(2026-04-13) Relics and Rivals: The Cipher (Cobalt Blade)

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	The Cobalt Blade (Arthur, Tadget, Thalstan, Vesyllah, and Zaara) heads down into the Nerubian underground kingdom in pursuit of a cipher stone of importance for archival military intelligence for the 7th Legion. They are not the only ones after it -- the Greymark Crew makes an appearance! ~2800 words.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: The Cobalt Blade

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spiders

The Cobalt Blade descends into the tunnels of the underground kingdom in the Dragonblight.

Thalstan peers down the nerubian tunnel doubtfully. "Well, here we are. Looks dark in there."

[Tadget]: Remind me what the deal is. I had a weird week.

[Thalstan]: We're after an intelligence asset — nothing too flashy this time, just a cipher.

[Tadget]: Mkay. So we just murder what's between us and the cipher. That's not too confusing. Got it.

Vesyllah stares at the Nerubian with a kind of quiet awe.

[Thalstan]: Aye, that's the simplest way to put it. Seems like the Nerubians kept careful notes on Scourge movements, but encrypted. What I got from the 7th is, this is of historical significance. With the cipher they can see a lot of what happened between the Scourge and the Nerubians.

[Zaara]: Ooooh.

[Vesyllah]: Cool.

[Tadget]: Apparently the nerubians were like, people, before the Scourge got 'em. Gross people, but… people.

Thalstan nods. "Aye. People who kept records. Unfortunately, the Scourge took this whole area of the underground kingdom. Now it's just full of… mindless… undead… spiders in the dark.”

[Arthur]: Sounds homey!

Tadget giggles at Arthur.

[Arthur]: Okay, not really.

Tadget gently pats Arthur.

[Thalstan]: Zaara we might need ye to feel air currents or whatnot in here, feel our way through.

[Tadget]: I think *you're* pretty gross, Vengeance.

[Vesyllah]: Thanks.

The team is attacked by a cluster of undead spiders.

[Thalstan]: Right so, definitely some undead spiders in here.

[Tadget]: Yep.

[Thalstan]: Looks like some kinda gate ahead… guarded.

[Arthur]: Very.

The team fights their way through the spiders in front of the gate.

[Thalstan]: One more ahead. A big one.

The big one falls, just the same.

[Thalstan]: Maybe through this tunnel here?

Vesyllah stares up at the spidery architecture. "This place is incredible."

[Tadget]: Seems like the kind of place you'd like to live in, Vengeance.

[Vesyllah]: Hell yes.

Thalstan looks warily back at the gate.
[Thalstan]: Let's keep an eye on where we've come from, so we can get out…

[Zaara]: Except me!

Tadget gently pats Zaara.

[Thalstan]: Aye, you keep an ear out, Zaara. Or maybe an elemental sense.

Thalstan walks a touch nervously on a narrow bridge above a whole lotta spiderwebs.

Tadget seems cool with the bridge.

[Thalstan]: Reckon we'll have to fight our way through…

Tadget steps nimbly over the spider?webs.

[Vesyllah]: Elune, smite this Anub'ar Crusher with your punishing light!

The crusher is crushed, but more keep arriving!

[Thalstan]: They just keep coming!

The fight goes on and on, and then a massive spider comes up the corridor and attacks.

[Thalstan]: Oh… a big one…

[Tadget]: Whooooa.

The Cobalt Blade is victorious!

Thalstan pauses, wiping his forehead. "I think that's all of them. At least for th' moment."

There's the sound of skittering in the distance, and then the sound of steel on chitin.

Arthur eyes the long staircases. "Do those look reassuringly dusty to you?"

Tadget giggles at Arthur.
[Tadget]: Want me to check em out?

[Thalstan]: Aye, hopefully no one comin' down those.

[Arthur]: Yes!

Tadget sneaks up the dusty long staircase.

[Tadget]: Ain't nobody gettin' down those.

[Arthur]: Nothing has come through that in a while.

Tadget nods at Arthur.

[Thalstan]: That's good to know.

[Zaara]: Something sounds bad.

Thalstan looks at Zaara. "More spiders coming?"

[Zaara]: Yes. Well, yes, more spiders every place. More… nerub— oh. What…?
Zaara tilts her head sharply.

[Thalstan]: What is it, Zaara?

[Tadget]: You hear something Booty?

[Zaara]: There is a shaman? The elements are being drawn…

[Tadget]: That seems… weird.

[Zaara]: Yes. Weird.

