Chapter 24: Chapter 24: A New Ranger
Sylvanas left her office and walked through the bordering corridor. She walked towards the dining hall to get something to eat because she was very hungry. She was near the dining hall as a familiar ranger crossed her way. But that ranger didn't pass her, instead, she stopped in front of her, giving Sylvanas the impression that she wanted something from her. Sylvanas also stopped, giving the ranger a curious look.
"How can I help you Ranger...?" Sylvanas tried to figure out the woman's name but she realized that she didn't know her name. Even regarding her from head to toe didn't help her to remember the name. For some reason, she was unable to remember the ranger's name. Normally, she could recognize every single ranger but not on this day. She assumed that it was the lack of sleep which messed up her thoughts and memories.
The woman was half a head taller than Sylvanas, had beautiful black hair and a gorgeous face. Like most rangers, her body was muscular.
"My name is Valerie Leafdancer."
"Valerie Leafdancer... Ah, now I remember. Aren't you one of Verena's friends?"
Valerie hesitated for a moment. "Actually, we were more than just friends."
"Were?"
Valerie looked uncomfortable. "It didn't work out. My parents found out about us and... well, they didn't accept our relationship... To conclude a long story, it was too much trouble for Verena so she dumped me."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's fine, really. I think I have moved on."
Sylvanas frowned. "Do you just think that or are you sure about that?"
Valerie didn't respond at first and Sylvanas didn't want to wait any longer because her stomach was growling from time to time, telling her that she urgently needed to eat something. "Tell me how I can help you, Ranger Valerie."
"Well, I was just looking for you to tell you that the human you have been looking for has returned to Silvermoon City."
"That's great. Where is he.?"
"He is waiting in front of the building."
"Alright, tell him to come to my office in thirty minutes. If you are good, you can escort him there. Of course, only if you are not busy at the moment," told Sylvanas.
"I'm not busy at the moment. I'm only waiting for the next task I could fulfil before my shift ends in an hour," replied Valerie.
"Fine, why don't you show this human the area around the headquarters? Show him the many reasons why our capital city belongs to the most beautiful cities on Azeroth," suggested Sylvanas.
"As you wish, Ranger-General," responded Valerie. She lowered her head in respect before she turned around and walked away. Sylvanas watched her leaving, then she rushed to the dining hall, noticing that it was emptier than expected.
She looked at the clock, noticing that it was already late afternoon. She looked around, spotting a few familiar rangers. She saw Verena and Elonis sitting at a table. There were so close that Elena almost sat on Verena's lap, whose arm was wrapped around the smaller elf's waist.
Sylvanas had been so busy in the past few weeks that she had rarely seen anyone who was close to her. She hadn't seen her family for two weeks because she hadn't been able to get home. There was still enough work to do so she assumed she wouldn't be able to visit her family on the next weekend. She hadn't been able to see Verena very often either.
Her best friend had visited her from time to time but these visits had been rather short. They hadn't been able to spend much time together. Sylvanas knew already that Verena will come to her, as soon as she was done with the paperwork, and tell her everything she had done with her girlfriend Elonis. And with everything Sylvanas meant everything. Verena would give her detailed descriptions about their sex life, no matter how often Sylvanas would tell her she didn't want to hear that. Verena was a pervert and she didn't mind telling Sylvanas about her intimate moments. She knew no shame.
Sylvanas walked over to the counter, ordering one of the four choices of food everyone had. Even though she was the Ranger-General, the highest-ranked and most famous ranger in Quel'Thalas, she chose between food every other ranger could get. The cooks always offered her to give her different food which would be more expensive and taste she always refused because she didn't think she was better than the others.
She may have the highest rank a ranger could achieve but she wasn't better than everyone else. She was no divine being, even though most of the people in Quel'Thalas regarded her as such. She was still a mortal who could bleed, needed to eat, drink and sleep. Not to mention her lower desires. Her body was working like the bodies of every other elf. She was not immortal and not undefeatable. She was still a normal elf. She didn't want to be treated differently only because she was one of the most important persons of Quel'Thalas.
Not only did she eat the same food her subordinates ate, but she also queued up like everyone else and waited until it was her turn to receive her meal. On this day, she didn't need to wait for too long to receive her meal. She picked up her tray, walking over to her best friend and her girlfriend. She took a seat opposite to them, greeting them as soon as they had turned their heads to look at her. Verena leaned over to hug her best friend while Elonis only shook the Ranger-General's hand.
