(2023-05-15) Chapter VI: Razorfen Rescue, Part 1 (Cobalt Blade)

Details

Author:	OzmaAsimov
Summary:	Decker Canton's information has led the Cobalt Blade back to Ratchet to seek out the goblin he bartered his lockbox key to. But nothing is ever so simple….
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: The Cobalt Blade

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Corpse, mention of an orgy (in jest…probably)

[Zaara]: Wengeance! Hello! Coooool!

Vesyllah groans.

Tadget slings an arm around Zaara's shin.

[Zaara]: Mayhem! Cheeseball!

[Tadget]: I am not ball shaped thank you very much.

[Tadget]: Feel free to verify.

[Vesyllah]: Eh…you're a little ballish.

[Tadget]: I am not!!!

Zaara bends down and pats Tadget's head. "Yes, you see?"

[Tadget]: Just because I don't have weird noodle limbs and a clothespin head…

[Vesyllah]: …is why you're ballish.

[Tadget]: I am NOT. I have lost ALL my baby weight thank you!!!

[Zaara]: You were heavy baby?

[Tadget]: No, my babies made me heavy. Because there were three of them.

[Zaara]: Ah!

[Vesyllah]: Don't feel bad. You're still hot.

[Tadget]: I know it.

[Tadget]: Ya think I could keep the attention of Mr. Love 'Em and Leave 'Em Assassin otherwise?

Vesyllah shrugs.

[Tadget]: I am obsession-worthy. I am the GODSLAYER.

[Vesyllah]: Oh, are you? I didn't know.

[Zaara]: GOD SLAYER.

[Tadget]: BEST YOU LEARN.

[Zaara]: COOOOOOOOOL.

[Vesyllah]: If only someone had told me repeatedly.

Thalstan walks into the inn, totally did not materialize here. "I reckon I could slay a god, if I ran inta one."

[Zaara]: Which one?

[Tadget]: I'll tell you with my FISTS next time, should you forget.

[Thalstan]: Which ones still need killin'?

Tadget sighs at Thalstan.

[Tadget]: Look, even with me there it took like forty people.

Thalstan chuckles. "Alrigh' so single-handedly, with forty people."

[Tadget]: All of whom were my equal in awesomeness. Or almost.

[Tadget]: Hey, I never said single-handedly.

[Tadget]: I used both hands.

[Thalstan]: Fair 'nough.

[Thalstan]: Shall we go see about that key now?

[Tadget]: Oh, right.

[Tadget]: Forgot why I was here.

Tadget salutes Thalstan with respect.

[Vesyllah]: Right. Need to find the goblinest of goblin names.

[Thalstan]: Goblin… What was it, Wixxil?

Innkeeper Wiley says: Wixxel?

[Tadget]: Goblin names all sound alike to me.

Innkeeper Wiley says: He's usually hanging about with his brother, Mebok, at his stall by the bank.

[Thalstan]: Yeah, that sounds right. Do yeh know 'im?

[Thalstan]: Ah, thank yeh much, we'll head that way.

Innkeeper Wiley holds out his hand, palm up.

[Tadget]: Rexxit Spingleclorch. Zaxxem Gangleplazz.

Thalstan stares at it, then sighs a little and puts a gold piece into his palm.

[Zaara]: Me bok.

Innkeeper Wiley says: Ahem.

Innkeeper Wiley says: Pleasure doin' business with ya!

[Thalstan]: Let's move out, team!

Tadget salutes Thalstan with respect.

[Tadget]: I mean our names at least MEAN stuff mostly

[Vesyllah]: Greedy little snots….

[Zaara]: Booty. Mayhem.

[Tadget]: But Mizzyrix? What's a Rix?

[Thalstan]: Maybe one day I'll explain wha' Stouthammer means…

[Tadget]: Oh I think we all know what it means.

[Zaara]: It means a large tool!

[Tadget]: The hammer is your— OW! *She swats a wayward fly*

Mebok Mizzyrix says: Well, look who it is! Hey, I'm still workin' on monetizing that wailing essence. Don't you worry, you'll get your cut!

Thalstan shoots a look at Zaara and Tadget, but is saved from further explanation by Mebok.

[Vesyllah]: Oh, it's this goblin.

[Tadget]: You can tell them apart?

[Thalstan]: Thank yeh, but we're actually here for somethin' else. Your brother Wixxel around?

[Tadget]: Or your brothers Ibok, Youbok and Theybok?

