(2025-08-21) Thousand Needles: The Speedbarge Awaits!

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	Cerethan, Glyphe, Kalhidai, Natlee, and Slicket meet up in Feralas to make the perilous trip to Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge in the lake that used to be the Thousand Needles salt flats. New friends are made, and Cerethan finds out how different one Cobalt team can be from another. ~3000 words.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: Kalimdor Newbies

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innuendo

Cerethan, Glyphe, Kalhidai (and her fox Finder), Natlee and Slicket are gathering in Feralas.

Slicket looks around at the people who have arrived at Feathermoon Stronghold. "Hey, guys! Ready to make our way to the Thousand Needles?"

Natlee arrives wearing a little half-veil covering her face below the eyes.

Slicket waves at Glyphe, Natlee, Lhilhi, and then pauses at Cerethan. "Hey, dude! Not sure we've met. I'm Slicket Throttleblast, pleased to meet you."

[Cerethan]: Ah! Cobalt Company people, there you are! I am indeed ready for our work today.

[Slicket]: You joined the right adventure team. Hot chicks and I'm pretty awesome too.

Cerethan blinks.

[Kalhidai]: So much rain here! Is that why the trees are so tall?

[Glyphe]: My hair's never gonna dry.

Natlee eyes Kalhidai up and down.
[Natlee]: Wow, you're a tall one.

Glyphe pets Finder.

Natlee gently pats Glyphe.
[Natlee]: So this is just like the time this famous Kul Tiran gryphon hunter left me at the top of a really tall tree and it rained like, ALL night. You've got to dry off completely within a day or everything will mildew and I do mean, like…
[Natlee]: Everything.

[Glyphe]: Ewwww.

Natlee nods at Glyphe.

Kalhidai smiles. "It is good to be back."

Natlee peers at Kalhidai searchingly.
[Natlee]: Um have we met? Sorry, um — *She does not say all draenei look alike to her.*

[Slicket]: Yeah I wouldn't want the mohawk to mildew. That'd suck.

[Cerethan]: This is… Are you our superior here today?

[Glyphe]: Slicket's pretty superior most days.

Slicket grins at Glyphe.
[Slicket]: Yeah, that's me! I put up the poster and everything! Oh, right Lhilhi and Nat, you haven't met.
Slicket did not write the text on the poster. That was Natlee.

[Natlee]: I'm Natlee Spatterspark, a priestess of the Light.

[Kalhidai]: I am sure we have not! I know Glyphe, and Slicket, from Stranglethorn vale.

[Glyphe]: And the fox is Finder!

Natlee greets Finder with a hearty hello!
[Natlee]: Also who's that tall drink of unusual fashion sense?

Cerethan blinks again. He's not over the 'hot chicks' comment. He shakes his head, trying to delete that memory from his mind. "I'm Lord Cerethan Starflight. Pleased to meet you."

Slicket looks curiously at the tall drink of unusual fashion.

Natlee primps her wet pigtails.

[Kalhidai]: You have the look of the arcane about you, Cerethan.

Natlee might be giving Cerethan a coquettish look, but it's hard to tell over her veil.

[Slicket]: That'll be good, more mages. We had a mage out at the raceway. He was good at turning people into chickens, but I'm sure there's other things we'll need the arcane for.

[Cerethan]: I do indeed, thank you for noticing! *He stands up straight, people recognize his talents already.* I am what you would call an Astromancer.

[Natlee]: Oh, stars? Huh.

Glyphe frowns a little. "I can't do chickens. I can do sheep, though!"

Natlee unpacks her mechanostrider.

So does Slicket.

[Slicket]: Your sheep are the best, Glyphe.

Cerethan nods. "Stars, yes!" He turns to Slicket. "I can't do chickens either, unfortunately."

[Kalhidai]: An astromancer! How interesting. I have never heard of such. Would you tell me what that means?

Cerethan summons his double-horned UNICORN.

Glyphe eyes the duocorn.

[Slicket]: Let's get going and we can talk on the… *Slicket eyes the double-horned unicorn* …road. We'll have to sneak past a Horde camp, but I figured you all would like that better than leaping off a cliff into a flooded canyon.

[Cerethan]: Well, simply put, to pull from the well of Arcane that is all around us, I use the celestial bodies. Simply put, I use constellations to cast my Arcane spells. *He seems overjoyed to explain his magic.*

[Kalhidai]: Oh! So you track the apparent movement of heavenly bodies for your magic?

[Slicket]: Glyphe, maybe you two can trade notes!

Glyphe would scratch her head, but reins. "I'd like to learn how to turn things into chickens, it's true."

