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| Details |
| Author: | Luridel |
| Summary: | White Squad starts up an investigation into excessive sprite activity and ends up in conflict with a mogu spirit-binder. ~5.3k words. |
| Rating: | M for Mature 17+ |
Estel leans against a post, arms folded.
Gwen peers in the general direction of the flight master. "Hopefully Azizia will be here soon. We can leave word for her if necessary."
"Do you know what this is about?" Shun asks.
"I'm not entirely sure," Gwen says. "Apparently, Groundskeeper Wu has something to ask of us? If I'm honest, I don't think he realizes we even left."
"Is it more chores?" Ralaea asks.
"Please no," Azizia says, joining the group.
"I hope not…" Gwen mutters and approaches the groundskeeper.
Shun grunts.
Estel pushes off the post and approaches Wu. "Hey."
Gwen bows in greeting. "Groundskeeper Wu. The Elder informed us that you need our help with something?"
"Do you want us to do dishes, or maybe clean rooms of everyone?" Azizia glares at him.
Groundskeeper Wu returns the bow. "There you are! We're having more sprite problems. You seem to have a knack for handling them."
"Um…I suppose we do…" Gwen starts.
"I don't think it takes a knack, just a sword," Ralaea says.
Shun furrows his brow.
Groundskeeper Wu continues, "This is more important than the last time. The sprites are making trouble for the jade miners at Greenstone. They need that jade to finish the Serpent's Heart and the fresco at Emperor's Omen!"
"Azizia can throw them pretty far," Estel says.
"This is sensitive topic," Azizia comments, after Estel says that.
Gwen slaps a hand over her mouth to contain what she is certain is an inappropriate laugh.
"Okay, so problem. I don't know where Greenstone is," Ralaea says.
"I am told that some of your colleagues were recently helpful in this regard," Wu says. "So this should be very simple for you."
Ralaea glances at Gwen. "Did they send us a map?"
"Do you remember where you first dealt with the sprites stealing oranges?" Wu gestures northeasterly. "Follow the path down to the bottom, then go left. You will find it."
"Sure, okay." Estel gives Wu a thumbs-up.
Gwen looks to the others and shrugs. "It sounds like this will be helpful to the pandaren people as a whole, if that jade is so important. I think we should help."
Shun grunts.
"It is for aesthetic reasons, yes?" Azizia asks. "I can understand urgency."
Estel blinks at Gwen. "I mean, I just assumed we were gonna. That's a pretty reasonable request and it's outside of monastery grounds."
Gwen nods with a big smile at Azizia. "Yes! It's for art!"
"What's a fresco?" Ralaea asks.
"A type of mural," Shun responds.
"Oh, it's like…well, you paint on wet plaster," Gwen says. "Yeah, so the mural becomes super-permanent."
"Alright, Squad, let's mount up. Sounds like it's a bit of a trek!" Gwen tries to sound authoritative. She's getting a little better.
Shun draws in a deep breath. He's got some running to do.
Azizia mounts on her elekk. She hopes the pandaren are scared of it. She HOPES.
Estel fetches Menace, an evil-looking ram, and shifts forward in the saddle so Shun can ride with her.
Shun looks up, then nods. He hops onto the back of Menace.
"Mr. Shun? You don't have a mount?" Gwen lifts her brow curiously.
Ralaea retrieves Widow and mounts up.
[Shun]: "Nope," he grunts in turn.
"Oooh. Hm. We should probably rectify that," Gwen says. "Sometimes it's good to have fast transport for missions."
Menace snorts and turns her head to try and see why her rider is heavier than usual.
Azizia's elekk stomps around on the training grounds. FEAR US.
"Where'd you get your ram?" Ralaea asks Estel.
"Amberstill Ranch," Estel answers. "It's, uh, southeast of Ironforge."
"Huh…that wasn't nearly the trek he made it out to be," Gwen says as they approach the quarry.
Gwen waves to a pandaren at the quarry. "Hello! Um…we were sent by the monastery to deal with a sprite issue."
Menace wanders over to munch on some flowers.
Ralaea watches her. Widow stands patiently by.
Smeltmaster Ashpaw waves in return. "That is very good news. They aren't bothering us at the moment, but they're sure to return. They've been coming from across the river."
"Where is nearby bridge?" Azizia asks.
Estel twists in the saddle, trying to locate the distant sound of running water.
"No bridge," Ashpaw says. "The river is north of here, running to the east."
