//------------------------------// // Level 7: The Gale Wolf and The Cunning Eagle // Story: Equestria Was Merely a Setback! // by Thunderscourge //------------------------------// A/N: Please comment this time...it was sad last chapter when barely anyone did, and those who did were talking to eachother and not even about the chapter. It's hard to write when it seems no-one cares, so please comment this time(and in the future)! Priest Kath’mar was none too pleased by the words and tone of his prisoner, who was supposed to be crying and whining like all others had in the man’s experience. However, to keep from making the man a vegetable too soon, Kath’mar decided to respond in a manner not involving the mind. Kath’mar summoned a shadowy tendril from his hand and whipped it out at Mitter’meyer, who let the shadowy force strike him. The Knight could weather some pain, and he had no desire to make matters worse for himself by retaliating. “You think you are so much better than us, don’t you?” Kath’mar lashed out again as he snarled venomously, “Well where’s the honor of a Paladin who’s forsaken their vows for their prince? How are you any better, you punk?” Mitter’meyer did not even grunt as he was struck again, simply accepting the pain as the ethereal whip struck through him and inflicted a pain few were able to withstand. Seeing the stern, kept face of Mitter’meyer made the Priest actually smile. This wasn’t going to be quite as easy as it often was, and a challenge was most welcome after countless whiners, “You know, for someone with my hobby, someone with high social status is the most desirable material. People who usually act snobbishly cry and shout in front of me begging for mercy,” he tilted his head back to let out a sinister cackle, “To watch such a sight is the most fun of all.” The fact that this man was supposedly a servant of the Light which guided the Paladins and Priests of Azeroth made Mitter’meyer want to spit in disgust. If the man had been under his command he would have his sadism punished with harsh discipline and a possible execution if he continued to dishonor the entirety of their species with such cruelty. For now though, he continued to bite his tongue and wait. Reuenthal had said he would come, and Mitter’meyer did not want to be the agent behind his own escape. He was being punished for something he did do after all, even if things were only escalated due to the status of those he throttled in retribution for their words. If he was to be freed, he would allow it, but to have agency in that release would mean turning his back on some of his vows and loyalty to the laws he was sword to protect. Even if his foes would ignore them, he would not stoop to such a level. Reuenthal, the more pragmatic of the friends, would be just fine with breaking a rule in these extenuating circumstances, a fact Mitter’meyer was also fine with. After all, Reuenthal’s act of rebellion would negate the actions done against Mitter’meyer, and there was no dishonor in being freed by a noble friend. It made sense to Mitter’meyer, even if it might not to an outsider not familiar with his code and honor, and that’s what mattered. He knew he could free himself and beat the guards into the ground if he so pleased, since a Knight was more capable than normal guards. Realizing that he had lost the attention of Mitter’meyer, Kath’mar lashed out with his shadowy tendril again. As the summoned weapon of sorts hit its mark the Priest smirked smugly, pleased by the marking it made across Mitter’meyer’s cheek, “From that perspective, someone who became a Lieutenant in the Farstriders, and then gained a Knighthood in the Blood Knights, by the age of twenty two despite coming from a common background can be said to be even better mind bending material.” Mitter’meyer looked back up to the man, only keeping himself calm by imagining what he wanted to do to the Priest. A smack of the hammer to the man’s clean teeth would be quite nice, and some nice strangulation would be good payment for the coming torture. The Priest reached back to prepare a larger strike against Mitter’meyer, his voice turning back to a growl as he brought the whip forward, “So, crawl and beg for forgiveness!” The lash was one of a flurry this time, with Kath’mar striking repeatedly again and again. Mitter’meyer did not yield however, and while excruciatingly painful he managed to survive through the pain by clenching his teeth and scowling. It couldn’t last forever, not with how skinny the man was. He would have to get tired of swinging his arm sometime…though when his arm tired, he would likely resort to mental torture, so it wasn’t much of a reprieve. When the Priest’s attack finally slowed after a minute or so, he ended it smiling. The prisoner was still not reacting to the pain with anything more than the slightest grunt. Silvermoon certainly had trained its Paladins quite well, “It’s impressive that you haven’t shrieked yet. You’re quite different from those spoiled, aristocrat boys,” Kath’mar leaned in to smugly look down at his prey, “But that makes this even more fun.” Mitter’meyer resisted the urge to spit on the very close man’s face, and instead continued to just sit where he was on the floor. The man certainly seemed…enthused with his so called hobby, and Mitter’meyer found himself wondering why Silvemoon would ever employ such sadists. Were there others like him, or was this some abnormality? If there were others, they would need to be dealt with upon his return. “When will such a young prodigy finally lose his self-respect and scream for mercy?” Kath’mar taunted as he prepared himself for another assault. It was easiest to bend someone’s mind when their body was too weakened to resist, and he doubted this Paladin could resist the touch of darkness forever against his