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The storm had appeared overhead rather suddenly; it had only been thirty minutes ago when the sun was shining its last light before it set, and now rain poured from the sky as if with a vengeance upon Boralus for some misdeed it had committed in the past. In the thirty seconds it took for Shaw to cross to the other end of the Wind's Redemption in hopes of staying dry, he had already been soaked through and scowling.
Wyrmbane seemed no happier as he tried in vain to rescue quickly soakened papers. Alleria crossed over with the maps from the mission table in her arms, herself seeming rather unbothered from the rain. Perhaps when one lived for hundreds upon hundreds of years, the weather didn't bother you any more. Or perhaps after living a thousand years in a fiery felhole, rain was a welcomed change of pace.
Regardless of why, that didn't change the fact that Shaw was not enjoying the current situation. "Remind me again, why do we have to be posted on the deck of a ship in the rainiest city in the Eastern Kingdoms?" Shaw asked to Wyrmbane, having to shout over the rain as it hammered down onto the deck.
"Ease of the location and ability to get on the move quickly," Wyrmbane said in a rather unconvincing manner as he seemed to decide that there was no rescuing the now ruined reports, nothing more than a mess of ink and pulp. Lightning flashed in the distance, over the horizon, a rumble from the sky following not too long after.
"Is a little rain all it takes to get under the skin of the Alliance's spymaster?" Alleria asked, a smirk across her face as she teased.
Another crack of thunder and an echo of thunder followed her words. "I'd hardly call this a little rain." Shaw could tolerate bad weather if he had to, and often times with his line of work, he had to, but Boralus storms were something of a menace. The rain hit hard, soaked to the bone, and left you freezing for the rest of the day. He would rather be knee deep in swamp water trying to evade fanatic trolls in the sweltering humidity than in the middle of a Kul Tiras storm.
The storm seemed to get worse, if such a thing was possible. The bow now obscured from sight by the rain, and the mission table now nothing more than a distant silhouette. The sails waved harshly in the wind, snapping as it's pushed hard and the ship bumped against the port. The elevated deck at the stern did nothing to shelter the three from the rain, making Shaw's mood progress from bad to worse. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to find a silver lining to this. He could have been the SI:7 agent stationed at the masthead, stuck keeping watch.
The whole horizon seemed to light up in a large flash of lightning, with a secondary light source following directly after, a cacophonous sound that followed after ringing loud in the air, louder than the two strikes before.
"What in the Light's name was that?" Wyrmbane asked as he squinted off into the distance.
"Nothing good." Shaw crossed his arms.
There's movement from within the lower deck of the ship, and Shaw looked over his shoulder to see Shandris standing in the doorway into the hold, Kelsey and Keeshan coming up behind her. "Did something explode?" Kelsey asked.
"Lightning struck something in the distance," Shaw said.
Kelsey moved her way outside, immediately getting drenched from the torrential downpour that Boralus was being subjected to. "Yeah, it's smoking pretty bad."
"How can you tell in this weather?" Keeshan asked as he poked his head out to look, seeming to regret it as soon as he did so.
"A little gnomish engineering." Kelsey replied, tapping the side of her goggles with a subtle sense of pride. "Lets me see through things that would hinder my vision."
"Can you see what's out there?" Wyrmbane asked.
"It's a bit too far out for me to get a good look," Kelsey said as the same look of regret from Keeshan seemed to spread to her, turning back to head into shelter.
"Perhaps the lightning hit a deposit of azerite on a small island out there," Alleria suggested.
"There's no notable land spots out there, let alone one with azerite," Wyrbane said.
Azerite. Shaw's blood ran as cold as he felt in this rain, realizing a worst case scenario that might have been a very distinct possibility. "Wyrmbane, when was the expedition team supposed to return to port?"
"Around sunset," Wyrmbane fired off immediately, following it up after a moment with, "oh, Light help them." Shaw clenched his jaw and watched the horizon, seeing nothing but rain. "As soon as the storm lets up, we'll investigate. Shandris, could you and Falstad get into the air to scout ahead once we're ready?"
