Tauren Tale, Chapter 2
#2 of Tauren Tale
"What's he saying?" Jorga whispered.
"Something about me being big, I think." Sanja cleared her throat and tried to remember the polite greetings that Elizabeth had taught her. "Is it a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. My name is Sanja of the clan Lion Paw. My brother is this, Jorga."
Sanja reached out her hand and the man visibly flinched. After a moment of hesitation, he reached his tiny hand to her primary finger and made an effort to shake it. He smiled wide and greeted the two in most cheery fashion that she had ever heard.
"I am so pleased to make your acquaintance, young Tauren. I'm relieved to find that my rescuers are children!" he intoned without pausing or fumbling for words. "You have traveled over harshest land and through the darkest night. I owe you everything, despite how your allegiances brings fright. I am Kazbo Fizzgimbels, ace mechengineer. Brotherhood of Sprockets, and tweaker of gear. Transcriber of the arcane symbols and cataloger of relics..."
The introduction rambled on - the lines rhyming like a poem - but Jorga looked to his sister for explanation. "I can't understand his words," he whispered from the side of his mouth. "Do you think he's struck his head?"
"I think he said his name was 'Kazbo'," she whispered back. "He speaks the language that Elizabeth used, before she became Thurg's slave."
"You can understand it?"
"Some of it," she admitted, "but I don't have any idea what some of his words mean."
"It will be sunrise soon," she explained slowly in Common. She offered him a drink from a water skin that was almost as large as the man himself. "Then we can lead you back to my village. I doubt they can help fix your flying thing, but you can eat and rest there. They can guide your walk home."
Even in the torchlight, Kazbo seemed to turn a little pale.
Because of their alliances, the Gnomes and Tauren were enemies. But before the war, they had no prior grievances with one another. The Tauren tribes lived simply, with almost no technology. The Gnomes used technology in everything they did. Both races had magic, but the Tauren's was nature-based and the Gnomes used only arcane spells.
Had it not been for the world-wide struggle, it seemed unlikely that the Gnomes and Tauren would ever cross paths. The Tauren had been content to roam the prairie with the seasons, and the Gnomes researched the arcane obsessively from within their mountain fortresses.
As it was, it was hardly surprising that neither of the children had heard of the Gnomes before, much less seen one.
"Walk...?" he gasped. "But Kazbo's dirigible has merely been scratched. The stiches are torn; gears bent; and the lanyards unattached. I could fix it complete in an hour or less. With the right tools, Kazbo could even compress..." His words drifted off and he pulled on his beard, lost in thought.
"Perhaps the concept is flawed, yes, that's what I think. Why should it float in the air, like a cork in the sink? My craft needs a tether, and to grab clouds with a hook! Never have I seen such a design; not in scrolls or a book." His eyes lit up with inspiration. "Brachiation of the heavens, like an atmospheric chimpanzee! No other craft will rival its efficiency."
Sanja and Jorga shared a wordless look but the Gnome showed no sign of stopping. "Largely unchanged of course, but the engine requires modifications; ratcheting gears, modulators, and a samoplange to reduce vibrations. Kazbo will need the use of your forge and to borrow some tools; ore or ingots, bronze framework, and a few lesser jewels."
This made as much sense to Sanja as anything else the little man had said.
"Well..." Sanja stammered, "I'd like to help, but I don't think I'm strong enough to carry your craft down the mountain. I suppose you could ask some of the grown-ups back at the village. A couple of them could pick it up easily enough..."
Kazbo had not heard her words. He was looking around as if he had misplaced his knife. "Now that rogue, Theodore; I wonder which way did he go," he interrupted. "If Kazbo is to deliver him, we'll need to leave this plateau."
"You had a passenger?" Sanja took the torch back from Jorga. "We best split up and search for him. He could be in trouble."
The Gnome made a gesture towards the sputtering torch and spoke a short arcane spell, "Fluorescents, incandescents, banish the night. Flames of pure azure, I command you, ignite!" The yellow flame flickered out and after a moment, a steady and brilliant, blue flame replaced it.
"Wow!" the Tauren boy gasped. "That was amazing! Do some more!"
Kazbo didn't need Sanja to translate the child's Taurahe. The excitement of witnessing arcane magic was all over his face.
The Gnome's eyes gleamed with delight. "Resplendent, refulgent, make property exchanges;" he said, "enlighten and brighten, illuminate phalanges!"
Jorga stared with wide eyes as one by one, the very tips of the Gnome's fingers began to glow. They grew brighter and brighter until beams of light shone from each fingertip. Kazbo grinned and wiggled his fingers in front of the boy so that little spots of light played across his face.
Jorga clapped his hands and cheered. The tiny man smiled with satisfaction.
From his expression, Sanja suspected that Kazbo's magic was seldom appreciated as much as it was by the boy.
The older girl nodded, "Okay, everyone be careful. No one is allowed to fall off the cliff and get themselves killed."
