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Brumak's Journey By Lyrissa A sunbeam trickled in through the shabby curtains and played across Brumak's strong-jawed face. The orc grunted a bit in his sleep and tried turning over on the bed to get out of the offending sunlight. This however only made the ray tickle his neck instead, and soon the orc's eyes fluttered open. He grunted as he swung his muscular legs down onto the floor, looking back at the female orc still soundly asleep on her half of the bed. Brumak got to his feet and shuffled over to the window, peering out at the city beyond the inn. Orgrimmar was just waking up and getting ready for a day of activity, with the streets already seeing merchants, soldiers and adventurers milling about. Brumak yawned and stretched, scratching his buttcheek. He grumbled and picked up a blanket from the bed, wrapping it around his waist for some modicum of modesty. The orc walked over into the small bathroom attached to the inn room, and closed the door. He peeked into the mirror noting how tired he still looked, with his eyes bloodshot. He tried to remember what happened yesterday as he performed his morning hygiene. He vaguely remembered arriving in Orgrimmar and hitting a tavern, ending up in a drinking binge that ended in an arm-wrestling contest with a tauren. That had been a mistake Brumak realized as a jab of pain rammed through his right arm. While the orc was strong, he had been no match for the much larger and more experienced bull-man, and had ended up short quite a few gold. Fortunately (or was it unfortunately?) the tauren had been so impressed by the newcomer that he had treated Brumak to a few more drinks. The orc grunted and cupped his hands into the washing bowl. He splashed his crude features with icy cold water to shake off the lingering effects of the hangover. He only very faintly remembered what happened after that. He at some point picked up the female orc who was now sleeping on the bed, and the memories after that made Brumak's pants feel a bit tighter, even if they were dreamlike and foggy. But there was still something that eluded him. The reason he had come to Orgrimmar on this particular day. Brumak stared at his reflection in the mirror, releasing a burp. Suddenly it hit him, like a thunderbolt from a blue sky. The orc blanched in horror. Brumak's hands whipped up to his neck and his fingers fumbled around at the nape of his neck. For one panic-stricken instant the orc couldn't find anything with his thick fingers but then to his utmost relief his fingers closed around a small, virtually invisible nub at the nape of his neck. The rich green skin of the orc's neck parted cleanly and bloodlessly, and as he kept pulling down a long seam running down his back became apparent. Through the parted green skin a pale-skinned back could be gleaned. With a final grunt Brumak tugged the seam down to his waist, and then reached up to tug at his head with his hands. With a sucking noise the orc's crude, strong features crumpled and became empty and hollow. The two strong hands tugged forward and let Brumak's now empty face flop listlessly across his chest. The face of a pale, blue-eyed human woman emerged from within the mask, her long black hair tied into a ponytail. She panted a bit, shocked and stared into the dirty mirror for a few seconds, making sure she was still herself. How could she have forgotten who she was? Mercifully the tightness in Brumak's pants faded as the suit deflated to drape around the slender human mage like an oversized set of clothes. Selena was almost regretting this new quest. Suddenly there was a grunt and a mumbling from the room just beyond the thin bathroom door. Selena felt her gut clench in fear when she remembered the female orc still snoozing on the bed. Was she a hooker? Had Selena, as Brumak, just impressed the woman? Selena didn't remember, and she was frankly more concerned about being discovered like this. Quickly, but with some regret, Selena tugged the orc's head up and over her own again and began fiddling with the seam. This was much harder when the suit wasn't closed, and she spent a few breathless moments fearing the orc in the other room would have time to wake up and barge into the bathroom. Then the seam closed up and Brumak felt his body resume its flesh and blood state. He flexed his arm, relishing in the strength of the orc male compared to the human female, but quickly dropped this self- admiration. He didn't want to be here to have to explain anything more. Slipping back into the main room, Brumak was relieved to see the female orc had just turned over on the bed and was snoring again. He picked up his gear and clothes as quietly as he could and tiptoed towards the door, before a thought crossed his mind. He stopped and fumbled in his coin purse, withdrawing a few gold and placing them in clear view on the small nightstand next to the bed. He didn't want to be a jerk and leave the orc lady footing the bill, so he left a little extra money for her troubles as well. He sincerely hoped she wouldn't take it the wrong way. Then he slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. The corridor beyond was mercifully empty, and Brumak gave a deep sigh. With some effort, Brumak slipped into a pair of tight pants which had several straps and thick leather pads on them, and then pulled on his thick-soled leather boots. He strapped a simple harness around his shoulders which left his muscular green chest exposed but served to hold his large, rough-hewn two-handed sword to his back. To finish his disguise as an orc warrior, he pulled on a pair of coarse leather gloves with metal plates protecting the knuckles and a broad belt to hold his pants in place. Satisfied he was now presentable, Brumak