Behind Altus, an innumerable host of skeletons and monsters crawled across the land like cockroaches, consuming every living thing under their dread march. A light, weak but visible, shone around Altus, as if defying the darkness growing around him.
Heeding his words, Nikolas turned back to the mass of people his father expected him to save. But instead he found himself face to face with his father. The danger still around them, he reached to pull Altus to safety, but found him to be out of reach. Nikolas tried to walk toward him, but his steps were slow
and labored, as if tied to heavy weights, and it became too difficult. Falling to the ground, Nikolas looked up to see those same people he had wanted to save standing shoulder to shoulder with his father, the undead monsters coming ever closer.
He tried yelling at them to run, to turn and see the approaching threat, but his mouth screamed only silence. Like a waterfall, a thick darkness fell upon his father and all else, pitching Nikolas into a black fog that seemed to last days.
When it cleared, blown away as if by a wind, Nikolas stood alone. He saw mounds of bones and skulls and rotted clothing all around, and felt the warmth in his hands and feet spill into the ground around him. A shadow overhead covered him, and he looked up. A beast, fel and cruel, was flying down toward him.
Nikolas couldn’t move his feet. He could do nothing but stare at this descending horror, its massive and raking claws snapping greedily. Soon, any moment now, it would take him, and this nightmare would finally be over...
Nikolas’ eyes snapped open, sweat dripping from his forehead onto the pillow and mattress. His breathing was heavy, his fists clenched; it was the same each time he awoke from the same nightmare. Sometimes he became aware that he was dreaming while still asleep, and could tear himself awake. At other times, he could only wait for his nightmares to reach their terrifying end before finding his way back to reality.
Sitting up in bed, Nikolas looked around his room at the Pig and Whistle in the heart of Stormwind City’s Old Town; while many of his shipmates chose to save coins by sleeping on board the Gambit while in port, Nikolas preferred to enjoy a softer bed and better food for even a single night. A few rays of morning light spilled in around the curtains; outside he could hear the daybreak bustle of activity, the smell of baking bread and smoked meats filling his nostrils. Steam seeping in from the next room told him the staff had just prepared his bath. He rubbed his eyes and face, getting rid of the last traces of sleep, and
climbed into the large bath basin, spending the next half hour relaxing in the hot water and letting the steam clear his senses. When he finished, Nikolas dressed, gathered his things, and went downstairs to find some breakfast. After eating some fruit and a small bowl of porridge and honey, he checked out of
his room and walked out into the morning.
Immediately he found himself swept into the crowds of people scurrying from shop to shop, his ears assaulted by merchants shouting offers on all sort of wares: food and drink, clothing and armor, toys and trinkets. Taking a second to orient himself, Nikolas set off toward the harbor on the opposite side of the city.
As he walked along Stormwind’s cobbled streets, he paused at the occasional shop to pick up a few gifts for his sister- a painting and a box of Stormwind nougats, her favorite as a child- and a book for his mother- “Arithmancy and Azeroth: A Parallel History.” He also bought a few boxes of Bellara’s Nutterbars, his personal choice for candy, and some raptor jerky, imported from Stranglethorn.
Looking down at Stormwind Harbor
His purchases in hand, Nikolas finally reached the northeast corner of Stormwind and exited the arched stone roof covering the road running between the Park and Cathedral Square to find himself in full view of Stormwind Harbor. Below, a long row of docks and wharfs stretching hundreds of meters along the shoreline. Even from this distance, some few hundred yards away, he could hear the sounds of a busy port: deckhands yelling at yardmasters, bells marking watch changes, quartermasters barking orders at hired hands hauling provisions onto ships preparing to leave.
A cool morning breeze brought the smell of salt water to Nikolas, and he smiled. He’d only spent the last few years of his life at sea, and yet it felt like home to him. Out on the ocean, Nikolas was able to enjoy a peace and tranquility he’d never found anywhere else. He welcomed his role on the Gambit as look-out; his shipmates hated the duty- it made most of them severely seasick and for the most part it was very dull work. Nikolas, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet, and the rocking didn’t bother him at all.
