A few days passed since Lyra and Trixie visited the Twilight Vineyards, claimed several mana wyrms to help protect their Arcan'dor, and avenged the death of Margaux by tracking down and killing Overseer Durant, thanks to the help of Arluin and his associates. Since then the Arcan'dor had grown some more, which Farodin was pleased with while at the same time being worried about something that he refused to tell anyone else about until his suspicions were proven to be correct, to which the duo simply waited for him to speak. At the same time the other heroes came and went on their own business, where they were all preparing for the eventual attack on the city and the Nightborne that opposed them, but at the same time some of the veteran heroes knew that something else was coming.
It wasn't until the third day since Margaux had been avenged that Thalyssra approached Lyra and Trixie, indicating that whatever she had in mind this time around was something that only they could help her with, or maybe she was going to ask them her opinion on something... though the two of them stood up and faced the approaching elf.
"I have heard whispers from Suramar City." Thalyssra said, though her words caused Lyra and Trixie to smile, as this was what they were waiting for since they returned from avenging Margaux, "Recent unrest in the city has prompted the nobles to seek another advisor to fill Elisande's council. Such positions are rarely offered and hotly contested. This is the perfect opportunity and Ly'leth is the perfect candidate. Fate smiles upon our cause! I know she has historically chosen to avoid such politics and maneuvering, but we must now ask her to join the fray. Seek her out at the Waning Crescent and ensure her victory."
The two Equestrians nodded their understanding and headed towards the portal station that they have grown used to using since their arrival in Suramar, where they carefully moved themselves over to the Waning Crescent and donned their masks while no one was looking. Considering that they had few allies in this part of the city, however, they only had one place where they could safely search for Ly'leth, to which they started walking down the street and made their way to where they first met Vanthir. It didn't take them long to arrive at their destination, where they found Vanthir already speaking with Ly'leth about something, though the two of them maintained their distance and let the two of them speak, as they were inside the building and not out in the streets... meaning that this was important and Ly'leth didn't anyone to find out what she was talking about.
A few moments passed before Ly'leth noticed that they had arrived and stopped talking with Vanthir, to which Lyra and Trixie entered the building so they could see if their ally would be willing to join the fray and take the new opening on Elisande's council before someone else did.
"Ahh, my dear sister has arrived." Ly'leth said, to which she embraced Lyra for a few seconds, once more putting on a show for any potential enemies that might be watching them, before she faced the duo, "So good to see you once again. I trust that you and your guard are ready to assist me with my campaign?"
"We are indeed." Lyra replied, though she was thankful to hear that Ly'leth was more than willing to go through this process and try to land herself a position on Elisande's council.
"Thalyssra asks much of me, but our cause is worth the risks." Ly'leth stated, to which the duo nodded, as they had already lost one of their members thanks to the attack on the Twilight Vineyard, but they didn't let that cloud their minds as they waited for her to continue speaking, "The title of advisor would grant us enormous influence. Information. Access. I could change this rebellion. I could save so many lives. I will need strong endorsement to ascend, though. There are many houses who stand with me by virtue of my family's name. Some are more hesitant. Lady Aurore of House Astravar is the most prominent of these. Seek her out. Offer your aid in my stead. Earn her trust and the rest will follow."
As it turned out the location they were supposed to find Aurore in was on the other side of the city, which took some time to get to considering that they were still new to the layout of Suramar City, though when they reached the location Lyra discovered that there were a large number of lookouts that were patrolling the area. To her lookouts were people who patrolled a city or area, just like what everyone else thought when they heard the term, but at the same time she was also referring to the number of Nightborne that could see through illusions. Based on what she was seeing she knew that they had to be careful, as one wrong move meant that she and Trixie would be found out by the guards, their illusions would be broken, and they would likely be killed before they escaped the area... and the last thing Lyra wanted was to be killed, as every demon she had encountered so far promised her that the moment she died she would be claimed by the Legion and tortured until she changed sides.
Lyra carefully led the way passed the watchful guards, picking and choosing a path that would allow them to reach their destination, before the two of them climbed some stairs and stopped in front of where Aurore was standing... who seemed to know why they had come to her, which meant that Ly'leth had mentioned 'Anarys' visiting her soon.
