The Artificer, Chapter 2

Two weeks later, we had mostly cleared out the giant rats. I had to use a few infused coins to reinforce the riot shield with increased defensive capabilities otherwise we’d have used up 5 or 6 of them in the process. Even though the nest was heavily weakened, there was still a mystery to be solved. There was no reason for the nest of giant rats to even be in this city. Something, or someone, had driven them from their usual countryside environment into the urban jungle. JR and I were at a diner across the precinct to discuss our progress.

“These things are a symptom, JR,” I mentioned to the detective. “They’re not the disease. They’re very big magical rats, true, but they’re really just animals who were driven from their natural habitat. We need to find out where that used to be and why they moved here.”

JR arched an eyebrow. “You think this isn’t the last of them?”

I nodded. “They’re the vanguard, the most easily displaced. They are still rodents, after all,” I reminded him. “The tougher ones will take longer to move but if the cause remains and is strong enough, they’ll come here and disrupt this city.”

The detective nodded in understanding. “We need to find where they came from and what changed there. How do we do that? We can’t exactly interrogate a giant rat. Can we?” At this point, nothing could surprise him anymore. I chuckled at the look on his face.

“No, we cannot interrogate the giant rats, JR,” I confirmed. “But every pack has a leader. And we haven’t run into him yet. The leader of a giant rat pack is intelligent and can be interrogated.”

“The leader? Let me guess,” JR sighed at the thought. “He’s bigger, stronger, tougher, faster, and smarter than any of the minions we’ve dealt with so far. And because we’ve been killing his pack, he’s not gonna be happy about it. We’re gonna need to isolate him from the others, restrain him, then interrogate him. Got a plan?”

I shook my head. “Not right now. You do know that the leader of a giant rat pack isn’t a rat right?”

“Not. A. Rat?”

I laughed out loud. “The leader of a giant rat pack is human actually. Think dog whisperer, only with rats and other vermin. You were imagining a talking man-sized rat weren’t you? It’s an easy mistake to make but just because he’s human doesn’t make him less dangerous. Even more so, this type of scum can even cast spells and have superhuman abilities, not to mention being armed and dangerous. His lair will also be protected and booby trapped, with multiple exits for a quick getaway.”

The detective shook his head. “Fighting him on his turf would be suicide. We need to make him come to us.”

I nodded in agreement. “Find us a place we can convert into an interrogation room that’s accessible from the sewers. We need to make preparations. And we’ll need bait.”

“I’ve got a couple of places in mind already,” JR noted as he rose from his seat. “Let me make a few calls. Anything you need for your preparations?”

“Chains. Around 3 feet should do. Police issue bulletproof vests for us. And 2 pairs of cuffs. I can take care of the rest.”

***

True to his word, JR was able to come up with everything I needed in a few days’ time.

The chains were the greatest challenge. I had to carefully etch runes into each and every link of the 3-foot long chain, rendering it stronger and tougher than normal chain. Also, it would respond to my commands. I took a run-of-the-mill 1-inch nail and used a pair of pre-enchanted tongs to hold it in place. Like a ballpoint pen, I poured magical power into the nail, allowing it to etch fine lines onto the metal of the chains. Repeating the process for every link took me the better part of two weeks. I did the same for the cuffs. Once I finished the rune etchings, I placed them on an altar directly over an intersection of ley lines and lit candles at each cardinal direction. Focusing my energy, I drew the power into the metal. “Animo metallum! Suffragium revincio!” With the incantation, the etchings glowed red, then yellow, then white before receding into black.

For the vests, I infused them with a commonly used armor spell, making it the equivalent of magical chain mail. Ordinary magic marker (yes, I see the irony there) was more than sufficient for that job. Drawing runes in blank ink on black kevlar made the runes practically invisible. Once completed, I placed my hands on the runes and spoke the incantation. “Magus armatus!” The runes flashed a bright green before fading into invisibility.

In addition, I prepped a few contingencies. Just in case.

Aside from my usual red pen, I now had blue, green, and black pens in my coat pocket, as well as 4 pencils. I had a long leather coat over the vest. On my right wrist, I wore my Charriol bracelet made from twisted metal cables on which I attached several metal coins with nylon string. On my left wrist, I had my Rolex Oyster Perpetual wristwatch, a gift from my teacher. I had more coins and a few paperclips in the pockets of my jeans. With this, I set off to meet with JR to take on the leader of the giant rats.

***

“You sure this is going to work?” JR whispered.

