(2024-07-26) Return to the Deadmines
Details
Author: Alli
Summary: Arric, Birdie, Glyphe, Kenelly, and Slicket head into the Deadmines to clear out the leadership of the newly-reformed Defias, and they find that the old place has a lot of new tricks. Arric gets a nickname. Glyphe is quite the firebrand. Slicket commandeers explosive machinery. Kenelly encounters a variety of smells. Birdie is a great communicator. ~4500 words.
Rating: T for Teen

Arc: EK Newbies

Arric Falrevere Bertrand Aspenwood Glyphe Tinkerspell Kenelly Ashewood Slicket Throttleblast
cw_violence.png

The team assembles at the entrance to the mines.

[Glyphe]: Hello, Airy! I guess it's time. Are you ready?

Arric laughs delightedly at 'Airy.'. "I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be. It must be done, yes?" He squares his shoulders.

[Arric]: Lord Ber– Birdie. Annuvin.

Arric bows down graciously.

[Slicket]: Hey, everybody!

Birdie waves. "Hey."

[Glyphe]: Just think, we'll be following in the footsteps of some of the greatest heroes of Cobalt Company!

Annuvin lands on a nearby cart and croaks, "Hey."

[Arric]: Oh, hello, Mr. Throttleblast, I didn– *He halts before admitting he didn't see him there.*

Arric smiles at Glyphe's comment, his eyes lighting up a bit.

Slicket laughs. "Yeah, Glyphe, you and me as gnomes in Sparkwire's footsteps. Who would've thought?" Slick looks up at at Arric and waves.

[Arric]: This was their first great triumph, was it not?

Arric gazes at the entrance to the mines.

[Arric]: I wonder if it will look as it did in the vision we saw…

[Slicket]: I wonder - probably they've done some redecorating, since back then.

[Glyphe]: Yeah, it was! They took down the Defias and ruined a plot to destroy Stormwind. Pity they didn't know about Vanessa.

[Arric]: Yes, what a tragic turn. I'm certain they'd have helped her somehow, if they had known.

[Slicket]: Definitely. Cobalt doesn't seem the sort to judge somebody based on their parents.

Birdie nods to Slicket.

[Slicket]: I guess now they might judge her, since she re-organized an organized crime organization.

[Slicket]: But that's on stuff she's doing now, not on who she's related to.

[Arric]: Yes, that was certainly… not her only option.

[Arric]: It isn't her name that's at issue, indeed.

[Arric]: I must say I can understand why she might be driven to such actions, but there's still no excuse for it.

Slicket nods. "There was a whole world out there. She didn't even have to stay in Westfall."

[Birdie]: Hey, Nelly.

[Slicket]: Hey, Nelly!

[Kenelly]: Hellooo! So sorry! I came as soon as I could.

[Arric]: Indeed. I'm learning myself just how very large the world is, compared to what I assumed.

Glyphe waves excitedly to Kenelly.

[Arric]: Welcome, Lady Kenelly. I'm so pleased you'll be with us today.

[Birdie]: Is Nat still…?

[Arric]: You know, I'm not certain. I'd thought she was coming today!

Kenelly beams a smile, curtseying. "Thank you."

[Slicket]: Everyone ready to head on in? Yeah, I told Nat we'd all be here, but she said… still contagious.

[Glyphe]: She needs to see a healer.

[Arric]: I was so excited to meet her.

[Arric]: She is a healer, isn't she…?

[Slicket]: I think she's eager to meet you too, Arric! She asked if you'd be here.

[Kenelly]: Perhaps I should check in on her.

[Arric]: Ah, well I hope she's better soon.

[Arric]: Ready when you are, Mr. Throttleblast.

[Birdie]: Sounds like she's making excuses now.

Arric salutes Slicket with respect.

Birdie falls in after Slicket.

[Arric]: Well, that's puzzling. Perhaps the adventurers' life isn't for her?

[Slicket]: Okay, in we go…

They go in.

[Slicket]: Okay, this is as far as we came in for the vision.

Arric sets his jaw and squares his shoulders.

Birdie salutes one of the guards.

[Slicket]: Looks like the troops have made a good base camp.

[Slicket]: Oh, look! Gnomish teleporter!

[Arric]: Where does it teleport to I wonder?