Shandris gave a nod. "I'll go inform Falstad," she said, disappearing back down below deck.
The next ten minutes of doing absolutely nothing other than huddle against the upper deck wall and hope the storm passed soon was an aggravating ten minutes, and everyone felt the nervous energy that grew between them all. Shaw did his best to not clench his fists so hard that his fingers ached, but he failed in the endeavor just three minutes in. He crossed his arms once again, asking the Light for the patience he suddenly didn't have.
The smoke was visible as soon as the rain let up, billowing into the darkening sky and utterly unaffected by the rain. An acrid smell reached Boralus by the time the Wind's Redemption pulled out from the port. Falstad and Shandris took to the air on their respective mounts, leaving the ship in their wake as they scouted ahead.
Shaw could tell Alleria had words for him, the piercing gaze of a woman that prided herself as a predatory hunter on him like a hawk on a vole. She at least had the decency to be discreet about it until everyone dispersed towards their stations.
"Something I can help you with?" Shaw asked Alleria as she approach where he stood, now positioned on the port side, hands firm on the ship rails.
"You seemed rather troubled," Alleria started.
Shaw frowned, looking to the high elf. "There's a possiblity that a ship carrying three of the Alliance's finest and a hull's worth of azerite was struck by lightning and exploded. I feel my troubled reaction is granted."
"Three of the Alliance's finest, and a pirate captain."
"What are you implying?" Shaw asked.
"I feel you know well what I am implying, Mathias," Alleria said, giving Shaw the courtesy of speaking low enough to prevent eavesdropping. "You may have spent decades mastering a poker face, but I've spent centuries reading people."
Shaw clenched his jaw and didn't respond.
"I've seen how you two speak with each other, and even with all your subtleties, it's quite apparent," she said, before adding, "to me, at least."
"Have you and General Shandris gossiping about this behind my back?"
"Magister Umbric, actually," she said with a slight smile, "the man loves his rumors." The magister certainly did, but everything he spoke of was vapid and ultimately posed no risk of an intelligence leak to the Horde, so Shaw didn't address it. Perhaps it was time to nip that in the bud. "You should probably be more direct if you intend on that going somewhere." Alleria's eyes were on the horizon, watching for something. "He seems to be a bit..." Shaw watched as she struggled to find the right word. "...oblivious to such hints, and it doesn't help that the hints are coming from someone that has been trained in discretion."
"You sound as if you're speaking from experience," Shaw assesed.
A fond smile crossed Alleria's face. "Perhaps I am." Shaw watched her smile falter before her expression ultimately hardened as her ears bent back slightly, clearly not enjoying the thoughts it brought it. She changed subject, trying not to dwell on it. "A war shouldn't be an excuse to not pursue something, especially not when there's always a war going on."
Shaw looked out ahead, seeing Shandris and Falstad try to avoid the growing smoke as they circled a thoroughly destroyed ship. "Well, I may not get that chance," he said as they neared the grim remains.
"Then you know to take it if you do."
Shaw couldn't immediately identify if it was a Kul Tiran ship, let alone Fairwind's sloop, despite the fact that he had spent the entire of his time in Boralus with it in sight. There was nearly nothing of it left; part of the upper deck, the masts burning with an unnatural fire, and splintered wood scattered everywhere close by. It sank slowly into the ocean, and slowly being consumed with azerite flames. The smell of smoke hung heavy in the air, overpowering the sea salt of the ocean.
Shandris broke off, returning to the Wind's Redemption. "It's the expedition ship!" She called out once she was within earshot. Shaw gripped the side rails a bit tighter.
"I'll bring us in as close as I can," Jes-Tereth replied from the upper decks.
It was awful; a horrible, freak accident with nothing remaining they could salvage. No doubt that if one crate of azerite went, so did the rest, and there was no one in the dying light of the day, alive or otherwise. Shaw wasn't squeamish by any means, he would have never made it to where he was if that was the case, but the sight of blood painting the destroyed sloop made his stomach turn.
