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Rillik signed off on Casta's report with a flourish, glad to finally be caught up on the week's paperwork. As he pressed his seal into the tub of wax warming over the small fire spirit the AAMS kept around the office for such tasks, his gaze passed unintentionally over the desk just to his left. The desk had been unoccupied for too long, and now, with the plans to move the AAMS offices to Caer Darrow, would most likely be reassigned to someone who could use it.

Rillik frowned as the memories came flooding back. She had been gone for months, with no sign of where she had gone, no communication with anyone, and no clues left as to when she expected to return. He had done his best to keep everyone else's spirits up, reassuring them the=at she would be back as soon as things had cooled down. But, things HAD cooled down... Granted, other things had heated up, but he had expected her, of all people, to understand that things would never be calm and easy where the AAMS was concerned.

The fire spirit looked up at him expectantly, waiting for some indication that he had covered his seal in the appropriate amount of hot wax, but Rillik had already forgotten about the report, lost in his thoughts as he was. The small spirit let out the equivalent of a sigh and moved on to the hearth.

Rillik let out a sigh of his own as he leaned back in his chair. He pulled out his key ring and opened a dusty drawer in the cabinet on the other side of his desk. Inside was only one unmarked folder. He put the folder down gently on top of the forgotten report and opened it hesitantly. He spread the contents across the surface of the desk in the same order he always did. He glanced at copies of letters, progress reports, official disciplinary action memorandums, and other assorted files. He made a mental checklist of all the avenues he had already unsuccessfully pursued. His frown came back slowly as he realized he had already checked into all possible options at least twice and now had no idea where to continue.

Rillik's face darkened as his inner rage was fed by his current frustration and the fact that his condition had not been sated for... what was it? Two? Three days now? He didn't even try to fight it as he violently swept everything off his desk onto the floor with a loud clatter. The tub of wax rolled to a stop in the corner of the room, slowly leaking its contents on the floor. He slumped back down into his chair, chastising himself silently for losing his cool so pointlessly. He looked up sharply as there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" he demanded, a bit more rudely than he had intended.

The door opened slowly, and without formal invitation. The face of one of the twins appeared around the edge of the portal. Rillik noted the dark hair and well groomed moustache. Jol'Kayden.

"Everything alright, Sarge?" the slightly younger Markos twin inquired.

"Come in, Mr. Markos, and close the door behind you, please," Rillik said quietly. "Is there anyone else out there?"

"Anyone else? Sarge, it's almost sunrise. Everyone else has been gone for hours. I'm only here 'cause I knew I could prob'ly find you, workin' way too late, as always." Kayden looked around at the mess, recognizing some of the papers scattered around the office. "Any new leads? It's been a while since you sent me on the last wild goose chase..."

Rillik fumed. "It is NOT A WILD GOOSE CHASE!!!" Kayden recoiled and stammered, "S- sor- sorry, Sarge. I didn't mean nothing by it. It's just, we ain't found nothing yet, and we've been over all the leads more'n once."

The death knight breathed deeply, regaining his composure. "Of course, Mr. Markos. My apologies. I let all the stress get to me. It is not your fault and I would do well to remember all you have done to help me."

"It ain't that big a deal, Sarge. I miss her, too. She's funny."

"Indeed, Mr. Markos. Would you be so kind as to assist me in cleaning this up?" Rillik wept his arm in an arc to indicate the files strewn about the floor.

"No problem, Sarge."

Jol'Kayden had left shortly after Rillik's office was back in order, but the newly appointed AAMS Alliance Branch Manager had decided to stay up and work through the next day. It wouldn't be the first all-nighter he had pulled, AAMS or otherwise, and would likely not be the last.

Shortly after sunrise the support staff began showing up to prep for the day. Normally, no one was in the office until three candle marks past sunrise, but they were getting ready to move and there was a lot still to be done. Rillik decided it would be best if he left them to their packing and stayed in his office.