Mebok Mizzyrix says: I heard you were lookin' for him. Yeah, I know all about his dealings with that Defias runaway.

[Thalstan]: Ah! Did he, mebbe, leave anythin' with you about that?

Vesyllah smirks at Tadget.

Mebok Mizzyrix says: Hah! I bet you wish he did. Nope. And trouble is, Wix ain't here, neither. Seems he went and got himself into a tight spot. But I can help you find him…for a price.

[Tadget]: We're shocked, shocked.

Thalstan gives Mebok a level look. "Wha' kind o' trouble, and wha' kind o' price?"

Screwchi looks at Mebok Mizzyrix with a confused look.

Mebok Mizzyrix says: Well…let's talk price first. See, I've got a constant demand for blueleaf tubers. They're a delicacy around the world! But the only place to find them is in Razorfen Kraul.

Mebok Mizzyrix says: Even then, they're impossible to find unless you know just where to look! That's why I've trained these snufflenose gophers to find them for me. They have great noses and can smell a tuber from fifty paces away.

Mebok Mizzyrix says: You take some gophers and get me some tubers and I'll help you find my brother. Plus, you get to have a little gopher army helpin' you out. So cute. It's a win-win!

[Vesyllah]: Cute. Ugh….

[Thalstan]: I do like cute animals, *Thal looks wary,* But Razorfen Kraul?

[Zaara]: Go for!

Mebok Mizzyrix says: Hey, you guys took on the Wailing Caverns. The Kraul should be a piece of cake, right?

[Tadget]: How cute can tuber-eating rodents possibly be?

[Thalstan]: I… suppose. But then yeh'll for sure tell us where yer brother is? Not just some half-baked rumors?

Tadget peers into one of the holed boxes.

[Tadget]: oh TITANS.

[Tadget]: ohmigosh.

Mebok Mizzyrix says: I can put you on his trail. I mean, c'mon…I do want my brother back.

[Thalstan]: Are they real cute?

[Tadget]: Lookit imz!!! Imz so snuffly!!!

[Thalstan]: I… uh.. I think tha's a vote for yes right there.

Vesyllah groans. "Night Warrior…just kill me now."

Mebok Mizzyrix says: So, we got a deal?

[Thalstan]: So we'll wander inta a dangerous quilboar area to pick tubers, and yeh'll help us save yer brother…

[Tadget]: Real fair deal.

Thalstan looks around at the others. "Any objections?"

Mebok Mizzyrix says: Hey Thalstan! Don't forget to grab a crate, a manual and a command stick!

[Vesyllah]: Whatever….

[Tadget]: Sure, we'll help him in exchange for helping him.

Thalstan sighs.

[Tadget]: This is how the economy crashes, guys.

[Zaara]: Tubers! Go fors! Good words.

[Thalstan]: Economy crashes are no' my problem. We'll let Mebok here handle all tha' supply 'n' demand stuff.

[Tadget]: Yes, put the global economy in the hands of goblins. What a great id— oh wait, we already do.

Tadget lets out a long, drawn-out sigh.

Mebok Mizzyrix says: Here's what I know. Wixxil and his partner were headed into Razorfen Kraul. They were hired by this night elf fella, Henethal Idlecreek outta Thalanaar. I dunno, somethin' about retrievin' some lost treasure for his mate.

[Zaara]: Oooooh.

[Tadget]: Idlecreek. Fantastic name. I want to vacation there.

[Vesyllah]: Sounds fake.

[Tadget]: YOU sound fake.

[Vesyllah]: You're ballish.

[Tadget]: I AM NOT.

[Thalstan]: Might be he used a fake name fer the deal. Doesn't mean the deal's fake.

Mebok Mizzyrix says: Anyway, Wix never made it outta the Kraul. His partner, Torgin Longbraid, did. Only, he ran into some trouble. Rather, trouble ran after him and then he ran into the ground…from about three hundred feet up.

[Zaara]: He is all right?

[Tadget]: Ouch.

Mebok Mizzyrix says: Uh…no. He fell off the cliffs by the Great Lift. I ain't been able to get down there to his body with the tauren guarding the lift. They've been real touchy with me lately. How was I supposed to know those kodo were sacred?

[Tadget]: I'VE SURVIVED WORSE.

[Zaara]: Mayhem is a God Slayer. Did you know?

[Tadget]: It's true.

[Thalstan]: Well, we can't all be you, godslayer.

Tadget preens.

