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| Details |
| Author: | inkie |
| Summary: | Cobalt Company arrives on a foreign shore. They have mixed feelings about it. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
"Red!" says Bran enthusiastically as he approaches Stormwind Keep. He holds out his arms as though offering a hug, but knows Atley well enough that it's just a gesture, and he doesn't actually hug.
Atley doesn't shy away from the hug, but he doesn't go the 20 for Brannagen's 80 either. "Brannagen. How's the day?" He carries a massive rucksack on his back.
"Pretty excitin' so far!" Bran says. "Nothin' like a mysterious urgent mission to get the blood racin'."
Atley scoffs with amusement. "Indeed. Back into the fray."
Erixa trots up to the front of Stormwind Keep, looking around with a nervous, silver gaze. She nods to Atley and Bran. "Seems just yesterday we were here to unmask dragons, yes? Hello."
"I missed that one, more's the pity," Bran says to Erixa with a wink.
Shine slips down from the wall he's been perched on and approaches the group silently. He nods to the general assembly.
Atley grunts. "It'll be good to fight together again, Vindicator."
"That one, but not this one," Erixa says, winking back. She tilts her whole head slightly when she does it. "And yes, whatever this is, it will be good."
"Shine!" Bran says, with the same unilateral Hug Gesture that does not actually involve physical contact.
Shine smiles faintly down at Bran. "Prospector," he says.
Oranna waves hello to everyone as she gets to the meeting spot. She looks well stocked in Cressidha bags. Her new armor all matches, obviously bought as a set, and probably custom. She looks like she's on a mission of normal and regular secrecy (lies).
Bran nods to Oranna and her companion. "Boomer. Your Majesty."
Estel walks on up. "Hey."
"Round of introductions are in order now that the squad's assembled," Atley says. "I've worked with each of you before. Prospector Brannagen Stillwall'll be our healer. Vindicator Erixa will be frontline arms. Oranna Stormbreakear, marksman, and this is Costentyn Shine. Our scout."
Erixa raises a hand in greeting.
"Just Shine, really," Bran says. "Ye can forget the rest of it." He looks at Erixa particularly when he says this. He knows how it be for draenei.
"Really? I thought more names the merrier for humans," Erixa says with a grin.
Bran laughs. "Some have six or seven of 'em!"
Shine smiles again at Bran.
Atley grunts at Bran's clarification and looks to Estel. "Hullo' then. All squared away?"
Estel grins. "I'm set. Shun's on the way." She leaves their squad huddle to go join Rae.
Ralaea hangs out on the outskirts of the big gathering, as usual.
Erixa glances over at the two human women and waves cheerfully.
Atley looks around. "Tabards on, you lot."
Shine smooths his tabard and nods to Atley.
Erixa nods and pulls her tabard on over her armor, fluffing her pigtails after she pulls them through.
Bran is tabarded up, though it's hard to tell with his thick ginger beard-braid covering most of it.
Oranna nervously smooths her tabard down again as if maybe it had jumped off while she wasn't looking, and now she's just checking again. Whew.
Gwenivene approaches the gather Cobalt Company, waving. "Hiya, hello! Jeepers, everyone's already here!"
Atley turns to Gwen and inclines his head. "Afternoon. All squared away?"
"Hey there!" Bran waves at Gwen.
Atley beckons Ralaea and Estel closer to the gathering.
Gwen beams at Dane. "Squared, circled, and triangled!"
"Outstanding." Atley says.
"Hey, Rae." Estel waves her over and approaches again.
Ralaea grudgingly moves closer.
Gwen gives Bran an excited, blurry-speed wave.
Atley looks over Estel and Ralaea and takes a step back. "How are you lot, then? Squared away?"
Estel gives Dane a thumbs-up.
Ralaea looks like she maybe didn't get a whole lot of sleep. "I guess. So, what's the deal? Is Deathwing back? Is he called Corpsewing now?"
Erixa chuckles at Ralaea, and then kind of turns it into a cough. Maybe too soon.
Oranna mulls over the name change from Deathwing to Corpsewing visibly. Are those different enough?
Atley looks around. "We know our squad arrangements, I trust. I will be the officer in the field. Gwenivene is the squad leader of white squad. Captain Jocoza shall be joining us as liaison and for oversight."
Shine shifts the pack on his shoulder and nods at Dane.
Gwen steps over to stand with her squad.
Shun grunts.
"Gwen! Gwen, this is Shun, my partner. Shun, this is Gwen Whittle, our squad leader." Estel gestures between them.
Shun gives her a curt nod.
Gwen juts a hand out in greeting, "Great to meet you, Shun!"
Eyeing the hand, Shun gives a single firm shake before folding his arms over his chest.
Gwen smiles, seemingly satisfied with the handshake, and steps up to Atley's side.
Azizia removes her helmet. "Hello, Cobalt Company. I am ready for secret mission." She's dragging one big luggage behind her. She packed light! One luggage, just a comically big one!
Gwen covers her mouth and giggles at Azizia's "light" luggage.
Bran has a bag with wheels. He looks like a man who is used to traveling all over and knowing exactly what he'll need.
Azizia salutes Gwen. "Squad leader."
Atley nods slowly. "Smartest behavior, you lot."
Oranna tries for looking smartest behavior. She probably wishes she had a pair of glasses and/or a book.
A lanky, purple-haired kaldorei in black leather armor materializes from the shadows near the Keep’s entrance. Neither of the guards stationed there appears surprised. The night elf strolls toward the gathered mercenaries.
“Cobalt Company,” he greets them. “Rell Nightwind, SI:7. My teammates and I will be accompanying you. I’m here to brief you before departure.”
Estel sticks her hands in her pockets and nods to the kaldorei.
Atley grunts.
Shine straightens attentively.
Oranna waves hello.
“Price Anduin left Stormwind three weeks ago on a diplomatic journey to the homeland of the pandaren, the Wandering Isle. He was traveling with Admiral Taylor aboard the Vanguard. They never arrived at their destination.” Rell is stone-faced.
Bran suddenly goes pale.
Shun eyes the Night Elf, furrowing his brow.
Gwen gasps, shaking her head. "Oh no…."
Ralaea whispers, "Corpsewing…"
“Last week,” Rell continues, “the Grand Admiral dispatched a combined search fleet. One of the scouting airships discovered a previously uncharted land mass. They found wreckage of the Stormwind fleet on the coast, and a damaged distress signal recorded by Admiral Taylor that indicated they’d been driven off course by the Horde airfleet.”
Erixa's eyes go wide, and she grits her teeth.
Rell pauses. “The end of the message suggests they were under renewed attack, and the scouting airship reported Horde presence along the same coast. There was no sign of the Prince or Admiral Taylor among the wreckage our people found.”
Atley narrows his eyes and cinches his thumbs in his belt.
"Well, balls," Estel mutters.
"I see why urgency," Erixa whispers.
“Our mission is to get to this new land, neutralize any threats we encounter, and recover Prince Anduin and our sailors safely. Speed is obviously of the essence. You’ll be traveling with me and a few of my colleagues aboard the Skyfire, under Admiral Rogers’ command. She’s waiting for us west of the city, above the northern end of the harbor.” Rell looks the group over. "Any questions?"
Atley looks around.
Gwen looks to White Squad.
Shine has no questions.
"Well, yes… what is this new land?" Erixa asks.
Bran is clearly oscillating wildly between manic excitement over 'new land' and panic over "recover Prince Anduin".
Azizia points at Erixa.
Rell shakes his head at Erixa. "We have no idea. That's part of what we need to find out."
Erixa raises a brow and nods.
"What about Corpsewing?" Ralaea asks.
Rell stares at Ralaea. "Who?"
"Deathweng," Bran corrects irritably.
"… Deathwing is dead," Rell says.
"Neither is a factor here." Atley explains patiently.
"Rae, that was you assuming the worst," Estel points out. "He's still dead and not around."
Rell nods, still eyeing Ralaea dubiously.
Oranna, now that she knows the mission of Search and Rescue, ironically looks far smarter and sure of herself than when she was trying to before. "Time of the essence. The trail will be gettin' colder every hour," she warns.
Bran nods at Oranna solemnly. Or as solemnly as Bran ever does anything.
"Correct," Rell says to Oranna."Let's move, people."
"We are ready to depart," Atley tells Rell.
"Nothing stays dead," Ralaea mutters.
"Yes they do," Azizia raises an eyebrow at Rae.
"Some things do," Oranna says with a genuine grief to Ralaea.
Shun grunts.
In response to no apparent signal, a hippogryph in dusky shades of gray and purple lands silently beside the elf. Rell mounts without a word and the hippogryph takes off, winging toward the place where the mountains meet the harbor at its northern end.
"Mount up!" Atley says.
Azizia goes for her gryphon. The rental one.
Shun also grabs a rental.
Erixa too, rental gryphon.
Gwen glances skyward as a violet netherwing drake descends to her, allowing her to mount.
Estel snaps open her glider.
Oranna climbs aboard the world's most placid gryphon in existence like she's getting aboard a goblin unshackled throttle rocket.
"To the Skyfire!" Gwen tries to sound authoritative…and just makes herself giggle.
