Protectors of the Realm

The blood elf sat nervously picking at a chip on the surface of the old table, the chair he was sitting in having seen better days with its upholstered surfaces torn and frayed. The small room in the tavern at Booty Bay was lit by only a single candle, the guttering flame casting harsh shadows across the wooden walls and briefly highlighting the tattered paintings that were supposed to give the room 'character' now and again.

The door to the room opened softly, the low sound almost enough to make the blood elf dart up out of his seat, his fel green eyes studying the newcomer closely. To hide his discomfort, he shifted in place, adjusting his red and golden robes and moving one of his pouches of spell components slightly, keeping it in easy reach.

The newcomer, a human male that was getting on in years, held up his hands with his palms outward as a sign of peace, a bleak smile hiding beneath his long gray beard as he walked over to the table and sat down. The blood elf dipped his head once in acknowledgement of the newcomer, gesturing to an unopened bottle of wine and two glasses nearby.

"No, thank you," the old man said. "I feel it best to conduct our business quickly and without any muddy-headedness that such swill might bring. We are in a goblin run town after all."

The blood elf nodded, no smile passing across his own face as he replied, "As you wish; I'd as soon be done with our business as well. It is a shame that times are different and we are forced to hide in such hovels."

The old man nodded, his face dour now, "It is indeed dark days for those who once lived in Dalaran. That old colleagues must meet in secrecy is a crime against the Art itself I think. Regardless, we still live and can continue our work. We simply must do so in...unfortunate settings. I have brought the artifact that we discussed. You can take it to your own laboratory and we'll compare notes once you have analyzed it yourself. I feel confident that our temporal shielding spells are far superior to those now in existence."

The blood elf nodded and a brief smile passed across his lips, "Let's see it. I'm eager to continue my work, regardless of the fact that the Sunreavers are no longer welcome amongst the others. We will prove that we can still do some good with our studies."

The old man nodded, reaching into a belt pouch and removing a small necklace with an amulet attached to it. The magical artifact glowed dimly in the darkness of the tavern room, and the blood elf leaned over it, studying it thoughtfully, his long blonde hair falling around his face.

Just as he reached for it, a sizzling sound began to grow in the room. Starting as a low hiss, it rose in volume, attracting the eyes of both human and blood elf to the closed door. There, strange blue lights began to flicker around the edges of the portal, the hissing and popping noises increasing.

"You warded the door as we agreed, yes?" the old man murmured in concern.

"Just as we discussed. Only the pass-coin I gave you would allow anyone to pass through the doorframe while we are both in here. Someone is trying to deactivate my wards," the blood elf replied.

The old man opened his mouth to reply when the light around the door blazed brightly once and the door suddenly burst open, slamming against the wall with a great deal of force. A figure moved in the doorway, and both human and blood elf rose as it advanced into the room, the blood elf pulling out a wand menacingly.

The person, for it was a human woman, advanced through the doorway, a hand reaching out and manicured nails digging into the wood of the door as she forcefully slammed it behind her, sealing the portal once more. The candle nearly went out from the wind of the door's closing, weird shadows dancing around the room as the woman stared at the two.

Red hair framed a face that was lightly tanned from the sun, the locks artfully arranged in one of the latest styles seen in the House of Nobles in Stormwind. Green eyes studied the two figures, ruby red lips curled into a smile as she observed the damning evidence of the amulet that still rested on the table between them.

"And so it comes to this; where once there was loyalty to magic and all it could produce, now there is treachery with those who have proven themselves time and again to be incapable of handling magic with any degree of safety," the woman intoned harshly.

"Brithany..." the old man whispered. "B-but how did you track me here? W-why..?"

"I have suspected you for some time, Master," the woman replied, the smile leaving her face now. "Did you think that I would fail to notice your sudden disappearances? Your late-evening appointments that you didn't think to notify me about? Do you think the others have not seen, do not know? We are learned men and women; you cannot fool us easily or, in this case, at all. And here I find you, engaged in treachery."

