Harrison Jones: The Secret of Deepholm

Note: this story was written for Blizzard's annual short story competition. Since I have NaNo to prepare for, and the story could not be any longer than 7500 words, I had to limit the plot drastically, but still kept enough for it to make sense.





  The trees of Elwynn forest already bore signs of a rapidly approaching winter. Leaves in shades of yellow, brown and red littered the meadows and various farms, and a soft wind blowing down from the snowy peaks brought a cold promise of change in the near future. The logging camp due east, near the Redridge border, was more than busy preparing firewood for an entire city, and even the stubborn Malcure family was starting to realize they could only work their vineyard fields for so long. Boars and bears trudging the tranquil woodlands would look for shelter from the coming weather and food rather than a potential mate.

  Nestled in the northwestern mountain range throned the human stronghold of Stormwind, its stone walls and white towers solid enough to withstand even the stormiest of weather and enemy attacks. Although it was at the time unknown to him, it was for the latter reason that Professor Harrison Jones now sat clustered in a small room in the city’s large trade district, only accompanied by a couple of simple wooden chairs, an oil lamp flickering in the corner and a small, partially boarded up window on one of four gray walls, all void of any interesting features. Through the cracks, Harrison absent-mindedly studied feet of various sizes, shapes and colors rushing by, his mind more focused on the secrecy of this meeting he had been called to. No answers had been given when he was suddenly tracked down and given the invitation by one of SI:7’s agents while exploring the ruins of Uldum, but despite his dislike for crowds and modern civilization, he decided to at least hear the reason for this unusual inquiry. He had found no answers upon arriving in Stormwind, only led by the very same man who had first contacted him to this discreet room hidden in the cellar of a local cheese vendor.

  The rusty hinges on the wooden door let out a sudden shriek of horror as a large man quickly and purposefully barged into the room.

  “I trust the journey was without peril, Mister Harrison Jones, although I know you have an affinity for challenging the hand of fate.” It was not hard to understand that Knight-Captain Tyren Vilefield was a man of great importance. Even now, while wearing simple civilian clothing consisting of a brown wool shirt, black leather pants and farmer boots, his posture, crimson eyes and dark voice could make even the most stubborn of tradesmen cower at his mere shadow – and as a result this made him look even more suspicious than he wished for. Tyren quickly and gracefully swept across the room and fell down on the empty chair before Harrison even had the time to properly react.

  “I don’t know what I-“ Harrison began, but Tyren shot up his right hand, his palm flat pointing towards the ceiling, to quiet the Professor.

  “I believe you no doubt have more than a handful questions; questions I would be obliged to answer, alas time does not allow me, therefore I must be brief,” Tyren continued while studying the man he had summoned, secretly hoping he had made the right choice. More than anything he wanted to send someone he knew, someone he could trust, but even he was quite aware that Harrison Jones was the perfect choice – in more ways than one. “You are familiar with a goblin by the name of Schnottz?” he asked, ending in a tone that searched for confirmation rather than answer, as if he already knew. Harrison nodded slowly.

  “We have met on several occasions. He is... dangerous,” Harrison admitted, the memory of narrowly escaping his many goons in Uldum brought to his mind.

  “He is indeed, perhaps even more so than we previously thought,” Tyren said, worry playing across his aging face. “His greed exceeded our expectations, and this even caused the wretch to ally with Deathwing. And now he has been sent running like the dog he is to uncover something left behind in the depths of Deepholm. Fortunate as it is, we know he is unsure where to search, but he is aware of the secret’s existence – and that alone is dangerous enough for us not to simply ignore it.”

  “Wait, what exactly is this secret?”

  “I know not. I can only assume it is some weapon fashioned by Deathwing himself, but I can only guess what he would want with such an object,” Tyren sighed and shook his head dejectedly.

  “So you do not know where this supposed item is, or even what it is, yet you know that it, in fact, exists, and that Schnottz is chasing after it?”