Atley flies off and away to the airship.
"Why is everything still fire?" Ralaea grumbles.
"A good name for a ship!" Erixa opines. "Assuming other things than ship are on fire."
"Why would they rename the ship? It was called that before." Estel shrugs.
"To the skymetal," Azizia shrugs.
The silhouette of an airship hangs in the sky above the peaks.
"She's a beauty," Bran enthuses.
“Cobalt Company!” Admiral Rogers strides briskly across the deck, smiling. “A pleasure to have you aboard. You remember the Skyfire?”
Atley lands on the Skyfire and dismounts Thoras, swinging a leg over the saddle. He marches over and salutes. "Of course, Admiral."
Shun swiftly dismounts.
Bran crisply salutes the Admiral.
Shine salutes as well, and nods.
Azizia dismounts, then shakes her head at the Admiral.
Gwen gives an awkward, unpracticed salute.
Erixa salutes smoothly. She may have had recent practice.
Ralaea does not salute anyone, but she does stand towards the back.
Oranna looks around. "Oh, ah… no, but I remember the newsletters mentioning it," she says looking around at the ship. "This isn't so bad."
Estel waves lazily. "Hey."
The Admiral nods proudly. “She’s had a complete overhaul since her encounter with Deathwing. We now carry a full complement of both fixed-wing and gyro aircraft, as well as a battery of 18-inch smoothbore cannons. Any Horde out there won’t escape Stormwind’s reach. Not on land, not at sea, and not in the air.”
Bran listens with sparkly eyes.
The Admiral’s expression hardens with grim resolve. “I grew up in Southshore. My parents — what’s left of them — are buried there.”
Atley grunts and nods slowly, eyes on Sky Admiral Rogers.
Erixa nods at Sky Admiral Rogers, her expression hard but sympathy in her eyes.
"Are they still?" Ralaea asks.
Atley slowly turns to give Ralaea a sharp look.
Azizia glares at Rae.
Even Bran glares at Rae. Wow.
Admiral Rogers does not reply to Ralaea, though her jaw tightens.
Atley turns back to Sky Admiral Rogers. "We are at your command and ready."
Admiral Rogers looks around the deck. “I believe we’re ready to go, then."
A COUPLE OF DAYS PASS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT
For several hours, the airship has been enveloped in a muffling fog. The sky around them and the sea below are equally invisible. The drone of the engines has dropped as the Skyfire cautiously slows.
Admiral Rogers stands on the quarterdeck, her gaze directed outward into the mist. “See anything?” she calls to Rell Nightwind, who stands at the starboard rail with a spyglass.
“Nothing,” he says. “Nothing but dense fog and — wait.” He stands for a moment, peering. “Land! I see land!”
At the same moment, the fog breaks into tatters of cloud, and a rocky harbor and landscape of verdant mountains open before them.
"Woo hoo!" says Bran.
Shine is standing wordlessly at the rail. He does not say Woo Hoo but there is kind of a silent Woo Hoo aura about him.
Erixa stands at the rail, peering outward to spot this new landmass.
Estel abandons the card game she was playing with one of the crew and bounces to her feet, rushing over to the side to look.
Shun furrows his brow as he eyes the landmass before them, moving to Estel's side as she rushes off.
Gwen is quick on Estel's heels.
Atley scowls down at the landmass.
Oranna tries to get a look through her scope, standing way, waaaaaay back from the edge of the airship to not fall overboard to a terrifying falling death. Don't think about it, Oranna.
Azizia calls onto wind elementals to see closer to the land.
Admiral Rogers has seized a spyglass herself, but she’s not admiring the view. “Horde,” she snarls. “Those are Horde ships down there. They’ve got a whole damned base!” She lowers her glass. “It’s time to see what this upgraded gunship is capable of.”
Bran does not say Woo Hoo about this.
Atley audibly cracks his neck left and right.
“General quarters!” the Admiral barks. “Prepare for battle! Flight teams one and three, light up that base! Team two, sink those ships!”
Sky marines dash all around the Cobalt members, and the air fills with the chop and buzz of aircraft engines as their pilots begin to take off from the deck in practiced formation, heading for their Horde targets below.
"Just look at this beautiful land…and how they're wrecking it down there!" Gwen frowns in disapproval.
Azizia looks directly on the deck of the boats through the elementals. "They are well armed. Ready for fights."
"Look alive, you lot!" Atley barks. He speed-marches to Sky Admiral Rogers' side.
Erixa moves over towards Dane, ready for action.
Azizia looks to Gwen. She's waiting for orders from her squad leader.
Estel waves a hand lazily. "Okay, do the thing," she says… to the Light? It's a [Power Word: Fortitude] blessing.
Gwen looks back at Azizia. Oh right…she's the leader. She gestures toward Admiral Rogers to await orders.
Azizia nods.
Shun pulls Estel away from the edge of the ship for now.
The mainmast of one of the Horde ships in the harbor groans and cracks, then topples over with its sails aflame. A moment later, a gyrocopter swings past overhead and drops a second bomb from its belly. There is a deafening sound and the hull of the Horde ship breaks open like a smashed toy. Timbers blacken and fire spreads along the wreckage.
“That one’s for Theramore!” cries Admiral Rogers.
Atley waits attentively by Sky Admiral Rogers' side, overlooking the combat below.
Erixa murmurs a draenei blessing for her comrades.
Azizia smiles at Erixa.
Erixa smiles back.
Gwen casts her signature Dalaran Brilliance on everyone so they can make good choices.
“All right, men!” the Admiral barks at the marines who have formed up on deck. “You’ve trained for this. You’re among the elite. You’re Skyfire men! This is the ship that took down Deathwing. You think some raggedy little Horde outpost stands a chance against the pride of the Alliance fleet? No! Those green dirtbags down there plagued your homes in Southshore! Laid siege to your children in Redridge! And massacred every man, woman, and child in Theramore!
“IT. IS. PAYBACK TIME!”
Atley nods slowly and sets his jaw.
Erixa is very enthused by this speech. Her silver eyes glow.
Ralaea nods in approval.
Azizia raises a fist in shy approbation. Unlike her.
The marines whoop. Admiral Rogers smiles grimly. “I need every available man on the ground NOW to finish them off. Go get ‘em!”
The marines turn at once to jog toward parachutes along the ship’s rail.
Admiral Rogers turns to the members of Cobalt Company. “You too, Cobalts! Let’s get you down there and into the action. Report to Sully McLeary on the ground!”
Shun grunts, then glances to Gwen.
"Aye, aye, Admiral!" Gwen salutes…badly…again.
"Oh, ground, thank the Light an' Ancestors," Oranna says with genuine relief, holding tight to her gun. Befound streeetches out her claws.
"Aye aye, Admiral. Cobalts — this is it. Time to get into the fight!" Atley draws Thunderfury, his shield, and clutches the Lion Horn of Stormwind.
Shine nods at Dane and heads for the parachutes.
"Let's go, White Squad!" Gwen waves to the others.
Shun nods and goes to get ready to jump.
Atley tugs a parachute on and takes a moment to adjust it, securing the straps, before he leaps.
"Oh, parachutes… that's… not just fallin' but with enough time ta really think about fallin' or anythin'," Oranna mutters palefaced as she parachutes up to, well, parachute down.
Erixa follows to the parachutes, glancing over to make sure no one looks in danger with their own before she leaps.
Azizia looks at Gwen. She's ready to jump off the ship. "Slow her fall, perhaps?"
Gwen nods. "Good idea." She weaves a spell upon each of her squadmates, slowing their descents.
Estel straps on the parachute and hops off the edge.
Surprising no one, Bran yells "WOO HOO!" on the way down.
Oranna yells, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" on the way down.
Gwen yells, "Whoooa…eeeee!"
A ruddy-bearded SI:7 agent is working on the open chassis of a goblin shredder. “Look at this bloody amateur hour,” he mutters. “Doesn’t even have a second-stage turbine blade.” He glances up. “Cobalt Company! Over here!”
Atley sounds the Lion Horn, blaring it deafeningly over the Horde encampment. He drops it to his hip and marches over to McLeary. "McLeary?"
“Aye, that's right. Quick and quiet, that’s how SI:7 operates. That was the plan, at least.” Sully looks around at the clashing soldiers and burning siege weapons that surround them.
Shun narrows his eyes at the SI:7 agent.
"Where do you need us? You've got ten," Atley growls.
Sully nods. “Rell’s already inside the base looking for signs of the Prince and Admiral Taylor, but it’s getting hot in there and he needs some support. No point in subtlety now. Smash your way in and meet up with him. And here.” He gestures to a heap of flares beside him. “D’ye see those war wagons they’ve got? Packing so many explosives I cannae tell if they mean to take this continent or blow it out of the sea. Use those flares on ‘em to turn the tables, aye?”
"Aye!" says Bran.
Azizia is in her battle stance, ready to fight. "Good plan, destroy machinery."
Atley grits his teeth. "Consider it done." Atley briefly casts a look into the distant horizon. "Cut them down, Cobalt!"
Estel picks up some flares. "Sure thing."
Shine nods grimly and accepts some flares.
