(2026-04-14) Echoes of Blackrock Depths

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	Aelowen, Glyphe, Natlee, Nil and Stelianna head into the memories of the Blackrock Depths, courtesy of the Kirin Tor illusory training facility. They face many challenges in the illusion, but one problem that arises is very real. ~4900 words.
Rating:	T for Teen

Chain: ECHO

Stelianna materializes in the dark volcano tunnel and squeaks a little with excitement. Then she tries to chill and looks around to see who might be on the team.

Glyphe looks around. "Wow!" She does not look chill. She is not trying to look chill.

"Oooooh," says the angelic-looking gnome. "This looks super real."

Appearing in the illusory Blackrock Depths are a teenage boy and a figure wearing a bedsheet like a tall Hallow's End ghost… with a wicker basket worn over her head.

Natlee stares at the basket-ghost. "What the actual?"

"Oh my light there's a gnome! Two gnomes!" Stella says excitedly, then she turns, and says, "And a… a.. Ghost?"

The boy sighs heavily. "Ignore her, please."

A lavender-skinned night elf woman takes in the illusory surroundings with an air of awe. "How very remarkable. Such detail."

"I'm Glyphe and that's my best friend, Natlee," Glyphe says. She peers at the ghost and basket, then shrugs and proceeds to ignore her, as requested.

"I would be more than happy to ignore… whatever is going on there," Natlee says with a flip of her ponytail.

"Oh, uh… okay," Stella stares at the sheet and basket for a moment longer until she's distracted by introductions.

Natlee puts an arm around Glyphe and SQUEZES.

Glyphe is squoze.

"I have to ask about your comfort with healthstones and soulstones," the boy says. "Is anyone opposed or uncertain what they do?"

"I'm Stella," Stelianna says. "I'm a paladin. Very tough, so we'll totally be safe in here. And um… stones? For healthy… souls?"

[Natlee]: "Oh right, um, I'm Natlee Spatterspark! Priestess of the Light. Cobalt Company. And I'm good with all the warlock stuff."

"I make mana stones. And brownies! Anyone want a brownie?" Glyphe asks. "I can't make mana stones for other people, tho." She looks dejected. The boy has a better trick than she does.

"Oh, warlock, that means…" Stella glances at the sheet, and then remembers she's ignoring it. "Sure, you're a good one, I'm sure, seeing as you're here.” To Glyphe, she adds, “I do like brownies, too."

The boy straightens to his maximum 5'8" height, which is still taller than the gnomes. "I'm here representing W.E.B., the Warlock Ethics Bureau. You can call me Nil."

"I totally shouldn't, but I guess I can have a brownie or three." Natlee smooths her robe. "Hi Nil, you can call me Nat."

The night elf lifts her chin slightly. "I am Aelowen Lure'luve, a pyromancer of Shen'dralar." She squints slightly at the young warlock.

Glyphe beams and hands a pile of brownies, far more than requested, to Natlee.

Nil side-eyes the brownies. He doesn't ask for one. Does he want one?

"Pleased to meet you, Nil, Glyphe, Nat, and… Aelowen" Stella stares at the pretty lavender-skinned lady. "You look almost like a flower."

Aelowen graces Stella with a softly glowing smile at her comparison to a flower.

"Oh! Before we get started I have some EXTREMELY IMPORTANT news," says Natlee.

"You probably all know the famous Jocoza Sparkwire, right? Leader of Cobalt Company?" Natlee waits for awed reactions.

Glyphe is awed.

Aelowen moves to where she can be better seen by all, a floating lantern following her. She shakes her head at Natlee. "I do not."

"Yeah, the captain, right?" Stella says. "She's a gnome, too."

"I've heard of her," Nil says last.

Natlee looks aghast at Aelowen, but then continues undeterred. "Anyway she just had TWINS. Babies. My half brother and half sister, incidentally. My dad is their dad."

Nil is trying not to stare at Aelowen, which results in him mostly staring at the brownies instead.

"What are their middle names?" Glyphe asks. She seems a trifle wary. Odd, that.

"Congratulations," Nil says politely.

