World of Warcraft®

The old grizzled dwarf stroked his long white beard.

Within his hallowed chamber, at the head of a long table, he stood. With his one good eye he gazed down at the papers spread before him. Around the table stood his associates. Men and women of varying races who he called family. He had chosen each. An undying brotherhood linked through him.

He raised his head to view each in turn, pulling down a simple black leather patch over his right eye. Not all could be in attendance, but the the more vital were present numbering seven. The rest would be brought up to speed later.

"Operation Mana Wyrm.”

His voice flat and hoarse. It echoed in the chamber with a deepness, as if an ancient wisdom called up from the dust within of the deep mountain. He continued, his cadence methodical and precise.

As he spoke a gnome walked amongst the group. She indignantly tossed folders filled with important papers onto the table before each person, her cute brown pigtails bobbing with each step. Few paid her actions any attention.

“Our primary focus: Infiltrate an estate and rescue a captive gnome."

"Fairly straight forward." The long bearded dwarf named Susen spoke up. Words spoken perfectly though forced through a noticeably thick dwarven accent.

Odin nodded. "Aye lad."

"What's the catch?" Susen asked, plopping down in a chair and throwing his feet up on the table.

To Odin's left stood the tall figure of a man. He was lean and powerful. His head bald, chin bearded and face confident with a mere hint of arrogance. "This estate lies nearly dead center within the ancient High Elf city, Silvermoon."

"Are you lot mad?" Susen scoffed. "How in all Azeroth are we suppose to get in there?" The old grizzled dwarf stood motionless at the head of the table, his one eye fixed upon the young dwarf. They stared at one another in a battle of wills until finally the younger relented. The tension between the two broke as Susen begrudgingly lowered his feet from the table.

Odin continued. "Though in recovery, this region is still reeling from devastation brought on by the Third War. We can use this to our advantage."

Odin rolled a large map of the city across the table. He peered to the man on his left. "Jove?"

The man drew in a deep breath. "Thanks to our gnome squad, our most current intel shows that the city as a whole is still divided by an area known as the Dead Scar.  It is a long swath of land left devastated and largely barren by Arthas' war machine."

Jove motioned to each side of the map in turn.  "A little history lesson for the kiddies; Half of the city to the east of the Scar is densely populated by the High Elf survivors of the Third War. These who now calls themselves Blood Elves.  The other half to the west of the Scar is in ruins but still fairly populated with creatures left so twisted that they barely resemble the proud High Elves they once were."

Odin picked right up. "The dead scar Jove mentioned dividing the city is largely barren. Abandoned. There is still some danger of undead. Keep your head on a swivel."

Jove lifted a folder the indignant gnome tossed onto the table earlier and opened it. He glanced around the room with an obvious look suggesting everyone else should as well. He continued. "You all have your designations, so lets get to the heart of it."

Nixim drifted high in the dusk skies above the northern forests of Lordearon, a place now known to many as the Western Plaguelands.

The noise inside the cockpit of his specially modified twin engine dwarven bi-plane was tremendous, forcing the gnome to wear noise-canceling ear protection. He glanced over his shoulder to his co-pilot seated directly behind him. He pointed out to the left of the plane.

"Port side! Down below!" The gnome pilot had to practically scream over the noise of the engines and wind. His co-pilot glared at him. She also wore the noise-cancelling ear protection be refused to wear the snug leather head cap and goggles. As a result her head was cold, her cute brown pigtails looked more like frizzy brown balls of hair, and the cold cutting wind had dried her eyes out to the point she had a splitting headache.

"Our LZ?" she screamed back. Her dry eyes filled with hope.

Nixim shook his head. "No! Andorhal! It's been so long since I've been this far north! It's incredible! Don't you think?"

Her steel gaze told him otherwise. Rather than press it the gnome turned back around in his seat and manned his controls. He pressed the tiny microphone ptt button near his throat and spoke normally. His voice came through in their ear protectors.

"You know, we wouldn't have to scream if you would just put on your head gear and goggles."