Oranna looks over at the flares. "Ohhh, that'll be interestin', provided we're no' right up against the wagons."
Erixa nods her understanding, and for a moment her gaze pauses on a beautiful grove of trees with light pink flowers. Then it is back to war.
"Um…you heard the man! Let's be careful with those flares." Gwen advises.
Thunderfury crackles as Atley performs a head count before he charges in.
Erixa draws her axe, following close behind.
Shine tucks the flares into his bandolier and pauses to poison his knives before slipping into shadows.
Bran gets out his bonkin' stick.
Shun rolls his shoulders and readies his blades.
"You will handle flares, I do not know machines enough to know weak spots," Azizia says to the rest of her team. "I do the punching of enemies."
"So…who here does know machines well?" Gwen looks to her squad.
Ralaea raises her hand.
"I know more about how to destroy them," says Shun.
"I know how to fire an explosive flare gun at a bunch of other explosives from a safe distance," Estel says.
Gwen nods to Rae and Shun. "Then you two are in charge of taking out those wagons."
"Good." Azizia tells Gwen.
Shun grunts.
"Let's go!"
Atley addresses Shine and points at a wagon, his eyes rapidly darting around. "Light it up!"
Shine slips around a stockade. A moment later there is the hiss and spark of a flare, and a wagonload of explosives goes up with a tremendous roar.
"I will work on killing the orcs," Erixa says under her breath, moving alongside Dane as they engage the enemy.
Bran also focuses on bonking orcs, as there seems to be another priest nearby doing priest things. He does not seem to be in a super priesty mood.
Atley issues a cleaving strike at a trio of Garrosh'ar grunts. "Oranna, you're next."
Estel's priest things are putting people in bubbles and pummeling enemies with a lot of holy fire, which seems to reflect light at her allies to heal them.
"Right! Got it," Oranna says smartly.
Atley squints and looks over Garrosh'ar Point for other targets.
Shun slips past enemy lines to rig up his own explosives at the wagons.
"Doing great, team!" cheers Gwen.
"Kill the engineers!" Atley booms.
Shine doesn't take that personally. He kills an engineer.
Bran gives Estel a smile on the way back. "Nice priestin'!" he compliments her.
"Cheers," Estel says, laughing. "Nice stick."
Atley looks to Gwenivene, specifically. "To Nightwind!"
Gwen peers around, "Now where is Rell…?"
"Up there," says Shun.
"Ugh, SI:7 people are too sneaky," Azizia throws her hands up in the air.
Atley looks from Shun to Rell Nightwind before he grunts and trudges off.
Rell slides from behind a stack of crates, holding bloodied daggers. He gives the group a fanged grin. “Sometimes these goons make it too easy.” He glances up the hill at the fires and then back at the group.
Gwen looks up and laughs. "Oh! Sneaky."
Azizia does not laugh. Sneaky.
"I will not say no to easy," Erixa says, with a faint smile.
“I’ve scouted the area and found no leads on the Prince or Admiral Taylor,” Rell tells them. “We need to neutralize this base quickly and continue our search elsewhere. Operations here are being led by an orc warlock: Ga’trul. He’s barricaded himself on the dock, likely to summon demonic reinforcements. Put the rest of those flares to work and blow the barricades! I’ll cover your back and move in when you reach Ga’trul.”
Atley nods once. "We'll take him out." He looks back to Gwen. "Let's move."
Gwen gives Atley a firm nod, then nods to her squad.
"I am more than happy to stop demon summoning," Azizia nods.
Oranna reloads her flare gun. "All righ' then," she says grimly.
"Shine — !" Atley points at the first barricade.
Shine explodes the barricade with a flare tossed into a stockpile of explosives.
Estel Shields both teams to protect them from barricade shrapnel.
"Woo hoo!" says Bran.
Oranna's head is still on her shoulders.
"Who puts explosives near their barricade?" Ralaea asks, shaking her head.
Shine smiles wryly at Ralaea.
"We will teach them barricade safety," Erixa says with a smirk.
Gwen chuckles.
"Kind of hoping we don't do that? So they don't learn?" Ralaea says.
"We do it by exploding barricades and killing them," Erixa clarifies.
"We'll teach them and then immediately kill them," Bran suggests cheerfully.
"So it's a…brief lesson," Oranna adds.
Bran nods "solemnly."
"Very brief," Erixa says, hefting her axe.
Atley charges through the lingering flames of the destroyed barricade and looks behind him for another head count.
"Kuroda!" Atley points at the next barricade.
It erupts in smoke and splinters. At the far end of the dock is an orc warlock.
"Get him!!" Bran yells.
Atley charges right at the warlock.
Erixa snarls and charges in without hesitation.
Azizia does as well.
Gwen starts casting, ready to blast the warlock with arcane power.
Shun throws a knife at the Warlock.
The orc warlock has cast an elaborate circle of runes on the ground at his feet, and is channeling fel energy. “Too late, Alliance fools!” he sneers. “By our sweat and your blood, this land will be ours!”
He vanishes.
Azizia almost falls into the water as she doesn't stop her sprint soon enough.
Shun just "tsks" as his knife sails into the water behind the warlock.
Rell Nightwind appears behind them. “Damn,” he says. “He can’t have gotten far, not with a warlock’s portal. There must be another base nearby.”
Atley snarls with irritation and looks around.
Bran curses in Dwarven.
Erixa makes a sound of frustration.
Gwen frowns, "Buttersticks!"
A radio crackles. “Nightwind, report!” says Admiral Rogers tinnily. “What’s going on down there?”
“No sign of the flagship, and no sign of Admiral Taylor or Prince Anduin,” says Rell.
Estel drinks a potion.
Atley looks up at the airship before briefly inspecting all Cobalts present.
Erixa sighs, and seems to calm, reminded of their actual goal — search and rescue.
The radio crackles again. “Horde troops are swimming toward your position,” says Admiral Rogers. “Open fire at once.”
“Admiral,” says Rell, looking up to gaze out at the straggling, struggling orcs in the water. “I think they mean to surrender. They’re not armed. They’re just trying not to drown.”
Bran holds off, waiting.
Erixa pauses, looking to Atley.
Shun looks to the water, furrowing his brow.
Oranna scopes in, and sees the same thing Rell says. "That's…" She wavers uncertainly and fires no shot.
Atley looks to the struggling orcs and shakes his head at Rell's protest, but says nothing.
“You don’t think they’ll hesitate to strangle you with their bare hands?” snaps Admiral Rogers. “GUN THEM DOWN.”
A squad of rifle-bearing marines has already taken position along the dock, and at the Admiral’s order, they take aim and fire again and again. The water slowly clouds with red.
Azizia's eyes widen. "No, this is bad order…"
Ralaea frowns.
Bran's hands spark with healing Light, but he puts them behind his back. He looks stressed.
Gwen's eyes widen and she gasps. "No…no, no, this isn't right…"
Erixa looks uncertainly at the riflemen.
Shun raises a brow.
Estel frowns and moves to the edge of the dock.
"Those are Hellscream's chosen," Atley reminds under the sound of gunshots. "They get to the land and they'll regroup to slay our own." He does not, however, order any Cobalts to fire.
Rell gazes out at the scene, his expression aghast — and then it shifts, hardens. He is suddenly swathed in a strange darkness, as though he has somehow stepped into a shadow on the daylit dock.
“Yes,” he says grimly. “Yes. Perhaps they deserved to die.”
Oranna glances over with surprise at Rell. "Ye wha —"
Bran's eyes widen as he gazes at Rell. He backs away a step.
Erixa turns to Rell and she takes a step back when she sees the dark shadow around him.
Azizia takes a step back, shivering at the massacre, then another step back away from Rell.
A stout, dark figure, its face obscured by a dark red scarf and a conical straw hat, comes bounding down the dock. “You beasts!” he cries. “What sort of madness is this?” He reaches out a clawed black paw, and a cloudy light swirls around Rell. The shadow that had enveloped the SI:7 agent breaks into mottled black apparitions. They are drawn out of him, stretching like tar, and drop to the planks of the dock where they collapse soundlessly and die.
Gwen backs away from the horrid things.
Ralaea draws her swords and quickly steps away from the creatures.
Erixa holds out her axe, as if to ward off?… attack? the strange dark creatures, but they are fallen.
Bran stares at the masked figure with stars in his eyes.
Atley steps in front of his squad and raises his shield.
"What the hell?" Shun raises his blades.
Befound growls at the weird shadows, batting a paw near one until Oranna makes a sharp gesture, recalling her pet to her side as she stares at the Pandaren.
Estel narrows her eyes and inspects one of the dead Things.
"This is very ugly creatures," Azizia shakes her head, looking at the strange beasts.
The marines have surrounded Rell and the stranger, guns leveled.
Rell staggers briefly. He looks around, bewildered, and then recovers his composure. “Men, stand down!” he shouts. “This is one of the natives!”
As the marines relax their stances, Rell holds an open hand out to the pandaren. “We are from the Alliance, and mean you no harm. Your people have already joined us in Stormwind. Tell me, what were those shadows you drew out of me?”
“We have joined no Alliance,” says the pandaren stranger sternly. “And this is not the place to explain. In short — your own doubts have been made manifest as a consequence of your actions.”