Jorga sighed, disappointed that the magic show was at an end.
"Theodore!" Sanja called, "Hello? Are you out there?"
"Theodore!" the boys called too.
Sanja walked slowly and kept her eyes to the ground, looking for signs of blood. The sky lightened a bit, but dawn was still at least an hour away.
Gigantic scraps of cloth draped across the rocky ground. Walking over them made Sanja nervous. She worried that they could hide a hole or loose rocks underneath. She moved slowly, and with determined care. She hoped that both of the boys were doing the same.
Sanja was compelled to stop and run her fingers over the cloth. She had seen cloth before - Elizabeth had dressed in it - but this was so different still. Where Elizabeth's clothes were drab and coarsely woven, this material was brilliant and fine. It was as strong as light leather, but as weightless as a spider's web. Sanja wished she knew where such things came from. She had never imagined anything like it in her life.
"Theodore!" she shouted for the hundredth time. She heard the call echoed by her brother and the squeaky little man in the distance... and then something else... "Hello?" she called in Common. She perked her ears and held the torch behind her so that the quietly flickering flame would not cover any distant cries for help.
The moments stretched and stretched. She heard nothing more than the breeze. But then... in the distance... there was the noise once more. This time she was sure of it!
"This way! Come quick!" she yelled in Common and then again in Taurahe.
"Where are you?" Sanja called, walking towards where she had heard the sound. "Are you injured?"
Scraps of balloon covered all of the ground. Sanja worried that the poor man might be trapped underneath. She stepped carefully so as not to accidentally crush another tiny person underhoof.
Jorga ran up behind her. "Did you find something?"
Kazbo was not too far behind the boy, but he was struggling to catch his breath.
"Be careful," Sanja said with a gesture, "the cliff edge is right there."
The boys nodded. The Gnome rested his palms on his knees, and his glowing fingertips lit up his pointed shoes.
"I heard someone's voice nearby. I think he might be trapped underneath the fabric."
The boy listened with up-stretched ears for a moment. "Hello? Can you hear me?"
This time there was a distinct call for help. The trio, in unison, turned their heads to the cliff's edge.
"Stay here," she ordered the other two, but her eyes were focused on Jorga. He frowned and crushed his fists into his hips, but walked no further.
Sanja got down on her belly and crept forward as far as she dared. "Hello?" she called over the cliff's side.
After what seemed like an eternity, the girl backed up and returned to the others. "He's caught in the cloth... just over the edge of the cliff."
Jorga whistled low and grimaced.
Sanja ground her teeth a bit. The whistling wouldn't be so annoying, but ever since he learned how to do it, Jorga looked for any excuse.
"How strong is this cloth?" she asked the Gnome.
"Gnomish silk is superb. You'll find no equal in cloth," he squeaked. "If you would keep it from tearing, it could suspend Azeroth!"
Sanja was unimpressed with the tiny man's ramblings, but she had no better plan. She positioned herself and directed the boys to her sides. "Unless someone has a better idea," she said, "I think we should try to haul him up."
No one else volunteered a better plan.
The three grabbed fistfuls of cloth and prepared themselves for the task ahead.
"No... owa... halii!" They pulled as one, with all their might.
Without a doubt, this load was heavy; it was the heaviest burden that Sanja had ever tried to manage. But there was also no doubt that it was also moving.
Ever so slowly, the trio backed up, pulling the trapped passenger back up... back towards the world of the living.
"We're doing it!" Jorga cheered. Sanja shared his joy, but wished the other two were stronger than they were.
The sky continued to brighten and a large lump in the cloth appeared at the very edge of the cliff.
"No... owa... halii!" Jorga called and they all pulled in unison.
"No... owa... halii!" Sanja cried.
Even the Gnome joined in the count, despite not knowing the language.
Then, when it looked like the lump would finally clear the edge, they stopped making progress at all.
"It must be caught!" Sanja yelled as her muscles began to burn.
"You're going to rip it!" Jorga screamed. "Lower him back down, slowly!"
"We can't stop," the girl said. "We'll never get another chance. And the cloth will only be weaker the next time. We have to keep trying and just... hope..."
"Pull!" they yelled over the sound of ripping cloth. "Pull!"
Sanja looked over at the tiny man with the pink beard. His eyes were wild. He had let go of the cloth. "Please don't give up," she begged him in Common. She knew that if Theodore fell over the cliff now, it would be all her fault.
Kazbo put his tiny hands to her forearm. "Take of my spirit, make Goliath form efficacious," he whispered. "Strength of muscle and will, blood, and bile vivacious." The tips of his fingers glowed faintly red.
Sanja's panic was overwhelming. "Please help!" she pleaded with the Gnome.
Her heart was pounding in her chest. Faster, and faster, and faster still. Blood was pounding in her ears. She was clenching her teeth so tightly that she feared they would turn to powder. Jorga was screaming, but she could no longer make out the words over the thumping of her own heart.