[Tadget]: There aren't any undead shamans are there? Or … nerubian shamans?

[Zaara]: … oh. Wait.

[Tadget]: Or… spider shamans?

[Arthur]: Noooo. Don't say undead shamans.

Tadget giggles at Arthur.

[Arthur]: Or spider shamans!

[Zaara]: No, it is stopped. Gone now.
Zaara frowns.

[Tadget]: Okaaaaaaay.

[Zaara]: It was here, I know. The elements still echo… but no more.

As the team heads down the winding tunnel, they see off to the side, a conflict in progress.

Tadget slips into the shadows to observe.

There's a dwarf, fallen senseless on the ground, nothing visible of his face but a bushy red beard. Standing over him, with daggers brandished, is a black-furred female worgen.

[Arthur]: Oh…
Arthur points.

In front of both, trying to fend off another rush of mindless nerubians, is a stocky human man with grey-streaked hair. It looks like they might be overrun.

[Tadget]: Uhhhh.

[Arthur]: I think that's the competition.

Thalstan draws up short, and says quietly, "Ye think that's them? Hm… they're already one down, and that… could that ha' been the shaman?"

[Arthur]: Overrun by undead spiders!

[Tadget]: Should we help or just… get popcorn?

[Arthur]: And they're having a time. We should… We should help.

Tadget looks to Thalstan.

[Zaara]: There is popcorn?

[Tadget]: Metaphorical popcorn. But I can make you some real popcorn later, Booty, if you like popcorn.

Vesyllah sighs. "We should help…and interrogate them after."

[Zaara]: I think I like popcorn! I don't know. Is who the shama— oh, one is dead. We should help!

Arthur nods at Vesyllah.

[Thalstan]: All in favor? Say now if ye disagree, because if we don't act soon…

Thalstan takes that as agreement, and he rushes in to fight the nerubians by the human's side. The man looks over at Thalstan in surprise and suspicion, but then gives a brief nod. "Let's get em!"

"GET EM!" shouts Zaara, and begins… channeling healing energy around. Getting 'em is not so much her job.

Tadget gets 'em.

The black-furred worgen eyes Vesyllah's black garb, and then Tadget's daggers. Then, she vanishes into the shadows. She slips into visibility here and there among the Nerubians, stabbing.

Arthur blinks ahead and hurls frostbolts at spiders. "Mind your back!"

The human flinches at the sudden frostbolts, but then seems to realize they aren't aimed at him. He minds his back.

Tadget does some extra showy moves to impress the competition. Flips n $#!t.

The worgen narrows her lupine eyes at the gnome.

Arthur 's water elemental follows Arthur's lead, freezing spiders in their tracks.

Vesyllah murmurs prayers to the Night Warrior, conjuring up tendrils of shadow to strangle the enemy.

Cleansing rain washes over the group gently, settling and soaking in and leaving nothing actually damp, only feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Between the seven of them, the nerubians are soon handily defeated. What looked like certain death is now a victory. When the last one falls, the worgen slips quickly back to the downed dwarf's side. "The spiders got him… he should have some jumper cables around here somewhere…" She sounds a little panicked.

[Arthur]: Here.
Arthur has a set, of course.

[Zaara]: Oh, I am not jumper cables. Wait.

Tadget mutters, "I'd jump 'er cables…"

[Arthur]: Oh, Zaara should. She's really good.

The worgen reaches out for them, but also seems to not have any idea how to use jumper cables. She looks to Zaara instead. "You're… you're a healer?"

Vesyllah steps defensively to Zaara's side when the worgen asks if she's a healer. Just in case.

Zaara goes down on one knee beside the dwarf's corpse. She hums a little and lays her hands on him, and a mist swirls briefly in the air. Zaara sits back expectantly. "I am the best healer, yes."
"You get up now," she tells the dead dwarf.

[Tadget]: Are we seriously helping these jerks? I mean, showing them how it's done in terms of stabbing and stuff, that's one thing. But bringing them back to LIFE? Sigh.
Tadget said sigh.

The dwarf takes a sudden quick breath, and flails his arms and legs. Then he sits up. Between his sturdy metal helm and massive beard, his face is still not visible.

Vesyllah shrugs at Tadget. "Can't get answers from a corpse."

[Tadget]: Okay fiiiiiiiine.

"Len!" the worgen says, and almost hugs him. Then she doesn't. Suddenly, all her worry melts into cold disdain. "That is, I knew you'd come back."

