Continent/Zone/Area: Eastern Kingdom: Stanglethorne Vale: Southern Cape.

*Vai POV*

When I first got here, I thought that maybe it was just a lovely dream. But when pinching, slapping, and punching yourself don't work, and when you wake up in the same area again and again. You begin to realize that it's no dream. I mean, the whole three-year dream bit would be a bit hard to explain as well. But that's inconsequential. As I was saying, I have stopped believing that this is a dream altogether. still, that didn't make me as sad as you might believe I was incredibly happy with the fact that it was real. I had a mother, a father, and a whole new world to explore right in front of me. if I didn't take this chance, I might regret it forever.

(Year 1)

As I said, I had been here for about three years, and to be honest, while a little boring at times, it was a lot of fun. I just slept, ate and woke up for the first year. The best time of my life. I was happy to just do that and watch as my parents went about their lives of tending to me and doing whatever it is that they do. My mother and father were out of the house frequently and generally came back late into the night. they often switched roles depending on the day that it was. one night, it was Mom, the next night it was Dad. but that doesn't mean I was alone all the time. I always noticed at least one of them was in the house when the other was out, making food, cleaning, the general things. I have to admit though, it was... Strange... to have to drink breast milk at the mental age of 23.

I couldnt help but get the shudders from just thinking about it. it is humiliating and awkward for me. I didn't hate it though, it was nice, she was quiet and if I closed my eyes it was somewhat comforting. though if I did, it led to a dash of giggling from my mother. I guess I look cute with my eyes closed. I, in my free time, began to think about the world that I was in. How is it real? is my presence going to change anything? will it follow the same path? All these questions that I wanted an answer to, but I couldnt find them. I was still too young to do so, though if I try hard enough I'm fairly certain that I could figure things out myself in due time. But, my questions were halted when I started to think about the in-game mechanics of wow itself. the inventory, the skill system, and the spells. I couldnt help but widen my eyes at that. What had I been missing out on? Could I just keep things in an inventory? can I just learn spells whenever I level up? IS THERE LEVELING UP?! My mind was frantically moving and creating questions that I need answers to but was unable to.

"Shhhh, Ya be too frantic now. it is ok, mama is here." My mother, who was holding me and gently rocking me back and forth, whispered to me. I immediately felt myself go through a little shock in my system as I had completely forgotten her existence in the tsunami of curiosity that had consumed me. I felt myself become more grounded at that moment, more grounded within myself, and with reality. I felt myself be pulled into a gentle lull, as my mother continued to hum a small tune to me. just a small one, but as with all my mother does for me, I could practically hear her heart shoveling the love and the care right onto me. it would be a sad day when I was forced to leave her. be it through death, or migration. I felt myself falling asleep to her tune, the tune that would resonate with my heartbeat for years after my eventual death.

(Year 2)

In the second year, my mother started teaching me different things that any young child should understand. things like the alphabet and how to sound out each word/letter. they taught me numbers and different symbols that hold meaning in most of troll society along with a few symbols exclusive to Gurubashi. it was honestly really difficult, but thanks to my new vocal cords that might as well have been bred to speak the language, I quickly picked it up. much faster than some of the other children. speaking of which, there were HUNDREDS of other children in the same village as me. all of them were playing while I, one of the smartest children, was forced to stay inside and continue to study. though I was sad at the fact that I couldnt live a "normal" childhood, I was happy that I could continue to learn about the lore that Blizzard had failed to teach me.

Such as how most night elves came to be, along with more than a few theories of how the world came into existence. (IDK if they actually said this in the lore. I just haven't heard it myself. correct me if I'm wrong.) I continued to learn with them about not only historical information, but also information that could save my life. such as the different monsters and the different animals that run around my area. Such as Basilisks, Large Crabs, Crocolisks, Frenzies, Gorillas, Monkeys, Murlocks, Naga, Ogres, Panthers, Raptors, Sharks, Tigers, and Water Elementals.

they were especially worried about naga, as they were more intelligent than any of the others. Naga and water elementals. both are worthy enemies that could cause a great number of problems if an invasion happened.

