The inquisitor paced back and forth in front of the shop, he would much rather prefer to be dealing with a Tyranid infestation, rebellion or chaos cultists than the irregularities he had been confronted with. It was obvious that his situation would require some out of the box solution, as all standard approaches would fail. Exterminatus? With what? Interrogation? Where to even start?

  Before he managed to think of anything, an impatient voice sounded behind his back.

  "This is a waste of time. If you want to stay in Quel'Thalas, you have to start pulling your weight. Is there a craft you are skilled at?" Lor'themar appeared to be losing patience with his odd behavior, most likely doubting his sanity.

  "A craft? Only one." Keal had really not much time for hobbies given his position. "War."

  "Amani are a good target." The elf proposed, but the inquisitor was not listening to him much, he was preoccupied with his overarching mission. What was the overarching mission of the Inquisition? No doubt the same as the Emperor himself, to protect humanity. Where all else failed to make sense, he should follow the example of the Golden Throne.

  "Emperor protects." Kael Gull whispered and his eyes became sharp again as an idea formed in his head. "What is the humanity's greatest power in this world? The peak of their excellence. Is there such a force, a man?"

  "Humanity? What a strange question." His companion shook his head. "If you asked our prince, he would surely answer you quickly with one name, Antonidas." The high elf answered while trying to ignore some curious glances that the passersby were giving them, he felt uneasy being seen by many in the company of the strange, armored human.

  "Does he live on this continent?" The inquisitor, as always, did not pay much attention to the public and simply followed his goals.

  "Yes, Dalaran lies south, not far from the capital of Lordaeron."

  "Thank you for your hospitality, but I will stay in your lands no longer. Good luck." The inquisitor stated, surprising his official babysitter, inciting all kinds of strange speculations in his head.

  Before Lor'themar could react in any way, Kael turned around and started to run back. He considered staying in a local inn, but that might just complicate everything, he would surely find an inn along the way in the human territory. Based on the reaction of the man named Uther, his problems stemming from getting rid of the heretic should not be too great.

  "Wait! Where are you going?!" A distressed shout followed the accelerating mass of armor engraved with the insignia of the Inquisition.

  "Dalaran." The inquisitor answered without stopping and his companion began to panic.

  "Now?!" The high elf tried to catch him, but was not fast enough. He might be more nimble than Kael, but speed was about power, not agility. The inquisitor just smiled and continued his mad dash to the south while being followed by shouts, the words carried by the wind getting progressively more rude until they died off in the distance behind him.

  The high elf's task had just gotten more annoying than he could have ever imagined.

  "He is way into rules, I wonder when he calls it quits." Kael laughed while using the nighttime for his smooth advance. Despite being infatuated with the silver color of the moon, most high elves were obviously not eager to wander around during the middle of the night and the roads and streets were far from crowded.

  He did not miss sleeping as much as ordinary humans, as his past alongside the Grey Knights provided him with some benefits that were not completely lawful, but as one of his mentors once said, law could be always bent a little, if in the right direction. He had to admit that the territory of the high elves was beautiful, yet when he entered Lordaeron again, the simplicity typical for humans that replaced it was not unpleasant.

  * * * *

  A slender, unsteady hand opened the doors into a large wooden structure in Darrowshire. It was unknown if the person entering the inn was trembling with exhaustion or anger, but he immediately headed towards the barmaid who was just serving ale to a few customers.

  "Welcome, are you hungry? We have an excellent roasted duck today!" The barmaid said cheerfully to the high elf veiled in red cape.

  "Was there a person wearing an odd, heavy armor?" The person asked right away, ignoring the usual small talk.

  "You bet! I couldn't figure out how the guy was even moving!" One guest nearby answered before the inn's personnel could even attempt to be discrete about their guest's personal details.

  "As the good man said." She kept her smile while waiting for the high elf's response.

  "I see, he rented a room." Lor'themar said after he looked around, but there was no sight of his target. "Which one is it?"

  "I am sorry, but I cannot tell you. You surely understand." The smile of the polite woman was turning more fake with every second, it was obvious that she considered him to be an arrogant, rude high elf.

  "It is alright, I will wait." Lor'themar stated matter of factly and plopped down onto a solitary chair that had an old wooden table in front of it.

  * * * *

  Keal Gull had almost a heart attack when he was about to touch a doorknob of the inn, still thinking about the duck he had before having a short nap. He had managed to settle his debt with gold somehow, but based on the stare he was subjected to at the moment, his next settlement should be in the local currency to avoid suspicion.

  "We need to talk." Lor'themar stood up and stepped towards Kael.

