[FFML] [SI] Chance of a Millennium 4-6

[Tannim Murphy]

Gah, sorry about that first post.  Goes to show how long it's been since I posted here.  XD

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Chapter 4

Xxxxx

"Aye dunnae care about your stolen gear, Aye just wannae know who's payin' fer teh use 'o my beds!" The dwarven innkeeper replied, after various attempts to explain the situation.

"... would you accept an IOU?" Kyle asked, reluctantly.

"Whazzat?" The Dwarf asked, puzzled.

Kyle winced internally... how to explain it in a good light...

"It means that, if you agree, you'll let us pay you at a later date, when we actually have the money."

"And if ye don't pay?"

"You'll probably tell everyone and no one will ever do business with us or want to associate with us ever again." Matt answered reluctantly, realizing how lame the answer sounded, and shrugged helplessly. "We'd love to pay you now, but as you can see, we arrived here with nothing of value to you." He pulled out a wallet with a couple of fives, and a lot of now-useless cards and coupons for various businesses, as well as an ATM card and a credit card.

Kyle checked his wallet as well, knowing there'd be little to hold a dwarves interest, and definitely unwilling to part with his Cell Phone and MP3-player, which were both worth a lot more than single night's stay at an inn. Especially one as rustic as this.

"Would you, perchance, accept collateral?" Serenity suddenly asked, earning curious glances from both Matt and Kyle.

The innkeeper spat on the floor. "Pah! I know what that is. A Goblin word, or close enough! I'm a Business man, you hear? Not a banker! Give me gold, or something of value!"

Looking at the somewhat stunned visage of Serenity, and the silver clip in one hand she's pulled from her hair, Kyle nodded slowly. "I think what Serenity meant, sir, was that she'd trade you something of value, but she'd like you to hold on to it, in case we come across enough money to buy it back from you."

The dwarf harrumphed, but didn't look displeased. "Well, why dint ye say so inna first place?" He waddled on over to Serenity and gave the item a thoughtful once-over. "Looks ta me to be fine craftsmanship. I'd be willin' ta hold onto it fer ya if'n ye want."

Serenity parted with the piece with obvious reluctance. "It was my grandmother's. Please take good care of it."

Kyle placed a comforting hand on Serenity's shoulder. "We'll be back for it soon, don't worry."

Serenity gave Kyle a grateful smile. She backed away from the dwarf and nodded briefly towards her two companions. "Shall we be off, then? The sooner we garner some wages, the sooner I'll be able to return and pay this dwarf what we owe."

"Of course, your majesty," Matt said with a grin. "We'll act with all post-haste." His smile faltered. "Though I still haven't the faintest clue how we're going to make money without adventuring."

Kyle smirked. "I'm sure it'll come to us." Pulling open the door, he couldn't help letting a small yelp of surprise escape as the icy air of Dun Morogh blasted around him. "Crap.. I hope it comes soon," he mumbled, fumbling to button up his shirt before burying his hands in his pockets.

Xxxx

As the trio stepped outside, to their obvious discomfort, Kyle scanned the area, before locking his eyes on a rather prominent mountain to the north. "Ironforge is up there. The road should take us almost straight to it... and it's full of lava, so it's probably a lot warmer than this."

"'Ironforge. Never has there been a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.'"

Serenity stared at Matt, unsure of what to make of that comment. "... and you want to take me there?"

"No I was, I mean..." Matt looked uncertain. "Oh man... we're going to have to introduce you to Star Wars..."

Kyle, against his desire to keep warm, pulled one hand out of his pocket to whap Matt upside the head, before replacing the hand and hurrying down the road. "Just ignore him, Serenity."

"You seem to be getting rather forward," Serenity observed lightly as they made their way along the snow-covered path. Here and there, small fire pits burned in raised pits along side the road, no doubt to offer some warmth to passers-by who were unprepared for the weather. She also noticed a few dwarf guards patrolling the more obviously-traveled roads.

"I suppose," Kyle replied over his shoulder. "Still, I'm running out of Han Solo phrases, and you did say we could call you that in private. I think an entirely different world would count."

"Privacy," she started, with a slight smirk gracing her regal face, "tends to imply a lack of witnesses."

Kyle paused staring thoughtfully at a nearby roaming guard, then up at the clear blue sky overhead. "Hmm... It would... but I think the originator of the word was never faced with the prospect of finding themselves within a world they only knew as fictitious. And the distinct possibility of leaving said world at a later time."

"Hey, don't you think this is more of a vacation than anything else?" Matt interjected. "It's not like you're going to be coming back here any time soon after we leave. No one has to even know you're a queen if you don't want."

"I... never thought of it like that before." Serenity blinked, and a small smile slowly crept across her face. "I suppose you're right."

The road north of Kharanos was not the short little jaunt Kyle recalled from the game. Instead, there seemed to be no end, and only after asking one of the roaming guards was he sure that he'd started them all on the correct path.

Xxxxx

Finally, after a few miles of walking, the path forked, and a fairly steep-yet-wide path lead up towards the mountainous city.

"Oh crap.. I loath this path," Matt stated as a lost memory floated to the surface. He stared at said path with a hate-filled glare. "It winds. And goes up. And has no guard rails."

Kyle shrugged. "I'm not nearly as cold after walking a few miles, but I'd like to get inside before the sun finishes setting," he said, glancing at the darkening sky and slowly-growing shadows nearby. The sun had slipped mostly behind a westerly-peak, but part of it was still visible around the edges.

The rising path was fairly simple to navigate, curving left once, then right, before approaching the city's main gates. At a landing before the first twist, a horse-drawn cart sans-horse sat axle-deep in the snow, a pleased-looking Dwarf nearby hawking his wares to the few pedestrians who approached. And considering his positioning, anyone coming or going was going to have to approach from one direction or the other.

"How're ya!" The dwarf cried as they got within speaking range. "Ya folks look a mite cold. Fancy a pint o' Thunderbrew? It'll warm ya right up for the last leg o' yer trip ta grand Ironforge!"

"Thanks, but no thanks," Kyle said, looking at the proffered wooden mug (currently empty) and wondering if it was the light playing tricks on him, or if the shadows inside were actually moving.

Nodding in reply, the Dwarf tossed the mug haphazardously back into the cart, before turning around to pull out a large piece of what-looked like cloth. "Ah see. Some humans don't appreciate ta fine Ale. Ah canna say ah unnastand it, but if that's not ta kind o' heat yer looking for, I have these fine linen cloaks. Cost hardly anything, but keep the cold out like you wouldn't believe!"

Kyle was about to wave him off, before he stopped. "While I'm not interested in buying anything..." as the dwarf started to open his mouth to protest, Kyle quickly amended, "at the moment, we are looking to possibly exchange some of our less-than-common currency for the local coin. If you could point us in the right direction, when we return this way to pay off a debt in Kharanos, we might just take you up on your offer for those cloaks."

Serenity, who'd been watching the exchange, nodded gently when the Dwarf glanced at her, before narrowing his eyes as the merchant looked at the guards with distaste and waved Kyle closer.

"Lad, ah dinna think ye want ta be mentioning your foreign coin around the more proper members o' society." Sparing the guards another quick glance, he lowered his voice to a whisper, "but if yer serious about that, ah think ah know ta right group yer gonna be wantin' ta talk to."

"Oh?" Kyle asked, curious.

"They're... traders. Collectors. Pay a pretty copper to merchants who know how things really work and send people their way." The dwarf offered, watching Kyle closely.

"I see.." the human mumbled, beginning to understand just what the dwarf was talking about.

"When you get inta the city, head to the Mystic Ward. To the left of the Fighting Mage is an unlisted storefront. Head inside and go down the stairs. Tell 'em 'George sent ya.'"

Kyle nodded, committing the pertinent details to memory before turning to leave.

"So your name is George?" Matt asked, curiously.

"Ask me nae questions, lad." the dwarf replied with a grin, and placing one finger to the side of his nose.

Xxxxx

The rest of the path up the mountainside was flanked on the peak-side by an almost sheer cliff-face about fifty feet high at the tallest, and the road slowly turned right, towards the huge iron gates of Ironforge itself.

"Hmmm..." Kyle mused as they rounded the last of the bend and the full gates were made visible. "It's not nearly as static as the game would have you think."

"Of course, if we were going to judge everything against the game, I'd be lagged like heck right now," Matt replied sarcastically.

"Surely you would have been able to guess that a city like this in a land like this Dun Morogh would see a lot of traffic throughout the day," Serenity supplied.

"Not really. Usually the only time you see people out here it's either lowbies making their first run in, or high-level players coming outside to duel," Kyle replied, with a smirk. He'd done his fair share of dueling, back before the expansion packs had been released.

"I see. Your information about this world isn't going to be too inaccurate, I hope," she asked, after a moments pause.

With a shrug, Kyle made his way forward, the other two following, as he answered. "It's not perfectly accurate. Remember, Games are meant to be entertaining, so facts are skewed to appeal to the widest player base possible."

Serenity didn't bother responding, instead focusing on the entryway to this city with wide-eyes. Unlike her Palace, which was the only real entry-point to her kingdom that she could compare this to, Ironforge was built to a much larger scale than anything she'd ever seen before. Glancing at one of the many guards stationed around the entry hall, she considered asking whether or not the over-sized hallways, paths, and rooms were an attempt to fight of the claustrophobia of knowing there was an entire mountain top hanging above your head.

Then she spotted dirty marks in the snowdrifts that had gathered in the door. Marks that looked suspiciously similar to the large mechanical machine stationed outside with a turret of some sort on top. While the Silver Millennium was a peaceful Empire, history had proven the effectiveness of war machines, and she had recognized the shape, if not the entire construct. Cannons were rare, but not unheard of, even on the moon.

Looking once more at the tracks, Serenity realized the wide halls were apparently designed for the potential traffic numerous machines like the one outside would cause. The niches to the side would probably hold a family that couldn't get clear in time, as well as protect the guards from errant gusts of frigid air during the cooler months.

Aside from the baffled entryway, where the dirty snowdrifts gave way to well-fitted stone floors, there was a giant statue of a Dwarf ahead, marking a T-junction she had already assumed was a block to prevent the air from cooling too rapidly.

Kyle ignored the oft-seen spectacle, idly commenting that the details were a bit better than he had assumed, before leading them on towards their destination.

Serenity was impressed. Despite the fact that they were inside a mountain, torches, fire pits, and what looked like a canal of molten rock provided the wide open area in Ironforge with enough light and heat to make navigating comfortable, without being stifling.

Inside the wall against which the giant statue sat at the head of the entry hall, there was a cavernous open area, the rock walls carved into store fronts complete with shuttered windows doorways, and porches. To the center, a larger doorway sat, and she caught the gleam of gold and steel from within.

"That's the bank," Matt offered, following her view.

Smirking, Kyle pointed to the busy building across from it. "That's the Alliance Auction House... Or one of them."

