Warcraft: Stormwind
Year 25, Day 7
The meeting with Mavria had ultimately taken approximately two hours. The majority of that time was spent charming her little cottage to be unplottable, a task that took a surprisingly short amount of time with two dragons to help empower the ritual. Particularly since Mavria’s geomancy made preparing a wardstone and the room to house it nearly trivial.
Mavria seemed rather delighted by the whole thing, and I actually ended up gaining her Blueprint without needing to manually construct it. Near as I could tell, the locals had never developed such magic, and Mavria was very happy with my work. She took her safety and privacy very seriously––something I could respect given her circumstances––and rapidly warmed up towards me once we started discussing ways to safeguard her home.
With that taken care of, the five of us returned to Darnassus and then said our goodbyes. Ysondre clearly didn’t feel like she’d paid us back in full, but she was simply out of time. She did encourage me to seek her out in the future, but for now she needed to go deal with the mountains of issues we’d uncovered in the past week. I had a feeling she was going to be very busy in the coming days, perhaps even years.
She left through another portal, taking Kent along with her. Before they went, I made sure to dispel and then resummoned the man to update his Blueprint with all the memories he’d made over the past week. I wasn’t sure yet what would happen if he dispelled while I was on another Plane, whether by force or simply from exhausting the magic that sustained him, but it was best to minimize risks. This way, even if he didn’t keep the memories from his time with the Green Dragonflight, he’d at least remember the days leading up to that time.
With her gone, and our guide from yesterday having returned to the temple, I decided not to spend the rest of the day here in Darnassus. A big group of humans––even though my summons had all changed into more Plane-appropriate clothing––really stood out in a city full of seven-to-eight foot tall, purple-skinned elves and I didn’t feel like attracting too much attention without someone with authority to deal with them. It probably wouldn’t be an issue, but I didn’t want any trouble and would prefer to spend my last few hours on Azeroth without worrying about a situation like the one that had occurred with those two junior sisters.
Thus, after some deliberation and a pleasant mid-day meal, I crafted a portkey and transported the lot of us to a small clearing in Elwynn Forest just a short walk from the walls of Stormwind. Thankfully, the clearing was just as deserted as it had been when I’d visited it on my second day on Azeroth, though we did spook a pair of deer who had been grazing nearby.
I was slightly worried about coming back to Stormwind. It was the first place where I’d seen a clear sign of another Planeswalker’s presence, and I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to meet one of my peers right about now. I’d seen neither hide nor hair of the man or woman since I’d left the city––no summoned animals or rumors about strangers with unusual magic––though that didn’t necessarily mean that they actually were present in the city. The only thing I could say with any level of certainty was that I hadn’t seen the person in question anywhere, since I’d kept my aether-detection spell going at all times.
Ultimately however, I decided that going back was worth the risk. Even if I did run into them, there was no reason to suspect that they’d be hostile, and it was entirely possible that they wouldn’t recognize me as anything out of the ordinary. Even if I had access to magic capable of differentiating summoned creatures and planeswalkers, that didn’t mean that everyone did. That sort of magic certainly didn’t seem to be common on this Plane, so perhaps it wasn’t as easily accessible as I’d expected from my experiences with Kent and Ozpin.
Entering the city proved to be just as easy as it had been the first time around. We broke up into two smaller groups and simply walked in right past the guards. Once inside the city, we went our separate ways as we’d planned ahead of time. Glynda, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald headed towards the market, bringing the majority of my remaining gold and a pair of glasses enchanted with mage-sight with them. Their job was to track down both some interesting items to purchase and hopefully a local craftsman or two who I’d be able to make Blueprints from.
Meanwhile, Peach, Zatanna, Amber, and I headed towards the mage district. Even if I didn’t plan to study the local magic, I still wanted to pick up a few books, browse some of the magic-focussed shops, and perhaps find a local wizard I could make into a Blueprint. I hadn’t looked too closely at Mavria’s Blueprint––I really didn’t need a headache right about now––but I’d learned that she wasn’t all that proficient with arcane magic. She dabbled in typical light, nature, and arcane magic, but primarily specialized in her flight’s geomantic magics, which were an odd mix of the three. That was something I was looking forward to looking into in the future, but for now it simply meant that I didn’t really have the Blueprint of an arcane specialist the same way I did for nature and light magic.
Along the way, I made sure to keep my eyes peeled for any signs of the other Planeswalker or one of his summons. I wasn’t really sure what I would do if I did find one or the other, but it was always best to be acting rather than reacting.
Despite my doubts, the day went off without a hitch. With a bit of help from the same friendly librarian as before, I picked out and duplicated a selection of spellbooks, as well as some interesting-looking theoretical works, histories, and bestiaries. Ysondre and my other dragons probably knew more about this world’s past than any number of human historians, but some books on recent history and the human kingdoms seemed like a good pickup.
