![](http://cobalt-company.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images/writing:2025-11-24-savar-s-strategy-part-3-cobalt-blade/style="margin:/medium.jpg) |
| Details |
| Author: | OzmaAsimov |
| Summary: | The Cobalt Blade must fight through a prison break in the Arcatraz to locate and destroy the final rune engine. Vesyllah finds a lead on the demon she has been hunting for years. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Arc: The Cobalt Blade
Thalstan waves at the gathering Cobalt Blade. "Ready for another wing o' the Keep?"
[Zaara]: Is another wing of Keep ready for us?
Arthur waves. "It is not ready for us."
Thalstan chuckles. "Probably not, but that's fer the best."
[Arthur]: Do we have a briefing or are we just doing good deeds?
[Thalstan]: Looks like we'll be headed into the prison wing. The Savari have caused quite a problem in there — lots of prisoners on the loose, dangerous sorts.
[Thalstan]: Might be our words swayed some o' them, turns out they had kind of a split, caused a lot of chaos 'fore they ran for it.
[Arthur]: a split? interesting. have they made any overtures to the Sha'tar?
[Vesyllah]: This is good. If they're fracturing, it will make it that much easier for us to get at Savar himself.
[Thalstan]: Eh, not so much… Sha'tar caught a few, but I reckon they were trying to avoid consequences.
Thalstan nods at Vesyllah. "It also means we're likely to come up against some blood elves and demons and such in there — the sort they imprisoned back with the last trouble at the Keep."
Vesyllah sighs. "There is that."
[Thalstan]: Well, I guess they're not going to sort themselves out. Ready to head in?
[Arthur]: I'm ready!
Vesyllah nods grimly.
[Thalstan]: Oh wow, aye. This place looks a right mess. *Thalstan seems strangely cheerful about this.* Bet we can sort it out.
Below, Savari warriors try to fend off some escaped horrors.
[Zaara]: Something feels… protean.
[Zaara]: Also horror.
[Thalstan]: Protean?
[Vesyllah]: Feels what now?
[Zaara]: Mutable.
[Zaara]: Changey.
[Vesyllah]: Ahh, changey. Got it.
[Thalstan]: That's probably not a good thing, is it?
[Zaara]: No. It is like nightmares.
[Thalstan]: These things are pretty nightmare, aren't they?
[Vesyllah]: I've seen worse.
[Zaara]: Uccchh.
Thalstan looks down at the blood elf bodies. "This must be the result o' the split. Them fighting amongst themselves."
[Vesyllah]: Good. THe more they kill each other, the better off we are.
Tadget cheers!
[Thalstan]: Looks like those demons we were warned of ahead.
Tadget grumbles.
[Thalstan]: Does it no' seem to you like prisons end up jus' being a collection o' danger for when they inevitably break open?
[Vesyllah]: Everyone is so bad at prison.
[Thalstan]: This time they had help but… ye'd also think folk would keep their high-powered prisons out o' the hands of wild world-enders.
[Thalstan]: Watch out for that one. Looks a bit void.
[Vesyllah]: The real problem are demons. What do you do with them? Killing them is temporary.
Tadget grumbles.
[Thalstan]: Sometimes temporary is good enough for the moment.
[Vesyllah]: Until some asshole like Savar the Bloodless decides the Legion is too unstoppable and tries to destroy whole worlds over it.
[Thalstan]: Sounds a bit Legiony of a solution to me.
Tadget grumbles.
[Thalstan]: Robots and bodies ahead. Watch out, in case they activate.
[Vesyllah]: Good call.
[Zaara]: The robots or the bodies?
Negaton Screamer absorbs the fire energy of the attack.
[Vesyllah]: Yes.
[Tadget]: It's fine, by the way, that no one's asked me what's wrong.
[Tadget]: It's not like we're friends or whatever.
[Thalstan]: What's wrong, Mayhem? I jus' figured you were havin' a… quiet day.
[Zaara]: Oh no! This is very bad of everyone. Why did no one ask her?
Tadget looks somewwhat mollified.
[Arthur]: Are you not all right, Tadget?
Void energy gathers at the base of the Negaton Warp-Master!
[Vesyllah]: Because you're always so open about your feelings….
[Tadget]: Well one of my actual friends is maybe not my friend anymore. I dunno. She's keeping something from me, I can tell.a
[Zaara]: Is it me?
Negaton Screamer absorbs the shadow energy of the attack.