body. The opposing force to the Light they used, it would be quite pleasurable to see a Paladin fall to its power. “What a garrulous guy…” Mitter’meyer whispered to himself, annoyed almost as much by Kath’mar’s need to talk as by the physical strikes. Reuenthal had better come soon. Even someone as disciplined and tough as Mitter’meyer would be unable to survive unrestrained torture forever, at least not without some irreparable damage. Following the instructions given to them by the extremely prepared and thoughtful Reuenthal, who seemed quite capable in his organizational skills given the thought and detail put into the plans given to the two. Exact specifications on the patrol paths of guards, their shift changes, and even the details concerning the specific details of each man on the guard force were included. For example, the guard on the right side of the nightly patrol by Silvermoon City had a habit of checking everything and every movement around him in an almost paranoid fashion because of a time he had been attacked by a young human bandit who for some reason had been in the region, while the one to his left would often deride his companion for his seeming paranoia as well as for being beaten up by a little girl, and so he was often less perceptive as he spoke and did not want to appear as high maintenance as the other man. The map was easy to follow, especially because the trees were widely spaced apart for the most part, with each of them being quite tall and thick. At night they hid the ground from most of the stars, though enough moonlight passed through to grant visibility in the forest. On the guard staff of the target outpost were some veteran members of the force, although veteran did not mean skilled. While each had a long service, none of them were particularly distinguished, which made their reassignment easier to the place where no guards should rationally be assigned on any official matter. It was a simple manner of timing to avoid the guards patrolling through the forest given their sparse number, since only three teams of two men each were out. Reuenthal had not been wrong about the light amount of personnel, though in this one instance it was a positive factor in Blood Elf life. Should an outside foe attack though, Silvermoon would likely fold and collapse given any prolonged period of combat. The outpost was not too far into the forest, and Trixie considered herself lucky to have not run into animals on the way. Perhaps they were all asleep? She wanted to balk at the idea, but even she realized it would appear odd to her companion if she just balked out of nowhere seeing as the thought process was entirely in her head. The building Mitter’meyer was being kept in was of the exact same model of the one Trixie had woke up beside in her first moments of consciousness. A series of the large trees surrounded it, though none were too close to the structure itself, meaning the hardest part would be approaching it. For the meantime though, three guards stood outside with no seeming worry. Their shoulders were slack, they were not pacing around, and they were stationed just beside the building. As Trixie continued to study them, she felt a rush of adrenaline. This felt like she was some super secret agent, and she was loving it. “This feels so awesome,” she whispered to herself as she continued to survey the landscape for anything that could possibly ruin things. Beside her, Kael was less amused by it all but found himself at leased amused by her amusement, “I can’t say I’m an expert, but isn’t part of being stealthy not talking?” Realizing that he was right, Trixie spoke back in a hushed voice while frowning, “Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Luckily for them, the assigned time of meeting was perfect and according to Reuenthal’s plan. None of the normal patrols were even in this section of the forest, and they wouldn’t be back for the longest time of the night according to the precise calculations made by Reuenthal concerning their average patrol times and the standard deviation from those. Kael nudged Trixie as he noticed that their partner in crime was behind the closest tree to their right, which was in turn halfway past the building’s façade in terms of the buildings length. Their own was just behind the façade, which meant that the backs of the red armored guards were turned to them but only just barely. What caught Trixie’s attention about the man was not the odd object she had never seen before in his hand, but the large bird on the branch above him. It too was looking at the guards, and Trixie realized that this was likely the extra aid Reuenthal had mentioned he was bringing. “He’s got a bird? Please don’t tell me he’s a Huntard too…” Trixie whispered to herself, only to realize that Reuenthal had just pointed to a faraway tree. The large black colored bird, seemingly a hawk though Trixie was no expert, flew across to the other tree in a swift movement just beneath the thick and long branches of all the overlapping giant trees of the region, which formed a canopy of sorts. The bird let out a squawk as it took its perch on the new tree, drawing the attention of the otherwise dull guards briefly. Upon seeing its source and noticing that it was just a large bird of prey they turned back to looking idly at the ground and moving from foot to foot to stay awake. If they had been regular visitors of the forest and not city guards assigned to the outside area they may have known that such birds were extremely rare in the region, but their lack of background knowledge prevented them from realizing this. Another thing Reuenthal had included in his mission briefing, though Trixie had honestly skipped the last couple pages. Perhaps he had mentioned the bird specifically there? Embarassed instead of