[Cerethan]: Indeed! *He beams at Kalhidai.* An underrepresented art in the arcane arts for sure, but dare I say, the best of them all.

[Natlee]: So I'm sure you're all wondering about my veil, but you're too shy to ask, which is super cute.

[Glyphe]: I figured you had a giant zit.

[Natlee]: Ew, no!

[Slicket]: I thought maybe you had a cold again, like back when we were working in Westfall.

[Natlee]: My skin care routine is like, extremely rigorous.
[Natlee]: I'm trying out this modesty thing to see if it makes me more holy or whatever. Because, you know, sometimes it's hard for people to see you as really super holy when you're just like, so pretty?

[Slicket]: Ahh, is that a common problem? Too hot to be holy?

[Glyphe]: Ohhhhh. That's smart! I didn't know that.

[Natlee]: Yeah.

[Kalhidai]: Oh, interesting! Do you find that it's having an effect?

[Natlee]: It's a recent experiment, so we'll see.

Cerethan looks at her veil, seemingly only noticing it now. "That is… an interesting hypothesis. I unfortunately have no comment to make on… gnomish religious practices.”

[Natlee]: If anyone falls in love with me today I'll have to try something else.

Glyphe eyes Cerethan for signs of love-struck-edness.

[Kalhidai]: We will endeavor to let them down gently!

Natlee giggles at Kalhidai.
[Natlee]: I like you. You get what it's like being hot, I guess.

[Slicket]: Okay, here's the Horde place. Let's… cut around north?

[Kalhidai]: Probably wise.

[Natlee]: Whatever you say, boss.

Cerethan is looking not at all love-struck. Perhaps there's even a little bit of worry in his eyes. He doesn't even say any of the usual awkward stuff because the people around him are saying things even more odd than the odd things he's used to saying.

[Kalhidai]: So, Cerethan, Does your discipline mean that you can cast some spells more easily at certain times?

[Cerethan]: That is an interesting question! See, the way I do it is that I draw the constellations I must call upon with my staff, which means the stars I need don't have to be there, truly. It's more akin to… an arcane focus, you understand, what that is, right?

[Glyphe]: I do!

Slicket nods agreeably. Arcane people focus.

[Cerethan]: That is true for combat oriented spells. Some rituals are stronger with the stars themselves present in the sky, however.

[Kalhidai]: I think so…you use an object that has magic in it, like a battery?

[Cerethan]: Well, no. *He rubs his hairless chin.* It's more… The staff and drawings I make combine to create the battery.

Slicket slows as they approach New Thalanaar, which appears to be under attack by tauren.

[Natlee]: Uggggh… Tauren. I hate tauren. One time this rebel Tauren chieftain stomped his hoof so hard I went flying into a lake. They do not take being turned down for dates very well.

[Glyphe]: I've only seen drawings of Tauren.

[Slicket]: Uh, this is where I was told we could take a boat, but… maybe we can see if we can find who's in charge? At least these tauren don't look like they're going to ask anybody out.

Natlee points at Grimtotem Marauder.

[Slicket]: Now you've seen 'em!
[Slicket]: I saw 'em sometimes at the raceway. Big hairy fellas.

[Natlee]: Yeah looks like the local elves already turned them down.

Cerethan squints. "Do you see the red paint on their face? This is not common, right?"

[Glyphe]: They're bigger in real life…

[Kalhidai]: Those Sentinels wouldn't mind the help, I imagine!

[Natlee]: I don't really pay attention to tauren's makeup choices.

The team wanders in until they find a woman who seems to be the leader. She is fighting several tauren simultaneously.

[Natlee]: She looks a little busy.
[Natlee]: Maybe we should kill those guys?

[Slicket]: Hey, ma'am! Excuse me, I know you're fighting tauren, but is this where the boats are to the racing barge?

[Cerethan]: Excu- *He says, although Caryssia Moonhunter is clearly fighting.* Excuse me? *He repeats.*

[Natlee]: Ugh, I have to do everything.

Slicket shrugs at Natlee and charges in.

Natlee begins to kill those guys.
[Natlee]: There.

Caryssia looks over after the tauren are killed. "I'm sorry? Wait… yes. Yes, you’re in the right place, it’s just… these tauren. We’ve been having problems with the Grimtotem off and on for ages."

[Natlee]: Grimtotem. Right. Those guys.

[Glyphe]: Seems more on than off at the moment.

[Cerethan]: Ah! Are the Grimtotems the Taurens with the red paint?

Caryssia Moonhunter says: Exactly, yes. This is going to take a while, but I'm sure we'll beat them back. We always do.

[Cerethan]: I knew that paint was significant!