  “I trust my sources, as should you, Professor Jones. That is all you need to know. I picked you because I know you are the best at tracking down leads from barely anything to go by, which is exactly what I require. Still, I am not sending you without aid or guidance. Should you choose to accept this task, you will meet with an ally we both can trust at the docks. All I need is a simple yes or no from you.”

  Harrison thought about the proposal. It certainly was a bad one, no perks for him except a slight push in the right direction, but there was something about this mystery he found utmost intriguing. A secret no one knew about.

  “What say you?” Tyren pressed on impatiently. Harrison grabbed his hat from the table and placed it neatly on his head. He had a bad feeling about this particular assignment, a feeling he knew well enough to listen to.

  “When do I begin?” he said with a wry grin. After all, he would never know if he did not take a chance.



  The Stormwind docks were bustling with life, and not only of human life. Dwarven, Elven and Gnome merchants and travelers pushed their ways through littered streets and large crowds, usually with eyes fixed on some distant destination and with minds to themselves. Harrison was not given much to go by, except to look for a ‘fierce and purple-skinned maiden’, but everywhere he looked he could see women who matched the description – or women he wished did.

  It was when he crossed a group of Draenei shamans by the waterfront that he first laid eyes on one particular elf; one elf that seemed to stand out in the sea of life. Her skin was light purple, her hair long and blue, her body slender, and she appeared to be arguing with a city guard over something Harrison was too far away to overhear. He crept closer to eavesdrop.

  “No, I am only keeping the birds here until my escort arrives, which he will very soon. And would you please tell that to your superiors as well, because I am getting sick of having to repeat myself!” she shouted as she tried to calm the two hippogryphs that were pacing nervously beside her, obviously not very used to crowds this big.

  “If you will not move, then I will be forced to drag you out! Now stay here!” the guard replied and stormed off to get help. The elf only sighed and leaned closer to her birds.

  “Escort?” Harrison mused as she jumped in surprise of his appearance. “And here I thought I would be expecting a partner.”

  “A-are you Professor Harrison Jones? I am-“

  “...a fierce and purple-skinned maiden?” he said, cutting her off. “To be quite honest I would much rather prefer someone who isn’t taller than me, but you’ll make do,” Harrison finished, sizing her up from bottom to top.

  “Is this the part where I scream for help and run?” the elf said after a brief moment of silence and cocked her head to the side. She was neither amused or annoyed, her face and unreadable. Harrison thought he could see a glare of red inside her eyes for a split second, gone as fast as it had appeared.

  “I have a better idea. How about you teach me about Elven anatom-“ Harrison was not even able to finish the sentence before a purple leg knocked all the breath out of him. He fell to one knee in pain. A few heads turned their way, before going back to their usual routine after confirming they had seen everything for now. “I guess... I guess the ‘fierce’ part is fitting,” he coughed. “I was merely jesting about the anatomy matter, but I can already tell we are going to be a great team. Now, back to introductions. I am indeed Harrison Jones, professional archaeologist and seeker of truths and treasures, at your service,” he said with a gracious bow, hoping to regain some of the trust the joke had cost him.

  “Name’s Leleyana,” the elf said, sneering, her arms firmly in cross under her chest. Harrison opened his mouth to press a question, but was interrupted. “Yes, only Leleyana. And you listen to me, human. I was summoned out of the blue and have traveled for days to get here, so my mood is not really at its best now. My blade usually hunts for enemy blood, but I have yet to decide whether you are an ally or not. Tempt me not to choose now. For your sake,” Leleyana finished as Harrison caught the sun’s reflection playing across a blade he had not noticed before now, a blade aimed at his torso. He gulped and decided to play it safe from here on out.

  “Then we play it your way, Leleyana. Now, please do tell you have information I have not, because else I fear we will only be fumbling at straws in the dark.”

  “I hope you know how to fly,” Leleyana said and motioned for him to mount the free bird while she took the other one. “I shall tell you what I know on the way.”



  Leleyana and Harrison soared through the skies, and from the distance the busy streets of Stormwind seemed almost quiet and calm. Where there were no mountains or forests, a seemingly endless body of glistening water surrounded the city. It was indeed a magnificent view to behold.