confused, Kael realized that perhaps he should have read a little more before heading out. He had trouble sleeping at first because of his companion’s inability to grasp basic decency, and that meant it took longer than expected to sleep. Perhaps he would have to factor this into future plans of sleep, so as to not miss out on important things, since he doubted Trixie would change: either in her comprehension of clothing or in the literal sense of changing into real clothes or at least basic pajamas. In the time the bird had distracted the guards and the two prowling adventurers chastised themselves over their lack of foresight on the bird’s aid, Reuenthal had already joined them behind their own large tree. There was more than enough room for them all to hide comfortably, even with his larger size, and he wasted no time before whispering to them. “It appears as if the situation has become more complicated.” He was smiling slightly as he pointed to the ground in front of the building, about three hundred meters of so from it, and there stood an approaching group of three Elves. They all wore fine robes that appeared a tad bit too luxurious instead of the red and golden armor of the guards, signaling them to not be an unaccounted for patrol, but that did not make their slow approach of the building any less disconcerting. “Why does he only smile when talking about things that are negative?” Trixie whispered extremely quietly to Kael, who just shrugged as he tried seeing if he could recognize any of the men who were approaching the building. If they were extremely perceptive beings they might have been able to see the three occasional heads poking out to observe them, but they were all chatting with one another in jovial tones which displayed that their attention was with eachother and not elsewhere. “We will still do things as planned,” Reuenthal whispered as he gripped the L shaped object in his hand that Trixie had no knowledge about. What was it? It was made of metal, and had a single hole at one end, and a place to grip the shorter edge of the L. Perhaps she would see him use it? “Who are they?” Trixie whispered to the one in charge of the operation, who in turn ironically considered the amnesiac Kael his superior despite being the only knowledgeable one in the group. “Some of the nobles Mitter’meyer has angered through his outburst,” Reuenthal explained as he reached his spare hand into his pocket to reveal multiple vials of the mind altering liquid he showed before, “I am fortunate to have brought just enough amnesia medicine for over twice the initial amount subjects.” Kael smiled down at the sight, pleased that he had such a competent person working under him. Someone who came prepared was better than someone who just did the bare minimum of work after all, “Not fortunate. Smart. Good work.” Reuenthal accepted the praise with a quiet bow of the head before returning to scouting the situation. The nobles had reached the building and were just entering through the shroud that served as a door, which had the guards turn their attention inward and away from the outside as they saluted their employers. Reuenthal motioned to go in, since they would have no better time to implement their plan than when the enemies were focused on the new arrivals solely, “Now remember, when you attack try to be as quiet as possible. Alerting those inside could negatively impact Mitter’meyer’s health.” Instead of sneaking right on up to the guards, the group instead moved to the back section of the circular building’s wall and pressed close to it, completely out of sight from their enemies. This done, Trixie and Kael were to move around one side of the building while Reuenthal made the opposite movement and approach from the opposite side. Since the guards were stationed in a V pointing outwards from the entrance, the three seeking to subdue them would attack all three simultaneously. With three of them and three guards, they should be able to handle them all in one way or another in rapid succession. Trixie and Kael crept around to the part of the building where they still were out of sight technically, but could be seen should the guards turn around given the circular nature of the outpost. Once there, Trixie prepared to use her basic frost ability while Kael mimicked the spell. It was basic enough that even though he hadn’t practiced it at all he could replicate it, especially since he had assisted Trixie in first learning it. Once each of them was ready, the squawk of the strategically placed bird given its view of both parties signaled that it was time. Trixie rushed forward just as the guards looked up towards the bird, once again having their attention drawn to the only interesting thing to have really happened that night outside of the nobles coming by. Trixie grabbed the guard closest to her by the back of the skull, the icy palm of hers causing him to gasp as he quickly had his neck and lower head frozen over with a sheet of ice. Kael mimicked this action on the next man, though the man had turned around just in time to be grabbed by the mouth. His mouth still froze over to keep him from yelling, but he managed to kick his assaulter back with an armored boot. While Trixie managed to completely freeze the upper body of her guard enough so he could not move, Kael’s attempted to grip his face and tear the ice away. Instead, just as his hand reached his face he fell slackly onto his knees, only to be caught by Reuenthal to prevent the man’s armor from creating to much noise. Kael rubbed his gut where he had been hit hard, but Trixie looked in wonder at the last guard as he lay on the ground quietly. How had Reuenthal taken him out? Trixie looked down to see that their partner was still holding his unknown metal object, and then another look at