Down on the dockyard, Nikolas immediately found the distinguishable outline of the Queen’s Gambit and made his way toward it. A converted frigate, she had modified to a;low for more cargo space. The keel had been reshaped allow the Gambit to keep her speed in spite of the added weight. She had nearly a full complement of dwarven cannons on either side, making her a tough prize for any pirate or privateer who dared try their luck.
As he reached the top of the gangway leading to the Gambit’s deck, First Mate Gil Glast met him with a smile on his face. “Ready to get underway, Mr. Tien?”
“Aye, sir, ready to get back into open water, away from all this rest and relaxation,” Nikolas replied. He walked up to Gil and patted his stomach. “Looks like you had a bit too much rest this time.”
Gil gave him a friendly sneer. “Keep that tongue civil or I’ll find a duty for you even you won’t like. Cap’n wants to see you first chance you get.”
Nikolas nodded. “Be down as soon as I drop off my things.” He headed for the stair leading down to the crew quarters while Gil turned and got back to yelling at other crew members.
A frigate similar in model to the Queen's Gambit
“You wanted to see me, Captain?” Nikolas asked, poking his head through the cabin’s partially open door.
Captain Valnara Wavecrest turned from looking out the windows to him. “Yes, Nikolas, please come in,” she said. He did so and walked toward the windows himself, standing at informal attention before her. Wavecrest was a high elf, descended from the Highborne who came to the Eastern Kingdoms thousands of years ago from the distant continent of Kalimdor. Her eyes glowed a soft blue, and her blond hair, light complexion and lithe figure could captivate any man who looked at her. When he had first come aboard five years ago, Nikolas couldn’t help but stare at Wavecrest’s beauty, often too long which led to some awkward moments. The captain took those moments in stride and never made anyone feel more uncomfortable than the did to themselves. Nikolas had grown accustomed to the captain and her beauty in the years since, though he never failed to recognize her stunning qualities and appreciate them.
“We’ve taken on some passengers for this leg, Nikolas,” she began. Nikolas thought there was
nothing unusual about this- the Gambit often had passengers aboard, their fares a way to make a little extra money- and wondered why Wavecrest was making a point of it. “There are two of them I’d like you to look after for the duration of our trip.”
There was the rub, Nikolas thought to himself. “So that’s why you wanted to see me,” he said with a smile. “I’m to be a nanny, then.”
Wavecrest gave him a mildly reproving look. “No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Well, you said ‘look after,’ not ‘keep an eye on.’ That means they’re needy and require coddling of some sort.”
“‘They’ are a mother and her young daughter,” Wavecrest replied. “She is sailing north to visit her ailing father.”
“Why aren’t they on a passenger ship? Why us?” Nikolas asked.
“She said she needed to leave as soon as possible. We’re one of the next to head north, and we’re one of the fastest ships to get her there,” Wavecrest answered, showing a bit of pride at the last part of her statement. Seeing Nikolas’ thinly-veiled annoyance at having to watch out for the passengers, she took a step closer and softened her tone. “I know this isn’t something you want to do, Nikolas, but I’m asking this as a favor. This woman- she’s scared and very nervous, about her father’s health no doubt, but I also sense she’s very unsure about riding with us. She seems very kind and her daughter acts a complete angel. I want you to simply be ready in case they need anything. You’re the friendliest person on this ship, and they may need that at some point. Will you do this for me?”
Nikolas sighed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Of course, Captain. You know I can’t say no.”
“That’s why I keep you on board, Mr. Tien,” Wavecrest said, a twinkle in her eye. Nikolas smiled in return and turned to leave.
“One more thing, please,” the captain said, and Nikolas looked back at her. “I told the woman you’d
help her with her belongings. She says she’s planning an extended visit and will have a lot of luggage. Her name is Alira Stone, and she’ll wait for you at the Rusty Razor Inn. You know where that is, I trust.”
Nikolas rolled his eyes this time. “If I had permission to speak freely, I’d say you’re pushing it. But I don’t, so I won’t.” With a wink, he left the cabin.