[Arthur]: oh no! what happened?
[Tadget]: Um, no? Are we friends? I thought we were um, squadmates or whatever.
[Zaara]: … oh.
Negaton Screamer absorbs the shadow energy of the attack.
[Thalstan]: I think we're also friends, aye? By now?
[Tadget]: Oh? Oh. Okay.
[Tadget]: Well that's cool I guess. I wasn't aware.
[Tadget]: But um, this is like my BEST friend, kind of. And now she's keeping secrets from me. ME.
[Zaara]: I am friends, definitely.
Tadget cuddles up against Zaara.
[Zaara]: What is your best friend?!
[Vesyllah]: You expect friends to share everything with you? What if it's too personal?
[Tadget]: Jo! Jo Sparkwire! You know, the captain?
[Thalstan]: Yeah, depends on if folks are in for friends, but from my side, I thought of you all as friends. So which friend is it?
[Tadget]: Um duh, she knows ALL my secrets.
[Thalstan]: ((above))
[Zaara]: Perhaps it is personal like an infection.
[Tadget]: So it's totally not fair.
[Tadget]: Oh you think?
Zaara nods.
[Tadget]: Maybe she picked up something from that 7th Legion guy…
[Arthur]: What if you asked her?
Tadget seems cheered up.
[Zaara]: I would not tell you if I have an infection.
[Tadget]: Ask her? Like, jsut… ask?
[Arthur]: Yeah!
[Tadget]: … Huh.
[Thalstan]: Yeah! Ye could take a little trip from Outland, have a chat.
[Vesyllah]: Seems nosy.
[Tadget]: I guess I could try that. Maybe. Especially if Vengeance thinks it's a bad idea.
Thalstan chuckles, rustling his beard.
Arthur laughs.
[Zaara]: Tell her if it is an infection I will heal it for free!
[Tadget]: Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll just march right up to her and DEMAND ANSWERS. And offer shaman healing.
Zaara nods firmly.
[Vesyllah]: What could possibly go wrong.
Tadget nods at you.
[Zaara]: Yes!
[Tadget]: She won't be mad. She never gets mad.
[Thalstan]: Sounds like a good plan. *Thal nods firmly* Folk could do with some openness sometimes. When ye try to hint and imply back an' forth, messages can get muddled.
[Zaara]: Oh wait. Is Vengeance being snorkastic?
[Vesyllah]: Everyone gets mad. Some are just better at hiding it.
[Tadget]: I pick up on hints real easy.
Vesyllah snorts.
[Tadget]: For instance, I just picked up on that Vengeance is annoyed with me.
[Tadget]: But that's just, you know, a day ending in Y, so, that wasn't a hard one.
[Vesyllah]: Your powers of perception are astonishing.
[Thalstan]: I think that's jus' her constant state, with everybody?
Tadget giggles at Thalstan.
[Zaara]: It is not a hint, it is a Monday.
[Tadget]: Oh Booty.
[Tadget]: Yikes, those things are zappy.
[Vesyllah]: Untrue. Tadget II doesn't annoy me.
Zaara blinks in Arthur's general direction.
[Tadget]: STOP IT
[Arthur]: I don't. I really don't. You have to, like, shake my hand and then don't let it go for several minutes while we converse.
Tadget giggles at Arthur.
Zaara blinks in Arthur's general direction.
[Tadget]: You're so cute.
Thalstan chuckles at Arthur.
[Zaara]: … what does this mean as a hint?
[Arthur]: It's a good thing I'm cute!
[Tadget]: I bet you've heard that all your life, Art.
Dalliah the Doomsayer says: The doors are all unlocked. Let's get out of here. This time, follow my lead.
Wrath-Scryer Soccothrates says: What do you mean 'this time'?
Thalstan falls silent and leans up against the wall to hide as voice comes from ahead.
Dalliah the Doomsayer says: I mean don't be an idiot and get us captured again!
Tadget goes all stealthy.
Wrath-Scryer Soccothrates says: That wasn't my fault! We were still disoriented from manifesting in this plane!
Dalliah the Doomsayer says: Exactly my point, dullard. But that didn't stop you from provoking those Vindicators.
Thalstan glances at the team, and tilts his head towards the two demons, his flowing beard shifting on top of his armor./
Wrath-Scryer Soccothrates says: It wasn't provoking. It was getting the jump on them! Did you think they would just leave us alone?
