《Shadow Legion》 Shadow Legion Desmon Vuhrelli sat in his woodshop carving the fine details of a Stormwind Lion onto a wooden sword he was making for his grandson. He had been retired for almost a year and was learning boredom in ways he cared not to. He had dreamed of having the freedom to tend his farm and make things by hand for his grandkids when he was still working for Stormwind. Now that he had the time, it was too much. Maybe it would not have been too much if he was able to spend it the way he dreamed: with his loving wife of thirty years. Now the only time he could spend with her was in front of a stone bearing her name, which was still hard for him to do. He and Mirna had plans to enjoy each other¡¯s company after they retired. She had also worked for the city, but as a healer. They had both volunteered to assist the Valiance Expedition during the Northrend engagement. Only he returned. He did not even have a body to bury when he came back, which made the stone with her name on it hurt even more. All of this time alone working with his hands was torturous; it allowed him too much time to dwell on the hurt. All this made the missive that arrived this morning all the more interesting. When his cheese was delivered this morning it came with a note attached. When the delivery man had left he opened it, surprised by the short message, but more so by the signature. All it read was: Please come to Stormwind, M.S. The only person he knew that would have sent this was Mathias Shaw. Curiosity lied in the reason. Why him and why now? What he did know is that it would not have been sent unless it was important. In the old days he would have left immediately, but for some reason he could not stop carving the sword. With a last burst of willpower he stabbed the now finished wooden sword into the soft ground of his woodshop. Briefly the thought of giving it to his grandson made his heart warm, but that faded quickly as the truth that he really didn¡¯t have one resurfaced. His first child with Mirna did not make it and they never had the heart to try again. No child meant no grandchildren. Maybe that is why they worked so hard to help everyone else have better lives. ¡°Once more for you, my love,¡± he whispered as he prepared to walk to town. ****************************************************************************** Jugkar stared across the grey land that made up Desolace and could not help but smile. It was almost time. He had worked for years in secret sacrificing and studying until he finally found the tidbit of information it would take to perform his greatest feat and finally make him the most powerful orc in all of Azeroth. The clamoring of demons, orcs, centaurs, and shadow yetis (a creation of his own: yetis infused with demonic power to enhance them and bind them as slaves) could be heard coming from down in the cave below. At first he kept it completely hidden and quiet, but this was the last day. This very night would mark the completion of the first stage of his plan. Tonight, his army would come and no one could stop it. Tonight, the new Shadow Council would have a home. His ego soared as he thought of all of those troops coming through. He would soon feel like his new self-given title: Grand Warlock of the Shadow Legion. He had arranged to bind all groups associated with the Shadow Council in any way together. They all had agreed to his plan, because if it worked, their power would all grow, even if they allowed him to lead. His thoughts were interrupted by a throat clearing behind him. He turned and looked as Thaelus, his second in command: a blood elf warlock who had left the Horde because he wanted more power at whatever cost. His skin showed the price he had already paid with its grayish purple tint from shadowburn, which made his white hair seem even brighter. He was dark to the bone, and Jugkar liked him for it. ¡°Your last sacrifices will be here soon.¡± ¡°Good, good. As soon as they arrive, chain them to the gateway,¡± Jugkar replied. ¡°Can you feel it?¡± ¡°Yes. My anticipation could not be more than it is now. I take it you acquired the Broken¡¯s cache?¡± Thaelus asked. ¡°Yes. Relics of the past to him, but a key to the future for us.¡± Jugkar smiled. ¡°I am told the ogres were quite brutal with him --- left nothing more than a pile of bones for the animals to scatter throughout the Blasted Lands. Quite an enjoyable thought.¡± Thaelus nodded and disappeared into the depths of the cave. Jugkar looked around once more and spoke aloud as if to the wind, ¡°You may have started this, but you failed. I shall finish it. Azeroth will belong to the Shadow Legion, and in turn to the real Horde.¡± He grew louder as he spoke breaking into a yell. ¡°You hear me?! I am the one who shall finish this. It is my power that will conquer this world!¡± ****************************************************************************** Desmon¡¯s trip to and through Stormwind was uneventful, as he mostly expected. Part of him expected the town to be in shambles as a result of whatever peril brought him to town. It was very much alive and active; the people of the town and all of those who were visiting caused an almost mirthful chatter to fill the air. He knew that most of the time the evil that would assault Azeroth did not just knock on the front gate of Stormwind, but would sneak up and do damage quickly and quietly. He made his way around town to SI:7 headquarters. He realized that he was being watched, but that was to be expected. They were spies, of course. He used to be the best of them. As he walked in the front door he started to question himself, wondering why he was here. He was too old and too out of practice for this. There was a young man behind a counter. They keep getting younger, he thought. ¡°May I help you, sir?