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| Details |
| Author: | inkie |
| Summary: | White Squad embarks for Tol Barad! They do not get to Tol Barad. |
| Rating: | M for Mature 17+ |
Arc: Season 14
Kyris paces back and forth along the dock, restless.
Ben, holding Mizzy's hand as they approach, adjusts the rucksack on his shoulder.
Niksi secures a bit of cargo intended for the ship. "That'll do it."
"Hey, Ben! Ismene!" Estel waves as she approaches. She is dressed in leather armor, with the tabard over it.
Ben up-nods at Estel and stops to drop his rucksack at his feet and look around. He glances down at Mizzy and squeezes her hand. She smiles at Estel.
Niksi eyes the tabards. "Ah, excellent! My team is here. Please remind me when we get on board to give the deck crew the BIRD."
Ben blinks at Niksi. "The… sorry, what now?"
Niksi waves a hand. "Don't worry too much about it. It's technical."
"… okay, sure. Just remember we are workin' with these people, so let's make a solid impression, okay?" Ben glances at Estel.
Estel grins and drops to a crouch to address Niksi. "Hey! I'm Estel Herald, I heal people and hurt other people."
Niksi chuckles. "Glad to hear you're up to doing both, Miss Herald. Salutations! I'm Niksi Knockfathom."
Estel holds a hand out to shake. "Nice to meet'cha."
Niksi places her four fingers in Estel's five and shakes.
"Miz Knockfathom is our Ocean Specialist. She is here specifically for… naval stuff. Surveys." Ben is not clear on what Naval Stuff might be necessary. He assumes Niksi's got it covered.
Niksi nods. "Correct. I'll be performing bathymetric surveys to update our navigational cartography around the island. Aaand…the Vice Admiral wants me to assess the possibility of deploying mines."
Kyris approaches Ben and salutes, sharply. "Lieutenant Hazan? I'm Kyris Lysander. I'm told I'm to defer to your forward squad while we're out there, when we arrive."
Ben straightens and nods briskly back at Kyris. "Glad to meet you. I seen your record. It's pretty impressive. We will be glad to have you along."
Kyris nods to Ben. "Let me know if you have orders for me," he says, and takes a few steps back from the squad.
A stormcrow rests on a nearby lamppost.
Ben smiles crookedly and nods to Kyris. He glances down at Mizzy again reassuringly and then looks around for more Cobalt tabards.
Erixa arrives at the harbor ready and in armor, with her Cobalt tabard over it. "Lieutenant Ben! I am here to fight the orcs."
Ben grins at Erixa. "Hey, Erika. Glad to have you along. Gonna be a good fight, I reckon."
Erixa grins. "I hope so. I've been trying to do subterfuge, and it is exhausting. Fighting direct will be more satisfying."
Ben raises his eyebrows slowly at the idea of Erixa doing subterfuge. He does not comment.
"What's bathymetric?" Estel asks.
Niksi perks a bit. Science questions! Hooray! "'Bathymetric' means relates to the floors of water bodies. Think of it as the aquatic version of topographic."
"Oh, gotcha!" Estel grins at her. "But the floor is pretty far down once you're out on the sea. You've got, like, equipment for that?"
The stormcrow watches the group with intelligent eyes.
"So glad you asked!" Niksi nods. "Surely you're aware of the submarine technology my people provided to yours during the Second War? I've developed a smaller-scale version of that tech. The DRUNK."
"Oh, cool. Like a mini-submarine for just one person?" Estel seems interested.
Erixa looks at Niksi quizzically. "Today I think I learn I am not as good in Common as I thought."
"The first version could really only comfortably fit one." Niksi holds up a finger, then two. "But the DRUNK Mark II is a superior design and can fit two pilots without much issue."
Erixa murmurs, "Drunk Mark." She looks around like maybe he's here somewhere.
Niksi looks waaaay up at Erixa. "No, no…the DRUNK. Depth-Resistant Undersea Navigational Kinetosphere. It is the second iteration, so it's the DRUNK…Mark II."
"Was… that in Common?" Erixa blinks.
Niksi chuckles at what she perceives as Erixa's joke.
"I believe that is the name of her vessel," Kyris explains to Erixa. "The DRUNK Mark II."
A woman cloaked in shadow strolls casually up to the group. "Cobalts," she greets. If she is smiling under all that shadow, it's hard to say.
Ben looks up from attempting to follow the Drunk Mark conversation and stares at Almeiria. He sets his shoulders. "Hey, Miz Fey."
Estel bounces to her feet. "Hey!" she says, brightly. "Almeiria."
Mizzy tucks herself neatly in behind one of Ben's arms and holds onto his hand. She has little to say, it seems.
Erixa glances over to Almeiria and double-takes. Then she peers into that shadow, seeing if she can make out a face.
Niksi also peers at the shadowy figure. "Are you here? Is this some sort of projection?"
"Projection? No. Protection would be more accurate."
Ben clears his throat and looks between Almeiria and the DRUNK gnome. "I reckon we have got our personnel gathered. We ready to report?"
Erixa gives a cheerful salute.
"Do lead on, Ben, dear," Almeiria says.
Ben leads on. He approaches the grey-haired, tired-looking man in Alliance colors waiting on the pier with a clipboard.
Mizzy slips her hand free of Ben's. Holding hands doesn't look professional, apparently, but she stays near as his own shadow.
Ben salutes the man. "Recruiter Burns? Cobalt Company, reportin'."
The stormcrow settles in next to some supply boxes.
"Yes, Cobalt Company." Almeiria sounds oddly delighted.
Recruiter Burns surveys the blue tabards. He nods a curt welcome. “Cobalts. You’re here.” He turns to gaze at the soldiers milling at the far end of the dock, and then back to the group.
“You’ve been briefed, I assume, about our mission. The Horde attacks have been fierce and relentless. We need every able body out there. Proceed to the end of the dock for your transport to the battle.” He shifts uncomfortably. “Oh, and our warships are… err, a bit late. Don’t worry, though — Admiral Dvorak has commissioned mercenary vessels to serve in the meantime.”
"Aye aye!" Niksi salutes.
Erixa salutes as well. Salutes all around.
