章 146: Meetings
5/22 noon
Just to be clear, I'm not an idiot. Probably. Letting an angsty knife nut possessed by an unidentified demon into my apartment was a calculated risk. Importantly, I sent Ursula and Drusilla a note asking them if they knew how to bind a demon that was currently possessing someone, or if they could identify what kind of demon we were dealing with by the name. They promised to look into it from their lab in Ursula's basement. For some reason I also had a note from Nozara full of effusive praise and thanks; no real clue why.
I left Valeera with Talaada, hoping that she could manage the rogue while I worked with the rest of the team. Sadie was still deployed on a combat mission, so it didn't seem like I'd be getting much training from her. The warlocks weren't immediate miracle workers, so no point in visiting them yet. Ysondre was the lucky winner, so I donned my Erius persona in case she was in mixed company.
As it turned out she was; she was in a great golden building with vaulted ceilings, with several drakonids guarding a series of arches. It took me a moment to recognize Wyrmrest Temple, the central meeting place of all dragons. It felt incredibly comfortable and welcoming, and Ysondre seemed to be at ease here as well, curled up in her full draconic form. We were next to a pair of the imposing draconic humanoids, but they were green and we were green, so it was cool. They noted my presence and then decided it wasn't relevant to their current task.
"So… what did you want to talk to me about?"
"First, we should inoculate these two against the nightmare. They are of the green; it would be best if the emerald sanctum were guarded by those who can not be corrupted." That got the Drakonids' attention. They seemed a bit more going on between the ears than the black dragonspawn I've seen so far; perhaps the green dragonflight was a bit more gentle with their servants' minds?
"A defense against the nightmare?" The one on the left said at the exact time as the one on the right chimed in with "Oh yes, please."
I glanced meaningfully across the chamber at the blue drakonids guarding their own portal. Blue dragons were the guardians of magic; they were probably the rarest species according to the lore, due to about 98% of their population getting slaughtered a long time ago, but they were very prone to meddling. More importantly, if anyone was going to identify one of my amulets with a glance, it would be a blue dragon.
"Any chance we could do it somewhere private? I don't want to cause a scene."
"Ah. Yes, of course. You two. I shall relieve you of your duty guarding the portal for the duration of time it takes for you to be inoculated. You may perform the ritual inside of the sanctum. For that matter, you should inoculate the caretakers as well. They are dragonspawn." The two drakonids saluted and filed through the portal to wait for me inside.
"I thought this was about Ysera."
"It is. But I'd like to speak in private, and I'd also like to be sure that the next generation of green dragons are guarded by those who can not be turned against them. You could, I suppose, but I will hold onto my hope that you won't harm wyrmlings. Please don't prove me wrong." Fair point.
I followed the drakonids through the portal, and into an idyllic forest clearing. At least, it looked like one at first glance. I'm pretty sure it was some kind of pocket plane like my apartment; everything started to run together in the distance, like a wet watercolor painting. Everything was shrouded with a faint greenish mist, and there were hundreds of eggs being cared for by dragonspawn. I systematically captured each of them; the dragonspawn accepted me without question, and the slightly more independent drakonids trusted Ysondre even if I was some nobody. They cycled back out for guard duty after around twenty new people were added to my friendship circle.
"So," I started after Ysondre came in to speak with me, "Ysera?"
She gave me a brief overview of the situation; Ysera was there and primarily guarded by automatons, but if anything aroused suspicion we might lose her. I think she expected me to want to rush the operation, but Ysera was a goddamn demigod. I wasn't going to risk anything.
"If we capture Nishera slowly, what are the chances someone else will wander into the shrine and fuck things up?"
"Not particularly high, with most of the flight fighting in the dream. But what if while we wait, Ysera is trapped or captured?"
"She won't be. She could keep fighting this war for a few years without being corrupted. Trust me on this one, Ysera can definitely survive a few more weeks. It'll help her be more proactive if she is resistant to corruption, but she doesn't need it to survive. Is that all?"
"Well… yes. That and wanting you to leave an amulet with someone here so I won't have to make that long flight again."