She screamed back, barely audible above the noise. "I'm not wearing your Fel-damned head cap! It looks ridiculous and I'm not your co-pilot! I'm a soldier for fel-sakes! I should be down there fighting not... stashed away up here... doing... stupid... circles in the air!"

Nixim tapped his ear protectors and shook his head, pantomiming that he couldn't hear her thought she knew that he could. She screamed in frustration and ripped her ear protectors off, pulled the head cap on with the goggles and snapped her ear protectors back on. The angry gnome co-pilot pressed the mic ptt button at her throat and yelled. "HAPPY NOW?"

The pilot winced and tapped his ear protectors and gave a thumbs up. "Loud and clear Nella." Nixim checked his instrument panel. "We're nearing the LZ. Jettison the empty fuel tanks while we're above the lake here and prepare for our descent. It'll be a fast and short landing."

Nella cued her mic and sighed. "Yea yea." She flipped a few switches. "Tanks away. Preparing descent."

Several days earlier, back at Odin's briefing table...

"At 21:00 hours Medusa and Erfax will secure the site marked A." As Jove spoke Odin unrolled a giant map of all the Eastern Kingdoms, covering the full length of the table. The old dwarf pointed at the map with a long rod, following Jove's narration. The site marked A was located high in the mountains of the northern plaguelands straddling the border between east and west.

"These two will provide LZ security along with Snowen. We will gather at the LZ by 22:00 hours and you will do so by your own means. We do not want to draw attention."

Susen leaned back in his seat as the conversation droned on and eyed the tall woman standing behind him, her head hooded and face masked. "Psst. Tall dark an' sexy." The dwarf whispered, his accent slipping through. "Ye spot me a few coin for my travels?"

The tall woman glared down at him a moment then returned to listening to the briefing but muttered softly. "I'll cover you Sue." The dwarf winked up at her. Jove continued.

"At approximately 22:00 hours a modified aircraft will land. Gnomer will be piloting, Nella will co-pilot." The brown pigtailed gnome scoffed loudly her disapproval. "Duly noted Nella." Jove continued.

"Snipers 1 and 2.  Mage 1, 2, and 3.  Rogue 1 and 2.  Warrior 1 and 2.  All will board in the designated drop positions."

Across the table from Susen stood an armor clad woman, nearly a full hand shorter than the hooded woman behind him. She pulled out a diagram of the plane and seating arrangements. "Along the wing?" She interrupted. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious dearest. Read the provided booklet before you leave and you'll see how it works out."

She grumbled pulling the booklet from the folder. "Are you sure you can trust this gnome sir? I've been at the failing end of too many 'gnomish mods', sir."

"He came highly recommended." Jove glanced toward the old dwarf. Medusa nodded her understanding.

"At 22:30 hours the aircraft will lift off and skim the coastline north toward Silvermoon City, gaining altitude.  Reaching proper altitude the craft will turn east over the Ghostlands and follow this river..." Odin points at the map with the rod as Jove speaks. "...north to the Dead Scar, then follow that landmark north to our Silvermoon drop point. That would be the big X on your individual maps."

((I -love- me a good pre-op briefing. -Wiggle wiggle wiggle. YEAH.-))

In the city bellow the night air was cool and inviting. A slight breeze drifted across the peninsula drawing with it pleasant scents of the various flowers and plants that decorated the ancient streets.

High in the night sky the air thinned and the temperature dropped considerably. Even higher than that, at an altitude far above that of any bird drifted a small aircraft. Nixim, its' pilot, had slide shut the metal hatch for protection from the chill-cutting winds but that did little to ebb the frigid temperatures. His hands trembled as he gripped the stick between his knees. Just how tightly he gripped it was unknown since his fingers had gone numb.

The gnome pilot/engineer knew it would be cold this high up, but he had drastically underestimated just how much. He wore a thick lined leather jacket, his leather cap, goggles, ear protection and even wrapped a long wool scarf around his head and face. Even so the cold was eating through his defenses. His chest would start shivering soon and then hypothermia would not be far behind.

He checked the instrument panel and rubbed some of the dials for a clear reading. He pressed the ptt mic button at his neck. "We're nearly to our drop point, Nella. Prep for our drop."

