Chapter Summaries

Rhode studied Dalaran’s magic-construct books and drew up a smaller piloted Magic Mech design. He had worked out its specifications, but lacked both the materials and Energy Core needed to build it.

• Chen Stormstout stayed in town to improve the Black Lager recipe and teach Lilia chi-based moves when he could.
• Audric arrived from Dalaran with school supplies, magic materials, and support as a potential teacher.
• Rhode studied construct magic and learned that a Magic Mech required a sustained power source from an Energy Core, unlike a summoned arcane golem.
• Rhode designed a roughly three-to-four-meter piloted mech with armor, weapons, a protected cockpit, and powered wheels.
• Rhode finished the blueprint but lacked an Energy Core and many of the mechanical and magical materials needed to construct the mech.

Rhode took Kienlo and Lilia toward the Hinterlands to search for Kienlo’s moonlight feather and give himself a break from the school project. On the way, Lilia killed a tiger with a Monk technique, while Rhode remained curious about her possible connection to Quel’Danil Lodge.

• Rhode invited Kienlo and Lilia to the Hinterlands to look for the moonlight feather Kienlo wanted.
• Lilia questioned where they were going, and Rhode suspected her reaction might be linked to Quel’Danil Lodge.
• The three traveled past Durnholde Keep and took a wooded trail toward the Hinterlands without encountering trouble.
• Rhode spotted a tiger and asked Kienlo if she could fight it, but she admitted she had only learned techniques for cat form.
• Lilia agreed to fight using only the Monk techniques Stormstout had taught her, then slid beneath the tiger and kicked it into the air, killing it.

Rhode, Lilia, and Kienlo tracked a dead Assassin to a Syndicate hideout and discovered that Fang of the Uncrowned was being held captive there. They forced open the hideout’s stone door and faced a room full of masked Syndicate members.

• Lilia defeated a tiger, and the group found a recently killed Assassin’s corpse with drag marks leading toward a cave.
• Rhode, Lilia, and Kienlo entered the cave and killed three red-masked patrolmen.
• They found a stone door and overheard Syndicate members discussing Lord Oto, the captured Fang of the Uncrowned, and two Assassins from Ravenholdt Manor.
• Rhode used two Mage Hands to pull open the stone door, revealing a room full of red-masked Syndicate members.

Rhode, Lilia, and Kienlo rescued the Fang of the Uncrowned from Syndicate members and escaped their cave. The troll revealed the Syndicate’s plans to attack the Alterac Ruins and assassinate Rhode, but Oto had discovered the spies before they learned more.

• Rhode sent Lilia and Kienlo to fight while he used Blink and Mage Hand to seize the Fang of the Uncrowned.
• The Syndicate closed the cave’s stone door, but Rhode smashed through it and froze the pursuing enemies long enough for the group to escape.
• After they reached safety, Rhode asked the Fang of the Uncrowned what had happened.
• The Fang explained that Oto had recruited the group for a private contract and that they had returned to spy on the Syndicate.
• The Fang reported that Oto planned to attack the Alterac Ruins, restore the kingdom without Blackmoore, and have Ravenholdt Manor assassinate Rhode to create chaos.
• The Fang said the Syndicate had discussed Argus awakening and the Crown of Will, but Oto discovered the spies before they heard more.

Rhode learned from Fang of the Uncrowned that Syndicate Lieutenant Oto had tried to recruit him to assassinate Rhode and that the Syndicate had mentioned “Argus Resurgent.” Rhode suspected a link to the Burning Legion and its plans in the Alterac Ruins, but recognized that the name alone was not proof.

• Fang of the Uncrowned told Rhode that Oto had defeated him and Shadow Stealth Stalker, then tried to hire him to assassinate Rhode.
• Fang explained that Oto left to meet an emissary, leaving him tied up until Rhode arrived.
• Fang told Rhode he had heard the phrase “Argus Resurgent,” prompting Rhode to suspect a Burning Legion plot involving the Syndicate and the Alterac Ruins.
• Rhode acknowledged that his theory was only speculation and said he would continue investigating.
• Rhode and Lilia promised Fang they would keep his secret from Ravenholdt Manor.