The old man's face grew stern as he stood before the young woman. Although she was fully trained and a mage in her own right, she was in her early twenties and brash as they came at that age, especially given her noble bloodline. "There was a time when conferring with our brethren amongst the Sunreavers was not something that would be called 'treachery', and I do not believe that you've the right to judge me as it is; you left my service last year so my business is none of yours."

The woman smiled, the expression devoid of all humor as she studied the older man, "When you engage in activities that could threaten the realm, it becomes my business. The Sunreavers are criminals who aided in genocide. To parlay with them is to incriminate yourself. You will surrender to me and be taken before the House of Nobles where they can see the facts and evidence and judge your guilt or innocence."

"I will do no such thing. You will leave this place, Brithany, and allow us to conclude our business," the old man said sternly. "You have no authority here."

The red-haired woman frowned, her eyes wide now and staring, as if madness gripped her, "I was not asking you. Last chance, Master."

Tension built in the room, as the three squared off, the two humans staring at each other and the blood elf aiming his wand. In a fraction of a second, the peace was shattered as the woman moved her hands outward abruptly, causing the blood elf to discharge his wand.

Bolts of magic flew across the space between elf and human, magic flaring to life around her as wards sewn into her expensive looking dress flickered into existence. The magic bolts were absorbed and their energy forced down into the floor, burning the wood around her feet. Her own spell lashed out, a blast of arcane energies slamming into the old man and throwing him backwards. His own wards flared to life and absorbed much of the spell, but the force of the blast threw him over his chair, slamming his back into the floor and forcing the breath from his lungs.

The blood elf moved to fire his wand again, but the woman was faster, a second spell slashing out and striking the weapon. The wand detonated in the elf's hands, the blast mangling his fingers and arm and causing him to drop to the floor, howling in pain.

Gasping, the old man struggled to untangle himself from the chair, his vision blurry from the forceful impact with the furniture and then the floor. He heard a noise and squinted, his eyesight coming back into focus on a pair of designer shoes, the hem of a red dress hanging just above them and a golden ankle bracelet glinting in the dim light. He looked up, and Brithany stared down at him, cold fury in her eyes.

"Those who betray Stormwind betray the King and all he protects. You betray humanity itself, Master. Your time has come to an end," Brithany stated, her voice flat. "Go to the afterlife, where relics of the past must rest."

Her hand came up and bolt of arcane magic struck the man in the chest, killing him instantly. Brithany stepped over him, circling the table, her manicured nails dragging ominously across the table's surface as she loomed over the wounded elf. He looked up at her from where he had fallen on the floor, his mangled arm bleeding profusely.

"You'll never get away with this madness! You cannot just slay two mages in the middle of the town like this! Your own people will execute you when they find out!" the blood elf yelled at her.

The woman smiled, bending low so she could examine the wounded elf's arm. Her tone was almost cheerful now as she replied, "And yet, I did nothing wrong. I am home at my estate, about to have my afternoon tea even now. I do wonder why you had to go and kill my Master however. Typical evil behavior from one of your kind, and not at all unexpected. He should have known better than to deal with you and yours."

With that she brought her hand up again, another bolt of magic flaring to life in the room. The blood elf's corpse thudded against the ground lifelessly, and she stepped over him, her hand reaching out to grab the amulet that had sat between the two.

She held it up, studying it for a moment before slipping it into a pouch, her gaze returning to the two fallen mages in the dim room. "And so now you know the price for treachery. What the blood elves did will never be forgotten, never be forgiven for as long as I draw breath. I will kill every last one of them if need be, until they can wield magic no longer, until they cry out for mercy. Rest well, Master, and know that the skills you taught me as a child will be put to use for justice."

With that, the red haired woman reached out and snuffed out the candle between two fingers, her heels thudding on the floor as she casually strolled out of the room. Behind her in the darkness she left a familiar crime scene in a place like Booty Bay; two mages with a deal gone bad had killed each other, and the goblin pirates would care not a wit as they looted the corpses and dumped them in the ocean.

Such were the things Brithany had to do for her people, to keep them safe from themselves.