Episode 43: The Terrible Tale of Carrotus Maximus - Part One

Lunarfall: Shadowmoon Valley

"I'm only telling you what she said, General, I'm not saying that I like it or agree with it by any means."

I glared at Tessa Gadson, the individual that had brought me the news this morning. She looked nervous, and clearly she didn't like the message she was delivering, but none the less she was the one that had come to me. My frustration had nowhere else to go.

"You're telling me that an elemental creature, in the shape of a carrot, is terrorizing our garden?"

She nodded.

There was a brief moment where I worried my people might be losing his sanity. There were a lot of things that I had experienced since my arrival on Draenor months before. There had been terrifying ogres, blood-thirsty orcs, even the dark powers of the twilight clan had been present here, but none of those things could have prepared me for this.

"I'm so sorry, General. The herb garden is overrun. I went to Fiona because she knows this sort of thing. She said we can't kill it with traditional magic. I know you're a powerful mage. I thought you should know what was going on."

"I'm sorry Tessa, I know I sound frustrated," I replied, trying to remain calm for her sake. "I'll visit Fiona right away and talk to her about all this. I'm sure there is something we can do to get this mess all cleaned up. For now, don't risk your safety by getting too close. We can go a few days without tending the garden."

Tessa looked relieved by the news and quickly rushed away. There had been some tension building in the Alliance garrison over the last few days. I knew the pressure was coming from the assault against the ogre compound known as Highmaul. Everyone did. It was the first major offensive since we had destroyed the portal leading to this world.

It appeared to me at this time, that the bronze dragon's plan to save Azeroth had worked. The initial assault against the iron horde had been successful. All around me were brave alliance soldiers that I had helped since the day he had been ripped from the clutches of death by Nozdormu.

Fiona was no different. I had met her in the Eastern Plaguelands years ago. Now she worked to aid me here in Dreanor. At least, I hoped she could help me. The elementals had never been easy to deal with, but Fiona was a smart woman and Tessa seemed to think she had a plan.

I headed out of the town hall and looked up at the pale sky outside. It was always dusk in the valley thanks to the shadowmoon. That was how Lunarfall got its name. The garrison was bustling with activity these days. It was a far cry from the small outpost we had established during their first few days. Now we had stone wall fortifications and portal masters keeping our location secure. It was a place of Alliance peace in a land of war.

I caught sight of Fiona not far from the barn and cut around the building to intercept her. She looked frazzled when she saw me, but the shock faded quickly enough.

"Sionis," she said calmly, "I'm glad to see you. I assume by now you have heard about out pest problem?"

"Tessa just informed me," I replied. "I was just planning to go over there and blast it with some frost magic."

"Don't waste your time. It won't work."

I frowned. Of course she was going go say that. "Okay, what do we do?"

She scrunched her forehead and thought about it for a moment before a big toothy grin spread across her worgen face. "We need a frog," she answered.

"I'm sorry, a what?"

"A frog," she repeated. "Not just any frog, either. It'll need to be a magic one."

"You are pulling my leg, right?"

"Were it so easy," she replied. "If you can find a magic frog then I can help you get that elemental creature out of our garden."

"Fiona, the assault against Highmaul-"

"That doesn't start for another few days. You have plenty of time."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Where do I find one of these magic frogs?"

"We had a run in with one while we were in Gorgrond," she said thoughtfully. "I think that might be a good place to start."

"I just want to be clear here," I grumbled. "I'm about to go hunting in the wilderness for a magical frog that might be able to defeat our magical carrot monster?"

"Well, when you say it like that it sounds silly, but the problem is still there."

I sighed. "Fair enough. I'll go get Cookie."

Highpass: Gorgrond

It had been years since I had been gifted with my blue proto-drake from Christine. It was a rare creature and I was happy to have it in my collection. It had carried me on hundreds of journeys since that first day and was loyal to me with a fierceness that was to be admired in any creature. Of course, there were days that I missed riding my old horse, Surfal. In Draenor, the Iron Horde used their advanced mechanical weapons to shoot down targets flying over open areas. As a result of heavy losses, flyers had been grounded and it was advised that they stick to the ground. The Alliance had locked down special flight paths and worked to keep the Iron Horde from taking down any more birds, but even that was a challenge. So if I wanted to get from one location to the next, riding Cookie was a challenge. The dragon tended to lurch when it ran and when it walked at a slower pace it swayed like a ship. Basically, in the weeks since arriving here, Cookie had been reduced to a pack mule.

Thankfully, the skies over Lunarfall were looking clear and I was able to use an Alliance gryphon to reach the small outpost in Highpass. As the creature set down on the ground, however, I immediately realized I was in for some trouble.

As Alliance soldiers scattered, I grabbed my staff and leapt from the gryphon with careful precision. I didn't know if it was a Horde attack or something that the Iron Horde had organized, but I was ready to defend these people if I could.

"General Sepher!" a nearby soldier shouted. "Thank the Light you are here!"

"What is happening here?" I asked. "How can I help?"

"It's terrifying, General! There's some kind of magical frog invasion!"

I nearly dropped my staff. "Magical frogs?"

"Aye! They've been turning our soldiers into frogs and we're being overrun! We can't stop them!"

The news was certainly odd. The sudden appearance of a monster carrot in the garrison and Fiona's recommendation for me to capture a magical frog... in Gorgrond. It seemed almost like I had just been played by the woman.

"Okay," I said, standing firm. "Lead me to the frogs. I'll deal with this."

TO BE CONTINUED!