Natlee flushes. Odd, that, also. "Um, Rix and Tula," she says. "After Jo's partners who died in the whole… Gnomeregan… thing."

Stella claps her hands. "That's amazing! And you're like Cobalt royalty!" Stella looks at Glyphe curiously.

"I see. I suppose congratulations are in order." Aelowen says.

Glyphe beams and hugs Natlee a lot.

The basket-headed sheet ghost stands there conspicuously. She remains silent.

"I am, I am completely Cobalt royalty," Natlee says. "But I won't let it go to my head, I'm still humble enough to heal everyone. Let's do this thing."

Glyphe wrinkles her nose. "It even smells real in here."

"Right? Weird." Natlee also nose-wrinkles.

"Royalty? In a company?" Aelowen tilts her head in idle curiosity.

"I'll explain Cobalt Company to you later, Ms. Elf," says Natlee. "It's a whole thing."

Aelowen gifts Natlee with a grateful smile. "Thank you. My, those fabrics. They seem quite fine. Where did you acquire them?"

Glyphe looks up at Aelowen… and up and up.

"Cobalt was here a lot I think," Stella says. "I bet this is like an amalga… an am… a combination of all of them."

"Miss Nat, if you're our healer, may I protect your soul with this stone?" Nil asks, holding up a purple gem. It's very pretty.

[Natlee]: "Sure thing Nil! Protect away."

Nil nods and does so.

"This is awesome," Stella says quietly. "Gnomes and a kaldorei and a warlock."

"I like your lamp," Glyphe tells Aelowen. "It looks like you always have a good idea."

Aelowen blinks at Glyphe in confusion. "I generally do, yes."

Nil looks admiringly at the lamp and doesn't say anything.

Glyphe smiles happily.

As they fight, the sheet-ghost follows Nil and doesn't do anything more than that.

Stella gets to work, smashing memories of dungeon denizens with the Light, and then looks up ahead. "Hey look, I think it's a checkpoint person!"

"Oh my gosh, is that the guy we're supposed to rescue? I love that they do these little… quest things. It's so like, immersive," Natlee says approvingly.

"Yeah, isn't it neat?" Stella enthuses. "Just like really being there."

The lamp flares brighter as Aelowen casts, and she even occasionally draws a tongue of flame directly from it. Her fire magic twists into knotwork and other fanciful shapes.

Stella is briefly distracted by a cool fire knotwork, and gets hit by a spell.

"It's also nice to have a real healing challenge," Natlee says, dispelling a nasty spell from Stelianna.

Glpyhe watches Aelowen's lantern more enviously now.

"Yikes, I better pay attention," Stella says. "I think they made the pain realistic in here, too."

"Supposedly it's motivational," says Natlee.

Nil nods silently.

"It's supposed to be in sparring, too, I guess," Stella says.

"You gnomes seem to know a lot about this simulation," Aelowen says. "Have you experienced it before?"

"This is my first time!" Glyphe says, excited.

"Gnomes are big readers," Natlee explains. "My first time too."

"Aelowen, Nil, is it your first time, too?" Stella asks.

There's a pause. "Yes," Nil admits. He might have been considering lying about it.

"It is," Aelowen confirms. "It was recommended to me as a way to experience your modern Azeroth."

"I've been here before," Stella says, and then pauses. "Well, not here here, but in the ECHO thing. It's really neat, like a game. But a game of other peoples' memories."

"It's actually a huge compliment that they put so many of us in a TIER 5 our first time," Natlee says. "Wait, are you a time traveler or something??" Natlee stares at Aelowen.

"Ohhhh," Glyphe says to Aelowen. "You must be one of the really old elves."

"Ugggggh like whatsisname." Natlee does not seem a fan of whatsisname.

Stella gasps at that revelation. "Were you around when the world was made?"

Aelowen arches an eyebrow at 'really old'. "When the world was made? Eh…no."

"Oh, right, I guess that was… a really long time ago," Stella blushes. "Almost all of history is older than I am."

There's a snicker from underneath the wicker basket. Nil turns and hisses, "No noises, either."

"But I was still rather young when my people retreated into Eldre'thalas. Only a few thousand years old," Aelowen explains.