Slicket peers at it more carefully. "No… not gnomish."

[Slicket]: I wouldn't trust it without further information. I've known too many goblins.

[Kenelly]: A tele-…what is it?

Lt Horatio Laine says: Hey!

[Birdie]: Hey, there's Laine.

Lt Horatio Laine says: Over here!

[Slicket]: Hello!

[Slicket]: Looks like your people are making their way in. What needs doing?

Lt. Horatio Laine says: I've done some intel and I could use your help.

Slicket nods.

[Kenelly]: We're happy to help, constable!

Lt. Horatio Laine passes out some little gnomish devices.

Birdie takes one.

Slicket does too.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: I'm going to stay in touch with you - there are certain targets I need you to look for down there. Kill everything in your way, obviously, but there are key people we need to take down.

[Slicket]: Right, of course. And you'll let us know when we're coming up near the important ones?

Glyphe accepts hers and looks it over. She gives it a few pokes, then jumps at a squeal of feedback and hastily puts the hing in her packs.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: To start with, their Foreman. Big ogre. One of the two-headed kind. Brute strength plus spellcasting - nasty business. Nothing you can't handle though, right?

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Name's Glubtok, not that it matters. Just… kill anything with two heads and a red cape.

[Birdie]: Is that the ogre Ozmatoz drew?

[Slicket]: Sure, we can fight ogres. That's, like, a gnomish specialty. Ever read the Cobalt Blade stories?

[Glyphe]: We'll have to see him from the back to be sure.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: I dunno, I'd have to see the guy from the back to know.

Glyphe giggles at Lieutenant Horatio Laine.

Slicket nods seriously at Glyphe and Laine.

Kenelly's brow lifts at Glyphe.

Lt. Horatio Laine holds down a hand for a high four.

Glyphe high-fours Laine.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: All right, get on it. I'll be here.

[Arric]: Yes sir.

[Slicket]: Yes, sir!

The team heads deeper into the mines, and hits resistance almost immediately. There are ogres and kobolds, and even a cannon.

Kenelly shrieks! "They're firing a cannon at us!"

[Birdie]: Cannoneer!

Kobold Digger says: You no take candle!

[Slicket]: Huh, should we take out the cannon too?

[Arric]: Good plan.

We take out the people manning the cannon, and then Slicket grabs the controls.

Arric cheers!

[Arric]: Oh, brilliant!

Arric claps for Slicket as he turns the cannon on the ogres.

[Glyphe]: That looked like fun!

Slicket laughs.

Kenelly claps excitedly for Slicket.

[Arric]: That takes care of that little problem.

[Slicket]: It was pretty fun! Maybe there'll be more further in.

[Arric]: Capital. Let me try it once!

Arric gives it a try! He’s good at it, though we’ve killed all the ogres by now.

[Slicket]: More ogres up ahead. And kobolds.

Kenelly sniffs the air and recoils. "The ogre stench is…very strong here."

Birdie picks up a red Defias mask. "Hm." He sticks it into a pocket.

[Slicket]: Yeah, I think this might be our guy up in this room here.

[Slicket]: Let's take out his guard first.

Arric readies his crossbow.

[Birdie]: Yessir.

We take out his guards. Glubtok stares at the team balefully with his two heads.

Slicket peers at Glubtok. "Hard to say from this angle.

[Arric]: A spellcaster, he said… do be careful.

[Glyphe]: Two heads, red cape. That's him. Wait'll he falls over and we can see if he's the same one.

[Slicket]: Right. I'll try… to dodge or something. The fireballs.

Arric laughs.

Glubtok yells: Glubtok show you da power of de arcane!

Glubtok yells: Fists of flame!

Glubtok’s fists are engulfed in flame as he strikes down at Slicket. The fire is bigger than the gnome warrior. Slicket tries his best to not get burned.

[Slicket]: Whoa, that's a lot of fire!

Glubtok yells: Fists of frost!

Now he does the same thing, but it's frost that his hands are engulfed in. Slicket does his best to not be frozen.

Glubtok yells: Glubtok ready?

Glubtok yells: Let's do it!

Glubtok yells: ARCANE POWER!!!

Glubtok rises into the air, lines of power arcing from the sides of the room into his body. He is empowered!

[Arric]: Oh my!!!

[Slicket]: Aaah! What's he doing?

