Ms. Callow

I passed by a Forsaken merchant in Tarren Mill that heard that I was looking for work. “Good morning, Mistress. Shay at the inn mentioned to me that you may be interested in some, err, work. I just so happened to be passing through Arathi Highlands the other day and I know of some forsaken in need of assistance.” I was skeptical at first, but my empty pockets convinced me otherwise. I sighed as I pulled out the coins from my right trouser pocket. A few silvers were all I had on me, and that would need to last a few weeks until I was able to get to my bank box in Undercity. It certainly was not enough to deny any work that came my way. “Aye sir, tell me more about this work you speak of in Arathi.”

Just a short time later I was preparing my mount, a wyvern named Vexe, for the journey to Arathi. Ever the curious creature, Vexe is always up for a journey. The merchant mentioned to me that the forsaken camp I am to travel to is just over the border at Galen’s Fall. Easy enough, I thought to myself. The ride to Arathi was uneventful and I neared my destination by late afternoon…..

“The Harlot! The Swine!” I heard a woman bellow. I had just arrived at Galen’s Fall-a small encampment, seemingly made up of just Forsaken and a single abomination. The abomination eyed me with interest as I made my way further into the camp. The woman I had heard was forsaken, but still appeared very humanlike. She was sitting between two merchant carts on a small cushion with a dagger in her hand, and she was visibly upset. As I neared her, she threw the dagger to the ground in a bout of rage and frustration. It skidded to a halt a few feet in front of me. I put on a smile as I stopped before her. “Evening, Madame. Is everything alright?” I asked cautiously. The woman turned to me and almost appeared offended as she scoffed. “Is everything alright? IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT? Are you mad? Of course everything is not alright!” the woman bemoaned. Having no idea what was troubling her, and seeing no immediate danger, I asked her to explain her situation to me. “My family is gone, taken by the plague. Our estate also forfeit; looted and burned during the war. And after all that, she and her lousy children had the audacity to steal the only precious belongings I had left. I don’t care about the things they stole anymore. What I want now is their heads!” the woman let out a sigh and walked towards her discarded dagger and picked it up. She watched me carefully with a raised brow as she walked back to her cushion. Then, her dull eyes seemed to brighten, and she turned to me with a grin and said “Kill them for me! Go to the Dabyrie Farmstand east of here and kill them all! Bring me their heads,” she cackled.

Transfixed, I listed to the woman, who is named Ms. Callow I had come to find out, plead with me to go on a killing rampage to fulfill some personal vendetta of hers. Over and over, she mentioned how some human woman, Kenata, had stolen everything from her, and the only justice left was death. While I was no killer before I was turned, I can’t say the same in recent years. That being the case, I wasn’t going to be convinced to kill someone just because they allegedly stole something from Ms. Callow, and besides, I didn’t even know the woman. “If, carry out this…justice for you, what will you compensate me?” I interrupted Ms. Callow mid-sentence. She thought for a moment and said, “Err, well I don’t have much you see, that bitch Kenata…” “Yes yes, I know.” I interrupted again, “she stole everything from you. A tragedy indeed. But I’m afraid my services do not come free.” Ms. Callow furrowed her brow and then exhaled, “As I was saying, I don’t have much, but I can give you 40 silvers. Surely that is enough for your trouble.” I smirked at her words.  It certainly wasn’t enough for the trouble of killing three people, but I had no intention of slaughtering anyone. “Fine. 40 silvers it is. But I am not bringing you back any heads. If you don’t trust me to do the job, then you are welcome to do it yourself.” In a huff, Ms. Callow looked at me and nodded. “Fine, but I better see their blood on your weapons. I have ways to knowing if it is theirs or not.” I rolled my eyes. I did not wish to be around Ms. Callow any longer than I had to, so I decided to leave for Dabyrie farm immediately. The abomination sniffed in my direction as I hopped upon Vexe and took flight, heading east.