"So they swim?" Ralaea asks, frowning.
"It must be the same river that runs by the monastery," Gwen ponders.
"Let's go check it out." Gwen gestures dramatically, "Onward!"
Shun nods.
"Onward." Azizia repeats, less enthusiastically.
Estel tugs on her ram's reins. "Behave."
They don't get far before coming across sprites invading the nearby village.
"Oh dear. They're already at it again," Gwen says.
"Well…" Shun mutters.
"I see one holding stone!" Azizia points. "They steal, yes!"
"I thought she said they weren't bothering anyone?" Ralaea mutters.
"Come on, let's try to get to the root of this." Gwen spurs Gethennis on, "If they're coming from across the river, let's see if we can cut it off at the source!"
"Oh look, Azizia. A natural bridge!" Gwen points to the stones in the calm river.
"Well, it's a bridge… of a sort," Ralaea says, eyeing the stepping stones.
Shun peers over Estel's shoulder as he squints in the distance.
Estel looks up as a full-grown sprite darter flies overhead.
In the distance, a moving stone statue menaces a sprite.
[Shun]: "Is that a mogu?" he asks.
"Good," Azizia nods. "It takes lot of energy to ask water to let us walk."
"What?" Ralaea squints too.
"It…maybe?" Gwen peers. "It looks like it's made of rock!"
"I Just see a big guy ahead," Shun clarifies.
"Do we kill it?" Ralaea asks.
Estel slides out of the saddle and begins Shielding the team.
"Yes, all stone… weird elemental of Pandaria?" Azizia narrows her eyes.
"If the sprites are a problem for the villagers, stone mogu must be so much worse." Gwen nods firmly. "Let's take it down!"
It looks like the statue-like stone elementals have been beating up sprites.
Shun looks over a nearby dead sprite.
"I think our mission objective just changed," Gwen says. "These stone mogu are a much bigger concern…for the pandaren and the sprites, apparently."
"Definitely stone," Ralaea says, shaking her arms out after the fight. "It did look pretty… mogu-ish, but I thought those were done being stone?"
Azizia looks at the dead sprite, then at the nearby cliff. Is it the sprite from the other day? Is the monastery just right there? No. But there can always be doubt.
Estel looks at Gwen for orders.
"Okay, let's go find the source of these stone mogu," Gwen orders. "Rae, Shun, lead the way."
Shun nods and goes to take point.
"Yessir. Ma'am." Ralaea joins him up front.
As each stone mogu falls, it shatters with a blood-curdling wail as spirits seem to burst free of the stone.
"Ruins?" Ralaea says, peering ahead.
Gwenivene holds up a hand. "Wait…"
"Wait for what?" Azizia asks.
Gwen looks into the ruins with wide eyes. "This place…these ruins are teeming with ghosts."
"Flesh mogu!" Ralaea points inside the ruins.
Azizia takes a step forward, focusing. "It is, yes. Spirits of pandaren."
"Is it necromancy they do?" Azizia frowns, staring at the flesh mogu.
"Is that how they're animating the statues?" Estel frowns.
"Cult of the Flesh Mogu…" Ralaea murmurs.
"I think something like it," Gwen says with a growing scowl. "You saw the spirits escaping the stone mogu we shattered."
Gwen gives the others a determined look. "We have to put a stop to this. I cannot believe those spirits are participating willingly."
"Necromancy rarely is," Azizia crosses her arms.
Estel closes her eyes as her vision jumps from mogu to mogu.
Gwen looks to Estel curiously. "What did you see?"
"They're pretty spread out," Estel reports. "We can probably fight some without alerting everyone, if we're cautious."
Gwen nods. "Let's do it, then."
"Perfect, we go then!" Azizia rushes in.
Ralaea warily eyes one of the nearby statues, as if it might start moving at any moment.
Estel Shields her team as they charge into the ruins.
Azizia covers her fist with rocks and she punches one of the statues, smashing it.
"Is it dead?" Ralaea asks. It looks pretty dead.
Gwen gives the mogu spiritbinders a Very Stern Look as the team puts them down. That'll teach them.
"Yeah, it's dead," Estel says. "Wasn't animated in the first place."
"I did not wait to see if it was." Azizia shrugs. "I just have lot of anger from useless work we did for too long. I needed to express."
"Oh, great idea, Azizia!" Gwen grins. "Fewer statues means fewer animations."
