(2023-08-07) Interlude: Defense in Duskwood, Part 1 (Cobalt Blade)

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	The Cobalt Blade heads to Duskwood to assist the Night Watch in defense of the living locals. ~2600 words.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: The Cobalt Blade

The team is assembling at Darkshire.
Thal waves at Tadget.
[Thalstan]: 'lo there, Mayhem!
Tadget greets Thal with a hearty hello!
[Tadget]: Isn't this place just lovely.
[Thalstan]: Nice an' dark, yeah.
[Thalstan]: Not so bright makin' me squint, like th' other places.
[Tadget]: I was being sarcastic.
[Tadget]: It's a death hole.
Thalstan blinks at Tadget. "I need ta get better at recognizin' gnome sarcasm."
[Tadget]: I have a good hint about that.
[Thalstan]: If it's comin' out o’ yer mouth?
[Tadget]: I knew you had a brain or two under those glorious tresses.
Thalstan gives a deep laugh.
[Thalstan]: Ves, Zaara, you made it!
[Tadget]: 'Sup Vengeance. Booty.
[Zaara]: It smells very bad here! All things rotting.
Tadget nods at Zaara.
Zaara is all-over kind of pink or red.
Thalstan peers at Zaara. "Does she look a bit pink ta you all?"
Vesyllah nods.
Zaara blinks.
[Tadget]: Some kinda magic.
[Zaara]: I am not pink? I am blue!
[Thalstan]: Uh… today yer pink.
[Tadget]: You've got some kinda pink spell on ya.
[Zaara]: Pink?
Tadget nods at Zaara.
Thalstan nods too, then realizes she can't see it.
[Thalstan]: Yep.
[Tadget]: It's cute.
[Zaara]: … I have a spell on me. I did not know it was a pink spell?
[Vesyllah]: I'd say more red than pink, personally.
[Tadget]: It is a pink spell.
[Zaara]: Air has given to me a blessing. Maybe air also thinks this is funny, to be pink.
Zaara sighs.
[Zaara]: Air is like this.
[Vesyllah]: I think I know pink a little better than you.
Tadget laughs at Zaara.
Thal laughs.
[Tadget]: Silly air.
[Zaara]: Yes.
[Thalstan]: Well, if air's still on yer side, we can go help out wi' the Night Watch.
They head out to speak to Commander Althea Ebonlocke.
Thal salutes Commander Althea Ebonlocke with respect.
Tadget greets Commander Althea Ebonlocke with a hearty hello!
[Tadget]: Nice place you've got here.
Zaara smiles politely in Commander Althea Ebonlocke 's general direction.
[Thalstan]: Commander Ebonlocke, Cobalt Blade reporting for duty!
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Cobalt Blade? Wow, it's great they sent a whole team. Much more responsive than the Stormwind military.
Vesyllah says dryly, "Yeah. We're real go-getters."
[Zaara]: We go! And getter!
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: After a few dwarves from your Company helped us out the other day, I sent an official request for assistance, but I didn't expect… Cobalt Blade.
[Tadget]: NO ONE EXPECTS THE COBALT BLADE!
Thalstan chuckles.
Zaara cheers at Tadget!
[Tadget]: Our chief weapon is surprise. Surprise and fear. We dual wield weapons.
[Thalstan]: What seems ta be the problem, Commander?
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Same problem as always. The undead.
[Tadget]: Yep, that's the annoying thing about 'em.
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: I know everyone's up in Northrend fighting the Scourge, but people forget that it's a continuous problem here as well. Cursed land.
[Vesyllah]: Anything cool? Or just the usual shambling corpses?
Tadget eyes Vesyllah up and down.
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Skeletons mostly, a few ghouls. You all are willing and able to clear them out?
[Thalstan]: Of course we're able! And willing, right? *Thal looks around to the others*
[Zaara]: Yes!
[Tadget]: Just what kind of undead would you consider 'cool,' Ves? I mean, temperature wise they're all relatively cool. But their awesomeness levels are consistently low.
[Vesyllah]: I dunno. Like…a san'layn or something.
Tadget sighs at Vesyllah.
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: I suppose every once in a while a giant stitched abomination attacks the town. I wouldn't call it cool, myself, but then… I have to fight it off.
Tadget rolls her eyes at Ves so hard it is audible.
Zaara looks toward Tadget, startled. She heard that.
Tadget gently pats Zaara.
[Thalstan]: Well, okay, we can fight th'uncool dead.
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Thanks. You can start at the grounds south of town.
Thal nods at Commander Althea Ebonlocke.
They head south of town.
[Thalstan]: Fightin' undead. We're jus' like the forward squads now.