Between the Bank and the Auction house, but more towards the Auction House, was a bridge spanning a cleft that followed the circular design of the city in both directions. From within came the glow of something fiery, and as they drew near, Serenity's eyebrows rose in surprise. Despite a rough iron barrier below the walkway, the cleft opened up about twenty-feet below their feet into a river of molten rock. Anyone unlucky enough to fall in would have a few minutes to mourn their fate before the heat got to them.

Despite what had to be high temperatures within, there was enough of a breeze from outside that the city itself was comfortably warm. Only when one got close enough to peer into the fiery depths themselves did the heat become noticeable.

"An interesting design," she said, watching the pedestrians go about their business without showing much concern for the open valley running the circumference of the city.

Serenity felt her eyes drawn from the pit again as something she'd noticed came to the forefront of her mind. While she had expected to see many dwarves in a dwarven city, there were quite a few members of other races, as well. Considering how few races she'd seen other than the very-near human races of other solar systems, and the cat-like Mau, the blue-skinned figure approaching them was enough to give her pause, almost causing Matt to walk into her.

She thought she'd done well dealing with the Dwarf, but this being was utterly beyond her comprehension. A flared and almost stylized forehead covered in symmetrical ridges, sat above glowing blue eyes, which were set in an almost regal face that was framed by odd tentacle-like extensions from the jaw line, and hair swept back into a functional ponytail.

The torso itself was fairly humanoid, though far more muscular than all but the most burliest of men in the moon kingdom, and Serenity couldn't help but wonder if that was naturally-occurring, or if this person was as hard a worker as those back home.

While the torso was fairly normal, from the waist down, differences began appearing again, the knees too high, though understandable so, with the lower-leg being reverse-jointed and hooved, much like the rear limbs of the horses of Earth. and behind the hoven feet swayed a blue, lizard-like tail.

"A Draenei," Kyle offered quietly, as he fell in beside her to pass a stationary mob of humans. The Draenei nodded in passing, and Serenity nodded in return, thoughts about all the times she'd had to deal with pompous, ridiculously dressed humans in her throne room helping prepare her for days like today, when shock would prefer to display itself plainly on her face.

The trio themselves were not going unnoticed in their journey through the hall. Their odd clothing, gait, and fact that they carried no plainly-seen weapons all drew attention and idle gazes of curiosity. More than one human male, and even males of other species, gave Serenity herself an appraising look. Had she been anything less than a queen, she would have blushed. As it stood she settled for avoiding eye contact and walking slightly faster so as to be closer toward Kyle. Matt unconsciously stepped up his gait and soon the three were walking, practically shoulder to shoulder, across the way.

The circular construction of this level of Ironforge wasn't obvious unless you looked for it; the outside rim was so massive that the curve was not evident until one looked across its whole length. Buildings stretched out overhead with balconies galore, and massive columns rose to the ceiling high overhead, supporting the whole thing.

"Man. This looks way better in person," Matt remarked.

Kyle paused, looking around as he began to really take in the scenery. "Yeah... I kinda suppose it is." Turning to Matt with a shrug, "I'd still rather be viewing it from my computer screen, though."

"True. Somehow, though, this almost feels like it..."

Kyle blinked at that, then frowned before asking, "like someone is watching us?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah. Kinda."

Kyle waved it off. "Whatever. You're just being paranoid." As they continued, the cleft in the city ended abruptly, a steep ramp on the inner wall the only apparent access to the metal grill below. Ahead, the storefront-lined walls expanded, and they entered a large cavern, with a small crystal-clear pond in the center, surrounded by stone plinths.

Behind the pool stood a temple-like facade carved from the mountain, and ornately decorated with columns and bass reliefs. Around it, more storefronts and dwellings existed, and Kyle nodded towards one to the left of the temple.

"That's the Fighting Mage," he said, reading the English on the sign. Around it were other symbols, presumably for the non-humans of the Alliance.

"And we're to go into the building beside it?" Serenity asked, glancing at the people walking around and spotting another new-type of being, this one short, like a Dwarf, but lacking the bulk or facial hair, despite its apparent maleness.

Kyle, following her gaze, shuddered. "You want to explain this one, Matt?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Don't make fun of the vertically challenged, Kyle. The gnomes would be liable to bite your kneecaps off."

"Do you know how far they'd fly if I got enough of a windup?" Kyle asked with a scowl.

"Hence the strategic attack on the knee, depriving you of your kicking ability."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Just explain to Serenity... nevermind. You said it was a gnome. That's good enough. If it's not a dwarf, it's best to keep your distance. They can have rabies," he explained to the Queen, who looked somewhat shocked at this explanation, and worried by the warning.

As the party climbed the stairs, Kyle paused, before turning to the other two and sitting on the stairway so that he was eye-level with them. "I suppose I should explain the other races we're liable to meet..."

"You mean like night elves, orcs, trolls, and the," Matt shivered. "...undead?"

Kyle shrugged. "Yeah. Or the Forsaken, if you're talking about the Horde undead."

"A zombie is a zombie."

"I've heard you mention the Horde and the Alliance before; I assume these are two warring factions," Serenity asked.

Kyle nodded. "Those are the primary factions on this planet. There's also demons, who belong to the Burning Legion, and numerous undead under the banner of the Scourge."

"Man, I hope we don't run into any of the undead here," Matt stated with a pensive expression on his face. "But one must remain always vigilant. I never played past the free trial of Burning Crusade. Any chance of them showing up?"

"Forsaken? Or Horde? Either-or, it's unlikely. Unless things are wildly different from the game, Alliance cities are going to be extremely anti-Horde. And vice-versa."

"So are there other races in the alliance? Or just Humans, Dwarves, Draenei, and Gnomes?" Serenity queried, looking over the stone-railing of the staircase towards the caverns beyond.

"There's also the Night Elves. They're a fairly haughty, secluded race, though, and only a recent addition to the Alliance. Somewhat like the Draenei." Kyle answered.

"Dark skin, long pointy ears. You'll know one if you see one," Matt interjected.

with a smirk, Kyle nodded. "An apt description. That's about it for the alliance, and all we're likely to encounter if we play it smart," he stated, before standing up. "I suppose that's that then. Ready to continue?"

At the two's nods in reply, he headed up the remainder of the stairs, and into the shady store. Unlike the others they'd passed, this one, in addition to being sign-less, was darkened inside without candles to provide illumination, and only the light shining in through the open doorway let them see the descending staircase in the back. To say that it exuded a dark and depressive aura was putting it mildly, and it was totally out of place with the rest of the hall.

"What goes up, must come down," Kyle mumbled, heading over and down the stairs. As he cleared the midway-landing, he crouched to examine the room beneath the store, and quirked a brow in surprise. Unlike the darkened, unused store above, this room was gently lit with candles, and stocked with various items, some readily identifiable, some not.

In the center of the room, however, stood a man, watching the warily, but failing to look nearly as menacing as his expression seemed to be trying to convey.

"I am Lixspilsen. Why have you come here?" He asked, in a surprisingly effeminate voice.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, Kyle had to frown as he took his features in. muddy-brown eyes set into a sallow face lacking facial hair, under a mop of brown hair, all on a body that looked like it was barely winning the fight against obesity. A plain, dusty jacket that was over-sized and bulging with objects not very carefully hidden hung over two dirty and worn sandals.

"George sent us," Kyle said, finally.

The man nodded, his expression turning to one of glee, and he turned to look at a stack of barrels against the wall, before speaking again. "I see. So you would be looking to make... an exchange?"

"If the price is right... I have some rather rare and valuable funds from a far off land called America. The currency is called the Dollar, and it is often the staple by which other currencies are measured," Kyle offered, pulling out a dollar bill. before he could continue, however, the man reacted.

Lixspilsen's eyes widened. "We have heard of these... 'dollars.' An exchange would be possible, most definitely. And our rates are second-to-none."

Serenity frowned. "'We?' Are you not alone, then?"

The figure nodded vigorously, practically fondling the dollar Kyle had handed him. "We are a growing alliance of money exchangers, working to accrue various foreign funds for an as-yet unspoken purpose."

Kyle chuckled, "I see. Does this alliance have a name? Perhaps we could come to some sort of... arrangement." Despite saying this, Kyle was wary. Something wasn't right about this arrangement. Particularly the fact that someone from Azeroth knew of the dollar, which should have been utterly unrecognizable.

He'd led Matt and Serenity in here in hopes of finding a collector of rare coins he could fob off a couple Quarters and Dimes onto. Instead, he'd stumbled upon something far more bizarre.

"We like to refer to ourselves as..." he trailed off, glancing around surreptitiously, as if we were in a crowded marketplace where he could be overheard, before leaning in to whisper "...The Gold Farmers."

Kyle blinked, as all the pieces suddenly fell into place.

"You could join us if you like... We're always looking for new recruits, and our secret methods of extracting valuable gold from the world, much like farmers grow their crops, has made us quite rich here in Azeroth."

As his Spiel continued, Kyle turned around to look at Matt, who looked just as annoyed as he. Serenity looked somewhat lost, but having never had to deal with the economic plague gold farmers in WoW represented, she was unlikely to understand Kyle or Matt's sudden disgust and rage.

"... we're expanding into Kalimdor, now, and some promising entrepreneurs have already headed to Outland in hopes of finding more gold."

"What you say... sounds unlikely." Kyle said, hesitantly, trying his best to sound wary, and not angry. "Do you have proof of your claims?"

With a flourish, the man pulled his jacket open, exposing multiple string-drawn purses that appeared to be mostly full. "We're always loaded! I can buy anything in Ironforge with this. These are all enchanted purses, able to hold hundreds of pounds of gold, and they're giving them away to members!"

Kyle, Matt, and Serenity blinked in surprise, never having expected someone to announce so readily that that were practically covered in rare and expensive metals.

"You must be new," Matt deadpanned.

Lixspilsen nodded, pulling the jacket closed. "I was afraid to leave Goldshire when I was recruited. I got gold, an introduction to the group, and sent here to handle the exchange office in Ironforge!"

"You mean... you're the first person from The Gold Farmers to run an exchange in Ironforge?" Serenity asked.

He shook his head. "Of course not! I'm just the newest branch manager!"

"What happened to the old branch manager?" Serenity pressed.

Kyle was about to quip, but decided against it, instead looking at the stairwell in feigned surprise. "Who's that!"

When Serenity turned to look, Kyle spun, fist clenched, hitting the Gold Farmer with a rather well-placed haymaker to the chin. Lixspilsen's teeth slammed together, his head shot back from the impact, and he fell to the floor in a heap, the gold in his coat jingling merrily as his body settled to the floor.

As Kyle hovered over the now-unconscious body, there was a scraping noise from behind them all, which Kyle missed as Serenity had turned around just in time to see the man hit the floor and was berating Kyle. "How could you! Not only was that unnecessarily violent, he hadn't done anything to us!"

"Oh, your highnessness, he's done far more damage to us than I could ever tell you. Isn't that right Matt?"

Just as he was about to respond, a high-pitched and warbling war cry erupted from the barrels stacked near the staircase.. Out leapt a poorly-dressed man almost faster than the eye could see, wielding a dagger and a crazed look in his eye. He immediately attacked the first person he saw, which happened to be queen Serenity.