Shun nods.
"Time to tip the statues?" Ralaea asks, heading over to one, still cautious.
"… that is good idea, yes," Azizia nods. Now not only is it a… Healthy way for her to express her anger, it's useful too!
"Break any you find as we stop these spirit binders," Gwen says.
"These glowing jars aren't a problem are they? They're not going to pull our souls out?" Ralaea asks.
Gwenivene eyes the jars warily. "I don't know. But I'd advise caution."
Ralaea takes a step away from one.
Estel inspects a jar. "No," she says to Rae. "Your soul is staying in your body just fine."
"For now…" Ralaea mutters ominously.
Gwen exhales in relief, nodding to Estel.
"And if it does not, we will get back for you," Azizia nods.
Ralaea tries to see what's on the big table, but she's too short.
Gwenivene and Azizia's minds are racked with a howl. Beneath it, a whispy voice is barely audible, as if from far away. "Please…help…heart of the ruins…a ritual…conjuring…"
The voice continues: "…should not be here… My staff…on the altar… take it. Please…hurry."
Azizia puts a hand on her temple. "Did y- did you hear?"
"No?" Ralaea says.
Gwen gets a full-body shiver. "I did. Ghost stuff again."
"You heard a ghost?" Shun asks.
"Ghost, or living prisoner?" Azizia narrows her eyes. "Or trap?"
"Are you sure it's ghost stuff?" Ralaea asks. "Because Old Gods talk in minds too…"
Estel, who did not drink a sketchy ghost-seeing potion in a previous season, says, "Didn't hear a thing, but I felt some sort of… it wasn't Old God-y."
Gwenivene nods grimly. "I've gotten pretty good at telling when it's ghosts. There was this potion…anyway, it's a whole thing. But this ghost sounds like it might be a non-living prisoner."
"Okay, so… what do we do about it?" Ralaea asks.
"It said something about a ritual at the heart of the ruins," Gwen explains.
"Rituals are bad, usually," Ralaea says. "So, we crashing it?"
"And if we are to believe ghost, we should probably hurry," Azizia nods.
"I mean…a bad ritual." Gwen adds. "Also, he wants us to bring his staff from some altar."
Estele starts for the stairs.
"Okay, I'm lost," Ralaea announces at the top of the stairs. "Hope someone else knows where we're going."
"These stairs form kind of a path," Gwen says. "Maybe they lead to the heart of the ruins?"
"That guy looks like he's doing something important," Ralaea says, pointing to a hooded mogu.
Shun nods, then vanishes into the shadows.
"He is drawing spirits close to him," Azizia narrows her eyes. "Necromancy for certain."
Gwen whispers, "Okay…bad ritual, check. Any sign of a staff?"
Estel closes her eyes, jumping into the ritual caster's vision.
"Yeah, on that table over there, by the statue. Shun?" Estel points.
Gwen nods. "Think you can get it without being seen?"
"On it," Shun grunts.
"He's looking right at it," Estel warns. "Be ready."
Shun grabs the staff. He returns to the rest of the group with it.
Hovering over his own skeleton that lies on a table, the ghost of a pandaren writhes in panic, magically tethered to a giant statue.
As Shun returns, the large mogu seems to notice the staff is missing. Only then does he spot the squad. "What do you think you’re doing?!" he bellows, his concentration momentarily broken. "No matter," he sneers."I no longer need the staff."
"Can we kill him now?" Ralaea asks.
"Uh…oh gosh. Yes! Stop him!" Gwen nods urgently.
Estel quickly Shields the others. "Azizia, can you use that stick? Seems like a shaman thing."
Ralaea charges in to try to strike him, but there seems to be some sort of shield blocking her attacks. "It's not working!"
"Okay," Azizia holds her hand out for the staff. "I will do shaman calls with staff."
Gwen adds her arcane might to the assault, but the ritual seems to protect the mogu.
Shun passes the staff over.
"You've got this, Azizia!" Gwen cheers. "Stop those spirits!"
Azizia charges in and slams the spirits with the staff, absorbing them. There is probably a more appropriate technique to do it than to swing the staff around wildly.
"Enough of your interference!" roars the mogu sorcerer. "Spiritclaws! Deal with these pests!"
"More spirits!" shouts the mogu. "Quickly now! I must have more!"
One of the mogu reinforcements calls a black circle of void magic to form on the tiles underneath Estel, who stumbles out of it.
