The Face of the Enemy
"Nerubian."
Mae stated this quite dryly, after taking a minute to carefully inspect the severed head of Dresco's killer. The many, insectoid eyes, the pincers, the strangely humanoid appearance; there was no mistaking the northern descendant of the Aqir. She pushed the head, mounted on a spike, back to the center of a round table. Sitting with her was the rest of the expedition: Stefan, Iyana, Molgoby, Geraldros, Fineus, Lyra, and Haydric. They were somewhere along The Great Sea between Winterspring and Menethil, perhaps half a day's journey out. Stefan had wanted to give Mae time to settle down before telling her about the incident with the Bloodsails, and Dresco's demise. But now, tools and supplies packed away, they were fully settled in.
"A...Nerubian?" said Geraldros, fascination in his voice. From the look he was giving Mae, it could have been what she said, or who was saying it.
"Actually, a Crypt Fiend, to be precise. Look here," Mae pointed to different locations on the severed head. "The flesh is gray and dead. Many of the eyes are clouded and rotting. The incisors have been eaten away by cavities and disease. You were fighting a dead Nerubian that was pulled from it's grave by the Lich King."
"I see," said Stefan.
"Interesting," added Iyana.
"That's grotesque!" exclaimed Fineus.
"How amazing!" announced Geraldros.
Several of the gathered turned to look at Geraldros as if he had passed gas with the utmost nonchalance. But he didn't see them, or didn't care; his eyes were glued to Mae, dreamy stars littering his pupils. Averting his gaze from the captivated Dwarf, Stefan coughed politely, and stood up. All eyes were drawn to him, even Geraldros'.
"Well, now that we've figured out just what the hell that thing was, I think it's time we got back to the task at hand: reaching Northrend without cutting our trip short on a reef or a small shortcut through the Maelstrom. Molgoby, the wheel is yours! Fineus, take care of our sails, and Lyra, see to it we spot that reef before it runs us aground!"
The three burst into action. Tauren, Gnome, and Troll, an odd trio, hustled out of the room and up the stairs. Stefan turned and was about to speak when he noticed that Geraldros was still sitting at the table, eyes glued to Mae. She glanced back every so often, either indifferent or enjoying the attention. He didn't care.
"Geraldros...what are you doing?" asked Stefan. The Dwarf turned to look at him, bewildered.
"What do you mean?"
Stefan stumbled over the right words in his head. "Don't you have something you could be doing above deck?"
"You never gave me a duty. I don't--"
"Maybe you can assist Molgoby in the steering. Make sure he's in the right direction," suggested Stefan.
"Mr. Goldplain is exceptional in the ways of direction, Mr. Dreis. And I don't think there's enough room at the wheel for both of us."
Stefan was starting to grow agitated. "Then help Fineus with the sails."
"I'm not a very nimble Dwarf, Mr. Dreis. I'm afraid I'd only get in his way," replied Geraldros, his voice full of dissapointment.
"Alright," began Stefan, pressing his hands onto the table and leaning forward, head bowed, "maybe Lyra could use one of your little gizmos to see further into the distance? One of your telescope-things."
Geraldros frowned. "I wish I could, but I broke my Scope-Sight 2000 the other day. Shouldn't have left it on the bed like that, where I couldn't see it--"
"Geraldros!"
"Mr. Dreis?"
"Go...do...something."
"Why didn't you say so? I can get some samples of the air composition with this new gadget I built. By golly thank you, Mr. Dreis, for this wonderful opportunity!"
Stefan waited until Geraldros disappeared up the stairs before smacking a hand to his forehead, a bit too hard.
"What the hell is with that Dwarf?" pleaded Stefan, directing the question toward Mae, who sat patiently, an innocent look passing over her features.
"I think he likes me."
---
In the next hour, Stefan, Iyana, Haydric, and Mae discussed the following weeks. It would take some time for them to reach Winterspring, which allowed ample space for vital research that would have to be done before they landed down on the western shores of Northrend. For one thing, they had to know where they were going. Stefan knew next to nothing about the Nerubians and their ancient kingdom, only that it lay somewhere beneath the surface of the frozen continent. Mae knew only a bit more, that there was a myriad of abandoned tunnels that pocketed the surface of Northrend, but only a few were still usable. Many of the passages had been blocked by natural disaster, and still others were purposefully sealed to stem the flow of Scourge forces into the Nerubian's home. The rest was inference drawn from many a history book, packed away with the rest of Mae's supplies for the journey.
"It will take some time. But I assure that first thing tomorrow, I'll have the books out, and with a little help, develop a working plan to getting us into the Nerubian's den. And with a little luck, they won't mind our company," stated Mae.
"Much appreciated, Mae. It's been a long day. I suggest we all get some rest. Tomorrow, the real work begins," said Stefan.