He was busying himself with packing the files from the "Abominus" drawer into an enchanted thorium-shod crate when his boss walked into the office. He waited for her to get her ritual mug of coffee (Which he had been sure to prepare himself. Aeldgyth loved his coffee.) and sit down at her own desk with her morning reports before he approached her. He even waited until the mug was at her lips so he would be sure to get what he needed to say out before she could stop him.

"Doctor Whistlespark, we need to talk about Ms. Starfallen..."

"Vasilia?" Aeldgyth's eyebrows rose over the lip of her mug.

She wasn't, despite her lofty title, much of an administrator. Yes, she'd been Department Chair of Ancient Languages and Cultures at Gnomer U (before it blew up), but she'd also been the entire department. Gnomanities didn't get much funding.

Running the AAMS was an interesting new challenge. You didn't get any simple personalities, that was for sure. Everyone came carrying some sort of private baggage. A lot like grad students, when you thought about it...

"She's been laying low. Or at least that was the plan last time she and I spoke. After that mess out in the Barrens." Aeldgyth waved dismissively. It was ancient history, as far as she was concerned, only less interesting than actual ancient history. Aeldgyth didn't have much patience for people who liked to hang on to "issues."

"It was while we were still scrambling to reorganize everything. I haven't seen her since." She tilted her head curiously. "Why? Have you heard something? I wouldn't mind having her back in the office, certainly, and I think the fuss has died down enough to hand her some of the administrative responsibilities."

She took another sip of her coffee. Sometimes it was good to give the kids their freedom and see what they made of it. Employees were, presumably, the same. "If you've got a line on her, by all means see if she'd like to resume active duties. We could certainly use the staff, if the Renewal Project keeps growing..."

Rillik slumped back in his chair, very much needing a break from the packing. His own desk was ready to move, but he had taken it upon himself to pack up Vasilia's desk as well. He was still irritated about his conversation with Doctor Whistlespark earlier that day. She had apparently not been aware that Miss Starfallen had never actually shown up at the location where her "sabbatical" had been scheduled and all contact with her had been lost shortly after she left. He tossed the folder he had been going through onto the desk in frustration.

Rillik closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. When he finally opened them again, he saw that a few of the files in the folder had slid partially out when they landed on the desk. He sat up and gathered up the papers and looked them over one more time, hoping to glean something out of them that he might have missed before. Unfortunately, the only files in this folder were checklists and recommended budgets for the Camp Taurajo and Stardust renewal projects. He sighed and set the files back down, upside down so he wouldn't have to look at her signature.

On the back of the file on the top of the stack was a list he had seen a few times, but had never paid much attention to. It read:

Target?

Camp Taurajo
Stardust
Caer Darrow
Darnassus
Darkshore

The first three items were crossed off, leaving Darnassus and Darkshore. It looked like Vasilia had traced over Darnassus in more ink a few times. Each location listed except for that one had either been considered or already utilized in the AAMS Renewal Projects except for Darnassus...

"Target... Why were you looking at Darnassus for a renewal, Vas? It wasn't hit by anything that called for 'renewing'..."

He started scanning the other documents in the pile. No other mention of Darnassus. Not even in the log of Vasilia's deliveries. Nothing... Rillik knew there had been deliveries to the home of the Night Elves while Vasilia had still been around because he had been the assigned courier on most- no, ALL of them...

Rillik stroked his beard, puzzled.

"What were you avoiding in Darnassus?"

"Sarge?" One of the twins stuck his head into the nearly empty office, the greying hair falling around it's ears marking it as Jol'Casta. "Hey, Sarge, you in here?"

The young warlock walked in, his face covered with a look of concern. "So, Sarge, I talked to Kayden before he went off on another of your deliveries. He said you looked like crap. And now that I'm here, I have to say he was a victim of understatement." A quick movement of his hands and out from the sleeve of his robes, Casta had pulled out a small packet of food and a half empty skin of Dwarven. Then he sat down in the only chair not covered in paperwork and boxes, pulling out his own brew.

