Maraad felt waves of discomfort in his abdomen. Though he used the power of the Holy Light to suppress it, the discomfort quickly spread throughout his body. His legs went weak, his head spun, and stars danced before his eyes. He could barely hold on to the Hammer of the Naaru.
Robbie shook his head and used Deathwing's Gaze once more, claiming Maraad's shoulder armor.
"I've been tricked, tricked! This is a trap, a premeditated plot."
Maraad had every reason to suspect that something had been wrong with his meals this morning, last night, or even the past few days. They must have been drugged. What else could have brought him to this state?
"That damn Gnoll tricked me!" Maraad cried out inwardly.
Maraad's face turned pale and his whole body trembled as Robbie took his vindicator armor, piece by piece. Finally, the Hammer of the Naaru slipped from his grasp and fell into Robbie's hands.
Even then, Robbie didn't let him off. He started stripping his clothes. Once he had taken his coat and vest, the Draenei's muscular upper body was exposed.
Yrel hurriedly covered her eyes and peeked through her fingers.
At this rate, Maraad feared he wouldn't even have his underpants left. Unwilling to embarrass himself in front of his goddess, Yrel, he finally couldn't take it anymore and hurriedly pulled out his beacon:
"Khadgar, save me."
A flash of Arcane light appeared, and Maraad vanished.
Sure enough, just as Robbie had expected, Maraad had dared to run wild in the Brotherhood's stronghold because he had Khadgar's teleportation to fall back on.
Having forced the powerful Maraad to flee, Robbie finally breathed a long sigh of relief. Now Yrel was the only one left. Robbie didn't believe she could turn the tables on them.
"Yrel, heh heh, you'd better cooperate with us now, or else..." Robbie stroked the Hammer of the Naaru. What a treasure, a genuine Epic weapon! I, Defiler Kapol, finally have an Epic weapon too.
Robbie felt the need to demonstrate his strength and channeled Holy Light into the Hammer of the Naaru.
The Hammer of the Naaru didn't react at all.
Seriously? It rejected me? That's going too far. Robbie was instantly depressed.
Robbie was slightly distracted, and in that unguarded moment, Yrel gave a gentle wave of her hand. The Hammer of the Naaru burst into light and flew into her hand of its own accord.
That karma came fast. Robbie was a little embarrassed. Yrel, and you still claim you're not related to Hogger? That move of yours is far more impressive than Unarmed Disarm.
Hogger also looked surprised, feeling as though he had met a kindred spirit.
"I want to see your commander." Yrel waved the Hammer of the Naaru around, looking quite full of herself.
"Why do you want to see our commander?" Robbie didn't quite understand.
Yrel said calmly:
"I've heard that the more shameless a Follower is, the stronger their commander. I've skipped out on countless meals in Lunarfall, and no one has ever been able to do anything to me. Only you managed to push me this far, and you even drove Maraad away. That proves your commander is very strong."
Robbie turned to Hogger. "Am I that shameless?"
Hogger bared his teeth and nodded.
"You came up with a filthy trick like biting a Draenei's tail. I can't speak for anything else, but when it comes to being shameless, I, Hogger, admit defeat."
Hogger, can't we play nice anymore?
Robbie hesitated and pondered. Vanessa's whereabouts were always unpredictable, and he wasn't sure whether she was even in the stronghold right now. Should he make an appointment?
"I understand." Yrel looked as though it had suddenly dawned on her. "As a Follower, you've stripped your commander of her power."
"Don't make things up without evidence." Robbie was somewhat troubled.
Yrel clapped her hands and nodded. "Yes, yes, that must be it. You kidnapped your commander and locked her in a basement, giving her only a bowl of water and a steamed bun each day, and every night you subjected her to all kinds of abuse... S...M. Hmph, just watch me expose your plot in public."
The corner of Robbie's mouth twitched. The little minx had quite an imagination. He couldn't let her keep running her mouth, or who knew what rumors might spread.
Yrel continued exercising her imagination. "No wonder your eyes lit up and you drooled the moment you saw me. Are you planning to do the same to me? Sigh, it can't be helped. I was born beautiful, but you've got the wrong idea. I, Yrel, am not so easy to bully."
The little minx thought far too highly of herself. Robbie was completely at a loss. Just then, a Hyacinth Macaw landed on his shoulder.
Besides helping in battle, the Brotherhood's parrots also relayed intelligence and passed down orders. Commander Vanessa had one too, and hers was the rarest Hyacinth Macaw.
The Hyacinth Macaw murmured a few words into Robbie's ear. Robbie understood and nodded, then said to Yrel, "The commander will see you."
Yrel puffed out her chest and gave a smug snort, then strutted past Robbie and Hogger.
The stronghold's archaeology hall.
The Brotherhood's officers generally had no interest in archaeology, and Westfall didn't have much of a long history either.
There were few exhibits in the archaeology hall. A wooden ship's-wheel shield, said to have belonged to a ghost captain, and Captain Sanders's treasure map were among the more valuable ones.
The archaeology hall was occasionally used to receive guests, but most of the time it served as Vanessa's dressing room or a room for reprimands.
The two-headed Ogre Mage Glubtok, General Fangore James Harrington, and the murloc Cookie stood in a row, all looking cautious and exceedingly respectful.
