(2026-03-15) Into the Mogu'shan Vaults

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	A Cobalt team of Atley, Anareline, Caspis, Colson, Almeiria, Estel, Gwenivene, Peixin, Shine, and Shun join Lorewalker Cho in venturing into the Mogu'shan Vaults to prevent the Mogu and the Zandalari from ever claiming the knowledge and power within. That power may come from a surprising source… ~16k words.
Rating:	T for Teen

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temporary character death, raid-usual violence

The terrace at the entrance to the vaults is still structurally-sound, but cracks and crumbling of the decorative tiles speak to the sheer age of it all. Snowdrifts dust the two ranks of stone mogu statues – who show no sign of springing to life – that flank the carved arch of the entrance.

Shine materializes from the shadows beside the massive vault doors to await the group. He is not a mogu statue, do not be startled.

Anareline stands looking impassively at the entrance, a massive stormcrow perched on her pauldron.

Glancing warily at the cracks, it's clear that Almeiria is not convinced of the structural integrity.

Atley swoops down upon Thoras, fully armed and armored. He looks over the terrace with a glare in the winter sunlight, gaze settling on Shine. He swings a leg over the saddle and marches over.

Shun stares at the entrance with a steely gaze, arms crossed over his chest.

The stormcrow on Ana's shoulder is so enormous that anyone without Ana's dense warrior build might tip over trying to carry him.

Gwenivene eyes the stone mogu statues suspiciously.

Estel watches the statues as well.

Anareline raises one gauntlet as if to touch the bird, but she keeps her metal fingers safely a few inches away.

Peixin arrives on the terrace, smiling. She joins the group nonchalantly. "Hi, guys!"

Colson arrives earlier than his usual perfectly on time, riding a white gryphon zooming through the air at warp speed like she took it as a challenge. "Everyone, good afternoon," the paladin greets, as he brushes back his wind-tousled hair.

"Oh! It's Peixin, yeah? Hey!" Estel waves.

Shine nods once. At everyone in general, probably.

Anareline looks curiously at the pandaren.

"Aye, you lot. This is Peixin Goldensprout. Our newest member. A native." Atley produces a tabard and tosses it to Peixin.

"It is, yeah!" Peixin beams. "Good to see you, Estel!"

Shun grunts.

Bun is ready! For! Action! He peeps around Shine's boot at the others.

Colson inclines his head politely to Peixin. "It is an honor to meet you. I am Colson of House Aspenwood."

The stormcrow's head swivels toward Peixin, then cocks to one side.

Peixin catches the tabard. She puts it on. She has one in her inventory. I forgot to buy one but she didn't.

Gwen beams excitedly at the pandaren's arrival. "Oh, hello! Peixin, is it?" Her pronunciation is pretty good. "I'm Gwenivene. Or just Gwen."

"We met," says Shine, and nods once again at Peixin. A nod of her own.

Atley nods at Anareline, before he looks to Shine and then glances back at the entrance to the vaults. "This is it, then, is it?"

Peixin nods back to Shine, then turns to Gwen. "The portal girl, right? Nice to meet you!"

Gwen blushes and looks surprised. "You know about that? Hehe, yes, that's right. I'm…the portal girl."

Peixin gives a thumbs up to Gwen. "Of course! I did my research. About all of you, basically. Everything I could find!"

Shun eyes Peixin a little warily at that.

Almeiria notes the presence of the pandaren, but that is all.

"You may call me Ana today," Anareline says."It's good we have one of their people with us. Well, in addition to the Lorewalker, who waits for us inside."

"Aye," Shine says to Atley. "No sign of anyone but the Lorewalker." He nods to Ana.

"I remember you, yeah!" Peixin says to Ana. "Arric isn't here with us today?"

Ana turns to Peixin and shakes her head. "No, Arric is elsewhere for today. I expect he will be pleased to hear tales of this afterward."

The stormcrow launches itself from Ana's shoulder, hovering in the air for a moment with powerful beats of its violet-black wings, and then its shape shifts into that of a tall hooded kaldorei man, his boots landing lightly on the tile.

Anareline seems completely unsurprised, and just turns slightly to smile at the kaldorei.

Atley grunts. "I trust the Lorewalker has a briefing ready for us inside?" Atley eyes Caspis for a long moment before he inclines his head in gruff, if familiar, greeting.

Caspis bows solemnly to Atley.

"Expect so," says Shine, and glances at Ana again.

"He may be a little preoccupied with exploring this place," Anareline says. "But some of our own have investigated what we might expect. The Zandalari have been searching for a way into these vaults — this entrance is highly guarded."

"How are you then?" Atley asks of Caspis, thumbs cinching in his belt.

"I am well," Caspis says to Atley. "Shaha'lorma."

"You as well," Atley says. "This is an ancient vault, full of any number of mogu weapons and artifacts. We're here to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands." Atley looks between them all. "Any questions?"

Shun shakes his head.

Colson shakes his head.

Bun! Has! No questions!

Peixin nods. She's all good. She leans forward to take a peek at bird guy's face under his bird mask.

Atley grunts. "Expect a fight." He turns and points at Peixin with a gruff scoff of amusement. "You'll earn your Cobalt spurs 'fore the day's done."

"Anareline and I'll take point. Healers stay sharp. Everyone else — be ready," Atley growls.

Peixin giggles. "I'll prove myself, all right!"

Shine fades into stealth and slips through the door.

Shun similarly vanishes.

Just inside and down a short staircase waits Lorewalker Cho. For once, he offers no one tea, and instead quickly begins to stride down to a wide chamber with a red carpet running through the center.

Atley glances around with a glare.

“These are the ancient vaults of the mogu, untouched by time for thousands of years,” Lorewalker Cho enthuses. “Who knows what secrets await?”

Peixin looks at the other two rogues disappearing. She does the same.

Lorewalker Cho pauses and turns to the team with a faint sign of worry. “Many young pandaren warriors have vanished into this… tomb. Have your wits about you.”

Caspis stays close to Anareline, though there is a sense of his protective instincts encompassing the entire group.

Atley nods once at Lorewalker Cho.

Colson has his wits about him.

"If others have been here, it is hardly untouched," Almeiria says.

The Stone Guard

Inside the chamber, another staircase stretches. This one is flanked by a large group of stone quilen.

"We'll press forward, Lorewalker. Have a care," Atley says.

"I expect these stone creatures will attack," Anareline warns. "Take care."

Colson also has a care.

Shine eyes the quilen warily. He has seen their schtick before.

Atley grunts.

Bun is ready! To! Bite!

"Okay, guess we're fighting statues," Estel says.

Predictably, the statues do indeed attack the team when approached.

Anareline swings into action, attacking the stone dogs.

"I'll lure one of the wandering bastards up here, then we take the groups one at a time," Atley says.

Caspis nods.

“The mogu held considerable power over the stones of the earth,” Lorewalker Cho explains, once the quilen are destroyed. “Their magic lingers on, even millennia later.”

"So these are not recently animated statues," Anareline nods, surveying the wider room warily.

Bun clambers over the stone corpse of a defeated quilen. Got it!

The chamber beyond is ornate, golden walls and pillars covered with carvings reminiscent of clouds, while the ceiling is inset with stones of blue sky. It is lit by magical braziers and a central candelabra, and deep red banners hang down, marked by some unknown mogu symbol in gold.

"Place looks as fresh as the day t'was built," Atley observes.

Estel evaluates the stair rail for sliding purposes and decides against it.

Perhaps of more immediate relevance, however, are the clusters of smaller quilen on either side of the carpet, ready to spring into action.

Gwen sighs in awe. "This place is remarkably beautiful. Such a shame all this awful magic is here."

Atley grunts.

Caspis touches Gwen's shoulder briefly.

Gwen glances up at Caspis, blinking curiously at him.

Caspis simply gazes down at Gwen warmly, without a smile but with affection evident nonetheless.

Peixin stabs her dagger into the eye of one of the Quilen, then pulls and takes out the crystal placed in that orbit. "Nice!"

Colson glances once at Shine after Peixin's technique.

Anareline checks her blade for damage from the stone, and nods in satisfaction.

After defeating the quilen, the team turns to the end of the chamber, where three even larger quilen guard a closed door flanked by braziers. A pile of rubble shows where there may have at one point been a fourth.

Atley points Thunderfury at the rubble. "Looks like a past attempt at these buggers."

Bun attempts to nibble on a druidic healing mushroom. He sneezes and jumps back, startled. Shine is watching Peixin and does not notice.

Caspis explains the mushroom quietly to Bun, in Darnassian.

Bun gazes gravely up at Caspis, his eyes limpid. S-snack?

Caspis shakes his head at Bun. No Snack.

Gwen conjures up a handful of biscuits and tosses one to Bun.

Bun profits!

Shine fades back into stealth, his gaze on the massive quilen, and waits for direction from the warriors.

Colson waits patiently, his face serene.

“The large Quilen seem to be guarding that door,” Lorewalker Cho points out helpfully. “Tread carefully, lest you wake them.”

"Oh, I think we'll need to wake them," Anareline says, looking at Atley.

Atley eyes Anareline and nods. "We mean to."

"Hm. They are of different stone each," Colson remarks.

Shun lightly rolls his shoulders.

Now, it is time to wake the statues.

Anareline charges in to attack an enormous quilen made of jasper.

Atley barrels in towards the two on the left, Cleaving at them with Thunderfury.

Shine appears lightfooted a moment later behind the quilen pair.

Anareline keeps his stone paw at bay with her shield, slicing in with her sword.

Shun begins shadowstepping between the three guardians, driving his daggers into stone where an opportunity presents itself.

Estel keeps her distance, alternating Shadow spells between the three statues. "Their, uh, energy keepin' them going is linked together!"

Atley eyes Anareline's quarry in the periphery. "Its skin! It's stone!" he barks.

Here and there in the room, blue crystals begin springing up. They do not look friendly.

Anareline nods. "Yours… yours are less armored?" Anareline steps a little closer to Dane, and the jasper guardian's stone skin softens.

"Watch out!" Shine calls, and shadowsteps away from a crystal.

"Do not stand in the blue crystals," Colson calls out in a healer warning.

Caspis's attention seems to be on the entire group, and yet without even looking directly at her, he keeps an intense series of regenerative spells active on Anareline at all times.

Almeiria joins the assault on the pair, trying to avoid the blue crystals where she can. She is not entirely successful, and one explodes on her, rooting her in place.

"Doesn't matter which one you hit, they'll all get hurt!" Estel calls to the team.

Atley shakes his head, unseen by anyone from behind the pair of giant quillen. "They're powering up something!"

Gwenivene summons up her mirror images. An army of Gwen batters the quilen with arcane blasts!

Colson cleanses Almeiria with a rapid gesture, seemingly focused on them all.

Shun soon finds himself magically linked to Estel. He gives her a brief look.

Estel catches on fire. She quickly hurries closer to Shun, and the fire dims. "Balls," she mutters. Staying near Shun means staying near the enemies.

