Tanaris Dash
(Chapter 1.1)
Written by Tyrman
(Previous Chapter)
Responding as quickly as they could, the gnomes of G4 mobilized and set out to Silithus to help Researcher Tammy Tinkspinner. With his connections with Omega Squad, a global Gnomish group with specialized skills, Tyrman was able to fly the team to a salt flat strip near the neutral city of Gadgetzan. Onlookers watched but kept their distance as the cargo aircraft was unloaded along with ground transportation to best cross the hot dry desert. The researcher warned that flying past this point would be dangerous and her warning was taken seriously. Yet earlier that day, Crimson Fastblast offered to ship most of the equipment himself! Tyr worried the flight would be impossible but the greaser was more than willing to put his skills to the test.
Tyrman setup a meet with an Un’Goro Crater guide. While he hasn’t known them for long, he knew they would get them through the jungle safely and to their destination; Silithus.
The sands shift softly as the winds caress the dunes of Tanaris. The blistering hot sun basks everything. The gathered gnomes could already feel the sweat tricking down their brow. Kascryn Copperhollow nods with approval at all the preparation with an added sigh of contentment. It was no secret the agent was an expert in such climates and being a local was happy to be home. A quiet and reserved mechagnome toddled between the supplies to join Kascryn’s side. Nelmarai, a monk of renown skill within the ranks of Gnomeregan Forever. Tyr wonders how the heat and sand will affect her.
Suddenly a commotion comes from within the walls of Gadgetzan followed by shouting from the bruisers clambering together. Chasing the last party member of the caravan, Fitzban nearly barrels into the others before the city guards give up the chase and return. The mage’s chaotic arrival caught everyone by surprise!
Tyrman stood near a custom chopper holding a crate, with belts of ammunition spilling from it, packed for a road trip along with the sidecar equipped with a detachable mini gun.
“Thanks for coming out! Who’s up for a little drive, eh?”
Tyr pats the sidecar offering if anyone wished to be in the gunner seat. However, each gnome came prepared and brought their own mode of transportation. As they begin their journey across the sands, Tyrman and the others would see far less wildlife than there should be, even at this hour when the sun is at its apex. Fitzban is quiet, seemingly listening to the wind or something else that isn’t there. He mentioned before of mages monitoring the Caverns saying the disappearance of beasts within the desert was growing.
Kascryn would notice something sticking out of the sands and would veer away from the traveling gnomes. Kas’s hyena he rode on, Hackle, pawed at the sand before he dismounted and kept a safe distance as he gingerly approached whatever alerted the beast.
“There is something rusted in the sand!”, he calls over his shoulder. “I’m no engineer but I can remove it but I have no idea what it is”
From the sands he would draw a dagger of intricate design, although it is very old and crusted by time and grit. Fitzban warned someone could be missing it. As Kascryn inspected the dagger the group was interrupted by shouting goblins.
“GET A GRIP! No one cares on HOW or WHY, only HOW MUCH GOLD IT WILL MAKE!”
When the group of gnomes approach the goblins, they scatter to cover up their findings. They are met by a curious trio of goblins. A female immediately storms her way to the front and stares down the gnomes with a menacing glare.
“Yeah? Whadduya want?! This is our site! Take your irradiated shortstacks outta here! Or I’ll tell the boys to send ya packing!”
The two ‘boys’ behind her couldn’t be anymore different from each other. To her right stood a fully armored and imposing goblin. The silent dark green skinned man was nearly a head taller than the others and held an intimidating spiked morning star. To her left, a smaller more academic goblin with thinning hair and a large, crooked nose held something over his shoulder and was doing his best to keep it hidden. His bright violet eyes watch the gnomes with curiosity and extreme caution.
After brief introductions, the group airs on the side of caution and informs the goblins they’re not here for their gold or findings and only wish to know what has been happening in the desert and if they saw anything strange.
“Hi. I’m Tazi and I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was sent to this hellscape to do a job and than go home.”
The bruiser of the goblins eases and the more scholarly dressed of the three retreats to cover what he was coveting under a tarp. Tazi and the gnomes exchange in conversation regarding why they were out in the middle of the desert and caution about its dark history. Many relics buried in the sands herald the coming of the end of days, much like a stone tablet Tazi revealed. Troll in origin, she claims, the ancient worn characters chiselled onto the sandstone tell of the coming apocalypse. Kas would look over the procured slab but despite all the familiarity he has with artifacts of Tanaris and its history, he could not decipher a word of the troll language. All he could make out was a circular icon. Even Fitzban would use his arcane abilities to attempt to discern were it came from and its intentions but could not.
