With his in-ga task on hold until 5 AM the next morning, Kael logged off and turned his attention to the speech. He drafted several versions but was unsatisfied with all of them. Eventually, he gave up.
The main purpose of the event wasn't publicity, anyway. It was to have the Carrington family make a formal appearance, publicly backing both him and Lila.
Lila, especially, needed the protection. For so reason, Kael had a nagging feeling that her troubles went far beyond Edmund and his wife. A larger, darker conspiracy was waiting in the wings.
The thought of Lila's precarious situation stiffened his resolve. He used an AI to generate a passable speech and began to morize it.
...
It was the second day after the end of the Burning Horde invasion, and many players had successfully changed their race. However, from the information they shared, the new races weren't as overpowered as everyone had hoped. Their racial talents just provided synergistic, and relatively minor, enhancents for certain classes.
For example, the Tauren race was an excellent choice for Protection Warriors, granting an extra 3% to their maximum health. Undead Soulflayer Warlocks received a 3% damage bonus to their Affliction skills.
The Human faction had not stood idly by. They simultaneously released a variety of new racial talents for players to choose from, such as Shield Specialization (enhanced defense while wielding a shield) and Focused Mind (increased casting speed and magic resistance).
Of course, a few lucky players had advanced their class into a truly special race with powerful skills, but others posted builds for hidden Human classes that were every bit their equal. In the end, each path had its pros and cons.
While a steady stream of players still made the journey to the Horde-controlled villages, the numbers were noticeably smaller than the day before.
Most of the players in Starlight Town, however, remained calm. Under Isolde's managent, a wealth of new construction and NPC-upgrade quests had appeared. The developnt of Clearwind Haven on the Shadowcrag Mountains, in particular, was a massive undertaking that started from scratch. The experience and rewards were incredibly generous, and the original players from Starlight Village were enjoying the high-end benefits.
That afternoon, MirthBringer, the leader of Laughing Tribe; SkyVault, the leader of Eternal Legacy; and Lotusbond, the leader of Petal Veil, arrived at Isolde's private office.
The mont the door opened, MirthBringer's perpetually smiling face popped in. "Isolde! We're back."
Isolde had dealt with them quite a bit over the last two days and had grown comfortable around them. "Hello! Are you here to apply for another quest?"
MirthBringer, SkyVault, and Lotusbond exchanged a look.
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"Isolde," Lotusbond began, "do you know how Starlight Town ca to be?"
Isolde nodded. "I do. My brother and everyone else conquered it together."
Lotusbond shook her head. "It's not that simple. In the very beginning, it was your brother, leading just a hundred mbers of Crimson Bloom, holding the line at the Blackwind Brotherhood against an army of ten thousand players. I'm ashad to say, I was one of the ones attacking him back then."
MirthBringer and SkyVault both nodded in agreent. "We were there, too."
"It was only because your brother was so powerful that the Blackwind Brotherhood survived," Lotusbond continued.
Isolde nodded again. She had heard parts of the story from others, but this was the first ti she'd heard it from soone who was actually there.
SkyVault picked up the thread. "After that ca the battle for Starlight Village, where your brother and Lila led fifty thousand players to victory. We were lucky enough to be on the right side that ti, and we beca mbers of Starlight because of it."
MirthBringer concluded the history lesson. "And most recently, as you've surely heard, when The WarChief invaded, it was Guild Leader Lila who commanded the defense and held back the Burning Horde's initial assault. Then your brother descended like a god and single-handedly killed their three top bosses."
The three of them fell silent, watching her. Hearing the tales of her brother and Lila's heroic deeds, Isolde's eyes shone with admiration. When the silence stretched, she correctly guessed they hadn't co just to tell her stories.
"So," she asked, "is there sothing you need to do?"
The three guild leaders nodded to themselves. This was going well. They glanced at each other again, their expressions suddenly a little awkward.
Finally, MirthBringer spoke up. "Isolde, look, your brother and Guild Leader Lila have done so much for Starlight Town. We were thinking... maybe we should consider... uh..."
Isolde leaned forward, eager to hear the rest. "Consider what?"
SkyVault jumped in. "We think we should consider building a pair of statues for them!"
"Huh?" Isolde was taken aback.
Lotusbond moved closer and took Isolde's hand. "Isolde," she said sweetly, "don't you want Lila to be your sister-in-law?"
Isolde froze. She had been in Stormhold for a while and hadn't t Lila many tis, but she had seen her command the guild channel with an impressive air of authority.
Just yesterday, Lila had spent an hour patiently teaching her the ropes. In her heart, Isolde really liked Lila. Furthermore, the "Dawnbreaker and Lila" ship was a popular topic of gossip among her friends, who all thought they'd make the perfect couple. Secretly, Isolde had already started to think of Lila as her future sister-in-law.
Faced with Lotusbond's direct question, she was flustered at first, but then found herself nodding in agreent. "Yes," she admitted, "I hope they get together too."
MirthBringer pounced. "But they fight side-by-side every day and still haven't made it official. Do you know why?"
How would she know that? "Why?" she asked, completely hooked.
"Because they're afraid of what other people will say!"
Isolde was still lost. "But what does that have to do with statues?"
"Isolde, you're so silly," Lotusbond said, her voice conspiratorial. "If we build their statues together, it's like making their relationship public for everyone to see! It's a sign of our approval! Then they won't have to be afraid of gossip anymore!"
Isolde stared at them, stunned. Then, she slowly nodded. "Huh... I guess that makes sense."
The three guild leaders collectively breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken so doing, but they had finally gotten their point across.
"Okay, I'll do it right now!" Isolde said, imdiately opening her control panel.
"Wait!" the three of them shouted in unison, stopping her. They weren't finished.
Isolde paused. "What's wrong?"
The three n looked at each other, then back at her, shuffling their feet.
"Um..." MirthBringer stamred. "On the plaque... beneath the statues... could you maybe... you know..."
"Could you engrave our three nas on it?" SkyVault blurted out.
Even after saying it, they couldn't help but blush.
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