Glubtok yells: TOO…MUCH…POWER!!!

He is TOO POWERED! Things start to go unstable! Runes appear on the ground!

Arric dodges some sort of runes on the ground.

Glubtok blazes with power!

[Arric]: Oh, myyyy.

Kenelly gasps at Glubtok.

The ogre was incinerated by magic. There is only ash remaining.

Arric stares at what's left of the ogre.

[Slicket]: That is honestly not what I expected to happen there.

[Slicket]: Also now I feel both frozen and burned.

Birdie reaches for his communicator. "Laine, we got Glubtok."

[Glyphe]: Now we'll never know.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: *over the gnomish device* You got him? What on earth was that noise?

[Birdie]: Oh, he exploded.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Excellent. That's how I like my ogres.

Kenelly sniffs at the ash, again recoiling.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Okay, keep going, see what else you can find.

The team enters a mine where goblins appear to be using trained monkeys to work. Other goblins circle through the mine serving drinks.

[Birdie]: Is that a monkey?

[Glyphe]: Poor monkeys!

[Arric]: Do you know, I have never actually seen a monkey, outside of traveling menageries?

[Slicket]: Uh, the goblins I know don't exploit monkeys.

[Kenelly]: They're forcing monkeys to work for them? How awful.

[Birdie]: This isn't exactly their native environment.

[Glyphe]: Free the monkeys!

Glyphe thrusts a fist in the air.

[Slicket]: Really? *Slicket looks to Arric* Now that you mention it, I doubt I've seen one either.

[Arric]: Yes, let's do try not to hurt them.

[Slicket]: I'll see if I can get the overseers away from them, so they don't get caught in the crossfire.

We fight some goblins, carefully pulling them away from the monkeys when we do.

Birdie stares at the goblin with a drink tray in a cocktail dress.

[Arric]: Is that goblin woman… serving drinks?

[Kenelly]: It's the same for me. I saw a monkey once in a show put on by Travelers. But that's all.

[Slicket]: This is all really unexpectedly festive in here.

[Arric]: Well put, Mr. Throttleblast.

The drink-bearing goblin is not friendly. She attacks Slicket when he gets too close.

[Slicket]: Ack! She's hitting me with the drink tray!

Arric gets to work freeing one of the mining monkeys.

Birdie unlocks a monkey from their chains.

Slicket does his part keeping the overseers busy and away.

Arric encourages Mining Monkey.

The freed monkeys assist us against their former goblin captors.

[Arric]: Look, they're helping!

[Arric]: Clever chaps.

Arric lavishes praise upon Mining Monkey.

[Slicket]: I feel like we're doing good deeds here. Better than I even expected.

[Arric]: Indeed!

Arric frees another monkey.

[Slicket]: Okay, some of those bigger-type gobliny fellows here, and a closed door.

We fight the bigger-type gobliny fellows. They’re hobgoblins, for those who want to learn the goblin lore.

[Arric]: Oh, there must be something important behind that. It's huge.

[Slicket]: We're on order to investigate, so I say we fight our way in. *Slick nods at Arric*

[Kenelly]: I have you covered.

Arric readies his crossbow again.

We open the door.

Kenelly sniffs. "Sawdust."

Lt. Horatio Laine says: *Bzzzzt* Can you hear me?

[Birdie]: Yep.

[Slicket]: Laine, yes, we can hear you!

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Excellent. Looks like Helix Gearbreaker is building an enormous mast. They're not trying to rebuild the juggernaut are they?

[Birdie]: I mean.

Kenelly whispers, "What's the juggernaut?"

[Birdie]: Remember that huge ship we saw in the vision, Nelly?

Kenelly nods.

[Slicket]: Was it a juggernaut?

Lt. Horatio Laine says: You'd better investigate. And probably, use deadly force, because… we've met. I know how you operate. So… do your thing.

[Slicket]: Right, got it. Deadly force.

[Birdie]: We don't have to — well, sure.

[Slicket]: I bet Helix is in here somewhere. We can't let them rebuild that ship. Juggernaut. Whatever.

[Kenelly]: So they're trying to build another one of those ships? With all the giant cannons? Oh dear.

[Slicket]: Look, another teleporter. I bet they're connected.

Birdie examines the teleporter.