¡± he asked. The kid looked confident. He should. At this point three crossbows were aimed on Desmon from behind the walls. ¡°I¡¯m here to talk to the boss,¡± he said. He knew that there was some sort of pass phrase he was supposed to use, but with the kid sitting there so confident, he wanted to test the waters and have a little fun. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a job.¡± ¡°Sir, this is a record keeping facility for the keep, there really is not a boss here. Just us scribes.¡± The kid smiled. ¡°Oh, I can write very well. Get me some paper, I¡¯ll show you.¡± Desmon returned the smile. ¡°Sir, if you need a job there are plenty of places around the ---¡° Desmon interrupted him and yelled, ¡°NO, YOUNG MAN! I WANT SOME PAPER!¡± two guards came from around the corner, quietly watching. ¡°Oh, and now you need some help to get me paper? Who are these guys? Why does a scribe need guards?!¡± The kid seemed a bit flustered, but kept his cool. ¡°Sir, as I said, this is a record keeping facility for the keep. Some things are sensitive, and require a bit of security. Please, have a seat and I shall get you some paper. I¡¯ll leave whatever you write to be examined and see if they require your skills.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Desmon looked at the guards, ¡°All I wanted was some paper.¡± The young man walked into the back room and was gone for a minute or two. He came back with a couple pieces of paper, a quill, and an ink vial. ¡°Here you are, sir.¡± The young man set it on the counter. Desmon arranged it all very neatly. He then proceeded to draw a stick figure behind a counter and another one slapping him. He then wrote a conversation between the two above the picture. The one representing him said, ¡®Tell M.S. that Desmon is here, as requested.¡¯ And the other one representing the kid said, ¡®OUCH! Yes sir! Let me get you some tea while you wait.¡± Desmon handed it to the kid and after the kid read it, he said, ¡°With sugar and cream, please.¡± The kid looked annoyed and confused. ¡°One moment, please, sir.¡± He walked upstairs. From upstairs a loud deep laugh erupted. The young man came downstairs shortly after and said to Desmon, ¡°Follow me, sir. He said to tell you that your penmanship is most excellent.¡± Desmon smiled and followed the kid. He could almost feel the people behind the walls with their crossbows aimed at him relax. Jagmar lay silently peering down at Desolace from a high perch in Feralis. He used a scope to see the details his eyes were not keen enough to see on their own. He had been watching the demons and the others for a couple weeks now. The activity was too much to ignore. They had been doing something foul but he had not discovered what it was, yet. He knew they were taking people in there but he could not see what became of them, as they were taken under ground. He could hear the screams though. The screams and what he assumed must be happening to the people made his anger build. His sister, JegJeg always told him when he got that angry his skin would go from green to brown. He knew he wanted to do something, but he did not have enough people to fight that huge horde of demons and warlocks. He would need help. That was the hard part. He was a deserter. He and his sister left the Horde shortly after Garrosh took command. There was no way he could even approach the leadership of the Horde without being killed on the spot. Desertion is punishable by death. His sister approached him while he was on guard duty one day. He was a gate guard and typically worked the front gate of Orgrimar. She came to him and told him that there was a shadow on the Horde and the new leader, Garrosh, was overflowing with darkness. She said they must leave, as she had spirit-walked and seen his death coming if they stayed. His sister was the best shaman he knew, and he trusted her with his life. That night they made their journey to the mountains of Feralis and never looked back. They heard stories of horrible things done by the warchief and his comrades from Undercity. Not only did he trust his sister, but the things done in the name of his people made him brown with anger. He could not believe that these things were tolerated. He heard rumor that there was opposition building, but when he thought he might go back to help, again his sister spoke of a great evil building. She told him this one would be far worse and might destroy all of Azeroth. This held priority. As he watched over the whole of Desolace, he noticed an orc standing outside one of the underground caves. He assumed it was a warlock; a powerful one. None of the demons would look at him, and they lowered their heads as they passed him. Shortly after he noticed the warlock, a blood elf that looked as if he was already dead came out of the cave. They spoke and the blood elf went back inside. He then saw the orc yell into the dead earth around him, though he was too far away for Jagmar to hear. Jagmar pulled out his sketchbook and quickly drew both the orc and the blood elf. They were important, he was fairly sure. He would take the sketches to his sister and see what she could find out. Desmon followed the kid upstairs and smiled as he saw Mathias sitting behind his desk. ¡°You are too young to be sitting behind a desk doing paperwork, Matt.