The Mission..

[Lupa]

Stupid! Amateurish! Those were the words that came to Oonagi's mind as she tossed another clam into the little field kettle she used to boil things.

"You were lucky there girl." she told herself. "That mistake could have earned you a swift death." Indeed, it was only the fact that the Paladin was laughing himself silly that bought Oonagi the time she needed to toss a flash pot and hightail it out of there.

Never again would she forget to stow away that cursed mechanical squirrel when she was trying to be sneaky. Especially if it was near Alliance villages, like Southshore.

A mistake like that in Redridge would probably be fatal.

For that is where she needed to go. At least that is where her intel suggested might be a good place to start. That half-drunk troll huntress hadn't been a great help. She really didn't seem to grasp what information Oonagi needed to do her job properly. But then, the few times Oonagi had run across her in Citadel guild hall she seemed to be a little clued out.

But her money was good, and Oonagi liked money. Luckily some greased palms in the Cleft of Shadow had proven more fruitful. She was still not fully "in the know" with the Shattered Hand, but was beginning to earn enough clout with them that a few coins were able to fill in the missing tidbits she needed to start her mission.

She had the name, Celuna. A young human Paladin. Known to frequent the lands of Redridge and Westfall. Not going to be easy, Oonagi knew. She had never been to those hostile lands and her network of support would be limited at best. Nope, this would be a true test of her skills. Any mishaps like that one in Hillsbrad would not only ruin the mission, but endanger her life.

The kettle was starting to boil over. Oonagi lifted it from the fire and gingerly plucked out the steaming clams. With a little seasoning they would be a good lunch for the field.

As she worked on packing them away for travel, Oonagi began her mental inventory of the other supplies she would need.......

[Lovely]

((Hehe....<3 Lupa))

[Lupa]

Damn twigs! The underbrush in Duskwood was dry and crackling with each step Oonagi took. Not the best for someone trying deperately to avoid detection from Darkshire town miltia.

For days now she was operating deep within Alliance territories, staking out the towns and outposts for any sign of her target. Westfall had proved quiet, aside from a few adventurers who were obviously after those red bandana wearing thugs she encountered all over those south hills. One had the misfortune of stumbling on her nightime hiding place. That was one warrior who would think twice about poking around in dark cravasses again. Never know when an orc rogue is lurking..

Her first foray a few days ago into Redridge had also proven just as fruitless. The place was busy, that was for sure. But no sign of the woman Paladin Oonagi was sent to spy upon.

She was just finishing a sweep of the Darkshire perimiter and was stealthily making her way back up the road towards Redridge when the sound of approaching cavalry drove her to cover in the bushes lining the north road into Darkshire.

From her vantage, Oonagi saw a long line of Alliance mounted troops ride by in haste. All members of the Alliance races were represented, all with their distictive cavalry mounts. Luckily they seemed focussed on arriving in haste to some destination, otherwise someone in that group stood a good chance of spotting Oonagi, despite her concealment.

Oonagi waited a few minutes after they were gone south into Darkshire proper before continuing her trek north towards the Redridge border.

Not long after she was once more forced into cover my an approaching rider, this time a solitary night elf woman. She rode a large white riding cat and accompanyng her was another smaller cat, keeping pace with the larger feline. A hunter! Oonagi didn't like hunters, those stalkers of the wild. They seemed to have some very acute senses and were very hard at times to hide from. Oonagi remained perfectly still as she watched the violet haired elf woman slowly trot past. She held her breath as it appeared that the elf paused briefly on the road just below Oonagi's vantage point. Ever so slowly Oonagi tightened her grip on her weapons, ready for a swift draw. Then relaxed, as the woman continued her way south, following in the wake of the larger mounted force.

Oonagi was just about to continue once more when disaster struck. The moment she emerged from her hiding spot she skirted a large tree beside the road, only to come face to face with 2 more mounted night elves! "There are more cursed elves in these human lands than Teldrassil!" Oonagi thought in some corner of her mind, however she had little time to consider that point, as immediatley one of the elves was upon her. There were 2, a male and female. The male, who was advancing was a tall handsome elf with violet hair and beard, light purplish skin and sported the accrutements of a master rogue.

The woman, who was a bit farther behind, was a tall blue haired elf in the full battle armour and weaponry of a seasoned warrior. Her face displayed those mulberry colored tatoos some elves like to wear. Oonagi knew she was in a dire predicament and immediatley understood she needed to flee to save the mission.

Turning to run, she made a flash pot ready to cover her escape. She had underestimated the speed and abilities of the rogue however. Before she could draw the flash powder charge out and make for the hills, a sharp, biting pain in her side took the air out her lungs. It was followed by another skillful strike to her kidneys. A warm dizzy sensation was quickly creeping through her frame, Poison!

She was able to take two more steps before her legs gave out. Oonagi collapsed in a heap in the roadside ditch, all went black....

[Barke]

He had missed most the fighting. Watching out over the Redridge area he let out a sigh. Rhowen asked him to come out to help push the horde out who were causing a bit of trouble for the up and coming alliance. A bit frustrated with the lack of fighting he took off for Duskwood. He crossed the bridge leading to the cursed wood to find again he had missed the fighting. He slowly moved past the others around him not saying a word. His eyes narrowed as he made his way down the road. There he saw an undead creature to the side of the path. He jumped off his mount and easily cut down his unsuspecting prey.