"I will cover you," Shun utters to Estel as he moves.

Bun snaps at a crystal and gets rooted in place. He makes a shrill noise of panic. I mean, tanuki defiance.

Colson cleanses Bun as soon as he's able, sending out a hammer filled with Light at the group clustering around Dane.

Peixin reappears on top of the Cobalt quilen. She stabs her ice pick-like axe right between the creature's shoulder. She leaps off of it, and as it raises its paw to attack someone, she cuts off one of its nails before reaching the floor.

The jade guardian begins to pulse with energy, and then a shockwave blasts out, hitting the team.

Peixin disappears once more, away from a blue light.

Anareline flinches, blocking with her shield, and calls, "Keep on them! They are being harmed."

Shine fades away from the blast, wreathed in shadows, and his knives flash between the paired quilen.

Atley raises his shield to absorb the blow, and takes a step back with a grunt as even his mighty frame is rocked.

A jade guardian's shockwave blasts Estel into a blue crystal, and it detonates, sending shards of crystalline shrapnel into her chest and neck. She hits the stone floor, seriously impaled.

"!@#$. Estel down!" Shun calls. He looks between her fallen form and the ongoing threat, then hurries to keep up the offensive.

Colson inhales sharply, sending out a [Hand of Protection] to Estel. It fades into nothing. It can't protect a dead body.

Caspis is too slow to save Estel, but he seems to have a firm faith in her, letting her rest for now.

Anareline shouts at the jade guardian, and it bounds over to join her jasper one. They are both now very hurtable.

"Focus! Follow the pair!" Atley booms. "Concentrate the pair!"

Caspis remains calm despite the chaos. His reaction time may not be as quick as some of the younger folks, but he makes up for it with an almost contagious aura of tranquility. Waves of healing energy surround him, as well as a faint evergreen scent.

Shine follows the pair.

Almeiria follows instructions, focusing on the pair. Suddenly a magical tether binds her to Peixin, but in a moment of distraction, she stops to stare at Estel. The chain begins to burn her, however, and she is forced closer to Peixin.

Peixin reappears for a second, standing close to Estel. "Oh %µ!@," she says, before refocusing again on the quilen… Finally noticing the the chain, keeping her near Almeiria. She blinks at her, then disappears again.

Anareline grits her teeth, and her gaze shifts to Caspis and Colson. There is nothing she can do but keep fighting stone quilen.

Atley narrows his eyes and shield bashes his one guardian, winding up Thunderfury to fling a thunderbolt at the Cobalt Guardian [Heroic Throw]. "Stay on them! We must kill them to save our fallen!"

Almeiria can feel Peixin's presence nearby, although she disappears and reappears often.

"We drop the rock statues, and then see to our own," Anareline calls out, echoing Atley.

In a strange twist of fate, Shun and Colson are bound together with a chain of their own.

Shun notes the chain and grunts, moving to navigate the battlefield as best he can with Colson.

"Stay together if you are chained. It is lessened while close!" Colson calls out, as he stays close to Shun, dodging the blue shrapnel gracefully.

Gwen doesn't even see the attack coming in all the chaos. There is just sudden pain, and she is crumpled on the floor, whimpering and unable to focus.

Caspis reacts immediately to Gwen's pain, sending a flood of restorative energy her way.
"STAY ON THEM!" Atley booms as another falls.

Peixin's eyes widen as people start dropping. Maybe she's bitten more than she can chew.

Gwenivene gasps as if she could suddenly breathe after being underwater. She looks up at Caspis with a weary, but grateful smile before standing up and conjuring a Rune of Power around her.

Shine's entire grim focus is on dropping the rock statues; he fails to notice the blue crystal that appears beside him. It shatters and he only just manages to summon his wreath of shadows; he is staggered to the ground, clutching his side. Blood leaks between his fingers.

Colson stays on them. He seems serene in the chaos, but it's clear that it's taking a toll on the paladin, as his mana starts to feel the burden. Sweat gathers on his brow, and he prays to the Light for more.

"Have faith," Caspis says calmly to no one in particular. "Nature and the Light are with us. We are strong." His low, soft voice can barely be heard over the clash of battle with the quilen.

Colson has faith.

Peixin looks from Caspis to the Dead People, for a second.

While Colson draws upon Light, Shun's daggers become wreathed in Shadow.

Caspis clearly has faith even in the dead people.

Almeiria begins to sing, and a dark tingling sensation arises in those who hear her. Mana slowly trickles back.

Shine grits his teeth and attempts to get to his feet, still gripping his side. It does not happen, and he slumps to the floor again.

Colson sends out a burst of Holy Lightning to Shine. It hits, but doesn't revive the unconscious.

Atley gets blasted back by one of the final shockwaves, landing and bouncing on the ground with a clanking of metal against stone.

Caspis growls when Atley hits the floor, but does not pause his waves of healing.

The three quilen converge on Ana, and for a moment things look dire.

Peixin throws a smoke bomb, just a little too late. Oops. That was a waste.

The three quilen take quite a battering, but then crumple to the ground as no more than rubble.

Atley lets out a grunting breath as the quilen fall, and pushes himself up. "Status report!"

Almeiria immediately looks to the healers.

Anareline instantly drops her shield and looks around, noting those not upright. "Our people — Estel, Shine…"

Estel does not report her status, which is a VERY bad sign.

Shun grunts as his status report as he hurries to Estel's side.

Shine raises a hand to wave it at Ana. The hand is very bloody, so that may not be as reassuring as he hopes.

"Get them up —" Atley barks crisply, and professionally, pointing Thunderfury.

Colson gets them up. Well, he starts a resurrection.

Caspis is too busy trying to revive people to give a status report.

It's hard to say whose resurrection reaches Estel first - Colson's or Caspis's. Her soul does the metaphysical equivalent of grabbing on to both of them and hopping right back in her body.

“That was close!” Lorewalker Cho says, running ahead and to the door with reckless abandon. “The door mechanism seems to have been activated with the demise of the guardians. I fear what we may find within.”

Shun deadpans at Lorewalker Cho.

Anareline cuts a look at Lorewalker Cho. "More than close." She turns to the healers.

"You fear?" Almeiria snaps at Cho. Then takes a breath. She's fine.

Caspis looks around once everyone has returned to their feet and nods. "Strong," he repeats, glancing at Peixin as though he sensed her doubt.

Peixin turns to Caspis. She pauses for a moment. "Thanks! You too. Good healing."

Caspis bows solemnly to Peixin. In the kaldorei style, which is not that far from the pandaren style.

"Just one second, Lorewalker," Peixin raises a hand. "Our healers are busy."

Colson finishes the last of the healing as he can, and then sags, breathing hard. He takes out a crisp bottle of water, and begins drinking so rapidly that water runs down the sides of his mouth and his neck.

Lorewalker Cho skids to a stop in the hallway beyond. He's waiting, honest.

"Oi. You there?" Shun asks Estel.

Atley briefly eyes the Lorewalker before he returns his gaze to the others.

"OW." Estel starts yanking crystalline spikes out of her body.

Shun relaxes.

Shine climbs to his feet a little stiffly, and takes a deep breath before stretching experimentally and bouncing on his toes. He nods to himself. All better. He checks to make sure his knives are okay.

BUN is FINE thanks for ASKING.

"That was the first guard," Ana says in worry, checking her armor. "Are we well to proceed? The Lorewalker seems to think so."

Caspis fusses briefly over Gwen, checking her for scrapes and bruises as though she were Tirenda.

"We are," Atley says, looking between them. "Well fought, you lot. Those were no simple foes…"

"Let me help!" Peixin kneels beside Estel. She spreads some short-lived numbing poison around the crystals in her skin.

Colson finishes one bottle, and starts on another, pausing only to say, "I am fine," to Ana.

"We win?" Estel sits up, looking around. "Uh. I… maybe?"

"We win," Caspis affirms solemnly.

"Yeah. We are not done here, though," Shun says.

"We've won," Atley says.

"Aye, I can go," Shine tells Ana.

"There's more ahead. Let's keep moving," Atley says.

"Thanks, Peixin." Estel gets up to her feet with enough energy that it seems to surprise her.

Feng the Accursed

Inside are stairs down a hallway decorated in a consistent style with the previous chamber. At the first landing are two mogu statues, their hands outstretched to hold a flickering ball of light between them.

"More statues," Anareline says. "We should expect animation, it seems, always."

"More guardians…?" Atley theorizes, studying the gigantic statues.

"So it would seem," Colson agrees.

"Magic?" Almeiria asks.

"Must be," Atley says, dragging his bracer along his mouth.

Shine fades from view.

"I'm not sure what that ball of light might be…" Anareline steps a little closer.

"As the resident Pandarian expert… I have no idea either," Peixin says.

As the mogu come to life and are summarily defeated, the flickering ball of light darts away.

Atley shakes his head. "We know this place is ancient, even to your people. And mysterious."

"Well, now we know," Peixin nods.

“We seem to have awakened a spirit of some kind,” Lorewalker Cho warns.

[Shun]: "Hm."

"That… bloody spirit, that wisp. It's animating them," Atley snarls.

The light darts back and forth in front of a group of five stone mogu. As the team moves forward, they come to life.

Caspis frowns at the wisp.

Estel lingers near the back of the group, still getting her bearings.

“So the stories were true,” Lorewalker Cho says, looking on with curiosity. “It is said that Feng Shri was long ago the Vaults’ caretaker, tasked with preserving the treasures of these shadowy halls. After years of faithful service, he was caught stealing from the shelves – although some say he was framed by a jealous underling. The mogu ruler punished him with a fatal curse.”

Atley grunts.

Caspis's ears lift curiously.

“The doomed spirit of Feng Shri has wandered the vaults ever since, communing with the shades of past mogu heroes and warlords,” Lorewalker Cho concludes.

Colson frowns faintly.

“That, however, makes him dangerous,” Lorewalker Cho says. “He cannot be free to escape this prison! You must destroy him!”

The transparent Feng the Accursed stands in the center of a platform with red wooden safety rails, beyond which are fathomless depths. Above, the mountain sunlight is just visible through a window in the domed ceiling.

"His prison will become a tomb, Lorewalker. Step aside," Atley says.

Shine checks the poisoned edge of a blade.

Shun grunts.

"Well, sir, if you didn't steal for real, I'm sorry. If you did steal, that's on you, Feng," Peixin shrugs, stretching her arms and back.

"As one. Charge!" Atley barks.

Anareline charges as one.

Colson charges as one.

“Tender your souls, mortals,” the spirit of Feng cries. “These are the halls of the dead!”

Shine shadowsteps as one.

Anareline does not, however, tender her soul.

Shine left his soul in his other coat.

Estel at least gets up onto the platform. She does not do a lot of charging.

Atley strikes out at Feng, Thunderfury crackling and shivering. Stray strands of electric power flick out across the ground and at his feet and along the blades like whips.