Recruiter Burns salutes back, sort of half-heartedly, and waves them down the dock with his clipboard.
The stormcrow flaps along at the rear of the team.
"Ben, dear, are you aware that we're being followed?" Almeiria asks.
Kyris looks curiously at the stormcrow. "Druid?" he guesses.
Ben looks back. He surveys the fancy bird. "Druid. Is that… Florande?" He saw a roster.
The bird hastily transforms back into an elf.
"Yes, I am Florande," she says, wide-eyed. "Should I have introduced?"
"Oh! Florande? I'm Estel." Estel grins.
Florande smiles at Estel. "I have seen you in the clinic. And Kyris in the Plaguelands."
Ismene eyes the transforming elf somewhat wistfully. "Must be nice," she murmurs.
Ben glances down at Mizzy and takes her hand again.
Florande nods at Ismene. "It is."
Mizzy blushes a little and wraps both her hands over Ben's. There's still room there if anyone wants to hold Ben's hand, too.
Kyris nods to Florande. He knows her at least.
"Ooh, spin my cogs. A night elf!" Niksi says. "Fascinating, that shapeshifting."
Erixa watches Florande with a faintly amused smile.
Niksi steps to the edge of the dock, leaning over the water. She makes some loud popping sounds with her lips. Moments later, a bubble of water rises from the surface and floats up to her. There is a fish in the bubble.
Florande notices the bubble fish, and makes a sound of delight.
Estel stares at the bubble-fish.
Stormwind Recruit says: Why must we ride to battle on a mercenary ship? Used to be that we'd kill pirates as soon as look at them.
Pirates are not the same as mercenaries, bro.
Stormwind Soldier says: See those ships in dock?
Stormwind Soldier says: They're the only ones that have returned from battle, and they're being repaired.
Stormwind Soldier says: I don't like it either, but it boils down to this…
Stormwind Soldier says: We pay the mercs to get us out there, or our troops get no reinforcements.
Stormwind Recruit says: That makes sense, I suppose. Just doesn't feel right…
Stormwind Soldier says: Welcome to the military, recruit.
Ben glances at the muttering soldiers nearby.
Kyris looks at the soldiers waiting with them, searching for insignias, trying to pinpoint their officer.
Stormwind Recruit says: Earthquakes every other day, a crazy dragon tearing up the world, what's next?
Stormwind Soldier says: Put all of that out of your head, recruit.
Stormwind Soldier says: I've been fightin' Horde for ten years now, and I've never seen it worse than this.
Stormwind Soldier says: Just stay focused on the battle in front of us, or you won't live to worry about the rest.
Stormwind Recruit says: Yessir.
Florande sobers at the soldiers' words.
Ben squeezes Mizzy's hand and stops looking at the soldiers. He squints at the horizon.
"We have some optimists, I see," Almeiria comments.
Ben glances at Almeiria and grimaces.
Stormwind Soldier says: I stopped by the park district on my way here. There's nothing left of it…
Stormwind Soldier says: Aye. I was here when the dragon attacked.
Stormwind Soldier says: He could've destroyed the entire city if he willed it. We were powerless to stop him.
Stormwind Soldier says: What drove him off, then?
Stormwind Soldier says: No idea. It made no sense…
Stormwind Soldier says: He flew in, torched the park, then just flew off.
Stormwind Soldier says: If you ask me, the beast is insane.
Florande murmurs, "Rissa lived in the park."
Stormwind Recruit says: Have you been out there yet?
Stormwind Soldier says: This'll be my second time now.
Stormwind Soldier says: Toughest fighting I've seen…
Stormwind Soldier says: We lose that island to the Horde and the north’s as good as gone… and they know it.
Captain Taylor says: That's enough, soldier.
Captain Taylor says: Now get your minds right! We'll be killing orcs soon.
Ben glances at Captain Taylor and straightens sharply.
Erixa looks pleased about the imminent orc-killing. Florande looks a little frightened.
Captain Taylor says: Listen up! Our transport should be here momentarily.
Captain Taylor yells: Fall in!
Florande hastily gets in a line. Is it the right line? Who knows.
"Fall in… to a single-file line?" Almeiria squints.
Better not be a single-file line because Ismene isn't leaving Ben's side. Or at least, not his arm.
A ship eases up to the dock. It has seen better days, but, you know. It floats. There are sails and stuff.
Captain Taylor yells: Alright, men! Move out!
Mack Fearsen yells: Come aboard, now. Step right up!
Estel hustles onto the boat. She looks a little dubiously at the crew.
Mack Fearsen yells: Cap'n Samir is navigatin' this here ship non-stop to that there ocean over yonder…
Mack Fearsen yells: …where we'll commence to assistin' the Alliance in their little skirmish with them Horde fellers.
Mack Fearsen yells: Easy money! Commission's to be dispersed evenly among any and all survivors!
"Cobalts all in." Ben counts tabards. He glances dubiously at the shouting man.
"Is he…drinking?" Almeiria eyes Mack.
Florande looks at Mack Fearsen a little skeptically.
Erixa nods at Niksi. "I think you may have a third DRUNK here."
Budd yells: Ahoy!
Budd yells: I'm saaaailing!
Yes, that Budd. He seems to have recovered from being a troll. But he has not recovered that much.
Ben turns to watch the harbor recede behind them.
TIME PASSES
Budd says: Out on a boat… way far away from the dock…
Budd says: Into the wind with the sky and everything…
Budd leans over the ship’s rail.
Budd says: Oooh… shiny!
Budd clambers onto the rail and LEAPS into the water.
Adarrah yells: Budd! Noooo!
Mack Fearsen says: Aww, Budd. Now what'd ya go an' do that for?
Captain Taylor says: Civilians…
Ben stares, aghast, at the place where Budd just leaped from the boat, and then turns to stare at Captain Taylor.
Florande looks a little worried, but she says, "Maybe he can turn into sea lion."
Captain Taylor yells: Fall in, men!
Captain Taylor says: That island on the horizon is our destination.
Captain Taylor says: It's where we will do our duty, for our king, for Stormwind and for her people…
Captain Taylor says: Every orc you slay today will bring honor to them, and to every soldier who has come before you.