"Look who came out of her cave," joked Verena, giving Sylvanas a wide smirk.
"Quite funny, Verena. You seem to be in a very good mood today. What happened?"
"What happened?" Am I not allowed to be happy?" Verena asked teasingly.
"Of course you are but normally you don't show it to everyone. So, what happened?"
"My sister gave birth yesterday. I became an aunt," she announced happily.
Sylvanas gave her a happy smile. "Congratulations. Tell your sister how happy I am for her when you see her."
"I'll do that."
"Did she give birth to a boy or a girl?" asked Sylvanas, giving her friend a curious look.
"To both. She gave birth to twins."
"Twins?! That's fantastic. I'm sure she will be a good mother."
"I hope that for her, otherwise, I'll kick her ass," joked Verena.
Soft laughter escaped Sylvanas' lips. "I haven't met your sister very often so I don't really know her but I'm pretty sure she will be a good mother."
"I believe that as well" responded Verena, taking a bite from her chicken leg. She looked at her best friend's plate, noticing that only salad, vegetables and fruits were on it. "Have you become a vegan?" she asked curiously, tilting her head.
"No, why are you asking?"
"Because you haven't ordered meat or fish today."
"Unlike you, I don't eat fish or meat every day. I pay attention that my nutrition is healthy. I eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables."
" How long have you been doing this?"
"For a year or two. You know it will be pretty hard to live from fruits and vegetables during times of war. Surviving in the wilds won't be easy if you don't want to eat meat," said Verena.
"I didn't say that I'm not eating meat anymore. Currently, I just eat less than I eat normally. Of course, I will eat the animals I find if I'm somewhere outside on a mission. I'm not a vegan, don't worry about that."
"Even if you would become a vegan," replied Verena, pausing for a moment to find the right words. She gave Sylvanas a teasing grin before she continued. "Unlike me, you decided against being a lesbian so you have to deal with meat sooner or later if you want to have some fun. If you know what I mean."
Sylvanas rolled her eyes, hitting Verena's shoulder playfully. "You are impossible!"
"I know, that's why you love me."
"I do love you, that's true but not the way you wish," responded Sylvanas.
"I know, Sylvie. I know. I have already accepted that. Besides, I have found a beautiful woman who is causing less trouble than you and is also gorgeous at the same time" Verena put her hand under Elonis' chin, turning her head so she could kiss her. The woman with the bluish dyed hair didn't hesitate to return the kiss. Sylvanas observed them for a few moments, then she lowered her gaze and looked at her plate. She began to eat, looking up as soon when the two love-birds were done with making out.
"You have never told me how long you've been together," mentioned Sylvanas.
"We are together for two years," answered Elonis, smiling at Verena who was returning her smile.
"I hope the best for you two."
"Thank you, Ranger-General," replied Elonis.
"Yeah, thank you, Sylvie," commented Verena.
Sylvanas smirked at her friend, then she looked at the clock. "I would love to talk to you more but I have not much time left."
"Are you still busy?" asked her best friend.
"Yes, I have a meeting in fifteen minutes and there are more than just a few stacks of documents which are waiting for me."
"You know I would help you with these documents, right?"
"I do know that, Verena. Thanks for the offer but I would rather do them alone. It would take more time to explain to you what you have to keep in mind and what you have to pay attention to than I actually need to finish the work. No offence, but it would be easier for me if I do all the work alone."
Verena smiled. "It's okay, I wasn't really keen on it anyways. I would have only done it to help you out so we could spend more time together."
"It's okay, my dear. I will handle everything and I will promise you that I will have more time for you as soon as I'm done with the paperwork."
"I hope so."
Sylvanas gave her a teasing grin "You have a girlfriend who should keep you busy enough. I don't see how you can be bored."
"I didn't say I'm bored. I just wanted to say I miss spending time with you."
"I know. I miss spending time with you too."
"By the way, you mentioned you pay attention to your nutrition, right?"
"Yes, I did say that. Why are you asking?"
Verena regarded her from head to toe. One time, two times, even three times. Her eyes rested on her hips and her breasts longer than necessary. "Your body is perfect. I don't see a reason why you have to reduce your consumption of meat. You will never get fat if that's what you are afraid of. I've seen you consume boxes of ice-cream for days when your first boyfriend dumped you and you never got fat. Your figure never changes no matter how much you of people are jealous of you for that."
