Over the next two days Nobundo made the arduous trek with the wind always at his back, always
whispering in his ear.
He learned that the orc shaman communed with the elements, but that their connection was
severed when the orcs turned to practicing fel magic.
He could have learned more, but many times it was difficult for Nobundo to understand,
as if the communication was being filtered or dampened.
At several points along the route he thought he heard footsteps somewhere behind him.
Always when he looked back, he sensed that whoever or whatever was following him had
just ducked out of sight.
He wondered if maybe it was the elements.
Or a fabrication of his mind.
When he came at last to the camps of the unaffected, the sun had long since left the sky.
Undoubtedly the watchmen had observed his approach, however, for two guards awaited
him as he reached the camp perimeter.
"What is your business here?"
the larger of the two guards asked.
"I mean only to pass through to the mountains."
Some of the other camp members had emerged, eyeing Nobundo warily.
"We have strict orders.
No Krokul are allowed in the camps.
You will have to go elsewhere."
"I do not wish to stay in your camp, only to pass through."
Nobundo took a step forward.
The larger guard thrust out his hand, shoving Nobundo backward.
"I told you--"
There was a deafening clap of thunder then, and a black mass of clouds appeared where
clear skies had been only seconds before, releasing a sudden deluge of rain.
The wind that had gently urged Nobundo forward now gushed with fantastic strength, forcing
the two guards backward.
Most incredible of all, the wind and the stinging rain both moved around Nobundo to hammer against
the two guards, who fell in the slick mud.
Nobundo witnessed the events, eyes wide in wonderment.
"So this is what it is like", he mused out loud, "to have the elements on your side."
He smiled.
The camp members sought shelter in the caves.
The guards stared up at Nobundo in fear.
For his part, Nobundo simply proceeded forward, leaning on his staff as he made his way slowly
through the camp and finally to the foothills on the other side, leaving the residents of
the camp shocked, scared, and confused.
The figure that had followed Nobundo stepped out from his hiding place behind one of the
giant mushrooms.
He dared not proceed for he was, after all, Krokul.
But the events that Akama had just witnessed planted a seed within him.
Ever since he had awakened from his long sleep, he had felt nothing but despair and a needling
dread of the future.
But to see what this Krokul had just done, to see the elements rise to his defense stirred
a feeling in Akama that he had feared long dead.
He felt hope.
With that newfound hope he turned and slipped quietly back into the marsh.
Many hours later, racked by fatigue, Nobundo scaled the upper reaches of the mountains
and began seeing signs of fresh, verdant vegetation.
When his pace slowed due to exhaustion, the wind pushed him on, and the very earth beneath
his feet seemed to lend him strength.
And though the rain continued, it seemed to land everywhere but on him, and it provided
flowing streams from which Nobundo eagerly drank.
As he neared the peaks, he heard competing voices in his mind: one low and persistent,
followed by the familiar sound of the wind, and finally the occasional rumbling of a fire.
The voices seemed chaotic, clashing in their haste to commune with him, building to a cacophony
that forced him to stop.
Enough!
I cannot understand all of you at once.
Nobundo summoned what little strength he had left and crested a hill that opened onto a
lush vista.
Here was Draenor as it had once been; fertile and serene, a beautiful garden-like refuge
of cascading waterfalls and vibrant life.
You must forgive them: it has been too long since they have felt the tempering influence
of the shaman.
They are angry, confused, still reeling from the blow dealt to them.
"The cataclysm," Nobundo said as he stepped farther into the tranquil setting.
He knelt and drank from a pool of water and felt immediately rejuvenated.
He felt his mind open up, his thoughts becoming a part of his surroundings as the surroundings
in turn became a part of him.
The voice that answered him was at once clear and soothing, strong and robust.
Yes.
I was perhaps the least affected, but it has always been this way.
It is a necessity that I adapt quickly, given that I provide the very foundations of life.
"Water."
He felt more than heard the affirmation.
Welcome.
Here in this quiet refuge the elements coexist in relative peace, and so our discourse with
you will be easier, especially in the early stages of your journey, before you have learned
to feel our intentions without thinking.
True knowledge and understanding will take years, but if you stay the course, in time
we will be yours to call upon… but never to command.
Yet if you respect us, and your motives remain unselfish, we will never abandon you.
"Why have you chosen me?"
The cataclysm cast us all into turmoil and uncertainty.
For a time we were lost.
In you we sensed a kindred spirit: confused, neglected.
It took time for us to recover sufficiently to reach out once again, but when we did,
we hoped you would be… receptive.
To Nobundo it seemed almost too good to be true.
But what of the Light?
Was he forsaking it if he chose this new path?
Was he turning his back on it?
Was this a test?
The risk would be worthwhile if…
"Will I be able to use these abilities to help my people?"
Yes.
The relationship between the elements and the shaman is one of synchronicity.
The shaman's influence helps to calm and unite us, just as our influence enriches and
fulfills the shaman.
When you have completed your training, you will be able to call upon the elements in
times of need.
If the elements deem your cause just, we will assist you in any way possible.
True understanding, as Water promised, took years.
In time, however, Nobundo gained an understanding of the life-energies around him.
From the largest creatures on Draenor to a single, seemingly insignificant grain of sand,
he was keenly aware that everything in existence was alive with a vital energy, and that these
energies were linked and dependent on one another despite geographic location and opposing
forces.
What was more, he could feel these energies as if they were a part of him, which as he
now understood, they were.
The elements kept their bargain, and aspects of their nature were bestowed upon him.
From Water he gained clarity and patience: for the first time in so many years, his thoughts
were unclouded.
From Fire he gained passion, a renewed appreciation for life, and the desire to overcome any obstacle.