[Birdie]: I think it's been used recently, it's going through a cool-down phase.

[Arric]: I know nothing at all about this sort of thing.

[Slicket]: If we need to get back to Laine quickly, it's probably safe enough.

[Birdie]: They might be using it to transport ship parts.

[Arric]: Oh, perhaps you're right.

[Slicket]: My expertise is more on engines and vehicles, but… I have seen teleporters. The gnomes in Gadgetzan are really big on that.

Birdie looks at Glyphe.

[Kenelly]: Are you telling me this machine can move us about like a mage does?

[Birdie]: It can move something about.

Before we can teleport away, we are attacked by a Lumbering Oaf with a goblin (Helix Gearbreaker) sitting on his shoulders.

Helix Gearbreaker yells: The mistress will pay me handsomely for your heads!

That mistress would almost certainly be Vanessa Van Cleef. Helix begins tossing lit bombs around the room, which explode in a chaotic sequence.

Helix Gearbreaker yells: Bombs away!

[Birdie]: Heads up!

Arric yelps as a bomb lands near him.

Lumbering Oaf yells: No…NO!

Lumbering Oaf yells: OAF SMASH!!

Oaf is, in fact, smashed. Helix hops away from his fallen form.

Helix Gearbreaker yells: I didn't need him! Not when I've got YOU oafs!

[Glyphe]: Get off me!

Helix Gearbreaker yells: The scales…have…tipped…

Indeed they have, in our favor. Helix falls. There are still many bombs scattered around the room.

Birdie stands back from all the explosives.

[Arric]: Watch out, some of those bombs are still active…

[Slicket]: Yeah, back away.

[Slicket]: Whew, so that was Helix.

[Slicket]: Guy really knew his bombs, but I guess it didn't help him in the end.

Birdie rubs at his ears. "Yeah."

Lt. Horatio Laine says: *Scrrreeechbzzzt* What happened? I heard all kinds of chaos.

[Slicket]: Should we report back?

[Arric]: Does the teleporter work?

[Slicket]: Hmm… the button is labeled wood and lumber.

[Slicket]: Maybe we have to calibrate the other side.

[Arric]: The way should be clear.

Birdie says into the communicator, "Yeah, our connection's a bit shoddy. On the way back."

We run back to the army camp at the entrance to the mine.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: You survived! Nice work.

[Slicket]: Hello there, sir! We got Helix Gearbreaker. SI:7's gonna be happy about that, I hope.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Keep pushing forward. You're doing great.

We recalibrate our communicator and head back in.

[Glyphe]: That was fun.

[Slicket]: Okay, so I see mages up ahead.

[Slicket]: Let's keep pressing forward, watch out for magic.

They take the teleporter back. It works!

We fight some groups of a mage and several miners. The mage focuses some kind of glowing beam into one of the miners as we fight.

[Slicket]: I don't know what that beam is.

[Slicket]: Glyphe, any idea?

[Glyphe]: Some sort of power transfer, I think.

Arric nods at the gnomes. They know things.

[Glyphe]: I admit, mostly I was just focusing on frying her guts.

Arric laughs at Glyphe.

Kenelly laughs, covering her muzzle. "Oh, goodness!"

[Arric]: You're quite the firebrand aren't you, Miss Tinkerspell!

[Glyphe]: Aww. Shucks.

[Slicket]: Alright, let's fry the next one then. Keep on frying. *Slicket laughs*

Arric waves away dust.

They come to another fortified, closed door.

[Arric]: Another large door…

[Slicket]: Ready to see what's behind it?

[Kenelly]: This place is full of them.

Arric stands at attention and salutes.

We open the door. Molten metal pours from the ceiling into a furnace. Goblins flee in terror.

[Glyphe]: Wow!

Goblin Craftsman says: They're alive…

[Slicket]: Ooh, a foundry… uh… what?

Goblin Engineer yells: RUN!

Goblin Craftsman yells: THEY'RE ALIVE!!!

[Kenelly]: What's alive…? Us?

Goblin Craftsman yells: NOOOOOOO!!!

Arric is nearly knocked over by a fleeing goblin.

Not all the goblins are fleeing. Some lay on the ground, already slain.

[Glyphe]: Dead goblin.