[Tadget]: Oh my god, Ves, it's like… you but furry.

The human eyes the team warily. "You must be the Cobalt Blade, then?"

[Tadget]: The one and only. No autographs today, sorry.

Arthur only cracks a bit of a smile. "That's us."

Len mumbles something in dwarvish, and then says, "Thank ye, kindly. Did no' see that bug. Or dozen bugs. Felt like a dozen."

[Zaara]: COBOLT! BLADE!

Vesyllah rolls her eyes at Tadget's comparison to the worgen. "Ugh."

Zaara rises to her hooves again so she can strike the poster pose.

Tadget does her poster pose too.

[Thalstan]: You all… must be the Greymark Crew?

[Arthur]: I've seen some of your work! Speedy.

The worgen rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes, you're all very impressive. I'm Sable."

[Tadget]: I especially liked the part where you fled in terror. We killed that guy, by the way. The one you ran from leaving a little pee trail.

The human man narrows his eyes at Tadget, and says, "Strategic retreat. Of course, you'd taken the artifact by the time we regrouped."

[Tadget]: Strategic pee trail.

[Zaara]: I do not remember the pee trail.

Tadget shushes Zaara.

"Did I make a mess?" Len asks, still a little befuddled.

The human says, "I'm Harsk Greymark, by the way." He doesn't offer a hand to shake.

[Tadget]: We require no introduction.

[Thalstan]: Aye, I expect ye know us.

Harsk nods. "Of course. And we appreciate the help here. But…"

[Vesyllah]: So, spill it. What are you doing here?

[Zaara]: But you must go away now and let us work?

Tadget taps her nose and points to Zaara, which isn't very helpful to Zaara.

[Arthur]: We're going to keep this cheery, right?

Sable sighs. "We would've handled it, if you hadn’t come by. We're after the cipher, obviously. Same as you, I imagine."

[Tadget]: I will cheerfully drop kick their butts right back down the tunnel the way they came.

Harsk holds up a hand. "Look, we don't know exactly where it is. There's no reason for us to fight each other, though, when there's so many spiders to fight."

[Vesyllah]: That really depends. Why are you after the cipher?

[Tadget]: It doesn't matter. We were ordered to get it, we're gettin' it.

[Arthur]: What do you want this chai thingy, anyway?

Harsk turns to Vesyllah. "It's just a job. That's what we do. Salvage team."

[Zaara]: A savage team!

[Tadget]: Who do you work for?

[Thalstan]: It's our job, too. Except we're hired by the 7th Legion. I doubt they hired you.

Harsk waves a hand dismissively. "My clients usually count on discretion, you understand."

[Tadget]: We're serving the interests of the Alliance. Which is kind of more important than whatever shady business you're into.

[Thalstan]: How about let's just part ways here, and whoever finds the cipher first is welcome to it?

[Zaara]: Do they count on the 7th Legion? Because they should count on the 7th Legion soon I think.
[Zaara]: That will be indiscreet.

Tadget grins and pats Zaara.

Vesyllah arches an eyebrow at Thalstan.

Harsk shrugs. "I think they know they're racing against the 7th. We have a pretty good track record, if you ask around in Booty Bay. I admit we're not usually racing Alliance military."

[Tadget]: I'm not above a little friendly competition, but somehow I think the 7th Legion might be a bit annoyed if we just tell them "good luck and may the best gnome win."

[Zaara]: We have the best gnome.

[Tadget]: Damn straight.
[Tadget]: Well… not *that* straight.

[Thalstan]: What d'ye propose, Mayhem? We save 'em and then kill 'em?

Len turns towards Thalstan. "Who's killing what?"

[Tadget]: I propose we send them packing.
[Tadget]: We don't kill em unless they keep trying to take what's the soon to be property of the 7th Legion.

Harsk sighs, and sheathes his sword. Some of his armor might look familiar to those who know of Lordaeron, though all insignia are stripped off of them. "It's a big underground kingdom. We'll stay out of your way."

[Vesyllah]: I'm with Tadget. They can go, but if they do get in our way…well, we have a mission to complete.

[Zaara]: I brought that one back from the dead. It took me very long and was very difficult. Do not waste it!
It did not take very long nor was it very difficult. Everyone was right here, Zaara.

[Tadget]: Yeah. Just get outta here. And feel lucky the Cobalt Blade saved your hides.

Len nods agreeably. "Right, miss. I know I'm difficult sometimes. Thanks for the hand up for my soul and all."