Mebok Mizzyrix says: I did know that! Real impressive. Hey, Godslayer, you need an agent?

[Tadget]: Maybe.

[Tadget]: We'll talk later.

Mebok Mizzyrix says: Let's talk if you survive!

[Thalstan]: Okay, so, what's the deal with this Longbraid?

Mebok Mizzyrix says: He's dead. So, get to Longbraid's body. He and Wix always carried buzzboxes. If it's still in one piece, you might be able to contact my brother.

Tadget looks pleased to have her fame properly recognized. Pleased enough to actually shut up for five seconds.

[Thalstan]: Ohhh… buzzboxes. Gotcha. Tha' makes sense.

[Zaara]: A buzzbox! I know this! It is a gnome thing like holo-crystal, but less good!

Mebok Mizzyrix says: While you're in Thousand Needles, you might as well go on to Thalanaar and ask around about this Henethal Idlecreek. See if they know anything that might be helpful to findin' him and Wixxil.

[Thalstan]: We can do that. *Thal nods*

[Thalstan]: You all been ta Thousand Needles before?

[Zaara]: No!

[Thalstan]: Me neither!

[Zaara]: Cooool!

[Vesyllah]: Not for a long while.

[Tadget]: I've only been to nine hundred ninety eight of 'em.

[Vesyllah]: She's got jokes.

[Thalstan]: Ready fer a Cobalt Blade sightseein' trip, then? Well, sightseein' and corpse-seein'.

[Tadget]: If you're careful you can get past the Tauren guards.

[Tadget]: Well, I can anyway.

[Tadget]: I'll sneak past and laugh while they chase the rest of you.

[Thalstan]: Thanks, Mebok. An' we'll bring back some tubers.

[Zaara]: Someone who is not me will lead! I can lead but it will go bad.

Tadget giggles at Zaara.

[Thalstan]: I know it's south o' here. I bet we can't miss it.

[Tadget]: They aren't actually needles, by the way, if anyone was worried.

[Tadget]: And there aren't really a thousand. There are maybe like, I dunno, eighty-four.

[Thalstan]: I wouldnae want to be pricked by 1000 needles.

[Tadget]: They are really tall skinny rock columns. You have probably seen paintings. Except Zaara.

[Vesyllah]: I was disappointed the first time I saw it.

[Tadget]: For some reason there are paintings of them hanging all over the Eastern Kingdoms. It's kind of a cliche.

[Thalstan]: I think I do recall.

[Tadget]: But in person they are pretty cool. Unless you're Vesyllah, who doesn't think anything is cool except murder.

[Tadget]: Which is cool, mind you.

[Tadget]: But other things are also cool, sometimes.

Vesyllah shrugs and nods.

[Zaara]: Cooooool.

[Thalstan]: I dinnae know if 'cool' is th' right word for murder.

[Tadget]: It is if you do it in a cool way.

Thalstan looks unconvinced, but he does not argue.

[Vesyllah]: She's just using the wrong word. A righteous killing isn't technically murder. But I get what she means. It's cool.

[Tadget]: I think 'murder' sounds cooler.

[Tadget]: Have I mentioned I hate quilboar?

[Tadget]: Especially the way they spell quilboar. So stupid.

[Vesyllah]: What's to like?

[Tadget]: I wonder if quilboar bacon is any good.

[Vesyllah]: ANd who came up with that? Pretty sure it wasn't the quilboar.

[Thalstan]: I expect we're goin' to be killin' a lot more o' them soon enough.

[Tadget]: See, even killing them isn't any fun, because they just keep going [horrible quilboar noise].

[Vesyllah]: Ugh…

[Tadget]: Somebody oil those motherf— OW! *She slaps at another biting fly.*

[Zaara]: Motherfow!

Thalstan makes a hmph sound. "Careful here, Horde camp on the right."

[Tadget]: The Horde smell bad. Like, pretty universally.

[Tadget]: Weirdly trolls are the best smelling of the lot.

[Thalstan]: Even th'elves?

[Tadget]: Oh the elves are the worst.

[Vesyllah]: Fel.

[Tadget]: SO much perfume.

[Tadget]: And Fel.

[Thalstan]: Heh.

[Vesyllah]: I suppose the perfume is pretty awful, too.

[Tadget]: So it's like, sulfur and dead roses. BLECH.

[Vesyllah]: Elune…you're right.

[Zaara]: Oooh, blech.

Zaara wrinkles her nose.