At my current age and strength, almost anything on the island could kill me. hell, even a plant probably could kill me if it was lucky enough. I sighed at my lack of strength. I could only daydream of my newfound power and strength I would one day possess. fighting an winning against enemies, getting a beautiful wife, and having many children of my own to tell my tales of war as my wife scolds me for giving them nightmares. a smile crept up onto my face as I could see it already, and it was beautiful. I loved the thought. I shook myself out of my stupor and went back to the homework that I had been assigned to me by my mother. I almost whimpered when she first mentioned it to me.

A few hours later and with my homework done, I looked outside and noticed that it was about four-ish in the afternoon. Perfect time to explore. I smirked before sneaking out of my room, looking around and upon noticing my mother was currently in the kitchen making food, I began to make my way towards the door, to sneak out quietly. though, naturally, I was immediately caught when the words, "An where do ya tink ya be goin? I don't remember givin' ya permission to go." I stiffened at the words and turned to see my mother staring directly at me with her hands on her hip and a ladle in one of them.

"I.. I just wanted to play outside," I said, trying not to, but still, stutter. She gave me a rather disapproving eye, before sighing and going back to cooking while telling me, "Don't be gettin' hurt now. Or ya won't be gettin' any soup tonight." I almost kept myself inside when I heard that. Mom's soup was one of the best things I had ever tasted, and that includes my previous life. it was worth almost anything, but in the end, my curiosity overcame my gluttony for that piece of heaven in my home, and I ran out the door, shouting, "Bye!".

I immediately began running towards the market place. While I didn't go outside much to play with other kids because of studies, I still went out for various other reasons. So I knew the general layout of the village that I lived in. The village was roughly the size of the darkspear tribe village, if not a bit larger. I immediately came across the different professions and merchants that normally dot the landscape in the game, and they were all dressed and acting accordingly. most of the blacksmiths wore gear that you would expect and were generally hammering away at the anvil while someone younger, most likely their apprentice, sold any of the weapons and was standing at the front. I saw a few herbalists and sewing teachers but I couldnt help but be attracted to the clanging of metal once more.

It was an extreme sport for me, but I managed to force myself away from the clanging and I went past the village market. I walked around trying to find a more secluded area for my real purpose of coming out of the house. I wanted to get stronger, but I would need to work for it. I eventually stumbled across a small area surrounded by a few trees. there weren't any houses nearby, and after checking for a while, I didn't notice any identifying marks that this was a beast's territory.

Studying that book really helped. I thought to myself as I remembered forcing myself to read up on the different monsters and what types of markings they generally held for their territory. I immediately started to formulate a small plan and routine for myself on how to get stronger. I made myself a small workout chart in the dirt, before immediately searing the image into my memory so I would remember it. I started out rather small. Pushups. I had a rough estimate of how strong I was, and I wanted to test that theory.

I immediately felt myself fall to the ground, catching myself in my arms and I began, I got to 25 before I felt my arms burning themselves out and I had to stop myself, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to even hold onto a cup the next morning. 25 Eh? Well, onto the next one. I went on through the rest of my workouts, of crunches, air squats, jumping tests, and pullups using tree branches. by the end of it, I was a little red in the face and the sun looked like it was about six-ish. two hours? Felt longer. I thought to myself as I once more picked myself up from the ground, and I started walking towards my home.

As I once more walked through the market I was drawn to the clangs that had been going on for the past two hours like a moth to the flame. I walked up to the small smithy and watched in vivid fascination in the area. It held a furnace, an anvil, many ingots behind said anvil, racks of weapons, and a large casket of water, presumably for cooling weapons.