  “Follow me!” Leleyana shouted as she kicked her mount into motion, towards a plateau at the eastern edge, overlooking the entire city. Harrison copied her move, although a little more unsteady. He was not accustomed to riding animals, and would much rather prefer walking. He gained some confidence and sped up to catch up to his partner. He eyed a circle of different portals down below, magical shortcuts of sorts to where aid was needed the most. He had used these means of transportation a few times before, but never while on a bird.

  “I hope you have a strong stomach!” she yelled and dove towards one of the portals. There was a flash of light when they made contact, and Leleyana had suddenly dispersed into thin air, not even a trace of her existence.

  “You have to be joking,” Harrison whispered. Before he could change his mind and lose this opportunity, he forced the bird into a dive and sped it towards the portal. The wind roared and beat at his hat, but he kept it in place. The portal neared at an incredible pace. Suddenly its radiant light engulfed him and everything went dark, and he felt like his head was going to rip itself straight from his body. Then again there was light, so strong that Harrison had to cover his eyes. When he opened them again he found himself in the airspace of Deepholm, the realm of the Earth, where Deathwing once was imprisoned before escaping and wreaking havoc upon the mortal world. The realm was like a large, hollow cave: fairly dark, with what seemed like rocks lighting up the massive area. He could not see the bottom; it was surrounded by smoke and shadows. In the middle rose a spire of rocks, all the way to the swirling ceiling above in the far distance, but no matter where he looked he could not make out the shape of Leleyana. He noticed a large, floating rock drifting lazily miles above ground, and he steered the bird towards it. Upon touching ground he jumped off and instantly fell to the ground, emptying his stomach of what he had for lunch.

  “Pull yourself together,” he whispered to himself and spat out a small chunk of what he thought resembled cheese, but he knew better than to inspect it closers. He did not notice the dark shape shifting slightly behind him. Prey had entered its territory, and it ached to hunt something else than inanimate objects for once. Suddenly it let out a loud shriek and lifted its head threateningly, a thousand jagged rocks clattering in symphony. Harrison wheeled around to stare at the monstrosity of a giant worm made entirely out of rocks. There were no eyes to see on the creature, but Harrison could sense he was being observed, surveyed with great interest, just waiting for the puny man to make one foolish move. Harrison gulped while slowly reaching for the whip in his belt. Unfastened it. Worm still stood as frozen. Then a sudden movement on Harrison’s right brought both rivals’ attentions. The gryphon had finally had enough and kicked off the ground while flapping its way towards safety in fear of ending up as lunch. The worm, however, had other plans. Like lightning it bolted straight past Harrison in pursuit, its stone body crashing into the ground, causing the human to lose his balance from the resulting quake. The ground cracked violently, dust poured out, gravel rained across the platform. Then rock met feathers and flesh. A strangled cry was the only defense the bird could muster as the worm mercilessly tore it apart. It slammed the prey into the platform until the gryphon stopped moving, slammed it a few time for good measure, then tossed the bloody rag into the distance, before once again turning to the human, jaws dripping with fresh blood.

  “Jones! This way!” A female voice called out to Harrison at the moment of his greatest need. He turned to see a very familiar elf, still on her bird, calling him over. But Harrison knew now that the worm preferred new playthings.

  “No! Run!” he managed before a fifty feet tall monstrosity dashed past him. This time the ground did not simply crack; it collapsed. Harrison lost his footing and fell, a hail of small stones to keep him company. The smoke beneath. The dark ceiling above. Smoke. Ceiling. Smoke. He screamed, but the sound didn’t reach his ears. A shape swooped down from above with an outstretched arm. Harrison instinctively grabbed it and was pulled onto a seat of feathers.

  “Hold tight, we’re not out yet,” Leleyana called out. Harrison obediently locked his hands tight around the elf’s waist. Not too tight, naturally, for even in danger he would still be as close to a gentleman as could be.