“If I scattered the remains of your mates in the sewers, I think you’d be pretty mad,” I replied. Eyes narrowed, I tapped on my glasses. “Visio tenebrae,” I hissed and my vision in the pitch dark sewer lit up like it was early afternoon. From afar, we heard an indistinct roar. “I think we got his attention. Get the shield ready.”

JR hefted the shield and turned to face the sewer tunnel in the direction of the roar. Taped to the inside of the shield were 4 coins. I waved my hand at the coins to replenish their power. “Suffragium.” We were at an intersection of two tunnels and I had placed a pencil at each corner of the intersection. Our position led eastward if we opted to retreat. Soon, loud splashes and grunts could be heard coming our way.

“Rat-killers! You’ll pay with your lives!” He sounded enraged even as he ran right towards us. He spotted us as he turned a corner. He was massive, a full 8 inches over 6 feet with broad shoulders and muscular arms. His hair was long and stringy and so much dirt covered his face we could barely make out his features. He wore a shirt and jeans but dirt and grime made everything just look black. “You! I’ll kill you!”

“Freeze! I’m a police officer!” JR pointed his gun at the man. “We just want to ask you some questions.”

The man roared and charged. Clearly, he didn’t feel like talking. We started to take a step back, a bit at a time. The moment he reached the intersection, I pointed and released the spell. “Inretio!” The pencils sprouted vines which quickly wrapped themselves around his feet and legs. The entanglement wouldn’t last but it delayed him a bit.

He stared when I released the spell. “Mage! This is all your fault! Your fault!” He roared again and, with a surprising display of strength, tore the vines apart with his bare hands. He reached behind him and pulled out a huge handgun, a 44-caliber Desert Eagle. We quickly hid behind the riot shield as he shot round after round at us even as we retreated backward at a steady pace. With a grunt of disgust, he threw away the gun and charged at us, slamming his shoulder into the shield. Even braced for impact, JR was no match for the force of the charge and flew backwards, slamming into the nearest sewer wall. I managed to dodge to one side and dropped a coin directly in front of me. “Scutum vitae!”

A shimmering wall of force sprang up in front of me as the enraged pack leader turned and smashed both fists right at a seemingly defenseless mage. His massive arms stopped short, blocked by the wall of force I had conjured up. He pounded on them repeatedly as I quickly took out my blue pen and pointed it at him. “Infriga!” A visibly blue beam of arctic cold hit him in the chest slowing his actions and dropping his body temperature. I took the chance to run to JR and help him up.

We took a left at the corner and kept on running until we saw a metal doorway. Without hesitation, we dove in and closed the door behind us. In a moment, we heard the pounding of his fists on the door and the metal shuddered as it seemed about to give way.

I nodded at JR as he placed the chains carefully to the side of the door, behind it when it swings open. We crouched near the opposite wall and I took out my black pen.

The pounding was relentless and unceasing until the door gave in with a screech of protesting metal. It swung ponderously open. The moment I spied our target, I rose and pointed the pen. “Oculus tenebrae!” A beam of darkness shot out of the pen but the rat pack leader dodged to one side.

“Puny mage,” he said, voice a deep bass. “I will break every bone in your body. You will scream but no one will hear. And your policeman friend will accompany you.”

I drew out my red pen and pointed it at him. “Ignis!” Bolts of flame shot into him but he slapped them away like flies. JR began firing his gun but the bullets didn’t seem to have any effect on the brute. Step by step, he entered the room.

I dug into my pocket and drew out a bunch of paperclips which I threw directly into him. “Fulmen prendo!” Sparks flew between the clips, electrifying the air and catching the brute unawares. Like a taser, it zapped him into temporary paralysis.

Raising both hands, I shouted the activation spell at the top of my lungs. “Coercio relligo!” The chains we had stowed away rose from their spot and snaked around the brute’s paralyzed form, wrapping themselves around him and binding him into immobility.

As silence descended, JR rose from his crouch. “I really need a bigger gun.”

The Artificer, Chapter 1

12 March 2015. Medford, Massachusetts, New England.

One of my teacher’s favorite lessons involved ordinary objects, things so mundane normal people rarely even gave them a second glance: paper clips, note pads, tissue paper, coins, pens, and so on. “Everything has a secondary or even a tertiary purpose, one just has to unlock it,” she always said. And when it came to unlocking those purposes, she was second to none.

She always said I had a gift for magical infusion. Among other things.

My name is Scott Cole, Apprentice Artificer, Ninth Class. And right now, I was in an alley staring at a corpse that had been mangled by something inhuman. “What do we have, Cole? Don’t keep us in suspense.” That was Detective John Richard McGinnis, Homicide Division, who we simply called JR. My day job was as a forensics consultant for the police department.

