^{"Nothing of value is free. Even the breath of life is purchased at birth only through gasping effort and pain… The best things in life are beyond money; their price is agony and sweat and devotion...and the price demanded for the most precious of all things in life is life itself--ultimate cost for perfect value." – Jean Dubois, “Starship Troopers” by Robert Heinlein}

For almost a month and a half, Static Alliance and Insert Guild Name Here was stagnant. As if we’d shot an albatross, the wind fell from our sails and we sat “As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean.” Ahn’Qiraj Apathy had claimed it’s latest victim, mercilessly… but Night-Mair lost this roll and would need claim another prize.

This past week ramped up on Thursday with a strong performance against the first four guardians of the temple, including our first time killing Fankriss since the new changes to his sons were implemented. Sons indeed, I’d daresay they are the entirety of the fight with *yawn* some old has been, punch-drunk Pop still holding on to the family jewels. He yielded them up to us, but this was just a stopping point en route to the real prize…

We packed up for the night, dreaming of giant, poison flinging, man eating, wasps of mass destruction… ok, maybe that was just me. Saturday, Sunday and Monday remained for concentrated efforts against Princess Huhuran. With a focus of old we hunkered down, perhaps secretly knowing what would happened if we failed. Our best efforts, with nothing held back… if not this weekend, then when?

Three days blurred into one long precession of pain. “Ok, here we go guys, she’s at 30% let’s get ev… Uh, ok, let’s get rezzed up and give this another go, that was pretty good…”

Thirty Percent. The same words uttered untold times. Conserve your mana so you have enough for… “Thirty Percent”. Save your Shield Walls and Last Stands for… “Thirty Percent”. Are the rogues saving their combo points for… “Thirty Percent”. “Thirty Percent”. “Thirty Percent”. Those two words took on a life of their own and become our nemesis. We wanted no part of “Thirty Percent” any longer… only “Zero Percent”. By the end of Sunday, we’d only reached 8% and we’d naught but a single day left.

By the time we stood facing that cavern for the first time on Monday, in just this one weekend, we’d gone through thousands upon thousands of gold in foods, potions, flasks, gear, resistances, and anything that would eek out another percent. It would turn out to be just short. After two hours our flasks were done, our potions nearly spent, and our armor falling apart. One percent mocked us, it’s laughter echoing amidst C’thun’s ghostly quotations. She’d been there, teetering at the merest sliver of health with a lone paladin battering away at the end. But here we were… still. Pondering our destiny. If it were to be tonight, it’d cost us. More flasks… the last of everything we had, everything we’d gathered… nothing would be left if we were to get at most, another two attempts.

Beaten, whipped, and disheartened, to call it a night and conserve our resources was sweet siren’s song and she sang extra loud that night. But the call was made and liquid gold was consumed… if two attempts were to be had, it’d be our best two of the night.

Well… maybe not the first of those two, but we still had one left, right?

^{" Oh God, we're gonna die! Don't you understand? We're all gonna die!" – General Owen, the movie “Starship Troopers”}

At the end of our odyssey, a great sight awaited… coated in ichors and laying in a pool of slime, no bug-corpse had ever looked so sweet.

I don’t even want to think of the final cost in materials that went into this night. Everyone in each guild sacrificed their time and money to make this happen. It took close to a hundred people to get us here and each one of them deserves a congratulations on this kill. A very special thank you goes out to every one of you from each member of SA’s leadership.