"Copy." She replied. No indignation. No cutting remark or so much as a sarcastic quip. The cold must have shivered her into a reluctant compliance. The mission had only just begun and the list of things he hadn't anticipated or had underestimate was getting longer. He, Nella and Tink had modified this craft. It took weeks of planning, redesigns and manufacturing but he had every confidence that all of their mods would hold, they were three rather brilliant gnomish engineers and tinkerers, and yet the three of them had overlooked so much. His gut tightened at the thought that this might end up a complete disaster.

"This might end up a complete disaster." Nella's voice shivered over their com channel. "You know this right?"

Nixim keyed his mic. "You and I perhaps but they don't. Lets stay focused. We can make it work."

"Yea yea."

"Open coms for me Tink."

"Right!" The eager young voice responded.

In a modified jump seat directly behind Nella sat Tink. She was a young talented mage with a gift for tinkering. Her young nimble mind seemed to bend and flex in ways that even astounded some gnomes. Nixim for one. This made her perfect for running the tech infield and keeping the flow of real-time information open. In theory at least she would be everyone's eyes and ears. Being her first operation, this would also be her crucible.

Nixim had taken her in as an apprentice for the past few years while she studied her magic at Ironforge. She was eager, impressionable, highly imaginative, and the right amount of naive for her age. Sometimes flirty, often bubbly, usually playful, she was loyal and trustworthy to a fault and though rather inexperienced to the world she wasn't a fool.

"Open coms sir."

"This is your captain speaking. I would like to personally thank everyone for flying AirGnome. Please note that the seat belt sign is on so please remain seated and secured."

"Really funny gnome." Susen shivered over the radio. "Ah'm freezin my briquets off tied ta'this wing while you're all warm'n toasty out in yer cockpit! An'these insulated canvas bags ain't so insulated... So cut yer joking and tell me when we're droppin. I can't stand much more of this crazy idea."

"Would you stop your gripping Susen! You're not the only one freezing to death on this wing!" Another gnome voice broke in on the radio communications channel. Decidedly female, this voice carried with it a steely coldness that betrayed experience.

"It's not natural! Jumpin from a perfectly fine aircraft! Its daft!"

Nixim cleared his throat on the coms channel. "Yea, Susen, about that."

"Oh no. No you don't lad. Don't you dare tell me..."

"We're nearing our drop point. Everyone at the ready and stow the chatter. We'll count down to the drop and then its radio silence unless comm is dire. We will contact each team with burst transmissions for sitreps. Good luck."

Several days earlier, at Odin's briefing table...

Jove flipped a page over in the folder in his hand. He spoke as Odin pointed at the map on the table. "At reaching this point everyone in the drop position along the wings will disembark."

"Disembark." Susen repeated. The dark bearded dwarf glanced around the table. "What does he mean?" In the seat in front of him sat a dark haired man dressed in robes similar to the masked woman behind him he had winked at.

The man turned in his seat and spoke over his shoulder. "He means we will be dropping off the wing."

"Dropping of the..." Susen's face twisted in frustration. "You mean to say..." He tapped his think dwarven finger on the table. "We're jumping from the wing of a perfectly good aircraft?"

Jove continued, eyeing Susen. "This will be unlike anything any of you have done before."

"Ye damn straight!"

"You will be falling at the dead of night from an extremely high altitude. It will get cold that high up so be sure to dress either in thick garb or in layers, but be mindful that when you reach the ground you'll need to be able to move fast and light. We also can't leave any evidence so no disrobing."

"This is insane!" Susen protested.

Medusa nodded her head. "I agree. This is really crazy, but it will be spectacular if we pull it off." She grinned back at the dwarf.

The robed woman with mask and hood spoke up, turning the pages in her folder. "How are we dividing up and where do we land?"