Tadget mouths "THIS IS GOOD" and makes a motion like she's eating popcorn.
Dalliah the Doomsayer says: I think your incompetence landed us in this prison twice. This time, we do it my way. We need to rebuild our power.
Wrath-Scryer Soccothrates says: And how do you propose we do that?
Dalliah the Doomsayer says: With the help of the cleverest Shivarra I know. Priestess Kalizra.
Vesyllah inhales sharply, visibly tensing.
Thalstan narrows his eyes. That sounds like a Villain.
Wrath-Scryer Soccothrates says: Kalizra?! She'll slaughter us as soon as help us.
Tadget looks at Vesyllah.
Dalliah the Doomsayer says: Slaughter you, maybe. Wait…someone is here.
Arthur looks at Vengeange with some concern.
[Tadget]: Who gave it away?
Thalstan | Thalstan makes a complicated hand signal. He might have read it in an adventure book last weekend.
Zaara doesn't see it.
[Vesyllah]: Don't kill the Shivarra…not right away. Just incapacitate her.
Thalstan realizes that's probably not going to work, and steps out to face the demons. "Damn straight there is! And yer plan won't work this time either."
[Thalstan]: The fella next!
[Thalstan]: And the shivarra! Incapacitate, don't kill!
Tadget switches to blunt weapons.
Zaara switches to gentle lightning
Vesyllah clenches her teeth, reaching out with shadowy tendrils into the demon's mind.
Tadget gets in a really good crack to the back of the skull by climbing up the shivarra's back.
[Tadget]: That might have caused some brain damage, just f.y.i.
[Tadget]: Wait, do demons have brains?
Thalstan does his best to beat on the shivarra with the flat of his blade.
[Thalstan]: They must have somethin' to do their thinking with.
When Dalliah falls, Vesyllah leaps onto her and grips her head. Shadows lash violently around her as her eyes blacken.
[Tadget]: Uhhhhh…
[Tadget]: What's happening here?
[Thalstan]: Vengeance!
[Zaara]: Ohhhh it feels bad…
[Tadget]: I set myself up for that one.
Vesyllah 's voice echoes ominously as she shouts, "PRIESTESS KALIZRA! Show me where she is!"
[Arthur]: Let her.
Tadget baaaacks away.
Thalstan shouts 'Vengeance' with a tone much more of concern than is probably usual for such a war cry.
Tadget hides behind Zaara's legs.
Dalliah the Doomsayer laughs weakly, even as her body writhes in the agony of Vesyllah's psychic assault.
Zaara looks like she would be hiding behind Tadget but for the obvious.
Thalstan moves over towards the shivarra, looking to the black-eyed vengeance priest for any sign he should do something.
Tadget pats Zaara's shin.
[Arthur]: Vengeance, I'm backing you here, but be careful.
Dalliah the Doomsayer says: I will…not…betray-….
[Arthur]: I think you better betray, lady.
[Tadget]: Whomst among us has not turned briefly into a psycho serial killer type? It's fine.
[Zaara]: I! I have not.
[Zaara]: Wait. Maybe twice.
Vesyllah screams in unleashed rage. Her fingers seem to sink into the demon's skull through pools of shadow.
Tadget gently pats Zaara.
[Arthur]: Me neither. But you never know.
Thalstan looks curiously at Zaara.
[Tadget]: Just me and Booty and Vengeance then.
[Tadget]: It's a girl thing I guess.
Dalliah the Doomsayer 's screams join Vesyllah's, her body spasming…before falling limp and lifeless.
[Thalstan]: Maybe so.
[Tadget]: Remind me not to make her mad though. I mean, annoyed, yes, but not mad.
Tadget stares at Vesyllah.
Thalstan watches the shivarra fall limp, and turns eyes full of concern to Vesyllah. "Are ye alright? Did it lash back at all?"
[Arthur]: Ves?
Tadget whispers to Zaara, "Her eyes went all black. It was creepy."
Vesyllah slowly withdraws her hands, the glow returning to her eyes. She stumbles back, a hand going to her head.
[Arthur]: Ves!
Arthur blinks forward to catch her if she faints.
[Tadget]: Careful, Valor… oh wait. I guess we wouldn't call you Valor if you were the careful type.
Vesyllah leans on Arthur as she reorients herself. "I'm…fine. Uh…thanks."
[Thalstan]: That looked a bit rough. Did she show you where this Kalizra was?