  "Did you have the duck? It was great." Kael Gull tried to bring up something positive before facing the complaints of the high elf, who had been waiting for him to come out of his room at the nearby table.

  "If I am stuck with a blockhead like you, we should at least keep everything smooth." Surprisingly, there was no tantrum from the high elf and Kael thought that he had not judged his character properly.

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  "What do you mean?" The inquisitor exited the inn, taking their conversation outside, out of the earshot of its guests.

  "There is the Marris Stead a short distance away, we can borrow one of their boats to get to the Durnholde Keep and from there go west to Dalaran. It is a bad idea with your reputation to go directly around the Capital."

  "Great plan!" Kael stared at Lor'themar, surprised by his cooperation.

  They exited Darrowshire when the Sun was already crawling its way up into the sky and followed the road for a short distance, before they arrived at their destination.

  "I hope Nathanos is not at home." The high elf grumbled, looking for the boats that were tied near a river nearby.

  "Wait, I thought we were borrowing, not stealing." Kael said, amused.

  "Of course we are not stealing anything!" Lor'themar said hastily and moved towards the river. Kael noticed that the stone bridge that was crossing the river was the same as the one he stopped at during the detonation of his shuttle.

  After borrowing the boat, they embarked on a sail through a shallow river that later entered a lake with an island in the middle. They paddled around the island and continued south while mountains were passing by on each side on the horizon. Kael Gull thought when was the last time he had sailed by a simple boat, but could not remember. It was a novel experience for him, as well as for the high elf, who had a hard time to keep the boat from sinking due to the inquisitor's weight.

  Kael did not mind the trouble, as the waters were not deep and a bit of mud would not kill him.

  "We will stop before reaching the keep, as it is now just a ruin anyway." Lor'themar mentioned while keeping the boat steady.

  "Why? Was there a war?" The inquisitor quickly jumped to the most logical conclusion, battlefields being a commonplace in the Imperium of Man.

  "Orcs had rebelled against that fool, Blackmoore." The high elf explained with disinterest.

  "Orcs?! Are there Greenskins?!" Kael was alerted by the familiar word and Lor'themar had to hastily correct the boat's balance.

  "Yes, green skin, empty heads, big muscles and dirty feet." The high elf said while annoyed by the extra effort on his side.

  "So they are orcs indeed!" The inquisitor was not pleased to meet this race on the planet. There was too many xenos for his liking, even though he usually prioritized other threats. "The humans here are too pathetic to be suppressed by this many other races. This needs to stop."

  From the back of the boat, the high elf looked at him with suspicion, fighting an urge to turn the boat over and give the arrogant man a bath. He was more and more convinced that the mysterious man would become a danger rather than an ally to the high elves.

  "Where are the orcs now? Were they defeated?" Kael asked while the high elf parked their boat on the river bank.

  "No idea, they are gone, probably had enough of their last defeat." Lor'themar snorted in derision, his dislike of the orcs apparent.

  "That is impossible, orcs would never withdraw without a fight." Kael wanted to step out of the boat, but the high elf was quicker and his hop onto the land shifted the canter of mass of the boat.

  "I was told they were broken in the interment camps and looked more like lambs than warriors." The high elf said while gracefully landing on the grass, looking towards the Alterac Mountains in front of them.

  "Impossible!" The boat finally overturned with the inquisitor ending up waist-deep in water. Kael did not mind at all and simply jumped onto the shore with his both legs hitting the soft grass heavily, leaving deep,wet imprints.

  It was not like his power armor was made from sugar.

  "It is only logical, how could brutes like orcs oppose the united forces of all the kingdoms? Let's stop talking about the defeated tribal creatures, we can head up into the hills to reach out goal. I can already see the towers of Dalaran." The inquisitor looked up and indeed, there were a few circular towers climbing towards the sky in the distance.

  "Let's hurry, we do not want to be involved with the locals." Lor'themar moved forth, his steps light, followed by the all-crushing stride of a power armor.

  Kael thought that the high elf's wish would probably not be fulfilled when he saw a group of two dozen men in the distance, their clothes dirty, holding weapons that had seen better days. They looked like brigands, except for the leading figure that was dressed in worn out noble's garments. Kael found it amusing that a noble's clothes could be recognized regardless of race or culture. It simply had too much redundant shiny material attached to it.

  "Elf, how many people can do the move with an arrow you did before? I do not think we are in for a friendly talk." The inquisitor asked before the dangerous looking group that began heading their way came too close.

  "Those failures? None of them, at most there will be little tricks." Lor'themar answered while the armed mob came closer and formed a half-circle around them.