Colson left his soul in safekeeping with Mordecai, so jokes on you, Feng.

Shun shadowsteps in as well, appearing at the Mogu's back.

Feng lashes out at Atley with a blast of lightning, responding in kind.

“Oh, Great Spirit! Grant me the power of the earth!” Feng says, and the floor trembles around him.

Atley backs into the railing, steering Feng away. He narrows eyes from behind his shield, tirelessly reflecting blows, and calls out. "Anareline!"

Shine dodges warily back. He does not love the floor-trembling.

Almeiria stumbles, struggling to keep her footing.

Anareline shouts, drawing Feng's attention from Atley. She stands in place, bracing against the trembling floor with her shield.

Shun shadowsteps up when the floor starts rocking. Can't earthquake an airborne target!

Bun is low to the ground so earthquakes do not faze him. He chases after the big mogu.

“Oh, Exalted One! Through me you shall melt flesh from bone!” Feng says, and fire swirls around his hands.

With Feng off of him, Atley takes a more offensive approach, striking and thrusting with Thunderfury.

Peixin appears next to Almeiria. "I think I'll keep pairing up with you, for now!" She vanishes, looking completely unbothered by the trembling ground. She reappears next to Feng, stabbing him in quick, short strikes.

Almeiria jumpstarts at the sudden appearance of Peixin.

"Back up! Get out of the fire!" Atley booms, raising his own shield in defense.

Estel knows all about getting out of the fire.

Colson gets out of the fire. "Do not stand in the fire," Colson adds as well.

Shun quickly shadowsteps back, patting the flames off of his shoulder.

Caspis moves away in time, but barely.

Shine gets out of the fire, swathed in shadows for good measure.

Bun smells a little singed.

Caspis gently scolds Bun in Darnassian.

Estel Shields Bun.

Feng laughs, drawing all the fire to his weapon and lashing out at Anareline. She bears up under her shield, and then shouts, "Atley!"

"Death to the mogu!" Atley snarls to get Feng's attention, closing the distance to slice through the muscle of his ghostly thigh.

“Oh, sage of the ages! Instill to me your arcane wisdom!” Feng says, and arcane power shimmers over his form.

Peixin backflips away from Feng, her eyes shining as she spots something in the room. She vanishes in a smoke bomb, and reappears with the group holding a magical artifact, shielding the group from the fire attacks.

Anareline's eyes narrow as the spirit calls on powers of the arcane.

Atley eyes Peixin in his periphery as he withstands Feng's attacks.

"Oh, sage of the ages!" Estel calls. "Maybe don't give him any arcane wisdom? Can you not?"

The sage of the ages, regrettably, does not answer. However, arcane power swirls around Feng.

Colson shields himself with the Light, his lips twitching at Estel's beseeching.

Shine exhales a laugh at Estel.

Almeiria does not laugh. She really doesn't. That is not a snort from her, it is part of her spell.

Anareline nods stern approval to Estel's call.

Shun grunts.

Peixin turns around to giggle at Estel. She throws the now depleted artifact into the abyss, and picks up her blades again. They're shrouded in shadows as she strikes rapidly.

Caspis continues to create large areas of regenerative nature magic for the group. Standing in them feels like one has caught a sudden outdoor breeze in a pine forest.

"Damn," Estel says, and backs away from the group as arcane energy surrounds her.
Estel beseeched incorrectly.

Estel gets another [Hand of Protection], but it only shields her from attacks outside her.

Arcane does not serve Feng any better than fire did, or earth. As he falls, Feng calls out, “If they only knew… what horrors await…”

Atley audibly gnashes his teeth. "Sod that," he says. "We're the horrors." He turns to inspect the team.

Lorewalker Cho, who has not been fighting, sighs sadly. “Feng the Accursed was trapped here by the mogu emperors, whether justly or not. At least now, perhaps he can find his rest.”

Shun lets out a breath as the spirit falls.

"Yes, fine, what about the horrors?" Almeiria asks the Lorewalker.

Peixin difficulty pulls her dagger out of Feng's body. "Geez, thanks for the ominous warning."

Colson draws in breath in heavy inhales and exhales, once again burning through an entire water bottle in seconds.

Shine steps back breathlessly from the corpse and then looks up sharply, his eye narrowed.

Atley eyes Lorewalker Cho and nods, taking a breath. He marches over to the team and inspects them, briefly nudging Estel. "We all sorted?"

Estel gives Dane a thumbs-up. "I'm good." There doesn't seem to be any arcane residue.

Lorewalker Cho is about to answer, maybe about the horrors, when the door just ahead bursts open, and two Zandalari trolls spring inside, glowing skulls on their heads.

Gara’jal the Spiritbinder

“The Zandalari!” Lorewalker Cho cries in alarm. “They must have found another entrance, just ahead. And here I thought we were well ahead of them – they cannot be allowed to gain the secrets and weapons of the Vaults!”

Shine swears and vanishes.

Atley narrows his eyes. "Trolls. Let's get to 'em, you lot."

Peixin glances at the abyss, where she threw one of the secrets and weapons of the Vaults.

Shun can be seen crouching for a split second before he also disappears.

Anareline looks to Shine, but he's not there. "We know they've been searching for another way in. At least there's nothing for them this way."

"Ah," Colson says as the trolls burst in. He gets to them.

Atley grunts at Anareline.

“I will… leave them to you,” Lorewalker Cho says with a smile. “I am of no use in a battle. I will stay behind and investigate this dais further…”

"Stay safe, Lorewalker," Atley says.

Anareline nods her farewell.

The outdoor platform beyond is crawling with Zandalari forces, but at least they do not appear to have managed to open the doors on the other mountain face, which must lead deeper into the Vaults. A group of trolls are setting up bombs at one door, while a larger troll seems to be attempting some sort of magical unsealing on a sealed door on a platform just above. The sky above is full of trolls on pterror wings.

"A proper brigade," Atley growls, but he sounds approving. "Slaughtering this lot'll set the score of them back."

The shadows curse again mildly, in a distinctively Kul Tiran accent.

"Hey, Atley," Peixin whispers, invisible near him. "When I said Cobalt Company was a way for me to gain experience, you decided to really test me here, uh?"

Atley scoffs with amusement. "Sink or swim, Goldensprout."

'It is a good first mission, Peixin," Anareline says seriously. "And everyone here is acquitting themselves well."

Bun is acquitting himself the BEST.

Peixin smirks. Nobody can really see it, but she's smirking regardless.

"You're doing great," Estel says.

Gara’jal looks over distractedly to see us come out the door, and shakes his head. “No matter! We don't be needin' what's back dat way anyhow!”

"Mind the flyers, you lot," Atley says, looking up. "Shoot them down."

Estel shoots them down with shadow magic. There's very little shooting involved.

Shun takes a moment to apply a fresh coat of poison on his blades.

Peixin tosses shuriken at the flyers' eyes. "Get down, you brutes!"

Almeiria, too, focuses down the fliers.

"Pew-pewpew-pew!" Gwen blasts one fo the flyers out of the sky!

"A hexxer… Kill him." Atley says.

“Now ya done made me angry,” Gara’jal snarls, finally leaving the door. “Fine, den! Time to play… friends. It be dyin' time, now!” Gara'jal leaps into the center of the platform, turning to face the Cobalt team.

Caspis snarls.

"No! It be living time! For us, I mean." You tell him, Gwen.

Atley raises Thunderfury and booms out a yell. "Charge!"

Colson charges! To a point, as he plants his feet to start to heal.

Anareline charges on command, her own unnamed sword raised high.

Shun just shakes his head as he vanishes into the shadows for the moment before reappearing to strike the ghostly troll.

Shine does not charge. He just appears behind the troll.

Almeiria does not charge, but she does ready her shadow spells, and begins to cast on the hexxer.

Estel snort-laughs. "Yeah, living time."

The hexxer focuses on Anareline, and she is fully engaged in the fight. Quips are beyond her.

Luminous, illusory plants grow chaotically in a wide circle around Caspis, dissolving into green misty light that swirls toward the most injured members of the party.

Gwenivene draws her Rune of Power at her feet and conjures her Mirror Images, all the Gwens now lit dramatically from below as they hammer the troll with arcane blasts!

Shine draws shadows around himself to ward against the magic, and searches for the source of the strange shadowbolts.

From somewhere unseen, little bolts of shadow begin striking the team.

"Something's attacking us!" Almeiria calls out in warning. "I can't locate it."

Colson frowns, as he tries to prevent the damage from worsening, spreading out a hammer of lightning that crackles with energy — but doesn't touch the shadows hitting them.

"Oh, for !@#$'s sake," Estel mutters, her attention locking on to a dark totem summoned behind the group, almost out of sight. "Almeiria, here!" She glances back at the team and picks someone else who seems less occupied. "Shine!"

Gara'jal gestures, and an illusory link connects Shine and Caspis to Anareline. As he strikes Anareline, some of the pain flickers through the bond.

Atley raises his head and looks around with a squint. "The dolls! Watch them!"

Caspis looks more confused than usual.

Shine snarls, stumbling, and shakes his head at Estel.

This is pretty usual for Caspis, tbh.

Almeiria moves quickly to the totem. "Perhaps we destroy it?"

Shine no longer seems less occupied. Estel glances around for someone else. "Shun!"

Shun grunts and immediately appears at Estel's side to assist.

Estel steps towards the totem, and the totem sends out a pulse of shadow, transporting Estel, Almeiria, and Shun to a shadowy mirror of the battlefield.

Caspis looks even more alarmed now that his healing is no longer reaching the trio.

Shine staggers again under a blow Anareline takes.

“I cannot reach you to heal you," Colson calls out to Estel and the others.

Almeiria pauses to catch her breath in the spirit realm, calling to the Light for a moment as her vitality seems sapped. Then she sees them. Shadowy trolls launching shadowbolts at the party. She smirks, knowing just what to do with those.

"Anareline… what is happening…?" Caspis says in a ragged voice. He is not normally one for speaking during battle.

“Enough! Off to de spirit world wit' ya!” Gara’jal says sharply. Suddenly, Anareline is not there, and the hexxer turns a wide grin to Atley.

"I —" Anareline starts, and then the world goes shadowy.

As his reality shifts, Shun begins to shadowstep between hostiles to take out as many as he could.

Caspis gasps as Anareline vanishes, and turns his attention to Atley by rote, despite being clearly upset.

Atley growls behind gritted teeth and leans in to shield bash Gara'jal with all of his might. "Stay focused on the Hexxer! The others are on their own!"

Anareline looks around in confusion at the shadowy spirits, and swings at one. Here, at least, they are fightable.

"No…" Caspis objects softly, but continues to do as he's told.

The hexxer laughs at Atley and spins to attempt a whirling strike.

Shine seems to recover from whatever hex linked him to the others, and attacks the hexxer with renewed fury.

Bun is yowling furiously from a safe distance at the edge of the platform.

Caspis spares a glance for the tanuki who seems to have lost its purpose in the battle. How sad.

