Real history was always far removed from what people knew.
"Too many interests were entangled in Westfall. The Defias Brotherhood used bloody methods to purge its enemies from Westfall and restore order. In the process, it offended quite a few of Stormwind City's great nobles. They kept whispering slander and shaping public opinion, portraying the Brotherhood as an irredeemably evil illegal organization."
Vanessa's voice grew cold. "The bandits who truly harmed the people were protected because they served the nobles' interests. The Brotherhood benefited Westfall and won the people's affection, yet it was slandered as an illegal organization. That's the cruel, pitiful reality."
"What happened after that?" Robbie asked with interest.
Vanessa continued, "The pressure from Stormwind City's nobles kept growing. Some hired adventurers to deal with the Brotherhood, and things gradually spiraled out of control. Of course, the Black Dragon Princess had foreseen all of it. When the time was nearly ripe, VanCleef followed the plan, ordering the Brotherhood's members to remove their masks and establish the People's Militia of Westfall."
"Th-this!" Robbie was stunned.
"So the Brotherhood and the People's Army really are one and the same?"
With masks on, they were the Defias Brotherhood; with masks off, they were the People's Militia of Westfall.
The only difference between the two seemingly hostile organizations had been a red mask.
Robbie couldn't help feeling a little regretful. He might as well have stayed with the Brotherhood back then; perhaps he could have become an officer in the People's Army too.
Vanessa smiled smugly.
"Can you believe Stormwind City's official account? A group of untrained civilians, with neither pay nor weapons, crushed a powerful assassin organization. How ridiculous is that? It holds up to scrutiny no better than a bunch of masons turning into a top-tier assassin organization."
Vanessa was right. Since its founding, the People's Army had never received a copper coin in pay from Stormwind City.
In other words, the People's Army was Westfall's private army.
The army's fighting strength was not to be underestimated. It was considered one of the Alliance's seven major legions and had once been reorganized into the Moonbrook Brigade to take part in the northern campaign against the Lich King. Originally a militia, it had transformed into a regular army of the kingdom.
The gap between a militia and a main Alliance legion was who knew how many Hoggers wide. How could it be crossed in a single bound?
"So VanCleef isn't dead?"
Robbie remembered how, after hearing of VanCleef's death, he had been genuinely upset for quite a while.
It seemed those tears had been wasted.
"VanCleef doesn't refer to any particular person. It's an identity the Brotherhood shares when dealing with outsiders. The leader of the People's Army, Marshal Grian Stoutmantle, often uses it..."
At that point, Vanessa realized what she was saying and fell silent. Her beautiful eyes widened, and she shot Robbie a fierce glare.
Damn, I've heard a huge secret.
"Why did the Brotherhood rise again afterward?" Robbie asked.
"That was after the northern campaign in Northrend."
Vanessa sounded rather nostalgic. "That mistaken war left the Kingdom of Stormwind with a great many refugees. The treasury was empty, so even King Varian couldn't do anything. The refugees heard that life was fairly good in nearby Westfall, so they poured in. The People's Army naturally opposed it and did everything it could to drive them out. Later, the king issued an order requiring Westfall to solve the problem."
"The refugees didn't trust the king and strongly resented the People's Army. They began to resist and were liable to start riots. Only the Brotherhood could settle them properly. Of course, many refugees became pirates as a result, but at least they got enough to eat."
"I lived with the Brotherhood for a while when I was little. Everyone in the Brotherhood believed I was VanCleef's daughter, so I was the best person to step forward and lead the refugees. But I was only a girl in my teens then. What did I know about all those trifling matters? The Brotherhood's elders did the work. I just put on a show and acted as a puppet."
Robbie asked one last question. "Why did the Brotherhood disband again afterward?"
Vanessa sighed. "There was no helping it. Once everyone had enough to eat and their basic needs were met, they no longer wanted to rebel. The People's Army wanted more soldiers, and with a little inducement, they flocked over to its side. Ungrateful wretches. Haven't you seen those subordinates of mine? Is there anything human about them? They really couldn't be made respectable, so they followed me wholeheartedly."
Robbie learned about the tangled history of gratitude and grudges in Westfall, and how the People's Army and the Defias Brotherhood remained intertwined and depended on each other. His relationship with the commander grew close.
Close partners.
From then on, Robbie officially became acting commander, stepping forward to oversee the garrison's affairs.
The Brotherhood was an organization as tightly run as a clockwork mechanism, with strict discipline and talented people from every trade. They readily took up posts suited to them. The garrison's specialized buildings began operating, all the workshops opened for business, and everything proceeded in good order. There was no need to devote any special attention to it.
There was one thing they had overlooked: the pet trainer's daily task. The Brotherhood's members kept only parrots, and they lost so badly that they were at a complete loss. In the end, they had to give up.
Robbie sadly discovered that his job had become smiling at guests in the inn and finding all sorts of reasons to turn away adventurers who wanted to see the commander.
He had thought a garrison so far beyond the limits would meet with resistance from other adventurers.
But that wasn't the case. Most of the adventurers looked envious and were eager to know who the garrison's commander was. They simply wanted to attach themselves to someone powerful and find a backer; they had no other ideas.
