A Young Assistant's Thoughts on Orcs

Ever since arriving in Stormwind, Jess had never planned to do anything around Redridge Mountains or the shores of Lake Everstill.

Three or four gnoll tribes, countless naga hiding in the lake, a black dragonflight that might arrive at any moment, poisonous spiders bigger than cattle, and several orc armies occupying the barren mountains. One wrong step out there could get you killed without even knowing what happened.

Of course, Redridge probably wouldn't become that dangerous until many years later. At this point, the Horde had just been defeated and retreated to Blackrock Mountain. They'd occupied part of the Dark Iron dwarves' surface city, Blackrock Spire, and should now be fighting the Dark Irons for control of the mountain.

The Blackrock orcs would soon gain the upper hand. It wouldn't be because they had more soldiers or greater strength. On the contrary, supported by their underground city of Shadowforge, the Dark Iron dwarves would keep launching fierce attacks against the invaders above. In just a few years, they'd push the orcs to the brink of defeat and be on the verge of a complete victory.

But then unexpected visitors would arrive. The black dragonflight, led by Nefarian, eldest son of Deathwing, father of the black dragons, would descend on Blackrock Mountain. They'd make a deal with the orcs, quickly drive the dwarves back underground, and take full control of the surface, turning it into an orc base.

Nefarian wanted a new lair where he could build up the black dragonflight's power. Through the agreement, he'd effectively enslave the orcs, making the Horde forces in Blackrock Spire the guards of his dragon lair.

The dwarves across the Burning Steppes would then lose their support from underground and be driven back by the orcs. The arrival of the black dragons would mean that Nefarian's Blackrock forces would soon control large stretches of mountains and scorched land in northern Redridge and stand against the Kingdom of Stormwind.

When would the black dragons come? Now? In a few years? Or had it already happened?

It was the seventh year after the opening of the Dark Portal. Orgrim Doomhammer, the Horde's current Warchief, had been captured below Blackrock Spire less than a year ago. The struggle between the orcs and dwarves there shouldn't have reached its worst point yet. So the dragons probably hadn't arrived.

Jess answered carefully. "The Blackrock orcs are probably gathering their troops. The Alliance hit them hard in the Burning Steppes. They won't recover overnight."

"Hah. They're much more aggressive than you think." Marin took a small sip of tea. "The garrison in Redridge has already spotted them south of the mountains. Blackrock scouts have started reaching this far. According to our agents, the Blackrock orcs are fighting dwarves all over the Burning Steppes for control of the region. Tell me, should we let the Blackrock orcs into Redridge and allow them to fight the gnolls, so the kingdom can sit back and benefit?"

"The Blackrock orcs are more likely to work with the gnolls," Jess said. "These races both like dark magic. They might even have more in common because of it. And neither side is stupid enough to start killing the other just because we want them to, not while they still share a stronger enemy."

Marin nodded. "That's certainly possible."

Then he sniffed and asked, "Why do I smell something foul and rotten in here? Did you bring it in?"

"What...?" Jess sniffed his clothes. "I can't smell anything."

Marin walked around the desk, came closer, and sniffed again. "Have you been near a cemetery?"

Since Marin had noticed, Jess couldn't really deny it.

"Yes..."

"What were you doing in a cemetery? Do you have a relative buried in Stormwind?" Marin asked suspiciously. "Although if it were a relative, I don't think you'd need to open the coffin to pay your respects."

"No," Jess said. "I was looking for Grave Moss."

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"Ah, I see."

Marin relaxed and took another sip of tea. "Trying to earn some extra money? Can you still find Grave Moss around here? I thought you'd have to go all the way to southern Elwynn. Is that what you've been busy with these past few days?"

"I didn't find much," Jess said.

"Grave Moss doesn't grow in an ordinary tomb," Marin said. "A herbalist who knows what they're doing wouldn't crawl into every grave they came across. The tomb needs to be deeply affected by necromantic energy... That's why I'd guess the great cemetery in the south, the one hit by the explosion of dark energy, might have some. But don't even think of going there. Corpse poison is a serious problem."

"I understand. Thanks for the warning."

Jess nodded and began wiping the dirtier parts of the shelves near the floor.