"Look, Rillik..." The twins almost never called Verogoth by his first name. It was practically unheard of to anyone but the twins and their mentor. "I know things have been tough. But you've got the rest of us here to help out. Go relax for a little bit, loosen up. I can finish up the paperwork and the packing. When you get back from some rest, we can pick up where we left off."

He rose from his seat and walked to the doorway, where he stopped. Still facing away from the death knight, he spoke up once more.

"Besides, if she's still out there, she'll find us at Caer Darrow."

The only thing Rillik would have seen after that comment was the whisking robes of the younger man as he beat a speedy exit.

Nyzii had placed the heavy box full of files into the waiting cart before taking a moment to dust himself off and head back inside. When Andelia, the new AAMS Horde Branch Manager, had told him that the Horde office in Orgrimmar was moving to a new, joint AAMS office in Caer Darrow he was initially looking forward to the change in scenery. The dust in Orgrimmar just didn't agree with him.

But that was before he realized just how much stuff had accumulated in the Horde AAMS office in the last five years. Granted, he had only been working here for six months, but the crates upon crates of files was more than he ever expected.

Walking passed his small desk, tucked out of the way in the corner, Nyzii noticed for the first time a fresh set of papers that one of the other couriers must have placed here. "Well, what do we have here?" he chimed, smiling at the fact that actual work would get him out of moving more boxes.

Before him sat a number of routine weigh bills for deliveries, and one request from the AAMS Alliance Branch. "Lets see what those boys in blue need this time?" he exclaimed, opening the package and reading over the contents.

Nyzii slammed his hand down on the desk, almost snapping it off. "Light damn it!" he growled, looking around office that was in total chaos from packing. "Who the fel does he think he is, the new Alliance Branch Manager?" Nyzii took a moment to think about his rhetorical question. "Yes, I suppose he actually is the new Alliance Branch Manager. Fel."

Grumbling to himself, he got up and walked across the office to the filing cabinet marked "PERSONNEL" and pulled the drawer out as far as it would go. "Has to be a V name, doesn't it?" he grumbled, reaching in and pulling out the file. "I don't see why he is requesting another copy of her file, nothing has changed in months. She's probably out picking daises" Nyzii claimed, dropping the heavy file onto his desk, "or pushing them up if a few had their way."

Nyzii shook his head, checking over the AAMS Alliance Branch request again, cocking what would pass as one of his eyebrows up. "And our Darnasus files? Light damn it Verogoth, can't you wait until the joint office is up and running and look at these yourself?" he mumbled as he turned and pulled the AAMS Horde Office's Darnasus file out of a box he had already packed that morning but hadn't had a chance to load onto the cart.

Placing the two files together, he signed off on the AAMS Alliance Branch information request and placed the package in the OUT BOX for pick up by the next courier that came along.

07/19/2011 09:29 PMPosted by Nyzii

in the last ten years.

((Only five or so, unless game time is doubled. I believe this year's Armistice Day Ball will be the sixth, and the AAMS didn't exist as a guild at the first one.

Details, details, details!))

((corrected, thanks!))

Assael sat at her desk flipping the pages of the heavily worn book.

She sighed to herself, out loud, as she looked over the wet and battered pages. She had read this book before and it was in pristine condition then. Now, however, was a different story. The book was literally falling apart. Its spine had been broken, the cover weather beaten, damaged, torn and bent. The pages inside fared no better, some having been completely lost, others damaged beyond readability. A few pages had even been scribbled upon in what looks like random letters and symbols.

"How could such a valuable book, a book from HER library, been so horribly neglected by someone?" thought Assael

Assael placed the book down on her desk and looked over the open register next to it. Using her finger she slowly traced down the line of people who had signed the book out, pausing a moment at her own name in the middle of the list before continuing to the bottom.

She stared at the last name on the list for some time before pulling out a drawer next to her. As she looked through the folders she finally found the one with the name that matched the one on the destroyed book's register. She opened it and started through it's contents.

She frowned as she found three other notes from other librarians in the file, all about books that had recently not been returned and detailing that the borrower could not be contact. "I suppose I will have to send her employer a letter. Maybe they know what is going on and where the other books have gone to." she said, looking over the borrowers personal details.