[Kalhidai]: I think if we fight any of them that are fighting the night elves, that will do.

[Natlee]: Um, so the Grimtotem are like, really really bad news. They tried to take over the main Tauren City and they killed a really nice Tauren leader.

Caryssia Moonhunter says: Yes, Cairne Bloodhoof.

[Cerethan]: Ah. *He pauses.* I'm sorry for your loss.

[Natlee]: We should definitely kill a bunch of them.

Caryssia Moonhunter says: If you'd like, by all means… but you're not here for tauren. You wanted the boat. Rendow can put you on one, but you will have to fight your way to the dock today.

Natlee rolls up her sleeves. They just fall right back down though, because it's that kind of robe.

[Glyphe]: They couldn't be good news, not with a name like Grimtotem. They'd be HappyTotem or something.

Slicket chuckles at Glyphe.
[Slicket]: Let's give these Grimtotem the grim news they deserve!

Cerethan chuckles. "If the name was everything, us Highborne would be born in high places, and not simply born of very powerful and noble blood!"

[Slicket]: Is that not what it means?
[Slicket]: I thought it was like a cat thing, fond of being high up.

[Glyphe]: Oh wow, some of them are girls!

[Natlee]: I think I see the boat place.

[Slicket]: I guess tauren exist both ways.
[Slicket]: Let's fight our way over.

[Cerethan]: Of course not, that would be ridiculous. It is true that Slow Fall is a very basic spell to cast, but delivering babies in high places would be incredibly dangerous.

[Slicket]: Right, yeah. *Slicket knows nothing at all about childbirth*

Glyphe giggles.

[Natlee]: Sorry, that wasn't very holy of me.

The team makes it through the battle to the dock, where they see the dockmaster fighting three tauren at once. They help before opening conversation this time.

[Slicket]: Are you Rendow? Got a boat to the Speedbarge?

Rendow says: A boat? Yes, you can have this one. Hop in. It’ll take you out to Mirage Raceway, or… whatever it is they’re calling it now. Goddess watch over you!

[Natlee]: Since we just killed the three people attacking you, maybe we get a discount?

Rendow says: You know what? It's free. Thanks for the help — the three of them had me pinned down here.

Slicket looks delighted.

[Natlee]: Oh! Nice! Well, get ready, friends, because that's the last free thing we'll get, if there are goblins where we're going.

[Cerethan]: May she watch over you as well, and I pray no one will pin you down again.

Natlee waves at Water Traveler.

The five of them pile into a little kaldorei boat which speeds across the water through the canyon. Eventually, it reaches the spot that used to be the Mirage Raceway, which is now a large salt lake. The boat takes them right up to a massive boat of metal and spinning gears, which looks like it was cobbled together out of spare parts.

Slicket looks around at the Speedbarge. "Whoa. This place is rad."

[Natlee]: You would think so.

[Slicket]: I do think so.

Natlee lets out a long, drawn-out sigh.

[Slicket]: Look at all those moving gears! The metal plating!

Cerethan looks in shock and awe at this abomination of a place.

Natlee makes an 'ew' face.

[Slicket]: It's… it's so beautiful. *Slicket looks close to tears* I never thought they could rebuild, after the flood.

[Glyphe]: All this salt water… They must go through lubricants like crazy.

Natlee giggles for some reason.

[Slicket]: Oh yeah, I bet they're putting a dent in the lube market.

Natlee giggles more.
Natlee is very holy.

[Slicket]: Right, so, let's go see if we can find Fizzle and Pozzik? Mostly Fizzle.

[Natlee]: I'm extra glad for this veil. Hope I don't know any of these guys.

[Slicket]: This is a joint gnome-goblin venture here, Fizzle being the gnome and Pozzik the goblin.

Glyphe smiles at the little kids.

[Slicket]: The point is to show how superior gnomish engineering is.
[Slicket]: Over goblin, I mean.

[Natlee]: Goblins will never admit it, though.

Slicket laughs.

[Cerethan]: Then I'm sure they'll have all of the answers to your lubricant related questions.

Natlee giggles some more.

[Slicket]: One day we'll make them. And yeah, probably do.
[Slicket]: Yo! *Slicket waves to Fizzle*

Fizzle Brassbolts says: What’s this? I don’t have time for… wait, Slicket? Didn’t expect I’d ever see you here again.

Natlee tries to look extremely holy.

Fizzle turns to the group, gaze lingering on the two gnomish girls curiously.

Cerethan looks very curiously at the machines around, not the gnomish girls.

Glyphe waves at Fizzle Brassbolts.