Atley braces with his shield and steps closer.

Estel drops her Shadowform despite being in a place of shadows and switches smoothly to calling the Light to heal herself and the others inside the spirit world.

Anareline spots a faint shadowy tendril trailing to a spirit with glowing red hands. She cuts it down, and suddenly the world brightens around her. She charges in to Atley's side once more. "Where he sent me — kill the creature with red hands."

Caspis exhales in relief as Anareline reappears, and switches his healing focus back to her immediately.

Once he's back in the normal realm, Shun doubles his efforts against the hexer.

Anareline circles slightly around the hexxer, attacking recklessly while Atley holds his attention.

Estel reappears briefly. "He's summoning things in the Spirit World," she says, already dashing towards the next spirit totem.

The reward for Shun's increased efforts seem to be more pain in return, as he starts feeling some of the blows Atley takes.

Atley continues to fully engage the Hexxer, gritting his teeth, but his eyes do dart around as people start to return… Only for himself to disappear.

Atley spots more targets in the strange void and wastes no time before charging them.

The hexxer laughs, and turns his attention to Anareline once more.

"Just keep fighting," Anareline calls, which may be less encouraging than she thinks it is. "Just… keep…"

Colson just keeps fighting.

Caspis keeps… healing. Which is a kind of fighting. He is fighting injuries.

Estel spends most of the fight down in the shadowy realm, healing her teammates and popping up briefly to call out updates like, "It's kinda spooky in there!"

Shine sprints to a totem and slides into the shadow realm to fight the shifted hexxers.

Almeiria is beginning to look semi-irritated with all the totem travel.

Bun shrieks and charges at the spot where a totem was a moment ago.

Eventually, the hexxer stops summoning spirit totems.

The bolts from the realm beyond intensify.

"I think he's getting tired!" Estel calls, hitting him with a pillar of light.

"Finish him," Anareline snarls, slashing at the troll.

Shine shadowsteps from the shadow realm behind the hexxer.

Colson finishes him. Well, he begins directing some of his attacks to the hexxer.

Caspis echoes Anareline's snarl wordlessly.

Atley phases back in. "He's trying to separate us! Carve through these wretches and carve through him!"

Gara'jal falls to the ground under the combined attack, gasping in pain. Then he dies. His spirit floats from his corpse and hovers a few feet above his body.

Bun darts in to nip furiously at the air. He was pretty close to the hexxer, to his credit.

“Bah! Bested by de likes of you! What a shame for a Zandalari Priest ta endure,” Gara’jal manages. “But it ain't no ting. Take your trinkets; you'll be needin' dem.”

Anareline steps back, staring at the spirit in horror.

A portal to the Spirit World opens behind Gara'jal's spirit.

"What a time to be missing a warlock," Almeiria laments.

Colson regards Gara'jal with a cold Aspenwood Neutral expression.

Shine looks from the spirit troll to Almeiria and back.

“I be goin' now; time ta find a new home for me soul,” Gara’jal says, but he does not sound fearful. “Death be a doorway, an' time a window; I'll be back! AH-HAHAHAHAHAH!”

Caspis frowns.

"Oh, come on," Estel says, summoning golden shackles of Light that snap around the spirit troll's body and then break as he pulls away from them.

Colson makes an attempt at an [Exorcism] but it only hits the door on Gara'jal's way out.

Gara'jal disappears through the portal before it closes.

"We set him back, at least," Anareline says, frowning. "And kept him from the Vaults," Anarleine looks over to where the troll bombs have opened the doorway beyond.

"…Sure." Shun deadpans.

Bun charges at the portal a moment after it closes. Bam! Scared that troll away.

Atley glares up at Gara'jal, eyes half-lidded. "He returns, we'll kill him again." He looks at the Company. "All sorted? How are you lot?"

Colson inspects the team for any lingering signs of injury.

Shun only grunts out a response.

"Quite done with totems," Almeiria says.

Shine nods at Atley and checks his knives neutrally.

Estel grunts, looking herself over. "…I'm okay."

"Hmph. What a cheater," Gwen complains.

"Remove the head," Caspis suggests grimly.

"And what do you plan to do with the head?" Almeiria asks Caspis.

"Separate it from the body," he says matter-of-factly.

"He at least will not use this body again," Anareline says grimly.

Ana looks to Atley. "Let's cut it off."

"It seems he intends to find another for his soul, but it would not do for him to find use of this one behind us," Colson says.

A cheerful Lorewalker Cho jogs down the stairs and past the landing where we fought, eager to see what’s next. He waves as he passes by.

Anareline gets to work severing the head.

Shun just eyes Lorewalker Cho.

Shine watches Lorewalker Cho go.

Gwen grimaces and looks away before any head-chopping is done. Oh look, there's Cho.

Caspis nods in satisfaction.

Shine sheaths his knives and goes to collect the still-bristling Bun, whom he sets on his shoulders.

The Spirit Kings

What’s next is the Repository – yet another beautifully carved room, but this one lined with countless square drawers on each wall, somewhat reminiscent of a morgue.

"Let's press on," Atley says, glaring into the deeper reaches of the Repository.

"That is a bigass… gong?" Shun remarks.

"'Tis a gong," Atley confirms flatly, looking around with a scowl.

"Nobody touch that, I do not wish to go deaf," Almeiria says.

"Too high to strike," Anareline says, lowering her eyebrows in puzzlement.

Atley grunts at Anareline. "Too tall for us, p'raps. Likely not for its makers…"

“Ah, the ancient Vaults of the Kings of Mogu'shan, where they stored their spirits,” Lorewalker Cho says, looking around in amazement.

Caspis solemnly admires the room's ornate grandeur.

"Stored their spirits…" Gwen echoes in disgust-laced awe.

Anareline glances sharply at Shine and Gwen at Cho's words. "The Spirit Kings… this may be where they are kept. And so many more…"

"Big bench," Estel says, and makes a running leap to pull herself up and sit down.

Colson murmurs a prayer to the Light for the souls around them.

Shine cranes his neck to gaze at the richly-painted ceiling, then surveys the wall-drawers. He carefully takes Bun from his shoulders and sets him back on the ground. This might be a Work Room, buddy. He nods at Ana.

"A soul library," Shine says, recalling someone else's words.

"This place is in crazy good condition," Estel says, running her hand over the bench's plush cushion.

"Yes, something like that," Anareline says, looking at the many drawers. "That they can call up people from any point of mogu history, for their knowledge or skills."

"Library? So do we kill them in alphabetical order?" Almeiria asks.

Shine smiles very faintly at Almeiria.

Estel snort-laughs and hops down off the bench.

"We must make sure the modern mogu do not gain it," Anareline says firmly.

Caspis frrroowwwnnnnns.

Shun slowly nods.

"Or burn it…" Atley says, nodding at Anareline. "Better to be lost than in the wrong hands."

Before anyone can react, Cho runs up to a pillar and says, “What might this button do?” The button displays information for Cho, who excitedly says, “Look here! It's the history of Zian of the Endless Shadow, a powerful sorcerer who kept the kingdoms in check through terror and darkness.”

Shun deadpans even harder at Cho.

"Lorewalker —" Atley begins, clanking forward to try and intervene, far too late.

Shine winces and vanishes.

The button also activates spirit guardians, who attack the group.

"Ah," Colson says.

"Why is he here, again?" Almeiria asks.

"To arms!" Atley barks.

Caspis sighs deeply.

"You can't just—" Anareline says, and then charges into the spirit guardians.

"Oh, neat," Estel says.

Shun closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath. Then gets to work.

“This looks to be the record of Qiang the Merciless, a great conqueror who ruled his vassals with an iron fist!” Lorewalker Cho continues, as the next spirit guardians attack.

"Wot are these?!" Atley asks mid-combat, swinging Thunderfury and deflecting with his shield. "Memories?"

Shine reappears behind the ghost guardians, knives flashing.

"Or souls, tasked with guarding," Anareline suggests.

“I've heard tales of this one: Subetai the Swift, well known as a masterful archer and genius thief. He stole from the rich and kept everything for himself,” Lorewalker Cho chuckles as more spirit guardians attack.

Caspis keeps a steady flow of healing energy going, surrounding the group with regenerative magic as he keeps his gaze focused on Anareline.

Shine pauses a moment before disappearing this time, to regard Cho flatly.

Atley spins around and spots ghostly images appearing on a nearby staircase. "There!"

Gwen's eyes widen. "Subetai! The Bandit King! These are the Spirit Kings!"

Shun is quietly grumbling under his breath as he stabs ghost after ghost.

Anareline glances over to Gwen in between groups of spirit fighters. "Yes, the names… these must be the greatest?"

"They sound lovely," Almeiria says, and it is unclear if she is actually being genuine.

Bun has no idea what's happening and Shine is moving fast, so he sticks by the panda. Scholar tanuki!

“What is this? I've heard nothing of this emperor. Meng the Demented?” Lorewalker Cho frowns. “According to these texts, Meng was the most foul and maniacal ruler to ever abuse the imperial throne.”

Gwen nods to Ana, "Yes, but…this Meng wasn't in the texts I read, either."

"Stay sharp!" Atley bids to the Company before he charges after Lorewalker Cho to clean up his messes.

Colson stays sharp.

"He does not sound a pleasant leader," Anareline manages breathlessly, charging into the next group of ghosts.

Bun, unlike Lorewalker Cho, is housebroken.

Caspis has sharp teeth, but that's about it.

As Lorewalker Cho concludes, four spirits coalesce on a platform at one side of the room, in front of a mosaic backdrop of clouds and the Kun-Lai Mountains.

"Ah," Anareline looks up, and then back at Cho. "Is that… a lookup system? Did you just summon them?"

Lorewalker Cho looks as innocent as possible.

Caspis briefly admires the mosaic. Stay on task, Caspis.

"Ah. The kings," Colson remarks calmly. "So it would seem."

"The kings," Shine mutters from… somewhere.

Atley warily stalks up the stairs, Thunderfury and shield drawn, eyes narrowed.

"I suppose we'll just have to kill them," Almeiria says.

Shun sighs and rolls his shoulders, then vanishes from view.

"It seems so," Anareline says dryly.

Atley grunts. "Your pacing is poor, Lorewalker," Atley says, before turning back to the group. "But, we do need this entire place cleared of any foul magics."

"Guys," Estel says patiently, "Cho is doing his job. We need to know what the Zandalari are here for, and it might be here."

Anareline sighs quietly, but nods.

"I will not let him fall," Caspis says in his low, quiet voice.

Atley grunts.

Shun grunts.

Caspis may understand a little bit about being easily distractible and therefore occasionally a liability.

"Any of these we destroy means fewer souls in their library," says Shine from the shadows quietly.

"I suspect they are here for the Will of the Emperor…whatever that is," Gwen says. "All we know is it has something to do with their animation magic."

"The Lorewalker'll help us find it, and we destroy it — wot'ever it is," Atley says.