She took a fresh sheet of paper, with the Darnassus Public Library logo on it, from a nearby stack and started writing her letter.

To: AAMS Alliance Branch Manager
From: Asseal, Librarian, Darnassus Public Library

Dear Sir or Madam,

A book that was checked out by one of your employees, one Ms. Vasilia Starfallen, has been returned to the library by a third party. The book itself is damaged beyond repair, but what concerns me more is that Ms. Starfallen has three other books outstanding from the library.

If possible, can you send me the most recent address for Ms. Starfallen so that we may inquire as to the status of the other books and see that the damage fee is payed in full?

Please feel free to contact me at anytime.

Sincerely,
Assael

Assael placed the letter in her outbox for sending. Ironically, the Library used the AAMS for most of their deliveries as it was. She didn't like the thought of having to go to such an extent to find someone, but she also didn't like the thought of having to explain three more damaged books to the Curator.

"You asked for any information on Miss Starfallen, I believe, Verogoth?"

Aeldgyth was not above taking credit for other people's discoveries, when she thought she could get away with it.

"Take a look at this. I've just tracked down a letter from the Darnassus Library about her borrowings."

She slid the letter across her desk, her face a picture of innocence as she forgot to mention the hard work of two other couriers in bringing the letter to her. Hard work was for employees; credit was for employers. Gnomish ethics were quite clear on the subject.

"I can send them her address, of course, but I don't expect it'll be any more use to them than it was to us. We might ask what she'd been reading, however? I don't expect they'll mind. Privacy rights don't really apply to neutral bodies, I'm told by legal scholars."

Aeldgyth was, to her mind, a legal scholar of more than adequate credentials for most questions, having briefly dated a law student when she was finishing her first doctorate.

"And it might give us some idea what's going on here. Unless you had a better idea yourself." Grudgingly, she added, "We might send some of the Recruit Couriers, actually. They've been doing good work lately. I'd like to reward them with more of it."

Really, the AAMS was a very progressive organization all around.

TO: Asseal, Librarian, Darnassus Public Library
FROM: Aeldgyth Whistlespark, AAMS Alliance Branch

Miss Asseal,

We've dispatched Recruit Courier Selyiane to your library to help with your questions. Please let her know what Courier Vasilia Starfallen still has outstanding, and we will do our best to assist you.

Aeldgyth Whistlespark
CEO, Anytime & Anywhere Messaging Service

--

((We've turned this into a mini-quest for our newer members, but anyone's welcome to get involved...keep an eye out for AAMS couriers and for Librarian Assael!))

The cool sea breeze caressing his already cold skin didn't calm his nerves at all. He normally enjoyed what little time he could steal away down by the docks in Stormwind. It was reminiscent of his days as a supply officer, with the workers moving crates from here to there, foremen shouting orders, and supervisors reviewing checklists of incoming and outgoing shipments.

But not tonight. Rillik was antsy. It had been a few days and still there was no report from Miss Duskstar regarding Vasilia's library files in Darnassus. He stood at the end of the pier like a statue, waiting for the ferry. He could have easily hired a mage to send him to Night Elves' capital instantaneously, but he had never grown accustomed to the feeling that your organs were being ripped out of both ends at the same time that came along with taking a portal. He avoided it whenever he could.

Fortunately, the ship appeared on the horizon a few minutes after he had arrived. When it was finally docked and ready to board passengers, he flashed his AAMS badge to the ticket agent, who simply nodded and made a note on the manifest to charge the company later for the passage.



****************************************************************************************


Rillik walked out of the librarian's office, hardly satisfied with what he had learned. One of the books that Vasilia still had outstanding had been returned, and in horrible condition. That was very unlike her. As far as he had known, the Draenei woman had a very healthy respect for knowledge, and for her to treat a copy of "A Contemporary History of Draenor" so poorly was concerning. He flipped through the pages of the book mindlessly as he walked, not really paying attention to the words written on them. He stopped both his slow gait and the flipping of pages suddenly, staring down at the symbols scrawled on the page he had stopped on. It was some sort of cipher, and not one he was familiar with, but it WAS in Vasilia's handwriting. He had been over her old files enough these last few months to know at least that much.