  The bird rose again and dodged past chunks of stone slabs crashing down from above. Then came the worm, its giant tail writhing and trashing about before disappearing into the smoke. The thud echoed through the realm a whole three seconds later. Silence followed. No rocks, no shrieks of dying birds. Just silence.

  “You rarely see them this big. Poor creature must have drifted off in its sleep. Odd when you think about it, they prefer to stay deep underground in tunnels,” Leleyana said as they could finally continue towards their destination. She sounded happy for some reason. Or at least happier than before.

  “Please just... fly,” Harrison pleaded. He had had enough of worms for one day. Oblivious to Leleyana’s grin, he kept his eyes closed the rest of the trip.



  The elf steered them through ravines of jagged rocks and above what seemed like an endless network of gaping, dark tunnels. The same rules as in Azeroth did not apply here, and it showed: naturally formed stone pillars would suddenly burst in a dozen pieces, stones and splinters floating slowly as if underwater, before rapidly reversing back to their home, a process that repeated indefinitely. Harrison had seen this spectacle taking place a numerous times before, and he only wished for the time to study it closer.

  Leleyana brought the bird higher, towards where the massive back wall merged with the ceiling. There, on a hidden rise that seemed to blend in with the darkness, rested the holiest place in Deepholm: the throne of the revered Stonemother, ruler of the earth.

  “Are you really su-“ Harrison started, but was cut short.

  “ Trust me on this one,” Leleyana assured, but Harrison was doubtful to trust someone who had pulled a knife on him. That, however, was a thought he was wise enough to keep to himself. 

  The bird entered a large opening, and the three were bathed in magnificent light, so radiant that it could even challenge the sun itself. Crystals of purple, yellow, red, orange, every color one could possibly imagine, beckoned them closer and gave an impression of the throne’s importance.

  The rise was large; spacious enough to give the stone giants room to maneuver as they performed their tasks, occasionally glancing at the approaching visitors. They knew better than to attack on sight, knowing how their kinds had helped withstand Deathwing’s nefarious schemes only weeks earlier, and bring a temporary peace between two rivaling factions.

  “I trust you will present a reason for wasting my time, mortals.” A deep, female voice thundered from below them, a voice of authority followed by complete silence, as if the world dared not move unless given her permission. Therazane was large, larger than Harrison had expected, but still smaller than the guards she had patrolling the area. Her four arms swayed lightly, and the perfectly cut crystalline eyes on her round face stared at them intently.

  “We come in peace, oh great Stonemother. We have matters of great urgency to discuss with you, if you will listen,” Leleyana yelled at the top of her lungs, her voice bouncing off the surrounding walls, creating thousands of echoes that seemed to originate from everywhere at once.

  “Do not take me for a fool, child. Even an enemy would sweeten his words in the halls of the enemy. Come down here so that I may judge your intentions as pure or not,” Therazane replied, her voice bitter, almost angry.

  Leleyana instantly carried out the Stonemother’s wishes, steering the bird down. Upon touching the ground, she jumped off and kneeled in front of this massive creature before them in respect. Harrison did the same.

  “Let us hear what you ask of the Stonemother, and speak quickly,” she snapped. Even though Therazane was a creature of stone, her wide hips and protruding breasts were unmistakable signs of womanhood. Still, Harrison guessed witty jokes would not win him any favor with her, and so he kept his silence.

  “We believe Deathwing seeks a weapon hidden in this realm, and so we were sent to retrieve it. We were hoping you could... assist us.”

  Brief silence.

  “Had it not been for what you mortals did, I would have crushed you where you stand for requesting aid from me. Never will I forget it was your kind who ended my daughter’s life, still...,” she sighed. “Even if such a dangerous thing existed here, I would surely know of it. His corruption still lives here, as dangerous as ever, but I see no reason for him to want something in this place. You’re chasing empty leads, mortals.”

  “But... there has to be some place you have not looked yet!” Leleyana pressed on, suddenly dropping the courtly, respecting appearance. “A cave, a hole, anything!”