¡± The kid¡¯s eyes widened. He had probably never heard anyone use a nickname for his boss. ¡°And you are far too old not to be, my friend.¡± Mathias stood up and walked around his desk and greeted Desmon with a firm handshake. He looked at the kid, ¡°Make those two teas.¡± The kids face turned red as he rushed off to do as he was told. Mathias brought his attention back to Desmon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bring you here, but this requires the best.¡± ¡°Maybe at one time, but you¡¯ve shown me up more than a time or two, if I recall.¡± Desmon looked Mathias in the eyes, ¡°But I assume there is more than skill needed here.¡± ¡°Yes sir, something more is needed. I need someone I can trust, and not because they fear me. I need someone who is not corruptible. I need someone who has looked evil in the eyes and then killed it, rather than cowered.¡± He spoke quietly, ¡°¡­someone who has felt great loss and lived through it, and knows the losses that it takes to keep this world safe.¡± The kid knocked and then walked in with the teas. He nodded at them both and closed the door on his way out. Desmon looked deep in thought for a minute, and then looked back at Mathias. ¡°Matt, you know I shall always be here for you. Training you was the closest I ever came to really having a son, but I am old. I have lost my edge, and I can feel it. I know it must be of the highest importance or you would not have called, but are you sure it is me you want for this?¡± ¡°I have never doubted you, Des. Even with a dull blade you could do what others need two sharp ones for. Even if you lost your edge, you are still the man for this.¡± He sipped his tea. ¡°Will you do this for me?¡± ¡°One last time for you, and for Mirna,¡± he said with a cold look that Mathias knew was a heart full of pain covered by the blade that was Desmon¡¯s resolve. Mathias winced at his words. His heart felt for the loss of Mirna as well, and the pain he knew Desmon felt only multiplied it. ¡°Your information is in here.¡± He handed Desmon an envelope. Jugkar stood in the middle of the large cavern underground. Forty large portals were in a circle around him, all of them stained with the blood of lost life. The screams of those still bleeding on the portals almost made him giggle. He stifled it and maintained his composure. Next to him was an altar with a high priestess of Elune strapped down. He nodded to his demon in charge, a four armed monstrosity named Fehkja, who then pulled the lever on the wall, opening a small hole in the ceiling of the cave, allowing moonlight to fall onto the high priestess. Her skin glistened and he could feel the power build in her. He began to chant. He could see her struggle as Elune began infusing her with the power to save herself. This did make him giggle. He loved it when they fought. It made it all the sweeter. As her power was culminating so was his spell. He nodded at Fehkja, who released the lever and close the opening for the moonlight. As his spell ended, she glowed white and purple. Her bonds fell free. She stood, started to cast, and then looked worried. He laughed very loudly, now. The white and purple glow grew brighter and started to burn green. She could now smell herself burning. She stopped casting and made a final prayer to Elune, and closed her eyes. Seconds later her body and the energy contained within exploded throughout the room. The energy coursed in circles around the room and was absorbed by the portals. ¡°THE TIME HAS COME!¡± Jugkar yelled. ¡°MY MINIONS, THIS FIRST PHASE IS THE START OF OUR REIGN! DRINK IN THE POWER!¡± With that the cave went completely dark, and then the portals began to light up. As they opened, demons began to flood through. They came through for hours. In total, almost five thousand demons came through before the portals lost power. Desmon chartered a private ship from Stormwind Harbor to the Southern Barrens. He would make his journey to Desolace from there. His orders were simple. He needed to check on an orc warlock¡¯s plans, find out who and what was involved, and then kill him. With those orders he knew that Mathias had not told him everything, but probably had good reasons for keeping the full reasons quiet. Even so, not knowing a part of the puzzle made Desmon uneasy. He knew it was a part of the job, but it was the part he liked to solve first. His journey was fast and quiet, as he had hoped. From his beachside landing in the Northern Barrens he would walk until he found a place to steal a ride. Seemed simple enough in his head, which was really all the more troubling. Matt would not have him do such a simple task. ¡®Time will tell,¡¯ he thought to himself. Jagmar sat by the fire in camp sharpening his sword. The rest of the camp was quiet and he assumed they were all sleeping aside from Grimmer, the ex-Grimtotem that acted as their look out at night. No one knew Grimmer¡¯s real name, but he had earned their trust. Their camp only had fifteen people, all from varying races and backgrounds, but they had all gained each other¡¯s trust over the past year. Jagmar thought all of the differences made them a better group. What their purpose was, he still did not know, but JegJeg made sure he knew that they had one. ¡°Ye¡¯ll never cut through anythin¡¯ sharpenin¡¯ it like that, Jags,¡± their resident dwarf said as he approached. ¡°Would ye like me to get some butter and toast so ye can make use of that there spreadin¡¯ stick?