"What are you hiding here, Vas?" Rillik mused to himself.

Steeling himself for more travel, the Death Knight closed the book and put it carefully into his satchel. According to Miss Asseal, the man who had found and returned this book, a huntsman named Halligan, lived near Auberdine (or, rather, the ruins of Auberdine). At least, he did according to his own account with the Library of Darnassus. He headed, full of new resolve, to the hippogryph master. The Darkshore was only a short flight away.

((continued))

The Redridge Mountains. The huntsman who had found Vasilia's book said the man he sold the other "junk" he found with the book had been headed here. Rillik landed his gryphon lightly in the grass near the Stoneheardts' house, on the edge of Lakeshire. This would be the obvious place to start his search, since Mr. Halligan had mentioned the man was a blacksmith and Lakeshire had a good-sized forge in the middle of the village.

It didn't take Rillik long to find his target. Vashlav Krow stood out like a ghoul in a garden in this village of simple folk, no matter how hard he tried to blend in. The man seemed unwilling to discuss the scraps Halligan had sold him, but Sgt. Verogoth was persuasive enough in the end to get Krow to agree to at least show him the scraps, with the understanding that if they were of interest, Rillik would purchase them from the blacksmith.

They rode into Chiselgrip, in the Burning Steppes, together, Rillik keeping a close eye on the shifty blacksmith. Krow claimed his "partner" was holding the scraps (along with other metals) here until they could "secure a workspace" to smelt it all down. After a bit of haggling, (and just a few implied threats) Krow brought out a crate of scrap metal. Verogoth knelt down, rummaging through the debris tossed haphazardly into the crate. He fished out one of the smaller pieces of metal, his eyes opening wide as he recognized what it was.

"I'll take the whole lot..."


*******************************************************************************************


Rillik walked into Doctor Whistlespark's office at the new Joint AAMS Offices at Caer Darrow briskly, not even bothering to knock on the still empty door frame, and stopped at her low desk, folding his hands behind his back. She held up a hand, indicating she was still reading the papers in front of her, not even looking up at him yet. He waited, somewhat impatiently, as she finished reviewing his proposed budget for this week's archeology exhibit. She finished reading, signed off on it, adding her seal to officially approve the proposal, and finally looked up at him.

"Yes, Rillik?"

He tossed a battered, scorched chunk of steel on the end of her desk. The unidentified slime that coated the back of what used to be Vasilia's AAMS identification badge made it stick where it landed.

Rillik said, somewhat harshly, "We have a problem..."

Tirisfal Glades. Of course it had to be Tirisfal Glades. Not that Rillik was worried about being in Horde lands, since as a member of AAMS he enjoyed a bit of leeway in cross-factional enterprise. However, if the rumors about the Dark Lady's recent actions were true, some of the Forsaken residents might be willing to take action against him, neutrality be damned.

Once he had acquired the samples (with no small help from some friends) Sparklecrank needed to recalibrate the Super Splendiforous Goo Indentifier (or whatever crazy Gnomish name she had given the machine) the gnomess was happy to provide more details on the goo the was left on Vasilia's battered AAMS badge. According to her, the goo was from some well known abomination who ranged just outside Deathknell. Rillik opened the chest containing his armor and weapons, sighing at the unfortunate need for them. "Better safe than sorry," he mused as he adjusted the straps of his greaves.


**********************************************


"Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit!"

The knave had required payment for his information, and the price was not to the death knight's liking, but he had no choice in the matter. Then the walking maggot feast had the gall to tell Rillik that he had considered "unpleasant activities" with Vasilia while she was helpless. He had let his emotions get the better of him, and, even worse, Cyrus had flown in just in time to see him snap. Now he had the blood of a Forsaken on his hands and there was a witness to it. Not that the Forsaken contact was innocent, by any stretch of the imagination, but Rillik still had a reputation to uphold...