Nil glances at the others to see if they heard his demon making noise.

Natlee is side-eyeing the basket a little but quickly looks away.

"A few thousand…" Stella says, and her eyes track to the sheet. To Nil, she adds, "Do you not like… sorry, I'm ignoring."

Nil clenches his hands tighter on his channeling staff. He has to do better.

"She is not permitted to speak," Nil explains to Stella. "I apologize. She should be quiet from now on."

"Does she make awful puns?" Stella asks, not really understanding. "Anyway, I think we can report back to the checkpoint guy. See if there's any more objectives."

Natlee looks around, blue eyes wide. "OMT, did they have to put all the skeletons in the cages and everything?"

Aelowen squints at the basket-head. "I'm sorry…who are you? Why are you dressed so…" she flaps her hand at them, "…that."

The shoulders of the sheet-ghost shrug.

"That is Aelva, a succubus," Nil explains.

"Oh, I get it. I have to veil myself to hide my beauty too," says Natlee, who has very carefully lined and shadowed her very visible eyes.

"A succubus." The word drips from Aelowen's lips. "Wonderful."

"Chill about it," says Natlee. "He's W.E.B."

"She is present for security reasons," Nil says, and he sounds deeply bitter.

"And not like a spiderweb. A good web," Stella nods. "I've heard of them."

"He is what?" Aelowen asks Natlee.

"Yeah, they're the Good Warlocks," Natlee explains. "They have like a Code of Conduct and stuff."

"The Warlock Ethics Bureau," Nil says. He glares at Aelva.

"Warlock ethics. That is certainly a notion." Aelowen is clearly unconvinced.

"Anyone can have ethics," Stella says with a smile.

"Don't be like, rude, though?" says Natlee.

There's a brief, defiant glare targeted at Aelowen before Nil averts his eyes politely.

"Nil seems perfectly good looking. I mean, good natured." Natlee clears her throat. "He looks good natured, I meant."

The topic now raised, Stella looks curiously at Nil. Hmm… good-looking?

"I have no doubt that anyone can start with ethics," Aelowen says. "But perhaps you have not seen what I've seen. Even the best of intentions turn to ash when demons are involved."

"I mean, I haven't seen what you've seen, but you also haven't seen what I've seen. That's why there are all different people," Natlee explains.

Aelowen considers for a moment, and shrugs. "You make a fair point. All experiences are unique and valuable."

"Anyway," says Natlee, "They might dock you points if you keep dissing a team member. Just saying."

"I would not have chosen a sayaad to accompany me if I had been given the freedom of decision," Nil says irritably. "I am keeping her bound for security reasons."

"See, he doesn't like demons or anything," Natlee says. She gives him a sweet smile.

Glyphe tries to be non-chalant about the sayaad now, but…. Cool. She eyes the basket.

"Anyway, it's really fun to meet people who have seen loads of things you haven't, and who think in ways very different from how you do," Stella says. "Or anyway, I think it's fun."

"I totally agree with you, Stel. Can I call you Stel?" asks Natlee, calling her Stel.

"Sure!" Stella says. "I love nicknames, too, Nat."

"Now I am curious. How were you robbed of the choice?" Aelowen asks.

"Nobody likes demons," Nil says scornfully. "I… would prefer not to say."

"Ahh, a man of mystery." Aelowen chuckles.

"It's a long story, and I need to maintain my concentration." Nil does not dispute being a man of mystery.

Natlee fans herself a little and giggles at Aelowen.

"These dwarves are very disarming," Stella says quietly. She probably means literally, as one has knocked away her sword. She picks it back up.

"I love mysteries," Natlee says, giving Nil a Very Modest Priestly glance from over her veil. (It is not modest.)

It's hard to say if Nil notices. He's watching the trio of hounds approach down the hall.

"Is that why you wear that lovely veil?" Aelowen asks Natlee.

"Yes!" says Natlee. "See, you get me."

"I am trying," Aelowen says.

The nearby houndmaster walks on consecrated ground, and then suddenly the team is fighting more than hounds. It’s okay, they handle it.