[Zaara]: I go fast! Because I am full of air.
Tadget cheers at you.
[Tadget]: Wait, if they're the forward squads… does that make us the backward squad?
[Thalstan]: Heh, I had no' thought of it that way.
[Vesyllah]: Elune, smite this Skeletal Mage with your punishing light!
[Thalstan]: If loads o' people are lookin' forward though, makes sense someone should look backward.
[Zaara]: We protect the backside.
[Thalstan]: Booty protectors. *Thal grins*
[Zaara]: I am Booty protector!
Zaara flexes her muscles. Oooooh so strong!
They are very strong. Those skeletons don’t stand a chance.
[Thalstan]: This may be a bit easy fer us.
Tadget cheers.
[Zaara]: COBOLT BLADE.
Zaara strikes a pose.
[Thalstan]: Let's see if they got any harder undead ta fight.
[Tadget]: Sometimes it's nice to have an easy day.
Tadget strikes her poster-pose.
[Thalstan]: Heh, tha's true as well.
They report back to the Commander.
[Tadget]: So we cleared out that graveyard. For now.
[Thalstan]: Yes, we took out a number. Got anythin' tougher we can handle?
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Really? Is it too easy? In that case, try out the cemetery north of Raven Hill. Plenty of dead rising from the grave there.
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Just keep an eye out for grave robbers. And giant spiders, of course.
Thalstan blinks. "Of course."
[Zaara]: We are Cobolt Blade. We like things that are hard.
[Tadget]: Oooh I LOVE the Raven Hill cemetary.
[Tadget]: This'll be more of a challenge.
Vesyllah sighs contentedly.
They head over to Raven Hill.
[Tadget]: Been ages since I did any stabbing around here. Two years, probably.
[Thalstan]: Used ta hang out herre?
[Thalstan]: This is the town, yeah?
[Zaara]: Oh.
[Zaara]: It is not just smells bad here.
[Zaara]: It is feels very bad.
[Tadget]: It's all the bad.
[Thalstan]: Th' whole place is right cursed.
[Tadget]: Yup. Happened when Medivh died.
[Vesyllah]: What a dick.
[Tadget]: Weirdly though? Deadwind pass was always like that.
[Zaara]: Medivh! I know this name. He is father of Khadgar, yes?
[Tadget]: Uhhhh.
[Tadget]: Sure.
Arthur appears out of nowhere!
[Tadget]: Oh there ya are.
[Thalstan]: Art, hello! Thought yeh weren't goin' ta make it fer a bit there.
[Vesyllah]: Suffer the pain you have inflicted!
[Tadget]: A mage arrives precisely when he means to.
[Arthur]: Sorry I'm late!
[Zaara]: HAVE PAIN.
Zaara is talking to a skeleton, not Arthur, just so we’re clear!
[Thalstan]: Ach, no problem. We're jus' clearin' out some undead for the Night Watch up in Darkshire.
[Tadget]: And were you involved in this, Trouble? Living up to your nickname?
[Thalstan]: With the cursin' you mean? And Medivh?
[Zaara]: Good, good.
Another skeleton meets its end with Tadget’s dual-wielding weapons of surprise and fear. Or maybe they’re daggers.
[Tadget]: Sorry, that one was looking at me funny.
[Arthur]: I wasn't involved! It's just that I cited a lesser known work of one of a Quel'dorei mage, and she noticed that the text of my cited work was identical in different places to a handful of other research essays, and so she wanted to ask questions.
[Zaara]: Oh! A threat! Lurks in the wild!
[Tadget]: Uh ohhhh.
Zaara beams.
[Tadget]: So did they cheat off you, then??
Thalstan 's eyes widen. "Tha' sounds serious."
[Tadget]: Cheating is VERY serious. What? Oh.
More serious than these skeletons that really stand no chance against the Cobalt Blade.
[Arthur]: They didn't. they were probably buying essays, though.
[Thalstan]: Is tha' a thing mages do?
[Zaara]: Buying a says?
[Tadget]: ES-says, Zaara.
[Arthur]: Not smart mages.
[Tadget]: Writings on factual topics.
[Thalstan]: I s'pose it's like hirin' a mercenary and then claimin' you did all the fightin' yerself.
[Zaara]: ESs ays.
[Tadget]: Teachers make students write them. About stuff.
[Tadget]: And students are supposed to be LEARNING the stuff, not buying other people's learning.
[Tadget]: Hmph.
[Zaara]: No! Yes! This is so disappoint.
Zaara frowns.
[Arthur]: You write a paper to demonstrate your understanding of a subject.
[Thalstan]: Yes, Zaara. Very disappoint.
