Depositing his potions, he left the bank rummaging through his portable holes he stored his goods in, making sure he made plenty of room when he crossed a box he had all but forgotten about. A small True Steel Lockbox sat securely in his possession. He retrieved it and examined the container for a moment.
He would need to find a Rogue, they were good with Lockpicking. Maybe they could help him discover what worthless artifacts lay in this nuisance waste of space. He contemplated blasting it open, but on the off chance it contained something remotely valuable, he didn’t want to chance damaging the contents…again.
Just in luck, he saw a Rogue dart across the street and run into the “Glorious Goods” shop. ‘That’s convenient’ he thought to himself as he too made his way to the store. He had never been in here before, even back when Dalaran was positioned in Northrend, though he doubted THIS shop was there. So many people and places changed after the Legion assault. Looking around he could see the shopkeeper, and his assistant on the top tier, but no Rogue.
“Excuse me…” Mai’kull began to the shopkeeper, “What can I do for you?” Jack Findle asked, in an almost hypnotic tone. “Yes…there was a Rogue who came in here a few moments ago…” Mai’kull began, but once again the shop keeper cut him off “Nope! No Rogues in here man, just me and the little lady.”
Mai’kull looked at the human; was he serious, or just stupid? Mai’kull began to argue back but stopped himself, realizing there was probably more going on that the human was not going to volunteer without pain of death.
Doing another scan of the shop, he could see the “Shelf” to his left was a fake. The paint, was different from the rest of the walls, and the book case sat inside a clearly crafted stone frame. Tired of the Shopkeepers games, Mai’kull intended to investigate this on his own, and with a grin the mage vanished from view, shimmering left through the wall and into a dark stone hallway.
He had cloaked himself in invisibility just to be safe, but he did not make it very far down the stone corridor before feeing the all too familiar sap to the back of his head. He feel to one knee, the world around him in a spinning blur as a foreboding presence hovered over him, where ever this was, he had the feeling he was not welcome; And then the world went dark.
Mai’kull awoke a few minutes later in the Legerdemain Lounge sitting at one of the back tables. He could not recall what transpired between the stone corridor and just now, but he could feel no loss of limb or organs, and all his possessions were still accounted for. ‘Odd…’ Whoever was down there clearly didn’t want intruders. Sadly, they drew on the crosshairs of the wrong Archmage.
Mai’kull returned to Glorious Goods again, walking in as if nothing had transpired. He began to casualty browse the store, under the scrutinous eye of its shop keeper. He browsed the crates and bags, and various tools of trades they were for sale, striking up casual conversation with the attendant Susana about the savory flavor of Sweetened Goat’s Milk.
He made his way downstairs after a good 10 minutes of faffing about and began to look at the farthest bookshelf from Jack, combing over the professional tomes and recipe scrolls that he had to offer. He knew better than to directly interact with the false wall door in front of him, least it or the human trigger another alarm of sorts. No he continues to muddle around, watching gleefully as the human eyed him, and attempted to discreetly watch the bookcase.
His patience paid off, as he read an old copy of the Kirin Tor Monthly, there was a loud click, and gear grinding. Jack’s face began to sweat profusely as the bookshelf swung open, and out ran a leather clad rogue, as if nothing was wrong. The rogue didn’t even stop to register Mai’kull was standing there. And as the door closed once again, the Magisters eyes locked with the shop keepers.
“Found my Rogue…” Mai’kull venomously exclaimed. He could tell the Human was at a loss for words, but at this point he didn’t care; He found his confirmation. “Let me go have a few words with him…” he stated, giving Jack a small bow before exiting the shop.
He didn’t actually leave. As soon as he walked out, Mai’kull slipped into the arcane folds of invisibility and popped back into the shop, settling in the upper steps among the boxes and crates, well out of sight from Jack or his assistant. And there he waited for his next opportunity. He could hear the shop keeper whispering to himself, no-doubt some attempt to warn whoever was behind the wall that their secret had been discovered.
Mai’kull spent a good hour behind the shop, watching, calculating. He would see the doorway open ever-so-often, expelling rogues out of its entrance. And a few times he would see rogues come into the shop, and took note of Jack doing something under the counter that would pop open the door. That was going to be his Que.
As soon as a Kal’dorei rogue entered the shop, Mai’kull emerged from his hiding place. Susana had her back turned, and he did his best to keep quiet as he summoned his eye of the flame. Just as the door opened and the rogue entered, so too did his magical construct. Doing his best to maintain focus, Mai’kull teleported out of the shop and into his small apartment atop the Archmage’s Spire of the Violet citadel before fully binding his vision to the arcane construct. He had little time, and his powers were strained due to the distance, but at least he would be undisturbed as he channeled the magic.
The Magically Cloaked Fire Orb descended down the once inaccessible stone corridor leading into a vaguely familiar archway. Banners hung from the stone arches bearing the mark of the uncrowned, the newly revived coalition of shadowy assassins and spies since the legions invasion, this was the Hall of the Shadows! As Mai’kull beckoned the eye forward, nostalgia filled his mind. He knew EXACTLY where he was now.
Cantrips & Crows, the old underbelly tavern. He would frequent this bar when he was alive, back in the Northrend Expedition, he would come down here to escape the aristocracy of the city above. He had marked this area all but destroyed when the city was assaulted by the Legion. Looks like the Rogues here took advantage of the main tunnel collapse and fortified it as their own; Genius, if not selfish as fuck.
Everything was still here, the old Circle of Wills was still being used, only now it was to hone the skills of the Uncrowned Rogues. Mai’kull reminisced getting drunk and watching fights, occasionally being intoxicatedly lured into the ring himself a time or two. Good old time…
Mai’kull turned the eye down towards the long tunnel that lead to the opening underneath the city. He spent many hours reading at the ledge of that tunnel, poking out of the bottom of the floating city. It offered a beautiful view of Crystalsong Forest when he was younger. It was his main relaxation spot while he lived in Dalaran. The eye attempted to make the trek down the tunnel, but the magic began to dissipate. He had overextended his ability and could no longer channel the magic as the view changed back to his room.
Mai’kull walked outside, leaning against the rail and looking down upon the city. This was his new “spot”. He reflected on his discovery as he watched the people below bustle around the city.