From Earth he gained resolve, a steel will, and unshakable determination.
From Wind he learned courage and persistence: how to dig deep within and press on in the
face of adversity.
Still, there was a key lesson that eluded him.
He felt it, sensed that the elements were holding something back, something that he
was simply not yet ready to understand.
And… there were still the nightmares.
They had eased somewhat, but night after night Nobundo still found himself pounding on the
gates of Shattrath while the screams of the dying rang in his ears.
And now when he went beyond the gates and stood by the fire, when the reproachful dead
appeared, they were accompanied by Korin.
He felt the soothing tone of Water: We sense that you are still… conflicted.
"Yes," he answered.
"I am haunted by the spirits of those who passed at Shattrath.
Can the elements assist in this?"
The conflict rests not with the spirits of the departed, but within you.
It is a conflict you alone must resolve.
"Will this inner struggle prevent me from realizing my true potential as a shaman?"
A sense of mirth radiated from the pools around him.
Of all the elements, Water was the most lighthearted.
Your conflict is reflected in the sky above, in the ground beneath you, in me, and especially
in Fire.
It is a reflection of nature's eternal struggle to achieve and maintain balance.
Nobundo thought for a moment.
"No matter how far my journey takes me, I suppose true understanding lies in the knowledge
that the journey will never end."
Good… very good.
The time has come for you to take your next step, one that may prove to be the most important
of all.
"I am ready."
Close your eyes.
Nobundo did.
He felt the earth seemingly fall away beneath him, felt the elements withdraw, and for a
single terrifying second his mind was back in Shattrath, abandoned and left in the dark.
Then he felt… something.
Something very different from the other elements.
It felt immense: cold but not hostile.
And in its presence Nobundo felt very, very small.
Then, he felt this presence speak with a multitude of voices, both feminine and masculine, a
harmonic symphony within and all around him.
Open your eyes.
Nobundo did.
And again he experienced that sense of diminution, of insignificance as he witnessed a dark,
never-ending expanse filled with myriad worlds.
Some like Draenor, some great balls of ice and frost, some covered in water, some lifeless
and barren.
And suddenly Nobundo understood… something seemingly so simple, yet a concept that had
completely eluded his mind: there were countless worlds beyond.
This much he had known, as his people had traveled to many worlds before settling on
Draenor.
But what Nobundo had failed to comprehend was that the power of the elements stretched
far beyond as well.
Each world had its own elements, its own powers to call upon.
And there was more.
Out here in the void was another element, one that seemed to bind the worlds together,
one composed of unspeakable energy.
If he could call upon this one--but he knew immediately that he was far too inexperienced
at this stage of his journey to commune with this mysterious new element.
This was just a glimpse, a gift of understanding…
An epiphany.
Pg 5: Velen appraised Nobundo with his crystal
blue eyes.
Nobundo protested, "They will not listen to me!
I do not think this was a good idea."
Velen's lip curved upward on one side.
He wore that same expression that made Nobundo feel as if the Prophet was aware of so many
things beyond Nobundo's understanding.
"After all you have been through, all you have overcome, are you really willing to give
up now?"
"I cannot get them to see me as anything more than Krokul, despite what I may have
to teach."
"Perhaps the true problem does not lie with them."
That is what the elements said, Nobundo thought.
As a result of their previous conversations, Nobundo had learned not to try and guess at
what the Prophet was thinking, so he stayed silent and waited.
Velen continued, "I hear the screams in your mind: the women of Shattrath.
I am aware of your heart's burden.
You have questioned whether or not your departure was an act of cowardice."
Nobundo nodded, suddenly overcome with emotion.
"A part of you knew even then that it was imperative for you to survive, to embrace
your greater destiny.
And throughout so many trials from that day on, never once did you give up.
That is why I chose you.
Why the elements have chosen you.
Our people call you Krokul, Broken, but I believe you may present us with our greatest
hope."
Velen extended a gentle hand to Nobundo's shoulder.
"Let them go.
Let the screams be silenced."
It was true.
He was not a coward.
Part of him had known, but in all that had happened since then, that part of him had
gotten hopelessly lost.
Nobundo let out a deep sigh, and somehow he knew right then that when he lay down to sleep
that evening, the nightmare would not be waiting for him.
He felt a sense of joy from the elements, as if they were… proud.
Velen smiled.
"Now, for the good of all of us, go.
Go and embrace your destiny."
Nobundo returned to the landing.
The gathered draenei were conversing among themselves, paying no heed to the frail figure
above.
He raised his staff.
Clouds gathered from a clear blue sky, casting a dark shadow onto the settlement.
The draenei stopped their conversations.
Nobundo called out, his voice carrying across the marsh.
"Watch and listen."
A deluge of rain poured down.
Lightning danced between the lamps surrounding the plaza, shattering the glass.
The gathered draenei stared in awe.
"You have come here to learn.
To one day wield these powers: the powers of the shaman."
"But shamanism is an orcish practice!" one of the audience called out.
Others joined in concurrence.
"Yes.
A practice they abandoned in favor of communing with demons.
Now we will journey the shaman's path, a path that will lead us to a future where no
one will kill our women…"
Nobundo paused, keeping his voice steady.
"Or our children.
Where Krokul and unaffected will work together to realize a dream that has long been forgotten
by our people: true freedom."
The members of the assembly looked at one another, seeking approval from one another,
measuring any continued resistance.
Finally they all seemed to come to the same conclusion: they would listen.
"Your journey begins with these simple words…."
Nobundo smiled.
The clouds above swirled.
Lightning arced.
Rain poured.
"Everything that is, is alive."
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