[Arric]: We must investigate…

[Slicket]: As much as I hate to move towards whatever goblins would think is risky enough to flee from…

[Kenelly]: Something bad happened here.

[Slicket]: I agree with you all. We have to look.

As we come around the bend, we see some familiar-looking robots.

[Birdie]: Harvest watchers.

[Arric]: Hm, why were they so afraid?

[Slicket]: Yeah! Just like the ones you reprogrammed.

[Arric]: We've seen these before, and they we– OH MY.

As we come further into the room, we notice another robot, one significantly more threatening.

[Birdie]: That one there's twice the size.

Arric points at Foe Reaper 5000.

Kenelly chuckles. "For a moment I thought you said 'harvest witches'."

[Slicket]: Whoa.

[Birdie]: Ah, no, that's what they call these machines.

Kenelly gasps at Foe Reaper 5000.

Slicket grins at Kenelly. "We're not gonna try to reprogram you, don't worry."

Kenelly giggles at Slicket.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: *bzzzzzt* Are you still alive???

[Birdie]: Yeah, still alive!

Lt. Horatio Laine says: What am I hearing right now? What's that clanking?

[Slicket]: Yeah! Laine, we're in here with some harvest watchers and like… a really big one too.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: How big are we talking?

[Slicket]: Uh… maybe six gnomes? Seven?

[Slicket]: Tall, and then wide… Um…

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Okay, you're going to have to dismantle it. Do whatever it takes.

[Slicket]: Got it.

[Birdie]: No problem.

[Glyphe]: Dismantling with prejudice!

We attack one of the smaller harvest watchers. When it is defeated, it smolders, still under power. Slicket stares at it curiously.

[Birdie]: Slicket, get back!

Slicket obeys, stepping away from it.

[Slicket]: Oh hey, it looked for a second there like we could maybe control it.

A lightning bolt shoots from it to the larger machine, and then harvest watcher explodes.

Arric flinches when the thing explodes.

[Kenelly]: Control it?

[Slicket]: I mean, and then it exploded, but…

[Slicket]: Want me to try next time? I'm pretty tough.

[Arric]: Please be careful, Mr. Throttleblast.

[Glyphe]: Yeah, let's try it!

Arric cheers at Defias Reaper!

We beat down another Harvest Watcher. Slicket gets in it, but the Harvest Watcher is badly damaged. He barely has time to give it a couple of combat commands before the thing arcs lightning and self-destructs.

[Slicket]: It only worked for a few seconds.

[Glyphe]: But it worked! That's what counts.

[Kenelly]: They keep lightning bolting the large one!

[Slicket]: Let's see if we can sneak around and clear the room.

[Slicket]: I don't think we want them coming up on us when we fight the big one.

Arric salutes Slicket with respect.

[Birdie]: Let's go around the back, then.

We defeat the final Harvest Watcher, and then…

Foe Reaper 5000 yells: Foe Reaper 5000 on-line. All systems nominal.

[Arric]: It's… speaking.

[Slicket]: Uh. Were they powering it up?

[Kenelly]: Oh dear.

[Slicket]: We better take care of it.

[Arric]: Gird yourselves, friends.

Birdie sets a trap to lure it into.

Foe Reaper 5000 yells: Overdrive engine activated.

The machine begins to spin wildly.

[Slicket]: Get out! It's spinning!

[Arric]: Good heavens.

Foe Reaper 5000 yells: Acquiring target…

Annuvin swoops away from it, then back in.

Foe Reaper 5000 yells: Safety restrictions off-line. Catastrophic system failure imminent.

[Arric]: Catastrophic systems failure… is that good or bad?

Foe Reaper 5000 yells: Overheat threshold exceeded. System failure. Wheat clog in port two. Shutting down.

[Arric]: Oh, well done all!!

Kenelly cheers!

[Slicket]: One killer robot down.

[Arric]: I saw a teleporter we can perhaps use to report back to Lt. Laine.

Slicket cheers!

[Birdie]: Not so bad…

[Slicket]: Hm, we can only get back to the wood and lumber room.

[Arric]: Should we press forward or go back?

Birdie says over his communicator, "Harvest watchers down."

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Okay, pals. We must be getting near the heart of their domain.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Look for an extremely fortified door, and see what you can do to get it open, hm?

[Birdie]: Yessir.