I tapped my glasses twice and spoke the activation word under my breath, “Deprendo.” The lenses flickered a golden yellow for a split second. In my view, the body suffused a golden glow, with the wounds a shiny crimson color. “The wounds are rough and uneven, indicative of natural weaponry like claws or teeth. Lots of defensive wounds here. Looks like our victim put up quite a struggle. Have the examiner send samples of any hair or whatever to the lab for identification. Looks like an animal attack if you ask me, JR.”

“In the middle of the city? Are you insane?” JR scoffed at my assessment.

“Hey, I’m just calling it as I see it,” I replied defensively. “It’s your job to figure out the rest.”

He pulled me aside out of earshot of the other cops. “You don’t think it’s… You know, that other thing?”

JR was one of the few LEO’s who were aware of the magical world. I shook my head. “Too early to say. From what I can see, there’s no magical residue on the wounds or the body. That doesn’t mean it’s not magical, just that it’s not directly magical, if you catch my drift.”

He sighed at that. “I’ll let you know what the lab finds out.”

Two days later, my phone rang. It was JR. He said one word. “Rats.”

I sat up in my chair. “Rats? Are you sure?”

JR’s voice was impatient. “I have the lab report right here. Hair from the victim’s fingernails show rat hairs.”

“No rat is big enough to take down a man, not with wounds like that,” I muttered, more to myself than JR. “Not even if it’s several rats. Unless…”

“It’s that other thing, isn’t it,” JR said.

“Maybe,” I ventured. “I’ll need your help on this one, JR. And some things.”

His voice was suspicious. “What things? Like bat wings or bird crap?”

I sighed. “Not even close. You’ll need a police standard-issue riot shield most likely.”

JR sounded relieved at that. “That I can handle. But where are we going?”

“Where else do you find rats? The sewers, of course.”

***

JR hefted the riot shield as we descended into the sewers. As this was not exactly a sanctioned police matter, we had to do this at night. Besides, giant rats are more active at night anyway. We started at the nearest storm grate from where we had found the victim. Once we entered the sewers, I tapped on a different pair of glasses and recited the activation incantation. “Deprendo gigas rattas.”

The lenses flickered golden once again before my view became a bright sunlight yellow, interspersed with the crimson tracks of, presumably, the giant rat or rats. I pointed the way and followed behind JR with the shield. It took over two hours of mindless tracking in the sewers before we stumbled into one.

The giant rat we found was a full 3.5 feet from tail to nose. It gave a screech when it saw us approach and attacked without hesitation. Fortunately, JR had the shield handy and the rat slammed into the shield, its claws scrabbling at the steel and plastic barrier. I reached into my jacket pocket and took out my red pen. JR already had his gun out but I grabbed his arm before he could shoot the creature.

“That gun will bring the whole pack down on our heads,” I warned. “Just block him, I’ll take care of the rest.”

Struggling with the shield, JR’s eyes widened as he saw the pen in my hand. “You’re gonna kill it with a pen?”

“In this case, the pen is indeed mightier than the sword,” I grinned as I carefully pointed at the beast with my pen. “Just make sure to block it with that shield.” While it was busy attacking JR, it didn’t perceive me as a threat. That would soon change. “Ignis.” My red pen glowed white-hot as a searing bolt of flame shot out and slammed into the rat, setting its fur ablaze. It took 3 shots of flame to down the giant rat.

JR stared at my pen even as I put it back in my jacket pocket. “You weren’t kidding about the pen.”

I grinned and shook my head. “I never joke about pens, my friend. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough firepower to clear out this nest tonight. After all, my pen can only shoot so much. Like any gun, it’ll run out of bullets. We can take out 2 more before we call it a night.”

JR nodded in understanding. “How many of these are in a typical nest?”

“Around thirty.”

***

Back in my apartment, I opened a newly bought box of red pens. This is gonna be a long night, I thought.

Final Fantasy 14: Beginnings & Endings

The Rising Stones, Revenant's Toll, Mor Dhona

Amid the aether-shattered remnants of Mor Dhona, in the bustling town of Revenant's Toll, The Rising Stones served as the headquarters for the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, or what was left of them anyway. Stricken by a strange sleeping illness that felled all its senior members, only the Warrior of Light remained standing.

Within the somber halls of the Rising Stones, the members of the free company The Bringers of Light gathered. Led by the miqo'te Silverfox siblings, Vitya the White Mage and Va'lia the Astrologian, the free company counted some of the finest heroes in Eorzea.