"Look out!" Matt cried and leapt shoulder-first into the queen, knocking her out of the way and into Kyle.

The rusty knife glanced off Matt's shoulder, but with his current momentum the wielder could not stop himself in time and tripped over Matt's still-extended foot. The man landed face-first on the stone floor with a resounding CRACK!

"YOU BODE MY DOTHE!"

Matt kicked the knife away from the man before kicking the guy in the ribcage for good measure. "You tried to kill me! Bastard!"

"You okay?" Kyle asked Serenity, who was currently looking somewhat shocked while lying on his back.

She nodded. "I think so."

Kyle frowned. "Then, could you get off me? Not that you're heavy, but if anyone else jumped out of the woodworks to attack us, we'd be a pretty easy target."

Serenity, for her part, was both shocked at the sudden violence, which she had been totally unprepared for, and was somewhat annoyed at the direct order. Still, it made more sense for Kyle to take action in her defense than for her to hinder him in such an... un-seemly position. Doing her best to get up without getting her dress too dirty, she dusted her gloves and the hem of her dress off as Kyle stood back up and crouched over the first body to hit the floor.

"FOOLS!" A new voice shouted from the stairs. The three turned in surprise, to see a cowled-figure standing on the landing, the hood on his head covering his face in shadows. "You've dared to assault members of an elite community! Your days are numbered!"

"MATHDER! HELB UTH!" the injured man blubbered.

"Pitiful idiots, you failed to protect that which you were entrusted with! All you'll get from me is a painful death!" And with that, the figure raised his hand, and a ball of orange fire coalesced in front of it, before shooting out and impacting the man who had tried to jump them, rapidly engulfing him in fire. Needless to say, he died screaming, which was somewhat disconcerting to Serenity, Kyle, and Matt, who looked on in horror.

Another fireball quickly ignited the unconscious vendor, who died without even knowing why, before the figure on the staircase turned his gaze on them once more.

Matt cartwheeled his way to the kicked knife, picking it up as his hand passed by it, and threw it at the man, embedding it in his eye. At least, that was his plan, before reality set in and he realized he couldn't actually do any of those things. He settled for figuring out how far he was away from the exit, and then how to get Serenity to there as quickly as possible.

"You three... will have the honor of being targets of our collections branch. Enjoy what little time you still have!" Before anyone could act, the figure ran up the stairs, and there was a flash of light from the store above.

"... That was violent." Serenity stated factually, as the silence dragged on.

Kyle nodded. "I was kind of hoping he'd just get a slap on the wrist and we could steal from him again later."

"'Again?'" Serenity asked, incredulously.

Kyle nodded, tossing her one of the coin purses he'd snatched off the unconscious (at the time) body, before tossing a second to Matt, who was still shocked but managed to reflexively catch it before it hit the floor.

"You robbed him?" Serenity yelled.

Kyle blinked. "Not like he earned it. They're a fairly problematic... err... group, back where I come from." Kyle winced. "Come on, lets get out of here, it stinks."

Serenity, who had been trying to keep her cool, lost it. "Stinks? Of course it stinks! Two people just burned to death, and we could have been next! I can't believe you two! If this is the kind of help I can expect from you two, I would have been better off on my own!" With that, she stormed out of the underground room.

Kyle, surprised at the outburst, looked down at the two charred bodies on the floor, and shuddered, before heading for the staircase himself. It had been exceedingly unnerving to watch them die, and he'd been just as worried as Serenity, though his levity hadn't made it as apparent. She'd probably seen more death than he had, actually, considering this was his first time.

Matt, for his part, paused to pick up the knife he'd kicked away earlier. It still had a bit of his blood on it. "I think this shit just got real," he said with a sober expression on his face. He followed Serenity out without another word.

"Indeed," Kyle mumbled, before leaving as well.


Chapter 5

Xxxxx

Across the courtyard and past the softly-glowing pool, Serenity strode with a fury not felt since she'd first heard that her own kingdom was being attacked by secessionist-seeking-terrorists from the belt. She didn't know what she was doing or where she was going, but she knew where she didn't want to be. To see life treated so callously, not just by an enemy, but by people she thought were at least a decent sort...

In her haste to escape the immediate area, Serenity did not notice she was heading to a decidedly shady, even for Ironforge, area of the underground city. The shadow that broke off from the deeper shadows and started following her was also ignored. It wasn't until Serenity felt the uncomfortable pin-prick of a knife in her back did she realize something was wrong.

"Your money and your life," the gruff voice demanded.

"Isn't it customary to ask a person to choose between their money or their life?" Serenity asked, more to stall for time than anything. She was quietly gathering power for a counter-attack, and vaguely worried she'd mess it up. She hadn't had to call on her own magic without the assistance of the Silver Crystal since her childhood.

Out of no where, soft, serene music began playing and filled the air, causing both Serenity and her unseen assailant to immediately become drowsy and peace-filled as all thoughts of violence or anger left them.

"Calm yourself, sister," a voice sounded inside Serenity's mind. "All shall be made clear in time." The queen nodded uncomprehendingly at the voice as she tried to will herself to some form of defense against this... whatever it was. It worked, but only slightly.

"Who are you?" she managed to croak out.

"I, dear Serenity, am you," the voice mysteriously replied.

Then she knew no more.

Xxxxx

Matt's first priority upon exiting the establishment where he had just witnessed his first two murders was to locate the queen that was his only ticket home. Despite worrying about her mental health, his first concern was, really, to get back to where he came from. As far as he knew, they didn't have things like running water, plumbing, or refrigeration. He liked his creature comforts, and did not want to be separated from them if he could help it.

It was not difficult to spot woman with silver hair cascading down her head and past her knees dressed entirely in white; the eye practically drew itself to her and she was receiving a large amount of odd looks at the storm she was brewing. Anger and rage prompted speed from her, and before Matt knew it she was half-way across the hall and proceeding at a good clip towards the next area.

Kyle, at this moment, exited from the building to join Matt on the balcony.

"Looks like she's leaving at a pretty good clip," Matt commented. "Think she'll stay mad at us?"

"Hmm... probably. Women, you know?" he replied with a shrug.

Matt glared at Kyle, then headed down the stairs at his best speed. "C'mon, we gotta go catch her. Unless you want to die at the wrong end of a fireball."

Kyle sighed, glancing back at the dark doorway and suppressing a shudder as he hurried to follow. He'd intended to rob the Gold Farmer (not like he didn't have plenty to spare) and go; and the death of the two, while maybe not totally unpredictable, had been a rather grisly surprise... And clearly, bravado wasn't going to go over well with Serenity. At least, not until she learned that Azeroth was a far cry from her Moon Kingdom.

Catching up to Matt, he pointed at the darkened cave at the far end of the cavern they were in, where Serenity had disappeared. "That's the Forlorn Cavern. Rogue and Warlock trainer in there... not the most..." he paused, searching for the right word, then settled for, "-pleasant area. In the game, it's safe enough, but here? I'd go in there looking like you're ready for a fight."

Matt began to speed up but was stopped by Kyle grabbing his arm. "We should, y'know, give her some time. To settle down," Kyle commented. Matt nodded reluctantly and stayed at his previous pace. When a dazzling flash of light briefly illuminated the cave from within, Kyle blinked in surprise, before starting to run. "On the other hand, she's had plenty of time, right?"

In a handful of seconds the two made their way to where they assumed the queen was only to be greeted with the puzzling sight of a dwarf, dagger in hand, staring off into nothingness with a vacant expression on his face. A quick glance of the interior of the place revealed that Serenity was no where to be found.

"Hey, you!" Matt spoke to the dwarf. "Have you seen a girl in white with silver hair come by here?"

"I want to go home and rethink my life," the dwarf mumbled to himself. He then proceeded to wander off in a daze.

"Well..." Kyle said, nonplussed. "That was different." Aside from the low-level abodes cut into the stone walls, the low, rough-edged ceiling, rough-cut floor, and large, black underground lake that stretched on into the darkness added a foreboding ambiance to the cavern, which definitely lived up to its title.

"Well, where do we go now?" Matt asked, as the dwarf wandered off.

"Well... I hate to suggest it, but it might be wisest if we split up. Ironforge is... safe enough, for the most part." Kyle paused to watch the Dwarf wander into the wall once, before making it out of the cavern. Hoping Matt hadn't seen that, he continued speaking. "I think you should stay here and hunt for Serenity. I'll head back to the Inn and get her jewelry... It wasn't my intention, but I did kind of piss her off."

Matt nodded. "You should also see about purchasing some decent equipment before you go. We could both use some."

Glancing down at his shirt and slacks, Kyle nodded, suppressing a grimace at the memory of how cold it was outside. "Good idea. We'll meet up later, I suppose. By the Auction House?"

"Sure."

Xxxxx

It didn't take long for Matt to realize just how massive Ironforge really was. The way the ceiling stretched up high was rather disorientating, making things appear much more open than they were, almost as if he was outside. At least he didn't feel like he was in a cave, despite the fact he was underground.

He hadn't really given them a good look before, but the various travelers that were passing through the great city of Ironforge were dressed in all sorts of different ways; most were in what would be called civilian clothing, usually denoting their profession. Others were in the uniform of the local or some far off guard, while still others wore a patchwork of whatever was available, as was the hallmark of an adventurer on the go.

First thing was first. He needed some clothes.

They weren't difficult to find. A helpful guard pointed him in the right direction to an outfitter. It was easy work purchasing shoes, shirt, and pants. The clerk even offered to take his old clothes off him for a few coins, which he accepted. He had been able to afford silk shirt and pants, and felt no need to change.

Feeling much refreshed from new clothes, Matt set out to find Serenity.

This is where things became a little more... difficult.

At first he tried simply asking each passer-by if they'd seen a human girl with silver hair wearing white. After the third offer to end his life if he did not walk the other way, he got the idea that most people were not friendly around here. It wasn't that they were mean, per say, but the vast majority had the look of seasoned warriors, and had no patience for weaklings asking strange questions.

"Looking for your friend?" Someone behind Matt asked suddenly, the deep baritone pulling him from his internal musings.

Matt gripped his dagger in surprise as he whirled around to face the speaker. He was greeted with the sight of a Night Elf standing before him, dressed in the stately robes of a priest.

"Stay your blade, human. I've no quarrel with you; indeed, I was sent here to reunite you with her. I am a priest of Elune, and I have been tasked by Lady Whisperwind herself to bring you and your friend to the Temple of Elune in Darnassus. Your lady friend awaits you there, as does the High Priestess."

Xxxxx

Unwilling to part with his clothes, but definitely in need of something warmer, Kyle had asked a tailor for a fitted cloak. It had taken a few minutes to find the shop, particularly as some of them were closing, but with enough gold, even the most weary of store owners was willing to deal with 'one last customer.' As an added bonus, the gold entitled him to a free light meal, and stepping out of the tailor's shop a half-hour later, he had a fairly warm cloak and a few gold pieces lighter.

"To Kharanos!" Kyle cried, as he passed through the gates of Ironforge and out into the frosty winds of Dun Morogh. The sun had gone down, and a few clouds dotted the evening sky, but the crisp, cool air did little to dim the stars, or the moon.