Captain Taylor says: Hellscream has sent his best to take this island. We shall see to it that none return home…
Captain Taylor says: Today Hellscream shall learn the lesson that Thrall failed to teach him…
Captain Taylor says: Stormwind shall never fall!
Captain Taylor says: Now make ready, for soon we'll be ashore.
Florande is startled by all the cheering after the Captain's speech.
Niksi claps politely.
"Are we almost there yet?" Estel asks cheerfully. "How relative is 'soon'?"
Mack Fearsen says: What the… ?
"Again, did he mean? Stormwind will never fall again? Because I heard…" Almeiria trails off.
Adarrah yells: Captain! Shipwreck off the starboard bow! There appear to be survivors!
They are approaching a capsized vessel in the water, its hull severely damaged. A few ragged survivors — they appear to be Horde — cling desperately.
As the mercenary ship eases closer to the wreck, a massive tentacle suddenly unfurls from below the surface and wraps itself around the shattered ship.
Ben moves to the side to look at the shipwreck, then leaps back as a tentacle appears. "Oh, shit!"
Mizzy yeeps and casts a shield over Ben.
More tentacles surge up from below to drag down the wreck. And to seize Cobalt Company’s own ship. Wood creaks and a railing snaps.
Florande flinches away from the tentacles.
"KRAKEEEEN!" yells Niksi.
Estel calls up a barrier around the group. It does not, unfortunately, protect the ship itself.
A mast is torn away by one tentacle, as others lash at and latch on to whatever surface they can reach and begin to pry things apart. There are horrific splintering sounds.
Florande falls overboard on a bad pitch of the ship.
The ship’s hull splits with a groan.
Erixa falls.
Estel drinks an elixir of water breathing as the ship falls apart.
Everyone is plunged into the sea. Struggling is to no avail; there are things below the surface that seize the fallen and drag them down. In the airless depths, everything begins to go black…
Erunak Stonespeaker says: To the depths with you, beast!
Erunak Stonespeaker says: Hold on, friend!
TIME PASSES
Our Heroes are lying inside the overturned hull of a wrecked ship. Their refuge is a narrow series of platforms connected by beams; immediately beneath them is dark water. This shipwreck is at the bottom of the sea, and they are lying in the chamber of air still trapped in its keel.
Ben sits up groggily — and soggily — and looks around.
Florande wakes with a yelp. "NO SEA MONSTER SEA MONST…"
Florande trails off when she takes in where they are now.
Niksi awakens and quickly orients herself, taking in her surroundings.
Ismene sits up and blinks through the sodden curtain of hair in her face. "How did we–?"
Estel gets up slowly, groaning. She tries to take a head count.
Of the Cobalt group, Kyris is nowhere to be seen. Maybe he's being rescued? Maybe he's drowned? Either way, he's not here.
Erixa touches a hand to her head with a groan. She checks her fingers, her tentacles, her horns… all accounted for.
Almeiria picks herself off the ground, and sighs. "Great. Now what?"
The Broken shaman seated watchfully nearby shakes his head heavily. “Not exactly the battle you had anticipated, I’ll wager. But a battle nonetheless, as you shall soon see.” He heaves himself to his feet.
Ben blinks at the shaman. He climbs to his feet as well and offers Mizzy a hand, still staring at the shaman.
Oh, it's Ben. Well, that's all right then. Ismene clambers to her feet with Ben's help and pushes her hair back out of her eyes.
“Welcome to the Briny Cutter,” the shaman says. “I am Erunak, a shaman of the Earthen Ring and the last surviving passenger of this once-proud vessel. I’m afraid your travails have just begun. The naga have been attacking relentlessly.”
Erunak looks from face to face. “You aren’t equipped to be of much help down here yet, but I can remedy that.” He gestures toward the water lapping at the boards of their precarious shelter.
“Just outside this ship lives a special breed of starfish. Bring me some of these along with a conch shell, and I can weave a water-breathing enchantment far more powerful than I could with simple fish scales.”
Florande nods. "I will help. I can breathe underwater."
Niksi nods as she tugs her diving helmet on. "Good. The rest of you will need some way to breathe."
On a platform separated from theirs by the lapping waters, a number of soldiers have been laid out. They are very still.
Almeiria tries to resurrect some of the drowned soldiers. Look, she's practicing her altruism.
Estel takes her cue from Almeiria and attempts the same thing.
Ben blinks, shakes his head, tips it to one side as if he's got water in his ears. He peers at Erunak, then around at the others. "We are missing… one? A couple?"
Mizzy whispers to Ben, "Go, I'll help here."
Ben looks to Ismene and nods. "See if they bring in Kyris. We will look for him out there."
Erixa glances at the others. "I am not skilled at water combat. Miss Ismene, I have some skill at healing. Not much. But I can assist?"
Ismene smiles a little at Erixa. "Looks like there's plenty to do."
Ben lifts his head to look at the group. "Okay, you heard the fellow. We are gettin'… starfish. To breathe. Anyone who wants to stay an' help in here, do it, an' we will get extra starfishes."
"Breathing is healthy, I'm told," Almeiria grumbles.
The old shaman nods somberly at Almeiria.
"If we find survivors we can bring them back here?" Florande suggests.
Estel checks over her things, then nods and steps into the water.
Ben stares at the dark water visible in the gap. He takes a breath and climbs in.
Florande hops into the water and turns into a sea lion.
Almeiria sighs, then takes a breath and jumps in.
The sea bed is… not that bad, actually, apart from the whole breathing thing. Once their eyes have adjusted to the depths, they find themselves in a kind of soft, blue daylight. Banks of seaweed like meadow-grass carpet ridges of white sand, and colorful creatures move here and there.
Niksi pauses to inspect a spiny crab.
A naga melts out of the cover of some nearby weed and attacks!
Zin’jatar Raider says: You ssserve or you die, sssoftskin!
The group closes ranks and kills the naga. As it dies, it hisses, “Ssshe will find you…”
Florande quickly gathers some starfish with her claws, and heads back into the upside down ship.
Estel scoops up starfish.
Ben waves at the rest to indicate he's heading back up as well.