slung his pack over his shoulder and headed for the stairs leading down to the ground floor of the inn. The main taproom was empty except for a scrawny troll sweeping the stains from the wooden boards of the floor, and he paid no attention to the orc who came jogging down the rickety stairs with little grace. Brumak exited into the red stone streets of Orgrimmar and peered up to tell the time, something Selena had learned during her last adventure. He still had some time to go before the mercenary meeting at the northern gate. The people milling about the streets paid absolutely no heed to the orc warrior joining them. After all, what made him different from the hundreds of other orcs going about their business. For this, Brumak was grateful. He tried to appear casual as he studied the buildings while passing through the streets. He had never been to Orgrimmar before the different architecture fascinated the scholarly mage hiding deep inside the virile orc. He would have to remember to curb those instincts when he was actually on the mission, to avoid raising suspicion. Selena had fully intended never to go on such an adventure again after her experience in the Barrens. She had returned to Stormwind and resumed her reclusive life as a scholar, with the only difference being an improved regimen of physical exercise. She had found herself missing the stamina and strength of her previous tauren disguise greatly and did what she could to become at least a little bit more fit in her own form as well, so she went jogging now and then and ran up and down the stairs of her tower until winded. However her relative tedium had been broken by reports from a night elf scout that a mysterious and ancient magical artifact had been dug up by Horde agents in the ravaged land of Azshara. Due to the Horde pushing the kaldorei out of that area, there was little to no hope to muster any kind of Alliance force to seize the artifact, but Selena knew a less overt way to get to it. In utter secret she had created another skinsuit, this time of a powerful orc male, and then secured some suitable gear for it. After that the mage had teleported to Kalimdor and hidden her own gear well in the wilderness of Ashenvale before slipping into Brumak's skin. Fortunately Brumak had not run into any night elf patrols on his brief journey to the Orgrimmar gates, or else the mission might have turned into a disaster. Once in the Horde capital the false orc had quickly found out that the artifact Selena desired had not yet been secured and transported back to the city. Due to some trouble at the site the work crew had been forced to abandon it there, and now a small team was being assembled to go there and retrieve it. Indeed, Brumak had quickly found a poster on one of the public notice boards which announced a nice fee for any brave adventurer who would join up with the small expedition. Brumak found this to be almost too lucky to be true. He resolved to appear for the gathering of the small expedition, led by a troll huntress named Ja'wara. The joy of discovering he would have a good chance at getting to the artifact was probably one of the reasons Brumak had indulged himself a little too heavily that night. But it was time to look things from the bright side. He had not overslept and missed the meet-up and he still had plenty of coin in his purse. Selena made enough money on her daily magical business in Stormwind that this was just a trivial expense. Brumak smiled and jogged through the crowd, his wide legs pumping at the ground. He loved the feeling of the muscles and sinews working, of not running out of breath and of the sharp senses the orc suit bestowed. With the sun shining from a blue sky above, Brumak felt almost like he had when he was Hoven, traveling across the savannah. Things just felt right, and he admitted he had missed this feeling. He crossed the bridge across the small, sluggish stream in the Valley of Honor and saw the path leading up to the northern gate arc up along the side of the red cliffs. Soon he spotted a small group gathered next to the road and headed that way. "Over here mon!" a female voice called as Brumak approached. The small group were gathered just inside the towering gates leading from Orgrimmar into the wilds of Azshara. On the other side of the road were a row of rickety, poorly maintained demolishers around which a small platoon of goblin engineers swarmed, effecting repairs. Brumak saw the blue skin and vibrant pink hair of the woman who had called him and decided she must be the leader of the expedition. Remembering how Brumak should act, he slowed down and walked closer with great confidence. "Are you Ja'wara? I am Brumak, I left a message for you with a courier yesterday," he said in perfect orcish. The troll woman grinned widely and studied him up and down and Brumak took the opportunity to get a better look at the troll. She was tall and curvaceous, with her rich blue skin contrasting wildly with her bright pink hair which fell across her back in a large number of braids. Her long pointed ears were pierced and carried several golden rings in them, and her face was angular but not unattractive in Brumak's eyes with tusks that were much more slender and elegant than the male orc's own. Her body was clad in a skimpy outfit amounting to a halter and a pair of tight leather pants, both held in place by thick leather straps. Fingerless gloves and ankle wraps which left her broad troll feet bare completed Ja'wara's clothing, and Brumak found his gaze rest just a little too long on the cleavage on Ja'wara's chest which was clearly visible through the large metal ring holding her halter together. "I be Ja'wara, welcome mon. I got ye message indeed. I be happy to see a warrior type here, I