After returning to Westpoint Tower, Rhode welcomed Puzik and his goblin engineering crew from the Shimmering Flats, whose machines and materials could help him build a Magic Mech. Puzik explained that the crew had left Gadgetzan after Mayor Noggenfogger withheld their wages, and Rhode offered them a contract and advance pay.

• Rhode returned to Westpoint Tower with Jinelo and Lilia and planned to investigate the Alterac Ruins, summon Major Drake's main force, and gather materials for a Magic Mech.
• Rhode found Westpoint Tower transformed by machines and makeshift workshops built by a goblin engineering crew.
• Gixil introduced Puzik, who said the crew had come from the Shimmering Flats after leaving Gadgetzan.
• Puzik explained that Mayor Noggenfogger had docked the crew's wages despite their completing a racetrack and building a rocket racer.
• Rhode welcomed the engineers and offered to sign a contract and pay them in advance.

Rhode inspected the goblins’ engineering equipment and became interested in Puzik’s rocket-powered race cars. Puzik revealed that he had added Energy Crystals from Un'Goro Crater as a secret source of power, leaving Rhode intrigued by the cars’ capabilities.

• Rhode agreed to accept the goblins’ engineering materials and equipment, leaving the Magic Mech’s energy core as his main obstacle.
• Puzik showed Rhode, Lilia, and Kienlo the goblins’ machines, including their Excavator, Bulldozer, Logging Machine, and Rocket Cars.
• Kienlo grew uncomfortable hearing about the Logging Machine and the turtles Puzik used to make reinforced Fuel Tanks, so she and Lilia went to the woods.
• Rhode questioned Puzik about the Rocket Cars’ fuel and safety modifications, and Puzik appreciated Rhode’s knowledge of cars.
• Puzik secretly told Rhode that he had found powerful Energy Crystals in Un'Goro Crater and used them as a secret weapon.

Rhode sought a usable energy crystal for his Magic Mech and persuaded Puzik to lend him a Rocket Car by proposing a wager. He planned to modify the car's crystal and race Puzik, hoping to win the vehicle and obtain its power source.

• Rhode learned that Puzik had only two refined energy crystals, each installed in one of his Rocket Cars, and that Goblin instruments were needed to process them.
• Rhode asked to buy a Rocket Car, but Puzik angrily refused.
• Rhode claimed he could improve a crystal's energy transmission and challenged Puzik to a wager over a modified car.
• Puzik agreed that Rhode could borrow a car; Rhode would win it if he beat Puzik in a race, or double the wages of Puzik's crew if he lost.
• Rhode chose a Rocket Car with a red energy crystal so he could experiment with modifying it.

Rhode prepared for a public drag race against Gadgetzan engineer Puzik, drawing a huge crowd to Westpoint Tower. After secretly upgrading his Rocket Car with a magically enhanced Red Energy Crystal, Rhode entered the race confident he would win.

• Rhode expanded Westpoint Tower's farms, housing, construction, and security as more people arrived and threats from the Syndicate remained uncertain.
• Rhode organized a drag race from Westpoint Tower to Tarren Mill, attracting spectators and vendors from nearby towns and villages.
• Rhode modified his Rocket Car by boosting the Red Energy Crystal's output and hiring Puzik's chief technician to fit it into the vehicle.
• Puzik's chief technician limited the car's normal power to improve its speed and added a red button that could unleash enough power to make it fly.
• Rhode and Puzik approached the starting line in their Rocket Cars as the crowd cheered.

Rhode rescued an injured Musket Corps soldier during the Rocket Car race, then used his car’s explosive boost to overtake Puzik. He sped toward the finish in the lead, but his car caught fire before the outcome was confirmed.