"So it seems we need to find something at the base of the Crystal Tower," Vitya said as he sipped from a wine glass. "Smells like a trap though. This... entity... did manage to fell most of our fellow Scions after all."

Diana Taurasi, their resident headstrong Hyur Warrior, smirked. "I don't know why we're even discussing this. If it's a trap, we'll spring it and smash our way out!"

An elegant looking Elezen Red Mage looked over in annoyance at the warrior. "Unlike you, some of us would like to come out of this alive and awake." Violet Evergaden was ever the pragmatic one.

A red-haired Hyur wearing dark clothing and carrying a massive bow shook her head. Her voice was pleasant and musical. "I'm sure Tataru is doing her best to scout the area for us with the help of The Sons of Saint Coinach." Meggan Blazewind the Hyur Bard shrugged.

Va'lia snorted delicately. "Those scholars and researchers from Sharlayan? What do they know? They've been at those Allagan ruins for years and they haven't uncovered anything we couldn't have found ourselves."

Araveug the Hyur Samurai shook his head. "We mustn't judge them. The Allagans are notorious for concealing their technology behind walls impossible to breach by normal means."

On the other side of the room, Uknoy Oicmus the miqo'te Paladin shrugged. "There are other matters that need to be addressed. This can wait. Any news from the war front? I know the Eorzean Alliance managed to push the Garleans back with our help against Zenos but I'm pretty sure the Garleans aren't just gonna sit on their asses."

The bard nodded. "Indeed they have not. They continue to pound the Eorzean Alliance positions with their magitek cannons and artillery. So far, no news on the Black Rose which I guess is good news."

Diana grinned at the news. "Let's go kick some Garlean ass! I'm pretty sure we could overrun a few Garlean artillery emplacements and steal some of their ceruleum reserves."

Vitya hesitated slightly before nodding. "It's better than sitting here doing nothing all day. Let's go."

HIGHMAUL: Kargath Bladefist (Warlords of Dreanor)

Cast:

Goose - Tauren druid (tank)

Avierra - Blood elf paladin (tank)

Tenebres - Troll druid (healer)

Veexie - Blood elf priest (healer)

Shamcey - Goblin shaman (healer)

Jizal - Blood elf paladin (dps)

Gonggong - Tauren paladin (dps)

Ghul - Undead rogue (dps)

Bladewisp - Pandaren hunter (dps)

Tekkreinah - Undead warlock (dps)

Gingerbanks - Blood elf mage (dps)

Skaarathos - Orc death knight (dps)

LMF - Troll priest (dps)

Fugitlah - Blood elf hunter (dps)

“Defenders of Azeroth,” Thrall began, addressing the assembled heroes of the Terracotta mercenary company. “Time and time again we have asked you to put your lives on the line for the sake of our world. Now, in the middle of the savage land we know as Draenor, we ask you to do so once again.”

Durotan, leader of the Frostwolf clan, stepped forward. “The Iron Horde continues its build-up with the assistance of the ogres of Nagrand. While we have dealt them a temporary setback by destroying their portal into your world, they seek to build another. Even now they compel Imperator Mar’gok to help them rebuild the portal.”

“Who be dis Mar’gok and why is he so important?” Tenebres asked.

“As the Grand Imperator of Highmaul, Mar'gok is descended from a long line of sorcerers who have ruled the Gorian Empire. Equal parts cunning and brutal, Mar'gok recognized the rising tide of the Iron Horde and what it would mean to oppose them. He has agreed, under threat of annihilation, to an alliance with Grommash Hellscream.” Durotan paused and his brow furrowed. “Stopping Mar’gok is not going to be easy. Our last attempt at diplomacy with the ogres ended with our emissary’s head on a pike. I’m afraid we have no choice but to storm Highmaul itself.”

“This is where you come in,” Thrall said even as he pulled out a scroll with a map of the entire western region of Nagrand. “Highmaul is a large walled fortress in the middle of enemy territory controlled by the Warsong clan. The Frostwolves don’t have enough ships to move troops to Nagrand quickly. Taking Highmaul would mean crushing the Warsong clan supported by the ogres. We will need your strength to crush them both.”

“A long military campaign would only serve the Iron Horde,” Avierra noted thoughtfully. “We need a different approach.”

Khadgar the mage, silent this whole time, brightened up instantly. “What did you have in mind?”

“The Iron Horde can rebuild the portal all they want but without Mar’gok’s magic, it’s just a monument of stone,” Avierra surmised. “If a small tactical unit can get to Mar’gok inside Highmaul and kill him, we won’t need to worry about that portal being re-activated.”

“The Coliseum.” Khadgar’s eyes widened. “Of course. That’s your way into Highmaul. You will be gladiators in the arena!”