  The room fell silent again, and for a few moments, Leleyana and the Stonemother held their gazes steadfast, not moving an inch, with Harrison nervously glancing around the room, unsure where to focus his gaze. There were few things that scared him – and stone giants were not one of them – but he had no intentions of ending his life because of a loud-mouthed elf.

  The other giants nearby suddenly stopped simultaneously, as if ordered by the Stonemother, turning towards the intruders.

  “You, human. Look at me,” Therazane boomed. Harrison complied, instinctively lifting his hat slightly and nodding as greeting. She looked long at hard at him. “There is... one place,” she said slowly after a while. “One place we have not dared enter. It is a cave where Deathwing’s corruption is at its strongest, where he fell. If there is a thing as a weapon, I believe you will find it there. Allow me to offer some assistance in this matter.” Having no legs, she floated gracefully to a large, oddly shaped gray rock. “Grayflint! I take it you have been listening?”

  “Of course, Mother,” the rock answered.

  “Then show yourself. You are needed.”

  The rock suddenly moved, and a giant revealed itself. Grayflint, as she had called him, stretched his arms towards the ceiling. His body was darker than the others, perhaps an indication of old age. Harrison wondered just how old these creatures could become.

  “What do you require of me, mother?” he asked, his voice as deep as a dark tunnel.

  “You are to follow these two and aid them however you can.”

  Grayflint turned to take in these two outsiders. He seemed... interested in the two, his eyes resting on them for several seconds. His mouth opened twice as if to ask a question, but chose not to.

  “As you say, Mother,” he finally said and started on his way.



  Leleyana and Harrison followed close behind the giant on the only bird they had left as he trudged across the dark and barren landscape. They travelled in complete silence, before finally arriving upon the site known as Deathwing’s fall: a large crater boiling with his evil blood. There used to be cultist camps spread across the area, but they had all been abandoned and destroyed.

  “There,” Grayflint said and pointed at a small opening, barely large enough for the two adventurers. The walls were smeared with the same red blood found outside. “We have not yet dared enter, but we know it is deep, and most likely dangerous.”

  Harrison peaked inside, still intent to see the end of the journey to the end.

  “Wait here in case we are followed. We’ll try to be as fast as we can,” he said. Leleyana brushed past him, torch in hand, and started on her way inside. Harrison did not even ask where she got the torch from, only followed closely.

  The path descended downwards, in an almost straight line, as narrow as when they had entered. Harrison made sure not to touch the ominous red blood on the walls, as hard as it was. After a while, the walls stretched out, making the space larger. Harrison did not have much time to celebrate, as the path suddenly split in two opposite directions: left and right. Both paths looked identical, except for the fact that one was illuminated by a row of torches that seemed to go on endlessly, and the other completely darkened.

  “I say we split,” Leleyana suggested, an idea Harrison thought ridiculous.

  “Are you mad, girl? We do not even know what is down there, and you want us to go separate ways?”

  “Trust me,” she replied, stared at him, then walked her way down the dark corridor. She was nothing but a small dot of light in the distance when Harrison finally decided to move.

  The path he walked was as narrow and contaminated as the last, but it did not take long for that to change. In front of Harrison a black, transparent barrier barred his way, a larger room just visible behind it. Not sure what to expect from this apparently magical opposition, he unfastened his trusted whip and lashed its full length through the darkness. The leather found solid ground on the other side, completely unharmed. Harrison reached his hand out and dared a finger through the barrier. He felt a chill run down his spine as it broke through, but the barrier itself seemed to offer little resistance, and he started wondering just what purpose it served, or if age had dulled its effect.

  Harrison continued through, entering a large, domed room, well-lit and more or less bathing in corruption. Crimson red dripped from the ceiling, forming pools of bubbling liquid on the ground, and there wasn’t a single spot on the walls not painted red. On the far side of the room, Harrison saw something he most definitely did not expect to find: a human, an aged man with black hair, wearing a long robe. The human seemed to do nothing in particular, leaning against the bloody wall and staring absent-mindedly at the floor, mumbling to himself. Then his head rose to face the guest, his expression changed to a welcoming smile. The steps he took towards Harrison were not those of a suspicious homeowner, but rather of an old acquaintance.