The blacksmith was a large, blue female troll with bulging muscle running along her arms like steel wire. She had red hair, though unlike my mother, hers was a complete crimson red, similar to blood, though only a bit lighter than the dark liquid running through my veins. I watched as her biceps and triceps flexed themselves as she hammered away at the ingot. Her lime green eyes sparkling with intensity and focus that made me feel like I was watching the world's most stoic man, had it not been for her small smile at her work, and her almost complete lack of clothing. She was wearing naught but a small pair of panties, working fingerless gloves, some bicep braces, and a bra with a small bikini holding her breasts in place. She had very small tusks that were almost the size of my regular teeth, and a small single gold earing at the tip of her long ear, signaling that she was once married and was now without someone.

(TBH I'm making that up on the spot, tho that's only cause i can't find anything against nor for it. tell me if you think the earing idea is a good one. :3)

I continued watching her with a burning passion. she worked with the metal like it was her child, gentle, but at the same time with a firm guiding hand in how it should be. it was fascinating to watch her make the ingot. I watched as she pushed it through the phases of heat treating and cooling, with the steam swirling around her sweaty body, before she put away the ingot and looked dead at me, her menacing eyes focused solely on me, her charming smile no longer visible. I felt like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, completely frozen for a moment. "Well? What ya want? I be workin." her voice sounded beautiful to me for some reason, like it held a melody in it, though part of me knew that there was none. However, it did break me out of my stupor and I looked towards her before speaking. "I be likin da sound of bangin when ya work. It be soundin nice to 'eer." She looked a little surprised at first, but then a gradual dawning came across her face as she realized something.

"I be knowin what ya feel. I felt it long ago when my fadda taught me da ways. I always loved dat sound, of medal hittin medal. I fell asleep many times to dat sound." I could hear the nostalgia in her voice as she spoke of her early beginnings, and how she began to love the sound. I felt happy that at least one other person felt that way, and I wanted to speak more, but as the shadows grew longer, I finally realized how much time had passed, and in a hurry, I said that I had to go, before fleeing like a madman towards my home, in hopes that I wouldn't miss out on soup. OH, I SWEAR TO GOD IF I DO... I didn't finish that thought, mostly because I didn't know what I would do if i missed out on it.

I got home, and after a good long scolding from my mother on how I shouldn't have been late, and a great many apologies, I was finally allowed privilege to the tasty heaven that was the soup. I swear, i must have had stars in my eyes when i heard my mother say that it was allowed, as she froze before giggling and hugging me tightly. I was a little surprised, but I soon fell to the love and I hugged her back, equally tight. It was a special little moment between the two of us until my mother eventually had to let go and we went to the dinner table.

I was on the verge of banging my silverware together and chanting "SOUP! SOUP! SOUP!". though thankfully, I didn't as my mother would have taken it away at that point. but make no mistake, I was still ready for this. when my mother came back to the table with two piping hot bowls filled to the brim with different veggies and assorted meats, she began giggling as my eyes were glued to my bowl. Honestly mom, why are you so weird at times? I thought to myself as I heard her. I closed my eyes as I sent out a quiet prayer, thanking whoever sent me here for this wonderful time that I was having, and to whoever was listening in this world, asking that they help this time stay.

I woke up the next morning, filled with excitement down to my very bones, and penetrating towards the deepest part of my core. I practically jumped out of my bed, though much to my regret as the soreness from working out the night before, hit me like a hammer. I quickly calmed myself down and began doing the stretches that I knew so well. it took me a while before I was feeling like I could actually move again, and I walked down the hall into the dining room once more. I looked around and noticed that my parents were still in their room sleeping, so I simply snuck out, making my way through the little village, and on my way to the blacksmith once more, as I heard the clangs ring through the air. I ran even faster, in an attempt to somehow get their even faster, even though I was already running at my top speed. I soon enough came across the scantily clad blacksmith once more, only to discover her making something different than a simple ingot like she was last time. this time, she was making a sword, and a great sword it was.