Highmaul is the seat of power for the Gorian Empire, the ogre civilization that ruled Draenor for generations, until the arrival of the draenei. A massive city that belies the ogre reputation for brutish stupidity, Highmaul is full of bustling markets, wealthy nobles, and the roar of the Coliseum crowd echoing through the streets of the slums. Visible from everywhere within the city's walls, Imperator Mar'gok's citadel casts a long shadow, a reminder of his watchful eye and iron grip.

Apparently even in the middle of the Iron Horde build-up, the games at the Coliseum continued unabated. The current champion was a brutal orc named Vul’gor who had a reputation for cheating in the arena to win.

The Terracotta mercenary company slaughtered Vul’gor easily. This was when the real surprise happened.

Kargath Bladefist leaped into the arena from the stands. Kargath Bladefist, Warlord of the Shattered Hand, honed his brutal skills as a slave in the ogres' gladiatorial games. He slaughtered countless opponents for the promise of freedom, but after winning, was locked away with the other retired "champions." Fueled by rage, Kargath tore off his own hand to escape and led a revolt that soaked Draenor in ogre blood. Now, he has returned to the arena.

The crowd of ogres and orcs roared their approval at seeing a former Champion of the Arena and now Warlord of the Shattered Hand clan. “Enough! I will show these weaklings what a TRUE champion is capable of,” Kargath shouted for all to hear.

This was when Imperator Mar’gok suddenly appeared as well. “You honor us, Kargath... I will enjoy watching you fight in the arena again, even with your... handicap.”

Kargath sneered. “The pleasure is mine... The crowd deserves a superior gladiator, seeing as the last one fell so easily.”

Mar’gok laughed. “Gladiators, seize this opportunity to die gloriously, for your names will be carved into history! Let the battle begin!”

Goose shapeshifted into bear form and roared his challenge even as Avierra raised her sword, it’s bright steel catching the light of the sun, “For the Light!”

Kargath roared. “You owe me a fight, cowards!”

Jizal, Gonggong, Skaarathos, and Ghul leaped into the fight right behind Goose and Avierra. Fugitlah and Bladewisp moved to opposite sides of the arena, Bladewisp throwing twin glaives at the warlord while Fugitlah’s pet charged in to attack. Gingerbanks, Tekkreinah, and LMF spread out, each one calling upon powerful magic to rain destruction on the lone warlord.

All around the arena, trapdoors opened revealing ravenous tigers. “Beware the beast pits!” Shamcey yelled. “Being eaten would be bad!” The sand moved as four columns sprang up and jetted gouts of flame around them. “Fire bad!”

Tekkreinah motioned to Gingerbanks. “Now would be a good TIME, mage!”

Gingerbanks blinked before understanding dawned. “Ah yes, right! TIME WARP!” The entire company’s movements quickened as everyone’s movement speed climbed, spells cast and attacks completed faster and faster. And yet Kargath seemed to shrug off the attacks and roared his defiance.

Gripping a length of chain in one hand he began spinning it over his head. “Let's give the crowd something to chew on! Chain hurl!” His spinning chain picked up Jizal, Gonggong, Goose, Shamcey, and Skaarathos, hurling them into the stands.

Goose roared and stood up on his hind legs, his gigantic bear form massive in size as he swiped with wicked claws. Ogre and orc spectators went down screaming. All five cleared out an entire section of the stands before leaping back down into the arena.

Kargath fixed his eye on Bladewisp suddenly. “There is no escape! Berserker rush!” Kargath fixated on the hunter even as he leaped backwards, sailing over the open tiger pit, landing just behind one of the flame columns around the arena. The warlord got burned and stopped his rush. “Fool! You'll need more than flames to finish me!”

Twice more he fixated on random heroes, once on Tekkreinah, the other on LMF. Both times he was stopped by the flame columns. Kargath screamed in frustration. “Gah! COWARDS! You can't hide behind these traps forever!”

But the constant attacks were taking their toll on the warlord. Tekkreinah’s Chaos Bolt slammed into him from behind. Ghul’s poison knives slashed relentlessly while Gonggong and Jizal hit him with consecutive Divine Storms. Bladewisp’s Aimed Shots drew blood time and again while Gingerbanks’ ice lances smashed into the warlord.

Imperator Mar’gok saw it before the others. “Finish him.”

Fugitlah and Bladewisp hissed in unison. “Kill Shot.”

Kargath dropped to the ground with a resounding crash. “And that's...one hundred,” he whispered.

Cho'gall enters the arena through a demonic portal.