"Lots of people are jealous of me because of lots of reasons."
"I know but what I wanted to say is that you don't have to eat these fruits and vegetable. You don't need to be afraid that you might gain weight. No matter what you do or what you eat, you always remain slim. You are always perfect."
Sylvanas smiled at her. "Thank you."
"So, tell me the real reason why you refuse to eat meat."
"I don't refuse to eat meat. As I said, I eat less meat, fish and animal products than I used to eat."
"But why?"
"There is no real reason for it. I just want to eat more fruits and vegetables, that's all. Fruits are very delicious, same counts for vegetables."
Verena nodded to her, not saying anything in return.
Sylvanas ate her meal, standing up as soon as she was done. She hugged Verena and said goodbye to Elonis, then she rushed out of the dining hall. She went to her office, spotting Valerie and a human waiting there.
The human was very young, maybe eighteen or nineteen. He wore a brown leather vest and brown and green coloured trousers. He hadn't put his hood on so his short brown hair was revealed. It was unmistakable that he was admiring her beauty as he regarded her with his green eyes. He carried a bow and a quiver on his back, a sword hung on his belt.
"You must be Nathanos Marris," said Sylvanas as she approached them.
"Yes, I am, Ranger-General Windrunner."
Sylvanas gestured Valerie that she was dismissed. The elf lowered her head in respect before she hurried away, leaving Sylvanas alone with Nathanos. Sylvanas opened the door. "Why don't you come in first before we start talking"
A small smile appeared on Nathanos lips. "I wouldn't say no to this invitation."
Sylvanas allowed Nathanos to get in, closing the door behind him. She walked over to her desk, offering him to take a seat in front of it. He did that, leaning against the back of the chair. Sylvanas sat down as well, crossing one leg over the other. She leaned forward, regarding the human curiously. Nathanos did the same, scrutinizing her from head to toe. His gaze fell on her breasts even though he did his best to avoid looking at her rounds. He was a man after all so he was not immune against the effect of Sylvanas' gorgeous appearance. Sylvanas caught him staring at her, noticing that he was physically attracted by her. But that didn't matter for her.
She cleared her throat after a while, finally getting the human's attention. "So, how can I help you, Nathanos? You didn't travel from Lordaeron to Quel'Thalas without a reason"
"That's right...," his gaze fell on her breasts again but he managed to focus and shift his gaze back to her face. "I'm a very talented archer. I'm better than all the other archers I know. People think that I might belong to the best archers of Lordaeron. Even though I'm that good, I want to become better and there is no one better than the Ranger-General of Quel'Thalas. High elven rangers are far better than human rangers. There is nothing my people can teach me but you and your people can. That is the reason why I travelled to Silvermoon."
"So, I assume you want to get trained by my rangers and me? Is that right?"
Nathanos nodded. "That would be my greatest wish."
"You have rescued one of my rangers without killing his attackers. You hit them in the legs so they couldn't run away. I assume you must be really good at aiming."
"I am indeed" replied Nathanos.
"I believe your words but I still want to see if what you are telling me is true."
"It would be honoured to show you what I'm capable of."
"By the way, I want to thank you for saving the ranger. You did that even though you weren't asked to save him".
"Humans and elves are members of the Alliance of Lordaeron, so we are allies. It's only natural for me to save a person who is attacked by shady figures," he told.
"Not everybody would have done that. They were superior in number after all."
"Their numbers don't matter as long as I have my bow and enough arrows," replied Nathanos, sounding very self-confident.
Sylvanas smirked. "And what if you are out of arrows?"
Nathanos didn't hesitate to answer her question. "I'm pretty good in melee combat. I can handle a few brutes with clubs."
"You brag about a lot, let's find out if you are really that good as you claim," she said, standing up.
"I won't disappoint you, Ranger-General," replied Nathanos, standing up as well. He followed the Ranger-General to the door of her office, getting out as soon as she had opened it. Sylvanas closed it behind her, locking it. She signalized the young human to follow her which he did.