"This place is huge," Natlee breathes. "It just keeps going and going."

"It really is," Stella says. "And I bet we haven't seen but a little of it. It's like… a whole dwarf capital city, isn't it, in here?"

"So, where's everybody from?" Stella asks curiously. "Aelowen, you said… Eldre'thalas? And I'm from Westfall."

"That is an incredibly complicated question in my case," says Natlee dryly.
"Like, define 'from' first of all," says Natlee.

"The Redridge Mountains," Nil answers.

"Mostly Gnomeregan. But then Iron Forge. But now Stormwind," Glyphe says.

"Wow, so Nat and Glyphe, you're like world travelers," Stella says, and then grins at Nil, "And Redridge isn't so far away from Westfall, either."

[Natlee]: "I was born in Gnomeregan, grew up in Undermine, then Kezan, then a pirate ship, then Kul Tiras, probably some other places I've forgotten."

"Whoa," Stella says. "I've never been to any of those places before."

"They're all amazing. Except maybe the pirate ship," Natlee says.

"I suppose I'm actually originally from Suramar," Aelowen explains. "But Eldre'thalas has been home for ten thousand years."

It's possible that Nil's brain shorts out every time he hears something like 'ten thousand years'.

"Wow," Glyphe says, staring at Aelowen.

Natlee looks a little annoyed that more people weren't amazed by her resume. Stupid ten thousand year old elf…

"What?" Aelowen blinks at Glyphe.

"Ten thousand years is a LOT of years," Glyphe says.

"Yeah, it's a lot of years to stay in one place," Natlee says tartly.

"You're like a thousand times older than me," Stella nods.

"Ah, I suppose it would seem so, yes." Aelowen nods. "Trust me when I say that after a certain amount of time, it can become rather…tedious."

Natlee may now be docked points for dissing teammates. "Yeah, it does sound pretty tedious," Natlee agrees chirpily.

Nil jumps as the illusory gate drops down behind them and a dwarf starts shouting.

"Oh look! A special event," Stella enthuses.

"Do tell us more about your travels, Natlee. I've never heard of those places," Aelowen smiles.

Natlee narrows her eyes suspiciously at Aelowen

It’s a brutal fight. Stella throws her all into it, and… doesn’t dodge many hits.

"Wow, this stuff is really hurting you, Stel," Natlee observes. "I'm so used to just like, buzzboxing it.”
.
"Buzzboxing?" Stella asks curiously. "And yeah, don't worry about me. I can take a real beating."

"Oh, that's a gnome expression. It means like, not showing up in person, just kinda… doing it long distance like through a buzzbox. Not full effort."

"Huh, like… bzz bzz bees just droning around," Stella says quietly.

"I really gotta do more of these," Natlee says.

"Having fun?" Stella asks.

"They're very useful as a method of gaining experience," Nil agrees.

"Seriously, I feel like I've learned more since we started than I normally do in like a month," Natlee says. "And yes," she admits, "also fun."
"Like before this," Natlee says, "I've only ever really used ONE type of healing spell. Now I have to use all different stuff."

"I admit, this is more enjoyable than I imagined it would be." Aelowen grins. "Rather exciting for an illusion!"

Natlee grins at Aelowen. Or at least that's what her eyes make it look like she's doing under the veil.

"Hey look, good guys!" Glyphe says.

The team checks in with the good guys, and then continues into the depths. Soon they encounter a large group of dwarves, with two fire elementals that seem inclined to remain at a distance and shoot fire at the group.

Nil banishes an elemental out of Stella's line of sight. "Careful, the elemental will reappear soon," he warns them.

Stella fights the rest of the dwarves, leaving the elemental, and then looks over at Nil after. "Oh? One of your spells?"

As predicted, the elemental blinks back into existence. Now that it's alone, it stands little chance.

"A banishment," Nil explains. "It returns them to their plane of existence. Some experienced warlocks can make those permanent."

"Cool," says Natlee.

"That seems really useful," Stella says. "Is it your favorite warlock spell?"

"I like the one with all the fireballs falling from the sky!" Glyphe says enthusiastically.