By the moonlight, Kyle quickly retraced their earlier steps, the majority of the path being downhill. Even now, after sundown, the Dwarves had guards patrolling the roads, and he nodded in greeting to those he passed, stopping on occasion to take advantage of the raised fire pits that dotted the path.

He'd barely made it halfway back when someone stepped out onto the path ahead of him. Stepping back warily, Kyle prepared himself for an attack, and cursed his current lack of a weapon. 'Something to remedy as soon as possible,' he thought to himself with a slight grimace.

"Hold, traveler, I mean you no harm. Are you the companion of Serenity?"

Frowning, Kyle nodded, the gesture all but hidden in the dark of night. Or so he'd assumed. When the figure ahead stepped closer, he realized it was a Night Elf, and she was probably far better at seeing him than he was at seeing her.

"You are quite difficult to find," she muttered, before holding her hand out as if to give him something. Holding his hand out, he was somewhat surprised when she gave him the bit of jewelry from the inn. "Compliments of the Sisterhood of Elune. High priestess Whisperwind has asked for you to be brought to her immediately. You and your friend."

Kyle just nodded, putting the silver bit into a pocket, "I suppose I'm in your debt, now... let me guess," he frowned, and turned back at the road he'd been traveling, "back to Ironforge?"

"Was it that obvious?" She asked with a smirk, before heading up the road. "Coming?" She called over her shoulder, when he didn't start after her immediately.

Shaking the weary resignation away, Kyle resolved himself to climbing that trail again, and started off after her.

Xxxxx

"Can I touch them?"

The priest reacted as if slapped, and turned to look at the human he'd been standing next with a horrified expression. "What?"

"Your ears. Can I touch them?" Matt didn't say it out loud, but they looked kind of rubbery or fake. While he still hadn't completely ruled out the possibility that everything he was going through was one massive coma-induced dream, the thought had just now occurred to him that maybe, just maybe, this was some sort of elaborate ruse. Perpetrated by whom, the man didn't know, or why; but he was just sleep-deprived enough to give the possibility some serious thought.

They also looked soft.

"I'll have you know they're very sensitive, and that is considered something of an intimate action by my people," the elf replied, somewhat haughtily.

"So that's a 'no' then," Matt said with obvious disappointment.

The night elf tried to keep his face passive, but relented at the kicked puppy-dog expression on Matt's face. "Fine. But only the tip, and only briefly."

Matt grinned and, obeying the elf's wishes, gently rubbed a finger over the edge of one ear. They were soft, but also surprisingly warm. "Thanks," he nodded.

"Don't mention it. Please."

"Hey look, Kyle's back," Matt stated as he spotted his friend accompanied by another night elf.

"Indeed. It is high time we return to Darnassus. I don't enjoy spending time outside of my homeland. Simply too... sterile. Not enough life." The elf glanced over. "No offense."

"None taken." Matt smiled widely at his friend as Kyle approached. "I see you got yourself a little night elf helper, same as me. I take it your search was more successful than mine?"

With a shrug, Kyle pulled the silver bangle out of his pocket and waved it at Matt before replacing it. His companion was prone to making a rare comment now and then, but he'd quickly realized she was probing him for information, and did his best to ignore it.

"This cavern is just too unnatural. The Dwarves may pride themselves on the architecture, but it's far too..." she trailed off as if looking for the word.

Looking at his companion, Matt smirked. "Sterile?" he offered.

She nodded. "Exactly."

Kyle buried his face in his hands. "Look, this is a mountain, not a giant tree. And look what happened to your last big tree, if you've forgotten. At least the Legion won't be coming here. Ironforge is more natural than your World Tree ever was."

Kyle's companion scowled at him. "The very Aspects of Life, Time, and Dreaming blessed Nordrassil!"

Kyle grinned darkly at that, but before he could respond with his retort, Matt's night elf spoke up. "Enough! We've no time for this, and these humans look tired. Remember, they're not nocturnal like us, Jani."

The priestess nodded, glaring once at Kyle's turned head, before turning around and walking towards the Mystic Ward. Kyle followed, doing his best not to drag his feet, and Matt and his companion brought up the rear.

"Welcome back!"

"Oh god, no," Kyle whimpered as they approached what could only be a gnome mage. The grinning, eager-looking humanoid appeared to recognize the two night elves.

"These are the two. Whenever you're ready," the night elf known as Jani said.

"Alright! One portal to Darnassus, coming up! Did I ever tell you two why I was there in the first place? I had just arrived on Kalimdor, when-"

"We remember, friend," Matt's companion said with a rather pained look on his face.

"how could we forget?" Jani muttered, too quiet for the Gnome to hear, but Kyle had to smirk at that, the utterance definitely confirming his thoughts about Gnomes in general.

With a sudden roar, a hole in the very fabric of reality was torn, and through it, a green-tinted marble temple appeared, the few beings on the far side of the portal starting in surprise at its appearance, before moving on as if it were a natural occurrence.

"There you go!" The Gnome cried, grinning at the party as if his trick had never been seen before. Of course, for two of them, it actually hadn't, and his smile grew as Matt and Kyle stared into the portal with mixed emotions.

Finally, Kyle shook his head, and shrugged. "There's something you don't see every day," he mumbled. "I just.. step through?" He asked.

"Indeed." The male night elf intoned sagely.

"Better a wormhole than teleportation, I suppose," Matt said as he reluctantly strode through the portal hanging in mid-air. The only thing he noticed was a slight tingling sensation passing throughout his body, and he was on the other side, staring in wonder at the purple and green landscape that dominated the current capital of the night elf cities.

Kyle and the two elves appeared momentarily behind him. Kyle looked as surprised as Matt did upon seeing the lush, growing city around him, and even the two elves looked slightly cheered at returning to their homeland.

"And so you've arrived." Someone spoke from behind them. Turning around, the small group spotted a new night elf female, this one in much more elegant robes, and the two priests dropped to their knees in supplication.

"Priestess Whisperwind!" Jani cried, head bowed.

"Rise, and go with Elune's Blessing, friends." Tyrande said, never taking her eyes off the two humans before her.

Kyle matched her gaze with one of his own, doing his best to recall what he knew of her, and trying not to let his thoughts show as he remember her more snide comments and bloodthirsty attitude in the third Warcraft game.

Meanwhile, Matt stood there with an entirely different set of thoughts going through his mind.

'Is she hitting on me? She's staring pretty intensely at us... maybe it's Kyle she's into? Or humans in general. Geez! I wish I'd played more of the games, maybe she was someone important enough to remember who she was. And now she's getting closer with that "I'm evaluating you and finding you lacking" expression... oh, she hates our guts. She looks like she just smelled something terrible.'

"You two must be tired," Tyrande finally said. Not expecting that at all, the two could do naught but nod. Smiling slightly, she turned around. "Elune has somewhat specifically asked you here, and I've done my part in getting you here and providing you two a means of communicating with her." She spoke over her shoulder as she walked, and as they crossed a marble bridge over tranquil waters, she paused, throwing the two another glance. "Though, I must admit, the Goddess' attention is rarely focused on specific mortals... and humans, at that? Perhaps you know why you've been summoned?"

"It could have to do with the fact we're from another world," Matt hazarded a guess.

Kyle buried his face in his hands as Tyrande stopped and spun on them, looking far more wary than before.

"You two are human, correct?" she asked, her humor having evaporated.

Matt and Kyle looked at one another, before Kyle replied, "Yeah... last time we checked, anyway."

"We could be butterflies dreaming we're human, but all evidence points to that premise being false," Matt said, half jokingly, half seriously.

"You certainly jest like humans. Particularly in the face of adversity and overwhelming odds." Turning to look at a towering statue of a feminine figure shaped similarly to a night elf, Tyrande sighed. "Elune brought you here, so I must assume you are no threat. Try not to upset the workers at the temple during your stay."

As she spoke, the group had reached ad large structure crawling with healthy green vines. Inside, a diffuse blue-silver light shone, illuminating a pool of crystal blue water, and another statue that was apparently of Elune. The statue also served as a fountain, a large stream of water running from the figure's hands down into the pool, which somehow managed to ripple the waters only slightly, and enhancing the atmosphere of the temple's main chamber.

Upon entering the Temple itself, Kyle and Matt were rather beset by lethargy, the moonlight and atmosphere enhancing the magic of the temple and conveying a rather strong sense of safety and serenity.

"It would seem The Goddess is anxious to speak with you," Tyrande said, watching the two sway as if drugged. Motioning for some of the nearby guards to come over, she quickly had the two lead off to one of the smaller side chambers, where a pair of beds had been set up for them.

Despite their weak protests, Matt and Kyle quickly gave in to sleep after their heads hit the pillows.

Xxxxx

"Welcome, Matt and Kyle of Earth." The voice was decidedly feminine, but seemed to lack the distinction with which one identified the speaker.

Opening his eyes, Kyle found himself seated on bench in a lavish garden, and only after looking skyward did he realize he was on the moon again. Or a moon.

"-of Earth?" He asked, tearing his gaze from the planet above and looking around for the source of the voice. Across from him, on a nearby bench, sat Matt, who was also looking around, and a moment later, a pair of figures emerged from around a towering bush covered in deep violet flowers.

"Serenity!' Matt exclaimed, recognizing one of the figures.

"Hello Matt, Kyle." The Queen of the Silver Millennium said, nodding to both as she spoke their names.

The other figure looked vaguely like a night elf, but walked with more poise than even Tyrande had, and Kyle's eyes narrowed as he made the connection. "Elune?"

"Indeed. The two of you have traveled rather far, from what Serenity here tells me. And from what I can divine of your Destinies, you yet have quite a bit more traveling to do," Elune stated. Glancing back and forth between the two of them, she frowned slightly, turning her gaze back up towards the planet above. "Azeroth is troubled, and I sense your futures will play a role in its future."

"Well, at least Serenity will be safe here," Kyle mumbled, wondering what sort of mess Elune would be tossing them back into. "And how'd we get here?" He asked, puzzled. He was pretty sure hadn't fallen out of the sky again. At least, it didn't feel like it.

"Your spirits are here, while your bodies lie sleeping in my temple at Darnassus. And Serenity, my sister, shares the same fate as you."

"You mean... you're going to send her back, too?" Matt asked.

Elune smiled. "I am a goddess, but there is a lack of freedom when one's entire existence is based upon a... a facet of reality. Fate is not my domain, so I must bow to it, much like everything else."

Kyle frowned at that. "That was a nice non-answer. I assume you brought us here for a reason, then?"

Serenity's jaw dropped. "Are you always this forward with those above you?"

With a shake of his head, Kyle responded, gesturing towards the goddess as he did so. "I'm one of those jerks who thinks respect should be earned, not freely given. And Elune, while helpful to those she favors, is a staunch pacifist, despite the rather insane amounts of death her followers, and the rest of the people of Azeroth have suffered since.... well... as far back as lore goes."

"I believe your understanding is a bit skewed," Elune interrupted. "Serenity tells me you know of us, this world... universe, even, through a series of games. Is this correct?"

