Boralus was a loud city full of soldiers, trades folk, sales booths, shops, a bank, a harbor, and one lone creepy scrapper. Nearby was Proudmoore Keep and the barracks. Boralus was a fairly large city and a major hub in Stormsong Valley. As Fuzzy came through the portal, he stepped onto the dark floor of the Boralus portal room. There were portals to Stormwind, Ironforge, Silithus, and Nazjatar. The other visitors to the city were busy with their own tasks to prepare for the upcoming onslaught against Sylvanas. One by one the rest of Fuzzy\u2019s party came through the portal. The mage was the last to come through. Just before the portal disappeared, Fuzzy looked back and saw his family waving goodbye from the other side. His heart was heavy to see their faces fade away as the portal closed but he knew he had to press on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s head up to the Inn and ask around about our new outfit. I\u2019m sure someone up there knows how to find them in this place.\u201d Fuzzy motioned for everyone to follow him to the Inn. They made their way out of the Sanctum of the Sages and up the stairs. They arrived at the Inn and asked the Innkeeper about the platoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou probably want to talk to the green ass over there\u201d, the Innkeeper pointed to a very large dinosaur tail sticking out from the wall. \u201cI think the rest of it is on the other side. Guy goes by the name of Trelander, I think he hangs out with those miscreants.\u201d The Innkeeper seemed less than amused at the sight of a giant green tail, but Fuzzy found it a little funny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlright, thanks. We\u2019ll check it out\u201d, Fuzzy said as he walked outside and looked up at the front side of this massive animal. He had seen large beasts before, but this was something else entirely. There was a vendor positioned in a sort of saddle on either side of the gargantuan Brutosaur. In the middle was a Dark Iron Dwarf, adorned in very shiny, and very razor sharp, plate armor. Fuzzy called up to the Fury Warrior, \u201cHey, are you Trelander?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYea, what can I do ya for?\u201d, Trelander quipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was told you could help us find the Humpday Heroes\u201d, Fuzzy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trelander grinned and slid down the Brutosaurs neck as if he were surfing on a wave, landing perfectly on the stone platform below. \u201cYea, I think I can help you with that. One level down, over by the bank, there\u2019s a group of folks that look like they\u2019ve seen a few things. It\u2019s ok, they are nicer than they look. That\u2019s the Humpday crew. You\u2019ll want to speak to Aldineri, he\u2019s the leader.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThanks. Nice dinosaur you have here. Say, does it lay eggs? How big are they?\u201d, Fuzzy asked as his stomach grumbled almost on queue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYea that\u2019s just a myth. You don\u2019t see eggs that big anymore\u2026\u201d Trelander was very quick to respond, almost as if he were trying to hide something. Maybe he wanted to keep the eggs to himself. No matter, there would be other food to fill their bellies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fuzzy and his party made their way down the steps on the other side of the Inn. Just as Trelander said, there was a group of soldiers just past the bank. The group was fairly sized, roughly 20 or so sitting around chatting. You could hear a few discussions on strategies, recipes, and even one conversation about a strange world called \u201cBrit\u2019ain\u201d. There was a pretty good make up in the group: A couple warriors, druids, priests, fellow hunters, and a few others. As Fuzzy got closer, he could see his old pal Anth in the middle of the group. Anth turned and saw Fuzzy out of the corner of his eye and walked to meet his friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m so glad you made it! There\u2019s a few folks here you might remember from our good old days, but let\u2019s get you introduced to Aldineri\u201d, Anth said as he led Fuzzy over to an empty bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no one here. I thought we were supposed to meet\u2026.\u201d Fuzzy stopped, he could smell a stranger behind him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou were supposed to meet someone?\u201d said a shadowy Pandaren rogue. \u201cHello, I\u2019m Aldineri.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fuzzy, with a look of amazement flooding his face, said \u201cWell you move pretty quiet for such a big guy. No offense, I just didn\u2019t expect Pandarens to be so…stealthy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI get that a lot. Never underestimate the teachings of a monk. Anth here has told me all about you. He says you\u2019re looking to join our group and help us seek out the evils that are coming to this world?