Theramore rose from the dust like a promise.
After six days at sea, the sight of land was almost overwhelming. The city sat on a rocky peninsula, its walls pale in the afternoon light, the tide lapping at its foundations. Smaller than Stormwind. Quieter. But there was an energy to it — a sense of purpose that the Eastern Kingdoms had lost somewhere along the way.
The dock was busier than I expected. Ships from all over — goblin vessels, night elf schooners, Alliance transports flying banners I didn't recognize. The war machine was already here. I just didn't know it yet.
Captain Harlan pointed me toward a warehouse near the market district. "Your contact will find you there."
"How will I know them?"
"You'll know."
He walked away before I could ask anything else.
The warehouse was empty. Dust motes hanging in the light. Crates stacked against the walls, most of them stamped with military seals. I found a corner where I could see the door and sat down to wait.
The contact was late.
I waited through the afternoon. Watched the light shift through the high windows. Listened to the sounds of the city outside — merchants calling, boots on stone, the distant clang of a blacksmith's hammer.
No one came.
I found an inn near the dock. Cheap room, thin walls, a bed that sagged in the middle. I slept with my sword within reach.
The next morning, I went back. Still no contact.
I spent the day walking Theramore. Learning its streets. Marking its gates. Watching the soldiers move through the city in groups larger than I'd seen since the last war. Something was happening here. Something big.
On the third day, a messenger found me at the inn.
Small woman. Hard eyes. She handed me a sealed envelope and left without a word.
Inside: a single sheet of paper. Orders. A location. A time. No explanation of what I was guarding, who I was guarding it for, or how long it would last.
It was enough.
I folded the paper and put it in my pocket.
I had crossed the sea. I had left everything behind. And I still had no idea what I had signed up for.
But I was here now.
I'd find out soon enough.