âMaster, are you sure about this?â âNo.â Budus watched as waves crashed against the beach in Stormsong Valley. It had been several days since Fallen Leaf continued their journey to Zandalar. No one had noticed that Budus stayed behind in Kul Tiras. Or perhaps they did. No one could ever tell what the reason was for actions Budus took. This time was no different. Gnome continued staring towards the sea. Sound of the sea and nearby warhorns echoing through the wind. He was not alone, though. Young black-haired human woman kept sitting next to him, watching as the man she was supposed to protect kept wasting his time on a shore. Near war zone.
âOrder has moved to Voldun. We should-â
âNoâ Budus said towards the woman. Gnome sighed and continued watching over the sea. âIt has been several months since Argus. I havenât been able to help the order at all during this time. Not a single time. I couldnât save Rifael. I couldnât help Sindaru when she was captured. I canât even face Shuang now.â
Woman kept staring at Budus for moment, before she replied. âIf you wanted to have a counsel you could have asked her to stay here instead. You know i hate wasting time for nothing.â
Budus smiled. âEh. You would rather go join the war? I thought demons were smarter than to join war we mortals started.â Woman shrugged. âBetter than staring at sea and hoping Horde will kill you. Not that it would be my problem.â
Most of the Leaf already knew who the woman next to Budus really was. Some called her his weapon. Some a monster. And some, a friend. She and her sister had âworkedâ for the Leaf as long as Budus had. It was a mystery why they did. Gnome had used them a lot in the past. Whether it be fight, assassination or intel gathering. Budus would send them. But shortly after Budus returned from Argus, no one had seen these two for a while.
âWill you return to them someday. To your order?â Syrah looked at Budus with passive glance. Clearly not caring much for an answer,but being curious about it non the less.
âI donât know. I guess it will all come down to her decision.â Budus said.
Syrah smirked. âA mighty warlock. Fallen in love with another warlock. Who left you to rot in the order while she went to scour seas and lands for artifacts. And now you ask for -her- permission. Cute.â
Budus turned his head slowly towards Syrah, staring straight at her eyes. She knew Budus could easily put her away at any moment, but she didnât care. She knew she was right.
âFor someone who is about to have very long holiday you sure are making an effort to ruin it. Did i not promise you two would be free to go?â Budus spoke without a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
âJust admit that you want to spend the rest of your life with her. Hiding that from your order and your leader is stupid. Shuang probably knew from the start you would eventually go to Nanitiyaâs side. We are speaking of a pandaren you have served for over three years now.â
âEh. So you are saying i should just leave the order?â Expression on Budus face grew soft as he looked at the woman.
âI am saying you should find your partner and think things through. Order will wait. Or fall. Not that it matters to me. You can go back once you regain your spirit. Or if you get ditched. Again.â
Budus lied on his back. Staring at the sky and moving clouds instead of the sea. âAnd you said you hate giving an advice.â Syrah shrugged âIf it means we can stay in the Nether for longer, no.â
Budus frowned as he heard something. Footsteps. Closing in. From behind.
He stood up and glanced behind him. Syrah turned around aswell and faced at the direction of the sound. Did the Horde find out they were nearby?
Young woman appeared out of the horizon, walking towards the pair with bright smile on her face. If someone would have been near their location. They wouldnât have believed their eyes. Woman was near identical to Syrah who stood next to Budus. Their clothes may have been different,but their faces, their bodies and their eyes were identical. Other feature making them apart was the longer hair that this woman had. Syrah had shorter hair. This woman had long black hair.
Woman finally reached Budus and Syrah. She exchanged glances with Syrah and looked down on Budus.
âI couldnât find her.â Syrida said towards Budus, still smiling warmly at the gnome.
Budus looked down. How could he have failed. He had hired worgen to find her. He had asked people from his order to help him. He had even sent two of his demons to track down this gnome while he was busy helping the Leaf. And none of it worked.
Budus felt something sharp hitting his forehead before he fell down on the ground. Gnome groaned in pain as he started looking at what had happened. Right next to him was small rock with blue swirling image carved deep into the stone. Budus recognized this symbol from very familiar game, but that was irrelevant. He knew what this item was.
âShe found me.â Syrida spoke at Budus who was still lying on the ground. âAnd she agreed.â
Budus stood up again and grabbed the stone. He looked at the twins who now stood side by side. He felt his heart ache. These two were the demons he had saved long ago. Demons that he had trained since the fall of Black Temple. Demons that tried to kill him once or twice. And now, he was about to let them roam free in the Twisting Nether.
âIt has been a long journey but eh. Stay safe and all that.â Budus nodded.
âThis is simply a time for rest. Our war is still ahead, and we need your help on it. We will keep eye on the order while you are away. As part of our agreement.â It always amazed Budus how twins could speak the same words in same time. It even felt scary at times.
After saying this, the women turned around. Free to do as they want. To return back to Twisting Nether and ignore this planet they disliked the most.
âThey sure grow fast.â Budus said as he watched the two go. His eyes focused now on the stone, and the rune in the stone. His decision was made. It was time to let go.
âEh. I will be back.â He said and smiled. Rune flared into life. Blue bright colour surrounded the gnome and flashed.
Budus was gone.
"Small" story about what happened to Budus after Leaf landed to Kul Tiras. Since my courses for future uni studies have started and possible player place in esports team i will take time off from RP. I will come to RP once i find time for it, but it won't be on Budus. He will be back. Someday.
The Leaf has returned to Pandaria after their rough trip to both Kul Tiras and Zandalar, and will be initially using their time there to rest. They are not allowed a complete peace of mind, though, as concerning reports of mantid gathering azerite have been delivered to the order. This along with whatever other work the Leaf comes across in the near future will be next on their agenda.