The old dwarf nodded. "Team 1. Susen. Ethereal. Spectral. Spectral will provide slow fall into the estate marked X. Once you drop Team 1 will collectively be called simply Lynx. This is for protection should anyone happen upon our radio bursts. Individually Susan will be Lynx 1. Ethereal, Lynx 2. Spectral, Lynx 3. You three will land rooftop estate. Lynx 3 will hold position. Lynx 1 and 2, enter the estate. Locate the device and schematics. Destroy these. Return to Lynx 3 for Extraction."

His deep graveled cadence continued. "Team 2, Blood-thistle. Erfax, Blood-thistle 1. Medusa, Blood-thistle 2. Tahlyn, Blood-thistle 3. Tahlyn isn't one of us but she comes highly recommended and will meet up with us at the LZ."

"Blood-thistle 3 will provide slow fall into the estate. Your landing target is small, the open air garden at the center of the estate." Odin unrolled another smaller map over the table. This map was a simple line schematic of a rather large multi-floored structure. Something akin to a mansion but with a slightly different floor plan and layout. He placed weights on each corner to keep it open and pointed as he spoke.

"Fall through to ground level and find the entrance into the dungeon. Secure the dungeon and the Gnome who we'll call Squirrel. Squirrel is friendly but if he resists, bag and drag. Blood-thistle 3 will accompany 1 and 2 for operation support. When the package is secured Blood-thistle 3 will provide Extraction."

"Team 3, Dragon-hawk. Ve, Dragon-hawk 1. Jayne, Dragon-hawk 2. Flag, Dragon-hawk 3." Odin pointed to the Bazzar on the city map. "Dragon-hawk 3 will provide slow fall to point S1, the marked rooftop at the center of the Bazzar. Dargon-hawk will maintain over-watch on the estate from this rooftop. Businesses will be closed and foot traffic will be light so if you need to reposition be swift and silent."

Odin pointed to the wall separating the city from the dead scar. "Here is marked S2. It is some sort of floating planter with a small tree or shrubs and grass. Tink, who is not present, will slow fall herself to this position along the wall. She will be additional support on the ground should we need it, but her purpose is to man our small mechanical drone."

The cute brown pigtails bobbed at the other end of the table as she stood on a chair. "Its a highly advanced experimental surveillance device with a transition-developmental corpora AI synaptic systems. It's not 'a drone'." Nella curled her fingers in the air with a sneer.

"If you 'must' know its a Perpetually Intelligent Mechanical Serpent fitted with extremely silent propulsion drives powered by a highly sophisticated and not yet completely tested arcane-core."

Everyone in the room blinked followed by a moment of silence. Odin cleared his throat and resumed his methodical deep cadence.

"Tink will pilot... we'll call it PIMS... from that spot on the wall and maintain a holding pattern above the Bazzar. When Lynx and Blood-thistle are clear of the estate this mission will be complete. Dragon-hawk 3 will provide Extraction."

Jove drew in a deep breath. "Should something go wrong, stay close to your mages. Plan B exfiltration will be to get beyond the wall and head north along the Dead Scar to the sea. If you're not with your mage or are being pursued then follow the shoreline west, get clear of any pursuit and wait for pickup."

Medusa raised her hand. "What kind of resistance will we meet?"

Jove nodded. "This is a swift and silent operation. No one will know you are going. No one will know we are coming. Your high altitude insertion was designed to be swift and invisible. You get in and get out. You're ghosts. Minimal footprint."

"Politics are sensitive so lets not start an international incident by getting spotted or captured, and under no circumstance will you accidentally kill any civilian, so check your aim and watch who you're attack. Non-Lethal Force is permitted for civilian and guard within the city but only as a last measure."  

"Intel was difficult to obtain within the estate so Non-Lethal Force is advised but that will remain open to discretion, but again only within the estate."

"I can not stress enough the importance for stealth.  The fewer who know of your presence the faster and easier your extraction and success."

There was a certain peace to it. Falling from so high. The black of night. Only the stars and a quarter moon to light the way. The mage closed her eyes. For a short moment she felt it again. Alone. Free. Drifting through the nether. It had been so long since...

Time to focus.