Imperator Mar'gok yells: Cho'gall?!

Cho'gall yells: You thought to imprison us, Mar'gok? (You could never control us!)

Imperator Mar'gok yells: Guards, stop him!

Several Gorian guards leap from the stands and charge Cho'gall, who wipes them out with a blast of shadow magic. The city is suddenly overcast by dark clouds as Pale Orcs leap from above and begin attacking the orcs and ogres in the stands.

Cho'gall yells: Destroy them all! Raze this city to the ground! (The stones will be ours! All shall fall to darkness!)

Imperator Mar'gok yells: Seal the gates! Protect the palace! Highmaul will never fall to the likes of you!

Mar'gok teleports from the arena while Cho'gall departs through another demonic portal.

This left the company in a bit of a quandary. Veexie voiced the question in everyone’s mind. “Now what do we do?”

Siege of Orgrimmar: Fallen Protectors of the Golden Lotus

Veexie pointed to the corridor beyond the pool of Immerseus. “Where does that lead?”

“That stairway leads back to the Vale,” replied Lorewalker Cho. “The sha corruption in the Vale is rampant and it would be good for us to do our part in clearing some of it for everyone’s benefit. Come, let us do what we can.”

Mal nodded and led the way up the stairs to a ledge overlooking a small clearing that had 3 mysterious figures standing in it. They were pandaren, definitely, but sha corruption rose from them in clouds.

Lorewalker Cho strode forward, distress clear on his face. “Can it be...? Oh no, no no no no no. The Golden Lotus... they pledged their lives to defend this place.”

Zetsuen raised an eyebrow. “Those are the Golden Lotus protectors? What happened to them?”

The largest of them turned slowly, seemingly alerted by their presence, pale eyes staring directly at Lorewalker Cho. “You... Rook knows you…”

“Yes! Rook Stonetoe! You remember me! What has happened to you?” The lorewalker was beside himself with anxiety.

The one called Rook Stonetoe shook his head, as if confused. “Rook... does not know... Head... is cloudy…”

One of the female pandaren, who the lorewalker identified as Sun Tenderheart, wailed. “We know only despair now. A fitting punishment for our failure…”

“I see. This sha energy has trapped their spirits here, to endlessly relive their failure. It feeds on their despair.” Lorewalker Cho explained.

Jizal appeared troubled. “How do we cleanse this corruption without hurting them?”

“I don’t think we can, to be honest,” Bulalo the shaman remarked. “The vessel of the corruption may need to be destroyed for the corruption to dissipate.”

Rook Stonetoe whispered, “Please… help…”

“This is a fate far worse than death - please, heroes! Set their souls free!” The lorewalker pleaded.

Mal nodded to Avierra who adjusted her shield onto her left arm.  “Zetsuen? Veexie?” Mal asked.

Zetsuen and Veexie both nodded. As I finished off my noodles, I asked, “There’s 3 of them. Who goes first?”

Lorewalker Cho chimed in. “Rook is the toughest of the 3. He Softfoot is known for his legendary stealth while Sun Tenderheart’s magical abilities are formidable. Might I suggest we take Rook first while someone keeps He and Sun busy?”

“Avierra take Rook please,” Mal suggested. “I’ll handle He and Sun.” Avierra nodded her agreement.

I unlimbered my bow and nocked an arrow into place, signaling my pet wolf Lobo to get ready. Her ears flattened and a snarl signaled she was good to go. Jizal and Bulalo both hefted their respective weapons, Jizal mouthing a silent prayer to the holy Light while Bulalo communed with the elements for aid and strength. Cyanmyer the warlock summoned a soulwell from which everyone took a healthstone, for use in emergencies.

Another warlock, Tekkreinah, had joined them, adding his own skill with fel magic to theirs while Nonchalance the mage completed the party.

“Remember to focus on Rook first,” Avierra reminded them. “His spinning crane kick is quite formidable so move out of the way.” Mal and Avierra nodded at each other.

“For the Light!” Avierra swung a mighty Light-enhanced blow directly at Rook while Mal literally burned the ground as he charged at He Softfoot first before casually throwing a weapon at Sun Tenderheart, causing her to glare at him with narrowed eyes even as she started to cast a spell at the orc warrior.

“Sun... He... aid me,” Rook roared as he engaged Avierra.

“Will you succeed where we have failed?” Sun asked in a snarl at Mal.

He Softfoot nodded to his foes before pulling out a knife and rushing his opponent.