[Tadget]: They've demonstrated they know how to work a coin purse.
[Thalstan]: Good on yeh, then, fer bringin' it ta light.
[Tadget]: Humans are SO allergic to learning stuff I swear to the Titans.
[Tadget]: Uh, not you, Art.
[Tadget]: You're different.
[Arthur]: Right! And I don't know why.
[Arthur]: About either. Reading or that I'm different.
They’ve finished with the skeletons and are wandering back into Darkshire, when…
Town Crier yells: Rouse and to arms, citizens of Darkshire! An abomination of the undead approaches along the road!
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Oh, here we go again.
[Tadget]: Let's go hunt down that abomination everyone keeps yelling about..
[Vesyllah]: I love a good abomination hunt.
[Tadget]: I know why you're different, Art!
[Arthur]: Why?
[Zaara]: Because of his pretty hair?
[Tadget]: Because— yes!!
Zaara beams.
[Tadget]: It's Protagonist Hair.
[Thalstan]: It is some o' the prettiest hair I've seen on a human.
[Zaara]: I know this!
[Zaara]: I wish I have seen it but Mayhem tells me it is the most pretty.
[Thalstan]: Maybe has somethin' ta do with his brain. It's attached to 'is head.
[Arthur]: You've got me there. It's pretty protagonist-ish to have silver hair this young.
An abomination approaches!
[Zaara]: COBOLT BLADE! ON THE ALERT!
[Tadget]: GET IT!!!
[Zaara]: What is protangosh— uh.
We fight it. We are STRONG.
[Tadget]: The protagonist is the main character of a story.
[Zaara]: Art! You are the main character? *She sounds delighted.*
[Tadget]: This is an ensemble story. We're all the protagonists.
[Tadget]: That's why I have mesmerizing green eyes and Art has silver hair and stuff.
[Vesyllah]: Ugly f***er, isn't it…
[Thalstan]: An' why I'm so stunning.
[Tadget]: Stubborn too.
[Tadget]: DIE.
Wisely, it obeys Tadget.
Zaara cheers!
Tadget cheers!
[Thalstan]: Well, tha's one abomination down.
[Thalstan]: Was it a cool one, Ves?
[Tadget]: Nice work, Blade!
[Vesyllah]: Eh. Not really cool. More interesting than the average ghoul, at least.
[Tadget]: Temperature-wise, cool to frigid.
[Tadget]: Which is good because you do NOT wanna smell one of those when they get warm.
Vesyllah snorts.
[Thalstan]: Ugh, I'll try not t'imagine.
[Thalstan]: Wonder if Cobalt'll have us fightin' orcs soon.
[Tadget]: You wanna fight orcs?
Zaara 's expression turns serious.
[Thalstan]: Jus' thinking. We fight undead, an' there's the war against the Scourge. An' now…
[Tadget]: I don't really like fighting orcs.
[Thalstan]: Why no'?
[Zaara]: I do not wish to fight more orcs.
[Tadget]: I dunno. They're… just the wrong amount of smart?
[Tadget]: Not clever enough to make it really thrilling and challenging, but not dumb enough to make it hilarious.
[Tadget]: Fighting a dragon or an Old God, that's thrilling.
[Thalstan]: I suppose I could see tha', from the entertainment perspective.
[Tadget]: Fighting an ogre? Hilarious.
[Tadget]: Fighting an orc? Just… fighting. Y'know?
[Thalstan]: Bit like fightin' these skeletons maybe.
[Tadget]: Yeah.
[Tadget]: Or… I dunno. Skeletons are pretty dumb..
[Thalstan]: But not terribly funny.
[Tadget]: Not really no.
[Tadget]: They don't say stuff like ME SMASH GNOME
Tadget gently pats Arthur.
[Vesyllah]: Feel the vengeful gaze of the Night Warrior, Skeletal Horror!
Tadget cheers at Vesyllah!
[Tadget]: I wish skeletons had battle cries or something at least.
Tadget yawns sleepily.
[Thalstan]: They are real quiet. Reckon it's on account o' no lungs.
[Zaara]: They go 'auuggghhhr.' It is bones rattle noise.
Tadget giggles at Zaara.
[Vesyllah]: You would think they wouldn't be terribly ambulatory, on account of no muscles. And yet…
[Thalstan]: Good point. How do they do tha'?
We try to skirt by a spider. It doesn’t let us, so we have to kill it.
[Tadget]: Spider, you could've lived.
[Tadget]: Necromancy.
[Vesyllah]: Necromancy.
Tadget gives Vesyllah a high four!
Vesyllah receives a low four.
Thalstan shivers.
[Zaara]: Necromancy!