On the fortunate side of the situation, Cyrus' blade was able to summon back the soul of the kidnapper long enough to learn the indentity of the person who had hired him, along with the abomination, to snatch Vasilia. Sgt. Verogoth cleaned the blackish blood from his blade and then started the journey to Shattrath City. He had a blood elf to talk to.


**********************************************


Things were officially not going Rillik's way this night. The blood elf he had been looking for, Vasliki, was not only an addict, but a !@#$% as well. He was in no mood for her propositioning, but he had to play along for the sake of getting her to open up to him. When he had made it clear that he did not seek carnal companionship, she had STILL demanded payment for her time. THEN, when payment was tendered, she ran.

He finally caught her on one of the floating hunks of rock in Nagrand. After some coaxing and sympathy (feigned, of course) she told him what she knew about Vasilia, which was woefully little. She had been ordered to bring present Miss Starfallen to her drug connection, on threat of withholding her precious crutch. She named the dealer as Keilstrum, a dwarf working the docks of Stormwind City as a cover.


**********************************************


"That's right, Mr. Sagewind. If you want to talk to the bosses, you gotta impress them," Keilstrum responded.

The heavily armored death knight considered this from the saddle of his death-charger.

"And how exactly does one go about impressing these 'bosses', dwarf?"

Keilstrum chuckled, "Oh, that's easy enough, at the moment. Ships carrying product have been running into trouble out there." The dwarf indicated the vast expanse of ocean before him. "Some sort of enormous whale shark has been getting to the ships. You kill that thing, the bosses are sure to take notice..."

The death knight sighed heavily behind the faceplate of his helmet. This was not what he had been expecting, but it needed to be done. If what he had heard about this creature was even half true he would need to enlist help. This was not going to be a walk in the park.

"Consider it done, dwarf. And know this: if you don't come through, I will hunt you down and I will make you reconsider your allegiances. Nowhere will be safe for you. Nowhere."

The large man turned his death-charger and rode off at a gallop without waiting for a response.

The priestess paced across the yard infront of her Redridge home, considering the possibilities of Rillik's words for they were both filled with hope and danger: Vasilia was alive, but kidnapped.

Her eyes closed tightly against the noon sun, she brought her hands up to rub at them until stars shone. Growing annoyed with her own pacing, Genevra sat on her steps listening to the sounds of the servants inside and the city about her.

To make matters worse, he'd implicated another while attempting to find her whereabouts, this did not bode well, not for Rillik, not for anyone who knew this truth, and if not for the instance of others, many would.

She watched the lake recalling the conversation and the intrusions that had abounded. Why was Ardam so hell bent on knowing all? She'd only ever spoken with the man once before, years ago and knew nothing save his reputation.

Where good news came, so did trouble, and somehow she wondered if that wasn't always the case.

Keilstrum sauntered in the blue recluse, taking a moment to make note of his surroundings. He had expected more out of a tavern with such high praise, but he wasn't there for pleasure; but rather business.

Leaning against the bar he ordered a drink, then turned to those around him. "Aye, any of ye lads now a fella by tha name o' Cyrus?" he casually remarked.

A kal'dorei next to him looked up from feeding his bet. "Sure do, and if you wait around long enough he'll eventually be in" replied Dustwing.

"Thank's elfie, I might just do that." chirped Keilstrum as his brew arrived.

"That's kal'dorei, dwarf," mumbled Dustwing, looking up as Cyrus walked in, "and it looks like you wont have to wait long, speak of the devil."

Out of instinct, Cyrus stopped, aware that Dustwing was referring to him. He looked around the room making note of it's occupants when the dwarf at the bar turned and gave him a long look.

"Naw Elfie, tha' not be tha Cyrus I be look'n fer. Sure, he be big and dark, but he ain't human." grunted Keilstrum, looking Cyrus over.

Unsure of the situation, Cyrus called the dwarf's bluff, "Dwarf, I assure you that I am the one and only Cyrus. If your looking for me, here I am."