I arrived near Dabyrie Farmstead around dusk. My mount, Vexe, was visibly exhausted from a full day’s worth of travel, so I set up a small camp just to the northwest of the farm. My small tent was enough shelter to myself and my few belongings from the elements. While I do not notice the chill of the wind like I did when I was alive, it was a painful reminder that I was no longer human. I found it best to keep the wind at bay. I sat in my patchwork tent and planned my “attack”. Tomorrow I will deal with the Dabyries, I decided. I chewed on a fraying piece of my leather glove as I looked around me. While I was not acutely familiar with Arathi, I knew of several people that have spent time in this area. A bard I see occasionally in Tarren Mill once told me there are rumors of a large wasp in this region, Boros was what I think he called it. This seemed like an odd area for a giant wasp creature, but I could have sworn I heard a distant buzzing sound as I finished unloading the supplies off Vexe. Unsure if a fire would attract or repel a giant wasp, I decided to forgo building one. It was a cool summer night, but not cold enough that my wyvern would need any additional heat- we could do without a fire for a night.

Morning soon came, and I found a couple squirrels nearby to feed Vexe. I gave him a pat and set off walking towards the Dabyries, hoping that my bounties would be cooperative. I still had no intention of killing them, and it would be so much easier if they decided to play along. I had no idea what the real story was between Ms. Callow and the Dabyries. While I know many forsaken have struggled with the loss of their old lives, Ms. Callow seemed pretty upset for someone that only had a few material goods stolen. Death certainly seemed like too much of a punishment for such a crime. I wondered if mere possessions would cause such a response; this certainly seemed like a fervent plea more akin to more an emotional matter, perhaps a matter of the heart? Old gods be dammed, have I really been sent to kill an entire family because of a disgruntled lover?! I nearly stumbled over some rocks as my imagination got the better of me, but I caught myself in time to avoid falling and being detected. I crept behind a small, thorny hedge just west of the main house and took in my surroundings. There were several men a few meters away toiling in the small field in the center of the compound, all of them looking rather similar in appearance. I suppose these could just be hired farmhands, or possibly members of Kenata’s family. Although I could try and talk with these men first, I decided to look for Kenata and hoped to find her alone. I ground my teeth and kept low as I made my way towards the farmhouse. I patted the side of my pants for my blade, and took it out, grasping it firmly in my right hand. Its green luster giving off a faint glow, and I hoped that no one would notice. When I got to the front door of the main house, I noticed it was slightly ajar, so I stepped inside as quietly as I could. The gods were in my favor today as not a single creak was made while I entered. The house was old and small- just one large room with a fireplace in the center of the back wall. Kenata, or whom I assumed was her, had her back to me, and I snuck up behind her and quickly put my hand over her mouth and my blade to her neck. She instantly started to squirm and tried to scream. “Keep it down!” I ordered, trying not to be too loud. “Or else I’m going to slit your throat and eat your corpse!” OK, that was probably a bit much, but I wanted her to take me seriously and listen. And besides, humans always had a bit of an inflated imagination when it came to ideas of Forsaken eating habits.  I hoped to scare her into cooperating. “I’ve been sent here by someone to kill you, but I don’t plan on doing that. Keep it down and do as I say.”  Just then, one of the laborers walked in, turned to me with wide eyes, and rushed towards us. I pushed Kenata back into a corner and charged at my new opponent. Right as I was about to swing at him, my vision darkened almost completely, and my eyes instantly started to sting. The taste of earth filled my mouth. “You threw DIRT at me you son of a bitch?!” I wailed as I started slicing aimlessly in front of me with my blade. Who the hell throws dirt at someone?! Maybe I will be killing someone on this farm after all!