the guard Reuenthal was supposed to subdue revealed a dart in the man’s neck. The one Kael had been fighting as well had a dart on him too, once again in the neck, revealing some stellar aiming on the part of the half-Elf. Trixie blew a kiss to the ice figurine before her to mock the man, before whispering as softly as she could, “Sweet dreams.” With their opponents dispatched, it was time to go inside. Once inside they had no idea on how the situation would be, so they would have to improvise now that the nobles had come by. The three approached the front of the building and moved to go up its short ramp only to hear the crack of ice behind them. Trixie turned around and watched with aggravation as her targeted guard began to move away from them despite his frozen upper body. Perhaps she should have frozen him more, but the ice usually concentrated into a thin sheet instead only had managed to cover half of him. At least he couldn’t scream for help. The man had managed to stumble enough away that going to get him would take further time out of their plan, so Reuenthal snapped his fingers and pointed at him. “Tristan, fetch.” The bird rushed down from its perch on the tree and grabbed the man fiercely by the shoulders without making a noise, at which point the guard was hit in a sweet spot where Trixie’s thin ice had melted and broken off him. Trixie actually managed to see Reuenthal use the weapon in his hand, with him pulling a trigger and then seeing the result of the man dropping to the ground as the dart’s seeming poison taking effect. The fact that he upstaged them both in some way made Trixie want to gape in awe, only recovering some of her pride based on the fact that he couldn’t have possibly gotten all three of them at once so she and Kael still contributed in some fashion. The stoic man wielding the unknown weapon placed it in a holster at his side before turning to see the stunned expressions on both the others’ faces. Had they never seen a marksman before? Reuenthal bowed to the other two, partially sorry for stealing their chance at gaining experience while also knowing that he only did what was necessary. He was at a higher level of combat expertise than them currently, and so while he could do things easier than them it meant that it could make them look bad in comparison, “Do not worry. I am sure that, with time, you will surpass my meager abilities.” Kael shook his head, actually appreciating the display. Reuenthal was an allied example that there was much room for growth in terms of skill, and Kael would rather see a skilled partner than a skilled enemy. At least this way he was in awe, not quivering in fear in realization that he wasn’t good enough, “It is just good to realize that there are others with far greater capabilities than us currently.” Trixie looked away from them both and crossed her arms as she grumbled, “I’m gonna read that whole book tomorrow.” Reuenthal moved to enter the building again, once again focused on their mission, while Kael patted Trixie patronizingly on the shoulder, “You mean today, friend.” “Be quiet, mister stealth means quiet.” While the others had been implementing their plan outside, Mitter’meyer had to continue to deal with his demented torturer. If he had been in a more relaxed state he may have heard the squawk of Tristan, but he would miss out on it as he instead continued to deal with the sadistic Priest. “I told you to crawl and cry, you damn traitor!” Rath’mar yelled angrily, bringing his whip back again for the hardest strike he would yet give. However, Mitter’meyer had been brought to the boiling point by the accusation of being a traitor, and so this attack missed. Rath’mar realized a moment too late that his strike hit the wall and floor instead of the black clothed Paladin, with Mitter’meyer having shifted on the floor to kick out across the ground. This kick caught Rath’mar in the leg and caused him to stumble forward while Mitter’meyer jumped to his own feet. By falling over Rath’mar ended up landing on his own summoned tendril of darkness, and when it touched his body he howled in pain. What had not effected the stalwart Mitter’meyer instead made the Priest shriek nonstop until he managed to unsummon the tendril. “That fighting was quite fitting for a lowly commoner…” Now on his feet, Mitter’meyer turned to see that he had three new visitors. Two were officials he had physically struck, with the third being one of their circle of friends who also happened to be a noble born Elf. The only one he really knew was a member of the Magisters, the last and oldest main political faction of their society after the Blood Knights and Farstriders, by the name of Jaronis. Jaronis was the one who had spoken, and he continued to do so after he and the other two entered the room, “It seems you're being given preferential treatment, Blood Knight Mitter'Meyer.” Magisters were users of arcane magic, which Mitter’meyer was not particularly trained in resisting, so he quickly realized this was not a favorable situation for him. He had acted in anger in attacking the Priest, but to continue his disobedience would not be a good thing for him now that he was outnumbered by so many spellcasters. “Traitors to our race deserve more of this preferential treatment, do they not?” the Magister added, his long blonde hair sweeping over his shoulder as he turned to look at his companions who merely nodded agreeably at him. There it was again. Mitter’meyer grew a smirk as he realized what he was about to do and say, and he realized with some grief that he was smiling at his own misfortune like his best friend tended to. “Don't speak the Elven language when you're but mere pigs. We petty Elves might blush with embarrassment, you know?” Mitter’meyer taunted, his face still smug as he closed his eyes