[Slicket]: More magic users ahead, I think. Look at the robes.

[Arric]: Ready when you are, Mr. Throttleblast.

We dispatch the magic users, and then arrive at a heavily fortified door.

[Arric]: Conveniently, there is a cannon pointed directly at that door.

Birdie collects a second Defias mask.

[Arric]: Looks as though we could just… blast it open.

[Slicket]: With the cannon. I used the last one, anyone want to give it a try?

[Arric]: Oh, allow me.

Arric grins.

[Glyphe]: Back in the day, Cobalt Company used the cannon to blow the door apart.

[Kenelly]: Have at it, Lord Arric.

Arric stops his ears first.

Birdie covers his ears and stands well back.

[Slicket]: Okay, good to know.

The door is blasted open and Defias magic-users pour through to attack! They make domes of dangerous-looking red magic.

Arric yelps!

[Arric]: What sort of magic is that??

[Slicket]: Those red circles don't look good.

Birdie passes through one experimentally. He grits his teeth and steps out.

[Birdie]: Made me feel… angrier, but more powerful.

Kenelly points over yonder.

[Arric]: That's distressing.

[Arric]: Watch out… we're under fire…

[Kenelly]: That looks a lot like the juggernaut.

The sides of a ship are covered with cannons, pointed at our team. They are firing!

[Arric]: They are! They're trying to rebuild it!

[Slicket]: Yeah, that's the boat. The one they set on fire before.

[Arric]: I remember it from the vision…

[Slicket]: Let's make our way to the top, like they did.

Arric is blasted into the water.

[Birdie]: Arric!

[Slicket]: Arric! You okay back there?

Arric emerges, wet and shivering.

[Birdie]: Alright, Airy?

[Kenelly]: Are you alright, my lord?

[Arric]: m-m-m-hm

[Arric]: W-watch the scorched spots…

[Slicket]: Once we're on the ship they won't be able to hit us.

Arric keeps calm and carries on.

We carefully get to the ship without further blasting, and start to make our way to the top, fighting Defias all the way.

[Arric]: By the tides there are a lot of them!

[Slicket]: Good shooting, Birdie!

[Birdie]: Thanks.

As we get to the top, Kenelly notices a familiar smell.

Kenelly sniffs. "Oh no…"

[Slicket]: Look! It's that worgen from before.

[Arric]: Where?

[Kenelly]: Very close.

[Slicket]: Maybe he's the one in charge of the operation… just ahead, on the top.

[Birdie]: Prowling around up there.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: *bzzzt* Hey…

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Status report?

[Birdie]: We've got eyes on the 'Admiral'. The worgen they freed.

[Slicket]: We're on top of the partially-rebuilt juggernaut.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Admiral Ripsnarl! Yes, yes, that's Vanessa's right hand man.

[Slicket]: What do we do?

[Glyphe]: You'd think he'd have noticed all the cannon stopped firing.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Be careful. Don't let him curse you.

[Birdie]: Don't get bitten.

[Slicket]: Right, yeah, probably I don't want to be the first gnomegen.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Stay away from those teeth. Bring him down.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Then you should be able to get into Vanessa's private quarters up there.

[Kenelly]: Worgen like him are making it harder for the rest of us.

[Slicket]: No offense, Nelly, I'm sure I'd be happy either way. But who knows how it reacts in gnome physiology?

Birdie sets a frost trap out of Ripsnarl's line of sight.

Arric takes a deep breath and prepares himself, steadying his crossbow.

[Kenelly]: Oh goodness, you need not apologize, Slicket. I also highly recommend you don't get bitten.

Slicket smiles at Kenelly.

[Slicket]: Everyone ready?

[Arric]: Ready.

[Birdie]: Ready.

[Kenelly]: I'm ready.

[Glyphe]: Ready!

[Slicket]: Let's do it!

We attack!

Admiral Ripsnarl yells: Ah, fresh meat!

Admiral Ripsnarl yells: Do you feel that chill running up your spine?

Admiral Ripsnarl yells: The fog is rolling in…

Fog rolls in. Admiral Ripsnarl vanishes into it.

[Slicket]: What the…

[Glyphe]: I can't see!

[Arric]: What's happening?!?

Admiral Ripsnarl pops out of the fog.

[Slicket]: Here he is! I've found him!