was about ready to head out without one," she said, evidently not noticing or not caring about Brumak's wandering eyes. "Very well then," Brumak said with a nod. "I take it we are almost ready to depart?" "Ya mon, I think you be the last one coming," Ja'wara said shrugging. "This be my team." She took a step to the side and gestured towards the motley group behind her. Brumak tried to hold back his surprise at the diversity of the other members, including some he had never expected to meet as anything but enemies. Most noticeable (Brumak had spotted him from a long distance) was a towering, muscular male ogre, naked except for a stained, worn red loincloth. The creatures huge belly was deceptive for Brumak knew ogres were immensely strong despite their apparent portliness. A long horn protruded above the ogre's brutish face and he wore crude brown-red paint over his body which presumably showed what clan he belonged to. "Me Threg," the ogre grunted, getting to his feet and hefting an enormous club up over his shoulder. Next to the ogre the second member of Ja'wara's team was like an insect. The goblin man gave Brumak a quick salute before continuing to trim his large, elaborate rifle. The goblin was about the size of a gnome, with whom Selena was familiar, but scrawny and bony with rugged green skin. His large-nosed face was dominated by a pair of very large and elaborate technological goggles and he had no hair other than a tall brown ponytail at the top of his skull. His outfit was otherwise practical, well adapted to adventuring with rugged boots and rough pants and a shirt with a leather vest studded with pockets over it. He had a belt also covered by many pouches and small hangers holding various mechanical doo-dads. An ammo belt for his firearm completed his outfit. "Greznog Goldshot," said the goblin without looking up again, running a fine brush across the metal surface of his gun. The final member of the team also made Brumak feel a little awkward. Just like with Ja'wara the orc warrior's pants began feeling a little tight as he gave her a quick look-over. She was a willowy, beautiful female blood elf with soft hair the color of ripe wheat. She got to her feet in a quick and graceful manner which gave Brumak an eyeful of her slender but shapely body. Her outfit consisted of a figure-hugging leotard that was high-cut to allow freedom of movement, elbow-length gloves and soft stocking-like boots that reached up to mid-thigh, and this certainly didn't make Brumak want to stop looking. Her predominantly purple and gold outfit enhanced her figure perfectly, and Brumak found himself almost gawking as the elf girl slipped a finger inside the rear of her garment and tugged it into place. Noticing the orc's stare, the blood elf shot him an ugly glance. "What are you gawking at, simpleton? Don't you have some menial labor to do?" she snapped, and turned to walk away from Brumak. "Don'tcha worry none 'bout Veniira. She just be a little uptight like most dem elves," Ja'wara said, giving Brumak a hearty slap on the shoulder. The troll had slung a tall, powerful-looking bow across her back together with a quiver filled with red-fletched arrows and was gesturing towards the gate. The others were already on their way there, and Brumak and the troll followed them. "I guess so," the orc said. "Can we trust her?" "Sure we can. Her magic will prove very useful, mon," Ja'wara said with a chuckle. "It's a good team we got." "It is indeed," Brumak mused, following the others through the gates. Suddenly he had misgivings. He had known that Ja'wara was assembling a team, but he was suddenly aware there was just one of him and four of them. In a confrontation, even Selena revealing her magical ability would likely not be enough, and he wasn't sure if he could doff the disguise and flee fast enough. The best bet would probably be to wait for the blood elf mage to study the artifact first, then hope that there would be a good opportunity to sneak off with it during the night, before they could get it back to Orgrimmar. Actually he didn't even know if he could carry the thing, as the night elf's report had been very vague about what kind of thing this find was, exactly. Other than old, arcane-looking and probably of enormous archaeological importance, of course. For now though, Brumak was committed to this course of action and could do little but join his team as they began their trek east into the rugged hills of Azshara. *** The team had set up camp for the night on a low hill overlooking a small lake in the middle of the sparse forest. To the east the hills of Aszhara grew taller and eventually merged with the steep cliffs overlooking the southern coast, and somewhere to the north was the Bay of Storms and the busy goblin town of Bilgewater. Brumak had asked why they weren't using the goblin-built Rocketway to travel but Ja'wara had just laughed and Veniira had called him an oaf for the suggestion. Ja'wara explained patiently that the Rocketway was a goblin invention through and through. It was all well and good when goblin weapons exploded violently (since that would usually be what they were designed for) but another thing completely to have your means of travel explode underneath you. Greznog had looked offended at this, but hadn't said anything. Now Brumak sat cross-legged and tried to ignite the campfire he had assembled. He had studied how to make campfires in a musty old tome before departing Stormwind. His thick fingers grasped the flint and steel firmly but he felt clumsier than ever before as the sparks he created were so feeble the gentle evening breeze extinguished them before they had a chance to touch the piled-up wood and dry grass. Brumak grunted in frustration and wished he could just use a tiny bit