Two feet long of thick black steel, with engravings running along the flat of the blade, roaring out different war shouts in zandalari. its tip was hooked around in a strange fashion that made it useful for pulling and cutting, but still quite useable as a blade. I wanted to see someone use the weapon just so I could tell if it was actually wieldable by someone and if the hook towards the end was of any use. I watched in rapt fascination as she continued with her art piece, and as she continued with her work. I watched as she stuck the blade into the coolant and pulled it out, before moving the blade to a chair that held a large stone wheel on top of it. I recognized it from my past life as a grinding wheel and I listened closely as the sound of metal and stone was ground away in the background of my daydreaming. though it did come to an end, at which point she simply inserted the blade in some oil for a small while before turning her attention to me as if knowing I had been there the whole time. I managed to let out a shaky smile after remembering our last encounter, and how I ran away without even so much as a goodbye or my name.

She was still looking at me, though she held a small pout on her face, as if sad that I had not been paying attention for a moment to her and was staring off into space. though it turned into a small giggle as I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "I been wonderin' when you were gonna return." just like last time, her voice held a smooth flow to it, almost like caramel and it simply rolled over me. I simply smiled and said "Sorry, I ad' to be gettin home. It been gettin late den."

She simply nodded at my words and took them quite seriously, as if agreein with my mother even though she had most likely never met her. "I see. Good Idea. Now den, are ya gonna watch only? or join?" she said with a teasing smile and it abruptly hit me that I had been watching her for a good while now and didn't even know her name. I immediately popped my head up and straightened my back a little while saying "I be Vai, what is your name bein?" She giggled at my little introduction, Why does every female I talk to giggle like a madman whenever I talk? I thought with a small frown before she introduced herself. " I be Shi'Mer. I be hopin ya pay attention." and as soon as she finished her sentence, she turned back around and went back to working on the sword, using a whetstone and sharpening its edges to razor-sharp.

I made my way over the tall counter and climbed into the forging area to get a better look at what she was doing, as it was a little more difficult from behind the counter. she was simply taking the whetstone, dipping it in a little water, then moving across the blade's edge and pulling up a little. the action kept rubbing off bits and pieces of the stone on the blade while continuously drawing water on it. I knew what it looked like from videos on how to do it, but somehow, it was different in person, it was almost better to see it. I continued watching until she finally ran out of stone to use and set the blade back into the oil.

"Ya be seein how to sharpen a blade, but do ya know how to make one? I tink not." she looked at the forge while saying that and simply pulled an ingot out from behind her. she tossed the ingot into the furnace and we simply waited for a few minutes as it heated up to a good red hot color, before she grabbed some tongs and pulled it out. I watched as she set it down on the anvil, before grabbing a small stool, along with a small hammer, and told me, "Just try, ya might be likin it."

She had a small smirk on her face as she said that, eagerly pushing me on to try it out. and just as usual for myself, I did. I wanted to try it out very badly, it was calling to me, telling me to mold it to something better than it was now, to be better than anything else like it. and I responded to the call. I walked onto the small stool and I looked down upon it, and i noticed something. The ingot seems to pulse outwards, attempting to attract all of life's attention towards it. To its beauty, to its heat, to its majesty. I end up next to it, hammer in hand. Watching it like a peasant would watch a queen or king. Without realizing it I already had reached out for the ingot. and i got burnt for trying to touch something better than me.

I immediately fell backward, crying out in pain, "AHHHH!!!" screaming as the ingot stayed attached to my hand and continued burning through my hand. I wanted to grab the ingot, to pull it from my hand, but I knew that it would only sear into my other hand as well, so I turned to my last option. Shi'Mer. I turned my head away from the would that continued to throb, and as tears streaked down my face and I looked up to her, only to notice her staring directly at me. with a face of complete and utter indifference besides a small glimmer of a challenge, the same as the one she called out at me earlier. I almost forgot about the pain at that moment, I almost forgot about the wound, but such things are not so easily passed off, as a new wave of pain ran over me. I could feel myself sweating from it and I could do naught but continue to scream from the pain, the anger, and the small hint of betrayal. I continued thrashing around, before finally, I felt myself disappear, and fade once more.