We have also prettied up (and updated) our Argent Archives page: http://www.argentarchives.org/node/139010?
In the absence of anything interesting to say, I suppose a quick breakdown of what's happened lately is necessary!
...We've been fighting some cultist mumbo-jumbo, related to some funky memory magic that is required to break several magical seals around Pandaria. We're making good progress so far.
I wouldn't know anything about this myself. :eyes:
We've been fighting some cultist mumbo-jumbo, related to some funky memory magic that is required to break several magical seals around Pandaria. We're making good progress so far.
You aren't secretly trying to get the mists back, are you? *narrows eyes*
Almost a month since last update, hoo boy! Fret not, the Leaf has been actively pursuing work, even if not so much on the forums. The group took part in a joint operation (with <the Wun Dynasty> and <Ronin>) to venture into the mantid lands to find out what they were up to with the azerite they have been gathering lately.
The trip was a success with varying levels of competence each day, but with the work done, the Leaf headed to Townlong. There they saved a yaungol kid from a certain death, and after looking around for the missing parents, decided they should find him a safe place to stay, and since none of the local tribes were willing to take him either, the Leaf journeyed to Kun-Lai.
There was a moment of respite, before an angry yaungol father entered the picture, and the group was faced with a difficult decision that may have resulted in more problems later down the line.
Now, the group is on the search for a nefarious fel user in Kun-Lai, racing to find them before more sacrifices are made!
...I'll just say we've been here and there in Pandaria - much like the post above me says. We've thwarted the nefarious plans of the warlock in Kun-Lai and now we're enjoying some peace and quiet in Binan.
The Leafâs quiet time was interrupted by an urgent request for the group to head to One Keg. There, they were informed by a gravely injured Wu Kao scout of a group of zandalari (once again) attacking Zouchin.
As requested by the scout, the Leaf headed there, through the mountains and zandalari ambushes using a hidden passage. After a few days of battling now suspected pirates, the Leaf managed to damage their ship and reduce their numbers enough for them to reconsider their priorities, and so they left the village alone.
On their way back to Binan from Zouchin, the group ran into a familiar person from Adrianâs past, and the next day everything went wrong: Adrian abducted forcefully through a portal, and the group left with only days to find and attempt a rescueâŚ
Iâll be updating the thread more frequently now to ensure it doesnât end up locked through inactivity!
It was NOT nefarious, it was consensual and you didnât thwart my plans, you wandblocked me. You know how long it took me to get her to agree to the chains? You Pandaren are the worst!
Small posters have been nailed onto noticeboards in various villages and towns around Azeroth:
Is your life dull and mundane?
Does your heart yearn for the kind of adventures bards sing of in your local tavern?
Look no further because The Fallen Leaf can offer just that.
The Fallen Leaf is seeking the following:
Defense magic specialists
Engineers and mechanics
Archers and riflemen
Physicians
Those that fill one or more of the aforementioned fields will receive triple pay for the first six months of service. All applicants are expected to be able to cooperate with racially diverse groups.
Our work is centered around protecting and pushing forward the development of Pandaria, along with taking on various work all around Azeroth to fund our operations.
For any inquiries, seek out a group or a member of the Fallen Leaf, or send a letter to Jiaying Zhou in Ironforge.
OOC: Simply send a letter or a whisper to Shuang, or just seek us out wherever we are at the time.
After facing off against Pandaren and Orc extremists, who had aligned themselves with the ideals of Garrosh Hellscream at the temple near PawâDon, the Leaf has been recuperating. They had also awaited news regarding a certain ship manned by undead pirates, but said ship has remained idle at sea. With the ship not having done anything, the Leaf then decided to help out an employer who wants his brother tracked down.
He had been last sighted in the Eastern Kingdoms, and with that information in mind, the Leaf set off towards its shores.
With the brother found and returned to Pandaria, the Leaf has been focusing on Winter Veil and the changing of the year. Many presents have been exchanged, and good food has been had.
About a week from now, the group will resume normal routine again and find themselves a new job to tackle, but not before introducing the group to the orderâs most recent safe house, which has been under work for a few years by now!
The Leaf held a few internal contests, with Adrian crowned the skillful winner of the unarmed spar, and John made king of the javelin throw!
Soon the group will depart the safe house for their next job in Ashenvale. With tensions from the last year still sky-high, what will the Leaf encounter on their journey?
This is a good time to meet the Leaf IC! Reach out to me or Shuang if youâre interested joining us for our next adventure.
The group has been hired to escort a civilian from the forest of Ashenvale, all the way down to Feralas, but of course things arenât as simple as that when it comes to the Fallen Leaf. Over their slow journey, they have been thrown together into dreams taking place in the pasts of the groupâs members, visiting key moments that changed them - for the better or worse.
Now, having reached their destination in Feralas, they have been met with another issue: their employer is nowhere to be found!
Now that the civilian mentioned in the above post has been delivered into the undoubtedly safe hands of the Cenarion Circle, the Leaf has settled in Moonglade to enjoy the coming Lunar Festival.
âThe Fallen Leaf has granted me an environment to call home once more, yet it is not without itâs negatives. Who I am and what I represent are my primary follies which either feed the distrust or curiosity of my fellow comrades. I do admit to be particularly at fault for fueling the flames of discord regarding myself, but I have also made it abundantly clear that my circumstances have been - and still are to a degree - much more different compared to the rest of my despicable kin.â
âTo work to ensure the safety of Pandaria and the common folk is a goal I have grown fond of. From this perspective the squabble between the two factions seems irrelevant and pointless to even observe as an outsider - yet I have been loyal to the both of them. I know what itâs like; it is tempting to succumb to old hatreds, the pointless and the needless.â
