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| Details |
| Author: | Alli |
| Summary: | The Cobalt Blade (Arthur, Tadget, Thalstan, Vesyllah, and Zaara) venture into the memory of the Nexus Vault. Much training is had, and planning for the future. ~2k words |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Arc: The Cobalt Blade
Chain: ECHO
Thalstan materializes in the Nexus and looks around with gruff curiosity.
[Tadget]: Sup, nerds.
[Thalstan]: We're following in the memories of some high-up Cobalts this time. Sir Atley, Lady Cressidha, Lord Colson, Caspis of the Cenarion Circle, and Azizia of the draenei.
[Tadget]: Ooooooh.
[Tadget]: Fancy.
[Thalstan]: It's kind of interesting, thinking they'll all be lookin' at me like I'm Sir Atley. Right o'er my head.
Zaara laughs.
[Zaara]: Oh! Who am I?
Tadget giggles.
[Tadget]: Who was the healer?
[Thalstan]: Hm… likely Caspis Silvershade. He's the healing sort, aye? I think I read Lord Colson Aspenwood was retributin'.
[Tadget]: I guess that makes sense, as you're tall and super old. I'm Lady Cressidha, because I'm gorgeous and deadly.
[Zaara]: Yes!
[Zaara]: I am not super old! Only a few thousands!
Tadget giggles at Zaara.
[Vesyllah]: Hmm. Retribution. *Vesyllah nods in approval.*
[Thalstan]: You're Lord Colson then, Vesyllah, in this scenario.
[Vesyllah]: Whatever.
[Tadget]: That means Art is Azizia.
[Tadget]: She's pretty sexy, I guess that works.
Thalstan eyes Arthur. "An' Azizia's very fashionable. Maybe she'd like your style."
[Zaara]: Oh! Am I not — no, I am not Azizia.
Tadget giggles at Zaara.
Thalstan chuckles at Zaara. "Ye know her?"
Tadget tells Zaara NO. Not going to happen.
[Zaara]: Yes!
[Tadget]: They all know each other, Valor.
[Zaara]: All draenei know each other.
[Tadget]: See?
[Zaara]: When you meet a draenei you can ask, 'Do you know this person?' and they will say Yes!
Tadget giggles at you.
[Thalstan]: Wow, good ta know. Sometimes I have to correct people like, not all dwarves know each other… but that's mostly because some o' them range far out, like the Wildhammers and the Dark Irons.
[Tadget]: Imagine living in the same small town for ten thousand years. And you can't leave. It's like that.
[Vesyllah]: Yeah, that sounds like my childhood.
Tadget giggles at Vesyllah.
[Thalstan]: Ten thousand years… aye, that's a right long time.
[Thalstan]: Did ye know, I asked the Kirin Tor what's goin' on with the Nexus Vault these days?
[Tadget]: What'd they say?
[Thalstan]: All closed up again. Seems like Kalecgos left Dalaran, and he's out there keepin' it all locked up tight.
[Tadget]: Hmmm.
The team comes to a corridor full of frozen combatants of Horde races.
[Thalstan]: All these people are… frozen? I wonder why.
[Tadget]: Magic crap.
Tadget snickers.
[Thalstan]: Probably the answer to most things in this place.
When approached, the frozen people break free and attack. One of the combatants, a troll, tosses Tadget into the next group. For a little while, the team is absorbed in combat.
[Tadget]: Sorry. The troll tossed me onto another troll.
[Thalstan]: They do that.
[Tadget]: Awkward.
[Thalstan]: Ah, here's one o' the objectives! A book!
[Tadget]: Good job, team.
[Zaara]: Thank you! Also to you.
[Thalstan]: Let's see if the next few are so simple ta pick up.
The end of the corridor is ahead, and no more ice cube people.
[Thalstan]: Looks like that's it for icescapades.
Instead, it’s a corridor of mages in rich robes.
[Thalstan]: Reckon these were the mages who teamed up with the blues during the Nexus War. Because… they agreed with killin' all mortal mages? Seems a little against self-interest there.
[Zaara]: Why would they do this?
[Thalstan]: I've not the faintest.
[Vesyllah]: Morons.
[Zaara]: Oh.
[Tadget]: I gave up on understanding mages long ago. No offense, Trouble.
We might not understand them, but we can still fight memories of them.
Thalstan roars like a dragon at the mages.
One of the mages stands alone in a special chamber.
[Thalstan]: This looks like a special sort. Be ready for her tricks.
[Zaara]: I AM READY FOR YOUR TRICKS.