Leaving the archaeologist site, the gnomes continued their journey to meet with the Un’Goro Crater guide. A constant buzzing could be heard over the next dune, it was unnerving and only grew louder. While the native animal inhabitants were nowhere to be found, other lifeforms were thriving. The Noxious Lair southwest of Tanaris was crawling with Silithid workers and drones. A large one with a bulbous head, lumbers in the center of the hive. It was unclear what the hive was up to but could explain the lack of wildlife in the area. The hive was unaware of the gnome’s arrival and seemed lethargic in their movements.
Each gnome would slow their approach and unanimously decided to sneak around the writhing nest rather than provoke it. All seemed to go well when one of the workers spotted them and shrieked a high pitch chittering shrill! The hive seems slow to respond but more and more silithid spill out from their underground tunnels.
“Ah, shit… Stealth is for ninnies anyway!” Tyr shouts as he fires up his chopper.
“Speak for yourself!” Kascryn defends.
The chittering becomes even louder and deafening as the large headed bug hissed and pound the ground before charging toward the gnome’s position. As it drew closer, a wall of silithid soldiers, drones, and workers hungerly trailed behind. To make things worse, the bike Tyrman rode began to stall! Not leaving a gnome behind, Kascryn nervously remains behind and watches with growing angst as the swarm drew ever closer. Fitzban blinks before the skittering masses and casts a frost nova to buy them time. Ripping the mounted gun from the sidecar, Tyrman leaves the beloved vehicle behind.
Kascryn runs at a blinding pace, sprinting quickly. He desperately fishing around his packs and starts producing vial after vial after vial of crippling poison and ties them together on a loose bola. He then leaps wildly into the air and let’s loose the package in a backward toss with an audible grunt. It hits the ground in front of the swarm and sprays the bugs, further slowing their movements.
After landing roughly and rolls to his feet and keeps running. Chuckling nervously, “I think that worked!”
The wave behind the frozen and poisoned clamber over them, not caring if they crush or otherwise maim their own so long as they reach their prey. The larger of them stampede through. Fitzban would hastily cast an arcane orb over his shoulder and a mass polymorph. Tyrman would swear incoherently in dwarvish as he loads the mini-gun while running. Glancing at the others making sure they’re keeping up and the swarm is kept at bay. Gritting is teeth, he turns heel to face the marauding hoard. The brawler holds up the mini-gun and blasts full auto, ripping through the new line of bugs.
“Keep going! Think we’re getting close!” Tyrman shouts. Just remembering their whole purpose for being out in this Cog forsaken desert.
The swarm is further slowed as more are either ripped apart by a hail of iron rain or turned into various animals. This would further cause the swarm to turn on their own as they devoured the polymorphed silithid.
Amid the chaos, Kascryn would tumble down the hill where they stood their ground! Thinking quickly, the archmagi and the warrior leap to the rogue’s aid. Fitz opened a portal to have a very confused and angered murloc stumble out of the vortex to distract the swarm. It would charge headlong into the mass of scything talons and gnashing jaws.
Arrows THUD-THUD-THUD into the carapaces of the chasing silithid soldiers! “HURRY!” calls out a voice before more arrows find their mark against the massing buzzing horde. The larger silithid lets out a shrill as they close in. But the arrows seem to be holding them at bay!
The gnome’s savior would be a grey vulperan. She wore simple and light leather garb perfect for the desert with a distinctive black eye patch over her right eye.
“Here! Rub this on you! Yeah, yeah! Quick!” She tosses each a small squishy oozing sack that reeks. “It will keep the bugs away, yeah! Come on we gotta go, I don’t bite.” The swarm seems to back off and is uninterested in the group after they had rubbed themselves with the strange substance later to be revealed to be a silithid pheromone gland.
They follow the vulperan back to her camp nestled within the protective cacti. The site is small and simple but welcoming. Waving down the gnomes, the vulperan calls them over to her single campfire. It was clear she had been here for some time and even setup a roost for her animal companion. A large vulture sat like a sentinel, barely moving as its beady eyes watched each gnome come closer. Her tent of animal skins and fur seemed comfortable and if looked close enough, you would notice a flute and a tambourine along with gourds filled with who knows what.
Tyrman was more than relieved to have found their guide for the next leg of their journey. He gave the woman a smile and a nod of thanks before taking a rest within the camp. Kascryn eyes the vulperan before introducing himself, “Well, thanks for the assist….uhh…..hi. You’re a Fox Lady. With an eye-patch!”
“Hi, yes my name is Niya and I am a fox lady.” She laughed, “Please come and make yourself comfortable. You are safe here.”