While I was doing that, Zatanna, Peach, and Amber also picked out a few books which I was happy enough to duplicate as well. Zatanna picked out two different works of fiction, one of which had a rather lurid cover featuring a scantily-clad night elf and an extremely muscular human man. She claimed they were for Blake, but I had my doubts. She also found a half-hidden guide on jewelcrafting, a form of local enchanting focused on imbuing magic into gemstones.
Peach, as expected, brought me no less than five huge books detailing all manner of local flora. I had a feeling that when I came back to Azeroth, I’d be doing so with a sizable ‘shopping list’ from the florakinetic huntress. She’d already harvested as many plants as I could reasonably fit into my bag, but that was not nearly enough for her tastes.
Amber’s books were the biggest surprise of the lot. One was essentially a cookbook––though I wasn’t sure how useful it would be without easy access to local ingredients––while the other was a collection of short poems. I hadn’t realized she was interested in either thing, but she seemed pleased with the books.
Perhaps I’d need to see about expanding those aspects of my library in the future as well. Even if most people would be unable to learn the magics featured in my collection, they’d still be able to enjoy any works of fiction that I brought home. Well, assuming me or one of my summons took the time to translate it for them. The local written language looked nothing like English or any other language I knew of, even if I could read it without any trouble. And if Amber really did like that sort of thing, I could pick up some of the less awful muggle-written options from some local stores as well.
Hmm. Maybe the books really were for Blake. Or perhaps Zatanna was hoping to read them with the cat-eared huntress? Or maybe she’d just forgotten that the original wouldn’t be able to read Azerothian script. If I didn’t pay close attention, it really did feel like I was reading in english, the letters seeming to swim on the page as they rearranged into something legible.
Eh, it didn’t really matter. I just hoped she wouldn’t ask me to read them to her. I hated reading aloud.
…though maybe I’d be willing to make an exception. If she asked nicely. Just the once.
Eventually I managed to drag myself out of the library and we spent another hour browsing the many shops in the district that catered to the local wizards. In one such shop––Stormwind Staves, which sold exclusively wands––we encountered a young, red-haired mage wearing a rather striking white robe with gold accents. Her name was Janey Anship and she and Zatanna quickly struck up a conversation.
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I soon learned that she was a student at the local mage school, and had been studying there for several years now. She was eighteen, had four younger sisters, loved salmon and funnel cakes, had a best friend named Lisan, loved Zatanna’s shoes, and was rather bad with money.
Thirty minutes later, we went our separate ways. Janey left with a smile on her face, a brand new wand on her belt, a bit of sugar stuck to her nose, and a half-eaten funnel cake in her hands. I left ninety-three silver coins poorer than I had been and with a brand new generic Blueprint in my spark.
Zatanna was a Morgana-blessed miracle worker. I’d heard all the words coming out of her mouth and the way she’d said them, but I had a feeling that there was no way in hell I would have been able to talk Janey into letting me make a Blueprint from her. Zatanna just had a kind, compassionate sort of charisma to her that I couldn’t replicate.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was something. Unlike with the dragons, it was easy enough to examine this new Blueprint in detail, and it was more capable than I would have expected. The Blueprint cost three mana and was probably weaker in a straight fight than Blake, but the magic my summons would have access to was flexible enough to be useful in a wide variety of circumstances.
I still wanted to find a proper arcane expert, but that was unlikely to happen in the time I had left before I needed to head home. I had been somewhat spoiled by Ysondre’s help, I felt. The sort of people I was looking for were not the sort that a random stranger could access easily, and fewer still would be willing to let that unknown use some mysterious magic on them.
Perhaps I could theoretically stun and kidnap someone, but that came with all sorts of needless risks. The sort of wizard I wanted would be a dangerous foe if I wasn’t able to take them out with a single spell, and if I played my cards wrong, I could be in some serious trouble.
No, it was better to wait. I was almost certainly coming back here at some point in the future, and hopefully by then Ysondre would have more time to prepare and would be able to make some introductions. Well, that or I’d be powerful enough that I could confidently subdue and forcibly copy whatever witch or wizard I wanted. Both were good options.
After a bit more shopping, we headed to the Gilded Rose for a rather late lunch, where Glynda and the others were already waiting for us. The group was laden down with bags and boxes, and I made a mental note to prepare an expanded bag for Glynda’s use before my next trip. I doubted this was the last time I’d be sending her on such errands.
We ate quickly, briefly exchanging information on what we’d seen and done. They’d spent a significant portion of the funds I’d left with them, but picking through some of their purchases I was rather happy with what I saw.
First of all there were the raw materials. Bars of a green-tinged local metal called ‘mithril’, bolts of magic-infused cloth called ‘mageweave’, vials of magical powders, and much more. They’d also picked up a variety of enchanted items such as armor, weapons, jewelry, and clothing, as well as an array of potions.
I nearly fell out of my chair when Glynda called a green stone orb in a padded box a ‘philosopher's stone’, but apparently that meant something very different around here. Instead of a priceless treasure that allowed for the true transmutation of gold and produced the elixir of life, it was simply a common focus used for all sorts of transfiguration. Unfortunate, but not unsurprising. I had a feeling I’d be running into all sorts of similar problems in the future, the same way the local wands were nothing like the one I used.