"But first, we'll have to fight through them," Anareline says, stalking up the stairs towards the ghostly Qiang.

"On me. Let's move," Atley growls, before he breaks out into a sprint for Qiang.

Colson is on Dane. That means sprinting across the room.

“My armies are endless, my power, unmatched,” Qiang the Merciless says. “I will crush you, in body AND spirit.”

"COME ON, THEN!" Atley booms, swinging Thunderfury at Qiang, shield raised high.

Almeiria sighs and also sprints. She does not enjoy sprinting.

Shun appears behind the spirit. He did not sprint this time.

Shine appears behind Qiang. Why sprint when you can shadowstep?

"Good luck crushing my spirit, !@#$%^&," Estel says, tossing out a spectral feather to rush closer even faster.

Bun scrambles to keep up with… someone. Anyone.

Qiang raises his hand for a vicious strike, and Anareline raises her shield, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Dane. "Stay behind us!"

Colson left his spirit in safekeeping at home.

Shun grunts and repositions to not be behind Qiang.

Colson stays behind Ana and Dane.

Gwenivene blinks forward, suddenly appearing beside those who ran ahead.

Shine ducks and dodges and then is behind Ana and Dane too.

The ground rumbles, and Anareline shoots Dane a worried look.

Atley widens his eyes. "Behind him — MOVE!" Atley dives between Qiang's legs.

Colson moves.

Anareline follows, trying to shield the others as she goes.

Nobody needs to tell Almeiria twice. She is not going to stand in… whatever that is.

Shine blinks again. Through space, not with his eye.

Estel darts around, keeping Anareline and Dane in between herself and the mogu spirit.
Qiang strikes the ground with a heavy blow, impossible to shield against.

"Press on!" Atley yells.

Colson presses on. Unlike Cho, this is just a metaphor, not an actual button.

Shine slices on.

“Flanking attack! March into battle!” Qiang calls, and ghostly soldiers march into battle swiping viciously in front of them.

"Do not stand in the soldier's blows!" Colson calls out, a healer's warning.

Anareline stares at the ghosts blankly for a moment, and says, "To the side, they're just marching." She sidesteps the line.

Gwen panics and blinks away from the devastating blow…blinking herself smack into a wall. She tumbles to the ground, stunned.

Colson sets a [Hand of Protection] around Gwen's stunned body.

Atley steers the fight out of the way. "It's a flank! Dodge them!"

Almeiria swears at the unexpected movement of ghost mogu, and tries to get out of the way. She is a bit too late, and one of the spears catches her in the side. She staggers, but keeps moving.

Colson's Holy Shock crackles brightly around Almeiria, without even a second's hesitation.

Almeiria sighs in relief and refocuses on the battle.

Shun deftly weaves around the forces of spirits marching through.

Anareline looks over to Gwen in alarm, and kind of points. The healers probably already saw it.

Shine sprints out of the path of the deadly cordon.

It isn't long until Qiang falls to the attack, but he is quickly replaced by another mogu ghost, this one an archer.

“You'll see your mistake soon enough!” Subetai the Swift calls out. “All that is yours? Mine!”

Anareline shakes her head irritably, and charges back in to attack.

Atley turns to Subetai and charges in. "Mind that bloody bow!"

Subetai shoots a volley of arrows in a random direction.

"Spirit still uncrushed," Estel says to the fallen spirit-king, backing away to give the archer a mobile target.

Almeiria stands apart from the others as well, channeling shadows into her new target.

Colson is a bastion of calm as arrows fly around him, several striking against the paladin's armor. He minds the bloody bow. With a paladin's divine shield. And he keeps healing. "There are some things you can never take," Colson says.

Suddenly an arrow flies out, pinning Almeiria to the ground.

Shun shadowsteps to Almeira to cut away some arrows.

"Cut her loose!" Anareline says, distracted from Subetai for a moment.

Estel sends a Prayer of Healing pinging towards Almeiria. The prayer is, "Watch it!"

Colson sets a [Hand of Protection] on Almeiria, the best he can do, as he tries to hold back the rest of the damage on the others.

Shine helps to cut her loose.

Subetai cackles and begins spinning.

Anareline backs away warily until he stops.

Colson gracefully side steps away from Subetai, as if they were dancing.

"Oh, *!@# off," Estel mutters, tossing a spectral feather towards Anareline to speed her up.

Atley catches one spin against his shield with a spark before he leaps backwards.

Thusly freed, Almeiria gets back up, her shadows deepening in anger, returning to the fight with a vengeance.

Soon, Subetai is defeated just as Qiang was. But still, another Spirit King comes forward — Meng the Demented.

“You have angered the emperor! THE SENTENCE IS DEATH!” Meng the Demented cries. “Enemies… everywhere! Kill! Kill them all!”

Atley lets out a single grunt of an exhale before he comes barreling in towards Men, swinging tirelessly. "Fight on! We're carving through them!"

Anareline strikes at him, and the strike rebounds painfully.

Colson fights on. Well, he heals on. Sweat has gathered all around his brow, and he seems paler, as he calls on the Light in a Divine Plea for more mana.

Shine cuts a vicious slice across the ghost's flank and then hisses and drops back a moment himself, nonplussed.

Meng gives a maddening shout!

Anareline bashes Meng with her shield, and it skids back to hit Atley.

Almeiria's spells seem to find new targets, hitting her allies instead.

A hammer of light rebounds and hits Colson squarely in the jaw. The paladin blinks, stunned momentarily, even as a reflexive Holy Shock lands on himself. As the others are wounded by the onslaught, he refocuses, channeling a great Holy Radiance.

Atley snarls in surprise, whipping around to face Anareline, Thunderfury raised, before he stops himself. He feverishly shakes his head and blinks a few times before refocusing on Meng.

Shine whips a throwing knife at Meng and it, too, rebounds. Shine swears and looks around for his accidental target.

Anareline murmurs an apology that goes unheard, and keeps fighting. Meng is being hurt, whoever else is.

Shun hisses sharply as that knife hits him. He takes it out and throws it back at Meng. It ricochets elsewhere…

Colson plants his feet, summoning the Light's Hammer to the center of the others, as arcs of holy lightning find not only the wounded, but crackle along Meng.

Shine says something under his breath to Shun that sounds apologetic, but he is moving fast and breathing hard so who knows.

The knife strikes against Ana's armor and clatters to the ground.

Estel stops casting and Shields Bun to be safe.

Colson puts an Eternal Flame of healing on Bun, to forestall any damage to the small animal.

Soon, it is over for Meng. “The sentence… was to be… yours!” Meng’s ghost says, falling to the ground.

A last spirit emerges into the room.

“Soon you will understand why my subjects fear the shadows!” Zian the Merciless calls. “The darkness comes for you, and with it, death.”

"You all talk too much," Shun mutters.

Zian shoots a shadow bolt at Shun.

Atley grinds his teeth and audibly cracks his neck, tilting his head left and right, before he rushes in.

"Well, they haven't had anyone to listen to them in thousands of years, Shun, dear," Almeiria says.

Anareline sighs, and charges in one again.

Bun has no idea what is happening now but there is a bubble around him! He hunkers down, hissing, and stays put.

Colson huffs a faint laugh at Almeiria, although he's breathing hard, as he scrapes the barrel of his mana.

Shun staggers back after taking the hit, but moves right back in to retaliate.

Estel summons a Shadowf(r)iend to drain Zian the Merciless of mana. The shadow comes for YOU, buddy.

Shadows flicker around the room as Zian fights.

Zian sends a spectral skull to chase Estel in retaliation, and Estel books it away from the group, luring it to her.

Almeiria turns, focusing her attention on the new threat, working her own shadows against the skull.

Anareline throws a knife at the skull, but otherwise sticks with Zian. Her knife is not as effective as the rogues.

"Oi! Bring that bloody skull down!" Atley booms in the middle of the fight.

The skull explodes into a burst of shadow that lingers on the floor. Estel dodges around it to return to the group.

“The darkness… surrounds me…” Zian calls as his spirit falters.

Suddenly, there are no more talking spirits. Just silence.

Gwen stirs and rubs her head as her vision clears. "Nngh…did we win?"

Elegon

Suddenly, there’s a sound of shifting stone, and Lorewalker Cho says, “A secret passage has opened beneath the platform, this way!”

"Have a care. Stay together," Atley growls before he presses on after the Lorewalker.

Caspis follows absently.

Shun grunts.

Colson has a care, and stays together.

Anareline follows warily.

The passageway is clearly manmade, but it is lit by shadowy magic braziers and filled with cobwebs, small spiders, and dust.

Shun follows from the shadows.

"I love secret passages!" Peixin grins. "They're so… secretive!"

Gwen conjures a mana bun, and tries to be discreet as she passes it to Bun.

Atley squints at the otherworldly lighting.

"I do appreciate a good basement," Almeiria says.

Shine fades out of sight to follow invisibly. Bun follows cheerfully. Adventure!

“Look at the dust along the floor,” Lorewalker Cho says. “These dark halls have not seen footfalls for many centuries.”

"Hold — Spirits. Mogu and jinyu," Atley observes.

At the bottom of the staircase, we come to a surprising scene. Ghostly mogu guards pace a walkway in a room with four pools of water fed by carved fountains. Ghostly jinyu are at each pool, casting their water magic.

Colson holds spirits, mogu, and jinyu. He also stops.

“As you know, the mogu once enslaved all of the races of Pandaria, and bent them to their nefarious will,” Lorewalker Cho says sadly. “Thes jinyu have been locked in an eternity of servitude.”

"That's horrible," Gwen frowns.

Caspis's ears lift, and his eyes narrow.

Colson frowns. "They must be set free."

"It ends today," Atley says. "Prioritize the mogu. Be wary of the jinyu."

“If you slay their spirits,” Lorewalker Cho says, looking at a ghostly jinyu, “It will at last free them from this place, allowing them to move on.”

"Very well, then. Stay back, Lorewalker," Atley says.

Anareline draws her sword, ready to put things to rest.

Caspis takes in a deep breath, centering himself.

Peixin loses focus for a second as she giggles at the noises Gwen makes at times while casting spells.

When the team attacks the mogu spirits, the jinyu ghsots begin to channel a ghostly healing towards their masters.

Shun quickly pivots to take out the jinyu spirits.

"Focus the jinyu! Now!" Atley barks.

"None of that," Estel says, silencing one. "You'll be free soon."

Gwenivene: "Pew pew pew!"

Anareline darts around the room, striking down the jinyu ghosts in priority. They must be freed.

Shine: stab stab stab.

For a long moment Caspis is stunned by an attack, but his healing continues to bloom even while he is senseless.

Soon, the jinyu spirits have departed, and the mogu are down.

"A true, final death ought to be the best peace we can grant them," Atley says, looking around at the now much-more-quiet Hall of Shapers. He spots a darkened corridor and lazily points at it with Thunderfury. "That way."