and tried to picture his wife’s face. He might not see her again because of his words, but his pride and honor would not allow him to back down from such scoundrels even in the verbal arena. “You...” Jaronis growled, quickly moving to punch Mitter’meyer for his insult. This punch was deftly avoided by the trained soldier who opened his eyes just as he heard the pig speak. This in turn allowed Mitter’meyer to move around his foe entirely and let him careen into the wall in his angry rush, disgracing the Mage in his attempt at pathetic physical combat. Now behind his foe, Mitter’meyer was able to dodge the next strike from Jaronis as well by just stepping back away from the man as he swung around. Unfortunately for the blonde haired Paladin, the other two were waiting for him and grabbed him firmly. While normally strong enough to possibly force his way out of such a situation, Mitter’meyer had not eaten in some time and did not have the strength after enduring the previous torture to fight off the two others. With his opponent now held still, Jaronis paused to gather himself and regain some composure before lifting his fists up to start punching the captive in his gut, which would have normally been covered by armor but was instead just a set of dress clothes after everything Mitter’meyer had been through the past days. After hitting Mitter’meyer’s stomach enough times to make himself winded and to make Mitter’meyer fall to his knees, Jaronis paused and tried to gather his faux composure again, “How about it? Did you learn your lesson? What befitting treatment for a commoner who doesn't know any manners.” Mitter’meyer had punched Jaronis into unconsciousness the other day, so the Magister thought the reverse treatment was fair payment. With the added bonus of execution, which wouldn’t be investigated or cared about given the current political climate of silencing dissenters. With a spit of blood on the man’s expensive shoes, Mitter’meyer growled even as his arms hung weakly from the hold of the two others, “Who would ‘learn their lesson’? If you have true pride, take off my handcuffs and fight it out with me on equal ground,” after no-one moved to do that, Mitter’meyer looked up at the Magister with disgust, “You must be scared. What a coward. Your ancestor's brave name will be covered with shame. His pride trampled and his reputation tarnished amongst his circle of friends if he allowed a starved prisoner who had been tortured to act tougher than him, Jaronis was forced to accept the challenge even if he had lingering doubts about being able to subdue the man, “All right, commoner, I'll grant your wish,” he waved a hand forcefully at his companions, “Take off his handcuffs! They obliged by taking the key from the nearby Priest, who had in turn taken it from the guards earlier. Once Mitter’meyer was freed, Jaronis smugly looked at the weakened Paladin and thought about how he was going to humiliate this brawny fellow, “There, I won't let you complain now.” “Certainly. I won't complain. You're remarkable...” Mitter’meyer wasted no time in charging the Magister, first slamming into him before grabbing the now stunned man with both arms. This done, he hurled Jaronis over his shoulders with all the strength he could manage. Jaronis slammed into the ground at such a great speed that he began coughing up into the air, his back in extreme pain as he tried desperately to breath. His companions had difficulty hiding their amusement at the sight, which in turn fueled Jaronis’s anger and allowed him to fight through his pain to rise to his feet. Once upright, he charged forward to punch Mitter’meyer again, this time with a ball of fire surrounding his hand to cause real damage. Mitter’meyer proved his natural agility by sidestepping the Magister and swinging a strong punch to the side of the man’s head, knocking Jaronis to the floor. Infuriated by this humiliation, Jaronis grabbed his throbbing head while screaming at his companions, “Use your magic! Just kill him! Kill him now!” “But...” the other two hesitated, knowing that the preparations were not finished in covering up this death. “I don't care if someone complains, I've had enough of this disrespectful bastard!” Mitter’meyer looked down at the pathetic noble before him, his eyes cold as he felt the room grow both warm and cold as the other two brought forth their magic. Truth be told, he did not have the energy to take them out as well as much as he wanted to. On a normal day he could fell each of them, but he was now fighting to just keep his eyes open. The magic that would have killed him though never struck though, as each of the men shouted in pain as their hands were hit by something. The one who had been summoning fire now had a scorched hand as his fireball exploded in his palm just as another ball of fire struck it, while the one who had summoned ice had their lower arm encased in the alternate form of water. From the ground, Jaronis gaped in awe at what now stood behind his fair weather friends, “You...you're....” Kael, Trixie, and Reuenthal had all entered the building, with the former two having traces of magic usage leaving their hands. Kael smiled facetiously at the man on the floor, outwardly being polite while completely hating on the pathetic man at the same time, “Hello, I don’t believe we’ve met, and if we have I must apologize. I am Prince Kael’Thas Sunstrider, and I am here to release my loyal subordinate from your custody.” Mitter’meyer began to gape at the sight of his Prince, completely drawn away from the fact his best friend was there because the man who he had sworn his full and complete loyalty to was here to save him. This stunned reaction kept him from doing anything as his mind attempted to piece together why and how Kael’thas Sunstrider could and would be