Nil shakes his head. "My favorite is summoning. People. Not demons. Creating a portal to pull people that you know through."

"So useful," Natlee agrees.

"Oh that sounds really neat," Stella nods. "Does it tickle, when the person comes through?"

"If you want more summoning practice," Natlee says, gazing at Nil over her veil, "You could summon me sometime."

Nil shrugs to Stelianna's question. He looks at Natlee and says, "It takes three people for a summoning. Ideally, three people who know the person."

"I could make that work," Natlee says ambiguously.

Aelva says nothing. Probably because she's not allowed to.

The team approaches a large creature.

"That's one big illusion," Glyphe says doubtfully.

"I think it's dripping lava," Stella says, staring at it.

"Daaaaaaaaamn," says Natlee.

Nil takes a deep breath.

"Don't worry bestie, we've got this," says Natlee to Glyphe.

The illusion of Bael'gar looms. It IS dripping lava.

Glyphe nods. Right. Sure. Ok.

Stella throws her shield at it.

They have, in fact, got this.

"And now it's a not-so-big illusion," Glyphe says with a giggle.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Stella says cheerfully.

Nil exhales in relief.

"Super satisfying," Natlee says.

"The dirt here doesn't stick to you for real, right?" Natlee then inquires.

Aelowen looks briefly horrified at Natlee's concern about the dirt.

Nil looks at Stella, who's done this before.

"Oh, uh, no, I don't think so," Stella says. "I mean, I usually have a little bit of dirt on me, but I don't think it was from the Echo last time."

Natlee giggles.

"I guess it's just the… memory of dirt?" Natlee ponders aloud.

"Echo: Come and feel the memory of grime," Stella says with a laugh. "Probably an ad that didn't make it to the public."

Glyphe notes, "Memory of Dirt sounds like a dwarf band."

Natlee giggles.

Nil's face twitches, and he inhales like he might have been about to laugh and stopped himself.

"I might have dated their drummer," Natlee quips. "Never date the drummer," she advises gravely.

Nil waits to see if anybody else will ask her 'why not'.

"Why not?" Stella asks.

Nil is saved! From having to ask that question himself.

"Oh wow, you've never met a drummer, have you?" Natlee says with sweet sympathy. "Short version is - they are the worst," Natlee says cheerfully.

"No… I don't think so," Stella says. "Are they bad at kissing or something?"

[Natlee]: They're usually the one who like, doesn't actually have any musical talent but wants to be in the band anyway for all the money and girls and whatever. So just watch out for them, okay Stel? You seem like the type a drummer would lure into his web of lies.
It seems likely that Natlee is thinking of a very specific drummer from somewhere in the grimy recesses of her past.

"Alright," Stella nods. "No webs of lies. Only ethical webs."

Natlee giggles.

"Web of Lies sounds like a warlock band," Nil says dryly.

Natlee giggles MORE.

Stella giggles, too.

Glyphe giggles too, too.

"Or maybe a warlock thriller novel!" Natlee suggests enthusiastically. "I'd read that."

Nil looks quietly a little smug. He made the girls laugh.

"Ooh, yeah, that sounds neat," Stella says. "I wonder if there are any… warlocks are kind of a recent event, like in my lifetime."

"I… don't know," Nil says. "If I joined one, I wouldn't be a drummer."

"Some writers move really fast," Natlee says. "Apparently there were draenei romance novels like, practically a month after they crashed here."

"Whoa," Stella says. "That's some speedwriting skill."

"I get it though, draenei are hot," Natlee opines. Natlee levitates herself, to be taller.

"If you were in a warlock band," Stella asks. "What would you play?"

"Piano," Nil answers.

"You'd be really good, with all those fingers," Natlee says.

"Hmm," Glyphe says. "Can I play sick so I don't have to be in a band?"

"Nobody has to be in a band," Nil says, missing the joke.

Stella giggles.

Natlee giggles.

"I'm not sure what I would play," Stella says, musing. "Maybe I'd sing?"

"I was the lead singer of a band for like a day once," Natlee says, "but they said I was too pretty."

"How can you be too pretty?" Stella asks, blinking. "I thought pretty was like… wanted."