of Selena's power to create a small flash of fire. He peeked out to the low valley to the east, filled with the thick, reddish-brown grass that was everywhere in Azshara. Maybe he should get some more of it. Suddenly a flicker of bright sparks ignited the campfire and Brumak recoiled in surprise. "Never seen magic before?" Veniira said with a smirk and walked back to her bedroll. Brumak's eyes followed the curve of the blood elf's back down to her firm rump, which swayed gently when she walked. He quickly averted his eyes and focused on the fire again before Veniira could catch him staring, and out of the corner of his eye he could see her fiddle with the hems of her thigh-high boots and muttering. "Trouble with our elf friend?" Ja'wara said as she sat down next to Brumak by the fire. "Uh, no. Not at all," Brumak said sheepishly, playing up his brutish warrior act. "I guess her way of making fire is faster." Ja'wara chuckled and unslung a rope from her back holding several dead rabbits. The orc stopped himself from blanching and reminded himself that such crude acts as hunting were necessary for these kinds of primitive expeditions. He picked up one rabbit and found it chill to the touch, like brushing his fingers against a sheet of ice. He shuddered, and Ja'wara gently took it from him. "Don' worry mon. I'll prepare the food. If I let you all try it we'd have no food or food filled with broken bones an' dirt," Ja'wara said, laying out a piece of cloth and taking out her long utility knife. "Are you sure that's enough?" Greznog said with a concerned tone. "The big lug wouldn't even consider that an appetizer." Ja'wara flashed the goblin a grin. "We 'ave a deal, Threg and I. He be coming along under the agreement he get his own food. An' I be askin' him to eat out of camp so we don't have to watch," the troll huntress said. Brumak was suddenly very grateful for not having to watch the brutish, smelly ogre eat. He didn't even want to know -what- Threg considered sustenance, as Selena had read quite a bit about ogres. Once more the absurdity of the situation struck him. Here he was, half naked, sitting on a dirt hill in the middle of enemy territory and fraternizing with three others who would attack his real identity on sight. It was thrilling and terrifying and Brumak drew a deep breath into his lungs to calm down. He noticed that Veniira was watching Ja'wara work with a wrinkled nose and a disgusted frown. "What's the matter, princess? Do you Silvermoon people never see food before it's laid out and unrecognizable on a silver plate?" Greznog said with a wicked grin while he kept polishing his rifle. "We are a bit more sophisticated than your kind, goblin," Veniira sneered. "You are fortunate I respect our employer, or I would never go on this tawdry expedition." "Oh boo-hoo," Greznog replied, "as if you're not here for the money as well, and probably to lay your magic-addicted mitts on that artifact." "I will have you know our people have mastered our curse sin-" Veniira began but fell silent when Ja'wara glared at them both. "I not be paying ya to be at each other's throats. What ya do after the mission is done is your own business, but while we're here ya be keeping the peace, understand? I ain't paying no troublemakers." Brumak grinned at the assertive leadership the troll girl displayed. She was confident and capable, always moving with a sense of purpose. In a way Brumak/Selena envied Ja'wara and wished he could be like that too. Then again, all he needed to do was show some more confidence. "The boss is right. We have to stick together out here, there's Alliance spies and monsters everywhere," Brumak said calmly, pulling out his sword and a cleaning rag. At that moment the sound of heavy footsteps approached the camp, and everyone's heads turned to stare into the dusk. It turned out to be Threg returning from wherever he had been. The massive ogre walked up the slope of the hill and plopped down heavily by the fire, grinning oafishly at the others. "Threg fed. Threg happy," he grunted. "Tha's good, an' soon da rest of us will be too," Ja'wara said, finishing her preparations of the stewpot and putting it over the fire. Brumak was amused to see both himself and Veniira edge away from where Threg had sat down, and moments later the ogre emitted a deep, rumbling belch and a waft of bad breath swept over the campsite. Veniira wrinkled her nose and Greznog's ears drooped in disgusted. Threg didn't notice anything, and proceeded to scratch his massive behind with one steak-like hand. "Funny ya say about Alliance spies, mon," Ja'wara said as she stirred the bubbling stewpot. "I hear some pretty interesting rumors in Orgrimmar." Brumak suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His muscles suddenly tensed and he turned to listen carefully to the troll, noticing that the other three were now giving Ja'wara their full attention as well. "Ya'll hear about the attempted theft at Windspear camp?" Ja'wara said with a smile. "Them tauren not be very chatty but they say some Alliance snuck in an' nearly stole their precious history scroll. Y'all imagine that? An Alliance spy in the middle of the Barrens? It would take some amazing skills to do that. Or magic." Brumak had no idea what to say. Was he outed? Did Ja'wara know and was just toying with him? He had flashbacks to how easy the tauren Tanika had exposed his tauren disguise. Was it his mannerisms? His accent? His clumsiness? "Threg no understand. Threg think magic no good when lots of warriors around," the ogre said, rubbing his skull in confusion. "She means some form of magical disguise, you dullard," Greznog said, shrugging. "There's probably lots of ways someone good enough could do that kind of thing." "Did they ever catch the spy?" Brumak