Sanja's clothes felt tight and cold sweat dampened every inch of fur on her body. She felt anger, and hatred, and other exciting emotions that were even stranger still. Blood poured from her nostrils and a burning sensation filled her throat. It felt as if the blue torch flame had been lit in her belly.
Sanja's eyes burned with blood and it ran down her face in twin streams. She screamed in agony and rage as unworldly power coursed through her. The sound from her muzzle was so horrifying that Jorga dropped the cloth and backed away in terror.
But the girl didn't let go. Her muscles knotted and strained. Her thick nails dug deeply into her palms through the sheer cloth. She felt as if she could pluck an oak tree from the ground and carry it on her back.
With one slow, never-ending rip, Sanja continued her voyage backward. She pulled the material as effortlessly as if it were just her sleeping mat laying on the grass.
Jorga and Kazbo were swept from their feet by the tide of cloth, and dragged along for the ride.
The ripped cloth went slack, and Sanja collapsed in a heap.
The boy was frozen in his place, but the gnome ran to the girl's side.
"My apologies are the stars in the heavens; and I can never atone," he babbled. "In my hysteria, I've taken terrible risk, for which you cannot condone." He buried his tears in the girl's soft vest, and gripped her the best he could with his tiny arms.
Ever so slowly, Sanja climbed to her hands and knees, took a deep breath, and then threw up.
"Are... are you okay, sis?" Jorga's trembling fingers reached out to touch his sister's furry arm, but stopped just short.
She nodded but said nothing. The burning in her throat was pure agony. The flames were subsiding, but it felt as if she had been eating hot coals from the fire.
"I can't express my relief and the terrible thrill," Kazbo whispered, "to see that you move, and know you breathe still."
She put a primary finger on the tiny man's shoulder. "You did good," she coughed, "but please... don't ever do that again."
The Gnome beamed with pride. He tugged Sanja's water skin from her pack and dragged it to her side.
They gave her a moment to regain her composure and then Jorga took a step toward the edge of the cliff.
"No, don't!" Sanja barked. "I'll go. You two stay back. If he slips back over the edge, then his weight could pull the cloth and you over with him."
The Tauren girl took out her knife and began to slice a path through the thin material. It was strange, strange stuff, this cloth. Fortunately for her, it seemed to cut easily enough once she got her knife going through it.
She finally reached the trapped man and knelt down beside him. "Be careful," she whispered in Common, "you're still on the edge. Don't struggle."
Sanja slowly cut away the cloth to find a mass of black, leather armor and shiny metal studs. The cloth was snagged in layer after layer around the silver buckles that fastened the man's leather boots. The steel points on his shoulders, knees, and elbows also gripped the cloth tightly.
The man was larger than Elizabeth, and must have towered over the Gnome. He was only a little shorter than Sanja, and even more wiry.
As more and more of the cloth was cut away, she found herself fascinated by his armor. It was well-worn, so he must have seen many battles, but it was only a fraction of the thickness of an average Tauren chest plate. Sanja figured that he must have fought in a very alien style. How else could he have survived with so little protection?
"Thank goodness you found me," the man said in Common as she finished freeing his legs, "I was afraid I'd hang there for the rest of my days."
"You're safe now," she assured him. She cut one of his arms free and rolled him onto his back, away from the cliff.
"Or worse," he sighed, "that I'd be found by a damned Horde..."
Sanja tore the cloth from the man's face and his steel-grey eyes went wide. The words caught in his throat.
"Horde!" he screamed.
Sanja was so shocked that she fell backwards, onto her butt, in a scramble to get away from the shrieking human.
The man was flailing now, trying to rip away the cloth that held him. His eyes met Kazbo's. "Stop her!" he yelled at the Gnome. "Use your magic before she calls the rest of them to us! Kill her!"
Sanja scrambled away from the man. She didn't try to explain. She just turned around and got to her feet. "Run!" she yelled at Jorga.
The boy took off like a jackrabbit and she was hot on his heels.
Tauren are known for their endurance, and not for their speed. Sanja glanced over her shoulder and was horrified to see that the man must have freed himself. He was sprinting towards her faster than she thought that anyone could possibly run.
Kazbo raced behind him. "She means us no harm!" he shouted.
"Hurry!" Sanja shrieked at her brother.
The Taurens were so focused on the danger behind them that they didn't even notice the danger that was directly in front of them. With a deep sploosh! her brother disappeared from sight.
"Jorga!" she screamed, diving in after him.
The water was shallow, but the two of them were frightfully close to the edge. Sanja grabbed her brother with both hands and hesitated. Did she try to pull him back to the near shore - the shore closest to the homicidal human - or did she risk going over the falls by trying to drag the boy to the far side?
A moment later and the question was moot. They were flying end over end down the side of the cliff.