Aelowen regards Natlee for a moment. "You do have remarkable eyes. I'd love to paint them sometime."

"That doesn't make sense," Nil says. "Too pretty to sing?"

"It didn't make much sense to me either," says Natlee, "but like, I wasn't in charge, so."
“You're a painter, Aelowen?" Natlee says with interest.

Aelowen nods. "Yes, I am. Among other things."

"I would totally model for you sometime," Natlee says.

"Splendid. I shall arrange it." Aelowen says.

"Look!" Stella says. "Pretty sure that's an objective."

Nil nods and prepares to fight more illusory dwarves.

"Cool!" Glyphe says.

"Stairs!" Nil shouts as a batch of reinforcements charges Natlee.

Natlee squeaks and does some fancy multiple-people healing tricks.

"Ack!" Stella yells, and runs over, flailing Light like a hammer.

Stella pauses for a second after. "I hope we get bonus points for that. What a surprise!"

When it's over, Natlee checks her nails. "Well that was thrilling. Nil totally saved me," she notes.

"Yeah, I didn't expect that at all," Stella agrees.

Nil, who hit a cluster of enemies with a stunning blast of shadow, nods politely.

Now, the team arrives at the Grim Guzzler.

"Is this… a tavern?" Natlee says, blinking.

"They all seem pretty happy," Glyphe says.

Nobody in the crowded illusory tavern really reacts to the group entering.

"Not what I expected," Stella says. "We're supposed to fight some of them."

Stella walks up to one of them, and he reacts as if horribly insulted. Stella squeals and runs toward a back room.

Natlee squeals too, and giggles.

Nil looks a little uncomfortable, but at least nobody is interacting with Aelva.

"I guess they must've said something bad, back when this happened," Stella giggles.

Glyphe tries to look even tinier.

"I wonder if you drank the fake beer here, if you would get fake drunk," Natlee ponders.

"I wonder what fake drunk feels like," Stella ponders.

An illusory succubus is walking around on the top floor, interacting with illusory patrons. Nil glares.

"A shame you don't have another basket," Natlee says to Nil.

Glyphe stands on an illusionary pig to get some height.

Natlee experimentally tries a bite of roast illusion pig.

Now, the dwarves attack. Maybe this happened in someone’s memory. The ECHO team fights hard, and is eventually triumphant.

"Well, I think we should move on," Stella says.

"Definitely never taking a date here," says Natlee.

Nil looks silently around at the massacre of an entire tavern's worth of illusory dwarves. He leaves with the others.

"A date…in this place…" Aelowen shudders.

"The tavern’s probably still there," Stella says. "Just different… people in it."

Nil nods.
"Have you all… fought people before?" Nil asks. "Actual people."

"Oh sure," Glyphe says. "Lots of times."

"Yep," says Natlee. "But if you haven't, this is good practice."

"Yeah, a few times," Stelianna says. "I was in Desolace, where we made friends with centaurs. They like fighting people. And um, the Nightmare tear in the Barrens. And then up at Wyrmrest Temple. That was a real battle."

"I didn't say I haven't," Nil says defensively. "But… not like this, specifically."

"This is remarkably similar to real fights," Natlee says, sounding impressed.

"Oh, but of course. In Eldre'thalas I was known as a skilled duelist," Aelowen boasts.

"Do you kill poeople in duels?" Stella asks.

"It's rare. Usually the point was to resolve a conflict without death. But…when the murders started…sometimes we had no choice." Aelowen's tone turns grim.

Stella nods seriously.

In the middle of a fight against seven dwarves (one at a time, how polite of them), Aelva vanishes.

Stella looks puzzled at the now empty position, and then remembers she's supposed to be ignoring it.

"Oh no, they killed the ghost basket lady!" Glyphe shouts as she fights.

Natlee forgets she's supposed to be ignoring it, and yelps.

Nil, already pale, goes paler. "Oh. Oh no." He cannot wake up, he is throwing curses at imaginary dwarves.

"Oh no is not my favorite thing to hear a warlock say," Natlee chirps dryly as she keeps healing.

"Nil?" Stella says, worried, as she wields the light. She tosses some at him, in case it might help. Healing type, not hurting type.