I slammed 4 quick explosive shots at Rook while Cyanmyer and Tekkreinah threw massive Chaos Bolts at the huge pandaren monk. Jizal and Bulalo rushed in, weapons swinging, while Nonchalance stood back and threw a Frozen Orb followed by an Ice Lance, fingers weaving spells faster than the eye could follow.

Rook roared with fury. “Brawl… with Rook!” His Spinning Crane kick smashed into Avierra, sha corruption nearly overwhelming the paladin’s Holy Power. Avierra simply muttered an oath to the Light before pushing the monk back with a screaming diagonal slash of her sword.

Rook stumbled back, wounds leaking sha corruption. “Rook… needs help!” He sprang free even as 3 shadow clones of himself leaped to battle in his stead. Lorewalker Cho gasped. “This is a forbidden technique! The Desperate Measures technique it is called. For the monk, three shadow clones appear and are known as Misery, Sorrow, and Gloom, each one with different abilities. Focus on Sorrow first!”

Nonchalance sidestepped a burning patch of ground before firing off a frost bolt at the shadow clone known as Sorrow. Cyanmyer and Tekkreinah both followed up with identical Incinerate spells while I fired 3 Arcane Shots in rapid succession. All this time, Veexie and Zetsuen were busily healing Mal and Avierra while making sure Sun Tenderheart’s Bane spell was cleansed from targets quickly, else it affected others fairly quickly.

Sorrow popped out of existence, having absorbed too much damage. Jizal and Bulalo had switched to Gloom earlier and it popped away shortly afterwards. Misery followed quickly as the warlocks, mage, and hunter focused him down. Jizal and Bulalo had already leaped to assist Mal in pinning down the sneaky rogue He Softfoot.

Again, Lorewalker Cho proved most helpful. “The Desperate Measures technique for rogues is just a single shadow clone known as Embodied Anguish but it places a Mark of Anguish on a person that causes a massive bleed. This needs to be passed on to another to minimize the effect.”

At this point, He Softfoot signaled for aid. A shadow clone sprang forth, dripping with sha corruption. It targeted Nonchalance and placed a glowing Mark of Anguish on her, causing her to scream in pain. “Pass it to Bulalo!” Veexie instructed quickly. The mage quickly blinked to the shaman and slapped him on the back with her palm, passing the Mark on to him. The large Tauren shaman merely grunted, prepared for the influx of pain the spell caused.

“Focus the Embodied Anguish down!” Zetsuen yelled. A torrent of fel, arcane, elemental, and holy energy slammed into the shadow clone, causing it to stumble back before simply popping out of existence. As the shadow clone disappeared, so did the Mark of Anguish, causing Bulalo to heave a sigh of relief.

Even as we turned our attention on Sun Tenderheart, she yelled. “Protectors, come to my aid!”

The Lorewalker piped up. “The Desperate Measures Technique for spellcasters is called Dark Meditation. It causes a field to spring up around the caster. All outside the field will die. Within the field, sha creatures of Despair and Desperation will spring forth to fight you. They must be destroyed for the spell to end.”

The field sprang up as light outside darkened to twilight. Everyone rushed into the field around the caster as small sha creatures sprang up. They died fairly quickly and soon, the spell ended.

This sequence happened one more time before Lorewalker Cho spoke up again. “The taint must be cleansed from all three at the same time! Otherwise the spell Bond of the Golden Lotus will trigger, causing them to heal each other.”

“Take them to the center Mal,” Avierra yelled. “We’ll bring them down all at once.”

“Got it!” Mal replied.

In short order, we had them all together in one spot and released our area-of-effect abilities to bring them down together.

Rook Stonetoe bowed deeply before fading away. “Feeling... better now... Thank you... little friends.”

Sun Tenderheart bowed as well. “We return to when we lost our way. You... are very kind.”

Lorewalker Cho bowed in return. “Be at peace, dear friends. May your souls become one with the land you gave your life to protect.”

“Our thanks, Lorewalker, without your aid this would nearly impossible.” Tekkreinah said with a bow of his own.