"Games and books, yeah," Kyle replied with a nod.

Elune frowned slightly. "While I can't say I understand all the terms Serenity repeated to me, there is an easy way to check the accuracy of your supposed foreknowledge. With your permission, I'd like to view what you know."

Kyle's frown deepened, and he would have taken a step back if he'd been standing. As it was, he stood now, and fixed her with a level gaze. "You want to poke around inside my head for answers?"

"You make it sound so barbaric!" Serenity muttered, resister the urge to bury her face in her hands. She'd done her best to see the good in both Kyle and Matt, and express them to this universe's Moon Goddess, but Kyle was quickly undoing her hard work, and apparently trying to make a liar out of her as well.

"Be at peace, Serenity. You yourself called him 'spirited, oft confrontational,' and I've taken that description to heart," Elune said, glancing over at her guest with a soft smile, before turning back to Kyle.

"It's not nearly as mundane as searching for answers. If you envision a mind as a book, I'm asking for a copy of all the pages concerning this universe. You have my word no harm will befall you," the Goddess elaborated.

"Sounds good to me," Matt chimed in.

Kyle shot Matt a grin. "I think your knowledge might just be a little dated."

"On the contrary, I intend to ask Matt the same favor. Understanding your views might help me assist you in your journeys," Elune said.

Kyle blinked in surprised. "Assist us?" Matt asked, before he could ask it himself.

"Indeed. I would be remiss not to offer what help I can to any mortal on Azeroth that asks for it. And I have, what you would call, a personal interest in helping someone so like myself," she said, gesturing towards Serenity with a slight smile.

"A sentiment I'd echo, were our positions reversed," Serenity replied with a nod.

"So you see, it is in my best interest to help you, but to do so, I feel I should know what you know; if for not other reason than to avoid contradicting the future." She grinned. "I may hold a station higher than Nozdormu, but the Aspect of Time can get quite cranky if you step on his talons."

Automatically smiling at the comment, Kyle mulled internally over the choices. He had no obligation to uphold the time line, or even to intercede on behalf of the world of Azeroth. Or Outland, for that matter. Elune was a peaceful Deity, so it was highly unlikely that there was any subterfuge or malicious intent on her part. And finally, there was his promise to help Serenity get home. Stifling a local Goddess' attempts at helping was definitely not in line with the promise.

"Fine. You can... read... whatever I know about Warcraft, if you think it'll help."

"Warcraft?" the Goddess asked, both puzzled and clearly disliking the word.

Kyle nodded, grinning slightly at her look of discomfort. "Your world.. your universe, is known in mine through a series of games called Warcraft. While I doubt Outland will play a part, best to include everything, right? Who knows what will help."

Elune looked somewhat uneasy with that, but nodded, before turning to look at Matt. "Do you consent to having your thoughts on... 'Warcraft," shared with me?"

Matt shrugged, getting rather bored with the scenery. He'd entertained himself while the others were talking by trying to count the number of flowers on the nearest bush, but the constant conversation had kept throwing off his count. "Meh."

"I'll... take that as a yes, then," Elune stated, somewhat puzzled by the nonchalant answer.

Closing her eyes, she called for her magic, shaped it according to the agreed upon words, and let loose...

Kyle was surprised when Elune's eyes opened in shock.

"No!" Elune cried, before burying her face in her hands.

"Woah! What?" Kyle asked, watching the Goddess collapse into a bench that seemed to materialize behind her. She shook as sobs wracked her body, and the garden grew quiet as everyone watched her in shock.

Finally, she stood up once more, wiping her eyes before turning to look at Kyle with a scowl. "I know it was unintentional, but know that a copywriter term like Warcraft does not preclude the words that make it up."

Kyle's eyes widened as he realized what she'd just seen. "War Craft... the art of War... Ouch... I'm sorry... Did you just get a glimpse at our world's history?"

Elune nodded. "I fear for your planet, the life on it, and its tenuous future."

Serenity, who'd stayed silent the whole time, couldn't help it. "What did you see?"

Elune gave a weak laugh. "I saw... everything. It seems that your friend's philosophy of life is based upon conflict and resolution. Fighting for Peace, Preparing for War. Maneuvering and manipulating. Benevolent Malevolence. It's..."

"Strange, isn't it?" Matt snorted, and shrugged helplessly. "We're not trying to justify our world's way of life. I suppose you're a bit lucky your evils are a bit more clear-cut here. What with the whole demon and undead thing going on. But then again, there are those who are redeemed of those races too, aren't there?"

Elune looked somewhat taken aback by that, but finally gave a nod. "So it would seem. There were quite a few blank spots, so it remains to be seen whether or not your world is truly as bad off as I suspect." She paused, looking thoughtful for a moment, before shrugging. "It's... odd, not knowing enough about a world to know what steps to take, if any, in guiding its people."

Kyle frowned quizzically at her. "Since you can't really reach it, how would you go about guiding it? Aside from an intellectual exercise in theological physics.. meta-physics? para physics?" he trailed off as he tried to come up with the best phrasing.

Serenity, still somewhat confused, finally turned to Elune and asked: "What about your world? Did you learn what you had hoped?"

Elune nodded, glancing up at the planet with a rather somber look. "Poor Malygos. For another aspect to have fallen so... and yet, there is nothing I can do." She shook her head sadly, before turning to look at Kyle. "I fear your thoughts on the draconian races of Azeroth are far too accurate. Soon enough, the mortal races may have to police themselves." She paused, staring off into the horizon in thought, before smiling softly.

"But enough lamenting. I've plenty of time for that once you have departed. Let me take a quick look at Matt's thoughts, and I'll discuss with you a tentative plan I've come up with."

Seeming somewhat pleased with that statement, she turned to Matt, closed her eyes, seemed to physically brace herself, then opened them in surprise.

"A far more negative view of the game, I see, and far less inclined to consider warfare a facet of Warcraft."

"While I have helped my fair share of newbies in my day, I considered the game mere drudgery after a point." Matt smiled sadly. "No disrespect intended."

"As I've watched the living races of Azeroth, I've come to learn as much of the lore you both have, and, of course, helped create it a time or two, if not lived it directly." Elune grinned, before waving a hand towards the planet. "While much of what you know is merely history, your understanding of the game, as a game, is somewhat insightful." She turned to Kyle.

"As for you... while I have no knowledge of a Night Elf Rogue named Jaessica, the back story you've come up with is both reasonable, and oddly complex, given your server's Player Versus the Environment status."

"Err.. what?" Kyle asked, intelligently, as the goddess suddenly started sprouting out game terms.

Elune's smile widened. "I know what you know. From Player-Versus-Player to Aggro Management." her smile had started to look forced. "On the other hand... I'm somewhat sorry to say that Humans have yet to appeal to me for patronage except in odd cases, and none of the one's I've helped were called..." she trailed off with a frown, "Tannim Fodder?"

"Uh, yeah." Matt blushed with real embarrassment. "My usual moniker 'Tannim' was taken, so I had to improvise... it's humorously close to 'cannon fodder'... or at least I thought so at the time."

Elune raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"In most games like that I tended to die. A lot. Usually by throwing myself at the enemy. It seemed appropriate for a tank."

Turning back to look at Kyle, Elune scowled. "And what of your priest? A Priest of Mine called... 'I'm Angry Rawr'!?"

Looking somewhat scandalized, Kyle smile, but couldn't meet her gaze. "Well, see, there was this girl..."

Elune cut him off. "I find myself no longer caring. You certainly had your share of characters... Though Jae stands out most definitely in your mind as your primary." She paused, before grinning. "Almost like a Champion... or avatar." Then she fixed him with another glare. "Though you are no god. 'I'm Angry Rawr,' indeed..." she muttered.

"And as for you," she said, turning to Matt again, "A Blood Elf Paladin... You'd be surprised to know just how poorly Kyle here thinks of that particular combination."

Matt scrunched up his face in thought. "Oh yeah... it'd been so long since I played when I got the free trail for Burning Crusade I made a paladin so I could relearn how to play them. The blood elf was the new thing at the time, so..." he stuck his tongue out at Kyle. "Like I care what you think about what I make. If I ever come back to the game I'm making a gnome just to spite you."

Elune nodded. "I see..." She glanced once more at the planet floating above them all, before nodding to herself and turning towards Serenity. "I think, for this, I'll need your help. I can give these two some of the skills of their characters; an understanding of Azeroth from a native's point of view, even functional disguises and equipment."

"Just tell me what I need to do," Serenity replied, stepping forward.

"Take my hand, Sister, and I'll do the rest," Elune responded, holding out her hand.

"What do we do?" Kyle asked.

"Wake up in a few minutes. Tell me though, do you, Kyle, prefer, as I think, the Rogue's way of life here on Azeroth?"

Kyle blinked at that. "Umm.. I do, yes."

Elune nodded, her slight grin turning almost shark-like for a moment before she turned to Matt. "And a Paladin for you, I assume, since that's all you know? Would you mind terribly if your power came from me, and not the Light? While I can arrange for the latter, the former would be much easier, and just as effective."

"If you can make me invincible for short periods of time and grant me the ability heal myself and others, I wouldn't care if you were three feet tall, jumped around on a five foot stick and looked like a wrinkled monkey." Matt grinned. "Sign me up."

Elune nodded again, before turning to Serenity. "Well then, you heard the adventurers. We have their permission, and I'm fairly certain you understand the magic I intend to invoke."

Serenity looked stricken for a moment, before glancing at Matt and Kyle and stifling a small giggle. "I think it will work out splendidly," she replied. Turning to them, she nodded. "I'll be there when you wake up. Please try to remain calm, as this might be somewhat... disconcerting at first."

"I don't like the sound of that," Kyle stated, trying to frown. But the light of Azeroth had suddenly increased, and continued to do so, until the moonscape had been washed out in a sea of silvery moon light.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get over it," Elune's voice called, sounding like it was miles away, and growing further with alarming speed. "After all, you're going to be dealing with much, much worse..."

Xxxxx

Author's Notes: Well, after trying this on the forum, I got a complaint that what I was talking about was too... term-specific. And while I try to avoid that as much as possible, It's impossible to completely avoid. As such, I've decided to include a little glossary-deal here to hopefully resolve most questions.

HOWEVER, I'd just like to point out that, as far as Warcraft goes, there's more than just the MMO. There are three single-player games, which build the story up before the MMO, and numerous novels and comics that detail the world of Azeroth. Don't let an Aversion to MMOs or a bad experience drive you away from one of the most immersive stories available. Some of the Series I now write fics about were introduced to me by Fanfic Authors crossing over with something I'd either written off or never heard of. Evangelion being the biggest I can think of, off the bat. I hated the series until enough fics explained to me that all my assumptions were way off base.

If you're curious, most of the lore is broken down on the WoWwiki, (wowwiki-dot-com) a great site for harcore WoW players, and people who just want to know who the heck this Illidan Stormrage person is. It has game stats, of course, but it also explains the lore far better than I ever could in a fic.