They walked through the corridors of the headquarters, ignoring the looks the other Farstriders were giving them. Some didn't hide that they were surprised by Nathanos' presence, others regarded him with narrowed eyes, wondering what he was doing in this place. Not everyone seemed to be happy that a human was hanging around in the headquarters of the Farstriders where only high elf rangers were allowed to be in. Sylvanas was accompanying him so they didn't say anything but they kept staring at him.
Sylvanas escorted Nathanos out of the headquarters to the training area on which dozens of rangers of all ranks were practising. She guided him to one of the targets which weren't used by anyone, signalizing him to show her what he was capable of. Nathanos nodded to her, taking his bow from his back. He ignored the stares of the rangers around him.
Sylvanas' eyes wandered around, regarding every ranger who was out there. Those who were staring at Nathanos turned around as soon as they noticed that the Ranger-General was looking at them. Some of them muttered something or whispered something to their comrades but other than that they didn't do anything.
Sylvanas turned back to Nathanos, noticing that he had already drawn his bow. An arrow was nocked as well, ready to be fired. Sylvanas sat down on the nearest bench, telling the human that she was ready. Nathanos didn't hesitate to fire his arrow but he wasn't looking at his target as he did so. Nevertheless, the arrow hit the middle of the target. He pulled another arrow out of his quiver, hitting the middle again without needing to look at it.
Nathanos turned his head back to the aim target, pulling another arrow out of his quiver. He increased the distance between him and the target, aiming at it. He hit it again and increased the distance for another time. He repeated this until he stood over six hundred feet away from the target. He pulled more arrows out of his quiver. Three shots. The hits.
He walked back to Sylvanas, bowing to her. The Ranger-General got up and applauded. "That's impressive."
The corner of Nathanos' lips formed a smile. "Thank you. There is nothing better than getting a compliment from the Ranger-General of Silvermoon, the best archer in the world."
"I only make compliments to those who deserve it. I have fought by the side of human archers a lot of times over the past decades. I have witnessed what they are capable of. None of those, I have seen, was as good as you and that has to mean something because I have fought with the best of the best back then. But keep a cool head, hitting a non-moving target is easy. But hitting a moving target is way more difficult."
"I have hunted wild beasts for years, I have no problem killing boars, deers or lynxes," he replied.
"What about trolls and orcs?"
Nathanos' smile became wider. "The bigger they are, the easier I can hit them."
"That's true. You'll go hunting with me later but first I want to see how good you are in close combat" she said.
"So, you want me to fight against one of your rangers?"
"Not exactly."
Nathanos' raised an eyebrow, giving her a curious look. "What do you mean?"
"You will fight against me," responded Sylvanas, walking towards the sparring grounds.
"That wouldn't be a fair duel, you will kick my ass."
"We are not duelling, we are sparring. That's something completely different. If you want to learn from the best, you have to deal with the best."
A quiet sigh escaped the human's lips. "I see. Fine. I will fight against you."
"I won't spare you," replied Sylvanas as she walked over to the nearest ring. "Give your best and prove yourself worthy."
Nathanos entered the ring as well, turning his head to regard his surroundings. He spotted dozens of rangers who were standing near the ring, regarding him and Sylvanas curiously. He looked back at Sylvanas noticing that she held her clenched fists in front of her head. The absence of any weapon told Nathanos that they could only use their hands, heads and feet. He pulled his sword from his belt and dropped it on the ground next to the border of the ring. He dropped his bow and his quiver as well, stretching his arms and legs before he walked to the middle of the ring.
Sylvanas' blue eyes scrutinized him "Are you ready?"
"Yes, I..." but before Nathanos was able to complete his sentence, he was hit by her fist which connected with his jaw. He made a step backwards, rubbing his jawline.
"I was not ready" he spoke, giving the Ranger-General an irritated look. He was wondering why she had attacked him before the fight had started.
"Lesson Number One. Always be prepared for everything. You can't expect that your opponent fights fair."
"I see," muttered Nathanos. He regarded Sylvanas for a moment, then he attacked her but the blonde blocked his attack. She didn't just block it, she even countered it, causing that he landed on the ground as she flung him over her hip. Nathanos got up in no time but he didn't attack. He held his hands in front of his head, watching every of Sylvanas' moves. The Ranger-General attacked him with her left hand but Nathanos managed to dodge it this time. She attacked him again, this time he managed to catch her arm but he didn't get any advantage of it because Sylvanas managed to free herself.