Ben climbs out of the water, hauling himself up onto the planks, and scans the space. He gives Mizzy a wan smile before turning to the shaman.
Mizzy smiles back, encouraging.
The rest of the group climbs back into the dank air of the shipwreck as well.
"Unpleasant beings, these naga." Niksi tuts.
"That is sort of the definition," Florande nods. "They were elves once. Unpleasant elves."
"The definition of 'naga' is ‘unpleasant?’" Almeiria smirks. "I'll remember that."
"Here," Estel says, stacking her starfish on top of one another.
Florande adds her starfish to the stack. "So you may all breathe. Not just me and Niksi."
Ben offers over his starfish as well, and sets the conch shell down carefully.
Niksi joins the others to hand over her specimens. "My apologies for taking so long. I think I just discovered a new species of crab!"
"Well that's… helpful," Almeiria says.
Niksi is beaming brightly, on the verge of giddy, in spite of their terrible circumstances.
Ben looks interested in spite of himself.
The old shaman accepts the reagents. He lays the conch shells aside on the planks, and then casts the starfish into a brazier by his feet and murmurs an enchantment. A sudden breeze seems to stir the damp confines of the ship’s belly.
Florande smiles at the breeze.
"Well, I didn't realize we would be burning the poor things," Almeiria says, looking surprised.
Ben eyes Almeiria. Is she… feeling sorry? For a starfish?
Erunak murmurs again and the brazier hisses out. He bends to take a palmful of ash and blows gently, scattering it through the confined space. As it settles on wet hair and armor, it seems to melt and vanish.
Estel sneezes.
Erunak smiles at them. “There you are, friends. With this blessing, you should find yourselves more at home in the sea.”
Niksi beams. "Have no worries. I'm always at home in the sea!"
Erunak’s expression grows serious once more. “But now we must get to work. There is much to be done in little time."
"To be done?" Florande asks. "Fighting… naga?"
"There were more folks on the ship," Estel points out.
“Indeed,” says Erunak. “And that is the purpose of these.” He turns back to the conch shells, picks each one up and smears it with ash from the brazier. He turns to offer a shell out to each person.
“You have been granted the power to move about this realm more freely and without fear of drowning. This is where our work begins. You have allies nearby who are adrift and drowning as we speak. As I saved you, you must save them.”
Florande nods. "We are missing Kyris. I don't know who else, but there were many."
Erunak bows his head. “I have enchanted these shells. Use them to rescue your comrades. Hurry now!”
Estel takes a shell from Erunak. "Thanks."
Florande reaches forward to take an enchanted shell.
Ben accepts a conch shell with a nod. "Okay, Cobalts. Let's go get 'em."
Niksi continues to use her diving helmet, trusting her technology over the shaman's magic.
They climb back down into the water, and swim their way out through the ship’s shattered side.
Ben looks a little startled, despite the shaman's assurance, to be able to breathe in the sea. "Hey, it —" He blinks. Now he is startled to talk. He turns to see if anyone heard him.
"Whoa." Estel gives Ben a thumbs-up.
Almeiria wrinkles her nose in disgust at the sight of an eel.
Niksi looks around in awe. "Look at all the sunken vessels here."
Scattered at varying distances from their own location on the sea floor lie literally dozens of shipwrecks.
Ben follows her gaze. "Shit, yeah. It is kind of a ship graveyard?"
"We're probably not the first vessel to be brought down by that kraken." Niksi shakes her head.
Florande shakes her head. "Definitely not. We saw the wreckage of at least one more, when it attacked."
They find the bodies of soldiers drifting in the water.
Estel swims about, blowing bubbles with her conch shell to rescue the soldiers she finds. Kyris is among them.
The bubbles from the conch shells grow to encase each drowning soldier, and drift seemingly of their own accord toward the Briny Cutter, carrying them one at a time to refuge.
Florande still keeps in her sea lion form, for speed. She rushes from drowning soldier to drowning soldier.
Ben looks around for Niksi. He kills an eel when she isn't looking, then swims back toward Estel. "You got him? You got Kyris?"
"I got him," Estel says.
Ben nods, grimly relieved. "Okay. Good. I believe that makes all our people." He looks around for any sign of more drowning soldiers. "Reckon we can get back now to that fellow."
As Ben hoists himself up into the ship's belly this time, he takes another survey of the now-crowded area, soldiers resting or lying prone on the planks.
Kyris, like the rest of the soldiers who were bubbled back to the boat, is recovering along with the soldiers. He gives Ismene and Erixa a grateful nod.
Ismene gives Kyris a soothing pat on the head and goes back to attempting to resurrect the fallen.
"Way to go," Estel says to Mizzy, proud.
Ben lifts a hand to acknowledge Kyris before turning back to the shaman.
Florande waves happily at Kyris, and then turns to the shaman.
“Well done, friends. I am grieved to report that the souls of many had already slipped their tethers, but your comrades and I were able to revive some of the fallen. We will need every hand if we are to survive here.”
Ben nods grimly at Erunak.
Erunak sighs. “There is still much to do, and I grow weary. I have expended much power on these spells, and in sending a distress message to the leadership of the Earthen Ring, to advise them of our fate and plead for their help.
“I must rest if I am to be of further use to us here. But speak to the leader of the men you’ve saved and do what you can to help them prepare for the battle we will face. The naga are scouring the waters for us. It is but a matter of time before they return — and they will surely come in even greater force.”
Erunak settles down heavily on the planks.
Niksi starts digging through some of the equipment she recovered before the ship went down.
"Doesn't more people make it harder to survive?" Almeiria asks.
Erixa looks over the recovered soldiers for anything needing lingering healing, before she joins Ismene with the dead.
Ben turns to survey the ranks of salvaged soldiers and spots Captain Taylor. He glances at Almeiria. "We are gonna need numbers to fight the naga, I reckon."
Niksi sighs at the device in her hands. "Hmm. I have some good news and some bad news."
Ben looks down at Niksi. "Okay. Start with bad?"
"Really? Alright. The bad news is this is broken." Niksi holds up the device as if anyone should recognize it.
"… okay, maybe I should've said start with good," Ben concedes.
"I would have thought the bad news was our being trapped under the ocean with a bunch of naga, but sure. That's broken." Almeiria says.
