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Geez, this chapter gave me trouble. -_-; I'm not why that is, since the other chapters went fairly smoothly, but at least it's done... I'll definitely have to go over it later, though.
Only one more chapter to go. :) That one should be easier to write... I hope.
Previous chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2
World of Warcraft: "Mystery of the Violet Citadel" by Avi
Chapter 3: "Da Vargoth Code"
The Violet Hold was where Dalaran imprisoned its most dangerous criminals; because of this, many of the regular citizens avoided the place. That meant that there usually wasn't much traffic outside its walls, apart for the mage guards that patrolled the area.
So when one of the guards heard a pair of voices close to his post, he idly listened in on their conversation.
"Are you certain that the book is around here, Jadaar?"
"Absolutely. But I still don't understand how this will lead us to Archmage Vargoth..."
"Well, it's not like we have any other leads at the moment, do we?"
The voices faded into the distance. The guard then shrugged, and resumed his watch.
***
Meanwhile, Jadaar and Asric were currently wandering through one of the alleyways in front of the Violet Hold.
"That book has to be around here somewhere; we've looked everywhere else in the area," grumbled Jadaar.
"Ah, there it is..." Asric pointed to a crate at the end of the alley; Jadaar could just make out a book sitting atop it.
As the elf picked up the book and blew the dust off it, Jadaar glanced at the title.
"'The Schools of Arcane Magic'," read the draenei. "This is definitely one of the books Miki was talking about."
Asric closed his eyes. "This book practically reeks of magic..." he murmured.
"Why shouldn't it? After all, it did belong to a mage."
"But it's an apprentice textbook," pointed out Asric. "It shouldn't have this much magic surrounding it; I can practically drain it out of the air."
Jadaar decided to take Asric's word for it; he was a blood elf after all, and was naturally very sensitive to powerful sources of magic. Still, the draenei couldn't resist voicing just a little bit of doubt.
Jadaar raised an eyebrow. "Strange, elf... You didn't seem so sensitive to magic, when we were investigating that troll back in Shattrath."
"That's because his merchandise was about as magical as a rock on the ground," snapped Asric. "At any rate, there are some very powerful spells cast upon this book; I'm guessing that we wouldn't be able to take it away from here." He opened the book and began to read.
"Well, this looks just like an ordinary textbook," mused the elf. "Wait... There are some handwritten notes in the margins."
"I don't suppose any of those mention where Vargoth is?" said Jadaar sourly.
"No, but... There is something odd about the writing. Could you hand me your journal, and something to write with, please?"
Jadaar took out his journal and handed it to Asric, along with a pencil. Asric placed the other book back on the crate, and flicked through its pages, while occasionally taking notes in Jadaar's journal.
"There's a magical aura surrounding every capitalized letter," muttered Asric under his breath, as he scribbled in the journal.
The draenei waited impatiently, until Asric had finished writing; it was only then that he questioned the elf.
"So what did you find out?" asked Jadaar.
Asric shook his head, as he tucked the journal under his arm. "I'm not sure yet... And I'm afraid that I can't be certain of anything until I check out the rest of the books."
Jadaar heaved a sigh. "Then we'd better get going; according to Miki, we have seven more books to look for."
***
Since Jadaar and Asric knew the locations of the remaining books, they weren't difficult to find; however, it was time consuming, since they were scattered throughout the city. As the two wandered in and out of the various shops and buildings of Dalaran, they caught a few odd looks from some of the shopkeepers (and at least one dirty look from an innkeeper, for loitering too long). So, by the time they had found all the books and taken enough notes, it was close to nightfall.
At this point, both men were exhausted from running around the city... They both collapsed onto a nearby bench, and tried to catch their breath.
"I am beginning to wonder if this Vargoth had a sick sense of humour," growled the draenei.
"It does seem rather perverse, doesn't it?" agreed Asric, who was trying not to slouch and failing miserably.
"Did we even learn anything from this wild goose chase?"
"Not yet; I may have some idea, though," mused Asric, as he opened Jadaar's journal. "But first, I'll have to sort these passages, in the order of the books I found them in."
After heading into one of the shops to buy some parchment and ink, both men walked into a nearby inn, and found a table in the corner. Jadaar then watched, as Asric started to copy the notes he took, onto the parchment.
The draenei peered down at the parchment. "I can't read what you're writing there, Asric... Do you even know what that says?"
The blood elf shook his head. "No, but neither of us are mages, are we?"
Asric wrote the final word with a flourish. Instantly, the ink glowed for a moment, and sank into the parchment. Both men then stared blankly at the finished document.
Jadaar was the first to speak. "Isn't that a...?"
"I believe so," said Asric grimly. "And I think we should go to the Violet Citadel and find that little gnome apprentice of Vargoth's... Right now."
***
It wasn't easy trying to find a tiny mage in a large complex like the Violet Citadel... Not to mention that there were only so many places that visitors had access to. But as he and Asric reached the top of a tower that was actually open to the public, Jadaar immediately caught a glimpse of a short figure with a pair of black ponytails, standing outside on the balcony.