Anyway... the glossary/summary thingy:

Since World of Warcraft has so many players, instead of one giant computer running the game with 11 Million+ people logging in throughout the day, the game is copied over onto multiple servers. Each Server runs its own copy of the game, and only under special circumstances can a character on one server interact with characters on another. Aside from regional differences (You can't play on Asian servers if you have an American copy of WoW), the servers are broken down into PvE, PvP, RP, and RP-PvP.

Player-versus-Player (PvP) Means that, aside from in areas where your faction (Horde or Alliance) holds almost total control, your character will be 'flagged" for PvP combat, and any wandering player of the opposite faction, at any time, can attack and kill you.

Player-versus-Environment (PvE) means that all areas (except the opposing factions home cities) are free to explore in, and players who wish to engage in PvP combat must manually toggle the PvP 'flag.'

Role-Playing (RP) servers (And Role-Playing Player-versus-Player) are the same as regular (PvE, PvP) Servers, except that emphasis is placed on playing the role of the character you create. Instead of running around, talking about how horrible work was, while killing monsters repeatedly for a specific reason, players are often seen walking everywhere, talking in their race's original language until they feel they've 'learned' another language through exposure (or teaching, I guess...) and completing quests and killing monsters in a way that's in-character, much like authors who write fan fiction try to keep the characters they borrowed from staying too far out of character.

Elune is the Goddess most Night Elves worship. A Pacifistic God by nature, she does assist in her follower's battles (Moonfire, specifically, as a spell in WoW, and in lore, she tends to put enemies to sleep) but most of the time, deplores violence. She's the Moon Goddess, much like Serenity is in Sailor Moon.

Elune looks like a Night Elf, because, inversely, she's said to have influenced them or something like that, and basically, created them in her own image. I'm still of the impression that they're just highly-evolved Trolls, but nothing's been established in cannon to fully suggest (or deny) that.

In my mind, When someone asks about Warcraft, I tend to first think of the games/books, but tend to wander quickly away from it. A fraction of the human population plays WoW, so they could just be asking about waging war in general. Either way, unless specifically directed, my mind quickly wanders to various random bits of warfare, and while I'm no scholar on the subject, I do like to learn about it. So Elune's request for information on Warcraft turned up... a rather brief but grisly tale of our planet's history concerning War.

As I explained to Matt, as bad as Azeroth has it, the most violent thing to have happened was The Sundering (A cataclysmic magical event that sank a large portion of a super-continent like Pangaea into the ocean), followed, probably, by the explosion of Blackrock mountain (Another magical event that blew up a mountain with so much force that nearby mountains were flattened, and an entire region was charred and rendered nearly lifeless). Both may outshine a Nuke, but with the Cold War's possibility of hundreds of nuclear weapons flying around, and things like Mutually Assured Destruction, Nuclear Winter, and other terms associated with War, Elune probably saw that, as bad as things were, they could have been far worse.

As for Matt... Well, he's more stable in that than me. Warcraft to him means the Games, and nothing but the games, so she only got what she wanted from him.

And at one point, I created a Night Elf Priest with the most hideous, angry face I could, and named him "Imangryrar." There was a girl I was trying to get interested in the game, and she made a druid. Since I couldn't help much with a level 70 rogue, I made the priest, and when she stopped playing, I went back to my rogue and deleted the priest. But I figure Elune wouldn't have seen the humor in it that I did. That, and the conversation was somewhat too serious.


Chapter 6

Xxxx

First there was pain. Not physical pain, exactly, but the kind of pain that exists behind the eyes and between the ears and sends one scrambling for the Tylenol. After waking up, that is. When the first thing you realize is that you have a monster headache first thing in the morning, getting out of bed tends to be the last thing you want to do. So Kyle didn't even bother opening his eyes as he pressed the palm of his right hand to his forehead and groaned.

"Priestess Whisperwind, she's waking up!" Someone overhead called.

Kyle couldn't help but frown at that. He'd been placed in a bed, was he in a hospital now? Or some sort of clinic? Pain was shunted aside as worry forced its way to the fore of his thoughts. Had there been a Horde raid?

Feeling something brushing his brow, he tried to wipe whatever it was away, only to freeze as it slid almost naturally back into place. Grabbing a handful of it, he pulled, then gasped in shock as he felt fire along his hairline.

"What the...?"

That... was not his voice. Surprise, disbelieve, and worse, a vague understanding warring with fear forced his eyes open, and, ignoring the pain, he sat up, feeling an unfamiliar shifting on his chest, and the soft brush of hair along his brow and the back of his neck.

"She didn't..." Kyle muttered, glancing down.

"Oh, she did," someone replied, stepping into the room.

Looking down in shock at his blue-ish, slender hands, before reaching up and poking his... no, her chest tentatively, Kyle shifted his shocked gaze to Serenity, the look dissolving into the most intense glare he could muster upon waking up, and waited for an explanation.

"Please, allow Matt to awaken before I explain things," Serenity asked, motioning to a bed across the way.

Kyle sighed, reaching back to hold her hair off her neck. "Ugh, I need a scrunchie." She froze, went crossed-eyed for a second, then turned to Serenity, eyes wide. "WHAT DID I JUST SAY?"

"You said you needed a scrunchie," Matt mumbled helpfully, as he was awakened by the shouting.

"BUT WHY!?"

"For your luxuriously long hair. Duh." Matt stated this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He blinked himself awake as he realized something. "Wait, what am I doing? What am I saying?" He winced at the pounding pain that pervaded his entire body, but that mostly originated from his cranium. "This is too early in the morning and my head hurts," he complained.

"They're awake, I see," Tyrande Whisperwind stated as she entered the room. Glancing over both forms, she frowned slightly as she looked at Kyle, before openly scowling at Matt. "I don't know why the goddess did such a thing, but a High-Elf, here, in the Temple of Elune..." she shuddered. "And then this... a human, turned into a Night Elf... if only this were some joke of the Goddess..." She shook her head, before turning to Serenity. "And yet, you remain as you were. I suppose one of you has an explanation?" She paused, as if waiting for a response, before frowning again. "And which one of you had the black hair, and which one had the brown?"

"He did," both people spoke at once as they pointed at the other.

It was with this sudden movement that drew Matt's attention to his arm, and he finally got a good look at himself; or at least, as good a look as he could without a mirror. Creamy white, alabaster skin, much lighter than he was used to seeing, covered both his arms and he assumed the rest of his body. In shock he reached up to discover he himself had a fairly sizable mane of hair. He tugged a strand down to get a better look, and what was previously mud-brown now shone with an almost inner light, the blondest blond he had ever seen outside of someone from Sweden.

"..."

"I'm Jae- what the HELL?" The (new) female night elf cried, before covering her mouth with a hand in shock. Blinking a couple times, Kyle tried again. "I'm... Kyle. The one with black hair. And holy crap, I almost said blue. By the goddess, what happened... to... SERENITY!" Spinning to pin the leader of the Silver Millennium with a far more frigid glare than earlier, Kyle demanded: "what, exactly, did Elune do?"

"I've slept with how many women?!" Matt whispered in fascinated horror to himself. "But that was Tannim! Not... wow. Some of them were really limber..."

Serenity, despite flinching at the vehemence in Kyle's voice when she yelled at him, nodded thoughtfully. "You were given the bodies, skills, and, as you've probably begun to realize, memories of two warriors, much like you had played. Since battles can be a matter of life and death in a single moment, we elected to leave the abilities and memories of the abilities as close to the surface as possible without overwriting... well... who you are. So habits, expletives, common behavior... most of what they would do in their day to day life might have a bit of an effect on you."

"By the light of Elune, I'll say they will!" Matt nodded in agreement.

"But..." Kyle paused, searching for the words, while absently reaching over to the bedside table and grabbing the earlier-mentioned scrunchie and quickly (and expertly) tying her hair up in a high ponytail, "... I don't think I like this." Then her eyes widened again at what she'd done, and she scowled, crossing her arms before squirming slightly and lowering the arms so they didn't crush two objects that hadn't been there the night before.

Glancing over at Matt, Kyle smirked. "At least it's not just me."

It took a second for Matt to realize Kyle was referring to him, but when he did his face broke out in a nasty grin. "Are you kidding? I've just been turned into a sexy bishonen. You've been turned into a girl. I fail to see the downside on my end."

"..." With nothing particularly scathing to say in response to that, Kyle's eyes narrowed. "Damn you."

In the tradition of his belief in returning curses with blessing, Matt made the Vulcan sign for peace, realizing he had the ears for it. "Live long and prosper."

Kyle returned it with a much less peaceful hand sign. "Go F*#k yourself."

"Anyway," Serenity said, trying to draw their attention back to the current going-ons, "if you have any complaints, I'm sure you'll get a chance to take it up with Elune soon enough. Now that we're all... capable, again, I think we should prepare to disembark."

Kyle groaned and crawled out of the bed, frowning at the way her clothes were stretching in the hips, and loose in shoulders and waist. And there was a wad of cloth between her legs. "I have no clue how Ranma did it, because boxers bunch up something fierce," She mumbled, reaching inside her waistline and pulling the cloth straight.

"Where is my father's sword?" Matt asked with a puzzled expression, then smacked his forehead. "I mean, Tannim's dad's sword. I need it to kill the undead." That was something both memories agreed upon; the undead were an abomination that were to be wiped out at all costs. Not only did he have his previous life's aversion to them, but Tannim's father had been a paladin in the plaguelands when he died fighting the scourge. Apparently the person Elune based him on had been a playboy up until then, but then decided to dedicate the rest of his life to seeing the undead menace destroyed utterly. It was something Matt admired and agreed to.

With a bit more grumbling from Kyle, and the occasional enthusiastic discovery by Matt, the intrepid band of newly-minted adventurers set off on their quest for the Silver Crystal.

Having been rushed through it before, Matt and Kyle had missed some of the more interesting sights in Darnassus, but once leaving the temple, all three got to experience it in all its splendor under the diffuse light of the afternoon sun through the towering limbs and broad leaves of Teldrassil.

"This is great! Look at this sword!" Matt cried with glee. He gave the blade a few practice swipes, marveling at the strength of his arms and ease in which he controlled the direction of the swings.

"This sucks." Kyle replied, looking down at his- now her- chest.

"Be careful what you say. My sister's gift is a blessing in more ways than one," Serenity intoned, though the way she snuck smirk-laden glances at Kyle somewhat undermined her words.

"Just think, with Serenity healing, you doing damage, and me tanking, we'll be able to overcome just about anything!"

"Matt... I've got boobs. And big ears. Very long, sensitive ears. Ears that are hearing people over thataway talking about how cute I am, and Serenity too. If you don't want to find a dagger in your armor, I'd suggest you shut up."

Matt snickered, but refrained from commenting.

"Your ears are twitching," Kyle muttered.

"So... where are we going?" Serenity asked, as Kyle lead them towards a series of buildings off to the side of the city.

"Well, Matt seems to have gotten a sword, but all I found in that small backpack the Priestesses gave me were some... err... rough-looking underwear," Kyle's cheeks colored as he said this, and he quickly pressed on, "and some sort of traveling cloak. As annoying as it is to have my boxers bunching up, I'd prefer machined cotton to hand-woven linen." Kyle replied.