[Thalstan]: Well, at least this part o' the cemetery's a bit more peaceful. Let's report back.
[Tadget]: We done good!
[Thalstan]: Necromancers are creepy folk.
[Tadget]: They aaaare.
[Tadget]: Who wants to spend all your time around dead stuff?
[Zaara]: Creeeeeepy.
[Tadget]: Once I make a thing dead I am pretty much done with it.
[Vesyllah]: Necromancers.
[Thalstan]: They're like cats. No' satisfied ta jus' kill a prey.
They amble into town and hail Commander Ebonlocke.
[Thalstan]: Commander! What's next?
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Did you go by the mausoleum by any chance?
[Tadget]: Uh, you didn't say to do that…
[Thalstan]: I do no' recall a mausoleum.
[Tadget]: I know where it is..
[Tadget]: More norther.
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Ah yes, the gnome knows it. I've heard reports of plague-spreading ghouls from that area. I hope I don't have to explain how this is a problem.
[Tadget]: Pretty self explanatory, yeah.
[Tadget]: Uh, any ideas on how NOT to get the plague spread to us?
[Zaara]: I will not plague!
Vesyllah bows her head reverently to Arthur as she accepts the Gift of Water. "Shaha lor'ma dula Luvas'alith."
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Well, it's not… the plague. It should be curable. You have a healer, yes?
[Vesyllah]: I'll do what I can to keep us plague free.
Tadget accepts the water from Arthur.
[Tadget]: Shalala dooma loofah.
Thalstan nods thanks as he accepts the bread.
[Zaara]: I will not plague also!
[Zaara]: I am not plague.
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: That should keep you safe. Thank you for your work, Cobalt Blade.
[Tadget]: Anytime.
[Tadget]: Except Tuesday; I'm busy.
Arthur knew it.
They ride for the mausoleum, and soon…
[Thalstan]: There's the masuoleum!
[Tadget]: And those'd be the plague spreading ghouls.
[Tadget]: Watch out for — and there they go.
[Tadget]: Worms.
[Thalstan]: Worm-spreading ones too.
[Thalstan]: Maybe down in the crypt?
[Tadget]: Might be some by old Fel's place.
[Zaara]: A fel place?
[Tadget]: Place of a guy who named himself Morbent Fel. What a name, right?
[Thalstan]: That does sound like a bad place.
[Vesyllah]: Feel the vengeful gaze of the Night Warrior, Brain Eater!
[Tadget]: OW MY BRAIN
[Tadget]: Cmon, let's try Fel's place.
[Thalstan]: Yeah, let's
[Thalstan]: Morbent Fel. Like fel, but more bent?
Tadget sighs at you.
[Tadget]: It's a good thing you're pretty, Thalstan.
Thalstan laughs.
[Tadget]: Not too many plaguey ones.
[Thalstan]: Think I see a cloud up ahead.
[Zaara]: Still, no ghouls is good ghouls.
Thalstan nods.
[Tadget]: Owwwww, my brain!!
[Zaara]: Your brain is injury?
[Thalstan]: Did you sprain it?
[Tadget]: That ghoul was trying to chew on it.
[Thalstan]: Heh, don't let 'em.
[Zaara]: First it must chew your skull. This takes a long time.
[Zaara]: We kill before then.
[Tadget]: True. My skull is ROCK
[Tadget]: HARD
[Zaara]: Very good skull. Solid.
[Thalstan]: I 'spect we've all got admirably hard skulls.
[Thalstan]: That looks like all of em.
[Thalstan]: No more plague spreadin'.
Zaara cheers!
[Thalstan]: Let's just ride along the river back ta Darkshire.
They ride along the river, coming briefly out of the cursed darkness of Duskwood.
[Tadget]: WHeeeee!
Thalstan squints in the sunlight.
They arrive back at the town and report in.
[Thalstan]: All cleared up, Commander! What's next?
[Tadget]: Another fantastic job by the Cobalt Blade!
Tadget flexes her muscles. Oooooh so strong!
Vesyllah looks up at the gloomy sky. "Nice day for it, too."
[Thalstan]: Yeah, nice an' dark.
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: You've done an excellent job so far.
[Tadget]: It's what we're known for..
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: I do have more work, but let me consult with the Mayor before I send you on the next task.
[Tadget]: Okay!
Commander Althea Ebonlocke says: Thank you, Cobalt Blade.
[Vesyllah]: Sounds fi-…good.
[Tadget]: I'll head out and see a guy about a thing. Stay fresh, cheesebags.
Thalstan nods. "We'll be ready when yeh need us."
Tadget waves goodbye to everyone. Farewell!