The Siege of Orgrimmar: Immerseus

Lorewalker Cho’s shock was clearly evident. “What has become of the Vale? The land is scarred! The ever blooming trees and plants wither and die, as the water from the pools drains away.”
“Damn that orc,” Zetsuen cursed as he stared out at the vale, now twisted and corrupted with dark sha energy, from the Shrine of Two Moons. Down below, Sunwalker Dezco and a team of his tauren braves kept the sha manifestations at bay. The normally placid pandaren monk paced restlessly on the terrace of the shrine.
At the railing, Kraft stared out over the vale and narrowed his undead eyes. “This will have consequences. The waters from the vale supply the farmlands in the Valley of the Four Winds. This corrupted water will destroy the crops in the valley.”
Beside him, Jizal shook his head. “Is there a way to purify the sha corruption from the waters?”
Kraft shrugged.
“There is a way.” All three looked towards the doorway of the shrine. Lorewalker Cho was the one who had spoken. “But it is perilous and we will need the strength of many.”
Mal rose from her seat at the terrace. “Worry not, Lorewalker. We have that strength.”
* * *
Lorewalker Cho appeared energized as they journeyed deep below the vale, the rotund pandaren having termed the place the Vale of Eternal Sorrows. “Ah, we adventure together again, except this time I am afraid that the circumstances are much more dire.” The company walked with a renewed sense of purpose, the darkness seeming insubstantial before their determination.
“Once, the Titans used these life-giving waters to create and shape all life in Pandaria,” the Lorewalker explained. “It is these waters that kept the Vale in bloom. Their runoff into the Valley of the Four Winds created the most fertile farmland in the world!”
“And now, the malignance of the Old God has manifested itself within these waters.”
Before them was a massive water elemental, streaked with the dark sha corruption so evident in the land above. Lorewalker Cho was aghast. “Such a foul, foul thing – destroy it, before it seeps deep into the soil and corrupts all of Pandaria!”
Mal hefted her shield in her left hand, her right swinging an axe worn with repeated use. Beside her, Avierra, the blood elf paladin, did the same with her own shield and sword. Side by side, orc and blood elf, the two nodded. Mal performed a heroic leap right at the elemental, axe landing in a crushing blow that made the elemental shudder and ripple, but appear otherwise unharmed. Sha-infused water began to scatter across the hall, burning any who got hit.
“Spread out!” Avierra roared even as she hurled her shield at the elemental in a Light-enhanced throw. “For the Light!”
Bladewisp unlimbered his bow and quickly shot a series of explosive arrows into the elemental even as he moved to the left to avoid the burning patches of sha-infused water. Nonchalance, eyes blazing with raw arcane power, hurled a swirling ball of ice at the elemental, following it with a series of arcane missiles, smashing into the elemental’s frozen torso.
Cyanmyer channeled balls of fel fire to smash into the elemental from its flank, covering the advance of both Jizal and Kraft into melee range whereupon the paladin and rogue wielded the Light and exotic poisons to deal massive damage to the foul creature.
All the while, Zetsuen, Veexie, and Mindmeltt blanketed the company in healing energy, neutralizing the harmful effects of the sha-touched waters.
“Take it down!” Zetsuen roared, seeing the elemental start to weaken and retreat down into the pool of water at its base. The company doubled their efforts and was gratified to see the elemental surge down into the pool, disappearing from view. In the blink of an eye, all was silent.

“Is it over? That seemed a bit… too easy…” Bladewisp whispered.

The pool suddenly swirled, releasing little balls of dark and light colored water. The dark water was infused with sha while the light water appeared to belong to the elemental.

At that point, Lorewalker Cho came to their rescue. “The sha-infused water must be destroyed. It is corrupting the water elemental of the Vale. The light colored water is the elemental itself. See if you can heal the light colored water with your healing spells.”

The water globules landed on the ground and began to ooze back to the center pool. Bladewisp shot multiple arrows into several of the dark sha-infused water oozes, which popped without much effort. The healers, meanwhile, concentrated their efforts on casting healing spells at the light colored water, seeing them glow with health and purity before slipping into the central pool.

The central pool shuddered and splashed, dealing burning damage to them all, but less so than before. It appeared their efforts were paying off! The elemental rose once more, but it seemed smaller than before, weaker for certain. This cycle repeated twice more before the elemental finally shuddered and expelled all the remaining sha corruption from itself.

“Ah, you have done it. The water are pure once more,” Lorewalker Cho said with a satisfied grin. “Can you feel their life-giving energies flow through you? It will take much time for the Vale to heal, but you have given us hope!”

Interlude

"How is Master Taran Zhu?" Bladewisp asked, concern clear on his face.

Kraft shrugged. "I barely got him out of there in time. Veexie and Zetsuen healed all they could just beside the explosion but we had to evacuate the Master of the Shado Pan to Binan Village for further healing." The rogue had risked his life to swoop in at the very last second, carrying the gravely injured Master of the Shado Pan to relative safety.

Jizal slammed his fist into a nearby wall. "That madman Garrosh has much to answer for."

Mal shook her head. "That orc has gone too far. He will pay for his crimes."

Bladewisp pulled an arrow from his quiver. "My advance condolences to our Warchief then. Our path leads to Orgrimmar and Garrosh Hellscream's front door."