The Crack of Dawn

After many months of working for the Cenarion Expedition, the druids have deemed my efforts worthy of an exalted status within their ranks. In my efforts to please Ysiel and the rest of the expedition, I had put together a team of adventurers who dedicated every weekend morning to scouring the Coilfang Reservoir and ridding it of Naga filth. At times it seemed that our work was in vain, as the Naga fell before our weapons and spells in droves, but there were always more to replace the fallen. In the end we could not eradicate the threat entirely, but we had caused enough damage to weaken their efforts to control the water supply within the marsh.

Our last foray into the caverns far beneath the waters of Serpent Lake was both our most valuable and dangerous journey to date. We met, the five of us, as we usually did beneath the waters in the entrance to the cavern. Irinna, the Draenei Frost Mage, quick of wit and of tongue. The stoic Druid, Lochiel, who draws heavily on the Spirit of the Bear to attack his foes. Ehrengar, the Holy Dwarven Paladin, keeping both our minds and bodies healed with his skill and his mirth. Lasmirria, fellow Night Elf hunter commanding her cat Mercury. And myself, along with the ever faithful Lethan, my companion since I started down the path of a hunter.

Over the months we had learned to know the methods of each other so well that we could often signal each other without words in the thick of battle. This early morning we were determined to make our final push into the area known as the Steamvault where we had been at work for some time. The large area was full of pipes and vents of Naga and perhaps goblin design, all of it pumping water away from the flora and fauna dying up in the marsh above. Having made our preparations, we set foot into the cavern, and began the advance on its denizens.

After many skirmishes across the vault with Naga of every shape and size, we had at last made our way to a room sealed off by a heavy door. Whatever lay behind it must hold some secret to this place, something that the Cenarion Expedition would surely find useful in their ongoing battle. Several of the higher ranking Naga in the cavern had been guarding machines which seemed to act as locking mechanisms, and once the Naga, and the machines had been disabled, the way forward lay open to us.

We cautiously made our way inside, dispatching the snake like Myrmidons and other hideous Naga casters methodically. They did not hold back in their assault on us, and we gave no quarter to those that dared to attack. Deep within the room a lone Naga stood, Warlord Kalithresh, surrounded by tanks of some fluid. It appeared to be water, but I highly doubted the contents were as benign as that. Having made our way past the guards, the serpentine visage stared at us with glowing red eyes and exclaimed, “You deem yourselves worthy simply because you bested my guards? Our work here will not be compromised!”

Lochiel, seizing the opportune moment, rushed the warlord, transforming into a mighty bear and swiping at the Naga with a heavily clawed paw. Kalithresh parried with his trident, hissing with vehemence, for the moment his attention on the bear. The group spread out, quickly analyzing the snake man for weaknesses. Surely this would be an easy battle with five of us facing the one. Irinna began to conjure up a bolt of ice as Lasmirria and I both sent our pets into the thick of battle next to Lochiel. In tandem we notched arrows in our bows and sent them rocketing towards the snake. Ehrengar’s attention was upon Lochiel, quickly healing any wounds inflicted by the Naga.

“Ba’anthalso-dorei!” screamed Kalithresh in the evil Naga tongue. His many wounds from our onslaught taking their toll. Surprised as I was by the beating that he could take, he was almost certainly defeated. But even as his life bled from him, his sinister smirk did not fade. Without warning, the Naga rushed towards one of the tanks nearest him. “This is not nearly over…” he muttered, and began to cast a spell upon the tank. I realized what was happening too late. Giving off a red glow, he began to grow in size as the water was channeled out of the tank and into the Naga. With renewed strength and vigor, he shook off the attacks of the pets and went fully for Lochiel, causing a near mortal blow. The efforts of Ehrengar saved the bear with a timely blessing, and we continued the assault, but our attacks now seemed useless.

“We cannot let him use the power of those tanks again!” I exclaimed to my companions, knowing that they would hear and understand even in the confusion of our fight. After some time, the effects of the liquid seemed to lessen upon the warlord and he made his way to another of the tanks within his room. I yelled, “Now!” I turned my bow on the tank and fired a heavily tipped arrow, which cracked into the glass of the tank, but left only a scratch. The warlord began to channel for more strength as he had before, leaving us only a few seconds to drain the tank. Seeing a need, Irinna quickly tossed a bolt of frost at the tank, freezing it. Lasmirria directed Mercury towards the tank and at the same time loosed an arrow in that direction. The powerful cat’s claws came down on the tank from one side as the arrow broke into the frozen glass on the other, and the water spilled to the floor just as Kalithresh was finishing his spell. His constant smirk began to disappear.

Invigorated by our accomplishments, we renewed our attack. Without his ability to power himself, the Warlord began to panic, running towards the nearest tank. With a ferocious roar, Lochiel charged the snake and blocked his progress. His power drained and with no where to go, the Naga frantically tried to fend off the bear, but to no avail. Finally, his scaly skin riddled with arrows and covered in muck and blood, Warlord Kalithresh dropped his trident and writhed on the ground gasping his last words.

“For her Excellency…for...Vashj!”

The leader of the Steamvault lay dead at our feet. Our prize for killing him, the knowledge of an even darker threat further within the cavern. The five of us alone could not hope to fight the sorceress. We would need help.

Dirty and smelling of fish and filth, we returned to the surface just as the sun was cresting the horizon. We wearily made our way back to the Cenarion Expedition’s base in the marsh and reported our findings to Ysiel and the druids. Though the knowledge of what lay ahead was dire, we were lauded for our efforts. Lochiel and myself, who had longest served the Expedition within the caverns were given exalted status within the ranks of the Expedition, the highest attainable. And though we had accomplished much, I still knew that the evil of the Naga had not been completely eradicated. Not as long as Vashj lived.