  The leading figure in tattered shiny clothes stepped forth and chuckled like he found the situation funny.

  "Well, well, well, an elf and a . .." He cocked his head before continuing, seemingly talking more to his companions than to the two in front of him. " . . .paladin? What an odd couple to be wandering around. We live in dangerous times."

  The man began pacing back and forth while listening to the voices of approval from his man, who wanted to fawn over him.

  "However, this land still belongs to its rightful owner and you will have to pay me, Lord Aliden Perenolde, a toll for trespassing on my land! Right boys?" The arrogant man stretched out hands and again bathed in the compliments of his thugs.

  Along with them, taunts directed at the high elf and the inquisitor were prevalent as well.

  "Paladins are always loaded with gold! Start spilling pig!"

  "What does that symbol mean? Ah, it is I for an Idiot! A paladin from the Order of Idiots!"

  "Flap your ears elf, we know you can do it!"

  "We will pay, I will pay exactly two." The inquisitor smiled at the self-important man in front of him.

  "I do not think two gold coins will be enough." The smile on the false noble's face began to brighten.

  "I can pay much more if you want, but for now here are the two." Kael Gull pulled out his bolter and shot the knees of the two bandits that had deserved it with their rude words. He decided to be lenient, as open mockery of The Inquisition should under normal circumstances warrant a swift death.

  Lor'themar Theron decided to shoot an arrow of his own, punishing the third man with a non-lethal blow.

  There was a second of absolute silence, the prideful man leading the bandits staring at Keal and Lor'themar until his eyes widened and he commanded with a high pitch voice.

  "Retreat!!" After that one word, he outran his own men and was heading up into the Alterac Mountains. His men hesitated only for a moment before following his example, not even daring to utter curses at the duo who remained standing in the middle of the road.

  "That was too quick, I guess bandits here have no guts." Kael could not believe that the bandits had run away without a proper fight, his boiling blood calming down after the expected violence had not come to pass.

  "They do, sometimes, but not now." Lor'themar smirked and patted his shoulder, making Keal realize what was the situation about.

  "Ah, you are wearing a uniform." Kael did not perceive it as such, as it looked too foreign, but the locals must have known even the details. "Your rank."

  The high elf only nodded his head and they continued in their journey. They had not seen the bandits again, the thugs were certainly aware what killing a high elf of Lor'themar Theron's rank would bring their way. No one was eager to be chased by the Ranger-General and her company.

  "Was he right about you?" The high elf asked after they had made some progress towards their target without following any paths, simply walking through the grass growing on a hillside.

  "You mean about my order? I do have a bolt even for you if you insist." Kael answered, not in the mood to continue the silly misunderstanding.

  "Not that, are you a paladin? The idea is not far fetched." Lor'themar corrected himself in haste, he was not one to slander people with no reason.

  "Are you genuinely asking, or gathering intelligence?"

  "Both."

  Kael Gull had to say that the high elf was maybe too straight with his ways, but he found it cute.

  "No, I have already told you folks that I am an inquisitor." He remembered telling it to many, but at this point he knew that the people around him did not understand what he meant at all.

  "That is obviously a lie, inquisitors of the Church of Light do not look like you. Next time you should refuse to answer instead of lying." Lor'themar replied with a hint of anger in his voice. Kael stopped walking and stared at him, annoyed by the situation as well.

  "Alright, you stupid treehugger, here is my honesty. I am inquisitor Kael Gull of the Imperial Inquisition, having its headquarters on the Holy Terra." Kael proceeded to tap at the three times crossed I symbol on his power armor.

  "This symbol, is derived not from the word you heard, but from the personal heraldry of the Regent of Holy Terra, Malcador the Sigilite. My job there is to eradicate chaos and demons here in real space."

  "If your leaf brain still cannot get it, I am not from this world, but ended up here in an accident." Keal ended his outburst and continued to walk towards Dalaran, the towers of which loomed over them more and more with every step.

  They walked silently for minutes, the gates of Dalaran clearly visible in front of them.

  "Sorry for the inappropriate words, I have lost my patience with this ridiculous situation." Despite being trained for desperate situations, Kael's current circumstances were starting to get on his nerves.

  "That is fine, I know many high elves who actually do hug trees. It is nothing to be ashamed of."

  "Even you?" Kael asked with a grin. It was obvious that the high elf wanted to reply negatively, but he could not get the word out of his mouth fast enough to make it look natural.

  "Oh my! Really?!" The inquisitor laughed out, while the high elf finally managed to answer.

  "No!"

  "I have to teach you to lie properly Lor'themar."