"I love Lady Lunastre like a sister, but I am afraid my hands are tied." Aurore said, confirming Lyra's suspicions about Ly'leth telling her friend that Lyra and Trixie, or rather 'Anarys' and her 'guard', would be stopping by to see her.
"Then tell us what we have to do to untie your hands," Trixie quietly said, loud enough for Aurore to hear her while also soft enough so that no guards overheard what they were talking about, though Lyra was pleased to see that Aurore was happy to hear that they were willing to help her out.
"How could I let this happen?" Aurore commented, though this was where Lyra and Trixie knew that they would find the reason behind why Aurore wasn't supporting Ly'leth, which was why they were here, "Yesterday Coryn Stelleris approached me about the appointment. He sought my support, but I did not offer it. He said my son's life would continue as normal... if I gave him my vote. This morning my son was gone. I can only think of the terrible things he may be suffering. You don't know what this family is capable of! You want my support, but I can do nothing while my son is in danger. Nothing. Please... save him!"
Trixie, deciding to save some time since they didn't want to search the entirety of Suramar City looking for Aurore's son, asked if Aurore had anything that her son might have worn before his kidnapping, to which Aurore confirmed that she did and pulled out a locket that her son usually wore. Trixie smiled and gently took the locket for a few seconds, to which she carefully wove her magic into the air around them and closed her eyes, where Lyra discovered that Trixie was intending to see where Coryn was hiding Aurore's son by a magical trace. A few moments later Trixie opened her eyes and returned the locket, to which she told Lyra that their target was being held on a ship that was in the harbor... and that she had the perfect way to get to where he was being held.
Lyra soon discovered that Trixie had one other mount that she generally didn't use all the time, since she had long since mastered the art of flying in the air in the Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor, Northrend, and even Pandaria, as when they returned to the canals Lyra found that the mount was some sort of water bug... which could run on top of the water's surface and aid them in their quest. The two of them climbed onto the bug's saddle, on its back no less, and rode across the water, where they discovered that riding a mount didn't knock off their disguises, though at the same time they remained on their guard as they approached the ship that Trixie had seen in her vision.
When they arrived at their destination, where Trixie brought them up to the back of the ship so that none of the Nightborne saw them coming, Lyra climbed up onto the deck and surprised the deckhands that were making sure that Aurore's son was bound to his cage. She scared them away and smashed the lock, though while Aurore's son climbed onto Trixie's mount, however, Lyra mentally reflected on how stupid some of these guards were, as she had busted open the cage and none of them had come running, to which she sighed and jumped back onto the water bug. Once they were back on land they carefully escorted the young Astrovar back to his mother, who was very happy to see the three of them walk up to where she was standing.
"He is unharmed!" Aurore declared, to which she wrapped her arms around her son for a few seconds, though when she looked back at Lyra and Trixie they could see the tears in her eyes, silently telling them that she was grateful for what they had just done, "I owe the two of you... and Ly'leth... a great debt. I will endeavor to protect my son until the votes are cast. Coryn Stelleris is a predator even among the nobility. It does not surprise me that he should stoop to such depths to ensure his own success. Tell Ly'leth that she has my support. Unequivocally. You may also choose to tell her that Coryn Stelleris will hurt her, if she gives him a chance. Be careful."
Lyra and Trixie nodded before they made their way out of the area of the city that they were in, to which they carefully made their way back towards the Waning Crescent, or more accurately the location of Vanthir's shop, and told Ly'leth that Aurore would be lending her the aid that she wanted... and how they managed to reach such an agreement.
"I know of Coryn. We will not underestimate his venom, rest assured." Ly'leth said, though at the same time a light smile appeared on her face, as she was proud of what the two of them had done, as they not only helped a friend but they also did so in a manner that didn't come with death, "Thank you for helping Aurore. She is a dear friend of mine."
"We're just happy to help in any way that we can," Trixie replied, though before she and Lyra could leave the building, however, Vanthir stopped them and said that he wanted a word with the two of them, to which they turned towards the elf as Ly'leth went about her own business.
"If Ly'leth is to achieve the role of advisor to the Grand Magistrix we will need to open a path for her." Vanthir said, to which Lyra and Trixie shared a look before nodding, as this wasn't something they had seen coming and were willing to do what needed to be done for the cause they were supporting, "It is true she will have some supporters but they alone cannot grant her the title. There are other houses that Ly'leth must contend with. Fear and coercion are their tools. None dare stand against them openly, and we cannot win them over with favors and oaths. Seek out Arluin. I trust he will have some ideas of how to proceed."