"I will have you, spirit-sage!" snarls the mogu.
"No," says the pandaren ghost above the altar calmly. "Your perversion of the dead ends here, Shan Jitong. Spirits of old, I release you from my staff! Seek your vengeance!"
Shan Jitong is swarmed by a howling fury of ghosts, and falls back. "Augh! Too… much!" He makes a gesture, and shadowy energy seems to explode outward from him; his ghostly attackers are dispelled.
The mogu is clearly injured, however, and he sags to one knee on the terrace stone, clutching his side. "I cannot… fall here. Not with so much… work to be done." With a rough incantation, he vanishes.
"All these poor souls," says the pandaren ghost above the altar. "Spirit-binding! How can the mogu have been allowed to resume such a disgusting practice?"
He glides down to stand on the terrace and turns his gaze to regard the members of White Squad curiously. "What century is this?"
"Someone stopped Mogu from doing this before?" Azizia raises an eyebrow.
"Uhh… twenty-nine?" Ralaea says.
"I don't think they use our calendar," Gwen comments.
Estel heals everyone and approaches the ghost. "Hey."
The pandaren spirit bows. "Greetings. I am Pei-Zhi, Master Spiritsage under the last pandaren emperor, Shaohao." He straightens. "At least… I was."
"What's a spirit-sage?" Ralaea asks.
"It was my duty to tend to the needs of the spirits," Pei-Zhi explains, "And communicate with them when necessary."
"Shaman, then?" Azizia tilts her head.
"Or something similar," Shun shrugs.
Pei-Zhi rubs his spectral chin. "Shaman. Hmm…yes, this word feels appropriate."
"Hi, I'm Estel." Introductions are happening. Estel gestures to the others. "This is Gwen, Shun, Azizia, Rae."
"I am honored to make your acquaintances." Pei-Zhi looks around bleakly. "So many spirits held captive here. I can feel them… everywhere. Even the walls are a cage for the long-dead." He turns to White Squad again.
Ralaea wanders to the table. "What's this book? Is this your skeleton?"
Estel nods in response to Rae's second question.
Gwen winces. "I don't think you can just ask somebody if that's their skeleton."
"Oh." Ralaea steps away from the table. "Sorry."
Pei-Zhi simply chuckles.
"My friends, we cannot simply break the sorcery over this place — doing so would release countless agonized souls to wander the earth. They will need a beacon, something to guide them.
"With your help, I can create a tan-chao: a bridge from this world to the heavens. I will require some items, though. The ritual calls for a bowl, a candle, and a jade cong. The mogu surely brought such things here to the ruins."
Shun slowly tilts his head.
"A jade…what?" Ralaea asks.
"Cong," Pei-Zhi repeats. "It will look like a rectangular piece of jade with carvings on each face."
"I'm not sure if the translation magic got that word…" Estel says apologetically. "Okay."
"I would not have called this a cong, but okay," Azizia shrugs.
"Will you help me?" Pei-Zhi pleads. "I cannot do this alone."
Gwen nods firmly. "Of course we will help. Right, gang?"
"Yeah, but you might have to be patient on the cong thing, until we're sure what it is," Ralaea says. "We'll just bring anything green and rectangle, and you tell us when we got it."
Estel nods. "Yep. We'll be right back with your stuff."
"While you search," Pei-Zhi warns them, "you may run into the mogu Spiritclaws. They are a sect of assassin-priests who, at the height of the mogu empire, were the most feared elite of their emperor’s troops.
"All have mastered the deathblow that ensnares the spirit of the enemy, trapping it in a jade bottle for delivery to a Spiritbinder. If you do encounter Spiritclaws, take note: Their belts hang with a cursed weight. Relieve them of that burden, and bring the bottles back to me."
"Deathblow…" Shun repeats.
"Assassin-priests," Estel says approvingly to herself. That's her jam right there.
Pei-Zhi offers his staff to Azizia. "The process of mass conjuring, as the mogu are doing here, is not without byproduct. Some spirits arrive too distraught or unruly to be harnessed, so they are confined and left to wander until their desperation renders them more malleable. I suspect the mogu have a holding area for such spirits nearby, likely guarded by Spiritclaws. Use my staff again to collect these wayward spirits. You needn’t fight them — present the staff and they should be drawn in."
"We're not going to get spirit jarred, I hope?" Ralaea asks.
Estel glances at Rae. "Keep me alive and I'll keep you alive, yeah?"