I sliced through the air a few more times until my blade found purchase, and then kicked the man in the head for good measure. A squeal came from my target, and I heard him fall to the ground. Now, I was able to quickly wipe the dirt from my eyes. With foggy vision I turned to look for Kenata, and she was right where I left her, stunned and unable to move.  “Just listen to me, ok?” I said to her as I spit out a clump of dirt from my mouth. “I have been sent here by some woman who would be delighted to make your head into a lantern. So, if you would rather not be the newest decoration for her caravan, do exactly as I say.”  I wiped my eyes again and winced as I continued, “Ms. Callow has demanded your and your family’s death, and wants your blood on my weapons as proof. Let me give each of you a cut on your palms to coat my blade in your blood. I can do it quickly and with as little pain as possible.” Kenata was silent as I spoke, but a feverish grin broke out across her face as I finished. She shook her head and snickered, “that old hag? She is the one who sent you to kill me? Gods, she needs to GET OVER IT!” Kenata’s tone was practically a roar as she continued, “it’s been years! YEARS since her husband and I were…acquainted. Such a sad person she must be now to still be thinking about it. And furthermore, it happened after she, err, well… turned into one of you” she said as she gestured in my direction. I bit back the sour retort on my tongue as she concluded- “well, that ole bastard of hers is dead now anyways. Turns out he likes to ‘get acquainted’ with many women. I caught him with some lady out in the trees behind my house and shot them both dead! See those bones in my fireplace….” She howled with laughter as she said it and pointed in the direction of the hearth. Her howling reached an uncomfortable pitch and got even louder as she looked at the expression on my face after her revelation. “Are those actually their bones in the fireplace?” I asked, clearly unable to conceal my surprise. Kenata just continued to laugh, tears now starting to form in the corners of her eyes. “Oh goodness, you silly little creature” Kenata bemused. She let out a long, focusing sigh and then said, “Well, this is certainly an interesting day, but I guess I will allow you to slice into my hand- for a price. That dagger I saw you use earlier on my farmhand; I want it.” Kenata stood tall and waited for my response. “Why do you want my dagger?” I asked. Kenata smirked, “I know what that blade is, Forsaken. Its enchantment could be useful to a simple farmer like me. When you live as remotely as I do, there is no one to help you but yourself. Demons seems to be more and more common these days, and that blade could protect me.” I paused for a moment, not wanting to appear too excited. Kenata apparently thought this blade was the famed Felbane dagger, a blade that is rumored to be enchanted with a power to slay demons as easily as it is to pluck the head off a dandelion. I hid the smirk rising to my face. This was a great turn of events. For luckily, this was not the famous blade. I bought this dagger from a seedy merchant back in Undercity that was known to sell fakes of some of Azeroth’s more notable weapons. The man swore to me of its authenticity, but, in his words, thought I looked like a “worthy wielder” and would part with it for the generous price of only a few gold. While it was a decent blade, it certainly was not irreplaceable, and I had no qualms about keeping it. I had several other weapons that were far superior. “A few drops of blood for an enchanted dagger does not seem like a fair deal to me, now does it?” I said to Kenata.  She straightened, and instantly became defensive- “Well, it’s the only way I’ll cooperate. Besides, you’re Forsaken, practically a demon yourself. What extra protection can the blade really offer you anyways?” she said. I stared at her. This sort of mentality towards the Forsaken was not something that I encountered infrequently. Maybe Ms. Callow had the right idea after all- off with her head! But I was determined not to become what Kenata already thought I was.  I shook my head as I flipped the blade in my hand so that the handle pointed to Kenata, and I extended it towards her. As she was about to grab it, I pulled it back towards me. “Ah, not yet. I get your blood first and then the blade is yours.” Kenata stared for a moment, and then half nodded. I drew my larger shortsword as she extended her palm to me. I quickly cut a shallow line and watched as the blood beaded in her palm. I pushed on her hand to get more blood to flow out, and then I took my hands and wiped it onto my blade. The thin, even coat of blood was almost pearlescent on my blade; strangely beautiful, even. After that was done, she brought her adult sons to me, and I did the same for them. They had confused looks on their faces, as they had no idea what had just transpired, but they cooperated with their mother’s orders, nonetheless.