  “Blessings of the Titans upon you, mortal. What brings you here?”

  Harrison was taken aback by how uncaring this man was.

  “I... I’m looking for something. I...,” he fumbled at the words.

  “Ah, then perhaps I –“ the man started, but was interrupted by a sudden quake, and a growl thundering in the distance, a growl he recognized.

  “Jones!” Leleyana shouted from behind him, behind the barrier. “Get out here! Grayflint needs us outside!”

  “But, what about-“ he protested.

  “Bring him with you, we can question him outside! Now hurry!”

  Harrison grabbed a hold of the odd man and forced him with, even though he had been told specifically to stay put in that small, filthy room. But Harrison did not listen, nor did he care.



  The run through the cave seemed to go by in the blink of an eye, and when they caught first glimpse of surface, they could easily see what had caused the commotion. Grayflint held his ground against both air and ground assaults carried out by what seemed like goblins. His arms swatted wildly at aircrafts expertly dodging his attacks, and his legs exploded as artillery fire shattered layers of old rocks.

  “Schnottz,” Harrison whispered. He abandoned Leleyana and the man behind to get a better view of the fight in the distance. Plane upon plane burst into fire and shattered in a thousand pieces, but the numbers never seemed to be dwindling. It was then that the giant noticed Jones.

  “A dragon, human! She is a dragon!” he thundered.

  A sound behind him made Harrison turn, just in time to see a tail the size of a stone bridge up close. The impact sent him tumbling backwards, coming at full stop near the crater’s edge.

  “Do not lose her, human!”

  Harrison shook his head. There was too little time to be lying about, and too many questions without answers. He ran back to the cave entrance just as a massive, black creature flapped its wings and kicked off the ground, flying towards some unknown destination. Harrison had seen dragons – and dragons of the black dragonflight especially – before, but had not the slightest idea of how to best one in combat.

  At the mouth of the cave, where he had left Leleyana in charge of the old man, was left nothing but a bleeding corpse, the man’s eyes blank and dead, a sharp dagger lodged into his heart. Harrison did not bother to nurse the man’s wounds – he knew a fatal wound when he saw one. Instead, he quickly removed the dagger and started running. Up the hill behind the cave he ran, where they had bound the bird. Fortunately, it was still there. He loosened the rope that bound it in place and jumped on, steering it in the dragon’s direction: towards the eastern wall. The feathered creature sped into the air with glee, diving past precipices and ravines, rapidly picking up speed. Suddenly, the large black dragon burst straight through a floating pillar, sending a hail of sharp rocks their way, which the bird effortlessly dodged. Leleyana banked right and tried to lose her pursuers, but the dragon was no match for a trained hippogryph. Harrison brought the bird on top of the dragon’s wings, and before she would notice his intentions, before he found another plan that was not as suicidal, he jumped. He did not spend more than a second free falling, but to him it seemed like hours, days even. Just as he hit the scaly back of the black dragon, he thrust the dagger into her as hard as he could muster. It penetrated her skin, and she screamed in anguish. He raised the dagger again, but Leleyana quickly rolled, forcing Harrison to grab hold of her scaly back. Leleyana, her mind fixed on shaking the annoyance on her back, did not see the sharp rocks ahead, not until it was too late. She crashed into them, and Harrison was violently thrown off.



  Harrison opened his eyes, his gaze so out of focus he thought at first there were four identical dragons laying before him. He gave himself a give slap across the cheek snapped back to reality.

  Leleyana lay with her head sloppily against rocks, her body full of punctures, bleeding and breathing heavily, and the rock formations behind her showing clear signs of the havoc she had caused when she landed. It was then that Harrison realized just how lucky he had been to survive.

  “Finish... it,” she said, more commanding than suggesting. Her wings moved slightly, but something told Harrison they would never fly again.