She opened her eyes to see the roof tops rushing up at her. She was falling faster than anticipated. With swift grace she cast her spell out to the dwarf and gnome then herself. The deafening noise from the rushing air slowly ceased. Then she heard the screams of panic and terror from her dwarf teammate. When their feet finally softly touched the rooftop the black haired dwarf rushed Spectral nearly catching her off guard. The thick barreled dwarf as quicker than he looked.

Susen tore his extra layer of jacket off and threw it at the mage. Ceidy blinked to one side and caught the garment stopping Susen short. "But you were... How did you..." His ire nearly spilled out as he pointed a thick finger up at her. "You nearly killed us you... you... Witch." He growled.

Spectral dropped her pack and took a knee shoving the dwarf's garment inside. "Looks like your partner is getting the jump on you." He pointed with her chin behind him. "Better get cracking."

Susen turned just in time to spot the little black clad figure of the gnome Ethereal dive off the roof's edge. A very faint puff of air let him know that she had fired a thin grapple line, likely to swing into an open window. The dwarf growled to himself. "That was my move." The thick framed figure bounded across the rooftop like a small fat angry ox and leapt off the roof after her.

Spectral sighed, then pressed the mic button at her throat. "Lynx is gold."

Medusa, Erfax and Tahlyn fell head first toward the estate right behind Spectral, Susen, and Ethereal. She heard Spectral check in over the short burst transmission just as they fell past the roofline. Tahlyn was quick on the spellwork. Medusa felt her stomach drop as her fall slowed to an easy glide. She lived for these moments. Her adrenaline was pumping.

The three landed with barely a noise and without missing a beat they dove straight into the mansion looking for that dungeon entrance. It wasn't long before they came to a tall pale-skinned elf standing guard. Just behind her the tall burly Night Elf that was Erfax stepped right around her and rushed the guard. The pale-skinned elf hand even the chance to grab his weapon at his hip before the dark mass was upon him.

Another pale elf stood guard across the corridor from him. That elf dropped his lance and pulled his short sword as he rushed to the aid of his fellow guard, but he didn't make it. Medusa was right behind Erfax. She intercepted the second guard, firing a well placed left hook to the sweet spot on the elf's jawline. The guard dropped like a sack of fruit. The sound of a short struggle drew her gaze. Erfax eased the guard to the floor, having used his arm across the neck to choke him out.

Medusa had drug the elf guard by the shoulders to nearby room. She dropped the unconscious body inside and Erfax followed in suit. Hide all evidence, at least until the two guards awoke. By then they'd be long gone.

Out in the hall the tall Night Elf whispered. "Nicely done."

Medusa nodded. "And you, master."

He placed his large night elf hand on her shoulder. "You have come far from the simple street brawler I once knew."

Tahlyn whispered for their attention. "I think this is it. Our dungeon entrance. Beyond is a short hall to a flight of steps and then...." A large explosion rocked the mansion. The mage reached out to the wall for support so she didn't topple over. The other two steadied each other.

The concussion was tremendous. Dust and bits of mortar shook loose from the walls and ceilings. The three stood silent as statues, each gazing at the other. Each asking the same question.

It took a little convincing but the young gnome mage convinced her two elder gnomes, Nixim and Nella, that she could better serve if she was on the ground with the rest. It was rather logical, really. The signal between her and the mechanical serpent drone PIMS degraded the further she was from the device. Response times to commands slowed, not to mention she was getting a bit sea-sick from riding "jump-seat". Nella wasn't happy about it, but she agreed.

She gathered a few things and quickly modified her control panel and monitor to be portable, then lept from the aircraft. She fell as the others had, casting slow-fall on herself as she neared the rooftops. She had spied a perfect location while piloting PIMS. A floating garden high off the ground with enough cover to keep her hidden.

The little gnome floated gingerly to location, falling through the branches until coming to rest on the soft green patch of floating earth. No sooner had she landed than she felt the earth quake beneath her. "What the Fel was that?" Tink squelched over the radio.

"Sounded like an explosion from here." Susan answered.