"What is it?" Florande asks, staring with wide, glowing eyes.
"Is that your bathymeter?" Estel guesses.
Niksi nods. "The good news is that this is the Sub-Hydrospheric Acoustic Receiver/Transmitter from the DRUNK… and I think I can fix it."
Niksi sits down, pulling out several tools from her belt.
Florande claps. "Hooray! Then we can…" Florande trails off. She has no idea what they can do.
"Meaning?" Almeiria asks.
Ben got one word of that and it was 'Transmitter.' "You can… transmit?"
"Send messages?" Estel fills in for Florande, guessing.
Niksi points at Estel.
"Send messages!" Florande repeats happily.
Estel holds up a hand to high-five Ben.
Ben breaks into a wide grin and high-fives Estel. Then he remembers the thing is broken and stops grinning. He watches Niksi uneasily.
"Then maybe our people can send help, too. If it works." Florande nods.
Niksi tinkers with the transmitter device, occasionally muttering things like, "That's not good," and, "I don't remember this component."
"She's got this," Estel says confidently. "Unless she's missing a piece. In which case we might need to find it."
Almeiria tries to avoid the leaking parts of the ship. She is wet enough, thank you.
Florande is soaked to the bone. She doesn't seem to care.
Niksi seems to have extra pieces, many scattered around her when she stands up. "Excelsior! I do believe it's functional… for now."
"Excelsior!" says Ben.
Florande cheers.
"What does that send messages to exactly?" Almeiria asks.
Nix pushes a few buttons, turns a crank to adjust a dial precisely, and speaks into a horn attached to the device.
Ben watches Niksi intently, leaning forward a little. Go go message gadget.
"Cobalt Company, Stormwind, do you read?" Niksi glances up. "I left SHARTs at Cobalt Company Headquarters and with the Stormwind Admiralty. With the deployed BIRD, hopefully I can relay a message to them."
Almeiria stares at Ben as if the acronyms are somehow his fault. Why did you let her do this, Ben?
"Stormwind, Cobalt Company, come in. This is Niksi Knockfathom with the Tol Barad expedition. Our vessel fell under attack by a kraken; we took damage and were involuntarily submerged. Evidence suggests that several of the missing Alliance ships befell the same situation in this area."
Niksi continues. "We have been displaced to the sea floor. Coordinates uncertain. For the moment we are safe and capable of respiration; we found refuge with a shaman of the Earthen Ring. We will secure our position while we await rescue."
Ben might have suggested wording that more efficiently. But he nods.
A panel of the SHART pops off with a sproing sound, and the device vomits what seems like far more pieces and inner workings than should physically be able to fit inside.
Florande stares at the dying machine in dismay.
Ben steps back from the device's collapse. "Uh. Shit?"
"No, SHART. But it doesn't matter. It's dead."
"Did it go to the bird shart before it broke?" Florande asks earnestly.
Estel winces.
"Can we… fix it more? Again? You, I mean?" Ben definitely cannot fix it.
Niksi sighs, shaking her head as she picks up a blackened metal coil. "Not without a replacement Sonic Actuation Coil."
"… okay well. I dunno what the odds are of that,” says Ben, who does not even know what that is. “Let's… go see the Captain."
"We can look for one of those." Florande says. And then, seeing as she has no idea what that is, she adds, "Maybe."
Almeiria continues to stare accusingly at Ben.
"We must hope that message got through," sighs Niksi.
"Fingers crossed," Estel says.
Ben nods grimly and turns to head for Captain Taylor. He salutes the man, who is seated among a group of sodden soldiers, looking very grim indeed. "Sir. Cobalt Company. The shaman told us to help get you squared away ASAP, on account of we got nagas coming."
Captain Taylor looks up. He shakes his head. “I hear you, friends. And I do understand the urgency, but these men are in no condition to fight.” He looks around at his comrades, and then back up at the Cobalts. “We’ve lost so many good men today, but without you that number would be even higher. You have our gratitude. I need to ask a further favor, however. If what the shaman says is true, then there is no time to spare.
“But my men need time. Can you buy us a little? Find the naga advance scouts and delay their efforts.” He hesitates. “And while you’re out there — some of these soldiers are still desperately weak from their ordeal. They’ll need sustenance if they’re going to put up any kind of fight. There must be something edible out there. Fish, or… crabs, maybe?”
Ben looks at Niksi. "We seen some crabs, yeah."
"And eels," Estel says.
Ben makes a face. Discreetly.
Almeiria shudders at the mention of eels.
"I am able to fight. I joined the ship to fight." Florande nods. "I can point out ones that are edible, too. The plants."
"But yes, eels and crabs are probably best for getting strength." Florande nods.
"Have no fear. There's plenty to eat on the sea floor!" Niksi beams with excitement.
Captain Taylor nods again. "Thank you, friends. Whatever you can find. And try to keep the naga at bay. For a while, anyway."
Ben nods curtly. "Okay, Cobalts. Let's do it. Niksi an' Florande, you point out maybe the best eats. The rest of us will kill off nagas we see."
"Righto." Estel eases back into the water.
The rest of the group follows.
Florande nods at Niksi. "You are like a machine druid."
"Thank you, Florande!"
"This is why I said the increase in number may make survival more difficult," Almeiria says.
Ben glances at her. "Yeah, well, Niksi says there's plenty to eat. An' we will need plenty to fight, if the shaman is right."
Florande gestures to a Splitclaw Skitterer with one long-clawed fin.
"Sorry, Mr. Crab," Niksi apologizes. "You're dinner tonight."
"What is that miserable creature?" Almeiria asks, pointing to a goblin-like creature.
"Aw, nuts and bolts. Gilblins." Niksi mutters.
"Gilblins?" Florande asks. "Goblins?"
"Gilblins. Or gilgoblins," Niksi clarifies. "Goblin cousins, but adapted to undersea life."
Estel picks up a clam. More food for the soldiers.
"I am guessin' we should stay clear of 'em for now," Ben says, squinting. And then, as several sinuous shadows pass across the sea floor from above: "Naga scouts overhead!"
Zin’jatar Raider says: You cannot hide, breather!