Thalstan eyes the burnt Horde outpost. "Looks like they're havin' a hard time of it, too."

[Vesyllah]: Good.

[Tadget]: Givin me a heart attack stopping right by that Horde flag. But I guess we'd smell 'em coming.

[Tadget]: Some trolls smell kinda nice actually, if you like the smell of weird stuff on fire.

[Tadget]: Which I do.

Vesyllah smirks.

[Tadget]: But mostly only if I set the fire.

[Vesyllah]: Trolls know a lot of the right stuff to burn….

[Tadget]: Here we are.

[Tadget]: Watch out for moocows.

Thalstan eyes the thorns. "This is quilboar territory."

[Zaara]: MOOOOOO.

[Tadget]: They like to pretend they don't see you if you give them half a chance.

[Vesyllah]: Skoden.

[Tadget]: So just don't be super obvious and we can probably go right past.

[Thalstan]: If I recall my geography, this should be the Kraul.

[Tadget]: Yep.

Thalstan eyes Brave Moonhorn up and down.

[Tadget]: "Don't be real obvious," I say, and y'all just ride your mounts right up there.

Tadget shakes her head.

[Thalstan]: Eh, well, I just turned to stone.

[Zaara]: I cannot tell always what is obvious!

[Thalstan]: Taurens aren't that tough.

Tadget gently pats Zaara.

[Tadget]: Oh dear.

[Tadget]: Whoof, he's been dead a while.

[Thalstan]: Tha' looks like a body.

[Zaara]: It smells also like a body.

[Thalstan]: …I wonder how cold this trail o' Mebok's is.

Zaara listens for a moment.

[Zaara]: It sounds like a body.

Thalstan nudges his hand with one mail boot. "What's this?"

The buzzbox is heavily damaged, likely from the fall. It appears to be semi-functional…if one ignores the sparks.

[Tadget]: It absolutely is a buzzbox.

Thalstan reaches down and gingerly picks it up. "You think Trouble might be able to put it back together?"

[Tadget]: Okay I'm not an engineer, but I would say do NOT touch the blue button when it's sparking like that.

[Tadget]: What a day for Art to be busy.

[Vesyllah]: I thought all gnomes could fix things. Can't you just…bang it on a rock or something?

[Tadget]: I said I'm not an engineer!!!

Thalstan carefully puts it in his pack. "I take it we're not goin' to be contacting ol' Wixxel till we get this fixed up."

[Tadget]: So racist.

[Tadget]: I'm sure Art can fix it whenever he gets here.

[Tadget]: I can hold back his hair while he works.

Vesyllah rolls her eyes.

[Thalstan]: Fan o' his hair, then?

[Tadget]: Have you touched it???

[Vesyllah]: She'd like to fan herself with his hair.

Tadget cackles at Vesyllah.

[Thalstan]: I have no' petted Arthur, no.

[Thalstan]: Mebbe I should.

[Tadget]: Do it.

[Tadget]: It feels like naaru sound.

[Thalstan]: So… Thalanaar's righ' on the edge of Feralas, if I recall.

[Thalstan]: We'll need ta travel west through the needles.

[Tadget]: Have you guys been to Feralas? It's my FAVORITE.

[Tadget]: I hid out there for weeks once when I went crazy.

[Zaara]: No!

[Thalstan]: I have no'. It's right close to Silithus, I think?

[Tadget]: You'll LOVE it.

The buzzbox crackles, and a raspy, high-pitched voice can be heard through the static: "…*zzzkkssskkksshh*…ello?"

[Tadget]: It's nothing like Silithus.

[Tadget]: ACK!!

Zaara twitches.

Tadget jumps back from the buzzbox.

Thalstan jumps and pulls out the buzzbox. "HELLO? How does this work."

[Tadget]: Do NOT touch the blue button.

[Tadget]: Try the green one.

Longbraid's Buzzbox says: Who….*kssh*…-ermind. You got-…*SHHkkkshhszzzt!*…il Mizzyrix! I'm trapped…*kksht*…Kraul! Get me-…*KSSHZZT!*

[Thalstan]: Alrigh', no blue button. How do we talk back?

Tadget backs up before he tries anything

[Vesyllah]: Uh…

Thalstan presses the green button and says, "HELLO?!?"

[Zaara]: Ksshzzt!

With a loud pop, the buzzbox emits a puff of acrid smoke and stops emitting any sound at all.

[Zaara]: Oh.

[Vesyllah]: Well, you broke it.