“Oh! I hear a faint humming!” Lorewalker Cho says, turning down the indicated hallway. “It is coming from this direction!” He nods eagerly to Atley, who is clearly also a man of scholarship.

Caspis's ears perk.

"Hope it is not something explosive," Shun mutters.

"Lead on, Lorewalker," Atley says.

"Hopefully it's not ritual humming!" Peixin says. "Probably ritual humming, though."

More mogu ghosts block the way.

"Put 'em down," Atley growls.

Anareline moves in to put them down.

At the end of the hallway is a room with a ceiling lit by small dots of light, like stars. The last wave of ghostly mogu rush forward to defend a disc-like mechanism ringed by constellations, suspended over a pit.

When the mogu are defeated, Lorewalker Cho rushes forward eagerly.

"…What is that?" Shun asks.

“This room pulses with energy, but feels unlike any we have seen so far,” says Lorewalker Cho. “Fascinating, I have never heard tales of anything like this. The mogu hide their secrets well.”

Atley eyes the hanging engine warily.

Caspis narrows his eyes, ears drooping.

“The architecture in here is strange, differing in many ways from traditional mogu design,” Lorewalker Cho says. “This room seems to be a device of some sort, but I see nothing of its purpose in my notes.”

Peixin leans on a command table, trying to look at the constellation thing.

"Star stuff," Estel says thoughtfully. "That's probably, like, a Titan thing?"

"And I suppose we are pushing more buttons?" Almeiria asks.

Atley carefully stomps forward and joins Lorewalker Cho's side. He peers down into the great chasm and knits his brow with angry disbelief. "Off of that," he snaps at Peixin.

Shine emerges from stealth to scan the room with intent interest.

"Titan?" Lorewalker Cho says curiously. "I have heard your people speak of this, most especially Brannagen."

"If only Prospector Stillwall were here," Gwen says. "I'd bet he could figure this out."

Shine nods.

Peixin tilts her head to look at the chasm as well. "Oops, sorry." She really wants to grab someone near the chasm by the shoulders and go 'OH! CAREFUL!' but she abstains.

Bun understands it all implicitly but he isn't telling.

"We've seen this sort of work before, Lorewalker. In other deep and old places," Atley explains, before looking to Almeiria.

"Architects of the world, basically," Estel says, waving a hand vaguely.

Caspis looks bewildered and lets the others talk.

"You wondered where all the bloody Titan vaults in Pandaria were. Turns out we're standing in one," Atley says.

Anareline looks around in bafflement. "Titans."

"I think we should activate this device, and observe," Lorewalker Cho says, smiling at Atley and not pressing buttons without instructions this time.

"D'ye think the device will let us observe, if we activate it?" Shine asks.

Atley looks to Lorewalker Cho and nods. "On your mark, Lorewalker."

"I do hope this isn't an 'erase the world' sort of Titan button," Almeiria says.

Shun stares at Almeiria.

"That would be bad," Colson remarks mildly.

Peixin gets on her knees and leans, looking really deep into the chasm. "You've seen this stuff before?"

Shine nods at Almeiria. Miss Fey knows.

"Wot'ever happens next, we are up to the task," Aley says, before nodding at Peixin. "Many times."

"Cobalt Company has quite literally stopped a Titan 'End The World' button before," Colson adds to Peixin.

“This seems to be a terminal controlling the device,” Lorewalker Cho says. “Let’s see here…”

"Go ahead and turn the bloody thing on, Cho," Atley says.

Caspis begins to hum to himself very softly as though self-soothing. His voice is deep and pleasant, but the tune is unrecognizable. He does not seem to have a sense of pitch.

Atley stares in angry, guarded disbelief, shield raised.

"Ah." Peixin looks at the thing activating. "Hopefully it's not that, this time."

Light pulses dramatically, and then a figure appears, a spectral cloud serpent with a constellation for a skeleton.

“Sensors online,” says the cloud serpent. “All cores operating at peak efficiency.”

“Magnificent,” Lorewalker Cho says in amazement. “It talks! This seems beyond what we thought the mogu were capable of.”

Caspis's eyes widen, flaring with shock.

"… oh damn," says Shine softly. It sounds awed.

Estel nods. "Yep, yep, cores are good…"

“Identification matrix mismatch,” Elegon says. “Unknown entities detected.”

"Damn…" Shun utters.

Estel groans.

“Oh dear…” Lorewalker Cho backs away. “This could get messy. I will observe from a safer distance!”

“Entering defensive mode. Disabling output failsafes,” Elegon says mechanically.

"This isn't mogu work, Lorewalker. It's something far older. Let us handle this," Atley says.

Bun desires to observe from a closer distance! Shine grabs him by the scruff.

Colson holds the line as a paladin.

Almeiria eyes the field the star serpent is contained in.

Atley nods at Anareline. "I'll take it first. With me." he says to her.

Anareline nods.

The celestial cloud serpent attacks, and will not move from the center of the dangerous-looking see-through floor, no matter how much Dane and Ana attempt to move him.

"Spread out!" Atley booms. "And mind your footing!" he yells, as they fight over a transparent surface.

"Is it stuck, perhaps? It can only exist inside the machine?" Almeiria questions.

Everyone who steps onto the see-through floor is energized with Titanic strength, appearing as a constellation of themselves.

Colson steps right into the melee and is briefly disconcerted when he becomes sort of skeleton. He shields himself with the Light, and carries on.

Below them is a fathomless drop, illuminated by massive lights in an endless column that grow smaller and smaller the deeper they descend, into nothingness…

"I have a feeling everything I know about Cloud Serpents won't be of use here," Peixin says, disappearing into the shadows. Her whispers can still be heard, moving. "How do you even target the heart of a ghost… constellation spirit?"

Shun shadowsteps in and turns into a constellation. He looks himself over for a brief moment, then starts stabbing away.

Shine appears at the serpent's flank and is given a moment's pause when he turns from shadow to… stars? All else being equal, he attacks and tries not to look down.

Caspis is clearly wary of the skeletonizing floor, and despite his usual 10,000-year-old-man reflexes, this time he stays at the edge of the transparent circle and only darts in when he can't reach someone to heal them. Then he darts right back.

"This floor is absolutely teeming with energy," Gwen calls out as she lays a Rune of Power right at the edge of the energized floor.

"Holy $%^&, I'm made of stars," Estel says, bombarding Elegon with more powerful shadow than usual.

"Nothing new there, Estel," Shun mutters as he's stabbing away.

"Mind the head and its breath," Colson calls out, a healer's warning as the serpent breathes out a devastating energy.

Anareline looks down at her constellation body in alarm, but then continues the fight.

Caspis positions himself on the opposite side of the circle from Colson by instinct, trusting in his friend to watch that half of the group.

Bun darts onto the floor, turns into a tiny Pleiades, and darts out again with an enraged shriek. No stars Bun!

Atley presses on but his instincts make him wait for something. His narrowed eyes, protected by his helm, dart around the engine.

Estel takes a few steps back and goes back to her normal self. "Good news, it ain't permanent!"

The dragon makes a strange sound, and a celestial being pops into existence, turning to attack the raid.

Anareline looks to Atley. "I'll take it, you stay on the dragon."

Shun turns his attention to the new celestial that just popped up.

"Right!" Atley growls, swinging Thunderfury before he strikes across Egelon's great snout.

Shine takes in the scene, sees Ana's decision made, and shadowsteps to her new target.

Colson frowns faintly, as he draws on stronger heals. "Beware! The longer you stay afield in the stars, the more it erodes something!" He backs way out of the circle himself.

Anareline leaps to the creature, and her sword is still real, even if her body is starry.

When Peixin suddenly reappears, she's also a star skeleton, noticing the surprise on everyone else's invisible face. "I trust you guys know what you're doing!" She jumps up and stabs her dagger into the cloud serpent's jaw. "You said you've already seen stuff like this!"

"Erodes?" Almeiria murmurs. "Empowers, more like!" Her smile is a bit wild.

"Just keep fighting — !" Atley encourages.

Colson's lips form a tight line. "At a cost, Almeiria!"

"…" Shun eyes the celestial for a moment, "*!@#. I think it is going to blow. Back up—"

Anareline warily steps back, onto the stone ground, and seems relieved when her body returns to its normal form. And then the celestial explodes.

Peixin flips backward and rushes away from the starry serpent.

Caspis looks deeply, deeply bewildered by literally everything that is happening. Luckily his practice and instincts keep him focused on what matters - who is hurting and if they're near enough to help. Waves of green light wash over those nearby.

"A cost, a cost, everything good has a cost," Almeiria mutters, stepping outside the vortex just in time for the explosion.

Bun skitters over to stand beside Caspis and growl vigorously. Team Bewildered!

Bright golden wings sprout from Colson's back at he draws heavily on the Light, outhealing the explosion through sheer force of belief.

Shine makes it onto the stone lip of the floor in time to re-substantiate safely before the explosion.

Estel is having a great time playing hokey pokey with the star floor.

Anareline turns back to the constellation cloud serpent, hesitating before she charges back over the barrier and becomes a warrior of stars again to rejoin Dane.

Suddenly, the cloud serpent goes still. There's a humming sound, over the sounds of combat, and spiky white lines of energy lash out to connect to the six consoles arranged around the starry creature. Orbs of energy form at Elegon, slowly moving out, following the line paths.

While working hard to keep the pressure on Elegon with his two (sometimes more) knives, Shun shoots a glance at the orbs moving to the consoles, "Oi! Are those something we should be doing something about?"

Anareline is fighting the now-unresisting dragon, but she looks up at Shun's call. "I am no titan expert, but… that does not look good." She whirls away from Elegon, slicing one of the orbs at random. It crackles. "They can be struck."

"Good enough for me," Shun grunts as he rolls back to stab an orb.

Atley looks between them before settling his gaze onto one of the orbs. “Don’t let them reach the ends! Destroy them! It’s trying to gain power!”

"Got it!" Estel calls, stepping into the inner circle to become a constellation of power again. The orb nearest her quickly evaporates.

Anareline does her best to damage the orbs with her shield, trying to slow them. She moves from one to another.

Colson remains calm, but the paladin is moving quickly, weaving in and out of the platform and around the edges as he tries to keep as many people in his line of sight as possible — and accepts that in some cases, he cannot, entrusting those to Caspis' care entirely. As Dane strikes at a nearby orb, Colson adds a few shots of holy lightning at it as well, shifting between healing and fighting quickly.

Shine shadowsteps from the dragon's side to the nearest orb. It vanishes soundlessly against his knives, and he sprints to help Peixin finish off another.

"Thanks!" Peixin winks at Shine, before disappearing into the shadows. She reappears a few feet away, stabbing at another orb with shadow-clad blades.

Almeiria steps back into the energy vortex and begins to unleash her magic at the nearest orb, dispersing it easily as the vortex empowers her spells. She appears to be thoroughly enjoying this.