Tink exhaled her alarm. Things were much more exciting on the ground. She plopped down her small folding control panel and opened it. Hidden high with the shrubs of this floating planter the faint glow of her monitor screen should be well hidden. She flipped a few toggle switches and PIMS, the mechanical dragon serpent drone, silently lifted into the air from its silent observance near her. It glided out over the Bazzar just high enough to remain hidden in the night sky. She circled it around to get a good view of the entire area and flipped another switch to make it maintain it's pattern.

She pressed the mic button at her throat. "Ok fellas. Sitrep."

"Lynx 3. All clear." Spectral responded.

"Lynx 2. Clear." Ethereal's monotone voice responded.

"Lynx 1. All clear in here." Susen responded. "...and I'm fairly certain that was an explosion." He whispered.

"Blood-thistle 1." Erfax coughed over the radio. "That was a very large explosion." He paused to cough again. "Seems it came from the dungeon's below."

Nixim listened to the radio chatter as he and Nella completed their first high altitude holding pattern above Silevermoon City. He shook his head, toggling over to a private channel with Nella. He keyed the mic. "Did I hear that right?"

"Yea!" He yelled. "And you're not going to believe this one either."

Nixim keyed his mic. "What do you mean?"

Just then the flight stick controls between his knees began to fight him. The plane shuddered and began to tip.

Nella keyed her mic. "That!"

"What's going on?!" Nixim began fighting with the flight stick to maintain control.

"We may have overlooked a few things in our modifications! This high of an altitude is too cold, the air is too thin, and frankly we've pushed this heap of trash further than it ever should have gone!"

Nixim flipped a few switches on his control panel. He watched his instruments spin and flip. "I'm losing control!"

"This thing if falling apart!"

"We can't stay here. I'm sorry Nella but we're ditching it into the ocean. Tell Tink and then..."

"Right!" She interrupted. "Plan B!"

The young gnome mage sat bent over her small monitor and control system, listening to the teams situational report.

"Dragon-hawk 2. We're good outside the estate. No damage or smoke visible though we also felt it." Jayne's deep manly voice made Tink's young and foolish heart race for a moment. She shook her head.

"Any pedestrian movement Dragon-hawk?"

"2, negative." Jayne answered.

"1, negative." Ve answered.

"3, negative." Flagg answered. "... wait."

Jayne's smooth manly... Jayne responded. "Dragon-hawk 2. We have movement. Two guards just entered the square south of us. They don't look to be in a hurry but that boom got their attention. They're moving toward the estate."

Tink crawled through the shrubbery and peeked out over the edge of the floating planter. She keyed her mic. "I have eyes on. Good copy." She crawled back to her control panel and took control of the drone. She circled it out over the city in a large sweep. "Aerial has no movement. I think we are clear except for those two." Just to be certain she locked the drone into a high holding pattern and set it to alert her earpiece if there is significant movement in the streets. She smiled. "The wonders of gnomish technology."

She keyed her mic. "Blood-thistle. Sitrep."

The three of them moved down the short hall and to the stairs leading down into the dungeon. The dust in the air was getting thick, limiting their vision. Erfax, in the lead, halted. He patted the top of his head indicating goggles.

Erfax Medusa pulled a pair of goggles from their belts and pulled them over their eyes. Tahlyn seemed to already be wearing them around her neck and so pulled them up. The lenses glowed a very soft green allowing them to see clearer in the darkness and penetrate some of the heavy dust. Each also pulled up a thick face mask to breathe through.

They descended the stairs, stepping over more and more rubble as they went. The scene below was incredible. Tink spoke into their ears asking for a situational report. Erfax gave hand signals telling them to spread out and look for the gnome, then signaled for Medusa to respond.

Medusa pressed the mic button at her throat and whispered. "Looks like a major explosion. The room is a all but completely destroyed. We're sweeping the debris now. No sign of the Squirrel yet. What's our time frame look like?"

Jayne keyed his mic. "Close. They'll be at the front gate in 60 seconds."

Vë laid flat on her stomach across the rooftop near Jayne. Her large bore rifle cradled lovingly in her arms, eye in line with its multi-optic scope. A faint green hue brushed her cheek as she watched the exterior of the mansion through the Dark Vision setting. Scanning each window she saw the dwarf and gnome in their own right, each darkly clad and hidden within shadows, and watched as they moved room to room searching for the device and its schematics. In a room adjacent she spotted the movement of a few more guards. They looked to be responding to the explosion bellow.