"Do those dragonspawn ever leave the sanctum?"
"It's very rare."
"Good, I gave one of the caretakers an amulet. We should be able to come and go from there, right?" She nodded. "You've done well here. I'm planning on launching a raid on the portal in Ashenvale later today. I'll want you along."
••••••••••
Kam entered the throne room and knelt before his emperor, averting his eyes with respect. Dagran Thaurissan was not a cruel man, especially for one with as much power as he has, but he was very aware of his station.
"Speak. Chief Architect Darkvire tells me you bring news of danger to my person. Is this true?"
"Aye, my Emperor. The man who sent me believes a team is going to be sent to retrieve your empress. By her father, probably. He didn't tell me his source, but he said to expect it on the twenty ninth."
The emperor shrugged, unperturbed. "Very well. I will post a few extra guards that day. A bit of caution is never amiss. Now you will tell me of this man who sent you."
"He is known as Erich Bismark. He is a priest in service to Stormwind, with the king's ear. He does have a request."
"Of course he does." Theatrical sigh, "You've earned yourself a few minutes. Make your pitch."
"He would like for you to send Moira to Stormwind to meet with her father in a neutral space, so as to deescalate tensions."
"That's my wife you're talking about, and I'm not entirely sure I can send her anywhere if she doesn't choose to go."
"Lord Bismark offers himself in exchange, to be held as a hostage to ensure that she will be returned safely."
That got a snort. "A priest who has enough pull to get your sorry ass out of prison has a bit of weight, but I've never heard the man's name before today and you want me to risk my wife? Does that sound wise to you, Gem?" He turned to face the pink skinned woman at his side, though all Kam saw was her golden sandaled feet.
"No. Seems like it'd be as likely as not my pa would lock me up. Much more likely than him listening to me when he's convinced himself I'm compromised."
"Yep, and then I'd just have some human man. Wouldn't be half as pretty. So were you given any options to sweeten the pot?"
Kam nodded. "There's one other person that could be sent alongside him. Prince Anduin Wrynn. If Magni tried to keep his daughter, he'd be betraying Stormwind."
Moira spoke out of turn. "Deal." There was a whispered conversation from the married pair that Kam couldn't quite make out, but it seemed heated. After about a minute, a slightly disgruntled emperor continued.
"These terms are acceptable. We would also like a truce with Stormwind. Our mutual enemies, the Dark Horde and black Dragonflight, should keep us both occupied just fine without us bashing each other's heads in. Three months perhaps? Take these terms to your human king. When I have the prince, my wife has agreed to visit Stormwind city and have dinner with her father. Not a moment sooner."
"I'll let him know, sir."
"So you have a way to contact him? Good. You are dismissed. Next!"
••••••••••
Gretchen tried to resent what Erich Bismark was doing to her, but she really couldn't. She was thinking clearly again, just as promised. He'd defeated the Dark Lady's maneuver, but his counter seemed quite reasonable. It didn't seem like serving Bismark and serving Lady Sylvannas would be quite so impossible to reconcile as she'd feared. She could serve with the Forsaken, and she swore that another giggle would never pass her lips.
There was a moment when Gretchen truly believed that there would be no conflict between Erich and the Forsaken, and that was that. She fully accepted her enslavement, and the cognitive dissonance she'd been wrestling with since she'd been placed in this cell for observation faded. Erich would win any conflict of interest of course, but there wouldn't be many of those, right?
••••••••••
Oh hey. Gretchen is captured; mission complete. I'll need to pick up those prisoner, but I already have a plan for the Censer of Dreams. The next mission was targeted at Dremuus, hopefully giving him a little something to do in the Barrens, and probably a relatively easy regional mission target, if I was lucky.
Have you considered a life as a merc?
Convince the goblin Mad Magglish to assist you with a dangerous task.
Reward: Pickup Line
Pickup Line: a scroll that will make one woman perceive the user as a physically and socially desirable sexual partner when it is read aloud to her. This will not override moral, practical, or tactical considerations. Outside of those concerns, the subject will almost always consent to at least one sexual encounter. The altered perception will remain, but is no more immutable than any other opinion.
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