Atley studies the pandaren stranger, and briefly glances at the rest of the Company.
"Whooooa," says Bran.
“You don’t understand,” protests Rell. “We’re fighting a war here!”
“Oh, I understand perfectly,” the pandaren says. “I have eyes. But Pandaria is not like whatever land you came from. It lives and breathes. You should be careful what kind of energy you bring here. Now put those weapons away!”
"Pandaria…!" Bran exhales. He whips out his journal and starts taking frantic notes.
Atley raises his brows at 'Pandaria,' only slightly.
Erixa slowly slings her ax back, looking curiously at the pandaren.
"Our own doubts? What is he — are ye — we fashed a shadow?!" Oranna says with increasing panic as she fashes.
"Own doubts… made real?" Azizia tilts her head.
"Weapons away, you lot," Atley says. "And steady."
"Our doubts…manifest?" Gwen looks dizzy for a moment. "It's like some kind of psycho-materialization!"
Shun furrows his brow at all of that. He does slowly sheathe his weapons.
Oranna tucks SUNBEAM away nervously, trying not to doubt or fash, and instead doing it more.
Ralaea has only lowered her weapons, not stowed them entirely.
The pandaren is not taking questions. No sooner have they sheathed their weapons then the stranger stalks to the side of the dock, mounts a strange serpentine creature, and flies off to the north.
Bran might be in love.
Rell gazes after the departing stranger on the serpent for a moment. “Pandaria,” he repeats quietly.
"What sort of doubts are we talking here…" he mutters.
Bran stares after the departing pandaren, mouth hanging open.
"Hey. Hey, Oranna, easy." Estel moves over to her. "You want a fear ward?"
"No? I don't think… I'm not afraid," Oranna says. "Jus'… no doubtin'? Or ye get shadows through yer eyeballs?"
Bran gently pats Oranna.
Estel gives Oranna a thumbs-up. "I don't really get it either."
Oranna gives Estel a returning thumbs up with a forced smile. This is fine.
"Wot'ever's going on, we will face it, together," Atley says to everyone, and maybe a little bit to Oranna specifically.
"We must… be certain, then," Erixa says, watching the direction the pandaren has gone. She does not sound certain.
Atley watches the Stranger depart before he looks back to Rell. "Wot's the plan?"
Rell looks to the Cobalt Company group. “North of this base, I spotted what looked like a village tucked behind an orchard of apple blossoms. Head in that direction and see whether we can find quarter there to tend to our wounded while we plan our next move. Agent Mishka and I will rendezvous with you there. And Cobalt — you’re representing the entire Alliance here. I’m banking that your people will make a favorable impression.”
Atley nods to Rell Nightwind. "Of course. We'll make for the village and get our bearings."
"Aye!" Bran says confidently.
"Great, two warring armies joining in same land where doubts and uncertainty manifests into monster," she runs a hand through her hair. "This will go great."
"Let's move out, Cobalt Company. Stay together!" Atley says, nodding at Gwen.
Gwen gives Azizia a worried nod, then takes a deep breath, gathering herself. "Right. Let's move out."
Shun grunts once more.
"Hold! More of the … creatures…" Atley snarls.
Bran stops to sketch frantically..
Shine drops back into the shadows at once.
Erixa looks ahead warily. "Do we slay them? Are they slayable?"
Atley redraws his shield and Thunderfury. "We're about to find out. Carve through 'em! Stay together!" He charges in.
"Let's find out!" Ralaea charges ahead.
"It seems so!" says Gwen.
"At least they lend themselves well ta pen an' ink sketches…" Bran murmurs.
Erixa charges in. No doubts, or else.
Estel Shields her charging allies.
Bran sees if his stick will bonk one. It does.
Shun slips into the shadows before striking.
Shine steps away from an eerie, clinging tendril of energy.
"They die — just like everything else," Atley booms encouragingly.
Oranna stays waaaay back, shooting from the back row.
Weirdly, one of them seems to wince right before Bran cheerily bonks it with his stick.
Ralaea struggles away from the shadowy tears in the ground. "It's…slowing me!" she calls.
Shine nods at Rae and moves over to offer her a hand, in case.
Azizia almost pukes as one of the shadowy beasts's corpse send weird energy to her after it dies.
"Stay away from those…rift…things!" calls Gwen.
Atley warily steps over the strange residue left behind and nods at Gwen.
"From one of those — OOF!" Oranna says as a shadow creature launches itself at her.
"Please, please look!" Azizia says, panicking. "Do rifts leave stain on clothes?"
Estel glances at Azizia. "Nah, you're good."
Azizia sighs with relief.
"Ye look spectacular!" Bran says to Azizia.
"Sticky," Shine observes with a mutter. It does not seem to be literally sticky, but the energy clings.
Erixa steps back frantically after slaying one, as shadowy energy pours over her arms. She drops her ax and hastily moves as if washing it off. Then she grabs her weapon and follows.
Oranna rubs at her middle. "Static-aty," she mutters.
Estel Shields Oranna. This place is keeping her busy.
Oranna makes an uncomfortable sound as she edges around a weird rift, and then nearly runs into a pole trying to look through her scope, watch for charging shadows, and avoid the weird static.
Atley looks around. "Press forward. To the village!"
"To that bridge!" Gwen points. "The village must be this way!"
Atley grunts at Gwen.
"Good work!" shouts a nearby shredder with Sully's voice. "Head for the village!"
"Oh, tha's gorgeous," Bran says tranquilly, looking ahead of them.
"Thank you for second compliment in few minutes," Azizia says to Bran, not looking in which direction he's looking.
Gwen leads the team over the bridge, waving them along.
Atley slows to a jog once they cross the bridge. "Gather yourselves. Take a breath. We will represent ourselves well. Mind the cheeky comments."
Azizia looks at Rae at Dane's last order.
Erixa nods, smoothing her tabard.
Ralaea scowls back at Azizia and keeps her mouth shut.
A picturesque hillside village rises before them. On the terrace above the first set of steps, pandaren pause in their work and conversations to watch them warily.
Shun pauses as they reach the village.
Bran smiles beatifically.
Atley glances around with wary awe as they head under the cherry blossoms. "Smartest behavior," he reiterates, lips parted.
Gwen's jaw drops in awe.
A pandaren wearing a blade and light shield admonishes them as they pass: “More strangers come to our village. Enter, but do not draw your weapons against us as the ‘Horde’ did.” Another raises her voice to say conspicuously to her conversation partner, “May our ancestors protect us from these outsiders and their violent ways.”
Oranna looks more nervous than smart, but she's trying, Dane.
Gwen nods and dips her head to the pandaren. "We come in peace, I promise."
Atley removes his helmet and tucks it under his arm, slightly raising his hand. "We come in peace," he bids to another villager.
Shine tucks his knives away and smooths his tabard again. He leaves a bloody trail down the front of it, but politely.
Azizia never particularly looks smart, but she looks pretty, and that's what matters.
Bran's eyes get a little misty as he looks around.
Estel nods politely. She sticks her hands in her pockets.
Shun keeps his mouth shut. Let the diplomatic ones make the good first impression and all.
Ralaea reluctantly puts her weapons away.
"We've come to speak with your leader. Will you show us the way?" Atley says.
"The mayor is above," a surly-looking panda informs them, and turns away.
Azizia looks around, a small smirk appears on her face. This place isn't too bad.
Befound yawns widely with big teeth before she pads alongside Oranna's side, just a housecat, very large.
Atley nods and glances around.
Bran immediately starts copying the strange writing on the nearby stone.
On the higher terrace, the strange pandaren from the dock stands with two others. One of these is saying to the other, “Mayor Khang, we must act quickly! Rally the city guards, at least!”
“Just a moment, Teng,” says Mayor Khang. “We have… visitors.” He watches Cobalt approach.
Shun follows the others but remains on high alert. His eyes scanning the area as they move through.
"Hail, Pandaren. We are Cobalt Company, of the Alliance. We mean you no harm," Atley says. He bows.
Bran bows to the pandaren with deep respect. It's a pandaren style bow.
Erixa glances at Bran and follows suit.
Shun just dips his head.
“When the mist fell, we knew it would only be a matter of time before visitors arrived. We could not have predicted it would be like this.” The mayor bows. “I am Sunke Khang, mayor of Paw’don Village.”
"Thanks," Estel says cheerfully. "I'm Estel, hi."
“You have met Taran Zhu of the Shado-Pan, I think,” says the mayor. “This is Teng Applebloom, brewer. You are welcome here, so long as your intentions are not the same as that ‘Horde.’”
"You saw us in very, very bad and unfortunate moment, for first introduction," Azizia bows her head.
"Yeah, sorry about that. We didn't mean to manifest our doubts."
"The Horde are our foes. We've come to ask for your help. We've many wounded that need quartering." Atley says.
Shine nods courteously and keeps his hands off his knives. He gazes around them at the village.
"We fight the Horde because they're tryin' ta kill us, but I assure ye all the Alliance wants is peace, and knowledge," Bran assures the mayor.
Oranna waves hello to the mayor. "Oh, ah… I dinna think we could have the same intentions, or if we do, because we're lookin' fer…. " Oranna halts. "Uhhh. Probably no' the same reason, no."