asked after hesitating a moment. "Nah, unfortunately not. He get away an' slip off somewhere. Some think he go back to his own lands, some think he may still be there. Maybe he even here... right... now?" Ja'wara said, her eyes resting on each member of her team in turn. "That is utterly preposterous," Veniira said with a dismissive tone, Ja'wara having stared at her last. "If there was an infiltrator in Orgrimmar they would have been found." "And if there had been an impostor here, you would have found him long ago," Brumak said. "Huh? Why?" Ja'wara responded, her eyes darting between the orc and blood elf. It was then that Brumak did something impulsive, and probably foolish. He wanted to erase any doubts Ja'wara might have harbored about him, yes. But he also felt something else when looking at the huntress. He found her blue-skinned, wide-hipped form appealing even though she lacked the more human-like classic beauty that Veniira possessed. Ja'wara's confidence and gutsy behavior were also very appealing to Brumak. Without thinking he leaned in and pulled Ja'wara's head close to his and before she could protest their lips locked. He vaguely heard Threg snort and Greznog whistle appreciatively and could almost see Veniira frowning and crossing her arms in disapproval. "Because you're too smart and capable to let anyone give you the laugh," Brumak said, meeting her gaze evenly. Ja'wara's surprise turned into a wide grin, and she leaned in to plant another brief kiss on Brumak's lips before returning to the supper, which was just about finished by the smell of it. Brumak felt as if his pants had shrunk several sizes and his heart pounded in his chest. To his relief the gambit seemed to have accomplished more than make him feel good, because Ja'wara didn't continue the subject of spies and instead began handing out bowls of steaming hot stew to her companions. Soon they were eating the surprisingly tasty food and swapping stories as the sky darkened above them and the cliffs and trees of Azshara became dark shapes in the twilight. After they were finished eating, Threg laid down by the fire without bedroll or blanket and fell asleep almost instantly. Greznog seemed content as well, and curled up with his rifle clutched firmly in his hands. Ja'wara flashed a curious look at Veniira and Brumak. "I feel a bit sweaty, I be going for a quick dip before bed. Ya two wanna join me?" the troll said, winking. Brumak felt his heartbeat increase again. His mind briefly flashed the image of himself and the troll letting the soothing waters of the lake wash their naked bodies. Then he forcefully reminded himself of who he was and why he was here. "Absolutely not," Veniira said, wrinkling her nose again and slipping into her sleeping bag, murmuring a bit about savages. "I... can't. Not right now," Brumak said and nodded his head over towards the other three members of the team as if to say 'not with them possibly watching'. Ja'wara gave him a knowing grin and picked up the empty bowls and the stewpot. Her hips swayed as she slowly walked down the hill. "Maybe later?" she whispered, and then she was just a fading black shape in the dusk. Brumak laid down on his bedroll and tugged the blanket as far up over himself as possible. He didn't even dare try to take his pants off now, and doubted very much he could have managed even if he tried. *** The rest of the night was uneventful, with Brumak doing his guard shift and then returning to an uneasy sleep, warm pleasant dreams caressing his weary mind. The next morning he woke up early and began cleaning up the camp site as his fellow adventurers slowly stirred, and soon enough they were packed up and ready to leave. It would only be about half a day's travel to the ruins where rumors had said the magical device had been discovered, so the team set out early so they could begin their journey back the same day. Ja'wara confessed she didn't know what might await them in the ruins, but knowing the rest of Azshara it might be anything from the spirits of the restless dead to naga to vicious wildlife. Nonetheless, the team were in good spirits as they continued through the low valley and towards the rugged land beyond. Threg, who seemed utterly oblivious to the romantic tension between Brumak and Ja'wara, cheerfully asked Brumak to tell more stories as they walked, and the orc obliged by pulling some popular orc legends from memory. The fact that Selena was a lifelong scholar came in very handy in these situations, and the ogre seemed enthralled by the simple stories of courage, honor and betrayal. Occasionally Greznog or Veniira would offer some scathing commentary, but Brumak chose to ignore them, keeping his stoic facade. Not only was the feeling of being so physically fit pleasant for Selena, but to assume a calm, straightforward persona who simply did what seemed right to him at the time was also very liberating. He even felt his relationship with the blood elf was thawing a bit, as she exchanged some banter with him without insult or jab. With Ja'wara scouting ahead of the main group they managed to avoid any potential danger and made good time across the harsh landscape. As midday approached Ja'wara dashed back to the group who were waiting behind a towering rock formation. The troll looked giddy with excitement as she leaned in to speak in a hushed tone. "It's right around the next bend, mons. We gotta be careful now, y'hear?" The team nodded and prepared for battle before moving on. Threg hefted his great club, Veniira pulled her blackish-blue mage staff from her back, Greznog made sure his rifle was loaded (for the hundredth time that day) and Brumak removed his massive sword from its place on his back. It was little more than a slab of rectangular metal that had