"And when those get dirty?" Serenity asked.

Kyle winced. "I'm trying not to think about it. I'm also trying to avoid bouncing with each step... and the implied needs said bouncing keeps leading my wandering thoughts to."

Serenity, smelling blood in the water, grinned ferally before asking nonchalantly, "and what does Jae think?"

"Why am I not wearing a bra? And what the hell happened to my panties!?" Kyle said, slightly louder than intended, before clamping a hand over her runaway mouth.

"You may not agree, but your body knows better. And I do too. We're going to have to buy you some support. And possibly a set of spares," Serenity decreed.

With a sigh, Kyle just pointed. "Apparently, that's a clothing shop with some... acceptable?" she frowned, before continuing, "choices. Also does moderate tailoring services; for a light fee... Wow, when it's not annoying, it's actually somewhat helpful."

"And you thought we did it to spite you," Serenity mumbled, heading for the shop.

Matt, with earnest prompting from Tannim's memories, realized the danger he was in and, in his best impression of a rogue, tried to stealthily make his way in the opposite direction. "I wonder where I can get a drink around here? Or some armor?" His eyes lit up. "A full suit of plate would be nice. And a shield! I'd like to see those undead squished beneath my armored booties!" He chuckled darkly at the thought as he made is way down the street.

"Matt! Get back here! Don't abandon me to this!" Kyle shouted, turning to catch the fleeing Paladin. Unfortunately, a surprisingly strong hand landed on her shoulder, preventing her from getting away. "Let him go. Where we're going is not for him," Serenity intoned solemnly. Then her eyes sparkled, and she clapper her hands together with a look of pure glee on her face. "Oh, I haven't had a chance to go shopping since the last Venus was chosen! We're going to have so much fun!"

Needless to say, despite her protests, complaints, and generally unpleasant attitude, Serenity and Kyle left the store changed women, Serenity having traded in her silver dress for a much less extravagant robe, while Kyle wore a set dyed-leather armor, under which rested a surprisingly comfortable set of undergarments. Not that he'd ever admit it.

"You didn't do too badly in there," Serenity stated, as they looked around for Matt. "A couple times, I think I might have actually caught you having fun."

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, there are a couple times where the shock, horror, humiliation, and embarrassment got to be too much for me and Jae kinda took over."

Serenity's grin fell. "I see. I suppose it was too much to assume a man would be able to simply enjoy the experience."

Kyle shrugged. "Don't get me wrong. I don't really watch sports on Sunday, either. I'm just not keen on social outings. You should see me powerwalk through the mall. If anyone steps in front of me, they tend to fly a couple feet before sliding across the tile."

Serenity gaped at her. "How could you turn something so... free... into something to rush through as quickly as possible!?"

As they walked through the town, Kyle considered her answer, before replying. "It's a matter of personality. I'm an introvert by nature. I prefer being alone. Crowds... bother me. They're oppressive and encompassing, it's disconcerting and sort of... anxiety-inducing. And there's the anger."

"Anger?" Serenity asked, as they approached a somewhat-crowded building, the sound of silverware on glass plates and heavy glasses on wooden counters emanating from within.

"I dunno about the moon, but on Earth, there are a lot of people who go with the crowd. They... they're sheep. Sure, they're individuals, with dreams and fears, and all that comes with being your own person... but they don't try to break the mold... instead of challenging stereotypes, and doing what they want, you can see them doing what's expected, and that look in their eyes.. it's like.. they hate it, and they know they hate it, but they do it anyway, because it's all they know." Kyle stopped talking, realizing they Serenity had paused on the path behind her.

"That's... horrible." Serenity finally said.

Kyle shrugged. "It's not as bad as I think I've made it out to be. There's colors and sounds and laughter and all that. They're not all miserable or anything. It's just... a product of the past, heading towards an unknown future."

Serenity nodded, smiling slightly. "You might just be able to get along with Pluto with an outlook like that."

"Setsuna was always a favorite of mine, along with Hotaru and Makoto," Kyle replied, earning a puzzled look from Serenity. "Oh.. I assume their names are different in the Silver Millennium? I meant Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter."

"I see... so Saturn is called once again, and Jupiter falls... I'm almost afraid to ask... but can you maybe tell me more about what's in store?"

Kyle mulled it over, idly reaching up to play with her bangs, before nodding. "I suppose after what I did for Elune, I should probably not be so... secretive. But wait until Matt's here. He knows about as much as I do."

Serenity took a deep breath, before nodding. "I understand. And I believe that's him dancing on the table inside."

Pulling her index finger out of the twirl of hair wrapped around it, Kyle buried her face in her palm with a barely-suppressed groan.

"This one's called the Macarena!"

"Don't you dare spread that here of all places, Matt!" Kyle snapped at the dancing elf.

"Jae! I mean Kyle! You're back!" Matt leapt down from the table, much to the obvious dismay of the patrons. "How'd your little shopping... thing ...go?"

Kyle's vague amusement died at that. "Don't ask," she spat, before smiling. "It was actually sort of a blur. But! Did you know Serenity kind of forgot I was a guy and tried to change with me? She wears this little... err..." Turning to glance at the suddenly-glaring Queen of the Moon, Kyle's mouth snapped shut with a little click. "On second thought, that's private... err... info. Only to be shared between... um... us girls? I'm going to buy a drink. I think I've earned it."

"Karla! A flagon of your finest ale!" Matt shouted towards a barmaid who looked entirely too happy to fill his order. He turned to his two companions. "They're really friendly around here." He paused. "Then again, I have been dropping gold pieces for tips. That probably helps."

"Indeed," Kyle muttered, as she took the mug and stared at the head of foam on top of the beverage. With a shrug, she blew some of the foam off, before taking a sip, and hoping it was better than she expected.

Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad! "Hey!" Kyle said with genuine surprise, "this is pretty good!"

Actually, it wasn't that it was good, so much as that it didn't have the rubbery bite of beer he was used to. Or maybe her new taste buds weren't the hyper-sensitive little pain-in-the-butts his usual ones were.

Matt nodded as he sat down next to her, and motioned Serenity to take a seat. "I've been asking around, and a couple of adventurers here said they've heard tales about the... 'Blue Dragonflight,' they called it, in Northrend."

Kyle nodded. "Good. It's nice to have some confirmation, there."

Serenity looked around at the patrons of the tavern with a slight smile, before returning her gaze to her traveling companions. "So we're to go to Northrend?"

With another nod, Kyle waved at the entrance, and the city beyond. "Darnassus is nice and all, but unless we want to become permanent residents, we're going to have to head there, yes."

Serenity paused. "So... why are we here? Lets get moving."

"Hold up there, princess." At Serenity's look, Matt hastily amended, "I mean queencess.. whoa... nice mental picture there... There are procedures for this sort of thing. We have to get better equipment than this vendor gear," he pointed at his current set of plate mail armor, "and that usually involves questing or somesuch. Along the way we'll probably pick up an ally or two, discover new things about ourselves, and likely end up saving a few lives as well. Then we'll be interrupted on our quest, of course, by some catastrophe that'll have to be solved by all of us working together, and we'll grow closer together as a unit."

Serenity looked uncertain. "Does any of what you are saying have any basis in reality?"

"No. Not really. Just guessing." He took a drink out of the flagon of ale that had been placed beside him unasked. "But hey, it'd be pretty boring if something like that didn't happen, and everything went smoothly, right?"

"I for one wouldn't mind avoiding sidequests," Kyle muttered. "I want out of this body as soon as possible."

After a moment Serenity had an epiphany and realized that this was their way of dealing with problems; Matt tended to go off on wild tangents, and Kyle focused straight ahead to fix whatever problem was currently plaguing him. They almost complimented one another... if they weren't being so annoying, that is.

Serenity grasped the flagon set before her and, with a determined look, drank the whole thing in one go. Kyle and Matt stared in amazement as she slammed the empty stein down on the table. "Is it not also customary to become drunk before such an excursion?"

"'Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die?' Yeah, I'd say so," Matt smirked.

"Not if they die first," Kyle replied with a viscous grin, pulling a dagger out of her belt.

Serenity sighed, but didn't bother to call Kyle on it. Elune had explained, somewhat unwillingly, that death on Azeroth was something all mortals seemed to take part in, and while she'd never approve of it, far better for those who've preyed upon others to meet their end than the innocents of the world.

"Karla! Another round! And bring somma that boar meat; we're having a party!"

As the room seemed a bit fuzzier than before, Kyle sighed. "I'd prefer something avian. Pigs tend to taste... not good."

"You would dare impinge the honor of bacon? I take affront at that!" Matt said jokingly. "But, have it your way. KARLA! Scratch the boar, bring some bird!"

"We need to get to Stormwind Harbor," Kyle said, as a new set of drinks were set before them. "The boat to Northrend leaves from the dock furthest to the right, and the sooner we learn its schedule, the better."

"So, when do we depart?" Serenity asked around her flagon. As anxious as she was to get the Silver Crystal back, she was enjoying the atmosphere in here, and even Kyle, who'd seemed tense earlier, appeared to be relaxing. It was good that, despite the obvious differences, night elves seemed to have the same facial expressions and body language as humans.

"After we eat?" Kyle asked, looking at the roast bird placed on the table before them with a mixture of hunger, and annoyance. "What I'd give for some chicken fingers," she mumbled, before tearing off a leg.

"You have birds with fingers?" Serenity asked, surprised. That sounded somewhat... ridiculous.

Kyle's groan was the only response she gave, and the rogue turned to Matt after his laughing died down. "Care to explain this one?"

"Strips of chicken, wrapped in breaded batter and fried in grease. Delicious."

Serenity blinked in surprise, before nodding. "That does sound good."

Matt continued, "If there's one thing I'm proud of my place of birth, it's that they have lots of good food."

"California?" Kyle asked with a frown. She was pretty sure fried chicken wasn't something California stumbled upon. "What did they invent?"

"It's not what they invented, it's what they perfected: mass marketing. If it wasn't for Hollywood, or television, I wouldn't know of half of the confectionery delights that await us if only we'd shop at Mac Donald's place, or at Carl's Junior diner."

"..." Kyle stared at Matt, then looked at her empty glass, before returning her gaze to him once more. Her open mouth snapped shut again, and she shook her head dismissively, before grabbing it in alarm. "Oh, wow... taller body, lower tolerance."

"This is quite strong," Serenity offered, motioning towards her glass.

"Yeah, but this body doesn't have the slight tolerance mine had, I bet," Kyle said, before thinking on it. "Yeah," she finally said, "Jae's never been much of a drinker. The few times she... oh, damn."

"What?" Serenity asked, wondering why Kyle looked so worried suddenly.

"How many glasses have I had?"

"Three, and that's your fourth... why?" Matt supplied.

Kyle winced. "Don't hold it against me if I end up doing something stupid. Apparently Jae goes from tipsy to wasted pretty fast."

Serenity gave an exasperated sighed. "Lightweights."

Matt nearly fell out of his chair with laughter.