Taran Zhu makes a rumbling sound of disapproval. “If it is war they mean to bring to our shores, the very land itself will respond to their passions and their violence. I do not know what the ultimate consequences will be. Nobody does.”
Atley attentively looks between Taran Zhu and Sunke Khang.
Sungke Khang glances at Taran Zhu. He sighs and looks back to the strangers. "If you have wounded, you may bring them here, certainly," he tells them.
"Kind of ye. I've great respect fer yer people." Bran, unfortunately, also speaks Pandaren with a dwarven accent.
"Thank you," Azizia nods. "If any people of yours got hurt in crossfire, do not hesitate to ask for help of ours as well. We have healers as well." She places a hand on her chest.
Atley gestures to Azizia as he looks at Taran Zhu.
"Many of us have capacity to heal, and not only fight," Erixa nods. "But if fighting is needed, we can protect."
“We have no desire for our village to become a battlefield. But to the west of here, your Horde enemies are cutting down our precious orchard. Without our apple trees, we will have no harvest, no food, and no livelihood,” the mayor says. “If you are truly different from this Horde, show us. Help protect our grove by driving these defilers off.”
Taran Zhu folds his arms across his chest.
"Gladly!" Bran says. His eyes turn to upside down U's as he smiles.
"Sounds simple enough," Shun mutters.
Atley tugs on his helmet. "That, we can do. Is there anywhere else we can be of aid?"
"Oh, aye… the Horde does do that often," Oranna agrees, shaking her head.
Teng Applebloom speaks up. “The Horde ransacked the brewery and made off with my family’s finest barrels of cider. I know there is a war washing onto our shore, but I am not a brewer who will stand idly by while his family’s prized vintage and long tradition are disrespected by these ‘orcs.’ I will come with you into the orchard if you will help me recover my cider.”
Oranna squints at the Pandaren. "Tha' sounds… very familiar. If we hafta next set up a whole weddin' between feuding clans, I'm callin' the wedding havin' weird shadow bursts now."
"We will protect apple trees," She looks a little disinterested by the mission, but oh well.
"Very well," Atley says to Teng. "Join us."
"Guys, introduce yourselves," Estel mutters. "They all did."
"Shun Kuroda," Shun grunts.
"I am Erixa," Erixa says with another bow.
"Azizia." Azizia says, truthfully.
"I'll let my actions introduce who I am, and then I'll give my name." Atley gives Taran Zhu a firm nod.
"I'm Bran."
Shine looks at Estel and then back to the Pandaren. "Shine," he says. It doesn't sound like the imperative, so maybe it's his name.
"Oh! Yes, of course." Gwen blushes. "I am Gwenivene Whittle. But you can call me Gwen."
"Gwen is squad leader of ours," Azizia nods. "Squad Leader Gwen is title of hers."
"Oranna, Oranna Stormbreaker," Oranna Stormbreaker says.
“Coming through!” cries a familiar voice, and Mishka comes jogging in to the village with Lieutenants Daniel and Stanton. Each of them carries an injured Skyfire Marine.
“There, by the fountain!” Mishka instructs. “Set them down gently now. Stanton, keep some ice on that man’s head. We need to keep the swelling down. Daniel, that patient is in shock. Stay with him and monitor his heart rate.”
“Understood,” says Lieutenant Daniel, as Lieutenant Stanton begins to weave a frost spell gently around her patient’s skull.
Atley steps to the side to make room for Mishka and the Lieutenants.
Mishka looks up at the Cobalt group. “Friends, we may have won the battle, but a critical task remains. Dozens of Skyfire pilots were shot down during the initial aerial battle. Without medical aid, they will perish. If you are willing, can you search the orchards around the village and recover as many as you can? We will leave no one behind.”
Atley grunts. "We are headed that way. We'll save all we find."
Bran's gaze drifts over toward Mishka. Oh no, he might be in love for the second time today.
Oranna nods, a serious and determined expression on her face. "We'll find 'em," she promises.
"Yeah, 'course." Estel gives them a thumbs-up.
Mishka smiles with warm relief. "Thank you, Sir Atley, Cobalt friends."
[Atley]: "We're due southwest, Cobalts. Let's move." Atley nods to Gwen.
[Shine]: Shine moves.
[Erixa]: "Orcs come here and already start destroying ancient trees," Erixa mutters, as the teams move out.
[Estel]: Estel follows Dane.
[Atley]: Atley lowers his voice. "We will show the pandaren how we are different."
[Shine]: Shine nods.
[Azizia]: "Like we did on docks," Azizia says.
[Atley]: Atley grunts. "Put down these desecrators."
[Gwenivene]: Gwen signs softly. "Let us try not to repeat that sort of thing."
[Azizia]: "Let us try, yes," Azizia rolls her eyes.
[Estel]: "Hey," Estel calls to the orcs. "Those ain't your trees, yeah?"
[Ralaea]: "As if they're going to listen," Ralaea calls back. "Orcs don't care."
[Atley]: "Our priority is to find Prince Anduin. Our secondary objective is to make a favorable impression of ourselves on the natives," Atley says.
[Brannagen]: Bran stops to help a wounded pilot.
[Estel]: Estel quickly has her hands full running to help various pilots.
[Atley]: Atley lifts a barrel of cider and hands it to Teng. "There you are, then."
Teng accepts the barrel gratefully and hefts it onto a shoulder. “Oof. I still do not know what to make of your kind. Pandaria has not seen a full-scale war since the mists closed in.”
[Brannagen]: Bran seems to understand that this is the time to put his stick away and focus on healing.
[Oranna]: Oranna is dedicated in looking for evidence of where a wounded person from the ship landed, and seems to have no trouble shifting between it and shooting orcs, as if she'd trained for just these two things specifically very well.
[Erixa]: Erixa pauses by a wounded pilot, light gathering in her hands before she rests the gift of the naaru on him.
Teng says, “Mayor Khang is so worried, he called the Shado-Pan in to deal with your arrival. They are the ones who usually handle any trouble that crops up on the continent. I still cannot believe Lord Taran Zhu is here!”
[Gwenivene]: Gwen calls out, "White Squad, let's stay together! Don't wanna lose track of each other."
[Atley]: Atley nods approvingly at Gwen before he looks to Teng. "Is he a great warrior?"
[Oranna]: "Shadow Pan and… Taran Zoo, aye, those… are serious then," Oranna hazards at a guess.
[Shun]: "Do not worry too much if you lose sight of me. I will still be near," Shun notes.
[Erixa]: "The Shadow-Pan," Erixa repeats thoughtfully. "Against the shadows, I woulde guess."
[Shine]: Shine appears from the shadows beneath a tree to run a knife between an orc's ribs.
“We do not wish to enter your conflict,” Teng says, and shakes his head. “But I fear that when war is on the horizon, peace is not a choice.”
[Estel]: Estel attempts a resurrection on a dead pilot. It fails.
[Brannagen]: "I like that one," Bran says. "Taran Zhu, ye said? I like him a lot."
[Atley]: "Your fears are true. The Horde takes any land they can get their hands on," Atley says.
“Ah, such troubling thoughts,” Teng sighs. “Our last emperor advised us not to live in the shadow of fear. Do you see now why we love to drink and celebrate?”
[Atley]: Atley grunts and inclines his head.
[Brannagen]: "I'm the same!" Bran says.
[Azizia]: "A lot of people do not need lesson of emperor of yours to love drinking and celebrating," Azizia shrugs.
[Brannagen]: "I"m gonna like it here, I thenk…" Bran murmurs.
[Oranna]: "Oh tha's… a method fer it, I suppose," Oranna says, clearly not agreeing.
[Atley]: "But we are certain your Emperor imparted great wisdom," Atley amends, giving Azizia a sharp look.
[Azizia]: Azizia shrugs at Dane. What? She's just having a polite, objectively correct conversation!
[Shine]: Shine eyes the pandaren brewer inscrutably.
[Shun]: Shun cloaks himself in the periphery of the group. In case of orc.
“This seems to be all the casks we will recover,” Teng says. “Come, we will bring them to Lin, my wife, on the island in the bay.”
[Atley]: "We'll join you. See to your safety," Atley says to Teng.
[Atley]: "Have we got a water-walk available to us?" Atley asks the group at large.
[Estel]: Estel lags a little behind her squad as she's patching up the pilots.
[Azizia]: "You know we do," Azizia nods to Dane.
[Brannagen]: Bran is… not the best swimmer, despite his surprisingly swift movement on land.
[Atley]: Atley gives Azizia The Nod.
[Shun]: Shun reaches for Estel's hand before shadowstepping across the river.
[Oranna]: Befound gives an approving purr to Azizia as she is enabled to not get her fur wet, cat trot-stomping her way over the river.
A female pandaren stands at the edge of a small cargo area near a simple dock. Kegs and crates are stacked nearby, but the woman stands well back, wringing her hands and watching a large, lumbering animal as it bellows furiously and tramples the cargo, splintering wood. Cider pools on the earth.