been given two sharp edges and fitted with a crossguard, but the weight of the thing coupled with Brumak's strength made it deadly. Selena may not have been a great swordswoman, but she had trained with the weapons and her disguise's physical abilities hopefully compensated for the rest. Still, Brumak felt on edge as the five crept around the hillside and up towards their goal. "There. Jus' like the excavation team said," Ja'wara whispered. The ruins were partially buried by centuries of dirt and plant growth, but the bleached marble of the dilapidated buildings was still obvious even to an untrained eye. There were only four or five structures still standing to any extent, with the rest having succumbed to the many upheavals the land had undergone and collapsed into barely visible piles of rocks. The western side of the ruins had a large, fresh depression filled with simple tools strewn about haphazardly, and some of the ruins there had been carefully dug out and exposed to the elements. Brumak spotted a few ragged tents at the edge of the naked dirt, and reasoned that this was where the previous Horde expedition had camped. He could see no movement in the ruins, but that didn't necessarily mean nothing was there. Ja'wara nodded towards the camp and they moved towards it as fast as they could. With Threg along there was no point even attempting stealth, so they just rushed across the open, grassy ground and slowly moved around the campsite to check for danger. When no ambush occurred the five continued across the excavated dirt area towards the ruins themselves. Everyone was on edge now, not just Brumak, and they stared around constantly for signs of a trap. The orc felt like the careful approach took several hours even though it was only a few yards of movement. Finally, however, they were standing on the cracked bone-white flagstones of an ancient square with an elegant pavilion-like structure right in front of them. There were some tools strewn about here too, and a crude wooden workbench that was clearly of recent make. "They were here alright," Greznog whispered. "But why'd they leave?" Ja'wara shrugged, and poked at a rusty shovel with her three-toed foot. "Dey just say dey get attacked by some kinda monstrous humanoids," the huntress said. "Right after dey uncover the entrance there." She nodded towards the tall archway leading into the pavilion, and now that Ja'wara had pointed it out Brumak could see it had been recently cleared. "Probably naga," Veniira said with a dismissive sneer. "Those serpents are all over this wretched land because their ancestors once lived here." "Your ancestors as well, princess," Greznog said, poking his head into the large building. "Can't see or hear anything." "We may as well go in. If there is a trap it's clearly too well-hidden for us to discover it out here anyway," Brumak said assertively, and walked confidently up the few marble steps into the archway. The others followed him, with Threg having to squeeze duck to get into the doorway. Inside was a gently sloping floor covered in the dirt of the ages. Apparently the whole structure had sunk slightly when the great disaster had sundered the continent in an unfathomably distant age. Ja'wara pointed ahead and suddenly they could all see it. A faint pulsing purple glow lit the far end of the long, spacious hall they were in, clearly visible even though the inside of the building was well lit through massive cracks in the ceiling and walls. The team crept closer, now more wary of a trap than ever, but nothing happened as they crossed the temple-like room. Soon they were standing around a half-circle dais set against the rear wall with a short, thick column on top of it. And on top of the column was their prize. The thing was a crystalline cube that was lit from within by a purple gemstone of some kind. Peering closer, Brumak saw that the transparent surface of the cube was oddly unblemished and looked almost new. He studied the object within and thought it looked like the gem had been expertly carved into some kind of symbol, one he felt was strangely familiar. Ja'wara walked up to the object with a hungry expression, as if she could barely contain herself. Suddenly he felt uneasy. Yes, magical items were often enchanted to be resistant to the ravages of time, but this artifact didn't just look like it was in good condition. It looked pristine, with not a speck of dirt on the surface like those that covered the dais and column upon which it rested. And the strange gem inside seemed so familiar... "Ah, looks like our search is over," Veniira said resting against her staff. "Let's get that thing and get out of here." "Indeed, our search is over, Veniira," Ja'wara said. "And so is your masquerade, traitor!" Before the others could do anything, Ja'wara snatched the cube up from the dais and lifted it over her head. With a mad grin the troll girl threw the artifact to the ground and it seemed to fall in slow-motion as Brumak watched it race towards the cracked stone floor. He moved to catch it, but suddenly his muscular body was no longer an asset and he was too slow. The cube struck the stone and shattered, releasing the purple gem object which suddenly flared up so bright that all of them had to cover their eyes or be blinded by purple radiance. "Ja'wara no, it's a trap!" was all Brumak could manage. Suddenly he was aware of his voice rising in pitch at the end of his warning, and he felt all strength drain from his limbs. His massive two- handed sword had become much too heavy to hold, and he dropped it to the ground with a pained grunt. He felt like his whole body was losing cohesion and sagging, and suddenly he felt the wind on his back. Blinking the spots away from his eyes, the temple swam back into view just