"Oh, hello again," greeted Miki, after the draenei had tapped her on the shoulder. "I was just looking at the view of Dalaran from up here." She sighed. "Archmage Vargoth used to tell me how he loved watching the city from this spot..."
"Forgive my intrusion, little one," said Jadaar politely. "But my... companion has something to ask of you." He nudged Asric, who was staring over the railing, at one of the other towers.
"Hmmm?" said Asric, sounding preoccupied. He then shook his head. "Oh, yes..." He pulled out the freshly-inked parchment and handed it to the gnome. "Tell me Miki, can you tell what's written on here?"
Miki looked at Jadaar uncertainly, who gave her an encouraging nod. She then took the parchment from Asric and peered at it.
"This looks like a teleport scroll of some sort..." As she continued reading, her eyes widened in recognition. "Wait a minute... This is the exact same spell that I use to enter Archmage Vargoth's room!" She stared at the two men, bewildered. "How did you get a hold of this?"
Jadaar and Asric glanced at each other.
"It's a long story..." said the draenei.
***
It was early evening, when Jadaar and Asric finally left the Violet Citadel. After having explained everything to Miki, they had decided to leave the teleport scroll with the young mage, so she could take it to her superiors.
"Well, that teleport scroll should clear the imprisoned rogue of any suspicion," said Asric, "since it does explain how she got into Archmage Vargoth's room."
Jadaar nodded. "Eliza must've read one of the books that Vargoth had left around the city, and noticed the notes that he wrote in the margins."
"And since she's a cryptographer, it couldn't be that hard for her to figure out the code, and copy it down," added Asric.
Jadaar then looked thoughtful. "But why did she use the teleport scroll in the first place? Didn't she realize that it could get her into trouble?"
"Of course she did; that's why she drew her weapon when she teleported," pointed out Asric. "And I'm sure that it was her pride as a codebreaker that prevented her from asking anyone where the scroll might lead to, and from telling the mages where she got it in the first place."
"I see," said Jadaar. "Still, I don't understand why Vargoth would leave that teleport spell for just anyone to find..."
"I suspect that it's because that he was lonely," explained Asric. "Remember, Archmage Vargoth never leaves his room, and yet his apprentice said that he craved company; I suppose that the teleport scroll was his roundabout way of having people visit him."
"That's a strange way to go about meeting people," muttered Jadaar. He then sighed. "And yet after all this work, we still don't know where Archmage Vargoth is..."
"Actually," said Asric, in a serious tone, "I have a sneaking suspicion I know Vargoth's current location."
Jadaar's jaw dropped. "You do?!" he exclaimed. "Well, where is he?"
"First, let's head over to the city's landing pad," began Asric. "I'll explain on the way."
Next chapter...
Only one more chapter to go. :) That one should be easier to write... I hope.
Previous chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2
World of Warcraft: "Mystery of the Violet Citadel" by Avi
Chapter 3: "Da Vargoth Code"
The Violet Hold was where Dalaran imprisoned its most dangerous criminals; because of this, many of the regular citizens avoided the place. That meant that there usually wasn't much traffic outside its walls, apart for the mage guards that patrolled the area.
So when one of the guards heard a pair of voices close to his post, he idly listened in on their conversation.
"Are you certain that the book is around here, Jadaar?"
"Absolutely. But I still don't understand how this will lead us to Archmage Vargoth..."
"Well, it's not like we have any other leads at the moment, do we?"
The voices faded into the distance. The guard then shrugged, and resumed his watch.
***
Meanwhile, Jadaar and Asric were currently wandering through one of the alleyways in front of the Violet Hold.
"That book has to be around here somewhere; we've looked everywhere else in the area," grumbled Jadaar.
"Ah, there it is..." Asric pointed to a crate at the end of the alley; Jadaar could just make out a book sitting atop it.
As the elf picked up the book and blew the dust off it, Jadaar glanced at the title.
"'The Schools of Arcane Magic'," read the draenei. "This is definitely one of the books Miki was talking about."
Asric closed his eyes. "This book practically reeks of magic..." he murmured.
"Why shouldn't it? After all, it did belong to a mage."
"But it's an apprentice textbook," pointed out Asric. "It shouldn't have this much magic surrounding it; I can practically drain it out of the air."
Jadaar decided to take Asric's word for it; he was a blood elf after all, and was naturally very sensitive to powerful sources of magic. Still, the draenei couldn't resist voicing just a little bit of doubt.
Jadaar raised an eyebrow. "Strange, elf... You didn't seem so sensitive to magic, when we were investigating that troll back in Shattrath."
"That's because his merchandise was about as magical as a rock on the ground," snapped Asric. "At any rate, there are some very powerful spells cast upon this book; I'm guessing that we wouldn't be able to take it away from here." He opened the book and began to read.
"Well, this looks just like an ordinary textbook," mused the elf. "Wait... There are some handwritten notes in the margins."
"I don't suppose any of those mention where Vargoth is?" said Jadaar sourly.
"No, but... There is something odd about the writing. Could you hand me your journal, and something to write with, please?"
Jadaar took out his journal and handed it to Asric, along with a pencil. Asric placed the other book back on the crate, and flicked through its pages, while occasionally taking notes in Jadaar's journal.