She looks back as the group makes its way up the shore. “Teng!” she cries. “Thank goodness you have recovered the cider. But something is wrong with Koukou — he’s gone crazy! Just look at him! I’ve tried cajoling and pleading and yelling and soothing, but nothing has worked.”
[Brannagen]: Bran just looks at him.
[Ralaea]: "What is that thing?" Ralaea asks.
[Erixa]: "That is… a pet?" Erixa asks dubiously.
[Atley]: Atley squints. "Has the look of a kodo… My lady, can we be of aid?"
Lin wrings her hands again. “I fear he is no longer of his own mind. There is only one way to save our brewery.”
[Brannagen]: Bran looks at the nice panda man's wife, then looks a little too long at her, then looks determinedly at the sky.
[Gwenivene]: "Sort of a …kodo lizard." Gwen tilts her head.
[Azizia]: "Half-water… kodo?" Azizia raises an eyebrow at the creature's gills.
[Erixa]: "Findo?" Erixa hazards. "Like Gilblin…"
[Oranna]: "Or half like those diemetradon down south in Un'goro with a kodo…" Oranna says, titling her head to the side.
Teng sets a cask of cider down heavily. "Koukou is our mushan. He hauls our wagons and the like." He looks despondently back at the Cobalts. "Can you — I do not know what is wrong with him, but I do not have the heart."
[Gwenivene]: "Mushan," Gwen echoes.
[Atley]: "You need the beast," Atley says. He looks to Oranna. "Can you calm the beast?"
[Azizia]: "He seems tired of carrying wagon, look, it is breaking it," Azizia frowns. "Do you give poor animal breaks, sometimes? Real ones, not just night?"
[Gwenivene]: "Maybe…I can just freeze him in place? And he'll calm down?" Gwen hopes.
[Oranna]: Oranna shakes her head. "Cold like tha' is shockin', not calming," Oranna cautions.
[Atley]: "Can you do it?" Atley asks Oranna.
[Oranna]: "I can try." Oranna approaches carefully, appropriate for a creature of that size and temperament. She's not that close when she abruptly leaps back at some sign of imminent violence. "Nope! No, tha's—"
The mushan isn’t waiting to be calmed. Tendrils of oily, dark energy swirl and stretch around the creature as it bellows again and charges.
[Oranna]: Oranna hasn’t even finished her sentence before the thing charges.
[Atley]: "Put it down," Atley orders.
[Erixa]: "Ah, no, shadows," Erixa says, drawing her ax in alarm.
[Atley]: Atley charges in between Oranna and Koukou.
[Brannagen]: Bran stands back and heals this time.
[Azizia]: "Can we go get Shado-Pan man? He calmed kaldorei earlier, no?" Azizia says, a bit panicked for the poor beast's life.
[Brannagen]: "Sorry, lass," Bran says to Lin.
[Shine]: “Thank you, strangers,” says Lin Applebloom sadly.
Teng puts an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “The mayor will be glad to know we recovered our cider, at least. When you return to the village, you should tell him.”
[Atley]: "We'll pass that along," Atley says, inclining his head. "Back to the village then, you lot."
[Oranna]: "It can affect animals?" Oranna says in distress, looking back over at Befound and checking the leopard over. Befound puts a paw out for a treat.
[Atley]: Atley squints at Oranna. "It infected the beast? The … shadow, from earlier?"
[Brannagen]: "Not confident animals like Her Majesty, I'm sure!" says Bran.
[Erixa]: Erixa looks at Azizia. "It was infected with the thing from before. The shadows."
[Oranna]: Befound tilts her head like a queen. Exactly, Bran.
[Gwenivene]: Gwen sighs. "Poor thing. I feel awful."
[Azizia]: Azizia has not fought the animal. She crosses her arm. "I see cider was more important than Koukou's life."
[Estel]: Estel looks to Azizia. "I, uh, there was a lot more of that energy in Koukou than there was in the other guy."
[Atley]: "Rough business, but wot' we did was a mercy," Atley encourages.
[Azizia]: "And we did not kill Kaldorei earlier, did we?" She tells Erixa, then she looks at Estel. "Ah. Anyway…"
[Erixa]: "We might would have had to, if not Taran Zhu showed up," Erixa answers. "We cannot know."
[Oranna]: "Well, there better be another thing ta do than jus' be drunk an' party. I'm no' dousin' Befound with spirits an' beer," Oranna mutters. "No one wants that. She'll eat everyone's gloves."
Mishka looks up from changing a Marine’s bandages. “Thank you, friends! The ones you helped have been making their way to us here. They will live and fight another day because of your actions.”
[Estel]: Estel moves over to check on the pilots who made it back alive.
[Atley]: Atley removes his helmet and tucks it under his arm. "We drove the invaders from your woodland, returned the Applebottom cider, and healed our own folk in the field. And I am Sir Dane Atley, and we are Cobalt Company."
[Brannagen]: Bran moves his beard-braid aside to show the logo.
Sungke Khang bows again. "Thank you, Cobalt Company."
Rell Nightwind stands nearby now, and he nods approvingly at the group.
[Atley]: Atley bows.
Mayor Khang surveys the Cobalt Company group again. “So. And from your work in our orchards, I can see that though we have just met, we share a common enemy: this group called the ‘Horde.’" He looks grim, an expression that doesn't sit well on his face.
“Several days ago, their leader made us a trade offer. It was… a disrespectful one, and when we refused, he abducted several of our cubs as bargaining chips.”.
[Brannagen]: "By the Light…" Bran breathes at mention of cub abduction.
[Atley]: Atley snarls. "They took your children?" he asks through gritted teeth.
[Shine]: Shine stiffens, his expression going masklike.
[Erixa]: "They took your cubs," Erixa says, her expression hardening in anger. "That cannot be allowed to stand."
[Oranna]: Oranna's brows draw down in a rare show of genuine anger, as she nods. "Tha's…
despicable."
[Ralaea]: Ralaea crosses her arms, looking unsurprised.
[Shun]: Shun just shakes his head to himself.
“We sent to the Shado-Pan for aid,” the mayor says, “but apart from Lord Taran Zhu, the rest are right now in Kun-Lai Summit, a journey of some great distance. Are you willing to aid us again?”
[Gwenivene]: Gwen frowns deeply. "We have to get them back!"
[Atley]: "Yes. We will return them to you in good health," Atley promises.
The Mayor nods with weary relief. “I did not trust this Horde from the first. They wield foul magic, and their intentions are clearly malevolent. They have taken over the old ruins of Twinspire Keep, just to the southwest.
“Please, go and free our cubs, and do what you can to drive the Horde away from this place.”
[Azizia]: "Oh okay, sometime we really are not like these guys," Azizia cracks her knuckles. "We will get them back safe and sound, and show no mercy to people who have done this."
[Atley]: Atley tugs his helmet on. "We'll clear the Keep and return it to your power."
“While you’re there,” says Rell, stepping forward, “if they’ve dug in at the ruins, no doubt that’s where they’ve been bringing any war machines and supplies up from the harbor. Take these signal flares and mark any particularly dangerous caches. Admiral Rogers will dispatch bombers to take them out.”
[Atley]: Atley gestures vaguely to Oranna and Shine, leaving Gwen to lead her squad.
[Oranna]: Oranna steps forward for a flare gun. "Aye."
[Shine]: Shine accepts a flare gun.
[Gwenivene]: "Alright, squad, our priority is those cubs," Gwen says firmly.
[Brannagen]: Bran sketches Mishka. He's just recording the moment in history. It's fine.
[Azizia]: Azizia nods at Gwen.
[Shine]: “Sully is on his way now to infiltrate the place,” Rell says. “When your work is done, find him inside.”
[Atley]: Atley grunts. "We make for the north. Retrieve the cubs. Take no other prisoners."
[Oranna]: Oranna faces northeast at the direction for south, but manages to follow Dane.
[Atley]: Atley squints at the statues overlooking the small valley. "Those are pandaren…?" he growls skeptically.
[Shine]: Shine peers up at the statues. He shakes his head doubtfully, his eye narrowed.
[Erixa]: "They do not look like pandaren," Erixa tilts her head. "Maybe poor sculptor."
[Brannagen]: "I… genuinely canna tell from this angle."
[Oranna]: Oranna looks up where Dane is looking. "Oh, those sort of look… almost dwarven like, the stonework. An' different from the — " Oranna says, startled by the Thunderfury.
[Azizia]: "Or other people who live with Pandaren?" Azizia says. "Maybe they have allies, somewhere here too."
[Atley]: Atley promptly marches over to incinerate a Horde flag with quick burst of lightning from Thunderfury.
[Brannagen]: "It does stand ta reason there'd be more than one sapient species on a continent, aye," Bran muses. "But I'm not tall enough ta see those statues' heads."
[Oranna]: "Or maybe it's what they used ta look like?" Oranna guesses.
[Atley]: Atley flicks another burst at the other Horde flag. "Leave no Horde alive. As Gwen says, the cubs are priority."
[Shun]: Shun eyes the demolishers above.
[Ralaea]: "Forsaken here," Ralaea says with a growl.
[Atley]: "Gwen, take your lot to the right. We'll circle 'round and meet farther in," Atley says.
[Shine]: Shine eyes a pile of munitions. He drops a signal flare.