in time for Brumak to have his vision clouded as his face collapsed and trapped him in a muffled darkness. He reached up to his neck in utter panic, suspecting what had happened, but the seam his costumed fingers found refused to budge. Having a choice between being blind and helpless and exposing himself... or rather herself, Selena tugged the empty mask of Brumak from her head and felt his skin split open like a banana peel and flop down across her legs. Selena gasped at the scene she now witnessed. Threg's massive, smelly ogre body had peeled open and was now an empty tent-like mess surrounding a slender, blue-skinned woman with a pair of elegant horns on her head and a tail. The draenei female desperately dragged Threg's empty head up to cover her naked body, looking extremely awkward with her thin facial tentacles bristling. Veniira's face and upper body had split open as well and were now dangling between her legs, which were distended and stretched beyond what should be possible. It took Selena a few moments to realize that the furry, muscular torso that stuck out of Veniira's waist was that of a male worgen, who grunted as he tried to keep his balance with his reverse-jointed legs still stuck inside the slender blood elf's thin legs. Ja'wara was not unaffected either, with the curvy troll woman now being little but an empty husk trailing in the dirt on the ground. A confused-looking male blood elf with long blonde hair stared at the others while hitching Ja'wara's empty skin up to cover his groin. Suddenly everyone's eyes turned to Greznog. The goblin's eyes bulged from his head like a pair of large white eggs capped by pupils. His wild gaze went from the pale, raven-haired human woman in the male orc's empty skin, to the blood elf in the troll girl disguise to the draenei desperately trying to cover her privates with the empty ogre costume to the worgen who growled and shook his black coat as Veniira's empty face dangled between his legs. Greznog's fingers grew pale as he clutched his rifle tightly, staring from person to person. For a moment Selena thought he was going to shoot one of them, and mentally prepared a protective spell. But then Greznog just screamed and ran, pushing past the draenei and Selena and vanishing out the doorway, his terrified screams trailing off into the distance. "I guess he -wasn't- undercover then," the worgen said in a deep, growling baritone. "Damn it all!" the blood elf said, jabbing a finger at the worgen in Veniira's skin. "I was so convinced you were the infiltrator! I prepared this for months!" "What's going on here?" Selena stammered. "You planned this?" The blood elf man sighed and hitched Ja'wara's skin up again to hide his nudity. The draenei was desperately trying to get Threg's skin closed again, but the greasy seam refused to work. "Oh please do stop, the disguises won't work again until the dampening magic dies down," the blood elf said with an exasperated sigh. "Yes of course I planned this! I wanted to capture the Barrens infiltrator, and knowing he or she had been after an important historical artifact I made sure the rumors of one being found were spread and overheard by plenty of Alliance agents. It was child's play to hire some workers and have them fake a discovery and an attack, and then I just put out notices of the expedition to see if the spy took the bait." "And three of them did," the draenei said in her pleasantly accented voice, giving up her attempt to close the ogre suit. "A little more than you were counting on? At least I can drop the dullard act now." "Indeed. Too much in fact," the blood elf sighed. "I cannot believe it was the orc. You do a good job at being a male, milady." The blood elf gave Selena a quick, elegant bow. "And you make a fine woman," Selena shot back, feeling an odd sense of loss. "What would you have done if you had been the only one in disguise?" The blood elf opened his mouth to answer, then blinked and rubbed his chin. He had a sheepish expression on his prettyboy face. "And now your little trap has backfired and we have you cornered," the draenei said. "I'm going to slash you to ribbons for wasting my time like this," the worgen said menacingly. "Do you have any idea what a pain that outfit is?" "Wait," Selena said. "There's been no harm done yet. Sure, the artifact was a fake, but nobody was hurt, were they?" Selena didn't want to admit it, but she (in her Brumak role) had become quite attracted by Ja'wara, and though the blood elf had a refined voice and a somewhat effete manner, he had not yet done anything overtly hostile. "But what then?" the draenei inquired. "We're in the middle of a savage, Horde-controlled zone. We have no weapons or clothes other than those we arrived in, which won't fit us." "We could switch," Selena suggested thoughtfully. "Don't be stupid, girl. Veniira's clothes wouldn't fit you and Brumak's wouldn't fit me or the elf," the worgen snorted. "Not to mention you are Alliance and I am Horde. What sort of cooperation do you think could truly come of that?" the blood elf said with a dismissive tone. "You're all squabbling like children!" the draenei said, annoyed. "Do you know how annoying it is to pretend to be such a child-like creature? And it was all for nothing!" Selena's head was spinning. She was stuck in a four-way argument where nobody seemed to like each other while none of them could look beyond that and see the danger to them all. While the blood elf had invented the story about the naga attack, there were plenty of real naga around, not to mention other creatures. They would be picked off one by one if they tried to leave, and they would be hamstrung if they went as a group with the blood elf as a prisoner. At the same time she didn't want to chase him off alone, leaving