"Oh, looks like they're setting up a band!" Serenity said, drawing their attention to a small stage where a dwarf, two humans, and a gnome were indeed setting up a bizarre series of instruments.

"Dude, if they start playing that tavern theme from WoW, I'm going to break something," Kyle groused.

"Wouldn't they need a full orchestra to pull that off?" Matt wondered.

Kyle snorted in derision. "A string, a woodwind, some percussion, and maybe a second string... which it looks like they've got up there."

"I take it the song isn't that good?" Serenity asked.

"It's not bad. Just too ambient. This is a tavern. We need something more rousing. Rowdy. Fun. You know?" Kyle muttered.

Searching his memories, Matt commented, "Apparently Tannim was a bit of a lute player. I could probably play something." He tactfully did not mention the only reason Tannim learned how to play was to get laid. He eventually became very skilled, in fact.

Serenity, not wanting to be left out, pointed. "If that's anything like the Crystal Reed I learned back... when I was younger, I should be able to follow along."

Kyle, feeling very left out suddenly, groaned and rested her forehead on the table. "Both Jae and I never managed to learn an instrument. Unless you want me to be a backup dancer, you two are on your own."

Serenity smirked. "On the contrary, I'm unsure about Kyle, but I believe your current voice would be wonderful at vocals."

Kyle, unsure what to make of that, picked her head off the table to look at Serenity. "You think so?"

"I'm almost sure of it. Elune struck me as prideful, I doubt she'd make you a... disguise like that, and neglect to give you something like perfect pitch. Gods are somewhat vain like that." The Queen replied.

"You would know, I suppose," Kyle muttered, to which the silver-haired ruler only smiled.

By then, the band had started playing, and while it wasn't the stock tavern music, it was just as ambient and forgettable, earning another groan from Kyle.

"'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion?" Matt suggested with a grin.

Kyle couldn't help it, she snarled. "Anything but that!"

"Hmm... The Sailor Moon Theme? Fighting evil by moonlight?" Matt asked, glancing at Serenity.

"The English lyrics are lame, and I don't know the Japanese well enough to fake it," Kyle replied.

"Hey, I like the English lyrics," Matt defended. "But what about... something by Britney Spears?"

Kyle shuddered. "I'm actually familiar with a few of those... but do you really want to hear me sing 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' to a flute, a lute, and some overturned pots and pans?"

"Well what do you think we should do?" Serenity asked, flatly.

Kyle shrugged, picking her chin up off the table, only to collapse back into her seat and staring up at the ceiling behind her. "I'm kind of having trouble just concentrating, really. All I know is, 90s music is mostly too... instrument heavy. Need something either simple, or fake-able. 80s, or folk songs. I know Old MacDonald."

Serenity, not recognizing the song or the references, turned to Matt, watching him shudder at the song name. "What are 80s?"

"Lots of things," Kyle mumbled, before Matt could answer. "Tiffany, and Tears for Fears, and Culture Club and... lots." She trailed off in thought. Or so Serenity assumed.

"Do you recognize any of those?" She asked, quietly.

Matt nodded. "Yeah, but doubt 'The Crying Game' would be a good opener. Maybe 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World?' But then again, there's got to be something for the adventures, peasants, and wanna-be heroes around here!"

"... I'm holding out for a hero..." Kyle sang quietly as she slouched, head back, and eyes closed, and trying to avoid the numb oblivion the alcohol was inexorably pushing her towards.

"Was that 80s?" Serenity asked.

"It was a ten-year stretch of time dominated by that type of music, yes."

"So is that agreeable?" Serenity asked, poking Kyle to get her attention.

"What?" the inebriated night elf asked, before looking down. "Those are so weird," she muttered.

"'I'm Holding Out for a Hero,'" Matt reiterated.

"I love that song!" Kyle gushed, not caring who heard. The tiny voice that tried to remind him that it wasn't exactly the most brilliant thing to announce was ignored.

"So it's agreed then?" Serenity asked, standing up.

"What?" Kyle asked, confusedly looking away from the candle on the table.

"C'mon Kyle... you said you're going to sing your favorite song," Matt winked at Serenity as he pulled the night elf up and over to the stage by the arm.

"I... did?" She asked, stumbling once as they approached the stage.

"Indeed," Serenity stated, following them with an amused grin. As Matt helped Kyle get steady on her feet, Serenity quickly explained things to the band, who seemed a little wary, but with the help of a few gold to persuade them, they came to see the that it was a good idea to allow them some stage time.

Taking a few minutes to get a feel for the odd, wooden instrument, Serenity asked Matt to strum a few bars so she knew where to start. After quickly getting an understanding for the song, Serenity turned to the crowd, some of whom were watching them and wondering where the music had gone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my friend here has asked to try out a new song she heard recently... apparently, it's very popular in... other cities. And she'd like to try her luck with it here. So if you would please give the shy Miss Jaessica a chance, I hope not to disappoint!"

There was a smattering of applause, that nicely drowned out Kyle's hiss at Serenity when she called her Jaessica, before Matt strummed the first few notes.

"Where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods?"

Despite a rocky beginning, Kyle quickly gave in to the music, the booze, and the memories of all the times driving home and singing at the top of his lungs in his car where nobody could hear.

Serenity, for her part, was impressed at Kyle's enthusiasm, and Matt's apparent mastery of the stringed instrument. She was hard pressed to keep up with him, and the only saving grace was the lack of sudden shifts to throw her off. The one flourish he did during the bridge was easy enough to backup, and by that time, the Drummer and second lute player had joined in as well, with the human who's flute she'd taken stood behind Kyle and did her best to harmonize with the human-turned night elf.

As the song wound down (more abruptly than she'd expected) Serenity was surprised by the cheering that the crowd gave them. Hastily bowing to them, she looked over at Matt, before turning her attention to Kyle, who was both rocking in place somewhat drunkenly, but smiling as if pleased with himself.

"Want to try another?" Serenity asked.

Matt looked thoughtful. "Do you think Kyle will last another song?"

Serenity glanced at the wavering night elf, before smiling. "I think we're good for one or two more."

"Got any preferences?"

"How about that other one you mentioned? Tiffany, I think it was?" Serenity supplied.

Matt nodded, before turning to the other lute player and quickly coaching him on the bass' part. A quick example to the drummer, and another for Serenity, and Matt nodded. "I think we're good."

Before the crowd had finished clapping for them, he started strumming, the quick opening to the song painfully obvious to anyone who knew the song. Kyle, upon hearing it, straightened up, smile growing brighter as the drums and second lute joined in.

"Children behave, that's what they say when we're together," Kyle started, much less nervous on the first line, and going with the music much more naturally than the last song.

Not that the patrons could tell. Live performances like this were rare, and an unheard song as upbeat as this was a definite treat. That a rather lovely night elf was up there singing it, and dancing rather seductively as she strutted back and forth across the small stage definitely helped to cement the memory in the minds of the males in the audience. The flute player was quite pretty in an almost regal way, as well. The women in the audience weren't blind either, and the rapid, non-stop, almost magical way the fingers of the high elf strummed his lute lead to some rather enjoyable thoughts for them, as well.

Finally, the song came to a close, to even more cheering, and behind the crowd, which was almost all on their feet, Serenity spotted a number of heads standing outside.

"Seems we've drawn quite a crowd," Serenity said.

"Pity we can't think of an appropriate way to end this," Tannim said, solemnly.

"There's got to be something. Are the 80s only good for two songs?" Serenity asked.

Matt grimaced. "They're good for a lot of songs, but not exactly the best to end a spontaneous concert."

Serenity was unwilling to give up. "And the 90s? The crowd wants to hear something, and I don't want to disappoint them before the night is over!"

The Dwarf on the drums blinked, looking at the still darkening sky outside. "It's.. not really night yet, lass."

The crowd was begging for more, and Serenity felt that there had to be some way... "There has to be some way to save tonight!" Serenity blanched. That was not how she intended to ask Matt to try harder.

As if struck, Matt straightened up. "That's it!"

"What's it?" The lute-less lute player asked, one hand steadying the wobbly night elf singer.

"Simple song, try to keep up," Matt muttered, before coaching the band. Luckily, they'd already seemed to have grown used to the odd music from Earth, and all had enough skill to join a new song with little prompting.

Matt took his place once more, nodded at the backup singer, and began. "Ready? A one, a two, a one two three!" Strumming the lute and enjoying the way it actually managed to sound somewhat like an acoustic guitar, he watched Kyle straighten up once more, take a deep breath, and begin.

"Go on and close, the curtains; cuz all we need, is candlelight..."

Unlike the previous two songs, which were upbeat, and somewhat raucous, this one seemed more mellow, and the crowd visibly relaxed as it played on.

Finally, with a steady fade, the song ended and Kyle opened her eyes and grinned, before collapsing to the stage, much to the shock of the crowd, who'd just begun to cheer.

"Rushing to her side, Serenity was about to call for help when Kyle twitched before letting out a snore that seemed all too voluminous to have come from such a dainty mouth.

"She passed out," someone mumbled.

"Guess the show's over then," another patron muttered.

"But what a show it was, eh?" Someone else said.

Serenity grinned down at the sleeping figure, wondering whether or not she had the strength to lift carry her to a bed, before suddenly looking worried. Where would they take her? Back to the temple?

"Make way, Make way, Get out of my way before I up the price of your meals twofold!" Someone called, before the crowd parted and a night elf approached in a rather flamboyant suit. "The little lady can sleep here, on the house, I've yet to have the place this crowded. Is she for hire? Are all of you?" he asked, excitedly.

Serenity frowned. She was about to turn him down, before thinking it over. "Any decisions we make are between the three of us. It would be an ill deal, indeed, if we were to make such a decision with one third of our troupe left out of the discussion."

The tavern owner nodded. "I see."

"Yes, I'm afraid you'll have to talk to our manager if you'll want to book Queen for any future events," Matt interjected.

"I thought you said her name was Jaessica?" The owner asked, puzzled.

"That is her name, Queen is the name of the band."

"Oh. I see. Interesting name... Well, I suppose you'll want to see that room? I'll cover the meal and drinks as well, you more than earned it with that performance! By Elune! To think that such songs could be sung!" The Tavern owner took off towards a staircase in the back, and Matt and Serenity shared a look before grabbing one of Kyle's arms each and supporting the passed out elf between them.

As they followed the proprietor through the still-cheering crowd, Matt muttered under his breath "God, Kyle needs to go on a diet. Anyway..." he grinned at Serenity. "Still think we're so bad?"

Serenity looked down at the passed-out elf in her care, and over at the second elf she'd spent an hour performing before a crowd with. "Hmm... When one of you is drunk, and the other trying to please a crowd, you might just be agreeable." She smiled at his look of shock, before turning to watch where they were going. "Still... Elune explained some things to me after you returned here... and I think my initial assessment of you both was more accurate than I had come to believe."

Matt, realizing the conversation had turned serious, quietly asked, "And what was that initial assessment?"

Looking down at Kyle again, Serenity let a small smile grace her lips. "You two have potential to be a lot of things; the most important... and most selfish... being my friends."