[Brannagen]: "I see somethin' pretty nasty up ahead. Observer, I thenk."
[Atley]: "Kill it." Atley growls.
[Erixa]: "Demon," Erixa nods. "Some sort of shield on it?"
[Atley]: "Call in a strike on this wretch," Atley says. He specifies the wretch as he finds a lot of things here wretched. Xhu'daggab.
[Oranna]: Oranna sets off her flare nearby one handed. She makes sure she's way out of eyebrow incineration range.
[Erixa]: Erixa stands back, also not keen on explosions.
A bomber roars past overhead and the… shield around the demon explodes. The demon roars, BEHOLD MY POWER! and soars away.
[Atley]: Atley scowls as the Beholder floats away. He tongues the inside of his cheek.
[Brannagen]: "Hate them thengs," Bran mutters.
[Gwenivene]: "Go one, little ones! You're free!"
[Azizia]: Azizia stares at the padaren cubs running away as they're freed. "Their eyes are very big and ugly on head of theirs, but still they are cute. Somehow. I do not understand."
[Estel]: Estel strikes a floating green eye with a pillar of holy flame and watches the child it was keeping an eye on ZOOM past her. "Cheers. Yeah. You're good."
[Shine]: "Forsaken here as well as orcs," Shine observes, looking over his shoulder.
[Atley]: "A proper Horde vanguard," Atley observes.
[Erixa]: "I am happy to slay them as well," Erixa nods.
[Oranna]: "Candles an' weird glowin' runes…" Oranna mutters. "Can't ever jus' leave well enough alone, summoners."
[Brannagen]: "There ye go, little lass," Bran says to a pandaren girl as he bonks the eye guarding her.
[Atley]: Atley addresses one of the freed cubs and gestures to the village. "Off with you, little one," he growls gently. "Back home."
[Shine]: Shine pauses by a cub to put a hand on its back and speak quietly to it. It scampers away.
[Gwenivene]: Everyone got your bombing targets?
[Azizia]: Azizia covers her face with her arms in panic as she stands a little too close to one of the explosions.
[Atley]: "Same with the imps. Shatter that shield," Atley says to the flarererers.
[Ralaea]: Ralaea scowls at all the demons. "They're trying to make another Outland right here."
[Atley]: Atley grunts. "It's their way."
[Oranna]: "They do this, aye. They dinna see this as land that's already owned. If they can take it, then it means they think it's theirs. Once they start, they willna jus' stop until they're told no beyond any doubt," Oranna says.
[Erixa]: "Show them, beyond any doubt," Erixa nods.
[Shun]: Shun appears behind a forsaken warlock and swiftly deals with them.
[Oranna]: Oranna shoots straight for the eyes. Of the eyes and the eyes of the enemies. It's just eyes all the way down.
[Erixa]: Erixa smiles down at a freed pandaren cub and mutters something in draenic, among the words something like 'murloc'.
[Azizia]: Azizia fights the horde people with her fists as if her life depended on it. Because it does. Because they caught innocent children.
[Estel]: Estel protects fleeing pandaren cubs with bubbles of Light. "Stay safe, kids."
[Gwenivene]: Gwen does not hold back, unleashing the full force of her magic on the kidnappers.
[Atley]: Atley glances over at her and nods.
[Azizia]: Azizia destroys an eye, then takes a pandaren cub by the shoulders, kneeling to their level. "Do not get caught again while you run." She pushes them forward. "Now go."
[Gwenivene]: "Poor little things," Gwen watches a few of the cubs run to safety. "How can the Horde be so low?"
At the top of the stairs, Sully materializes from the shadows. “Well done, you lot.” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder at the ruined temple’s towering entrance behind him.
“Jabbin’ at the Horde army’s well and good, but it’s time to cut off its head. That warlock from the docks is inside. Give him a good what-for, and that will pull out the Horde’s last stake in Pandaria.”
[Atley]: Atley warily scowls inside before he looks back to Sully.
[Shun]: Shun just nods at Sully.
[Erixa]: Erixa peers into the doorway.
[Brannagen]: Bran sketches.
[Atley]: Atley grunts. "Let's finish this. Put the warlock down."
[Gwenivene]: "Ga'trul," Gwen says the name like she's tasting something disgusting.
[Estel]: "He's had enough time to maybe set up another one of those escape portals," Estel warns.
[Atley]: Atley grunts. "A sound point. Stay sharp!"
[Shun]: Shun nods, then vanishes.
Ga’trul waits at the far side of the chamber. He sneers. “Alliance ‘heroes.’ Let’s see how well you fight without a flying warship to cover your backs!” He teleports away from the charging attackers to a nearby gateway.
“There’s something about this land — you don’t understand…” he yells.
Dark gray energy begins to creep up from the floor, wreathing the warlock as he teleports now to the center of the room. “They defied us! Defied Hellscream’s Horde! I should have executed the whole town!”
The warlock transforms. He has become one of the strange, oily black creatures they fought in the orcish outpost on the shore, all teeth and spines and tarry smoke wreathed in foggy light.
“THIS LAND WILL BE YOUR GRAVE!” the thing roars.
[Azizia]: Azizia sighs. "Of course warlock transforms into monster."
[Shun]: Shun gets knocked into the wall, dazing him for the moment.
[Atley]: Atley furrows his brow with a glare of surprise before he charges in. "Kill it!"
[Oranna]: "That's… somethin' else," Oranna mutters, as she focuses down her scope, firing into the shadow creature.
[Shine]: Shine flickers through the shadows behind the thing.
[Gwenivene]: "It's that doubt stuff!" Gwen shouts, "It's taken him over!"
[Estel]: "I don't think it's just doubt!" Estel yells.
[Erixa]: Erixa is stunned, but only for a moment. Then she charges in to fight the shadow.
[Gwenivene]: "I don't doubt it!" Gwen replies to Estel.
[Brannagen]: Bran focuses on support, shielding and healing the combatants.
[Shun]: He shakes his head, then shadowsteps to deliver a knife to the shadow's face.
Rell Nightwind charges into the temple chamber a moment too late — he is just in time to see the aberration drop to the floor. It churns into mist and vanishes.
“King’s mercy,” says Rell, aghast. “What happened here? What was that thing?”
From behind him, Taran Zhu strides into the temple. “Your foe was overwhelmed by a dark energy we call the ‘sha.’ It feeds on negative emotions, such as doubt, hatred, or anger. It has been many years since I have seen it manifest so dramatically."
[Estel]: Estel snaps her fingers. She called it.
[Shun]: Shun furrows his brow at this information. "Sha…"
[Oranna]: "Doubt, hatred, anger. Great," Oranna says with a shake of her head.
[Azizia]: "Doubt, hatred, or anger," Azizia repeats, then she whispers to herself. "Good thing I do not feel those."
[Atley]: Atley grunts and nods at the Cobalts before he marches over.
[Ralaea]: "So in this place we can turn into a Feelings Puddle," Ralaea mutters. "Lovely."
“I’m not surprised,” Rell says grimly. “The Horde are monsters! We are here on a peaceful rescue mission. Will you help us?”
[Brannagen]: Bran takes frantic notes in between gazing raptly at Taran Zhu.
Taran Zhu regards Rell flatly. “I have seen your sky-fortress. Your people have an interesting notion of ‘peace.’”
[Erixa]: Erixa stares at the spot on the floor where Ga'trul's sha body vanished.
[Estel]: While they speak, Estel heals the Cobalts.
“Left to their own devices, the Horde will overwhelm your land,” Rell warns. “Will you not help us fight them?”
Taran Zhu folds his arms. “We are not afraid to fight. Our warriors, while few in number, are extremely skilled. But we will not participate in this… genocidal… bloodbath of yours. Your conflict will have immense consequences here. Do not bring your war to these shores!”
The pandaren turns to leave. He moves in graceful stealth for all his bulk, and once outside the temple’s entrance, he seems to vanish.
Rell watches him go. “As if fighting the Horde on a foreign shore isn’t hard enough.”
[Atley]: Atley stares off after the pandaren before he shifts his gaze to Rell.
Rell shakes his head and turns back to the group. “Search this place and see if you can find any information on the Horde’s plans. I’m going to go through this camp with a fine-toothed comb. When you’re ready, I’ll meet you back in the village below.”
[Shun]: Shun slowly nods.
[Atley]: Atley grunts and turns around. "Stairs, there. Let's make for them."
[Oranna]: "I don't know what he expects us ta do? We canna jus' ask the Horde nicely ta pack up an' not do things here, and meanwhile they're doin' things like kidnappin' children? That's no option ta leave ourselves," Oranna says, aghast.
[Erixa]: "I am getting more and more worried we do not seem to find news of thing we are looking for," Erixa says quietly. "But not sha worried, don't worry."
[Atley]: "It's no easy position, but we'll find a way," Atley says to Oranna.
[Oranna]: Oranna worries, Erixa. She can't help it.
[Gwenivene]: "It seems there's a whole new dimension to this mission," Gwen muses aloud. "Everyone, we must be careful to keep our emotions in check. Focus on our duty, but…y'know…be cool about it."
[Brannagen]: Bran is cool about it.