Lyra honestly didn't like Arluin all that much, as he was the type of person that seemed like the type to betray someone at some point in time, but since everyone else seemed to trust him she guessed that she could go along with that for now. They found Arluin standing by the same house that they found him near a few days ago, though when they told him why they were seeking him out now he simply chuckled at the idea of Ly'leth running for the advisor role and called her brave for doing so. In order to enlist his help Trixie, once again, had to resort to gathering a few more of the shards from the stash that their allies were building in Shal'Aran, who actually weren't annoyed that the crystals were being used in such a manner, before handing them over to Arluin... where Lyra was sure that she saw a smile creep onto the elf's face for a few seconds, before it disappeared entirely.
"Very well. Let us talk strategy." Arluin said, though before he did anything else he made sure that his payment was hidden somewhere safe, no doubt so he could take it to a secure location before storing it away once he was done talking with Lyra and Trixie, "There are two houses that pose a threat to Ly'leth's rise, but we concern ourselves with only one of them now. House Duskmere commands respect through fear and that fear is not unfounded. Few can boast of magical talent equal to that of Ruven Duskmere. Without this charming specimen, however, their house is nothing. I know you may find my methods distasteful. Know that there were demons in Suramar long before the Legion. This one has lived long enough."
Arluin even gave them the exact location that Ruven was supposed to he in today, where they found the elf standing near one of the canals in the area of the city where they saved Aurore's son... though one look at him was enough to make Lyra want to kill him, because he had Fel energy flowing off of his body, his arms, and his head, indicating which side of the war he really belonged to.
Lyra growled as she charged into the area that Ruven was standing in and threw one of the Twinblades at him, cutting his cheek in the process, but as the fel-tainted elf turned towards her Lyra went on the offensive immediately as she caught her weapon. She parried every blade attack that Ruven could send her way, cancelled his fel magic when he tried to cast it on her, and delivered a numerous amount of cuts to her opponent's body without him being about to hurt her in return, though at the same time Ruven was still smug about his power and what the Legion promised him. Thanks to all of her training to become one of the Illidari Lyra knew how the Legion seduced people into damning themselves over the promise of power... but it made her feel so much better about herself when she cut Ruven's heart from his body and fed his tainted soul to the Twinblades, where it would join the other agents of the Legion that she had killed so far.
Once the deed was done, however, she and Trixie found Arluin kneeling on one of the pedestals that were near them, though he actually seemed pleased by their progress... and beckoned them over so he could talk to them about something for a few seconds.
"It seemed as though you had that well in hand. I did not want to... interrupt." Arluin said, though Lyra was correct in her assumptions when she heard a hint of joy in the elf's voice, indicating that he had no love for those that joined the demons of the Legion, "That is one less power hoarding noble to worry about."
"Another will rise to take his place... they always seem to," Lyra commented, as she had seen the same thing happen within the Legion's ranks, take out one lesser commander and another rises to take the vacant space, before she shook her head and turned towards the elf again, "So, what do we do next?"
"Coryn Stelleris and Ruven Duskmere were close friends, but one always overshadowed the other." Arluin stated, though it was as if he was actually talking to Anarys and reminding her of something that she should know, to which Lyra merely nodded her head as she listened to the elf, "Now the Stelleris family stands to gain from Lord Ruven's death. Handsomely. House Duskmere will soon learn of their loss. I want you to be the one to redirect their anger and grief. A handful of well placed rumors should do the trick. I won't be lingering in this part of the city for long, and Ly'leth will want to know of your efforts. Return to her when you are finished."
As it turned out they only had to speak to three key people in order to set of a chain reaction that would achieve what Arluin wanted to achieve, though the first person they had to speak with was being guarded by an Inquisitor demon and wasn't looking at the doorway when they entered. Lyra and Trixie quickly banished the demon, by killing it and letting the Twinblades consume its soul, before they donned their disguises and made a commented about a silver crescent necklace near Ruven's body, causing the lady to immediately suspect Coryn. The second person, an attendant that appeared to be from the Duskmere House, seemed absolutely annoyed when they said that Coryn might be buying the rest of Duskmere's attendants and questioned whether or not the elf had any honor at all. The final person they had to talk to was being guarded by two guards, which Lyra and Trixie easily took out on their own, before they approached him... where they mentioned a crude joke at Ruven's expense while visiting Coryn's family, where the elf proclaimed Coryn to be a madman before turning away with a huff.