Admiral Ripsnarl vanishes.

[Slicket]: And I've lost him again.

Admiral Ripsnarl yells: I can smell your fear…

[Arric]: Damn!

Birdie keeps mobile.

[Kenelly]: I am not afraid of you!

Arric might be, a little.

Admiral Ripsnarl pops out of the fog.

Kenelly roars with bestial vigor at Admiral Ripsnarl. So fierce!

[Slicket]: Quick, bring him down while we can see him!

We all attack, but he slips away again.

[Slicket]: Dangit!

Admiral Ripsnarl yells: I will rip your heart from your chest!

[Arric]: You'll never take us!

Annuvin caws, trying to mark the Admiral's place as he rips at the fur with his talons.

We finally pin him down and put an end to him.

Admiral Ripsnarl yells: You will…NOT find her…until it is too late…

[Arric]: It's her…

A shadowy figure appears in the ship's cabin! It is NOT Vanessa.

[Arric]: IT'S NOT

[Kenelly]: What…

[Slicket]: It's a murloc!

[Arric]: That is… the largest murloc I have ever seen.

[Arric]: It… threw bread at me.

[Glyphe]: Lookit the baby!

Lieutenant Horatio Laine says: The false Kingpin has fallen thanks to you adventurers.

Lieutenant Horatio Laine says: Vanessa VanCleef is still out there somewhere, plotting against us. Thankfully, without this base she is largely powerless against the might of the Alliance.

Lieutenant Horatio Laine says: I'll be sure to keep an eye on things as we begin cleaning the Deadmines out. Hopefully we can use it again soon as the famous gold mine it once was. As for the kingpin's fate…

Lieutenant Horatio Laine says: I guess that's the way…

Lieutenant Horatio Laine says: …the Cookie crumbles.

In case it is unclear, the name of the murloc, the false Defias Kingpin, was ‘Cookie’.

Arric blinks at Lieutenant Horatio Laine.

Kenelly sighs at Lieutenant Horatio Laine.

Glyphe nods solemnly.

[Slicket]: Uh.

[Slicket]: Yes, I guess it is.

[Birdie]: Was anyone bitten?

Slicket shakes his head.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: Well friends, you've done very well here.

[Glyphe]: No bites, no.

Lt. Horatio Laine says: You're acquainted with Master Shaw it seems? He wants me to transfer him to you via your communicator.

[Slicket]: Oh sure, I'd be happy to talk to Master Shaw!

Master Shaw somehow sounds much clearer over the communicator than Laine did, as though he is right there.

Master Shaw says: So. Cobalt Company. Back in the Deadmines. Seems like old times.

[Slicket]: Old times, new teams. Yes, sir.

Master Shaw says: I'm not surprised that the kid gave us the slip.

Master Shaw says: But we'll track her down. Don't worry. She's running out of places to hide.

Master Shaw says: For now, the situation is stabilized. So feel free to stop by SI:7 HQ for a reward. And I'll send commendations to your captain.

[Birdie]: Yessir.

[Slicket]: Thank you, sir!

Master Shaw says: Shaw out.

[Glyphe]: Out where?

[Slicket]: I think it's like a communicator thing. Out of communication.

[Glyphe]: Ohhh.

Lt. Laine says: All right friends, let's get out of here. This place stinks like wet dog and dead murloc.

Birdie turns off his communication device and passes it back to Laine.

[Slicket]: Good job, team!

[Glyphe]: We did it! Just like the original Cobalt Company!

[Arric]: That was… exhilarating!

[Arric]: Excellent job, everyone. So pleased to be part of the team.

[Kenelly]: It really was quite something, wasn't it?

[Slicket]: Yeah. *Slicket grins*

[Slicket]: Everyone good to hearth out?

Arric's wolf sniffs at the murloc corpse. Arric gives a sharp command in another language, and the wolf pads back to his side quickly.

[Arric]: Yes.

[Birdie]: I've got mine. Nelly, do you have a hearthstone?

Kenelly nods. "I do, yes."

[Birdie]: Okay. Great.

[Arric]: Until next time!

[Slicket]: See you all next time!

[Glyphe]: Next time, yes!

[Kenelly]: Farewell, friends!

[Birdie]: Seeya.

Each member of the team activates their hearthstone and vanishes.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License