Battle ensues! Naga are killed.
Ben surveys the waters around them narrowly. "See any more?"
Florande shakes her head.
"The rest are a ways out yet," Almeiria says. "We bought time, as promised."
Ben nods. "Okay. Let's get the food back to Captain Taylor."
Estel hauls a wet sack full of dead crabs back to the Captain. There's one (1) clam and one (1) dead eel in there as well.
Ben salutes the Captain again and sets a bunch of… dead crabs down on the planks.
"They are good eating," Florande says, nodding reassuringly. She plops her own crab carcasses on top.
"We also took out all the naga scouts we seen. There was a lot overhead," Ben says grimly.
Captain Taylor sighs with visible relief. “Again, we thank you for your efforts. If I could ask one more favor, while we get these soldiers warm and fed?”
"Yessir?" Ben raises an eyebrow.
"You can remove the shells yourself," Almeiria says.
Estel snort-laughs when Almeiria speaks up.
Captain Taylor eyes Almeiria. "That… is not the favor." He clears his throat.
“I’ll let you in on a secret. These men you’ve saved today aren’t your everyday Stormwind troops. They’re members of an experimental marine detachment we’ve begun training: the Stormwind Elite Aquatic and Land Forces.”
"Oh, brilliant!" Niksi nods approvingly.
“Our gear is scattered all over the sea floor — not just armor and weapons, but some top secret new technology for underwater recon and surveying. We’re going to need every last piece of it we can recover.”
Ben nods again firmly. "Yessir. We will recover it."
"Oh, wow!" Florande says in delight. "I think you are asking the right team. We have a Niksi."
"Technology, you say?" Niksi perks.
Captain Taylor nods. "Yes. Underwater breathing apparatus, navigational devices, that sort of thing."
"So what you're saying is, you were equipped for this, but not prepared?" Almeiria sighs.
Kyris gives Almeiria a silent look. Thank you for saying the quiet part out loud, miss.
"Hard to prepare for a kraken attack," Captain Taylor says dryly. (Get it?)
"Maybe one of those sonic coils for Niksi. Keep an eye out!" Mizzy advises.
Florande nods at Ismene before she dives back into the water and sealionism.
Ben heads for the gap into the water once more.
Estel drags some boxes marked with a red plus sign closer to the ship, then returns to her squad.
Florande swims around in sea lion form, snagging armor and equipment with long claws as she goes.
Niksi waves from turtleback. "Hey, look who found us! It's Flotsam!"
"No, that's a turtle," Almeiria says.
"Wha — you have a turtle?" Estel stares.
Ben blinks at the turtle. "Uh. Hey, Flotsam."
"Hello, Flotsam! What a handsome turtle," Florande beams.
"Flotsam is a dear friend. He's saved my posterior from many a danger."
"And where would you be without your posterior?" Florande nods seriously.
"The more pertinent question is: Where would my posterior be and how could I retrieve it?"
Florande laughs.
Gilblin Scavenger says: We kill them and we take their stuffs…
Gilblin Scavenger says: What you bring us? Treasures from the surface?
They fend off the attacking gilblins, who prove to be carrying some of the lost SEALF gear themselves.
Ben surveys their haul. "C'mon, let's get this stuff back."
Estel drags things through the water.
Ben clambers out of the water and drops some equipment with a clatter in front of the Captain.
Florande tosses the things she was able to recover at the Captain's feet.
Niksi had strapped the things she found to Flotsam's shell. She unpacks them and presents them in the growing pile.
Captain Taylor and several of his men move forward at once to sort through and examine the equipment. After a few minutes, the Captain looks up and nods.
“Everything here seems to be in working order. We’re as ready as we’ll ever be. No sense waiting around for the naga to find us. I’ll address the men, and then we’ll meet the enemy on our own terms."
"Yessir." Ben braces solemnly for another speech.
Florande straightens up, trying to look soldier-like.
Zin’jatar Scout says: None escape!
Stormwind Soldier yells: Captain! The naga! They've followed Cobalt back to the ship!
Captain Taylor says: We’ve been discovered!
Zin'jatar Scout yells: Sssoftsskinss! Sssoon you shall ssserve my Lady!
Captain Taylor yells: Die, beast!
They fend off a party of naga raiders.
Captain Taylor is white-faced and grim. “No time to address the troops after all. It’s just as well. They know what must be done. Let’s go.”
Ben casts a look at Mizzy and then jumps into the water after the SEALF.
Kyris takes up a defensive post near the entrance to the ship.
Erixa also stays behind for the defense of the wounded and recovering.
Florande dives back into the water, ready to fight.
Outside the ship, a pitched battle is underway.
“This is it!” cries Captain Taylor, his voice echoing tinnily from inside his high tech deepdive helmet. “This is where we make our stand. We’ll make these monsters think twice before approaching our ship again! May our blades strike fear in their hearts!”
Stormwind Soldier yells: For Stormwind!
Captain Taylor yells: To battle, men!
Florande drops the sea lion form for a more martial and feline approach.
Estel weaves into and out of Shadowform, alternating between that and healing people.
Captain Taylor yells: There are too many! Shaman, do something!
Erunak, who stands behind the lines of fighters, lifts his hands.
Ben ducks back as the shaman summons forked lightning to drive back the next wave of naga.
Florande startles.
"I do not feel like we should be doin' lightning underwater," Ben mutters.
"I guess shaman know what they do," Florande says, in worry.
Captain Taylor yells: Rest while you can, men. That wasn't the last of them….
Indeed it was not.
Captain Taylor yells: Brace yourselves, men!
Niksi whips her trident through the water with surprising speed and ability for a scientist.
"Fuck, they just keep comin’!" swears Ben.
"Is this maybe the last of them? Maybe?!?" Florande asks hopefully.
It is still not.
Florande sighs.
Captain Taylor yells: Shaman, do something!
Ben is better-prepared for the next blast of lightning, but he looks a little plaintively at Captain Taylor.
Captain Taylor yells: Make them pay!
Stormwind SEALF yells: No! Ahhhhh…..
"What the fuck?" Ben asks rhetorically, as a trio of naga seize nearby soldiers and… swim away with them?