The rest of the night was uneventful. A few scuffles he easily took care of and a lot of searching. He was still frustrated. None of this was what he had expected. The raid had moved on ahead and there were just three of them left behind. The female hunter left first. Then himself and Rhowen made their way down the path. His blood was still boiling for a fight. His adrenaline pumping he came to a sudden stop on the road. Something had caught his eye. A young orc hiding off to his left. He was off his saber in a heartbeat. Swords in hand and the fire still burning in his eyes. The orc turned to run but he was already there. Two quick blows and the orc made it two steps before she collapsed to the ground. He sheathed his weapons and made his way to the orc. Something seems familiar. He rolled her over and studied the body for a moment. His eyes went wide when he figured it out...Lupa's clan.

He let out a groan and moved the orc behind the tree. He unrolled some runecloth bandages and started tending to the wounds quickly. Luckily the wounds he made were thin and easy to treat. The problem was the poison he used. He tore off the last piece of the bandage and quickly finished. Hoping no one would come back through here and find her he propped her up against the tree. He pulled two vials out of his pack. One was an antidote to the poisons he uses and the other a small healing potion. He quietly got up and made his way back to Rhowen. He could only hope she would wake up soon and no one would find her in the time being. Mounting back up he have the tree one quick look and with a sigh headed of to join the rest of the raid.

He found himself again on the steps in Stormwind. The only thought running through his head was the troll he could not be with.

[Lupa]

Some part of Oonagi's mind recalled the sensation of her body being moved, having her leather breastplate removed and the feel of firm pressure being applied to her back and side. That, and nothing more.

Gradually however, the dark emptyness started being replaced by returning conciousness. First there was the feel of dry leaves and twigs on her backside, followed by the rough bark of the tree she found herself propped up against. Vision slowly coalesced into vague lighted shapes, solidifying into the shrubs and boulders of the little ditch beside the road. Oonagi convulsed and a surge of bile came up into her mouth. She spit it out, dribbling some down her bared chest.

There beside her was her leather chest armour, beside that were two vials; one was half empty, the other full. There was an acrid taste in Oonagi's mouth, one that was reminiscent of an anti-poison she was familiar with. She made to pick up the half empty vial, sending a wave of sharp pain through her side and back. Gritting her teeth, Oonagi took up the vial and popped off the stopper. A quick sniff confirmed her suspicions. She wasted no time in downing the remainder of the liquid, willing herself to stop it from coming back up again.

The effect was swift. The dizziness and nausea subsided and her breathing became more regular. Setting down the empty vial Oonagi took up the second one. A quick sniff of that liquid told her nothing, it was odorless. "Dare I?" she thought. Then with a shrug she downed the contents. It made no sense for it to be something lethal, not when she could have been dispatched at any point.

A warm tingling began in her belly, spreading out to her extremities and concentrating on the wounded areas of her side and back. A healing potion! That rogue had obvously taken some measure of pity on her, for whatever reason Oonagi could not say. If it were reversed, Oonagi couldn't say she would have done the same. That was just a risky move to her mind. Obviously this elf rogue was pretty confident she would not seek retribution.

Well maybe he was right, maybe not. One thing for sure, Oonagi committed his face to her memory. Burned it in and embossed it. Someday when she was more seasoned an opportunity to repay his generosity might present itself, in kind. Meaning a knife in his back, followed by a bandaging. Maybe..

Or maybe she could ask her employer to hunt this rogue down, along with his warrior companion. If she could be pulled away from her bourbon long enough to string her bow.

Rising gingerly from the forest floor, Oonagi gathered up her leather chestpiece, 'tsked' at the rents made into it by the elf's sword and pulled it on over her bandaged torso.

With a quick scan of the nearby road to confirm it was clear, she resumed her trek towards Redridge...

[Celuna]

((this is gonna be so much fun, hehe))

[Lupa]

The terrain of Redridge reminded Oonagi of Durotar. Just slightly wetter. The large lake offered life giving waters to the sparce trees and shrubs that dotted the landscape. It also offered many hidden niches for Oonagi to hide herself away from curious eyes.

The hills to the north of the town were full of potential spies and informants, orcs and gnolls. Oonagi had made use of these. With a few well placed bribes and threats of pain she was able to build up a loose network of watchers, looking out for a certain woman paladin matching the description of her target, Celuna.

Yes, she couldn't trust them as far as she could toss them, but odds were she would get some intel from at least one of them. That the paladin was known to frequent these lands Oonagi was fairly certain. She would make an appearance eventually. Then the real fun would begin.

She had received no further instructions from her employer, the troll hunteress Lupa. But then, being so deep in the field made any further communications difficult. For now her instructions were simple; locate the paladin and observe who she interacts with. Follow her if possible and determine her actions. Defend yourself if discovered, flee if defence isnt possible. Oonagi would complete the mission, within reason. If the woman simply didn't show up Oonagi would abort. No sense wasting time fruitlessly so far inside hostile territory.

A few days more. Oonagi could handle that.

[Lovely]

((Get her, Celuna! You know you want to!!! hehe))