I do not know how long I was unconscious. When I finally awoke I was firstly aware of the fact that I was alive and secondly aware of a splitting headache. I looked around me and was surprised to see there was no sign of Syllene. The window was broken and the furniture was still knocked about, but there was no sign of her beyond this. I sat up too quickly and the pain rushed through my head until my temples throbbed.
When I finally composed myself I managed to walk over to the window, not quite sure what I would see. There below me were a group of Ironforge guards talking amongst themselves quite jovially. There was raucous laughter and my eyes settled on the center of it…Jiles Whitman. He made a stab with an imaginary blade and feinted to the side. This drew more laughter as Jiles finished his demonstration with a hardy clap onto the shoulder of one of the guards, Captain Ajax. The captain grimaced when Jiles touched his arm, but he smiled as he did so.
I called down, "Whitman! What in the Nether is going on around here?"
He looked up at me surprised, "So good you are awake, Smit! I'll be right up!"
He said his farewell to the dwarves and came up to the room posthaste.
He entered the room with a broad grin and lively expression on his face. "How are you my friend? Lucid I see!"
"Lucid, certainly Whitman, tell me what happened man, where is the demon?"
"Be specific Smit. You mean where is the succubus?"
I nodded impatiently, which only worsened my headache. His response was to tell me what transpired after I was slammed against the wall.
"I suppse the first thing I should tell you, Smit, is that I suspected a succubus after our interview with Kelner. He was obviously the caster of the spell, but as I told you before there was not enough motive for the crime. It is true that he did not like his teacher, but that is hardly a reason for a promising upcoming mage to throw the rest of his life away for murder. I knew something must have compelled him to do it."
"So you knew it was a succubus then?"
"No. A succubus was just one of multiple possibilities at that moment. It was after we uncovered the markings on the apartment floor that I knew for sure. As you know, Smit, one of my many hobbies is the study of runes. The markings on the floor were conducive to a demonic summoning. Knowing what we did about the nature of the compelled crime, I simply followed the facts to a logical conclusion."
"So the potion we took was some type of protection against her charming powers?"
"Of course Smit, that much should be plain to you without having to ask me. I did not think that Ajax would need a potion of his own since dwarves have a natural resistance to charming magic, intoxication also dampens the effects. Unfortunately Captain Ajax is quite fond of human women, which made him much more susceptible than the average dwarf. He fell under her charms quite easily, much to my dismay, and became quite willing to defend her."
"How did you manage to stop him, Jiles? You're quite the swordsman, but against a seasoned dwarf…"
Jiles waved his hands at my statement, "It is of no consequence really. I managed to put some space between him and I and when he charged I dodged to the side. He hit the wall at full speed knocking a shoulder out of joint. The pain must have knocked him back to his senses, because he did not rise to attack me again.
"When I was done with Captain Ajax I rushed upstairs to come to your aid. I must have entered a second after she had knocked you out because she was dropping you to the floor unceremoniously as I entered."
I felt the lump on my head as Jiles reminded me of what had happened.
"In any case, she must have thought to dispatch me just as effortlessly as she had done so to you. She cracked that vicious little whip at me with abandon and seemed set on tearing the skin from my bones…I think she said as much."
I interrupted, "What did you do, Jiles?"
"Well, I dispatched of her of course."
I stared at the man in disbelief. As I stated before, he is a capable swordsman though no warrior, and he even dabbles a little with the arcane, though he is no mage, but to "dispatch" a demon from the Burning Legion would take more than a dabbler. My thoughts must have shown on my face because Jiles' grin turned to a frown.
"Smit, when have I ever gone into a fight wherein I knew my opponent and not been adequately prepared to deal with said opponent? Do you not recall the ogre-magi at Westfall? Or the banshee haunting in Goldshire?"
I felt ashamed. In both of those cases, and many others, Jiles had beaten opponents of great power using his wits and skill. "Aye, Whitman, my apologies for what I said."
Waving his arms as if pushing back something odious in the air, "Never mind it Smit. I shall tell you how I dispatched of the succubus and then we shall go enjoy some warm tea. When I took you to Jeng'shaun's it was to purchase a very expensive and potent elixir that places a barrier over the mind. It lasts for about six hours, and when it wears off we will both have legendary headaches, but I believe the investment was worth it, wouldn't you say?"
The idea of a magically induced headache on top of the one I then possessed made me groan inwardly, "Indeed, a good investment."
"Well, it was not the only investment I made." He produced a small dull dagger from his pocket. "I purchased this weapon to deal with the old girl."
"What is special about it?" I asked.
"Well, beyond the enchantment Jeng'shaun placed on it, nothing at all. It is enchanted to do harm those with demonic blood in their veins."
Everything made sense to me now, but one thing. "But Jiles, how in the Great Sea could such a tiny blade, enchanted or not kill a full sized opponent. That little dagger only looks good for skinning rabbits!"
"Like all tools, Smit, it is effective only if used effectively. I threw it into her throat. She stared at me in disbelief for a minute, but with her lifeblood flowing out she soon disintegrated into nothingness. It is a good thing Captain Ajax came, otherwise we would have no way of clearing Kelner's name."
I had almost forgotten about Kelner in the insanity of the last two hours. "So she charmed Kelner into killing Chelton in order to gain her freedom in our world?"
"Yes, Smit. And a murder under a charm spell is not a murder at all. The perpetrator cannot be any more responsible for their actions than a puppet is responsible for the movements the puppeteer puts it through."
"How did she come to be here? In Ironforge nonetheless!"
Jiles lit up a cigarette and went to the open window. I reached for my pipe and remembered it was back home.
"I believe," Whitman said, "that Chelton was no longer a faithful member of the Kirin-tor. Ever since Kel'Thuzad betrayed the order to work for the Lich King there have been a number of his followers left behind. Some of them have been caught, others have not. I believe that Chelton was one of those agents."
"That's incredible! A warlock for the Scourge right here in Ironforge?"
"It appears so, my friend. I believe Chelton grew tired of waiting for orders from Kel'Thuzad and summoned a succubus to keep his mind occupied. The fool was too proud to realize that it is more dangerous to sleep with a succubus than it is to pet a Felbeast. His power to control her was greatly lessened the first time he took her to his bedchamber. She used her guise as Syllene to plan his death using Kelner. With her master dead she could wreck havoc on the mortal world. That is until you and I came along."
I smiled sheepishly, "Oh yes, Jiles. My near death experience helped the Alliance out greatly."
"But it did, Smit!" He threw the half smoked cigarette out the window and walked over to me. "If you had not kept her occupied while I dealt with Ajax, she could have taken flight and it would have been impossible to track her down. Who knows how many lives were saved tonight because of you?"
His adulation made me feel better. "Thank you, Jiles. Now, I believe you said something about tea?"
"Well that or we have been invited to join Ajax and the city guard at The Dragon's Gullet."
I grinned despite my headache. "No, Whitman. I believe tea will do just fine."
