Chapter 841: The Warden from the North
"And there’s Taran," Torvald added. "That damn Pandaren drunkard, he said he’d take
to his holand for a drink. That special wine, the one with the scent of bamboo shoots... my mouth is watering just thinking about it."
Torvald readily accepted the invitation from his friends, Brontes and Steropes.
"Taran’s in a later transport group, Brother Torvald. Co wait for him at our place first," Brontes said. "After we get so food and drink in you, I’ll take you to see the tent district in the north of the city. They say there’s a perfectly preserved lord’s tent there. I’m telling you, as a giant, you should buy so property in Blackstone City. This place is the foundation of our Stoneheart Horde. It’s a legend."
When he spoke of Blackstone City, Brontes’s voice swelled with imnse pride. He and his brother had been slaves in the Thunderwood Forest, marched all the way here. They had the good fortune to rise up from the cannon fodder troops and take part in the city’s expansion. They had shed their own sweat and blood to help make Blackstone City what it was today. Now that it was a legendary city, they felt like they were part of that legend.
As the sounds of celebration grew, batch after batch of bloodline warriors erged from Moonshadow Valley, breathing new life into Blackstone City. When news of the warriors’ return spread, the city’s populace gathered outside the Horde Hall, anxiously hoping to see their own sons and husbands walk out from its gates.
Ursa, having replaced Rendall, had been appointed by Orion as Blackstone City’s new administrator. She was a conscientious leader; seeing the growing crowd outside the Horde Hall, she thoughtfully dispatched a squad of guards to maintain order.
Not long after Brontes, Steropes, and Torvald had left, the figures of Onyx and the Pandaren Taran appeared at the mouth of the passage.
"Ah, I’ve missed this cold air," Onyx said, looking up toward the eastern side of the valley. That was the territory of his obsidian golem race, a domain Orion himself had granted them. That land belonged to them—it had in the past, it did now, and it always would. The obsidian golem race was fiercely proud of their domain.
"You old drunkard, care to co sit at my place for a while?" Onyx asked Taran. "The scenery over there is one of a kind. It’s hard to even get to without a guide."
This was true. As the Stoneheart Horde had grown stronger, the races that had submitted early and proven their rit had been rewarded handsoly. The succubi, the obsidian golems, and the buffalofolk each had their own territories within Blackstone City. Such a reward was impossible to obtain in the present-day Horde, which made these founding races special, unique, and among Orion’s most fiercely loyal followers.
"The east, you say? I’ve never been!" Taran said, looking toward the eastern slopes with great interest. "Let
go find so good wine, and we can talk all night and share a few proper drinks."
Onyx nodded. Among all the newly ascended Alpha-tier experts in the Horde, the Pandaren Taran was the one whose temperant he liked best. The Pandaren were honest, but not foolish, and they lived by their own code of honor. Onyx was more than happy to befriend such a good-natured race.
After Onyx and Taran departed, Thundar’s figure erged from the passage. He greeted the mbers of his cavalry regint, then left Moonshadow Valley alone.
Once all the warriors on rotation had passed through, two final figures erged from the slowly closing passage.
"Do you have any plans?"
"I’m returning to the Northern Icefield. I prefer the climate there."
Gustalon’s mind drifted at the ntion of the na. For a very long ti, he had wandered that vast, icy plain. The perpetually frozen snow, the scarce and hardy creatures, the cold, and the scarcity—those were his impressions of the Northern Icefield.
"Back to your fiefdom?" he asked.
Lumi nodded without speaking. The territory Orion held in the north was, indeed, her domain now.
"To be honest, I want to go back to my Wind Fortress," Gustalon said. "There are flowers there, and lantern bugs, and all the strange and wonderful plants everyone has scattered across the world. But My Lord has a mission for . I have to go to Lysinthia’s city."
Gustalon’s own domain, the Wind Fortress, was in the Valkorath Realm. Compared to the Northern Icefield, he much preferred it there. No one bothered him, and that world held a being he deeply respected—a being that represented the goal he strove for.
"He said he left sothing for
in my territory," Lumi explained after Gustalon had finished his wistful recollection. "He told
to go back and see."
As elental beings, the communication between Gustalon and Lumi was simpler, more direct, free of the duplicity and cunning that plagued other races.
"Then I will leave first," Gustalon said. "When I’ve completed my mission, I will co to the icefield to see you."
Lumi nodded. Gustalon was one of her few friends. If what she felt for Orion was love, then what she had with Gustalon was friendship. As fellow elentals, they were more like siblings, and the world itself was their parent.
Gustalon nodded in return, then dissolved into a gust of wind, speeding southwest toward Mist Bay.
Lumi gazed at Blackstone City and released her lord’s aura, tinged with a bone-chilling cold.
"A lord’s aura?"
"Is My Lord back?"
"No, there’s a distinct chill in the aura... the Warden has returned!"
"It’s the Warden from the North! She has co!"
"..."
The aura vanished as quickly as it appeared. Releasing it was simply Lumi’s way of sending a signal to the people of Blackstone City: their Warden and their Lord were always watching over them.
The presence of a lord’s aura brought a sense of security, and it would intimidate any unsavory elents who might have snuck into the city, deterring them from causing any major trouble.
After sensing the state of Blackstone City, Lumi headed for the Horde Hall. She had her own bedroom in the inner keep.
"Greetings, Warden," a group of succubus maidservants said, erging to bow as she stepped into the keep.
Lumi nodded silently and walked directly to her chambers. After she had entered her room, the lead succubus spoke softly at the door.
"Warden, if you desire anything to eat, or have any other needs, your servants are waiting outside for your command."
"Mm..."
A faint sound of acknowledgent ca from within, and the succubus maids let out a collective sigh of relief. If they showed any disrespect in these matters, and Lilith found out, she would flay the skin from their backs.
In truth, Lumi did not stay in her room for long. On the third day, she left the Horde Hall and returned to the Northern Icefield.
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