\u201d Aldineri was no stranger to interviewing new recruits, but you had to be careful. You didn\u2019t want to let the wrong person come into your circle of trust. But Anth vouched for these soldiers, so they must be good hearted folk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, sir. We come from Teldrassil, we escaped when Sylvanas…\u201d Fuzzy felt his voice get weak. Just trying to mention what happened brought back a rush of feelings; Sadness, fear, and anger. \u201cWhen Sylvanas set it on fire and destroyed our homes\u201d, he continued. \u201cShe must be stopped. We lend our weapons and skills to help you in this quest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aldineri grinned. \u201cWell let\u2019s get you acquainted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Aldineri introduced the newcomers to everyone, there were mumblings happening in the ranks. Not everyone thought they needed more recruits. \u201cWell I guess if you know the group tank then you can just waltz right in here\u201d, Kebechet mumbled to Nurfhurder. Keb, a beast master hunter just like Fuzzy, felt the position in the group had to be earned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEh, I don\u2019t know. Throw \u2018em to the stone golems and see if they survive being squished. If those towering boulders don\u2019t kill them then maybe they deserve a chance\u201d, Nurfhurder replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s their leader’s name? Furry? Night elves don\u2019t even have any fur. He sounds like an ass\u201d, Keb snapped. Nurfhurder snickered at the thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aldineri came around to the back of the group. \u201cThis is Kebechet, my sister. Well not a biological sister, obviously. I\u2019m Pandaren and she\u2019s Worgen but we\u2019ve known each other since we were children and fought together long enough that we may as well be family. Keb is one of our finest hunters, although she is modest about it. And this fine druid is Anda. She\u2019s one of our finest cooks, gatherers, healers, and an excellent historian! If you want the story behind something, she\u2019s the go-to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fuzzy nodded and greeted both of them. Keb squinted and stared at Fuzzy, only slightly menacingly. This group was her family and she wasn\u2019t about to just let the world walk in and sign up. Anda had seen Fuzzy in battle before, they both fought with Anth in the old wars along with Opalily (Anths wife). Although it was a long time ago but hopefully Fuzzy wouldn\u2019t disappoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlright, group. We\u2019ve got a lot of training to be done. We\u2019re due at the 7th Legion vessel Wind’s Redemption in just over a month so we don\u2019t have much time to get you all in ship-shape.\u201d Aldineri was a confident and wise leader. He was a bit reserved, but you could tell by how he treated everyone that this really was just an extension of his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHa, you said ship-shape, and we\u2019ll be getting on a ship\u201d, Anth chuckled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh my word. Seriously? Don\u2019t make me put the dunce hat on you again\u201d, Aldineri replied. Everyone giggled slightly. They had all heard Anth\u2019s comedic wit before. Ald glared at Anth with a parental look before continuing. \u201cLet\u2019s get squads assembled appropriately and start getting our act together. Caldmaster, will you do the honors?\u201d Caldmaster was Aldineri\u2019s right hand, helping lead the group and develop battle strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Caldmaster nodded. \u201cFuzzy, you\u2019re with Tess, Keb, and Nurfhurder. You\u2019ll be in good company with your fellow hunters.\u201d He assembled the rest of the team into their appropriate groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fuzzy was intimidated and excited at the same time. It had been so long since he joined anyone in battle. There was much to learn and a list of new skills that had been developed over his hiatus. But he was determined to learn and get it right. The next couple weeks were a brutal training regime, but Fuzzy was up to the task. With guidance from his new squad, he was back to his old self and in some ways better than ever. And despite the initial hesitation, Keb was coming around to having another hunter in the group. She was a good challenger and teacher, someone who would raise the bar but encourage you to meet it. Everyone in the Humpday Heroes was helpful, had a great sense of humor, and quickly became a second family to Fuzzy. They are a band of soldiers; a lovable bunch of misfits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Boralus was a loud city full of soldiers, trades folk, sales booths, shops, a bank, a harbor, and one lone creepy scrapper. Nearby was Proudmoore Keep and the barracks. Boralus was a fairly large city and a major hub in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wow-writing","wpcat-25-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fuzzydice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fuzzydice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fuzzydice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuzzydice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuzzydice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuzzydice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19642\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fuzzydice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuzzydice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuzzydice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}