She keyed her mic. "Dragon-hawk 1. Lynx. Movement in the room adjacent you. Caution."

The gnome responded in a flat tone. "They're passing through the hall toward the explosion downstairs." The pair disappeared from Vë's sight. She scanned the windows, watching the growing activity. Concerned she keyed her mic again.

"Dragon-hawk 1. Bloodthistle. You're window is fast closing."

The small remote dragon glided silently high above the Bazzar.

The little gnome watching her control screen securely hidden within the shrubbery of a floating garden pod. She circled the drone around to better view the approaching guards. From her angle she could also clearly see Vë sprawled out over the central circular building cradling her rifle, Jayne crouched at the foot of the statue at the center of the roof, and on the opposite side Flagg. The curious mage looked so much out of his element, sitting low on the roof, gazing through a scope to help keep an eye out over the square. Tink giggled quietly.

She rotated the drone's vision to the mansion. High on the rooftop stood a stoic shadow. Spectral, Lynx 3. Ever so patiently waiting to be of some use. She panned down the face of the mansion, unable to make out much of anything. It all appeared so strangely quiet. Aside from the odd explosion earlier, one would never something might be amiss within the estate.

A mic keyed over the coms. The deep voice of Erfax hummed in Tink's ear. "Blood-thistle 1. We bagged the Squirrel. Lynx 1 and 2, we've found traces of what appear to have been the schematics you're searching for and trace evidence of your device as well."

Susan responded with an acknowledgment. Tink keyed her mic. "Good work Blood-thistle. Collect some evidence and get out of there. Safe travels." Erfax responded in kind. Tink shifted her attention to the dwarf and gnome inside the mansion. "Lynx. Sitrep."

"All fairly quiet on our end. No sign of the device or schematics on our end, but sounds as though they found it below."

"Affirmative. Rally back to Lynx 3 for exfiltration." Susan acknowledge. Tink moved the small mechanical dragon serpent to a high vantage point just above the wall that separated the city from the dead scar. From there she could rotate the drone's optical lense and keep an eye on the situation.

A rather unfamiliar voice spoke softly over the radio. It was Tahlyn, Tink realized, the third and mysterious member of Team 2. "Blood-thistle 3. Portal open and we're all clear." There was a tell tale hum in her communication from the faint electrical disturbance given off by the open portal, Tink noticed. She responded.

"Good to hear. See you on the other side."

Hearing the chatter Spectral reached into her small pack and pulled out all of the reagents needed for opening a portal. She also pulled out a small curious gnomish device and admired it for a moment. Pulling a short lever on the side caused short tripod legs to pop out. She set the device on the roof and slipped a particular loadstone into a facett atop the small device. It hummed to life.

She held the portal runestone keyed to a private location in the wooded hills near Northshire Abbey. The masked and hooded mage began the summoning ritual as normal. The loadstone atop the curious gnomish device began to glow. The power she drew from it greatly reduced the ritual casting involved and in nearly half the time it would normally take a portal began to form just above the device.

The air around it charged with energy making the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. At a point in space reality began to shimmer and ripple as if Spectral had just cast a stone into a pond. It was opening.

From on edge of the roof the dwarf Susen pulled himself up. He rolled over onto his back and laid for a moment to catch his breath. The gnome Ethereal on the other hand followed him up over the ledge, pressing herself up, rolling head over heels and silently moving to the mage.

When the portal had finally opened and stabilized, which happened rather swiftly thanks to the small device, Ethereal was the first to bound through. Susen pushed himself to his feet and lumbered to the portal, passing through with a leap. Spectral glanced around the rooftop once more and keyed her mic. "Lynx clear. Exfil complete." She then stepped through herself.

On the other side, in the still darkness of the early morning, a small torrent of wind raged around the portal. Quickly she cast the usual closing ritual. The wind died down as the portal closed. All fell silent and peaceful in the woods once again.