"And I be tell'n ye big blue, tha' ye ain't the Cyrus I be look'n fer. I done never ferget a man I done business with lad, and ye ain't him." replied Keilstrum with a rather annoyed tone.

"Dwarf, I've been know to change my appearance from time to time for... certain reasons. I assure you, I'm the one your looking for."

"Lad, look 'ere, if ye be tha Cyrus I be look'n fer, ye would have remembered who I am lad. Ye paid a steep price fer what ye needed. Something like tha' a lad doesn't ferget." claimed Keilstrum, turning to order another drink.

Although confused, everyone in the recluse could tell the Dwarf had hit a nerve with Cyrus, something not many people get away with. Much to astonishment of the silent crowd, the Dwarf took his drink and walk across the room standing toe to toe with Cyrus, looking up at him. "No lad, ye aint tha one I be look'n fer, but I'ma businessman ye see, so perhaps we can do business. Maybe dis 'ere infermation that tha other Cyrus needed be of value to ya, aye?"

<continued>

Reaching casually for his sword, Cyrus replied, "Look here Dwarf, why don't you tell me what you know and I let you live."

The dwarf scoffed at the towering Dreanei, "Ye'll have ta do better than tha' lad if ye wanna scare me."

A silence hushed over the room as the two stood off against each other. Seconds felt like hours; and then... all hell broke lose. Cyrus pulled his sword on the Dwarf, who stood firm and close to him, but before Cyrus could take a swing a shot rang out. Dustwing, still leaning against the bar had pulled his sidearm that he kept read at all times and fired on Cyrus. In anticipation Cyrus used is free hand to toss a pocket full of ice crystals into the arm. This distracted dusty from taking aim and deflected the income shot, which grazed off Cyrus's shoulder. A paladin, in obvious pain from a previous battle, stood to take action, but one of Cyrus's companions came across the room, jumping over the railing and intercepting him, "helping" him back into his seat. A flash of fur zipped through the room as a druid in cat form pounced from the second floor, pinning Dustwing to the ground before he could reload. Another large Dreanei emerged from the crowd, making a line straight to Cyrus. Cyrus seen him coming and took a wild swing at him; it was fast but it the other Draenei was able to dodged. Instinctively, Cyrus kicked a nearby chair at the charging Draanei, which connected and knocked him back against the stairs.

Keilstrum, at the middle of all this, took advantage of the confusion and climbed up onto a nearby table, holding his hands in the air. "Lads, Lasses, dis ain't worth fighting over. I be sure that this 'ere Cyrus an' I can come ta real nice business arrangement."

As the crowd froze at the sound of the dwarf, weapons once held at the ready because to drop and relax. A few patrons rushed over to Dustwing to make sure he was alright.

"Now, Cyrus, it seems ye be hav'n something I want. I done want ye and yer group ta leave dis 'ere tavern an' it's patrons alone. Dis ain't their fight. Clear outa 'ere and I'll tell you want I know." offered Keilstrum.

Cyrus looked around at the tavern, scattered patrons, chairs and tables. He looked back at the dwarf, "Agreed. Lets go." and with that, his companions sheathed their weapons and withdrew.

Keilstrum took a sack of coins from his pocket and threw it to the bar tender, "Make sure everyone 'ere gets a few drinks on me. Keep tha rest ta pay fer any damages" he explained, before adjusting his shirt and following Cyrus out.

The casually passerby would have seen Keilstrum and Cyrus enter the alley beside the Blue Recluse to discuss their business arrangement. After some time, Cyrus would emerge alone, re-sheathing his weapon. As he mounted his horse he nodding to his fellow Ocheliad who moved into the alley way swiftly on his drake from a nearby perch; swooping in and swooping out with something in it's talons.

Keilstrum would never been seen or heard from again.

((I LOVE this dwarf! Why couldn't he stay around?! :P))

((Only a dwarf would start an all out brawl in the middle of the blue recluse less than five minutes after walking in and ordering his first drink! It wasn't my first choice to have him killed off! But, he served his purpose I suppose!))

((*cough* Guilty.))