• Gixil started the race, and Puzik took an early lead over Rhode.
• Rhode spotted the injured Karaba beside the track, slowed down, and lifted him onto his car with Mage Hand.
• Puzik regained the lead while Rhode carried Karaba toward the finish.
• Rhode pressed the red button, and his Rocket Car surged forward with flames shooting from its exhaust.
• Rhode overtook Puzik near the finish, but his car caught fire as he increased its power again.

Rhode won the rocket-car race against Puzik, escaped his burning vehicle with an ejector seat, and learned from Karaba that the Syndicate had taken over the Alterac Ruins. He thanked Karaba for the warning and sought out Puzik to discuss further business.

• Rhode's rocket car caught fire, so he pressed an emergency button that launched his seat into the air; he used Mage Hand to pull Karaba after him as the car crossed the finish line.
• Gixil declared Rhode the winner and narrated his parachute landing as the rocket car exploded beyond the finish line.
• Puzik congratulated Rhode on the win, and Sally healed Karaba's wound after Rhode called her over.
• Karaba told Rhode that the Syndicate had filled the Alterac Ruins and that he had been attacked while trying to report it.
• Rhode thanked Karaba, sent him to collect a reward from Katel, and asked Sally to bring Puzik over so he could discuss business.

Rhode began building a Magic Mech and spent the day smelting mithril, thorium, and truesilver into a magical energy-conducting material. He successfully completed the alloy but collapsed from exhaustion, leaving the mechanical parts and assembly for later.

• Rhode claimed Puzik's other race car after his rocket car and its red energy crystal were destroyed.
• With Targ increasingly eager to avenge Magsol, Rhode gathered his materials and began building the Magic Mech after resting.
• Rhode repeatedly smelted and cooled mithril, thorium, and truesilver while carefully maintaining his mana output.
• After several exhausting cycles, Rhode completed the fused magical material that would transmit energy through the Magic Mech.
• Rhode collapsed beside the finished alloy and decided to sleep before continuing with the machine's mechanical components.

Rhode woke late and struggled to get out of bed while Lilia teased him, then joined Sally and Kienlo for breakfast. Sally served French fries that Rhode had taught her to make, and the girls enjoyed them, leaving Rhode thinking about making ketchup next time.

• Rhode woke at nine and found Lilia standing on his stomach, teasing him to get up.
• Rhode used a Mage Hand to lift Lilia and the covers so he could get out of bed.
• Rhode greeted Sally and Kienlo in the kitchen and asked Kienlo about braiding her long hair.
• Sally served French fries she had learned to make from Rhode, and Lilia and Kienlo both enjoyed them.
• Rhode noted that there was no ketchup and thought he could try making some next time.

Rhode completed and activated a Magic Mech powered by the yellow Energy Crystal from Puzik's Rocket Car, then named it Blue Melancholy. He tested its controls and weapons by running it outside the goblin workshop, attracting a crowd who recognized him and recalled his destructive Fireball practice.

• Rhode and the goblin artisans assembled the mech's skeletal frame, and Rhode embedded magical threads to connect its components.
• Rhode installed the yellow Energy Crystal in the mech's abdomen, and its eye blinked as the mech powered on.
• Rhode tested the mech's command response, named it Blue Melancholy, and entered its cockpit.
• Blue Melancholy followed Rhode's commands, picked up a Steel Blade and an Iron Sword, and ran around the goblin workshop.
• Onlookers gathered as Rhode tested the mech outside, and they recognized him after it fired a Fireball into the sky.

Rhode completed the Blue Melancholy, and Audric realized that Rhode had become a Magus, though the mech’s faulty systems promptly ejected Rhode and ran off. Rhode then briefed the group on scouting the Syndicate-held Alterac Ruins and Strahnbrad before their operation began.

• Audric sensed Rhode’s powerful mana and congratulated him on becoming a Magus, then suggested Rhode choose a personal title.
• The Blue Melancholy ejected Rhode and ran away, prompting Audric to dub him the “Goofy Magus.”
• Rhode identified several bugs in the mech and planned to fix them while continuing toward the Alterac Ruins.
• Rhode warned the group to scout the Syndicate’s defenses carefully and said Oto, a formidable fighter, likely led the enemy forces.
• Rhode assigned the group to scout the Alterac Ruins while he and Lilia planned to infiltrate Strahnbrad in disguise.
• Lilia proposed that the winning scouting team receive an extra day of french fries.