[Shine]: Shine nods blandly. Emotions in check. No prob.
[Oranna]: Oranna is not cool about it but she's trying, okay, she's trying.
[Estel]: "I'm always cool about it," Estel says to Gwen, sticking her hands in her pockets.
[Gwenivene]: Gwen grins at Estel.
[Shun]: Shun just seems grim.
[Azizia]: "You are lucky 'disgust for other people's fashion choice' is not emotion Sha feeds on," Azizia says dryly.
[Atley]: Atley scoffs with amusement. "We've made landfall, and established as good negotiations with the natives as possible. Let's scour this place then move out."
[Gwenivene]: "The warlock had a tome or something," Gwen gestures back to the altar. "Be careful. Demonic books are dangerous."
[Atley]: Atley looks to Gwen. "It may be worth examining," he says, nodding at her.
[Brannagen]: "Ooooh," says Bran, fingers twitching.
[Azizia]: "I am not reading this," Azizia shakes her head. "I have eye of… Twilight people, from Twilight Highlands, now. I am not looking at demonic books with eye like this."
[Oranna]: Oranna peeps over people's arms curiously. "Ooh, a book," she says with genuine interest.
[Atley]: Atley sets his jaw and swipes the book up. He flips through it, brow arched impatiently. "Orcish. I can barely read any of it. Let's take it with us."
[Erixa]: "We should take it back to the village," Erixa nods. "It may have information useful."
[Brannagen]: "I'll take it!" says Bran. "And find a translator. I'd love ta have a read of et."
[Brannagen]: Bran stares at it. Booooook.
[Atley]: Atley hands the tome off to Brannagen. "I understand it better than I read."
[Oranna]: "With any luck he's detailed all his plans, maybe some evil cacklin' thrown in of future ones, and explained everything that happened here," Oranna says hopefully.
[Erixa]: "That'd be nice," Erixa says with a smile to Oranna.
[Gwenivene]: "Just be cautious, Mr. Stillwall," Gwen warns. "Even reading a warlock's book might have unexpected results."
[Brannagen]: "Oh dinna fash, lass, I'm well versed in dangerous tomes!" Bran grins.
[Shine]: Shine looks askance at Gwen but doesn't say anything.
[Gwenivene]: "Sorry…it's the sort of thing I fash about." Gwen grins, pretty sure she gets what fash means.
[Azizia]: "You'd know a thing about warlock's books," Azizia chuckles to herself.
[Oranna]: "That's a real evil, ta take a good thing like a book and make it terrifying," Oranna observes.
[Atley]: Atley grunts. "Let's have a look upstairs 'fore we bugger off. See wot' else needs killing."
[Shun]: Shun eyes Estel for the moment.
[Estel]: Estel looks fine. Through the power of surrounding herself in a bubble almost constantly, she has managed to avoid a lot of mess.
The stairs lead up to an open flat rooftop with another roof above it.
[Atley]: Atley reaches the rooftop and stares out over the land in silence. He looks at the smoking Horde fortress and their remains below.
[Oranna]: Oranna stares at the wall she cannot even slightly see over.
[Erixa]: "This is a beautiful land," Erixa says quietly. "We cannot let them destroy it."
[Atley]: Atley offers the dwarves a hand.
[Brannagen]: "Thanks, Red," says Bran, a bit embarrassed.
[Oranna]: Oranna waves off the hand. "Oh, no thanks, Dane, I'm fine. I've had enough of standin' near railings an' lookin' down to a horrific fallin' death fer the day, all topped up."
[Atley]: Atley scoops Brannagen up and shows him the view with little to no noticeable exertion.
[Shun]: Shun closes his eyes and takes in a few slow, deep, breaths.
[Brannagen]: Bran is cheered enough by the interesting view that he gets over his embarrassment at being lifted like a small child.
[Atley]: Atley grunts. "We will triumph here. We will save the Prince. Let's move out."
[Estel]: Estel hops up on the lower ledge of the wall. "Welp. Okay." She hops back down.
[Brannagen]: "Aye ser!"
[Ralaea]: "Why was a fortress like this abandoned, anyway?" Ralaea asks.
[Atley]: "I doubt it's a fortress. It looks like an ancient temple." Atley says. "Too ornate."
[Oranna]: "Sounds like it's what they were talkin' about, though. Abandonin' a 'war' fortress because… they dinna do war," Oranna adds.
[Brannagen]: "And those open areas. Not secure."
[Gwenivene]: "I think they said it was a fortress, didn't they? Probably abandoned because of the Sha."
[Atley]: "This is a dark place. It may not have been made by the native pandaren," Atley says.
[Azizia]: "Do you think some people here in temple or keep worshiped Sha?" Azizia tilts her head.
[Atley]: Atley shakes his head, uncertain.
[Gwenivene]: Gwen shudders at the notion.
[Shine]: "Statues out front weren't pandaren," Shine observes quietly.
[Brannagen]: "I'm sure this place has its own entire history…" Bran says, eyes sparkling.
[Gwenivene]: "I'm sure you'll help us learn about it," Gwen smiles at Bran.
[Brannagen]: Bran smiles back.
[Shun]: Shun is dead silent on the way back to the village.
[Atley]: Atley removes his helmet as they return and rakes a gauntlet through his hair. "All in one piece, then?" he asks at large, looking from Gwen to everyone else.
[Azizia]: "I'm sure we need to find prince quick and leave before we ruin this place for people of its," Azizia says.
[Brannagen]: "Ach… wish I could tell Dailu about thes…"
Mishka is helping a wounded Marine to his feet by the fountain. The Mayor and Taran Zhu have vanished. The draenei smiles tiredly at the group.
[Atley]: "How are the men?" Atley asks, after stomping over.
[Estel]: Estel holds a hand out to Shun.
[Shun]: He takes her hand and gives a light squeeze.
[Estel]: Estel squeezes back. "I'm good. You good?"
"The Admiral and Rell say we will rest in the village and tend our wounded. Help the natives in any way we can, to prove our intentions to them. When there is more intelligence, they will have more tasks for you." Mishka nods.
[Atley]: Atley inclines his head. "F'course."
[Brannagen]: "Ye seem like a right competent lass," Brannagen says to Mishka. "We appreciate yer bein' here."
[Oranna]: "Are there still any people no' accounted fer?" Oranna asks. "Either the natives or on our side?"
[Azizia]: "Did children came back okay?" Azizia asks.
Mishka's smile warms at Azizia. "Yes, the children have come back! Many families are celebrating right now, I think."
[Azizia]: "Celebrating and drinking to keep Sha away," Azizia nods. "Good."
[Gwenivene]: Gwen addresses her team. "White Squad, I just want to say thank you. I think most of you know this is my first command, and you've all been wonderful. I'm glad we're all here together."
[Shun]: Shun glances at Gwen and slowly nods.
[Estel]: Estel gives Gwen a thumbs-up. "You're doin' just fine, don't worry."
[Shun]: Shun mutters under his breath to Estel, "I think I might be a liability here."
[Gwenivene]: Gwen lifts her brow at Shun. "Sorry? Um…I couldn't make that out under your mask."
[Shun]: He shakes his head at Gwen.
[Atley]: Atley turns back to the group at large. "Well fought, Cobalts. This is our home for the foreseeable future. Stay sharp, and remember, the eyes of many nations are upon us. Act accordingly."
[Erixa]: "I will behave as if watched," Erixa nods firmly. "And no doubts."
[Shine]: Shine nods politely. He surveys the lovely village again.
[Azizia]: "It is change of pace to have someone like you as leader, Miss Gwen," Azizia bows her head. "It is first mission, so I was nice, but know I will not be easy squad member for you in future time."
[Azizia]: "I will not let you make mistakes," Azizia tilts her head. "For own good of yours, because you have many responsibilities on shoulders."
[Atley]: Atley growls with amusement. "Settle in." He points at the Skyfire. "I'll report to Captain Sparkwire. Dismissed!"
[Gwenivene]: Gwen smiles at Azizia. "I'm sure you'll be great. You clearly know what you're doing out there. I feel more confident seeing just how capable all of you are."
[Estel]: "It's okay," Estel says to Shun. "I don't see any of that stuff in you the way I did with Rell. Or the mushan. Or the warlock."
[Shun]: "For now," Shun replies.
[Brannagen]: Bran salutes Atley and immediately goes off to start sketching literally everything.
[Oranna]: "I'll go check around fer any more folk missin' folk," Oranna says.
[Atley]: Atley nods at Oranna. "A fine idea."
[Azizia]: Azizia gives a brief smile to Gwen. "Okay, now I must go to Skyfire to get luggage of mine. Goodbye."
[Estel]: "If you catch it quick enough, it can be stopped, yeah?" Estel smiles at Shun. "So I'll pay attention."
[Shun]: Shun just slowly nods at this.
[Azizia]: Azizia leaves like that. She was dismissed. Her clothes are waiting.
[Atley]: Atley pries off his gauntlets and stops by Gwen, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Well led."
[Gwenivene]: Gwen smiles up at Dane. "Thanks. I feel like I'm still figuring it out. But I've got a good team."
[Atley]: Atley grunts and gives Shine a firm nod before he marches off.