Once we’d eaten, I stowed their purchases in my expanded bag, noticing that it was getting very full, and then Glynda led the way to a district of the city I hadn’t visited yet. The Dwarven District. It was an interesting place. There were a lot of taverns, even more forges, and an enormous quantity of the short, heavily-bearded near-humans. According to Glynda, even the female dwarves around here could and did grow beards, making it all but impossible to tell them apart.
Eventually, we made our way to an isolated smithy, where we met a particularly gruff and very shirtless dwarf who introduced himself as ‘Master Sharphammer’. The dwarf was insanely muscular, his bare chest and arms looking like they were sculpted from stone, not muscle, and he had a number of scars and burn marks that stood out starkly against the surrounding flesh. He was almost wider than he was tall, and I had no doubts that he weighed at least thirty or forty pounds more than I did despite being well over a foot shorter than me.
“So, you the mage?” the dwarf rumbled, not bothering to look up from the small pile of sand-grain sized red crystals lying on the anvil in front of him.
“I am,” I answered. Glynda had outlined the nature of the deal she’d come to with the smith before me. She’d provided him with a single vial of fire dust that I’d brought with me from Remnant for her use––unlike some of my other Huntsmen summons who came with enough dust to fuel their semblances and weapons, Glynda didn’t despite being quite capable of utilizing the substance––and in exchange, I’d get my Blueprint. Since I had an entire chest full of the stuff back home that I wasn’t really using, and I could probably get more just by stopping by Remnant, I was quite pleased with the agreement.
The man was apparently fond of experimenting with all sorts of rare and powerful reagents, and dust certainly qualified. I rather regretted not learning more about it when I’d been on Remnant, but it had never seemed like a priority. Perhaps something to amend in the future.
“This is interesting stuff.” He prodded it with the tip of his thick index finger, making a small indent in the neat pile. “I wasn’t really expecting it to be anything new, but I’ve never seen something like this.”
“I’m certain you wouldn’t have.”
The man’s amused snort sounded like one of those horrible two-wheeled muggle vehicles. “Fair 'enough. Can ya’ do what you gotta without getting in my way?”
“If you stay still.”
“Hmm, easy enough I guess. Let me grab some things.” He collected a handful of enchanted smithing tools from around the forge, then returned to his anvil. “Right. Do your thing, mage, and leave me to my work.”
I was happy enough to oblige, standing behind him with my wand pressed up against his bare shoulder blade while he poked and prodded the small mound of dust with his tools. Soon enough, I had my Blueprint and we silently left the forge. Annoyingly, it was another generic Blueprint, even though I’d been hoping for a copy of this specific smith. Apparently he was a well-known expert, one of the best in the city. I really didn’t understand what made some Blueprints legendary and others generic. Well, this just meant I had access to four skilled smiths and not just the one. I could live with that.
And then it was time to go. It was starting to get late, and judging by the day I’d first arrived, the time in Stormwind was pretty close to the same as it was back home. If the sun was setting here, it was probably already getting dark in Gotham as well.
We portkeyed back to Darkshire, where I found a rather irritated and bored Count Vertigo pacing around inside our little house. I paid the muggle little attention, instead focusing on repacking my bag and collecting the handful of things we’d left here when we’d gone to visit Ysondre. My enchanted bag was big, but not limitlessly so, and I ended up intentionally storing some things away. Things like local clothing, a few completely ordinary swords, and some other bits and bobs wouldn’t be useful back home, but could come in handy the next time I planeswalked to Azeroth.
Once that was taken care of, I dispelled the majority of my summons one by one until only Count Vertigo––and Kent, but he was somewhere very far away––was left. He’d make for a wonderful test subject for what happened if I allowed a summon to just hang around until it vanished on its own. I’d already gotten everything I actually wanted out of the man, and he was basically useless now. It would be no real loss if the Blueprint was destroyed or he didn’t keep his memories of this Plane.
I felt dangerously exposed without them. I’d grown used to having a number of loyal, dangerous bodyguards with me at all times. But well, that was why I’d waited until the very last minute and made sure to only dispel them once I was behind wards.
I was really looking forward to coming home. I hoped Zatanna was doing well. As I’d done at least a dozen times in the past few days, I glanced briefly at Raven’s Blueprint within my spark. I couldn’t feel a link with her like I could with Vertigo and Kent, but I could tell she was still active and energized. I was confident that my summons couldn’t last indefinitely without me nearby, but they could certainly last at least a week.
I was really looking forward to seeing Zatanna, hearing her voice and feeling her lips against mine. I missed her dearly, and having her copy around these past few days had only made that longing worse. Every time I looked at her I was reminded of the empty, soulless kiss I’d shared with it on my first day on Remnant. Perhaps once I found a way to share her copy’s memories with my Zatanna, it would be less awful, but I knew in my heart that there was no substitute for the real thing.
Home was calling to me. I looked around one last time, reached for Slaughter Swamp, and stepped out into nothingness.