Jek and his cohorts were walking along the main street of Stormwind. To the side, they could see the memorial for their fallen king, but no sentiment appeared to stir in them. Their polished armor reflected the sun and created spots of bright light dancing along the stone path around them. Jek had a slightly smug look on his face as he watched the crowds of civilians parting as they passed.
“Jek! Hey Jek! Wait up!”
The warrior and his fellows stopped and turned to look back down the path at the man who was running up to them.
“Something important?” Jek asked as the man came to a stop in front of them.
“You’ll never guess who I just saw.”
“Okay, I give up, who?” Jek asked, rolling his eyes.
“Down by the docks. It was Larethian.”
“Larethian. You’re sure?”
“Pretty sure. He was wearing some sort of disguise but I saw him getting off one of the boats.”
“Disguise?”
“Yeah. He had these brown robes. Even had this weird mask.”
“Mask. But you saw him?”
“Yeah, he wasn’t wearing it when he got off the boat. Put it on when he got on the dock.”
“But you’re sure it was him.” Jek stared intently at his friend.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Well pretty sure.”
“Guess we should go visit with our dear friend,” Jek said with a grin. His friends chuckled as they started walking towards the docks.
——
Banagan adjusted his mask as he stood on the docks of Stormwind. Not only would this help conceal his identity to anyone in the capital who might recognize him, but it also helped to hide his disappointment. His time in the Dragon Isles had shown him a lot, but had brought him no closer to finding a way to restore his own timeline. He adjusted his spell dagger on his belt and slowly made his way towards the city.
The warlock stopped at the top of the ramp to look back at the harbor. A moment later, he turned again and began walking beneath the archway into the city. He’d only gone a few steps further when he suddenly he felt hands grab either of his arms and pull him backwards, making him lose his balance. Banny found himself being drug into an alley and pushed against the wall. Taking stock of the situation, he found himself surrounded by four men, two of whom were still holding his arms and keeping him pinned to the wall.
“I have nothing of value,” Banagan said calmly. “Just let me go on my way and I won’t report it.”
“Shut up Larethian. Get that mask off of him,” Jek added, slapping the arm of the one person who wasn’t busy holding on to Banagan.
The warlock turned to look at Jek just as the other man reached forward and pulled his mask off.
“Hey, you’re not Larethian! I mean you look like him, but you’re older. What’re you, his dad? A brother??”
“You have made two mistakes,” Banagan answered with a frown. “First. I’m not the person you were looking for.”
“Yeah. Whatever,” Jek said dismissively. “But I bet you know how to get a message to him.”
“What’s the second?” asked the man holding Banagan’s mask.
“What?” Jek asked, looking at his comrade.
“He said we made two mistakes.”
Before Jek could respond, another voice cackled and called out from behind the men.
“Is play time?”
The men turned to see an imp bobbing nearby, flames starting to form around his hands.
Banagan sat on the ground with his legs crossed and a large book open, laying across his lap. His finger ran across the page, his eyes following the words the flowed above them. Nothing. He flipped a page and continued to trace his fingers across the paper. Again, nothing. The warlock turned to the next page, then the next, then the next. Finally, he hands fell away from the book and his head lowered so that his chin rested against his chest. With a heavy sigh, he closed the book slowly.
“Nothing?”
Banagan looked over to see the imp Voltuk peeking around the corner of a bookcase. Sighing again, the warlock shook his head.
“No. No help at all.”
Voltuk moved around the corner, his clawed toes clicking against the stone tiles of the floor as he came to stand beside the warlock.
“I could burn it down,” Voltuk offered with a grin. “Teach these nasty books a lesson.”
“No,” Banagan replied. “We just need to find the right library. The right book.”
“What now?”
“Go check on my family. Make sure they’re okay, but don’t be seen.”
“And if they’re in danger?”
“Help if you can, but...”
“Don’t be seen,” Voltuk grinned, finishing Banagan’s instructions. “I’m never seen. Except when I am.”
Banagan shook his head and smirked slightly. “Check on them. Then come back. By then, I will hopefully know where to go next.” Voltuk nodded and disappeared, leaving the warlock to return the tome to its place on the shelves.
"Voltuk: the 'it hurts to live' Pokemon. It spends its entire day in misery as its body melts into a puddle patterned like a candy cane. Philosophers from around the world have come to appreciate Voltuk's anguished cries as the purest form of suffering expressed by any sentient lifeforms on this planet."
I could not resist when this came up in the fusion generator.