Falstad and his gryphon dived suddenly, into the smoke, and emerging several seconds later, a body in the gryphon's claws. They beelined for the ship, and Shaw could make out the tattered faction tabard of a well-traveled adventurer. An Alliance champion. Falstad dived low, slowing as he reached the Wind's Redemption. His gryphon released the adventurer a few feet from the ground, the adventurer falling to their knees and delving into a coughing fit.
"Soldier, what happened?" Wyrmbane asked, approaching the champion. Shaw stayed where he stood, glancing between the wreckage and the adventurer. Wyrmbane's hands glowed with a soft light, a light that gently enveloped the champion, closing the worst of their wounds.
"Hold... exploded," the adventurer said through their coughing fit, trying desperately to clear their lungs of the azerite smoke.
"Do you know if anyone else is alive?" Wyrmbane asked.
The adventurer nodded. "Healer's—" a gasp, "—alive, I know. Looking for—" the rest of the sentence devolved into wheezing.
Wyrmbane looked up to Falstad and Shandris, shouting, "you heard the champion! Keep searching!"
Kelsey pulled her goggles off. "Shandris!" She exclaimed, grabbing the night elf's attention as she handed her goggles to Keeshan. "Throw them to her," she ordered, and Keeshan didn't hesitate in taking them, winding his arm back, and throwing the goggles back up into the sky. Shandris' hippogryph dived down, and Shandris caught the gnomish goggles and headed out for the shipwreck again.
"What am I, chopped liver?" Asked Falstad, who was much closer to Kelsey than Shandris was.
"Sorry, I just trust her more!" Kelsey replied.
"Aye, fair enough," Falstad shrugged before his gryphon followed after Shandris.
"Get the Grand Lector up here," Wyrmbane ordered to a 7th Legion soldier, who wasted no time in hurrying down the stairs into the hold.
Shaw watched Shandris and Falstad carefully circle the ship remnants, doing their best to avoid the smoke. He didn't blame them, seeing how the smoke had sent an adventurer that faced off against the worst of the worst to nearly heaving onto the deck of the ship. It was an excruciating feeling, being forced to watch the wreckage of a ship with nothing he could do to help.
It was Shandris who dived next, Kelsey's goggles giving her an upper hand in finding people within the smoke. Shaw watched the purple hippogryph break through the smoke as Grand Lector Enaara came to the top deck. With one look to the injured adventurer, she said, "you called me up for a cough, High Commander?"
"The expedition ship exploded, and the azerite smoke—"
"Bah, azerite smazerite!" The Grand Lector scoffed, her voice echoing in the way all Lightforged Draenei voices do. She tapped the bottom of her staff against the deck, a holy light emanating from the woman. "You're fine," she said, but regardless, she healed the adventurer, more wounds closing and their coughing subsiding.
Shandris swooped down on her hippogryph, dropping off another adventurer before going straight back to the wrecked sloop. They were unconscious, hitting the deck with a heavy thud that made Shaw briefly wince with a pang of sympathy over.
Shaw turned back, looking out to the sloop. Shandris flew close to Falstad, the two exchanging words in the sky. The wind picked up, blowing smoke towards the two and forcing them to quickly maneuver away. Falstad pulled back entirely, while Shandris swooped low, circling close to the wreck before diving through the smoke.
The final champion was in the hippogryph's grasp when they emerged again, a small sense of relief filled Shaw knowing that no Alliance champions would be lost, but it in turned filled him with dread. The adventurers were hardy, capable of withstanding the worst, so did that mean everyone else on that ship went with the blast?
Shandris dropped off the adventurer, this time sticking around. They looked rather remarkably unscathed. "Flynn's still in there!" They exclaimed, trying to catch their breath. "He's stuck in what's left of the middle deck!"