helping him. In contrast, Jaronis shook his head, thinking himself delusional at the sight of the lord of their race, “Hah, the traitor prince is in Outland, at Magister’s Terrace from what I heard. You must be a fake!” One of the other nobles who had come to harm the prisoner tried shushing him, “Hush you fool! What if it is him?” Reuenthal spoke up as he lifted his metal weapon up to point at the nobles, “The subject is irrelevant, as none of you will remember this.” In quick succession he shot the two standing nobles, with each falling to the ground as the tranquilizer darts he shot took them out. Seeing this happen to the others made Jaronis turn to face the Captain, who he recognized in the brief moment before he too was shot. “You whore mongering bastard—” Jaronis collapsed fully at the entry of the tranquilizer dart, with Reuenthal putting his weapon away once finished subduing the enemies in the room. Trixie, curious about the namecalling, turned to Reuenthal to get an answer, “What was that about?” Mitter’meyer shook himself out of his reverie to address the question that only elicited a frown from the Half-Elf, “Reuenthal has kept the company of a few ladies from court due to his handsomeness and exotic features,” Mitter’meyer laughed as he gestured down to the unconscious Jaronis, “Ladies including that one’s sister.” Not understanding the implications of what Mitter’meyer said, Trixie tilted her head, “What were they doing that would make him so angry?” Mitter’meyer in turn did not understand that she did not understand, instead thinking her as a practical joker. He bowed to her to show thanks for her assistance in saving him, “You have a good sense of humor, miss. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Knight Mitter’meyer of the Blood Knights.” Trixie appreciated having someone bow before her, and so she held her hand out for him to kiss to see how far she could press this envelope, “And I am the Great and Powerful Trixie, aspiring show magician.” Mitter’meyer respectfully kissed her hand, making Trixie realize that perhaps she was extremely fortunate for her present company. Being treated like a lady was quite nice, compared to just some random commoner! Once his formalities were done, Mitter’meyer rose up and began beaming happily at her with a radiant smile, “Aspiring? Well then, have you tried performing in the arena? I hear crowds love seeing impressive displays of magic there.” Trixie found the sound of this barbaric, but if it meant she could perform and be seen for the magnificent mare she was she would do it, “There’s an arena?” Mitter’meyer nodded with joy, overestimating her skill level as he imagined what amazing performance she might be able to put on in an arena, “Of course! It’ll be my pleasure to show you it to repay you for what you have done on my behalf today.” More conscientious of the fact that there was royalty in the room, Reuenthal vocally cleared his throat. This snapped Mitter’meyer’s attention from Trixie to Kael’thas, who actually had not wanted to really play up the fact he was a prince and all. It felt phony and fake for him to masquerade as something he wasn’t entirely sure he was, even if he was ninety nine point nine percent sure it was true. “Oh, right!” Mitter’meyer noted as he bowed and bent down on one knee to Kael’thas, “Milord, you have my eternal gratitude. It is an honor to be visited by you, as well as protected by your divine light.” Still not wholly comfortable but seeing that perhaps he should play along, Kael gestured to Reuenthal, “You should thank your friend. He asked for our aid, and he is the one who did the most work in freeing you.” Reuenthal nodded to the exit, worried about the timing of this all and how by now some other patrols may be drawing close if they were on a particularly faster pace than usual, “I would suggest we leave the formalities for later, after we have drugged them, escaped, and assured our collective safety.” Kael agreed to that, not wanting to be caught red handed and have to reveal his identity publically, since he knew not what would happen if that were the case, “Of course.” As the others all took some of the amnesia serum from Reuenthal and began to apply it to all the immobile people, including the writhing Priest who was only half-awake, Trixie instead crossed her arms and pouted, “But I still want to know what were Reuenthal and the sister were doing together!” They all just laughed as she continued to pout, with Mitter’meyer honestly thinking she was joking, Kael not wanting to explain the situation, and Reuenthal not feeling at liberty to discuss such a matter with a lady he barely knew. Not that it stopped him from doing much worse things with ladies he knew far less…but it was the principle, especially since he was sensing some form of attraction from his prince towards the woman. Whether it was a friendly attraction or not, it would be ill mannered to actually answer her question, even more so than it would be to just ignore her. Once back at the inn, the three gathered around the large table in the bottom floor with the innkeeper providing them all with refreshments to celebrate. She was familiar with Reuenthal and Mitter’meyer, with the two often coming to drink after duty at her inn instead of inside the city, which was why she assisted the former by bringing him to Kael and Trixie’s room and breaching their privacy in such a manner. After all, he was a trustworthy man, and she knew he would only mean well for the good natured couple occupying one of her rooms. With no other tenants that night and the late hour, she excused herself to bed again after their return. Reuenthal rose his wine glass up with an uncharacteristic genuinely positive smile on his face, “A toast to our returned lord, and to the safety of a friend.” Everyone