After making inquiries, Robbie learned that although Vanessa's garrison was a little large, it was at most a collection of several garrisons. It had all the buildings it was supposed to have, and everything it shouldn't have was well hidden.
Comparison was what people had to fear.
In Talador, for example, the Alliance's Fort Wrynn and the Horde's Vol'jin's Pride actually had Arcane temples and giant batteries covering all of Talador. From their names, one could tell they were the Alliance and Horde leaders' secondary residences. One commander had wanted to build a garrison on land near Fort Wrynn, only to have it forcibly demolished.
Admiral Taylor, far away in the Arak Spires, was even more excessive.
His land was nowhere near the Iron Horde, yet he insisted on building a massive naval base. Even Prince Anduin, who was always mild in his dealings, couldn't stand it and accused the admiral of violating the Alliance's basic strategic policy in Draenor.
That morning, Robbie prepared himself a glass of morning dew wine and sat leisurely at the front desk of the garrison inn, ready to deal with the adventurers who would soon arrive.
Instead, Khadgar's messenger showed up.
The messenger announced a special task that all Alliance garrisons were required to assist with.
"Task: basic logging. Lead lumberjacks to fell trees and collect wood.
Archmage Khadgar needs to study what makes Draenor's wood different."
Robbie curled his lip and grumbled inwardly, Archmage Khadgar, do you have nothing better to do? What did Draenor's wood ever do to you?
Of course, they still had to give the Archmage face.
Vanessa never bothered with such trifles. She went back to her room on the second floor of the Town Hall to catch up on sleep.
The task naturally fell to Robbie, who had no choice but to head out with Delvar Ironfist and a team of Gnoll lumberjacks.
Trees grew in abundance in Shadowmoon Valley. Using protection of the environment as a pretext, the local Draenei had decreed that only a few designated trees could be felled, and a special compass had to be used to find them.
The Draenei were not only fussy but also particularly devious.
The designated trees were either guarded by corrupted beasts or served as nests for dangerous elemental creatures. Anyone lacking in strength would not only fail to get any wood but could also lose their life.
Before long, Robbie found a tree suitable for felling.
A huge treant stood guard beside it. Ironfist was a powerful Death Knight with a forthright nature, and he charged up of his own accord. Robbie, meanwhile, leisurely dealt ordinary blows from the side, occasionally healing Ironfist.
That wasn't slacking off. He was conserving his strength, just in case.
The treant soon fell, and the Gnoll lumberjacks following them successfully chopped the wood. The task was complete.
Suddenly, a sexy, beautiful succubus appeared. Her eyes roved, and she cast Ironfist a flirtatious glance, charming him.
Damn it, Ironfist's already dead. How can he still be charmed by a woman? Is this what they mean by loving even in death?
Robb lost his composure. I'm so handsome and charming. Why didn't she charm me?
Robb struck Ironfist with his elbow, snapping him awake. He used a little too much force, and Ironfist glared angrily at Robbie. Though furious, Ironfist was dutiful enough. He used Death Grip to drag a human Warlock out of the woods, then raised his fist to give him a beating and vent his anger.
"Don't hit me, Robbie! It's me! A misunderstanding, this is a misunderstanding!"
Robbie's eyes widened, and he asked in surprise, "Luobo'an, why is it you, you bastard?"
The human Warlock Luobo'an was half a head shorter than Robbie. He was thin and pale, with a slightly sickly look and an ordinary face; only his small eyes were fairly bright. He wore a replica of Arugal's robes, and his weapon was an heirloom, a replica of the Headmaster's Staff.
Luobo'an was also from Lakeshire. He and Robbie had grown up together and both had a secret crush on Lisa. They were bad friends and rivals in love. Although Robbie considered himself taller, more handsome, and stronger than Luobo'an, he knew in his heart that Lisa would end up marrying him.
There was no other reason: Luobo'an was Mayor Solomon's most beloved youngest son.
When they were seven, Robbie and Luobo'an took the knight entrance examination at Northshire Abbey together. When it was Luobo'an's turn to cast Holy Light on a dummy, the process took so long that Instructor Samael nearly fell asleep. If Luobo'an hadn't been Mayor Solomon's son, Samael would have thrown him out long ago.
"Casting time: thirty-three minutes and twenty-nine seconds. Healing: three points. My guess is you must have killed a Naaru in your previous life."
Humans were beings of order. In a sacred place like Northshire Abbey, they could all sense the power of the Holy Light to some degree. A result as poor as Luobo'an's was almost unprecedented, and probably would never be matched.
Later, Robbie, who had excellent aptitude, was forced to take up the unpopular path of the Warlock because he couldn't produce any gold coins to offer the abbey. Luobo'an joined in the fun, but unfortunately, he had no talent as a Warlock either, nor did he seek to improve. He couldn't even summon an imp.
Then one day, Luobo'an went somewhere to train for a while, though no one knew where. When he returned, he was a changed man. He took Robbie out drinking and said he would leave Lisa in Robbie's care from then on; he was withdrawing of his own accord.