[Thalstan]: Fire and flames, that's gone and done it.

[Tadget]: Maybe it was the red button.

[Thalstan]: Well, leastaways we know he's trapped in the Kraul.

[Tadget]: I told you I'm not an engineer.

[Vesyllah]: And alive.

[Tadget]: And the buzzbox didn't explode.

Thalstan tucks the buzzbox away. "So… to Thalanaar?"

Tadget nods.

[Zaara]: Yes!

Tadget salutes Thalstan with respect.

[Vesyllah]: Maybe Arthur can fix it and we'll be able to communicate again.

[Vesyllah]: Face the agony of your sins!

Gravelsnout Kobold attempts to run away in fear!

[Thalstan]: Wildlife here's pretty aggressive.

[Tadget]: That's why they don't call it Tamelife

[Zaara]: Tamelife!

[Thalstan]: Reckon so.

[Vesyllah]: Seems like food may be pretty scarce here.

[Tadget]: And you gals have long edible looking legs.

[Zaara]: Thank you!

Sharpgear was happy to help Zaara.

[Thalstan]: Up ahead, green!

[Tadget]: Sup.

Tadget peers at Falfindel Waywarder searchingly.

[Zaara]: Sup!

[Thalstan]: 'Lo there, sir. You look kaldorei. You knwo somebody Idlecreek?

[Thalstan]: (know

Tadget mouths 'you look kaldorei' at Vesyllah.

Vesyllah groans and rolls her eyes, and wanders over to the moonwell to kneel in prayer.

Thalstan glances at Ves, then shrugs and turns back to the other kaldorei fellow.

Falfindel Waywarder says: Idlecreek. Hm…ah yes. Henethal. I do remember him. What is your interest in him?

[Thalstan]: He was contractin' wi' a goblin to go inta the Kraul, we heard? You know what happened to 'im?

Falfindel Waywarder says: I see. Henethal stayed with us for a time. He was seeking an heirloom lost to his mate's family centuries ago. His search led him to the quilboar of Razorfen Kraul.

Falfindel Waywarder says: I told him we could put together a party to aid him, but he was impatient and flew north to Ratchet to look for hired help. It seems he found it.

[Tadget]: He should have hired us. Oh well.

[Thalstan]: So he has nae returned?

Falfindel Waywarder says: He has nae…has not.

Falfindel Waywarder says: I had hoped the way would be easier for him since the fall of Charlga Razorflank. But as these things often go, it is likely the Kraul has a new Crone.

[Thalstan]: Ach, tha's bad news, that is.

[Tadget]: Oooh, new crone, who dis?

[Thalstan]: Well, we may be headin' into the Kraul soon enough. We can keep an eye out for 'im.

[Zaara]: We go Krauling soon, yes.

Falfindel Waywarder says: If you do intend to go there, I urge you…find their new leader and destroy her before the quilboar of the Kraul grow too strong.

Thalstan quirks a smile at Zaara.

[Tadget]: Krauling, that's good.

[Thalstan]: We can do tha'. I reckon they'll just find another, but maybe it'll set 'em back.

[Tadget]: We are really good at destroying stuff.

Falfindel Waywarder says: It is all we can hope for. Thank you.

[Tadget]: Leave it to the Cobalt Blade!

[Zaara]: COBOLT. BLAAAADE.

[Tadget]: That's us. We're the Cobalt Blade.

Vesyllah steps down from the moonwell, brow furrowed.

[Tadget]: A division of Cobalt Company.

[Vesyllah]: We done here?

[Thalstan]: Hmm… we probably should no' go into the Kraul till we recover Arthur. We're no' at full strength.

[Tadget]: Unless you guys want to take a quick peek at Feralas.

[Tadget]: It's amazing.

[Thalstan]: We could… peek?

[Zaara]: I peek at nothing.

[Vesyllah]: We should get back to Ratchet and see if Arthur's arrived yet.

Sharpgear motions for you to follow.

[Tadget]: Loook. Except Zaara. Zaara smelllllll.

[Zaara]: I am not peeking.

[Tadget]: And listen.

Zaara takes a deep breath.

[Thalstan]: Wow. I hope we get ta go adventurin' here someday. Smell the life, Zaara!

[Tadget]: Great, isn't it? So pretty.

[Tadget]: It's really greeeeeeen.

[Vesyllah]: This place will eat you alive in seconds if you turn you back on it.

[Tadget]: Great place to hide out if you're trying to avoid murdering people.