"Very efficient, Mr. Seso." Marin took out a pocket watch and put on his glasses to look at it. "From now on, I'd like you to finish cleaning before eight every morning. I'll arrive around eight-thirty. Don't leave during the morning. I want you available whenever I call. You'll finish at eleven-thirty, before lunch. How does that sound? You can read any of my books in the meantime. There are more in the next room, too. If you get really bored, I can bring you some of Amy's novels."

"No problem, Master."

Jess looked up at the shelves. Most of the books covered history and natural studies, across a wide range of subjects. This might be a good chance to understand Azeroth in more detail.

"I usually have classes in the afternoon. If you need to find me at another time, come to the Green Crystal building in the southern Mage Quarter. I live on the second floor. My name's on the door."

Jess had seen the place known as Green Crystal. Its walls were covered with bright flowers and plants drawn there by arcane magic. With violet eaves, it looked like a small villa. Below it was a beautiful square with even a carved stone fountain in the middle.

The people who lived there must be the Mage Quarter's highest-ranking professors and scholars.

If he ever lived in a building like that, wouldn't it mean he'd gained a high position in Stormwind?

"Anything else you'd like to ask?" Marin said.

"I'd like to use my spare time to learn a language," Jess said. "Elvish, Dwarven, or maybe Orcish."

At the mention of Orcish, Marin asked curiously, "I can understand Elvish and Dwarven. Why would you want to learn Orcish?"

Jess looked at the old mage. His mind raced to find a reasonable explanation in a matter of seconds. He had no energy left to scold himself for not thinking of one before coming.

"I think... one day we may have to accept that we share this world with the orcs. I'd like to learn their language ahead of time. Maybe it'll open more opportunities for me. Basically, I want to be more useful."

"Ah..."

Marin raised his eyebrows and nodded repeatedly. "You're thinking quite far ahead. Have you heard what King Terenas II wrote in his letters to the other kings? Lordaeron seems to have softened its attitude toward the orcs. They've set up internment camps and given the orcs work they can do inside the camps. I wouldn't be surprised if Terenas sees the future much as you do. Perhaps it's because you're both from Lordaeron."

He leafed through a stack of papers beside him, pulled out a sheet packed with a list of names, and placed a finger on one entry.

"I remembered correctly. The Wizard's Sanctum began preparing an Orcish course several years ago. It's been running for six months now. There aren't many students. Would you like to try joining?"

"It's been going for six months already. Won't I be too far behind?" Jess asked.

"You needn't worry." Marin tapped the entry with a finger. "The Orcish course is completely different from our other language courses. The teachers don't know much more than the students. They're collecting written Orcish from wherever they can, speaking with captured orcs and with slaves who survived life under the Horde, finding the correct pronunciations of letters and the meanings of words, and then making guesses. It's called an Orcish class, but really, it's the teacher and students investigating together."

"I see. What about Elvish?" Jess asked.

"I wouldn't recommend learning Elvish at the Wizard's Sanctum. We have no elven teachers, and our human teachers aren't especially good at it. The course is mostly meant to train diplomats to serve the royal family. The goal is simply to communicate and understand each other. But most diplomacy nowadays is conducted in Common anyway. The so-called diplomatic Elvish is mostly used to make a good impression—opening with 'hello,' 'what lovely clothes,' or 'nice weather today,' that sort of harmless small talk. You can imagine how good their language skills really are."

"So if you want to learn real Elvish, you could go to Dalaran someday. Of course, the best place would be Quel'Thalas. If you studied there, you might even become the first human to settle in Silvermoon City."

Marin smiled. "By the way, would you like me to put you in touch with the Orcish teacher, Mr. Carlo Duchamp?"

"If you could, I'd be very grateful," Jess said quickly.

"Don't expect an answer right away," Marin said. "I hardly ever see him. And I won't write him a letter, either. That would make it look like I was begging him to let you into his class."

Jess nodded. He hadn't expected it to be so easy to find an opportunity to learn Orcish, or for Marin to be so willing to help. If he could start learning soon, his studies of warlock magic would move much faster. Then he'd have a much easier time showing up the amateurs in the basement of the Slaughtered Lamb.

Now he could only pray that the book written in two languages really was an Orcish edition of a Demonic textbook. That would give him an almost perfect shortcut—as long as the Wizard's Sanctum didn't find out.