[Tadget]: Aww, isn't he sweet? Like a cut-rate Thalstan.

Zaara beams.

[Arthur]: We couldn't just leave you.

[Tadget]: Art couldn't, anyway.

Len smiles. Maybe. His big beard moves a fair amount, it's probably a smile.

Yes but does it rustle?

Thalstan smiles, and his beard rustles.

[Arthur]: And I don't want to fight you. That would make me sad.

[Tadget]: Art's a softie. I'm not though, so don't push your luck.

Harsk gives a brisk nod. "Understood. We'll just head to another sector for our search. Take care in here."

[Tadget]: That is NOT what I- ARGH.

[Zaara]: You as well!

[Arthur]: Good luck!

Zaara beams again.

Vesyllah squints suspiciously at them. "Uh huh."

Tadget mutters about definitely gonna kill them.

Sable casually picks at her claws with a dagger, watching the team suspiciously.

Arthur blesses them with Arcane wisdom, to help them continue to make correct decisions.

[Thalstan]: You all just head out. And keep in mind ye don't want to mess with the 7th Legion.

[Tadget]: YEAH.

The Greymark Crew groups back up, and heads off into the darkness of the nerubian underground kingdom.

[Tadget]: They did not listen to a damn word we said, did they.

Thalstan watches them head off, until he's sure they're out of earshot.

[Vesyllah]: We are definitely gonna have to kill them.

Arthur watches them go. "I sure would like to know what they're up to."

[Tadget]: Up to my dagger's hilt, in a minute.

[Thalstan]: Well. I did no' tell them our intel is that the cipher's just below here…

Tadget snickers at Thalstan.

[Thalstan]: That's why I was happy ta have them go off and search.

[Tadget]: Let's at least get it quick if we're not gonna kill 'em.

[Arthur]: Right!

[Thalstan]: I'd like ta know what they're up to, too, Art.

The team comes to the end of the tunnel. There’s a hole in the spiderweb floor, with a pool of water below. Far, far below.

[Thalstan]: Huh. If it's below here, that's a big fall.

[Vesyllah]: You want to levitate down?

[Arthur]: I have feathers.

[Zaara]: There is water underneath!

[Thalstan]: Feathers and water ought to cushion us?

[Tadget]: I'm good at falling long distances anyway. Lightweight and incredibly agile.

The team takes various strategies for jumping down to the little pool of water.

Tadget yells WHEEEEEEEEEEE as she falls.

Thalstan leaps and does a cannonball into the water below.

Arthur can't resist a few twists on the way down.

Vesyllah admires the architecture as she levitates down. "I need to hire a Nerubian decorator."

[Thalstan]: Really, Ves? Well… to each their own.

[Arthur]: Those long glowing string things….

At the bottom, the path continues, but at least it is ground now and not spiderwebs. Oh wait, the next bridge is spiderwebs again, never mind.

[Thalstan]: This looks like some kinda chamber of some sort. Might be a place they'd keep the cipher.

Tadget barely even vibrates the webs as she dances lightly over them.

[Thalstan]: Hm… might have to clear out this big one.

[Tadget]: Stabbers are ready.

[Arthur]: And no trace of our friends, either.

The room is cleared out.

[Thalstan]: Hopefully, they're off somewhere not gettin' the cipher and not gettin' themselves killed.

Thalstan searches around, and then finds a tablet with markings on it. "Look! I bet this is it. Just like they described."

[Tadget]: So we're two for two.

[Vesyllah]: Let's get it out of here before those amateurs try to steal it from us.

[Thalstan]: Aye, I agree. I don't know about that worgen lass. She seems the slippery sort.

[Vesyllah]: She was eyeballing me.

[Thalstan]: Let's get this back. And maybe… we ought to check into those folk. See if we can find out who they're workin' for.

[Tadget]: I think she was making note of your fashion choices to copy them.

[Zaara]: Yes!
It is not clear what Zaara is agreeing with.

[Arthur]: Good idea. I want to know what they're after, and why.

[Thalstan]: I am no' sure gnome fashion would look good on a worgen. Yer a special sort.

[Tadget]: I wanna know who's hiring them. I suspect Horde shenanigans since they keep going after stuff the Alliance wants.

Thalstan nods. "I bet we can track that down. After all, we're the Cobalt Blade."

[Zaara]: Shamanigans?!

Tadget giggles.

[Thalstan]: Alright, anyway, let's get outta here, friends.

[Zaara]: Okay!

Tadget cheers at Thalstan.