She kicked the human against his shin, smiling provocatively when he winched in pain. But Nathanos didn't stand for it. He aimed a punch at her, managing to hit her shoulder. He couldn't know if that had hurt the elf or not because her face didn't reflect any emotion. Nathanos attacked again but Sylvanas avoided the punch and scored a hit instead. Right in his back.
"Watch your back, human," she commented as her feet came in contact with his unprotected back.
Nathanos turned around, his narrowed eyes observed the Ranger-General. He was biting his bottom lip hard as he tried to predict her next move. Sylvanas turned her head, regarding her surroundings. She noticed that more rangers had come to the sparring grounds to watch the fight between their beloved Ranger-General and the strange human. They believed that Sylvanas would beat the outsider easily. She was Sylvanas Windrunner and he was just a random human in their eyes. They believed that he wouldn't have a chance against her. They believed that but Sylvanas didn't. She was sure Nathanos was capable of more but he held back. She was pretty sure that he would only use all portions of his strength when he would be in a dangerous situation.
"Come on, show me what you got. Don't hold back Nathanos or do you want to disgrace yourself in front of my rangers. You have to prove them your worth if you want to receive the same training they receive," she shouted, looking at him for a few moments before she looked back at the cheering crowd. She spotted her younger sister in the middle of the people. She raised her hand, waving at her. Vereesa didn't hesitate to wave back. The silver-haired woman was wondering why her sister was looking at the crowd. Normally, she didn't get distracted when she fought. She always had her eyes on her opponent, not matter if it was a real battle or just a sparring match. It was untypical for Sylvanas to let anyone out of her sight.
But that was Sylvanas' plan. She was doing that on purpose because she wanted to give Nathanos the false hope that he could catch her off guard. She expected him to attack her out of sudden because he would think he had an advantage. Indeed, he was doing that but he had no advantage over the blonde elf. Sylvanas turned around and countered his attack, causing him to fall to the ground. Nathanos growled in frustration as he got up. His fists were clenched, his narrowed eyes rested on his opponent.
"Always stay calm. Do not ever let your emotions speak and act for you. The biggest mistake you can make is to allow that anger overwhelms you," scolded Sylvanas.
Nathanos listened to her words, waiting patiently until he had calmed down enough. He began to walk circles around Sylvanas, waiting for the best moment to strike. But Sylvanas moved as well so he was unable to attack her from the side or from behind. He didn't attack her this time, instead, he waited until she attacked. He got hit several times but he also managed to hit the Ranger-General. Two times in total, in the ribs to be exact. His punches weren't painless but they weren't unbearable either. Sylvanas had endured worse pain so simple but forceful punches didn't affect her at all.
The crowd had become silent as they continued to spectate the sparring match. They had never seen anyone who had managed to hit Sylvanas three times in the same sparring match. It really surprised them that Nathanos was still standing even though he had hit their Ranger-General three times and had been hit so many times in return. Normally, Sylvanas defeated anyone, who had managed to hit her, within a short amount of time.
But this time, she needed more punches, blows and kicks to tire Nathanos. The human did his best to keep up with her, he endured longer than everyone had expected, but he wasn't winning the sparring match. He was losing slowly and he had realized that. The exchange of blows didn't end well for him. He hit her two more times, even one time in the face but nothing changed. His body got tired slowly, his movement became slower and his muscles started to hurt. Sylvanas, on the other hand, was not exhausted at all, not in the slightest.
She wiped the blood away, which had come out of her nose, and continued to let her fists rain down upon her opponent, forcing him to surrender after five minutes. Sylvanas was not sure how long the sparring had endured but she was pretty sure they had fought for at least half an hour. She walked over to her opponent, patting his right shoulder. "You did well," she complimented. "You managed to hit me more often than any of my rangers."
"It was not easy," replied Nathanos.
"I don't make it easy for anyone."
Nathanos rubbed his jaw which still hurt. "I expected that."
"You endured longer than everyone else I know. You are a great fighter," Sylvanas complimented.
"Thank you."
"Anyways, pick up your weapons and follow me. I want to see how good you are at following tracks and hunting animals."
Nathanos walked over to the edge of the ring, picking up his stuff. He looked at the spectators, noticing that half of them were still regarding him with narrowed eyes while the other half was impressed by his talent. He ignored those who didn't like him as best as he could, following Sylvanas back to the headquarters.
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