When the fight ends, Nil looks around in panic. "I need to wake up. How do I wake up? Excuse me, Illusionist Karima?"

Natlee puts her fingers in her mouth and lets out a shrill whistle, in case the Illusionist will hear that better.

"I think, um, I think you can just say you want to exit?" Stella says uncertainly. "And maybe they'll pull you out."

"Can you hear me? There's been a - a dire miscommunication. Karima?!" Nil yells. Then he vanishes, too.

Glyphe blinks big eyes at Nil. "Is this because the ghost basket lady died?"

"I hope he's okay," Natlee says, big-eyed.

"What a dramatic exit," Glyphe murmurs.

"I hope there's not a demon problem," Stella says, worried.

[Natlee]: "Yeah, that seemed pretty bad."

"I hope they don't penalize his score," Stella says, eyes wide.

"I'm pretty sure he flunked this one," Natlee says sadly.

The team continues on, until they reach…

"Oh great," says Natlee. "Another huge rock guy.

"Oh, well, the last one fell down pretty easy," Stella says, a little cockily.

"We had five people then…" Natlee says with a wince.

It’s okay, the team wins with four!

"So, there is a competitive aspect to the ECHO?" Aelowen perks up curiously.

"Uh huh, they score you!" says Natlee.

"I don't actually know if it matters," Stella says. "But I like feeling like I'm winning."

"It might determine your place in the waiting list," Natlee theorizes.

"I shall most certainly win," Aelowen says confidently.

Glyphe pants as she tries to keep up.

"Oooh, here's the throne room," Stella says. "Where they tried to rescue Moira."

Stella throws her shield at one of the dwarves in a corner by the door. A small group comes to fight the team. All is well, until one flees in fear… towards another group of dwarves on the other side of the room. And then a group of dwarves on the upper level takes notice of the commotion, and then more dwarves flee in fear…

"You guys I do NOT think we get more points for fighting half the room at once," says Natlee, panting.

Stella staggers, swinging her hammer at… empty air. Victory! They're all down.

"Well, we should," says Aelowen.

"We totally should, though," Glyphe agrees.

"Hmmm," says Natlee. "Well, I hope so."

"I uh… I didn't expect them to be so aggressive," Stella says. "I guess Cobalt did kill their emperor here."

"Oh right, and caused a diplomatic incident." Natlee giggles.

"Super awkward now that his widow is basically the queen of Ironforge." Natlee giggles some more.

"Yeah, uh…" Stella peeks at the throne. "Let's try not to hurt her memory."

"Killing her true love won't hurt her at alllllll," Natlee says, giggling.

"Well we can't really change what happened back then," Stella says nervously.

"That's true," Natlee agrees. "Just gotta horribly relive it. At least we're not like, opening the Dark Portal or something."

"That's true," Stella nods. "Did you hear the rumor that the bronze dragons made some Cobalt people do that?"

[Natlee]: "No WAY. What the heck, dragons??"

"Yeah, I heard it was one of the time travel missions," Stella says, like this is very ordinary.

"The Dark Portal," Aelowen muses aloud. "Is that not the gateway the orcs used to come to Azeroth?"

"Oh, of course, one of the time travel missions," says Natlee. She looks at Glyphe and rotates a finger around her ear.

"It is, yeah," Stella says. "Apparently it had to happen or something."

Now it is time to relive the killing of Emperor Thaurissan.

Glyphe frowns at her hands. "Stop missing!" she yells at herself.

"He is generating some kind of anti-magic aura," Aelowen frowns.

It does not help him, in the end. It can’t, because he was actually defeated, back when this happened.

:"There! Got him!" says Natlee in satisfaction.

"Wow, what a pain he must've been in real life," says Glyphe.

"No idea what Moira saw in him," Natlee sniffs.

"At least we finished the mission," Stella nods. "I just hope Nil's okay."

"Well, guess I better head back," Stella says, a little reluctantly. "It's been fun. Hope I'll see you around."

Glyphe sighs. "That *was* fun."

"Gonna go check my score. See ya!" Natlee vanishes.