"Between Azizia and Estel, I have faith we won't get spirit jarred," Gwen says.
"Alive is good," Ralaea says, nodding.
"I have no experience with spirits and jars, but yes," Azizia nods. "If anything happens we will be here to help. Worst case scenario, you will not be spirit jarred for ever."
As White Squad turns to leave, Pei-Zhi calls after them. "My friends: Do not take the practice of spirit-binding lightly. If the mogu are creating spirit-bound simulacra, you may be certain they are preparing for war."
"Oh good, another war," Ralaea mutters.
"We'll let people know," Estel promises.
Estel collects a jade bottle from the belt of a Spiritclaw.
"It is important we act fast," Azizia nods. "If this is how they war, it must be stopped at all costs."
"Found the… cong. I think." Shun points at a big jade thing.
"Looks congish to me," Gwen says.
Ralaea squints at it. "Does it?"
"It's got stuff written on the sides," Estel says, and picks it up. Heavy.
Shun pauses by a giant scroll.
A scroll bound with a red silk cord and clasp of gold leans against the wall, half-concealed by overgrowth.
"A candle!" Ralaea says, running over to it. "A…big candle."
The candle is taller than Ralaea.
"Here, I'm carrying stuff," Estel says. She's putting things in her bag is what she's doing.
Ralaea muscles the candle into Estel's bag.
"Gwen, is that somethin' you can read?" Estel flaps a hand at the scroll.
Azizia holds up the staff and slams it into nearby spirits. Spiritbinding is dangerous and we must be careful with it.
"Oh…let's find out…" Gwen carefully unties the scroll to unroll it.
Gwenivene renews her translation spell and stares…eventually the words coalesce into something legible. "Hey…yeah, I think I can." She clears her throat to recite it.
[Gwenivene]: "For many ages, the mogu used flesh as a weapon: warped, bent, and twisted to their malevolent will. But after their failures in creating the saurok race, the mogu sought to create another weapon… this time forced with total obedience."
Azizia wards off spirits by hitting them with the staff. She turns her head slightly to listen to Gwen.
[Gwenivene]: "Their ancient research delivered to them methods of turning flesh to stone, and back again. Lifeless rock could be animated, providing a willing (or unwilling) soul could be captured within."
[Gwenivene]: "These dark rituals created the Stoneborn, soldiers of jade and dark magic forged from the living essence of conquered victims. These creations were powerful, terrible to behold, and above all else, one hundred percent loyal to their mogu masters."
Gwen turns back to the others with a shiver. "So creepy."
"Necro-rock-mancy," Ralaea says. "What's a saurok?"
"Is it not like… When orcs made death knights?" Azizia narrows her eyes. "Putting souls into other body - this time stone?"
Gwen nods grimly. "Probably all some kind of necromancy."
"First time I've heard that word, I think," Estel says to Rae.
"This must be the bowl!" Gwen declares excitedly. "Let's get back to Pei-Zhi."
Estel nods. "Let's go. I've got a lot of spirit bottles."
Shun nods.
The spirit-sage winces as the team approaches. "Ah, thank you, my friends. The spirits trapped within the bottles howl with fear, confusion… rage. I will see they are freed properly."
"The poor wayward spirits in my staff, I will carry with me when I return to the nether myself." Pei-Zhi surveys them. "And you have all the necessary implements?"
Ralaea steps well away from the spirit bottles.
Estel begins to set things down on the table: the spirit bottles, the giant candle, the cong, and the bowl.
Azizia places the staff on the table.
Pei-Zhi lines the collected spirit bottles up on the altar, murmuring over each one. At last he turns back to the group. "It seems the Spiritclaws have resorted to poaching in an effort to fuel their simulacra."
[Pei-Zhi]: "Some of these bottles contain the spirits of beasts. I cannot take these with me across the bridge, so I would ask that you take them into the forest west of here and smash them, to free the beasts’ spirits into nature."
"Some of them may be blind with rage, and need to be subdued," Pei-Zhi warns. "But while you are in the woods, you can accomplish a second task: We will need an offering of food for the ritual.
[Pei-Zhi]: "Mushrooms gathered from the forest should suffice."
"Oh. Okay." Estel puts the indicated bottles back into her bag for easy transit to smash later.
Ralaea wrinkles her nose at the mention of mushrooms.
Gwen nods firmly. "We'll see it done."