[Tadget]: My tricks are to stab her.
[Thalstan]: Good tricks.
The fight is quick. She splits into three at one point, but is speedily defeated.
[Zaara]: She had not so many tricks as I expected.
[Tadget]: Yeah, that was disappointingly easy.
[Thalstan]: Mostly just mirror image. The mirrors are more useful, I'd think, if you have them do somethin' impressive. Aye, Art?
[Arthur]: They're not really autonomous. You can tell them "cast this spell" and that's it.
Thalstan looks thoughtfully at Arthur and nods. "So you'd best tell them to cast something good."
[Vesyllah]: Why do the hot ones always have to be stupid or crazy?
Tadget laughs at Vesyllah.
[Zaara]: I am not stupid OR crazy.
[Tadget]: I'm not stupid.
[Thalstan]: Very true. I reckon there are exceptions.
[Vesyllah]: Zaara…we're all crazy, doing the !@#$ we do.
Tadget cackles maniacally at Vesyllah.
[Zaara]: No! We are neighbor heroes!
Vesyllah snorts.
Tadget hugs Zaara's leg.
The team comes out of the corridor into a massive cavern sparkling with arcane energy, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
[Tadget]: Oh this is fine.
[Thalstan]: Whoa… this is a right proper cave, this is.
[Zaara]: This does not feel like a proper cave.
[Thalstan]: Arcane cave.
[Tadget]: It is very improper.
“Arcave,” Vesyllah says quietly to herself.
Zaara laughs at Vesyllah.
Vesyllah acts like she didn't say anything.
Tadget pokes Vesyllah. Hey!
Vesyllah eyes Tadget up and down.
[Zaara]: That was so funny, Vengeance!
Tadget giggles at Vesyllah.
[Vesyllah]: What?
[Tadget]: Ow.
Thalstan looks over curiously. He missed something!
[Thalstan]: Must be in here somewhere, that Lady Cressidha did that interdimensional… rift… stuff.
Tadget starts randomly beatboxing to make things more exciting.
Thalstan bobs his head to the beat. He might break into some moves soon. Or maybe not.
[Tadget]: I liked Cressidha.
[Thalstan]: Liked…? Is she alright?
[Zaara]: Did something happen to Cressidha?
[Tadget]: I hardly sent her any spiders at all when I was the accountant.
[Tadget]: Oh I dunno.
[Tadget]: Haven't really kept up with that crowd.
[Thalstan]: Ah, ye mean as the accountant, ye liked her. Might still, should ye run into her?
[Tadget]: Sure, unless she's become undead or something.
[Thalstan]: Feel like we'd have heard if that happened.
[Tadget]: Yeah, seems like it would go in the newsletter.
Thalstan nods at Tadget.
[Vesyllah]: You read the newsletter?
Everyone does, Vesyllah! It’s the responsible thing to do!
[Tadget]: *Jo imitation* In other news, our beloved comrade Cressidha has decided to embark on a slightly less than alive path!
Zaara laughs.
Thalstan chuckles. “Glad we’ve not heard any news like that.”
[Thalstan]: Okay… big one up ahead. Let’s get it.
They defeat it.
[Tadget]: That thing certainly exhibited some anomalous behavior.
[Thalstan]: For sure. An' this is where they uh… stabilized things?
Tadget shrugs. Who knows?
[Tadget]: I"m pretty sure I'd not have understood any of it even if I'd been there.
[Tadget]: This place is an absolute death trap.
[Thalstan]: I wonder if it's still like this now? With all the random drops and stuff. Maybe the dragons don't think it's so scary.
[Vesyllah]: Probably not as concerned about sudden drops when you can fly.
[Tadget]: I kinda like random drops.
[Thalstan]: The thrill o' fallin?
[Tadget]: Yep.
[Tadget]: You get me.
[Tadget]: The best drops are the really rare ones. Like, the purple ones.
[Thalstan]: Purple? Like… void drops?
[Zaara]: What?
[Thalstan]: Shadow drops?
[Tadget]: Like in Outland.
[Thalstan]: Ah…. in Netherstorm?
[Tadget]: Yeah!
[Tadget]: I love Netherstorm.
[Thalstan]: Frightening place ta fall, with all the nether.
[Tadget]: Yeah.
[Tadget]: That's what makes it great.
[Tadget]: A regular drop, you know eventually you're gonna hit the ground, and that's predictable and boring.
[Tadget]: Out there in all that purple, you could end up landing on the bottom of a floating rock, upside down somewhere.
[Thalstan]: I suppose chaos is the whole thing, aye, with the twisting nether.