Fizzle Brassbolts says: Hello there. Pleased to meet you! I'm Fizzle Brassbolts. Welcome to my Speedbarge.Well, mine and Pozzik's. What brings you all here today?

[Natlee]: A kaldorei rowboat.

Slicket laughs.

Fizzle raises an eyebrow over his monocle.

[Slicket]: We're on the lookout for work. Preferably the kind that's dangerous and turns a quick profit. That, and if there's any chance of salvage…

Cerethan blinks, then whispers to Kalhidai. "Did… we sign up for 'preferably dangerous work'? I don't remember this from the posters."

Natlee nods in agreement with Slicket.

Fizzle Brassbolts says: Oh yeah, we could definitely use some help around here. There’s a lot of opportunities. But you’ll need a boat to get around these days — your old rocket car won't cut it, and not only because it's in pieces underwater.

Slicket flinches a little at the last comment, poor rocket car.

Glyphe checks to see how Slicket took the news about his old car. But he has a big helmet on. She grimaces in sympathy anyway, just in case it's needed.

[Natlee]: I can manage a boat.
[Natlee]: I used to work part time as a ferrymaster in Tiragarde Sound.

Fizzle Brassbolts says: Great! I just don't know if we have any spares… uh, anyway, Jinky Twizzlefixxit can fix you up with a new one. Here, take her this list of parts and ask her to make it to this spec.
Fizzle hands over some papers to Natlee.

[Natlee]: Wow, a bespoke custom boat. Nice.

[Slicket]: Jinky's the best, you guys'll love her.
[Slicket]: I mean, not as good as all of you, obviously.

Natlee preens.

They head into a nearby metal… hut?… where Jinky has her workshop. She’s busily working on something metal and clanky as they come in. She’s in work clothes and goggles, with her hair up in twin buns.

[Slicket]: Hey, hey Jinky!

[Natlee]: Love the goggles.

Jinky turns and blinks behind the goggles at the veiled gnome. "Yeah? They're my best pair."

[Glyphe]: Love the hair. It's just like JOCOZA SPARKWIRE's.

Natlee agrees with Glyphe.

[Jinky]: The mercenary chick? Oh yeah, I'll take that as a compliment.

Glyphe beams at Jinky.

[Cerethan]: A boat for us… *He looks at the team. Does he want a boat for him and all of these people? Who's going to keep it? More importantly, who is going to pay for the upkeep? He doesn't know if he can trust the gnomes to put in the money.*

Jinky Twizzlefixxit says: What’s that, you want a boat?

[Slicket]: Yeah, Fizzle said you could make us one.

[Natlee]: Uh, she's about the twelfth or thirteenth most famous person in the world, so that's definitely a compliment.

Glyphe sputters.

[Natlee]: But yes, a boat.

Jinky rolls up her sleeves and slicks back her hair while eyeing the team up and down.

[Cerethan]: A boat for the people of this team, and I will tag along! *Cerethan nods excessively.*

Kalhidai is smiling and being tall.

Jinky Twizzlefixxit says: Fine, if Fizzle wants you to have your own boat, the first thing we'll need is parts, and I don’t have half the stuff on this list.

[Natlee]: Slicket knows how to… parts.

Jinky smiles as she points downward then jerks her thumb over to the spare diving helms and flippers.

[Slicket]: Uh, and to get these we need… diving gear?

Natlee looks at the diving helms with dread visible even with what little of her face is showing.

Jinky Twizzlefixxit says: Yup.

[Natlee]: Uggggggggggggggggggggh.

[Glyphe]: Well sure, everything's sunk around here.

Jinky Twizzlefixxit says: There’s still plenty of parts down under the water, bits and pieces of the old rocket cars. Some of it’s been scavenged already, but I should be able to cobble a boat together if you find the right pieces.

[Cerethan]: … oh.

Natlee shares a 'what the heck did we get ourselves into' look with Cerethan.

[Slicket]: We can do that, right guys? And maybe… *there's a flicker of hope in Slicket's eyes*

[Glyphe]: Of course we can!

The team starts suiting up with the diving helms and flippers.

[Natlee]: Okay I was dubious at first but I have to say that fox is like, super cute.

[Slicket]: Finder? Yeah, that fox is pro.

[Glyphe]: Maybe Finder can find spare parts easier for you, Lhilhi.

[Natlee]: You and the fox are acquainted?
[Natlee]: I apparently missed a lot while you were running around with the Zookeeper.

[Kalhidai]: Finder is a good girl. and very smart. If she can make a game of something, she will.

[Cerethan]: That's in the name, after all. *He chuckles, that joke is a throwback, and throwbacks are funny.*

[Slicket]: Alright, let's get to the bottom of this lake!