"Very well," Shun nods.
"Are we going?" Azizia asks. "We need to make spirits free."
Estel nods to Azizia.
In the forest, Estel cuts off some mushrooms that are growing on the sides of a tree and shows them to the others. "These are edible." She gets the spirit bottles out of her bag and begins smashing them one at a time.
Gwen throws a spirit bottle, smashing it, and a spiritual owl emerges, enraged and needing to be put down.
Some of the spirits emerge and depart peacefully.
The spirit birds that Azizia repeatedly free are all calm once they see her, and depart peacefully.
"Thank you for freeing the beasts," Pei-Zhi tells them. "Their bodies had long since returned to the land. Now their spirits can follow."
Estel starts laying mushrooms out on the table.
Pei-Zhi looks over the mushroom collection approvingly. "They may not seem like much of an offering, but the sentiment alone will be enough to draw the spirits to us." He glances up with a twinkle in his ghostly eye. "Also, they make a pretty fine stir-fry."
"Very well;" says Pei-Zhi. "Everything is in readiness to open the tan-chao and guide these spirits back to peace. I will ask your aid again, my friends, if I may?"
Shun grunts.
"The mogu will surely sense the ritual taking place, and do everything in their power to stop it." Pei-Zhi shakes his head. "I need only a few moments without interference, and once the path is open it will surge too greatly to be closed.
[Pei-Zhi]: "Are you willing to help me this last time?"
"We've come this far," Ralaea says.
"It would be rude to stop helping you now, right?" Azizia shrugs. "We will not stop."
Gwen nods. "We will help you."
Pei-Zhi begins chanting.
[Pei-Zhi]: "We are the lost. We know not who we are, or where we belong. We wander in darkness."
[Pei-Zhi]: "We see a flicker of flame. It seems far, but we know it to be close."
"Incoming!" Shun warns.
Cobalt Company defends the spirit sage from the mogu as he recites the ritual.
[Pei-Zhi]: "In the dancing glow, we see an empty bowl. We fill the bowl - it becomes our body. We rest."
Estel Shields Pei-Zhi's spirit as he chants.
[Pei-Zhi]: "We fear not the darkness of this world - we know it is but shadow, cast by the glorious world beyond."
[Pei-Zhi]: "We fear not the brilliance of the tan-chao - we know it is a path home. The bridge between earth and sky."
A brilliant beacon like a second sun bursts into soundless being over the altar.
"It is done!" Pei-Zhi steps back smiling. Overhead, a shadow approaches and then fades gently into the beacon, and then another. The spirits are returning to the beyond.
"Finally," says Pei-Zhi, "we will see an end to this torture. I will follow them soon, but first let me express my grati–"
A shadowy portal rips open in the air beside the altar and the mogu Spiritbinder Shan Jitong steps out. "I told you I’d have you, Pei-Zhi," he exults. "You’ve set us back thousands of spirits today, but I’ll gladly trade them all to see you bound." Whips of darkness lash from the portal and ensnare Pei-Zhi.
Estel dispels a single one of the dark whips, which is not enough to free Pei-Zhi. More of them form to counteract Estel's removal of them, and Pei-Zhi is dragged within the portal.
Shan Jitong turns to the group. "As for you interfering insects — I leave you this warning. Run away, and don’t look back. Even you cannot hope to face the product of my next spirit-binding."
The mogu vanishes, and his shadow-portal seals behind him.
"No!" Azizia shouts.
"Ah shit…" Shun utters.
Ralaea growls as the mogu disappears. "We're not leaving it like this," she says. It is not a question.
"Nooo!" Gwen looks horrified. "Okay…okay wait…I can hear Pei-Zhi, I think. Azizia, can you sense him?"
"Yeah, definitely not," Estel agrees with Rae. "Let's fucking go."
"Yes," Azizia nods. "We must follow voice. I said it would be rude to stop helping little earlier, and it won't change now."
Estel scatters a handful of glowing spectral feathers across the ground, speeding up her team.
Gwen gasps at the sight of the pandaren spirit hovering over a massive mogu statue.. "He's being bound to that stone giant! Destroy that thing!"
"That's… big," Ralaea says. "But I've seen bigger."
"We've fought worse, yes. They do not know what Cobalt Company has fought before," Azizia prepares lightning around her hands.
"I got your backs," Estel says.
Gwen gathers arcane energy around herself, then gives Rae a sharp nod. "Do it."