There is only so far that the benevolent, evergreen-scented aura of Caspis's regenerative magic can reach, and even without armor as heavy as Colson's, Caspis still can't seem to move and react as fast as the younger man is doing. But it's clear he understands the demands of the situation, and that he is determined. He is much more mobile than his usual almost treelike rooted stance.

Atley shield bashes one of the floating orbs with full strength. The sphere dissipates, shattered by the strike, and residual sparks harmlessly dance across the face of his shield. A few fan out, and are even drawn into the shimmering orb of Thunderaan’s Essence.

When the six orbs are destroyed, there is barely a pause before more lines arc out, and more orbs form. These may be moving just slightly faster than the last ones. Elegon still does not attack.

Estel manages to stick some of her shadow spells on Elegon to erode him over time in between killing orbs.

Caspis's expression suggests that he may believe he has died and is trapped in some sort of endless cycling purgatory.

Anareline shifts over towards Caspis, for easier healing, while she dances from orb to orb, helping to destroy them.

Atley nods slowly as he studies the pattern, and raises his mouth. “Stay up!” he yells, voice loud but controlled. “They’re gaining speed!”

Colson stays up. He also moves less, as he draws on more powerful healing spells that require greater concentration to cast.

"They may be gaining speed, but I am gaining power," Almeiria replies with confidence.

Peixin, seeing that swiftness is required, also picks up speed. She moves more assuredly on the celestial ground. "We're just fighting orbs, at the end of the day… The cloud serpent isn't doing much…" She throws a shuriken at an orb, making it explode with light.

“There’ll be more to this —!” Atley booms from experience, smashing another orb with Thunderfury. “Mind your placements!”

Peixin throws her hands up playfully. "Let a girl dream, Sir Atley— oop!" The pandaren interrupts herself as she narrowly gets out of the way of an incoming orb she hadn't seen in the sea of stars they're standing on.

Caspis tries to mind his placement, but minding things is not his strong suit.

Bun "helpfully" herds Cas by the expedient of being underfoot and also having no idea what's happening.

Caspis seems to accept that Bun is some manner of helpful companion. Perhaps this is Bun's role, yes. Healer-herder.

"Watch it!" Shine calls a warning as one of the accelerating orbs slips through their defensive ring, heading for one of the strange outer consoles. He turns from his latest kill and shadowsteps too late, and the orb is absorbed by the console in a soundless flare.

No sooner is the orb absorbed than harsh lines of light arc out from Elegon to each of the six consoles around him, like spokes in a wheel. Each console springs into power, the tops raising over columns of light as a backwash of energy flows behind them.

The humming sound intensifies, and complicated lights begin to play far below the transparent floor. Then, the floor itself begins to vibrate ominously.

Anareline flinches from the light and takes one hesitant step on the floor. Then she runs to Caspis's side — it seems like less of an instinct to protect him than it is simply returning to the place where she most fits. An elf at Caspis's side, not a creature of constellations over a transparent floor fighting an ancient translucent cloud serpent.

"I don't understand," Anareline murmurs in Darnassian, staring at the arcing beams of light.

Caspis clearly does not understand either, but he focuses on what he knows, causing a plump violet mushroom to spring up under Anareline's feet. His waves of regenerative magic seem to seep into it as they overflow from her, making it quiver and glow.

Shun looks up as the pillars of light appear over each of the consoles. As the transparent floor made of energy begins to tremble, he shadowsteps to the nearest console, on solid ground. "Off the platform!" he calls out.

Atley narrowly steps back just in time from one of the lines of light, sharply retracting his head. His attention on Elegon is only interrupted by the lights below. He lifts a boot and looks down into the chamber below, jaw set warily. His gaze hones in on Shun, and he nods a few times. “Aye, aye — ! Everyone, off! To the sides!”

Bun, bristling and hissing, herds Caspis back a couple of steps, by which I mean tries to trip him by running almost headlong into his feet in a retreat from the platform's edge.

Shine, already moving toward the edge in vain pursuit of that orb, steps onto solid ground; his attention is focused on the humming console and its pillar of light, his engineer's mind making rapid assessment. "Don't cross the fields!" he calls. "Destroy the consoles!"

Colson doesn't cross the fields. He throws a hammer of Light at a nearby console, as he watches for those in greatest danger from being caught in the explosions of energy.

Peixin jumps off from the platform as she senses it just about to disappear from underfoot. She lets out a small sound of surprise as it does. The pandaren's head very quickly turns to Shine as he gives an order. She nods, and jumps out of the way of one of the fields, landing next to a nearby console. She scratches the side of her face for a moment, puzzled by that alien technology, before deciding to just strike once with her paw, as if she was trying to stun a living enemy. It seems to work, for now.

Caspis stays put, occasionally relocating his little mushroom so that it's closer to Anareline's current position.

Upon hearing Shine, Shun turns and immediately drives both daggers into the console next to him.

Estel rushes off of the platform in time.

Almeiria reluctantly follows orders, perhaps further encouraged by the vibrating platform and the threat of a long drop into nothing.

Atley raises Thunderfury and turns on the same console, bringing his blade down on it with a thunderous smash.

The transparent floor ceases to exist. There is now nothing beneath the constellation cloud serpent but a deep, deep pit. The energy spilling from the consoles has fragmented the room into six sections with walls of sparkling energy.

Anareline shivers back into action, and rushes to attack a console, her eyes on the pit where she was just recently standing. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the console does not fight back.

When a matching set of consoles are smashed, the energy wall behind them dissipates, opening more of the room to the combatants.

Atley narrows his eyes at this, and gives Thunderfury a brief, idle spin as he looks to the others on the opposite side of the great chamber.

“Keep on them,” he says encouragingly to his side, quieter than his booming yells, but no less firm. He keeps an eye on the battlefield, his gaze rapidly darting around as he proceeds to pace, until something stops him in his tracks.

“Ho! Eyes up!” he growls as an orb of power shoots towards his position. The orb strikes the ground, and several small celestial creatures burst out of it and begin to attack Atley.

Meanwhile, the team is finishing off the rest of the consoles, and each pair destroyed eliminates another energy wall. When the last falls, the chasm once again becomes a transparent floor, and the cloud serpent stirs, drawing in a breath.

"Atley!" Anareline calls, and she hesitates only a moment in rushing back onto the floor that was open space a moment before. "Quickly, we must turn it!"

Caspis quickly refreshes a wave of ongoing regenerative magic so that it follows those nearest him as they rush in. The strange purple mushroom, which has already grown and swelled to a healthy size, once again disappears from its former location and springs up near Anareline's feet, greedily slurping up excess healing magic.

Peixin throws a shuriken into the starry cloud serpent's jaw. She thinks the beast slightly turned towards her at the impact and the pandaren shivers.

Almeiria is slightly less eager to return to the transparent floor, now that she has seen it vanish, but the swell of power soon sweeps that fear away. She'll just move when it starts to tremble. Easy.

Shine waits at the edge, poised and tense as a coiled spring, until Anareline has the dragon's attention and begins to turn it. Then he sprints across the transparent floor to strike at the creature's starry flank.

Ana and Atley get Elegon turned away from the rest, before it breathes out dangerous power.

From there, it is not long before the combined group defeats the celestial cloud serpent.

“The machine is destroyed, and so the mogus' chance to gain power weakens,” Lorewalker Cho says, rushing forward. “These discs look familiar… I… hmm… the Titans! Yes, you were right! This is something of the Titans your people spoke of!”

Shun lets out a breath as the starry serpent falls, turning his attention back to Lorewalker Cho as he examines pieces of the device. He looks between Cho and the others who have more Titan experience, "What was the purpose of this?"

Atley lowers his shield and Thunderfury, though he maintains enough discipline to not rest his sword’s blade against the ground. He slowly performs a head count, as if he hadn’t heard Cho, before he slings his shield over his back and wipes console dust off of his sword with a rag.

With a shake of his head, Atley says, “I don’t know for certain. We often don’t. It’s a miracle we can understand as much about the titans as we do know now.“

Atley puts the rag away and looks at the center of the platform. “That thing struck me as half a beast of burden, half a sentry — like a guard dog. It seemed to power some part of this place, and also challenged us swiftly.”

Anareline nods to Atley. "It seemed like a defender, perhaps to what must lie deeper in the Vaults. As for the Titans… Cobalt has encountered Titan ruins with very destructive mechanisms in Northrend, and in Uldum. If this is anything like that, we will have to do something. Disable it."

Atley grunts. “We’ve more fight ahead of us until this place is properly taken care of.”

Lorewalker Cho nods grimly. "It would seem the mogu salvaged and repurposed ancient Titan technology to advance their Empire. Whatever the 'Will of the Emperor' may be, that your people have spoken to me of, we cannot let them use it once more."

"Stillwall ought to be here," Shine observes to no one in particular, and sheaths a knife after examining the blade briefly.

"Maybe he can come in to study, when we've finished our work here," Anareline says, frowning at the cloud serpent. "As well as the fleet woman who helped track down the information about this place."

Shine glances up and flashes a rare smile at Anareline. "Aye. I expect she will."

"You know," Peixin says, standing next to Cho. She cleans her daggers and sheaths them, not worried about an imminent attack. "These guys hire me as kind of a guy of Pandaria, and they're the ones teaching me stuff here."

Peixin tilts her head, looking at the other members of the Company. "I'm not trying to get us to let our guard down, but if this was the main guardian of this Titan… Building, we should expect less surprises like this one, right? No more starry disappearing grounds? Only Mogu, and we've all dealt with Mogu before, haven't we?"

"I certainly hope there are no living mogu deeper in the vaults," Anareline says. "Or we have failed our purpose here entirely. I suspect what lies deeper is this 'Will of the Emperor', the thing to do with soul-binding. Which, it seems… may be of Titan origins. So it may well be more surprises like this one, or worse."

Caspis makes a low humming sound that seems to be in agreement with Anareline, due to the fact that he is standing next to her and it happens right after she spoke. Otherwise there is no sign that be is tuned in to the conversation at all.

Peixin sighs. "Well, I usually am one for surprises, but these Titan guys really had some poor taste ones."

“The point is to be ready for anything. There are few things in the world older, stranger, and more dangerous than wot’ the Titans have left behind,” Atley says.

Shun gives a single nod.

Atley raises his voice. “Take a moment to rest, you lot—but we’re not staying long. Weapons checked, eyes sharp. Healers hydrated. There are still stones left in this place to turn over.” He looks over to Lorewalker Cho after giving Anareline a firm nod of approval. “The Company is ready to finish this, Lorewalker.”

Caspis must be listening at least a little, as he absently sips from a leather waterskin.

Peixin points briefly at Caspis and nods. She's counting the hydrated healers, that is another. Everyone else can be as dry as a piece of parchment, this is not part of her job to check.

Atley marches over to Peixin with an expression resembling gruff approval. “And well done, you. Wot’ do you make of your first Company mission?” he asks, gauntlets resting on his hips.