Vanessa, dressed in an Enchanter's Robe, lectured them loudly:
"I warned you long ago that Khadgar, like Medivh, can only cast spells in a straight line. As long as you find the right position, a single Arcane Crystal is enough to interfere. But you three idiots just had to try to use Sap on him. Was Khadgar someone you could handle? He turned every one of you into little sheep, and I had to step in personally. Luckily, I didn't go out today. If Maraad had escaped, where would that have left the Brotherhood's dignity? Wouldn't our peers have laughed at us?"
From the sound of it, Maraad had been captured. Robbie felt delighted and greatly reassured.
The three were so frightened that they didn't dare breathe loudly.
"And you, Hogger, stop hiding. I can see you."
Vanessa glared with her big eyes, her chill as biting as an oncoming snowstorm. "Didn't you see Maraad at the Dark Portal? How could you still mistake him for someone else?"
Hogger trembled with fright and muttered, "I can't tell Draenei faces apart."
Vanessa pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
"You bunch of fools, you really are too much trouble. Go back and reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors. Your bonuses are docked for three months. Hogger, go negotiate with Khadgar and tell him to bring a ransom for Maraad. As for the price, let him decide what to pay. If it's too little, I can't guarantee Maraad will be returned in one piece. The Brotherhood happens to be short of funds lately."
The four of them felt as though they'd been pardoned and hurriedly took their leave.
"Robbie, good work. You stay," Vanessa ordered last.
Faced with Vanessa's icy breath, only Yrel looked as calm as ever, as though nothing were wrong. Robbie secretly admired her. The little minx was bound to have a promising future.
"Ah! Why, it's you! I know you." Yrel acted as though they were old acquaintances.
"No, you've mistaken me for someone else!"
Vanessa's expression changed slightly. She had rescued Yrel from the Iron Horde's prison, but Vanessa was a rogue who never revealed herself in battle. How could anyone have recognized her?
Robbie was also secretly surprised. The little minx was no ordinary girl.
"You're the enchanter Mith'rethis."
"What?"
Robbie and Vanessa both froze.
"You're a veteran tailor, aren't you? You made this Azeroth limited-edition Enchanter's Robe." Yrel's eyes shone. "Could you make one for me?"
They had misunderstood Yrel. She had recognized Vanessa by her clothes.
"You really have mistaken me for someone else. I'm not Mith'rethis. I heard Mith'rethis doesn't make Enchanter's Robes anymore."
Vanessa poured Yrel a cup of water, then hesitated before pouring one for Robbie too.
"A group of unfortunate Draenei in the Blasted Lands has an exclusive monopoly on the production and sale of Enchanter's Robes."
"Is that so? What a shame."
Yrel looked deeply disappointed and pouted, upset about the Enchanter's Robe.
Vanessa gave Robbie a look, and he quickly reminded Yrel:
"Yrel, don't forget the room charge you owe us."
"I know what you want to know." Yrel had come prepared. "You just want to know who the fiftieth person in the Dark Portal raid was, right? I'm afraid you won't believe me if I tell you."
"I'm the leader of the Defias Brotherhood," Vanessa said self-deprecatingly. "There aren't many honest people in the Brotherhood. Besides my strength, I have the ability to tell when someone is lying."
"Really?" Yrel grew interested. "Why don't we test it?"
"All right."
"Prophet Velen is a Draenei?"
"True."
"Archmage Khadgar is an Orc."
"False."
"Wow, that's amazing! You really can do it." Yrel looked as though she had discovered a new world.
"Yrel, couldn't you make it a little harder?" Robbie reminded her.
Yrel pondered briefly, then tried asking:
"Tyrande loves Malfurion most."
Vanessa gave Yrel a puzzled look.
"False."
Yrel nodded, thoroughly convinced.
"Jaina and Kalecgos, the Aspect of the Blue, truly love each other."
Vanessa was even more puzzled. She blinked and answered:
"False."
"Prince Kael'thas and Prince Arthas are not rivals in love."
Vanessa took a deep breath.
"True."
"Tirion Fordring and Eitrigg are simply friends."
Vanessa's face darkened, and she answered helplessly:
"False."
The judgments of truth and falsehood were not based on the actual truth, but on Yrel's own understanding. Yrel was a Draenei from Draenor, and her understanding of Azeroth was clearly quite distorted.
"Yrel, where did you find all this nonsense?" Robbie asked irritably.
Yrel took a stack of books out of her bag.
"The story that had to be told about Tyrande and the tiger"
"The Aspect of the Blue under the shadow of Jaina's whip"
"Peerless beauty: the two princes' past in Dalaran"
"Hearthglen: the fate of Tirion Fordring and Eitrigg"
Vanessa and Robbie looked at each other, both speechless.
"Um, Yrel, let's talk about the fiftieth person," Robbie said. He felt that if he didn't stop Yrel, it would be easy to get sidetracked.
"It's quite a strange story. Even now, I still don't understand it." Yrel recalled, "After I escaped from the Iron Horde's prison, a strange person with horns and hooves—I only later learned he was a Tauren of the Horde—said he had come on Khadgar's orders to meet me."
The fiftieth person in the Dark Portal raid was a Tauren of the Horde.
Robbie and Vanessa's expressions changed at the same time.