[Tadget]: Love it.
[Tadget]: Maybe I shoulda been a warlock.
[Thalstan]: Uh… I'm glad yer a rogue.
[Thalstan]: Great at th' stabbing.
[Tadget]: Might've considered it if I hadn't hated my warlock brother so much.
[Tadget]: Did you know I had a warlock brother?
[Arthur]: I didn't!
[Zaara]: No!
[Thalstan]: I… cannae recall if it's come up before. Likely no?
[Tadget]: He was the worst.
[Tadget]: His name was Timmet. Timmet Grimblast.
[Thalstan]: Some warlocks aren't half bad. So I reckon some of 'em are three-halves bad to make up for it.
[Tadget]: Yeah he was like… five halves.
[Thalstan]: Wow. That's a lot o’ bad
[Vesyllah]: So he's dead?
[Tadget]: He was the kind of guy who, if they ask for questions at the end of a big presentation he'd be all, "This is more of a comment, really…"
Thalstan gasps. He didn't imagine that bad.
[Zaara]: Was he an orc?
[Tadget]: Pretty much.
[Tadget]: Oh and yeah, he's super dead.
Thalstan eyes the giant elemental creature ahead. "I think our path is past this fella."
[Tadget]: I have now outlived MY ENTIRE FAMILY, AHAHAHAHAHA.
[Thalstan]: I'd say sorry fer yer loss, but, uh… congratulations on yer outlivin'?
[Tadget]: I'm superior.
[Thalstan]: Let's fight this fella.
[Vesyllah]: Huh…so have I… *Ves says this like she's just realized it.*
[Tadget]: 'kay.
Thalstan looks over at Vesyllah, rustling his mustache in concern.
The big rocky guy is defeated. While fighting, Arthur’s mirror images agitate the nearby killer plants, which attempt to eat Zaara. They are then also defeated.
[Tadget]: He wasn't much of a conversationalist, this guy.
[Tadget]: NO!! BLEEED! AAAGH!
Arthur is deeply annoyed. "Like I said, mirror image splits aren't smart."
Tadget giggles at Arthur.
[Thalstan]: Oh, aye? What happened?
[Tadget]: It's okay Art, they sure are pretty.
[Tadget]: When they look that good, they don't have to *know* anything.
[Arthur]: I cast the spell, and they took off behind me to go pick on some walking plants.
Tadget giggles at Arthur.
[Tadget]: It's like having kids. Poor Trouble.
[Thalstan]: Ahhh, that's where they all came from. I just thought we were too attractive, an' they came rushin' over.
[Tadget]: That happens too.
[Thalstan]: I think this is the tunnel the last team took…
[Thalstan]: Kind of a shortcut?
They go up the little tunnel and drop down.
[Arthur]: It would be really soothing, if everything in here wasn't trying to kill us.
[Thalstan]: Aye, the nice blue color an gentle lights. And, ye know, murderous trees.
[Thalstan]: So, how d'ye feel about dark caverns an' giant spiders, by the way?
[Tadget]: Love em.
[Vesyllah]: I love spiders. Caverns? Whatever.
[Thalstan]: That's good news, cause I've had some early intel that our next artifact's gonna be in the Nerubian kingdom somewhere.
[Tadget]: NO WAY.
[Tadget]: I ALWAYS WANTED TO GO THERE.
Tadget cheers at you.
[Thalstan]: Yes way. We're gonna go visit the undead Nerubians!
Tadget cheers at you.
Vesyllah actually looks a little excited. "Really?"
[Thalstan]: Aye. They've just got ta figure out where the thing is. Apparently that underground kingdom is pretty extensive.
A frozen dragon is ahead.
[Thalstan]: Ready ta fight a dragon?
Tadget cheers at you.
The dragon is defeated.
[Thalstan]: There we go! I think that's the final objective. They';ll give us good marks on this one. Followin' in good footsteps.
[Tadget]: Weird that we know a lot of the people whose memories built this thing.
[Thalstan]: It is, isn't it? But also kind of inneresting. We learn more about what they've been through.
[Tadget]: I guess.
Tadget yawns sleepily.
[Tadget]: Anyway that's our perfect score and whatever. See ya next time.
[Thalstan]: Next time we meet up, it'll be for spiders and tunnels.
Tadget cheers!
[Zaara]: COBOLT! BLADE!
[Arthur]: That will be fun!
[Tadget]: COBOLT! BLADE!
Vesyllah actually smiles…a little.
Tadget hugs Vesyllah.
[Tadget]: Okaybye
The team vanishes.