Captain Taylor yells: Stay alert! Don't let them drag you away!
"No! What are they doing?" Florande dives for one of the men, but the naga speed him away.
The naga do not appear to be battling in earnest at all anymore; they are simply closing in on exhausted soldiers and seizing them, to drag them off into the depths.
Captain Taylor yells: Don't give up! Fight! Fight for the Alliance!
Stormwind SEALF yells: Gah… heeelp!
The numbers of Stormwind soldiers dwindle; the numbers of naga raiders do not.
Captain Taylor yells: Their numbers are… endless…
A pair of naga raiders seize the Captain by each arm and begin to tow him away.
Captain Taylor yells: My men — they're all taken… Go! Save youselves!
"Captain!" yells Ben.
And then the naga are upon Cobalt Company.
Zin'jatar Abductor says: What fine ssspecimens you are.
Thanks, Zin’jatar Abductor!
Zin'jatar Abductor says: Our Lady will be mosst grateful for our effortsss.
"Help!" cries Niksi.
"Help!" echoes Florande. She struggles against the naga's grip, but it is too strong.
“Fuck!” says Ben, as he is grabbed.
Almeiria struggles against the naga. "Unhand me!"
Estel turns into a cloud of shadow and evades the naga that grabs her. A few seconds later, as her body reforms, another naga grabs her and pulls her along with the rest.
They are dragged rapidly through the water, a shifting landscape of light and shadow and tangled weed — when suddenly, a familiar forked, shamanic lightning streaks through the water to strike the naga, accompanied this time by blasts of flame and stone. Our Heroes find themselves free.
"Let me go, you slimy paramecium! Oh!" Niksi is abruptly released.
Ben finds his feet on the seabed and looks around a little wildly. "We clear? We all clear?"
"We are all five,” says Florande.
Kyris seems to have been carried away with the rest of the SEALF.
"What exactly did they mean to do with us?" Almeiria demands, as if someone has the answer.
Erunak is standing nearby in the shelter of a rock. He is flanked by two other people.
“Let's go see," says Ben, and moves that way.
"Sir?" Ben asks Erunak.
The Broken shaman bows his head in a weary, respectful greeting. “Friends, you yet live. I am glad to know it. The Earthen Ring has received my distress message and promises to send aid.” He gestures to the two people with him, a tauren woman and a black-bearded, glaring dwarf. “Meanwhile, as we were not the first or only ships lost to these particular waters, the Earthen Ring was able to direct my comrades and I to one another.
“We have the safety of greater numbers now — but we are not safe. Hopefully aid can be sent soon. We are but few against a great many."
"… I mean, they took a bunch of us. Sir," Ben points out.
Florande nods. "And now we have no ship. Do we go after them?"
Erunak shakes his head heavily. "We will find another refuge, and we will seek out our people from there. Meanwhile, my colleagues will aid us."
The tauren shaman beside Erunak bows. “Greetings, friends. I am Moanah Stormhoof, also of the Earthen Ring. It is good to see that you survived your battle in one piece."
Ben eyes the tauren a little warily. He nods respectfully and steps toward her.
“While Erunak tries to scry a place of safety for us all, I shall assist you in securing a less strenuous means of transport. I have prepared baitsticks to use near sea turtles. It is crude, but it should serve to lure one to your control."
Ben accepts a baitstick dubiously. "We catch… turtles? All of us?"
Moanah nods solemnly. "For travel. To make it easier. Once you’ve become comfortable with the animal, simply guide it back here to me.”
"Oh, like Niksi!" Florande smiles. "She can teach us to make friends, too."
"There's no finer way to travel,” Niksi agrees.
"Okay." Ben looks around for turtles.
"Just approach them slowly. Sea turtles can be very friendly as long as they dont' perceive you as a threat," advises Niksi.
Ben clambers onto a turtle’s shell. He dangles the baitstick and the turtle begins to move. Slowly. Ben whoops.
SUDDENLY, a shark explodes from some nearby weeds and seizes the turtle. Ben falls off, startled to safety, and curses as the shark swims away in a grisly cloud of turtle bits.
Florande has just managed to coax a turtle close to her when a shark swings by and rips it away.
Almeiria sits on her turtle as it slowly, slooooowwly moves. She sighs in frustration. "Oh, please. I can move faster than this myself!" When a shark "retrieves" her turtle, she almost sighs in relief.
Estel loses her baitstick to a shark. She lets it go. "Nope. You can have that. That's fine."
"Hey! Hey. Everyone okay?" Ben looks shaken up.
"I'm just fine," Niksi nods. "I'm just glad Flotsam isn't anywhere near those sharks."
"That was a terrible idea," Almeiria says.
"Yeah, uh. I'm good. I need another one of those sticks. You okay?" Estel peers at Ben.
Ben nods. "Yeah. Just — surprised."
Florande swims back over to Moanah, looking over her shoulder nervously.
Ben shakes himself off and approaches the shaman. "That, uh, did not work. It was… not fast enough to get away from a shark. There is… a fuckton of sharks out here. Eff why eye."
Moanah blinks slowly. “I… see. How unfortunate. Well, all things considered, it is good that you made it back unharmed."
"I suspect all the naga activity has forced the sharks to move their hunting grounds," Niksi observes.
"We should be careful. It could take any one of us. Especially, maybe, the ones who are animals," says Florande.
“All right,” says Moanah. “Let’s try plan B. It will be trickier, but perhaps the outcome will be less… shark-baity.
“Tie off these lures at the rope just west of us, at the edge of the abyss, and then mount the seahorse that it will attract. Be warned, it may prove more challenging than a turtle to bring under your control.”
"A seahorse!" Florande smiles.
"A seahorse?" Ben looks delighted. He accepts a lure cheerfully. Sharks, schmarks.
"A seahorse," Estel says a little dubiously.
"Ooh, hippocampus colossus?" Niksi practically vibrates with excitement.
"Difficult to bring under my control? Hardly. Who do you think you're talking to?" Almeiria looks smug.
"I have no idea," Moanah says politely to Almeiria, and hands her a lure.
Almeiria clicks her tongue at the tauren. "You will."
"She's a master seahorse wrangler," Estel says to Moanah very seriously, and swims off after the others.