Shaw did not hesitate in taking Shandris' hand when she flew her hippogryph in close to him, and he's hauled up onto the saddle with her as they headed towards the wreck. Shaw could nearly taste the awful smell that permeated the air due to the azerite smoke. It felt as if it lined his throat and lungs when he breathed in, no wonder the champion was having such a hard time. "Falstad and I can't get to him," Shandris explained, "and the rest of the ship is sinking fast."
"I'll take care of it," Shaw said. He looked to Falstad, who had taken to scanning the surrounding waters for anyone.
Shandris led her hippogryph low, getting as close as she could to the burning ship. "Goddess watch over you," she said as Shaw pulled himself from the saddle, jumping down into the waters. Shaw didn't get the chance to respond before Shandris dived away, leaving him alone in the burning ocean.
Shaw swam the distance to the remains of the top deck, the ship slowly making it's way to sinking into the ocean, stern last. The taste of smoke burned Shaw's throat. "Fairwind!" He called out as he found the stern-side door that led into the hold. It didn't budge when he tried to push it in. "Are you in there, Captain?"
It was hard to hear, with the sounds of the fire eating at the mast overhead, but Shaw was certain he heard a muffled noise from inside. Shaw steeled his resolve and did his best to push open the door as the water did it's best to stop him from getting it open. With a frustrated huff, Shaw threw his entire weight into the door, and the sound of the jammed handle snapping wood accompanied the door opening.
It wasn't a freak accident, Shaw realized with one look to Fairwind. The cloth pulled taut across his mouth, his arms pulled back awkwardly behind him and flush against the wall, and the blood that tainted the waters around him. A few more minutes, and Fairwind would have been completely underwater with no way to get out. The ship exploding had been intentional.
"Fairwind!" Shaw exclaimed as he crossed over to him, the water up to his chest. Fairwind made a muffled noise, pulling hard against something underneath the dark waters. He looked frantic, with fear and anger mixing into the expression. Shaw never saw the pirate in such a way. "What happened?" Shaw asked, pulling the cloth down from across Flynn's mouth.
"One of those crazy tidesage bastards stowed away on my ship!" He yelled. Shaw had heard Fairwind angry before, sure, but most of the times it was faux outrage over something minor or just mild annoyance and frustration over the task at hand. He sounded properly enraged over current events, and Shaw didn't blame him. "They stabbed me and trapped me in here and before I knew it, it sounded like all the azerite blew and we were sinking!" Shaw's hands find rope behind Fairwind, securing him to a grab rail. He pulled a dagger and worked on cutting the binds. "What in the tide's name are you even doing here?"
"We heard the explosion from port," Shaw answered, "came out as soon as the worst of the storm blew over."
Despite his anger, Fairwind cracked an obviously forced smile. "My knight in soaking wet armor."
Shaw didn't dignify that comment with a response, focusing on cutting the rope that kept Fairwind against the wall. It was difficult work on account of all the water and poor lighting.
"How bad is it?" Fairwind asked, the anger giving way to fear. Not fear, Shaw realized, dread.
"I can cut the rope, I just—"
"The ship, Shaw."
It was hard for Shaw to remember that Fairwind, despite his flippant attitude towards important missions, was a captain for a reason.
"It's going to be unsalvageable."
One thing Shaw had admired about Fairwind was his loyalty that bordered on stubborn. He cared deeply for his crew and his ship, to the point where there were multiple disagreements between him and Wyrmbane when it came to the islands expeditions and Fairwind's tolerance level of the risk they posed to his ship and crew.
"And my crew?"
And for all those arguments with Wyrmbane, this is where it got him.
"We haven't found any yet."
Fairwind turned his head away from Shaw, his eyes squeezed shut.
Shaw focused on cutting the rope, not knowing what to say. He wasn't good at the comfort thing. It took a full thirty seconds of sawing at the rope until it gave, and Fairwind pulled himself away from the grab rail. Shaw looked to Fairwind, seeing the pained, mournful expression across his face. A captain with no ship and no crew, once again. He lost everything, once again.
There was a million things Shaw wanted to say to Fairwind.
He settled on, "are you able to swim with your wound?"
Fairwind nodded.
"Let's get out of here, then."