It was nearly midday when I left the Dabyries. Dirt still coated my face, and I was eager to wash up. (Yes, Forsaken do still care about cleanliness. Well, most of us anyways) It did not take too long to hike back to my camp spot, and I arrived to find Vexe napping amongst the tall grass. After I gave him some water out of my waterskin, we headed back towards Galen’s Fall. I’m sure Ms. Callow was keen to hear from me, just as I was keen to collect my payment. It was dusk when we arrived, the trip back taking slightly longer than the way here. Vexe had seen some fowl as we were flying over the rolling hills, and practically did a nosedive to the ground to reach them. Fortunately, his impromptu dinner break did not add much time.

I found Ms. Callow in the same spot as yesterday, and she immediately jumped to her feet once she saw me approach. Overcome with excitement, she practically ran me over. Her eyes briefly chased over my armor, and then she gave a sharp glance to my sword. “Oh!” she exclaimed with enthusiasm as she simultaneously grabbed my weapon from its sheath. “How I have waited years for this!” Ms. Callow said. She brought the blade close to her nose and took a sharp inhale. A small smile pulled at her mouth, and she let out an exhale, “Ah, yes. This is Kenata’s blood alright. I could never forget such an atrocious smell as her. Well, I hope they didn’t put up too much of a fight for you.” I highly doubted that the old bat could tell it was Ketana’s blood, but many Forsaken have taken part in some unusual experiments that have led to interesting abilities, so I suppose it wasn’t impossible. She reached into her apron and pulled out a decently sized coin purse and tossed it to me.  I forced a smile and said “Yes, Ketana and her sons put up a small fight, but they were easily bested. It was clear to me that they were lowly creatures unworthy of their fortune.” It couldn’t hurt to sweet talk Ms. Callow a bit, I thought. Hell, maybe she will be so thrilled with their “deaths” that she will throw in a few extra coins. “Don’t think your words are going to get you any extra coin.” Ms. Callow said, interrupting my thoughts. “I know when someone is trying to sweet-talk me, darling. But I see that they belt you wear has seen better days.” Ms. Callow walked over to a small wooden chest near her campsite and unlatched it. She then pulled out a greenish looking leather belt and brought it to me. She offered it to me and said “Funny enough, this belt used to belong to Kenata. I found it in my barn years ago and kept ahold of it. Trust me, I know it was hers. I had hoped to slap her upside the head with it one day, but I guess that won’t ever happen now. Take it, it’s a good belt. I may have carved in some words on the inside of it with my claws, but it will still hold up well. Good quality leather, that is.” I nodded. Wanting to get out of Ms. Callow’s presence as soon as possible, I thanked her a bid her farewell. When I first made my way to Galens’ Fall I was interested in spending a few weeks here, doing as many jobs as I could to get some money, but now I was ready to leave. Ms. Callow and the too-attentive abomination were all I needed to see to get out of here. I quickly mounted Vexe and sailed off into the night. Tarren Mill always seems to have a few odd jobs available anyways, so I thought it better to just go back home.

Home. Tarren Mill is not really my home, my old cottage outside of Capital City is. I feel ashamed thinking that any other place but my cottage could be considered home. However, my cottage is now long gone, ravaged during the Lich King’s conquests. Briefly, my husband’s face enters my mind, and I am instantly filled with immeasurable sorrow. My thoughts always end up drifting to him when I think of my old life. I quickly push his face out of my mind and pull out the belt Ms. Callow gave me.  It was dark, but I brought the lantern tied to Vexe’s saddle close to me and inspected the sash. Running my hands along the seams, it did seem to be a good belt as Ms. Callow had said. I flipped the belt over, and, sure enough, there was something carved into it. I squinted and brought the belt closer. “This belt belonged to an adulterous b-” I read aloud. I howled with laughter as I Vexe and I rode into the night, my new adulterous belt in tow.