Zaara hums a little to herself.

[Thalstan]: I'll keep tha' in mind.

[Thalstan]: I think we can fly back ta Ratchet.

[Tadget]: Okay!

[Tadget]: I'll wait there for Art, see if he can fix the buzzbox.

[Tadget]: And then we'll check to see if that guy died yet.

Thalstan pulls out the dead buzzbox and offers it to Tadget.

Sharpgear salutes Thalstan with respect.

[Thalstan]: I'll be aroun' Ratchet for a while as well.

[Tadget]: We should play some poker.

[Thalstan]: Okay, so we won't head in until Art's here ta fix the buzzbox and come with.

[Tadget]: Right.

[Zaara]: Right!

Vesyllah nods.

[Tadget]: We need to know if the guy's alive and if so get some directions.

[Tadget]: Don't wanna go in there blind if we don't have t— uh, except Zaara.

Thalstan nods. "I wouldnae want to just go wanderin' in the Kraul."

[Vesyllah]: All this just to get that stupid key. Feels like we're circling back to where we started.

[Zaara]: I will go in there blind! Also I will come out of there blind.

[Thalstan]: An' we take out the new crone, and then mayhap we get the key from that Wixxel. *Thal nods at Ves*

Zaara giggles.

Tadget giggles at Zaara.

[Tadget]: You're such a sport, Booty.

[Zaara]: Sports!

[Tadget]: Yeah there is nothing good about a quilboar crone. May as well take her out since we're in there anyway.

[Thalstan]: An then maybe we can get back to the first mission. Finishing off what's left o' the Defias.

[Tadget]: Yeah, remind me of the deal with that.

[Vesyllah]: Is that our mission? I thought we were just trying to figure out that box.

[Tadget]: Well someone's gotta take out the Defias. But whatever's in that box is probably important, right?

[Vesyllah]: The Defias sure seemed to think so. Or at least VanCleef did.

[Thalstan]: Ah, okay. Guess we leave SI:7 to that, then. And focus on the box.

[Vesyllah]: Okay, let's recap. We had Defias factions all vying for power. The Captains in charge of those factions all had keys to that lockbox.

Thalstan nods. "An' we got some o' them."

[Vesyllah]: Exactly. We're badass, so we got the keys…minus one. Decker Canton's. That punk disappeared. Now we know he came here and bartered the key to Wixxil for safe passage up to Dustwallow Marsh.

[Zaara]: Badassssss.

[Thalstan]: And Wixxil is stuck in Razorfen Kraul, hopefully with th' key.

[Vesyllah]: Damn…I wonder if he'd already been here when we came through to deal with the Wailing Caverns. That could have saved us a lot of time.

[Tadget]: Why would a bunch of rival captains all have access to the same box?

[Tadget]: Was someone using it to keep them all in line, somehow?

[Zaara]: Ooh.

Vesyllah nods to Tadget. "VanCleef. According to Canton, he split up the keys among his top people so no one person would have access to it."

[Thalstan]: I am real curious as to what's in that box.

[Vesyllah]: I'm not sure even VanCleef knew what was in the box. Remember what Canton said about where it came from?

[Thalstan]: Mm… he said a lot of things…

[Tadget]: Wait, what'd he say again?

[Tadget]: Where it came from I mean.

[Vesyllah]: It was given to ol' Edwin for 'safekeeping'. By Lady. Katrana. Prestor. A.K.A…?

[Tadget]: Oh gosh.

[Zaara]: Gosh!

[Tadget]: Yikes.

[Thalstan]: OH yes! The dragon!

[Zaara]: Yikes.

[Tadget]: Onyxia.

[Zaara]: A dragon?!

[Tadget]: Black dragon.

[Tadget]: The extra super bad kind.

[Vesyllah]: Not just any dragon, Zaara.

[Tadget]: Wasn't she bangin Deathwing or something?

[Tadget]: Jeez, imagine hitting that. Yiiiiiiikes.

[Tadget]: Or maybe she was his kid? I dunno, something like that.

[Vesyllah]: As I understand it, she's Deathwing's brood.

[Tadget]: Or both, who knows with dragons.

[Thalstan]: An' she was manipulatin' the human court.

[Tadget]: That much I knew.

[Tadget]: I just can't remember like, her exact relation to Mr. Metal-Bits.

[Thalstan]: Deathwing's kid. *Thal shakes his head, those black dragons*

[Tadget]: Do you know about Deathwing, Zaara?