With their task completed, and the sounds of their rumors already starting to circulate around the area, Lyra and Trixie departed from where they were and headed back to the Waning Crescent, where they were welcomed with open arms the moment they returned.
"The city is buzzing with very interesting gossip, dear sister." Ly'leth commented, though the smile on her face, which was for them and Vanthir to see, meant that she was extremely pleased with what they were able to do in such a very short amount of time, "Victory is that much closer."
"I have heard some interesting gossip as well," Lyra said, once more slipping into the role of Anarys, who was starting to feel like a second identity, which would have originally scared her but now she was getting the hang of it, "So, what comes next sister?"
"Already the city is abuzz with outrage." Ly'leth stated, which concerned Trixie, as it had only taken them maybe ten to twenty minutes to get back here, but she kept her mouth shut and listened to what was going on, "I will not lie to either of you... it pleases me greatly that one such as Coryn is made a fool. The other houses have sent their endorsements. It is done, and nothing remains but a formal ceremony to grant me the title of advisor. I would like for the two of you to follow me to the ceremony... you deserve to share in this success as well."
Lyra knew that Ly'leth was still making sure that people believed that she and Anarys were talking, and not doing anything dangerous, to which Lyra voiced her agreement and followed Ly'leth out of Vanthir's shop, where Trixie carefully followed them as they made their way to the Sanctum of Order. When they arrived Ly'leth showed them the way down to where they were supposed to be gathering for the ceremony, which was basically her standing in the middle of the chamber, with one way to get onto the pedestal, while she thanked everyone for supporting her and choosing her. Of course Coryn, who happened to be in attendance, teleported in front of her and started accusing her of impinging on his honor and throwing baseless accusations at him... where Ly'leth worried that Coryn was looking his mind over the fact that he wasn't chosen for this position.
When Coryn stated that he would regain his honor, through the ancient rite of Tal'ashar, Ly'leth glanced up at Lyra and gently nodded with her head, silently telling her to come over to her while at the same time accepting Coryn's challenge... even though the elf was already mad in the first place.
"Tal'ashar is an honor duel. If I lose, then I must forfeit my title to Coryn Stelleris." Ly'leth said, though at the same time she gently smiled as she faced Lyra, who already understood that she was lightly going to fight whoever Coryn chose as his champion, "That is why you are going to fight for me. I will grant you a more powerful disguise for this task, and together we will put Coryn in his place. Are you ready?"
"Yes, let's do this." Lyra replied, to which she felt the magic take hold of her mask for a few seconds, merely giving her a second enchantment that was more powerful than the one that made her look like Anarys, before she and Ly'leth were teleported to the top of a spire... where Coryn stood, as he had chosen to fight for his honor on his own, instead of choosing a champion like Ly'leth did.
It was at that point that Lyra discovered that her powers had been modified as well, because now she could fight like one of the Nightborne guards that she and Trixie had fought several times so far, but this time she had her training as a demon hunter to back her up. Coryn appeared to be a mage, as he carried no weapon and seemed to focus on using his magic to hurt her, though thanks to her training she was much faster than what he was expecting and could easily dodge his attacks with ease. Instead of outright overpowering him, and annoying him even more, she purposely took a few spells to the chest and made him feel better, which left him open to her devastating attacks as she used her weapon, a warglaive in the style of the Nightborne, to cut through Coryn's robes multiple times and draw his blood in the process.
Thanks to the combination of her training, her familiarity with the warglaive, and her opponent's anger, she was able to take out Coryn within a few minutes of their battle starting, to which Coryn insisted, to his dying breath, that he was framed before he collapsed. Lyra and Ly'leth returned to the Sanctum of Order and the elves cheered at Ly'leth's victory over Coryn, to which she teleported Trixie and Lyra back to the tavern so they could report to Thalyssra with the news of their success. As the two of them returned to Shal'Aran, however, they did so with their heads held high, because now the rebellion really stood a chance to topple Elisande and her demonic allies... and then they would be able to turn their attention to the Broken Shore and the Tomb of Sargeras, where they could finally save Azeroth from the Legion.