him to the mercy of this savage land. Suddenly Selena had an idea. "Wait. Stop! Please listen!" she shouted, and the other three stopped jabbing fingers and throwing accusations, staring at the human girl. "If we keep this up we will all be destroyed, picked off one by one. There's no easy way for us to get out of here." "So? That's exactly what we said," the draenei said. "Indeed. I may make it to a Horde base in time, but for you it's-" the blood elf said, but Selena waved her hand for silence. "There's no easy way for -us- to get out of here... but Ja'wara and her team are another matter, aren't they?" Selena said. The other three stared at her as if she'd grown a second head. Then they exploded into a furor of angry protests. "Collaborate with this traitor-" "Get into that skin again, with that outfit riding into my ass?" "Ridiculous, you are all Alliance, you'll betray-" "-moment we turn our backs he'll betray-" "-even suggest I want to get back into that smelly pile of-" "Enough!" Selena screamed, channeling some of Brumak's self-confidence. "This is just what I mean. The four of us are quarrelsome, uncooperative. But together we achieved a lot. We got out here. We helped each other. Sure it was based on a false pretense, but there must have been something to it! Or would you rather continue on like this? You, draenei, you claim to hate your ogre disguise but Threg was a loyal, honest friend. You claim to hate Veniira's body and outfit, but she was a capable, confident ally, and quite beautiful to boot. And you..." Selena trailed off as she jabbed her finger at the blood elf, not finding a good way to word her emotions. The worgen, blood elf and draenei looked a bit taken aback, but there was a faint glimmer of understanding in their expressions. "I'm going to go out there and wait this magic thing out, and then Brumak is going to wait another half hour in the camp out there. You can do what you want. I've said my piece," Selena said and turned to stomp out of the temple. *** The afternoon sun was already descending towards the forested horizon in the west. Brumak sat cross-legged in the abandoned camp of the workforce, angrily prodding the dirt with a stick. He couldn't believe he'd lost his temper like that. He had been stupid and naive to believe that four so disharmonious individuals would ever just agree to put aside their differences. Looking up at the sky he decided it was time to go. He had to take his chances alone now, for good or bad. He started towards the forest when suddenly he footsteps in the grass behind him. He spun around to see the draenei and the worgen walk towards him, their skins pulled up all the way to their shoulders so that their heads poked out from what looked like very cheap Hallow's End costumes. "I'm sorry. You have a good point," the draenei said. "We'd like to go with you. If you'll have us," the worgen agreed, giving Brumak the first smile he had ever seen from the wolf-man. "Of course I will," the orc chuckled. "What about the blood elf?" "Ran off somewhere," the draenei said. "We turned out backs for a few seconds and he was gone." Brumak felt a twinge of disappointment, but it was overwhelmed by the surprise and delight at his other two companions rejoining him. With a smile, the draenei pulled the ogre's massive empty head over her own and soon the ogre suit changed, inflated and grew. The worgen slid the empty blood elf mask over his snout and tugged it shut, and soon the deformed shape of the sindorei shrunk and became curvy and slender. "Threg always liked Brumak anyway. Brumak is a very stand-up orc," the ogre said with a newfound tone of intelligence. "And I... do admit I misjudged you a tad. You're an uncouth savage, but you are a reliable one," Veniira said as she got used to her voice again. Brumak laughed and pulled the ogre and the blood elf together to hug them. Perhaps not the most manly thing he had ever done, but his relief at the moment was too strong to resist. The air between them felt cleared. "Do you have need of someone who can hunt?" said a voice behind the trio, and they all turned around. The blood elf walked up behind them, looking sheepish with the troll mask dangling on his chest and the bow and quiver in his hands. Brumak studied him silently for a moment, considering the possibility that the elf was there to betray them again. But then, if he really had sought to get them captured or attacked he would not have returned. He would have joined up with Greznog and reached a Horde outpost far ahead of them. Brumak finally nodded. "I think we do. But most of all, we need our leader," he said, giving a slight grin. The elf had a weird mixture of relief and surprise on his handsome face, but soon he broke into honest, pleasant laughter. As the three watched he pulled the empty blue-skinned head with its many pink braids up and over his own, and soon the blonde hair and pale skin of the blood elf was vanishing between the closing seam. As it snapped shut, the figure shuddered as her curves filled out again and her skin became vibrant and alive. "I guess I be back, mons?" Ja'wara said a bit insecurely. Instead of responding with words, Brumak walked over and hugged the troll huntress with Veniira giggling and Threg clapping. "I guess that artifact was a wild goose chase," Brumak said as the four walked towards the tree line. "What now, leader?" "Oh I donno. There be plenty of otha' missions out there," Ja'wara said. "Hopefully nothing like this one," Veniira said with a sigh. "Nah, I be thinkin it be a lot smoother sailin' from here on out," the troll chuckled, quickly regaining her old playful demeanor. "So about that other time you mentioned..." Brumak whispered to the troll as the four walked off, leaving the ruins behind them.