[Zaara]: No!

[Tadget]: He was like, the boss of the black dragons and he went nuts.

[Tadget]: He started oozing lava or something and had to hold himself together by NAILING METAL BITS to his body.

[Thalstan]: Verra violently so, from the stories. An' the black dragons have been bad news since.

[Vesyllah]: Weirdly, Onyxia might have been one of the sanest of them.

[Vesyllah]: Still dangerous as hell, though.

[Tadget]: They finally defeated him but yeah, he has a bunch of batcrap bonkers relatives.

[Zaara]: I — what?!

[Tadget]: Crazy family.

Zaara looks extremely distressed and somewhat confused by this story.

[Tadget]: His — daughter I guess — pretended to be a human and was the SPEAKER FOR THE STORMWIND HOUSE OF NOBLES.

[Tadget]: For what, like three years or something?

[Thalstan]: There was one in Blackrock Mountain too, f'I recall.

[Vesyllah]: So, this could be a big coincidence…but I don't believe in coincidence. But where else did we just come across reference to the black dragons, and Onyxia in particular?

[Tadget]: Your mom's place?

[Zaara]: We did?

Vesyllah stares at Tadget.

[Zaara]: We went there?

Tadget sighs.

[Thalstan]: I do no' think it was Ves's mom.

[Tadget]: That Twilight's Hammer thing.

Thalstan nods.

[Thalstan]: The prophecy?

Vesyllah sighs with projected annoyance. "Yeah. The manuscript of Damina Krawse."

[Zaara]: Ah!

[Thalstan]: So maybe it's all connected!

[Vesyllah]: Krawse said the black dragons, and Onyxia in particular, knew about the Seed of Eternal Endings and the ritual Krawse had created to use it.

[Tadget]: Ohmigosh.

[Tadget]: THE SEED IS IN THE BOX.

Zaara gasps.

[Zaara]: It is?!

[Tadget]: Well, what did he say the seed does, again?

[Thalstan]: I mean, tha's a guess. We don't know/ the seed is in the box.

[Thalstan]: Ends the world. Eternal Ending.

[Tadget]: No, there was something real specific.

[Vesyllah]: Damina Krawse claimed that her visions showed her it could raise an Old God. So…kinda bad.

[Tadget]: About bloodlines or something.

[Vesyllah]: Oh that

[Vesyllah]: Her ritual.

[Thalstan]: Ah yes, tha' part.

[Tadget]: This is why I'm saying THE SEED IS IN THE BOX. Remind me of the details again.

[Thalstan]: Tha' may be what the Defias was after…

[Vesyllah]: Lessee…if the seed is planted, it will 'sanctify' the ground for the Old Gods.

[Zaara]: The Defias now are Old Gods cults? I thought bandits!

[Vesyllah]: Krawse's ritual can be performed on such ground. You sacrifice a person under a moonless night while the stars of their birth are visible in the sky…and it curses their whole bloodline.

[Vesyllah]: So…all their living kin wither away and die.

[Thalstan]: Yeah, I do no' think they are Old God cultists, but they may ha' somethin' they want ta do with that ritual.

[Tadget]: Well, BOTH of them want to destroy Stormwind, so duh.

[Tadget]: They're gonna sacrifice the king and destroy the whole royal line.

[Tadget]: Little princeypoo will die too.

[Zaara]: WHAT?! Why do we know this?

[Tadget]: I'm just guessing, because I am really smart and have a lot of experience with Bad Guys.

[Zaara]: Ah.

[Thalstan]: Or maybe they wanted ta target whatever noble house was against 'em.

[Tadget]: That's too small for the likes of Onyxia.

[Tadget]: Betcha she's goin for the Big Bloodline.

[Tadget]: Humans are really big on their royal bloodlines.

[Thalstan]: Onyxia, sure, but she's gone. I'm thinkin' what the Defias might want ta do.

[Tadget]: Well, I figure she gave it to them because they had the same goal.

[Tadget]: Destroy the Wrynns.

[Thalstan]: Maybe. But it's goin' ta be hard for them ta get ta the King without Onyxia in place, right?

[Tadget]: Well, they had the plan before the king came back, I imagine.

[Tadget]: How long have they had the box?

[Tadget]: For a while, her people had abducted the king or somethin.

Thalstan shrugs. "I'm jus' thinking, even if they can't get to th' king, they could go fer… oh, I dunno, the Thenedains or someone. Grab someone not so well guarded, end the whole house."

