While Avaan was on his month long patrol, I made myself useful. I found out that Kelsey Steelspark, the gnome I had helped with pirates previously, was assigned to Land’s End Beach on a scouting mission for Bilgewater Goblins that had crashed off the shore. Their behavior was suspicious and she asked me to scout out the wreckage for anything useful.
I found that the goblins had succumbed to the heat and were crazy – they were running all over the place, sitting in the water talking to themselves or just lying in the middle of the beach. When one of them saw me they screamed “monster!” and attacked me all the while yelling and no one else would come to help them – the others were in their own little world, I guess. I did manage to find a partially damaged journal among some wreckage which told us that the goblins didn’t even know they were on Kalimdor; they had no idea where they were. The journal made a reference to a chest with something important in it but didn’t come right out and say what it was. Kelsey seemed to have an inkling of what it might be and she asked me to retrieve the chest for her. I scouted the little settlement (more like a little encampment) and tried to find the chest but it wasn’t there. I watched and listened but the goblins just kept making strange comments. Sometimes they would say “protect meatface” or “kill the pig” which was strange because I saw no pigs and couldn’t figure out what a “meatface” could be. I caught a couple of different goblins but they were not coherent and shed no light on the matter. I finally made my way to the other side of the encampment and started looking for clues again. After some time I came across a graveyard and beyond that a separate camp. There was a humanoid of a race I couldn’t identify. He was too large to be a goblin but he was not large enough to be an ogre and didn’t have the look of an ogre. I did see in the back of his camp a chest and he seemed intent on protecting it. If any of the goblins came near in their madness, he would attack them and drive them off. I watched him all day and he didn’t move out of his camp. That night he looked like he might have dozed off some but never in a deep sleep as the movements of nearby goblins would set him off. Near daybreak I decided to make my move and as he took off after a goblin I made my way into his camp. As he returned, I charged him catching him completely off guard and managed to get several good blows in before he recovered enough to defend himself. The fight was very short and never in any doubt. I took the chest and avoiding the goblins returned to Kelsey. She was overjoyed and told me that I had done a great service to Gnomergan and gave me a hefty reward.
She also mentioned that an Explorers League contingent led by Prospector Gunstan was in need of some aid at the Southmoon Ruins so I headed that way. When I finally arrived, Gunstan put me to work retrieving tablets and protecting the Ruins from some blood elves who had taken an interest in it for some reason. That kept me busy for some days and then out of the blue Gunstan summoned me and asked me to protect some of their archaeologists while they investigate a dig site. It seems that the earthquakes had opened an entrance to Uldum but also freed stone golem protectors. They needed my help in destroying the golems so they could investigate the entrance.That was pretty brainless work and they were easily destroyed and, of course, the archaeologists wanted to study the remains of the golems as well. We left several to their study and the rest of us entered the chamber. The dwarves moved carefully, studying the writings on the walls and on the floor. There was a chest at the end of the room and we moved slowly toward it. The dwarves were intent on the chest and I was more interested in what other protective measures there might be in play. It took some time for them to decide to open the chest to see what it might contain. It took even longer for them to decide on the best method to open it. Days later this was all resolved and we entered the chamber and Gunstan opened the chest. As the dwarves looked inside with rapt attention, I noticed the far wall moving and a huge stone statue coming to attack. I quickly moved to intercept the guardian. This thing was huge and was going to take more to bring down than the stone golems that had guarded the outside of this place. The dwarves stayed out of my way, thank goodness, and continued to inspect the contents of the chest. After a few blows and trying different things, I found a weakness and exploited it but not before the thing got off several blasts of some kind of energy at me – it hurt but didn’t keep me down. As the guardian fell, the dwarves let out a cheer and with many thumps on my back in congratulations they led the way out with much talk of their discovery.
As the Explorer’s League was no in good shape with their expedition, I made my way back to Gadgetzan to meet up with Avaan again. His patrol had returned while I was away and this time he was looking for me instead of the other way around. My exploits had preceded my arrival and he congratulated me on a job well done. He allowed me to refresh and change out of my armor and then we had dinner. We only had a couple of more days to ourselves before his patrol moved out to Un’Goro Crater and then to somewhere else after that. On the day he set out, Avaan caressed my cheek and told me to return home to the Exodar to refresh myself and find my center again. He told me that it would do me a world of good and that he was planning on doing that as well when this patrol was over. I told him that I couldn’t wait on him this time but he already knew that and told me that I had my own path to follow and when I had finally reached my destination that he would be there waiting for me. I looked in his eyes and told him that would please me more than words could say and I hoped that day would come soon. He gathered me to him and held me close. He told me that time is relative and it would pass quickly but he knew this was something I had to do for myself and I was to take as long as I needed. He released me and went to his mount and with a final wave to me, he and his patrol left.
I felt a bit of a loss as I watched him ride into the distance but I knew it was just temporary and that he would be there for me and that meant everything to me. I decided to take his advice and have returned to the Exodar. Avaan was right; this was just what my soul needed at this time. There is a calmness and serenity to the Exodar and this heals me better than anything else ever could. In a couple of days I am heading out. I think I want to see Winterspring, a cold land that I have never been to before. Something is telling me to head that way and I haven’t gone wrong listening to that voice yet.Kahtraa
((currently Level 54))
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