Arthur is happy to be leaned upon. "No problem. Thought there was something going on there."
[Tadget]: Yeah… get any good intel rummaging around in there?
Vesyllah glances toward the others, not quite making eye contact. She nods slowly. "I got enough."
[Tadget]: Are you going to say anything else about all that?
[Thalstan]: Why does this Kalizra matter so much? Real dangerous sort?
[Tadget]: I'm forming a theory.
[Arthur]: I'm curious too.
Vesyllah sighs. "She led the demons that slaughtered my sisters."
[Tadget]: My theory was correct. Except I thought maybe she did it singlehandedly. If she needed a team, we can get her alone and take her.
Vesyllah arches an eyebrow at Tadget.
[Arthur]: Well! Then we're going to get her ass. And then we're going to see your sister's grave and tell them.
Tadget begins sharpening her blades as though she assumes they're headed there next.
[Thalstan]: It will be vengeance, then *Thal says grimly.* No question. Where do we need to go?
Tadget peers up at Vesyllah curiously.
Zaara cracks her knuckles. The reasoning is unclear, since she does not really use her knuckles for anything combat-related.
[Vesyllah]: This is the only vengeance that matters. This is why Elune spared me. Look…she's somewhere on Azeroth. I can't get to her now..and we have a job to finish here.
[Tadget]: Weirdly rational of you.
Tadget nods approvingly.
[Vesyllah]: Yeah…well…you're my friends…or whatever.
Tadget is surprised into a smile.
[Thalstan]: We'll finish what we're on for here, then. But we'll be by your side, for that vengeance, when the time comes.
[Zaara]: I am friend!
[Tadget]: I'm hugging you with my mind. Don't poke around in there to check, though.
[Arthur]: Yep. Wouldn't miss it.
Vesyllah gives Tadget a sinister smirk, "Don't tempt me."
Tadget giggles at you.
[Tadget]: Okay, so anyone left here we gotta stab? We'll do vengeance later, it's settled.
[Vesyllah]: We need to find the rune engine.
[Vesyllah]: Hopefully the last one.
[Thalstan]: Aye, I've seen no sign of it yet. There must be more to the prison.
[Arthur]: oh, good idea.
[Tadget]: Okay, so more stabbing then. Good.
[Tadget]: I'm in a stabbing mood today.
[Vesyllah]: Me too.
[Tadget]: I did not say to the exclusion of other days, if you were going to ask.
[Tadget]: I HATE THESE BRIDGES.
[Tadget]: WHAT IS WRONG WITH DRAEN— uh never mind
Thalstan walks forward resolutely. He does not look down. It's unwise.
[Arthur]: oh cool! you can see all the way down!
[Tadget]: Zaara can't.
[Zaara]: True!
[Tadget]: Lucky Zaara.
[Thalstan]: I'm good with jus' seein' this level, thanks.
[Thalstan]: Ah… looks like some ethereal prisoners got out too.
[Tadget]: Toilet paper guys!
[Arthur]: bah!
[Thalstan]: Always feel like they must be unsatisfying to stab. But anyway.
[Thalstan]: Looks like some kind o'… infernals ahead?
[Tadget]: The worst thing about demons is the smell.
[Tadget]: I could handle them taking over the world if they didn't stink so bad.
At the far end of the chamber, a Savari technician is working on an abomination of demonic flesh and machine that could make a mo'arg blanch.
Embedded in its torso is a recognizable device: the rune engine. Whatever demonic essence has infested the device has warped it into a horrifying bio-mechanical monster, with cables and metal weaving through its many arms and legs.
[Thalstan]: What on earth is that? *Thalstan rustles his mustache disapprovingly*
[Thalstan]: ((what on Outland
[Arthur]: Oh. Oh no I don't like that.
[Vesyllah]: Okay…that's a little closer to my nightmares.
[Thalstan]: I recognize one thing… the rest of it, we're gonna have to kill. And maybe burn.
[Zaara]: What? I can't see it.
[Arthur]: it's ugly.
[Zaara]: Oh no!
[Thalstan]: It's uh.. Zaara, it's like metal and demon all swirled up together.
[Vesyllah]: Imagine if a fel reaver was full of demon flesh…and turned inside out.
[Zaara]: Ooooooooh.
[Zaara]: But in a bad way ooooooh.
[Thalstan]: But also I see a rune engine in it.