[Vesyllah]: I mean, VanCleef had it. So…when he was alive.

[Thalstan]: I do think you might be right on what was the plan ta start with.

[Tadget]: Human noble houses are like… a silver a dozen. No way the likes of Van Cleef and Onyxia care about one house.

Thalstan nods.
[Tadget]: But if that thing can DO that and anyone but us KNOWS it can do that… which they clearly do…

[Tadget]: Then yeah, the Wrynns are definitely in danger.

[Tadget]: If not Onyxia or Van Cleef, someone is gonna find a way to use it to sacrifice the kid, or the dad.

[Thalstan]: Somethin' like tha' should be destroyed, fer sure.

[Vesyllah]: Wait…but if she already had the King in her hands…and she had the Seed, too. Why didn't she use it, then?

[Tadget]: That's a good question.

[Tadget]: Maybe to get the ransom money?

[Vesyllah]: Was there a ransom?

[Tadget]: There was a huge ransom apparently. Bankrupted the kingdom, yeah.

[Tadget]: That's why they raised all the taxes and stuff.

[Vesyllah]: Hmm. But you're not wrong. Both had an interest in ending the royal line. They had the opportunity.

[Tadget]: Well not bankrupted, but definitely caused some economic issues.

[Thalstan]: Hm. We need ta get that box open and maybe we'll get some answers. Maybe not all the answers…

[Vesyllah]: What if they just…failed? Elune knows I've taken down plenty of bad guys thanks to their own incompetence, or just bad luck for them.

[Tadget]: But yeah, to me it stands to reason. Big missing item Onyxia was interested in, then a box Onyxia gave Van Cleef with mysterious contents.

[Tadget]: Yeah possibly.

[Tadget]: Since they're both dead we may never know exactly.

[Tadget]: But I am pretttttty sure we gotta dispose of whatever's in that box.

[Vesyllah]: If there's a way to destroy a seed of pure Void.

[Thalstan]: I'm with yeh there. I hope we can figure out how to destroy it.

[Tadget]: Chuck it in the Maelstrom? Wait, no, that might just like, Destroy the Sea.

[Tadget]: I'll leave that to the experts in spooky crap.

[Zaara]: Do not put void in the sea!

[Tadget]: Anything that can't be stabbed, I leave alone.

Tadget nods at Zaara.

[Thalstan]: We'll get the thing open, then figure it out.

Vesyllah nods grimly.

[Thalstan]: Anythin' else we need to keep in mind tha' we're forgettin'?

Zaara tilts her head.

[Tadget]: If so, I forgot.

[Tadget]: By the nature of the thing.

[Vesyllah]: We need to proceed very carefully from here on out. I suggest we keep quiet about what we know. This is dangerous knowledge.

[Tadget]: Okay. So, scout mode. Need to know basis. Gotcha.

[Thalstan]: Alrigh'. No more chattin' in the inns at Ratchet.

Tadget cackles maniacally at the situation.

[Tadget]: Look, they're goblins. There's no money in this, so they will forget it in ten minutes.

Innkeeper Wiley pretends he isn't listening.

Thalstan chuckles.

[Tadget]: We're absolutely gonna go broke just pursuing this, *she says loud enough for him to hear.*

Innkeeper Wiley grumbles and continues sweeping.

[Thalstan]: Well, fer now, maybe we ought to disband till we get Art with us.

Vesyllah nods.

[Tadget]: But we have to, because it is the Right Thing To Do. *There, that'll drive the goblins away.*

[Vesyllah]: Get that buzzbox in his hands as soon as possible.

[Tadget]: Yep.

[Thalstan]: Fer sure.

[Tadget]: His strangely nimble and aesthetically pleasing hands.

[Zaara]: Tadget is finding hots for Art.

Tadget laughs at Zaara.

[Tadget]: I'm finding hots for ALL of you. Sexy bunch.

[Thalstan]: Heh, that we are.

[Vesyllah]: I'll believe it at the orgy.

Vesyllah stands up and wanders out.

[Tadget]: Welp.

[Zaara]: Do we have an orgy?

[Thalstan]: Well, reckon I'll be off for a while, too.

[Thalstan]: See you all next time!

[Tadget]: I guess it's just you and me for the orgy then, Zaara.

[Zaara]: Okay! Coooool.

Sharpgear cackles maniacally at Zaara.

Tadget and Zaara don't have an orgy. Probably.