  “Pardon me for saying this, lady, but you seem very dim-witted for a dragon,” he taunted. “You went through all this trouble simply to betray me? The man could have given you the answers you wanted, where to find this... weapon of yours, and you killed him. Is there something I am missing here?”

  Leleyana gurgled, releasing what seemed like choked laughter, accompanied by blood seething out of her mouth.

  “I can see why you were chosen, Jones. Do you think my death changes anything? My mission is done. Now, either you finish me, or you leave me be so that I may pass on.”

  “I think not, dragon! You will speak, and you will answer my questions!” Harrison demanded. But despise his demands, the dragon held her tongue. Harrison stayed by her side until she faded, still left with unanswered questions. He remembered that Grayflint was still at the cave. With urgency, he mounted the bird and flew off to meet with the stone giant, for he had remembered something the giant had said, something that would possibly shed some light on this mystery.



  Grayflint was sitting still at the entrance, his body seemed almost unharmed except for a few cracks here and there, but they were barely visible. There were no signs of Schnottz or his army, either having escaped... or been obliterated.

  “You look worn, human,” he said when Harrison neared him.

  “You knew she was a dragon,” Harrison opened when his feet found solid ground. “When you yelled at me, you knew she was a dragon before she transformed.”

  The stone giant directed his thoughtful gaze to the ceiling above, as if thinking about what words to choose.

  “Yes, I did. I could see it in her eyes, as could the Stonemother, but she did not wish for me to say anything, so I did not.”

  “You used me? But... why?”

  “My apologies, human, but I know not the Stonemother’s intentions. Perhaps she wanted to weed out Deathwing’s forces – if there were any – still in the realm. Perhaps she was merely sick of the secret hidden in a place she could not reach. Or perhaps she had me guide and defend you had she chosen to attack. In any case, the well timed distraction forced me away, as she had most likely already planned for, and allowed her to slay the man. Mistake this not, human: she was here for the blood of that man, and for little to no other reason.”

  “But... where is the man?” Harrison asked, for he could not see even a single trace of the man’s corpse.

  “As soon as you left, his body, and clothes, and even his blood, turned to ash and dust, scattering with the wind. It was as if the man never existed,” Grayflint explained.

  “How can that be?”

  “Listen closely to this, human. I have overheard the Stonemother’s many discussions, including one with a strange man that asked of her to not destroy the chambers tainted by Deathwing – for mistake this not, had she wished for it to be gone, it would be gone – and instead keep it a secret. He presented himself as a dragon, and had sealed the... weapon, as you call it, inside the room, believing it would play an important role in the battle. He did not call it a weapon, but rather a fragment. A fragment of Deathwing’s past, I believe he said. It seemed parts of Deathwing tore itself from him in his madness and manifested. And now... now this fragment is lost to us, and the black dragonflight stands victorious in this strife.” Grayflint sniffed the air. “I am afraid this is where we part, human. I advise you to be cautious from now on when you deal with your kind.”

  “What do you mean?” Harrison asked.

  “The fragment was a secret, but is a secret no longer. Someone must have known of its existence and used you to find it. Perhaps you should not trust so easily.”



*



  The first snow had not yet come to Stormwind, but the dark and heavy clouds wore signs of a change in seasons, promising colder days and longer nights. Happy children darted here and there, carrying leaves in magnificent colors, showing off their mighty collections to envious faces.

  Harrison still disliked the crowded streets of the human stronghold, wrapping his coat around himself even tighter. The passing wind beat at his clothes and seemed to have strong ambitions of tearing his garment to pieces.

  Harrison then eyed a man walking in a direct line towards him, a blue-eyed man he knew both face and name of. Knight-Captain Tyren Vilefield, the man who had first sent him on a very deadly errand to the realm of the Earth. They neared each other, but Tyren did not offer Harrison a glance, nor did Harrison bother to look at this man either, for his assumption had been verified. They passed each other, two strangers who had never met each other, and who had no reasons to do so. Harrison sighed as he set course for the nearest exit, promising it would be a long time until next time he set foot in Stormwind.