Shan Jitong appears as they battle the colossus. "You will not interfere again!"
Shun quickly pivots to stab the mogu.
"Piss off!" Estel shouts at him, throwing a shining [Power Word: Barrier] down over her team.
"Too late," Azizia slams her rock-covered head onto the colossus.
Ralaea, too, rushes the mogu. "What, you thought we'd run?"
As the colossus crumbles under White Squad's combined power, Shan Jitong bellows, "What?! Impossible!" He begins to cast a vile spell at them….
Gwen counters the spell, forcing the mogu to engage them with his bare fists.
Pei-Zhi says, "Time to fight your own battles, you monster! No more spirits to hide behind!"
Shan Jitong bellows, "Agh! My wards!"
Ralaea pauses for just an instant to look for children.
Estel narrows her eyes and lances Shan Jitong's mind with a shadowy spike of pain.
Shan Jitong clutches his head, howling in rage at Estel.
Shun makes his way up to Shan Jitong's back to start driving his knives into his neck.
The mogu sorcerer roars, trying to bat at Shun. "Away from me, insect!"
Azizia rushes forward, shoulder first and slams into the Mogu's side, trying to pin him to the wall at his side.
Shan Jitong, stumbling and choking on his own blood, is slammed into the wall, off-balance.
Gwenivene shouts, "Rae, finish him!"
Ralaea takes the front now that the mogu is vulnerable, slashing with her swords. "Got it!"
Rae's swords bury deep into Shan Jitong's thick flesh. He takes one last feeble swipe with his fist, then collapses to the stone floor. "You will not… defeat… the thunder," he gurgles with his dying breath.
Pei-Zhi regards the fallen mogu for a moment, his expression puzzled. He shakes his head and looks up. "Come, friends," he says. "You have done a great deed. Meet me back at the tan-chao; I would speak with you before I go."
Ralaea steps away, cleaning her swords. "What's the thunder? Is the weather here that bad?"
Gwen grimaces. "I think he meant something more metaphorical."
"King. I believe," Shun says.
"Cobalt Company killed Deathwing," Azizia shrugs. "I am not very worried about one king."
"Let's not keep Pei-Zhi waiting," Estel says. "He's holding open a bridge to the afterlife or somethin'."
The spirit of Pei-Zhi waits beneath the blazing tan-chao. He regards White Squad somberly. "This age must be one of great strife to breed heroes such as you. I can only imagine what must lie ahead for you. It has been my great honor to have met you all. I will remain here to usher out the last of the spirits before crossing the tan-chao myself." Pei-Zhi strokes his beard and then shakes his head. "I am troubled by Shan Jitong’s last words. ‘You will not defeat the thunder.’ What could he have meant?"
"Sometimes when you get killed, you say nonsense right before," Azizia says. "Last thoughts are very fast and not well thought."
"Glad we were able to help, yeah?" Estel smiles at Pei-Zhi.
"The spirits can finally rest, thanks to you," Pei-Zhi says. "Soon I, too, will return to the other side. "I leave you with this piece of advice: Pandaria is a land of history. If ever you are unsure about the future, you need only to seek answers from the past. Remember this, and you will thrive here."
"Hm. Noted…" Shun murmurs.
Gwen nods. "I certainly will. But for now…I could use a bath."
"Say hello to people we know there," Azizia waves. "Thank you for advice. It is what happened with you, yes? You are from distant past, and we won with help of yours."
"That's all well and good, but I can barely read common, and where are we going to find a history class?" Ralaea asks.
Far to the south, White Squad can hear suddenly a whirlwind roar and the earth itself shakes. A dark pillar of cloud rises near the center of the forest.
Azizia's eyes widen. She looks at Rae. Did she summon so weird, ominous history school?
Ralaea instinctively ducks as the ground shakes. "Wh-what was that?"
Gwen reaches instinctively for Azizia for stability.
Shun turns sharply. "What the –"
Azizia catches Gwen, holding her firmly.
Estel braces herself against the table.
The cloud is abruptly drawn downward and vanishes, as if sucked into the forest below, but an uneasy silence lingers in its wake.
"Well…so much for getting some rest." Gwen sighs. "We better reconnect with Blue Squad."
"So, should we be worried? Maybe… go check?" Ralaea asks.
Estel groans. "Okay. Yeah."
Shun nods.
Retrieving their mounts, White Squad heads back to Paw'don Village.