Rhode and Lilia investigated the Syndicate in Strahnbrad, while Sally’s group returned with intelligence about the Alterac Ruins. Suspicious that the reports might conceal a trap, Rhode decided to infiltrate the ruins alone after dark.

• Rhode and Lilia disguised themselves as assassins and entered Strahnbrad to gather information.
• Rhode overheard Syndicate members complain that a weak garrison had been left in the Alterac Ruins after Duke Falconcrest departed.
• Sally reported that her group had raided a Syndicate outpost and obtained maps, military records, and a captured officer’s matching testimony.
• Rhode doubted the intelligence because the Syndicate seemed to have abandoned its goal of restoring Alterac despite capturing the ruins.
• Rhode praised Sally’s group, concealed his suspicions, and planned to investigate the Alterac Ruins alone after dark.

Rhode infiltrated the Syndicate’s forest patrol to learn where their forces were based. Disguised as a guard, he joined an officer’s squad as it headed toward an undisclosed base.

• Rhode used reconnaissance robots to locate hidden Syndicate sentries, then silently killed them with spells.
• After the sentries were discovered, Rhode waited for a search party and killed a guard without letting him cry out.
• Rhode took the guard’s uniform, red mask, and blade, then blended in with the patrol.
• Rhode reported that he had found nothing and convinced the officer that his altered voice came from a sore throat.
• The officer announced that he would report to the Syndicate base and led the first squad there, with Rhode following among them.

Rhode infiltrated a Syndicate outpost and cornered the official Rellson after discovering a trapdoor beneath a bed. He tried to force Rellson to reveal what lay below and what he knew, but the chapter ended with Rellson wetting himself before answering.

• Rhode spotted a high-ranking official receiving a report and slipped into the house after the guards left.
• Rhode searched the house with arcane golems but found no sign of the official, then discovered him emerging from a trapdoor beneath the bed.
• Rhode caught the official at the door and threatened him with a spear formed from Mage Hand.
• The official identified himself as Rellson and claimed he knew nothing, so Rhode demanded that he open the trapdoor and tell him what he knew.
• Rhode stabbed the floor and then Rellson's trousers with his magical spear, frightening Rellson into wetting himself.

Rhode interrogated Rellson and learned that Oto planned to lure the attackers into Alterac Castle before detonating buried explosives, while Oto and his key personnel sheltered underground. After killing Rellson, Rhode descended the hidden passage and reached its lowest level.

• Rhode questioned Rellson and discovered that Oto had planted false intelligence to draw an attack on Alterac Castle.
• Rellson revealed that Oto had buried Goblin Sapper Charges and Fel Bombs beneath the castle and planned to shelter in a secret base during the explosions.
• Rellson identified Nagaz and the Argus Resurgence Organization as the source of the Fel Bombs.
• Rhode learned that Oto and his core personnel would hide underground and that Oto had noticed the enemy's assassinations.
• Rellson opened the trapdoor, and Rhode killed him before descending through the tunnel to its lowest level.

Rhode overheard Oto’s plans in the Syndicate’s secret base and returned with a small force to search for the explosives around Alterac Castle. When fighting broke out in the western search area, Rhode rushed to help Lilia’s group and found that she had surrounded the enemy.

• Rhode overheard Oto ordering the Syndicate to inspect its bombs and detonate them if the Castle came under attack.
• Rhode escaped the secret base after extinguishing its lamp and distracting Oto with a small Fireball.
• Rhode returned to the Alterac Ruins with a small group and divided his people to search for buried explosives and fuses.
• Rhode’s group found more Syndicate soldiers near the Castle as they searched through the woods.
• Rhode hurried west after hearing musket fire and found Lilia’s group fighting Syndicate soldiers.
• Lilia told Rhode that she had surrounded the enemies.