rose their glasses to that, and after the first drink Mitter’meyer was the first to speak, “Is there anything we can do to repay your kindness, my lord?” In fact, the entire trip Kael had been considering that very idea. What he had come up with though was the best for all of them, though not for himself specifically, since he decided to be pragmatic and not selfish in the inevitable order he was going to have to give his loyal servants. The idea of having people serve him still felt odd to the humble man, but he decided to consider such a thing another night when he was less exhausted. It was the early hours of the morning after all, so intense philosophical reasoning was beyond him. “I am tempted to ask you to accompany my companion and I, as you both seem to be quite capable soldiers and it would be useful to have such powerful and useful companions with us as we rise in our own power.” Trixie and Mitter’meyer nodded to that with a smile while Reuenthal remained stoic due to his realization that there would be a continuation to the statement. Kael shook his head with a sigh as he finished his thought, “However, that would displace you from your duties here, and I am sure my companion and I can handle things on our own for the time being.” Thinking his lord just too humble to ask for aid, Mitter’meyer decided to explicitly offer it. He brought a hand to his chest as he pledged his grateful loyalty, “My lord, if you need us by your side you need only ask. We would each do anything for you, especially after today.” Again Kael shook his head, further explaining his reasoning so the others could understand why he was not simply rebuffing them, “I am attempting to mask my presence currently, and having two relatively high profile people accompanying me will quickly defeat that goal. I appreciate your willingness, but having two loyal companions does not outweigh the burden it may bring upon my partner and I.” Realizing this was not something that he could convince Kael otherwise about, Mitter’meyer bowed his head and sighed. After thinking over the reasoning used, he found himself agreeing that he would only endanger his lord, and he slowly lifted his head back up as he came to another thought left unanswered so far. “If I may ask, my lord, what is the reason for your visit to Azeroth? How go things in Outland with Illidan and Warchief Kargath?” Having anticipated this question, Kael offered his planned response to mask his lack of memory. While he trusted Reuenthal with this knowledge, it appeared that Reuenthal was the thoughtful one of the two, and while Mitter’meyer did not appear to be a fool Kael would rather have as few people know the truth as he could. “I am afraid I am not at liberty to speak about those matters. For now, you will just have to trust that I am implementing a plan for the betterment of us all, and that there appears to be a man masquerading under my name and bringing ill sentiment towards it.” Kael looked around carefully to emphasize his point, “Do not speak of this matter to anyone else, as we do not know who we can trust here now that public sentiment is turning against me.” Mitter’meyer grew a sad expression as his lord’s words sank in, which caused Trixie to mimic it as she realized there were other bad Elves out there, “There still remain many loyal to you, my lord,” Mitter’meyer paused as his eyes closed and his head sagged downward. The idea that other Elves had forsaken their loyalty to the crown based on rumors bit harshly at the loyal Knight, “But…” “They are being subjugated and brainwashed, as well as punished much like you were to be. I will not risk their safety by revealing myself and causing possible tension and conflict to arise,” Kael responded, finding himself realizing that perhaps he did have some experience with politics since the thoughts were flowing so freely from him. Mitter’meyer stood up so he could bow to his prince, “You are wise as ever, my lord.” Having been thinking this entire time about the subject matter of these men owing them loyalty and a favor of sorts, Trixie spoke up next to capitalize on it before the chance vanished, “Perhaps you two can do us a favor instead?” Mitter’meyer stood up straight again and saluted the magician, “Whatever is it, my lady? Ask and we shall do what we can.” Trixie winked to Kael before giving her idea, one which reflected something Kael said before which she agreed with, “One day down the road we’re going to be back, and we will need to have organized and rallied support for when that does happen. You two are relatively high ranking officials, even if you aren’t at the top, so you are not likely to be under as much scrutiny as others, right?” Reuenthal nodded to her after wiping his lips with a napkin, having just finished his glass of wine, “After this incident blows over, I am sure we will be forgotten as just two disgruntled figures. The Blood Knights will not allow further retaliation on one of their own, and my involvement is not known.” That affirmative response made Trixie feel all the more confident about her plan, “So, with your level of pull and your relative autonomy, can we ask that you rally support for our banner when the time comes that we return and confront the various political opponents we are sure to be faced with?” “Of course,” Mitter’meyer responded hastily, quickly bowing before them again and partially over the table. Kael wanted to laugh at how enthusiastic this man was, but he supposed he could let it go to not embarrass him. Mitter’meyer did not remain bowing for long, as he realized with some shock that light was beginning to peek in the inn from outside. The coming of dawn reminded him that he ought to return home, so he stood up fully to salute the others, “I would love to stay with you all, but I had best