They plant their lures at the edge of the fast-flowing chasm nearby to wait. They do not have to wait long.
Nix gasps, "They're beautiful."
As the giant, vividly-violet seahorses with their banded crests approach to investigate the bait, the members of the squad approach cautiously and each mount one.
The seahorses disapprove. Everyone goes for a very wild ride.
Ben manages to guide his cross-looking seahorse down to where the shamans wait. He looks a little frazzled.
Niksi sighs happily. "That was incredible!"
Estel dismounts from her seahorse, grinning. "They're fast! I love 'em!"
Moanah Stormhoof beams and clasps her three-fingered hands together. “Amazing! You look exhausted — but I assure you, life will be a lot easier down here with a mount that swift at your disposal. Congratulations!”
"Can we name 'em?" Ben asks. The important question.
Moanah blinks. "I… don't see why not?"
"Or do they already have names?" Florande asks.
"I do not speak seahorse, so I cannot say. Feel free to give them names in your own tongues; they will not understand any more than we understand theirs." Moanah shrugs cheerfully. She glances to her right. “I believe Rendel had a request to make of you now.”
Ben assumes Rendel is the guy who isn't Erunak. "Rendel?" he asks as he approaches.
The black-bearded dwarf shaman sizes up the group. “G’day, friends. Rendel, that’s me, aye. Seems ol’ Moanah and I got here in the nick of time, eh? You’re welcome.”
"… thanks," says Ben.
Florande nods seriously.
Almeiria tosses her head indignantly and looks away. Until her hair floats into her face and she has to fix it.
"I'm Estel, hi," Estel says, waving lazily.
Rendel just nods. “So, in our rush to get here and help you lot out, we left a little unfinished business off to the east a ways. Seems fair that ye handle that for us in turn, aye?”
"Uh, yeah, sure." Ben looks wary. He hopes it is not shark-related business.
"What kind of unfinished business?" Florande asks.
“A little lady out that way was near death herself,” the dwarf says. “When we were dispatched to help Erunak and you lot, we had no choice but to leave her by an air vent in the kelp forest. How about ye get over there and help her while there’s still time?”
Ben boggles. "You… left a lady out there?"
"By an air vent," Estel says. "Sure. I'm a healer."
Rendel eyes Ben. "Aye. And now you go get her."
"Tell me, are dwarves near sighted, or is that just you?" Almeiria asks.
Rendel ignores Almeiria.
Ben looks around at the others. "Okay. Let's — hey, let's mount up, y'all."
They can mount up now!
Florande swings onto her seahorse and heads out.
Seahorses go zoooooommm.
A human woman in black leather armor is clinging to a kelp frond above a bubbling air vent. Not just any human woman, in fact: It’s Adarrah, from the ship that transported the squad to… well. To here.
Florande waves. "You survived!"
Adarrah drifts in an awkward semi-circle to peer at her rescuers. “Oh, finally! I don’t know how much longer I can last!”
Estel leans around the neck of her seahorse. "Hey. You okay?"
“Please — I don’t know how I’ve managed to survive, between the naga, the sharks, and that… thing that attacked our ship! I can see from here a cave that might be safe, but I don’t dare try to make it unless I know there’s air inside.” Adarrah surveys the group. “Since you seem to be handling the breathing thing okay, maybe you can head over and make sure it’s safe?”
"Sure, we are underwater creatures." Florande nods easily, and offers no further explanation for their breathing.
"A cave?" Ben peers in the direction of her gesture. "We are lookin' for a place ourselfs. For safety. We will check it out. Estel, you want to stay with her?"
"Sure." Estel parks her seahorse.
Niksi removes her diving helmet, for the moment trusting in the shamanic magic. "Put this on." She offers the helmet to Adarrah. "Stay here while we check things out, but you'll breathe easier."
Adarrah accepts the helmet dubiously. She wrinkles her nose at it. She sets it gingerly on her head and nods.
Niksi reaches down to tighten the seals and drain excess water.
"Okay," says Ben. "Let's check it out."
Ben, Niksi, Florande, and Almeiria zoom seahorsily over the seabed and down a stony collapse toward the mouth of a cave. Within, they travel up a short underwater rise, and find themselves emerging onto a bed of sand within an open — air-filled — chamber.
Florande surfaces and makes a cheerful sound. "Yes, lots of air!"
Niksi nods firmly. "She'll be quite secure here."
Ben eyes the inside of the cavern admiringly. "Shit, yeah. I’ll go signal ‘em."
Florande leaves her seahorse in the water to explore the new cave.
Ben rides back out and waves both arms vigorously at Estel and Adarrah.
"You wanna hop on?" Estel offers.
Adarrah eyes the seahorse and then sort of just takes hold of Estel's shoulders to be towed along behind.
Estel's seahorse TAKES OFF. NYOOOOOM.
Inside the cavern, Adarrah lets go as soon as she surfaces, looking a little dizzy. She flounders splashing from the water and turns atop the bank of dry sand to survey the cave’s interior.
Estel climbs up onto sand.
Almeiria tries to wring some of the water out of her robes.
Adarrah sighs. “I cannot thank you enough. Let’s hope we’re safe in here for now — and that this whole nightmare has a happy ending.” She sets about wringing water from her hair.
Ben cranes around the cave again. "Reckon I will ride back and let the shamans know we got a place?"
Florande nods. "And we should make sure the others in the ship get here. Ismene and everyone."
Niksi nods to Ben. "I'll come with you. I haven't had a chance to do any mapping, and now is as good a time as any to start."
Estel nods. "Sure thing."
"Okay.” Ben nods at Niksi and looks around. “The rest of y'all get settled. We will be back soon."
"I'm going to dry off, for a change," Almeiria says.
Estel laughs. "Hey, Almeiria. You can use my eyes if we split up again like that."
"Perfect, I will do so," Almeiria says.
"May I use yours if need be?" Estel asks.
"Naturally, dear," Almeiria says.
"Brilliant." Estel gives her a thumbs-up. Good shadow priests ask for consent first.
The title of the log is the objective of a quest you are offered automatically upon killing an eel near the Briny Cutter. It is the greatest quest in Warcraft history.