feeling.
Without even stopping once, Priest began to put on his armor and talk at the same time.
"Reports are sketchy at best, but the messenger I talked to said it was an army of possibly trolls or gnolls. "
I was stunned silent as a pit began to form in my stomach. However, even though I was stunned, I still listened.
"Damn Gurubashi trolls, don't we have ten legions guarding in Westfall?" someone bitterly complained.
"Word is that they didn't come from Westfall's direction." Priest finished snapping on the final piece of his armor.
"Not from there?" Aloman asked. It was the most direct path for the trolls; any other route would be incredibly long for them. I could see why that wouldn't make sense to her.
I followed them like I was ingrained to after putting my greatsword on my back, along with a bow and quiver full of arrows.
"They came from the Black Morass." And with that answer, Priest left.
Aloman shot me a wide-eyed look, but I shook my head as we made it out to the training yard. There were thousands already there, and thousands more forming up.
Once we formed up, Priest leaned in and told Aloman and I more information.
"They moved fast too, cutting right through Lushland Pass and into Sunny Glade. Killed everything in their way and crossed the river directly south of Elywnn."
"By the light..." One of the other footmen, who probably overheard, gasped. "How big are their forces?"
We saw the commander making his way out, his expression furious as a hush quietly descended.
Priest looked around and whispered lowly.
"The adjutant that was in the room when the missive was read said it was a horde of at least thirty thousands."
"But–"
Anything more anyone wanted to say was cut off as the trumpet sounded for silence. The Commander then began to talk.
However, I remained very still with my thoughts. I finally knew which Warcraft universe I was in. Even though the looks didn't quite match, there was no doubt.
I was in the WoW game universe.
"Fuck..."
TBC
AN: First of all thanks for Icura editing this with his bad self! Next thanks to all the readers, I am not sure but I think the reader response is increasing which is always nice to see. Finally, the lyric was by Dan in said youtube comment section. And yes they do know a song by the bard Fiddy Copper "In the tavern" …I regret !