Malethia
12-22-2007, 07:35 AM
"What about that one?"
Malethia pointed behind the auctioneer at a dusty tome sitting on one of the shelves. Ever since she had rebuilt Blazestone Manor into the Halls of the Sun, the library had sat empty. She had taken every opportunity she could find to fill its shelves, including entering the Scarlet Monastary and grabbing as many tomes on the Light and battle techniques as she could fit into her packs.
"That? Oh, filled with gibberish, nobody can make a bit of sense of it. Seal on it's been broken, too. Witten by someone named Foror, something about dragon slaying. That's all we know about it."
Malethia gestured at it, and the auctioneer handed it to her. She gingerly opened it, finding it filled with random runes and various sketches of dragon anatomy. Useless as it was, but maybe she could find a translator. "How much?"
"Hundred gold."
"A hundred! But you can't even read it! And like you said, the seal's even broken!"
The auctioneer shrugged. "It's an old book, got collectibility. 'sides, I've seen similar books go for a thousand, even more. Good deal, you ask me."
Malethia grumbled, opening her coin purse and counting out the price. She dropped the coins on the table, walking away with her prize clutched to her chest as the auctioneer pocketed his fee. She hurried through the bazaar, making her way out of the city back to the Halls.
One seated in her library, she opened the tome again, flipping slowly through its pages for some kind of clue as to its secrets. She reached a page in the middle, with an illustration of some kind of blade, its design clearly of Highborne make. She looked at the drawing for a while, her curiosity peaked.
Malethia suddenly gasped as she felt her mind yanked away from her body, her viewpoint soaring into the sky and streaking to the west. Land and water blurred under her until she left the continent behind, the vast ocean passing by at a speed the goblins could only dream of.
Kalimdor appeared, switly growing larger on the horizon. She reached the continent and kept going, plains and desert passing by. Finally, she slowed and began to descend into a jungle canopy; Malethia recognized the ancient trees of Feralas. She reached ancient elven ruins occupied by ogres - the place now known as Dire Maul. Malethia had avoided the place when training in Feralas, never feeling comfortable in the reminder of her peoples' history.
Malethia continued to drop, the floor coming closer and closer. She shut her eyes, fearing a collision - and was surprised when she passed through the stone. She dropped lower, passing through long-forgotten chambers filled with elven artifacts, until she entered a surprisingly well-lit room.
It was a library, the most massive she had ever seen. Elven librarians - Kaldorei and Quel'dorei alike - worked the collection, occasionally pulling a volume from the shelves and bringing it to a workbench covered in tubes and parchments. Malethia looked about in wonder, unable to take it all in.
She suddenly realized one of the librarians - the leader, she guessed by the way he stood overlooking the others - was looking directly at her. She glanced around seeing if anything else nearby was his actual target. She turned back - and her eyes grew wide as she found he had suddenly moved right next to her. He nodded confirmation that he could see her.
"Bring it to me."
Malethia suddenly snapped awake, lifting her head from the desk it had been resting upon. Moonlight now streamed through the windows. Had she fallen asleep? Was it just a dream she had experienced? Or was it something more?
Malethia closed the book, staring at its cover for several minutes. Finally she stood, heading to the armory to gather her equipment. There was something about the experience that had been more than a dream. And Malethia was going to find out what.
It was time to enter Dire Maul.
Malethia pointed behind the auctioneer at a dusty tome sitting on one of the shelves. Ever since she had rebuilt Blazestone Manor into the Halls of the Sun, the library had sat empty. She had taken every opportunity she could find to fill its shelves, including entering the Scarlet Monastary and grabbing as many tomes on the Light and battle techniques as she could fit into her packs.
"That? Oh, filled with gibberish, nobody can make a bit of sense of it. Seal on it's been broken, too. Witten by someone named Foror, something about dragon slaying. That's all we know about it."
Malethia gestured at it, and the auctioneer handed it to her. She gingerly opened it, finding it filled with random runes and various sketches of dragon anatomy. Useless as it was, but maybe she could find a translator. "How much?"
"Hundred gold."
"A hundred! But you can't even read it! And like you said, the seal's even broken!"
The auctioneer shrugged. "It's an old book, got collectibility. 'sides, I've seen similar books go for a thousand, even more. Good deal, you ask me."
Malethia grumbled, opening her coin purse and counting out the price. She dropped the coins on the table, walking away with her prize clutched to her chest as the auctioneer pocketed his fee. She hurried through the bazaar, making her way out of the city back to the Halls.
One seated in her library, she opened the tome again, flipping slowly through its pages for some kind of clue as to its secrets. She reached a page in the middle, with an illustration of some kind of blade, its design clearly of Highborne make. She looked at the drawing for a while, her curiosity peaked.
Malethia suddenly gasped as she felt her mind yanked away from her body, her viewpoint soaring into the sky and streaking to the west. Land and water blurred under her until she left the continent behind, the vast ocean passing by at a speed the goblins could only dream of.
Kalimdor appeared, switly growing larger on the horizon. She reached the continent and kept going, plains and desert passing by. Finally, she slowed and began to descend into a jungle canopy; Malethia recognized the ancient trees of Feralas. She reached ancient elven ruins occupied by ogres - the place now known as Dire Maul. Malethia had avoided the place when training in Feralas, never feeling comfortable in the reminder of her peoples' history.
Malethia continued to drop, the floor coming closer and closer. She shut her eyes, fearing a collision - and was surprised when she passed through the stone. She dropped lower, passing through long-forgotten chambers filled with elven artifacts, until she entered a surprisingly well-lit room.
It was a library, the most massive she had ever seen. Elven librarians - Kaldorei and Quel'dorei alike - worked the collection, occasionally pulling a volume from the shelves and bringing it to a workbench covered in tubes and parchments. Malethia looked about in wonder, unable to take it all in.
She suddenly realized one of the librarians - the leader, she guessed by the way he stood overlooking the others - was looking directly at her. She glanced around seeing if anything else nearby was his actual target. She turned back - and her eyes grew wide as she found he had suddenly moved right next to her. He nodded confirmation that he could see her.
"Bring it to me."
Malethia suddenly snapped awake, lifting her head from the desk it had been resting upon. Moonlight now streamed through the windows. Had she fallen asleep? Was it just a dream she had experienced? Or was it something more?
Malethia closed the book, staring at its cover for several minutes. Finally she stood, heading to the armory to gather her equipment. There was something about the experience that had been more than a dream. And Malethia was going to find out what.
It was time to enter Dire Maul.