return home to my wife. Evangelin must be worried sick about me, and I would loathe to be hated by my wife.” Standing up as well, Reuenthal shook his head as he brought a hand to his friend’s shoulder, “He jests. His wife is a kind hearted woman whose only malice is towards those who would harm her dear husband.” Mitter’meyer actually appeared taken aback by his friend’s kind words to his wife, “Words of praise from the man who hates all women? My my, has my imprisonment and distress softened you, my friend?” “I am merely an observer of facts. You give her too little credit, just as you give me too much. I merely distrust, something wholly different from hatred.” Mitter’meyer shrugged as he brought a hand to run through his light hair, his face growing quite happy at the talk of his wife, “I suppose I do exaggerate, but I still had best return to her,” he paused as an idea came to him, the Knight once again bowing, “If you so wish, I welcome you all to join me for a feast tomorrow in honor of your Majesty.” Trixie responded first, doing so by pointing her wine glass at him, “Will there be alcohol?” With a strangely serious face, Mitter’meyer nodded to her, “Copious amounts, I am sure.” “It means returning to the city,” Kael warned, remembering how much it freaked out Trixie before. Not that he was much better, but she had been the one who literally asked to leave the tyrannical place. Not wanting to appear weak in front of company, Trixie dismissed her discomfort with a wave of the hand, “Pfft, whatever.” “I take it you are quite the fan of wine?” Mitter’meyer commented with amusement as he watched Trixie gulp down the remainder of her drink. She nodded and laughed as she placed the glass down on the table, “Alcohol and I are new friends, but no matter how much time we spend together we never get enough.” “I will be sure to bring out my best wine then, in thanks,” Mitter’meyer turned to face Kael and bowed one last time, “Goodnight, my lord. Come by tomorrow evening and my wife will have prepared you the best meal you will ever have.” With that the Knight moved to leave, with Reuenthal only offering a silent bow before following suit. As they left, Kael called after them in parting thanks. “Thank you for your hospitality, and send your wife my thanks.” Once it was only Trixie and Kael left, they cleaned up the table and then returned to their room. Upon entering it though Trixie snapped her fingers and growled before just slapping herself on the forehead. “Awww, Luna damn it!” Kael rose his eyebrow at her curse, noticing for what he was sure was not the last time her saying something odd, “I think you mean Elune, but what is the matter?” Trixie pulled out her empty coin pouch and tilted it upside down to show it was in fact empty to him, “I meant to ask them for money. I spent all of mine on wine, so we’re going to have to find more work soon if we want to keep a roof over our heads.” In terms of things that matter, this was pretty unimportant so Kael shrugged. They could find work when they woke up, of that he was not worried, “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Trixie grumbled in agreement as she thought about the coming feast they would have in their honor, “At least we’re getting a meal for our work.” Kael moved to take his spot on the bed, quite exhausted from this midnight excursion, “Don’t let their royal treatment of us spoil you too much. We can’t rely on others to treat us that way forever, lest we be discovered.” Trixie instead took her seat at their room’s table where her blue book sat, “I could get used to being treated on like a Queen.” “For that you would have to marry a prince,” Kael half-joked, unsure about what her response would be. Trixie began to thumb through her book as she had vowed to earlier, absently responding to him, “Hmmm, you’re right…” after turning a page she decided to joke a little, “Do you know any available?” Kael sighed as he laid down to get comfortable, not caring that he had not changed out of his outer layer of robes, and responded with his own attempt at humor, “Present company excluded, I would bet that the Human prince who led to the downfall of our kind is single.” “He sounds like a horrible, selfish person,” Trixie groaned, even making a disgusted face at the suggestion he made. Kael snorted at her response, which caused Trixie to cross her arms and resent his unspoken criticism of her own selfish tendencies, “Don’t look at me like that. I’m selfish, but I’m not horrible. And besides, I need someone to balance out my selfishness rather than compete with it.” Kael sighed as he brought an arm over his face, “If you say so.” Silence fell between them until Trixie had a random thought that made her giddy, “Hey, what if I am a secret princess of some sort? Wouldn’t that be amazing?” “What are the chances of that though?” Kael reasoned. Besides, her personal habits and tendency to sit like a dog might when on the floor made her hardly princess material in his eyes. That deflated her somewhat, if only because it was true, “You’re right. I should just appreciate the fact that my partner is a prince and not look that gift horse in the mouth.” Feeling a bit awkward about the whole marriage subject, Kael decided to cut it short by just announcing his intention to sleep, “That nap earlier didn’t exactly do it for me. I think I’ll sleep in a bit tomorrow, or rather today.” “You sleep then, prince boy. I’m going to catch up on my reading,” Trixie mocked jokingly, even sticking a tongue out at him. Kael could hear her do it, but he honestly didn’t care since he could still verbally outdo her even if he was exhausted, “You don’t understand the language. You barely know how to do the basics.” “I’ll show you I am perfectly capable on my own. Goodnight, rich boy.” “Goodnight, poor wench.”