"There's a magical aura surrounding every capitalized letter," muttered Asric under his breath, as he scribbled in the journal.
The draenei waited impatiently, until Asric had finished writing; it was only then that he questioned the elf.
"So what did you find out?" asked Jadaar.
Asric shook his head, as he tucked the journal under his arm. "I'm not sure yet... And I'm afraid that I can't be certain of anything until I check out the rest of the books."
Jadaar heaved a sigh. "Then we'd better get going; according to Miki, we have seven more books to look for."
***
Since Jadaar and Asric knew the locations of the remaining books, they weren't difficult to find; however, it was time consuming, since they were scattered throughout the city. As the two wandered in and out of the various shops and buildings of Dalaran, they caught a few odd looks from some of the shopkeepers (and at least one dirty look from an innkeeper, for loitering too long). So, by the time they had found all the books and taken enough notes, it was close to nightfall.
At this point, both men were exhausted from running around the city... They both collapsed onto a nearby bench, and tried to catch their breath.
"I am beginning to wonder if this Vargoth had a sick sense of humour," growled the draenei.
"It does seem rather perverse, doesn't it?" agreed Asric, who was trying not to slouch and failing miserably.
"Did we even learn anything from this wild goose chase?"
"Not yet; I may have some idea, though," mused Asric, as he opened Jadaar's journal. "But first, I'll have to sort these passages, in the order of the books I found them in."
After heading into one of the shops to buy some parchment and ink, both men walked into a nearby inn, and found a table in the corner. Jadaar then watched, as Asric started to copy the notes he took, onto the parchment.
The draenei peered down at the parchment. "I can't read what you're writing there, Asric... Do you even know what that says?"
The blood elf shook his head. "No, but neither of us are mages, are we?"
Asric wrote the final word with a flourish. Instantly, the ink glowed for a moment, and sank into the parchment. Both men then stared blankly at the finished document.
Jadaar was the first to speak. "Isn't that a...?"
"I believe so," said Asric grimly. "And I think we should go to the Violet Citadel and find that little gnome apprentice of Vargoth's... Right now."
***
It wasn't easy trying to find a tiny mage in a large complex like the Violet Citadel... Not to mention that there were only so many places that visitors had access to. But as he and Asric reached the top of a tower that was actually open to the public, Jadaar immediately caught a glimpse of a short figure with a pair of black ponytails, standing outside on the balcony.
"Oh, hello again," greeted Miki, after the draenei had tapped her on the shoulder. "I was just looking at the view of Dalaran from up here." She sighed. "Archmage Vargoth used to tell me how he loved watching the city from this spot..."
"Forgive my intrusion, little one," said Jadaar politely. "But my... companion has something to ask of you." He nudged Asric, who was staring over the railing, at one of the other towers.
"Hmmm?" said Asric, sounding preoccupied. He then shook his head. "Oh, yes..." He pulled out the freshly-inked parchment and handed it to the gnome. "Tell me Miki, can you tell what's written on here?"
Miki looked at Jadaar uncertainly, who gave her an encouraging nod. She then took the parchment from Asric and peered at it.
"This looks like a teleport scroll of some sort..." As she continued reading, her eyes widened in recognition. "Wait a minute... This is the exact same spell that I use to enter Archmage Vargoth's room!" She stared at the two men, bewildered. "How did you get a hold of this?"
Jadaar and Asric glanced at each other.
"It's a long story..." said the draenei.
***
It was early evening, when Jadaar and Asric finally left the Violet Citadel. After having explained everything to Miki, they had decided to leave the teleport scroll with the young mage, so she could take it to her superiors.
"Well, that teleport scroll should clear the imprisoned rogue of any suspicion," said Asric, "since it does explain how she got into Archmage Vargoth's room."
Jadaar nodded. "Eliza must've read one of the books that Vargoth had left around the city, and noticed the notes that he wrote in the margins."
"And since she's a cryptographer, it couldn't be that hard for her to figure out the code, and copy it down," added Asric.
Jadaar then looked thoughtful. "But why did she use the teleport scroll in the first place? Didn't she realize that it could get her into trouble?"
"Of course she did; that's why she drew her weapon when she teleported," pointed out Asric. "And I'm sure that it was her pride as a codebreaker that prevented her from asking anyone where the scroll might lead to, and from telling the mages where she got it in the first place."
"I see," said Jadaar. "Still, I don't understand why Vargoth would leave that teleport spell for just anyone to find..."
"I suspect that it's because that he was lonely," explained Asric. "Remember, Archmage Vargoth never leaves his room, and yet his apprentice said that he craved company; I suppose that the teleport scroll was his roundabout way of having people visit him."
"That's a strange way to go about meeting people," muttered Jadaar. He then sighed. "And yet after all this work, we still don't know where Archmage Vargoth is..."
"Actually," said Asric, in a serious tone, "I have a sneaking suspicion I know Vargoth's current location."
Jadaar's jaw dropped. "You do?!" he exclaimed. "Well, where is he?"
"First, let's head over to the city's landing pad," began Asric. "I'll explain on the way."
Next chapter...
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