"So, it's kind of insane what we're doing here, fighting remnants of an ancient, technologically advanced people, with potentially deadly consequences," Peixin says, raising her eyebrows. "So overall, good, it's enjoyable. I can see why you got the newbie on that one!" She beams.

Atley nods and pats her briefly on the shoulder. “Aye,” he says with some gruff amusement. “Throw them in the deep end and see how they swim.” He gives her a stern nod and takes his hand away. “Stay sharp.”

Peixin grabs the tie around her ponytail with one hand, removes one of the long hairpins in there, and reattaches it head down. Now the sharp side is up. She obeys orders very well. She gives Dane a thumbs up.

Atley grunts and looks to the others.

Anareline glances to Caspis, confirming he is hydrating, and nods back to Atley.

Shine just watches the two warriors impassively. He is ready, that's his ready face. He is always sharp. (It's knives.)

Shun grunts.

Colson stays hydrated.

Peixin points at Colson and nods again. All healers are hydrated and accounted for.

Lorewalker Cho looks to the others, and then nods when he sees all are ready. “We must go. We are not done yet. We must still find the Will of the Emperor.”

The team heads back to the hallway that was once full of mogu and jinyu spirits, now blessedly cleared. The Vaults are quiet now, as the team makes their way to the door that opened when Elegon was defeated.

Will of the Emperor

In the final room is the deepest secret of the mogu. A gallery of dimly-lit purple alcoves, each with a stone warrior, stretches beyond sight above a room with a circular engraved platform.

On the raised platform above the room, where the team enters, a titan console is placed where one could oversee what happens below.

“Astounding! An actual, functional Mogu construct machine,” Lorewalker Cho enthuses, and turns to Shine and Gwenivene. “This is clearly what they were after – the books, the mural, the experiments with spirit-binding…”

"Oooooh!" Peixin says looking at the machine. "Great! How do we break it so we cut their desire to reactivate it in the bud definitively?"

Atley follows along warily, square jaw set in determination. His gaze takes in the strange, ancient design of the mogu vaults as if observing remnants of a culture from another planet.

His eyes narrow slightly, lips parting guardedly as he looks alllll the way up at the countless rows of stone mogu warriors, before his attention falls to the central platform.

“I can think of a way or two,” he growls wryly, side-eyeing Peixin and Lorewalker Cho as Thunderfury ‘idly’ crackles. “Some, more elegant than others. Have we got any ideas?”

Peixin looks to Shine. He seems to be the machine guy.

Caspis follows, but only in the literal sense. He is not following any of this.

Shine stands to one side and surveys the alcoves, alert and wary. He might be counting them.

“I agree that you must destroy it. Here, now, before any harm can come to Pandaria,” Lorewalker Cho says resolutely. “My advice is to turn the machine on, and I will lock the door behind you. Then, you can break whatever comes out of it. May the Great Crane guide your steps.”

Peixin raises a finger, ready to protest. She ends up shrugging and grabbing her daggers.

Shine looks askance at Cho.

"Can't you just close the door?" Estel asks.

"I didn't realize the Lorewalker was so interested in trapping our spirits here for thousands of years," Almeiria says, smiling sweetly. "Don't worry, Cho, dear, if I become trapped as a spirit, I will be sure to plan my vengeance accordingly."

"I guess if we face whatever that machine does, we'll know more about it if we stumble upon another even just slightly similar machine in the future…" Peixin tilts her head, biting her lower lip gently. "If such a thing exists."

"I will not let you become trapped," Caspis says to Almeiria in a low, gentle voice.

Atley raises a hand to the others and eyes Lorewalker Cho for a moment. “Your wisdom’s gotten us this far,” he says, glancing briefly at Anareline. “I’ll not begin to doubt you now.” He turns and points at the door. “We’ll need it locked—not just shut. If we’re overwhelmed, that buys Cho time to warn Pandaria… and keeps anything else from getting in our way.”

Atley’s gaze sweeps the group. “We’ve cut through the Zandalari. There may be more coming. Perhaps even Lei Shen himself.” He points to the ground. “We turn the machine on. We kill whatever comes out. Then we break it—permanently.”

Shun grunts.

Caspis nods absently.

Anareline nods faintly to Atley — she's ready to see this through.

"I'm not trying to trap you," Lorewalker Cho says earnestly. "Just whatever might come out of that machine. I will trust you to handle it, and I'll be here to open the door when it's broken." Lorewalker Cho gives a last, encouraging smile before he heads out of the chamber.

"Let's turn this on, then?" Anareline says, drawing a breath and looking at Dane.

Atley looks at Anareline and nods. “Split up. Half with Anareline, half with me. Everyone on the platform.” He draws Thunderfury and his shield, descending the stairs.

Anareline nods, and gestures to her half of the team, descending the stairs on the other side and drawing her sword as she waits warily to see what happens.

Caspis is definitely in Anareline's half of the team. He autofollows.

Shun nods once, moving to join Atley.

Colson sets himself with Dane's squad, though he's careful to attempt to keep everyone in his direct line of sight.

When the machine is activated, energy begins to light in the alcoves ranging up the walls.

A mechanical voice says, “The Emperor's Rage echoes through the hills.”

Two statues spring to life, and begin walking as if they have a clear destination.

Then, the mechanical voice says, "The Emperor's Strength grips this land with fists of iron.”

A larger statue leaps down, looking for who to attack.

Finally, the mechanical voice says, “The Emperor's Courage burns everlasting.”

A statue leaps down, raising a shield of shimmering energy, and begins walking resolutely towards Sir Atley.

Anareline stares around at the various statues coming to life, and then charges for the Strength.

Estel finds a central spot to stand to blast statues with Shadow.

Atley slowly looks around as the booming, ominous growl of a voice fills the chamber. He gives Thunderfury an idle spin and raises his shield, knees bending in readiness. He spots the Emperor’s Courage statue and raises Thunderfury, launching a thunderbolt at it [Heroic Throw]. After observing the effect, or lack thereof, he takes a few steps backwards. “Priority! Destroy that one!”

Shine is across the floor in a swoop of shadow, and reappears behind that one.

Shun similarly appears behind the priority target to start stabbing.

The familiar evergreen scent of Caspis's healing magic tinges the air, soft green light swirling and eddying around those near him.

As the Emperor's Rage, Strength and Courage fall, two new, and much larger constructs, leap down onto the floor. More smaller statues in familiar styles of rage, courage, and strength begin to be animated as well.

Anareline shoots a look at Dane, and then shouts at the one nearest to her, drawing it away from the casters and healers.

Atley glances over at Anareline simultaneously and looks to the one nearest to him, banging on his shield with Thunderfury. “Come on, then!” he says, back pedaling to draw it away.

The giant statue fighting Atley raises his sword, beginning a devastating combo of strikes against the knight.

Atley retracts his head and glares up at the statue, jaw setting as he takes in the movements of his foe. He doesn’t bother trying to deflect any of the blows, instead electing to leap out of the way of certain death. Once the combo’s complete, Thunderfury crackles and hums with pent up energy, and Atley unleashes it on the giant statue.

At the same time, across the room, the other statue raises its weapon, focused and honed in on Anareline, and begins its own merciless and increasing combo against her.

Anareline barely dodges the first strike, and then falls into the rhythm, dodging each of the deadly attacks. She springs back as the giant stomps it's foot, and then uses the momentum for a vicious retaliation.

With the heavy attacks coming in, Shun is forced to do a lot of shadowstepping to avoid getting bisected. He's partially successful.

Caspis takes a moment to gather focus from what little nature is around him and use that to send a single targeted instant wave of healing at his shalan, one that eases the pain of her wounds, feels like a fresh sylvan breeze, and also somehow feels very specifically like CaspisLove. He then returns to his general rhythm of creating healing Areas for people to stand in.

As the fight goes on, two more hulking mogu statues lurch towards Atley. He turns just in time to block one strike with his shield. Just as the deafening crack! fills the chamber, the third statue is on him, and then the larger of the three constructs.

Atley lasts as long as he can, teeth gritting as his body is rattled by the blows. He’s forced to one knee, his leg slamming into the ground, and stubbornly keeps his shield raised even as he’s rapidly overwhelmed, only occasionally managing to riposte with Thunderfury.

Caspis says, "Shan'var…" in a tone of distress, and sprints forward to put him in range of a rapid fire surge heal, then a regeneration spell. The smell is like running facefirst into a Winter Veil tree.

Caspis' heal buys time as Colson shields himself with the Light, sprinting forward even faster than his own true speed as a golden streak of a paladin, until he races directly into the fray to lay a hand directly on Dane's shoulder pauldron.

The Light surges into Dane, with the strength of all Colson is and has, a blessing of an echo of his own life and power.

And then Colson moves away, out of the range of the next blow, as his shield holds around the healer.

With a breathless Darnassian thank-you to Colson, Caspis retreats to his Safe Place. For a given definition of "safe" in a chaotic battle.

Invigorated beyond the strength of ordinary mortal limits by the swift and skillful rejuvenation of his healers, Atley suddenly stands and ripostes again, smoothly severing one of the statue's arms with a brief flash and squeal of enchanted elementium against ancient stone. The stone limb and weapon fall to the ground with a clatter, followed shortly thereafter by their wielder once Thunderfury punches a hole through its chest.

"Bring them down!" Atley battle shouts.

Estel brings them down. Well, she helps. With magic, mostly, from a safe distance.

Shine also brings them down, with swift and nimble knifing.

Bun does absolutely nothing but he does it valiantly.

Anareline continues her attack on her own giant statue target with a relentless, patient grace. It's time to bring them down.

It isn't much longer before the statues crumble and fall, and finally the machine calls in no reinforcements. The machine seems to have been disabled.

Silence fills the chamber, and then the silence is broken by the clank of a lock and the opening of a door. Lorewalker Cho peeks in, and then a smile lights his face when he sees the Cobalt team. He pushes the door open and rushes over to the console.

“It is done then. Yet…how many of these machines are hidden beneath the earth? How much do we not know about the dark secrets of the mogu?” Lorewalker Cho's smile fades. “I fear that our war against our ancient enemies is still far from over. It is good that we have such friends to stand by our side.”

Caspis bows deeply.

Estel seems to relax somewhat when the door opens, and she waves to Cho.

Colson drinks another entire bottle of water, before he politely inclines his head to Lorewalker Cho.

Shine sheathes his knives and picks Bun up. Bun looks majestic. Hero!

Shun lets out a breath.

Atley straightens and nods a few times, frowning out the corner of his mouth as he tongues his cheek and inspects his comrades.

He waggles Thunderfury, waving away dust residue on his sword, before he shoulders it and his shield. Walking over Lorewalker Cho, he firmly clasps the pandaren on the shoulder before raising his voice, addressing everyone present. "Aye. We've still a long road ahead of us. Someday, Cobalt Company may meet its match, indeed… — but it's not bloody today!" he booms.

Caspis salutes Atley with deep respect, his eyes shining with obvious love.

Anareline steps over to Caspis's side and smiles quietly.