[Arthur]: that's a good way to describe it.
[Thalstan]: So we can't sidestep the fella, he's what we're here for.
[Tadget]: It reminds me of one of my old captain's summoning experiments on Northrend when the ley lines were all screwy.
[Vesyllah]: I think it is the rune engine.
[Thalstan]: Ouch.
Vesyllah lifts her brow at Tadget.
[Thalstan]: Huh, you mean it's like… worked into the… flesh-ish stuff?
[Vesyllah]: Maybe we can ask that guy.
[Tadget]: It looks like they've expanded on the mo'arg idea.
[Tadget]: They should not have expanded.
[Thalstan]: Hey you, elf! Are you a rebel or…?
Thalstan | He does not seem to be on our side.
[Vesyllah]: I guess not…
[Thalstan]: Ach. They're tossin' stuff at us.
The technician unleashes monsters from the other cells to buy time to activate the mechanical monstrosity.
[Tadget]: Me?
Thalstan chuckles at Tadget.
Tadget makes a rude gesture at Warden Mellichar.
The bio-mechanical…thing…clanks and whirs and squishes to life.
Thalstan charges into the abomination with no sign of fear. He should potentially have some fear, since he's smacking a giant rune engine with a sword, but here we are.
Tadget commences separating flesh bits from robot bits with her daggers, with the air of someone sorting school supplies.
[Tadget]: Oh great, finally found something that smells worse than a regular demon.
Vesyllah unleashes a psychic onslaught, fueled by her lingering anger and need for vengeance. "Shit! This thing barely has a mind to attack!"
[Arthur]: Well, it had to happen sometime.
[Arthur]: Let's try some ice!
[Tadget]: That would cut the smell, thank you.
Arthur hammers the creature with frostbolts.
Thalstan stomps, sending a shockwave of damage through the demon creature.
Zaara does an amazing job.
Battered, slashed, and frozen, the monstrosity lets out a screeching groan and collapses into a heap of burbling flesh and twisted metal. The rune engine, however, still pulses with life, absorbing energy from the redirected ley lines.
[Tadget]: Ewwww, burbling flesh!
[Tadget]: Uh… Art, can you…destroy that engine thing, you think?
Thalstan stops smashing with his sword and backs away. "Make sure it does no' explode, preferably."
[Arthur]: Oh, probably. let me look.
Arthur pulls out a Gnomish Army knife and looks teh rune engine over. "Okay. suppress that, and then disconnect—"
Arthur has the thing half-disassembled after a few motions. "Do you want to keep any of this stuff?"
[Vesyllah]: That's more your thing, Art.
[Tadget]: Are you out of your cog-blasted mind?
[Tadget]: We should probably throw every part of it through a different portal into a different part of the universe.
[Thalstan]: Aye dissassemble it as much as it can be dissassembled.
[Arthur]: oh, sure.
[Tadget]: I was mostly kidding about the universe portal thing, that didn't go so well when the orcs tried it.
As Arthur pulls the last vital piece, the engine shudders, indicator lights shining brightly…and then they go dim and the engine quiets. For a moment it feels as if the air pressure lightens, as the intense flow of ley energy finally comes to a stop.
[Tadget]: That felt right.
Arthur nods. "There you go."
[Tadget]: Doom Prevention Specialists once again save the day.
[Vesyllah]: So…we stopped Savar's plan?
Tadget cheers at you.
[Thalstan]: Aye, I think we stopped the doom.
[Thalstan]: Now we still need to stop the fella, before he comes up with some other ill-advised plan.
[Tadget]: Oh yeah. The fella.
[Zaara]: COBOLT BLADE.
Tadget cheers at Zaara!
[Thalstan]: Cobolt Blade!
Thalstan cheers at Zaara!
Arthur cheers!
Vesyllah nods solemnly.
[Vesyllah]: Let's get out of this dump.
[Thalstan]: I think we've done enough for today. I'll head back to report to the Sha'tar, and we'll see what info we have on his whereabouts.
[Tadget]: Roger that.
After a job well done, the Blade departs the Arcatraz. But their celebratory mood doesn't last long.
The sky outside the Arcatraz is full of activity. Demon-hunters and other Savari on their own flying mounts, converging on the central structure of Tempest Keep. At their head, the slender figure of Savar the Bloodless leading the way.
Before the Blade can reach it, the entire structure is encased in an arcane shield. They are locked out…but the Savari are locked in.