¡± Braedo was their blacksmith, and was very particular about weapons and armor, but was also always light-hearted. ¡°Maybe if you spent less time in the kitchen making toast, I would not have to sharpen it myself.¡± Jagmar smiled. ¡°I thought you would be asleep, so I did not come by to have you do it.¡± ¡°Aye, I should be. Still hard fer me to get a good night¡¯s rest out here in the open. Let us have it. Maybe doin¡¯ yer sword will lull me down. Anythin¡¯ new on the demons?¡± Jagmar handed Braedo the sword. ¡°The elf has gone again, and traffic has slowed. I fear they are close to what they plan to do and we have no idea what that is. I do not like this. I wish to go in and just gut them all,¡± Jagmar¡¯s skin began to brown in the firelight, ¡°But JegJeg says it is not time. I am not good at patience.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell ye this ¡®cause yer me friend: I weren¡¯t patient neither, and it cost me all me family. Don¡¯t be making them mistakes. They haunt you. Listen to her, Jags. She¡¯s not just savin¡¯ yer life.¡± Braedo¡¯s eyes glistened in the firelight as he fought off tears. The moon glow above them grew brighter. Jags and Braedo looked at it and watched as it grew even brighter, almost too bright to look into. A beam shot down from it to what Jags knew was Desolace. ¡°I must get going,¡± Jags said. Braedo handed him his sword. ¡°Remember what I said to ye, and be safe.¡± The beam disappeared, the moon dimmed, and a slight blue aura overtook the moon, as if showing a great sadness. Jags grabbed put his sword on his belt, grabbed his gear, and began the trek to Desolace. Desmon had stolen a horse from a pirate camp and had been riding for hours when night fell. By the time he had made it to Feralis his horse was tired and he had settled down for the night, close enough to the ogres that the other inhabitants of the area knew to stay clear, but far enough from the ogres to not become a late snack. As he struggled to sleep with thoughts of Mathias and Mirna in his mind, he too saw the strange moon activity. He knew it could not be a coincidence. With worry and loss in his heart and curiosity in his mind, he knew sleep was too far away for him. He hoped the horse had enough rest. He packed up camp and began his journey to the destination of the beam. He knew the answers were there, even if he would not like them. On horseback it only took him a couple hours to reach the edge of Feralis and Desolace. He found a good spot in the edge of the trees and sent the horse away. The rest would have to be on foot. He found a good concealed location and watched where he thought the beam would have gone. He saw demons flooding out of a cave in the ground. More than he could count. From behind him he heard, ¡°Do you like what you see, human?¡± He turned and looked to see an eight foot tall four armed demon, well equipped to kill. He cursed himself for not looking for sentries. He had been away for too long. ¡®Too old for this,¡¯ he thought to himself. He jumped up just in time to miss a sword swipe from the demon. As he readied his swords the demon was already coming in for a second, third, and forth strike. One glanced off his left arm, drawing a line of blood, and the last two he parried with his now ready weapons. ¡°Azeroth is ours now, human. We shall wipe out every single one of your kind, and your blood will start a trail of death the likes of which this world has never seen.¡± The demon started his attack again. The flurry of weapons made Desmon¡¯s arms tired, but for now he was keeping up. He knew he couldn¡¯t keep this up long and cursed himself again for not staying in shape. The demon kept pushing Desmon back until his back was to a couple trees. The size of the demon made a roll almost impossible to avoid getting hit. The demon smiled, knowing he had him cornered. Any further back and he could not parry, and movement to the sides would be a sure hit. The demon changed from a side to side flurry and brought all four weapons down on Desmon, which Desmon was able to parry by crossing his weapons above him, but the force of the blow knocked him to the ground. Desmon cursed himself for all the reasons he was here, feeling imminent failure and death. Jagmar had made it to the edge of Desolace in time to see the demons pouring from the cave he had been watching. His bloodlust made him want to charge in and attack them all, but even though his skin was as brown with rage as could be, he held his resolve, knowing the words of his sister to be true. She had never failed him, and he did not plan to fail her. Under his breath he scoffed, ¡°Heh, patience.¡± As he watched, he heard the sound of steel on steel. There was a fight nearby. His bloodlust grew even more and he smiled. Tonight he would kill something. He ran as fast as he could to the sound. As he approached he saw a demon clearly two heads taller than himself fighting a human about a half a head shorter than him. With his anger at whatever demonic happenings were brewing in Desolace, he knew his target. The sound of steel on steel concealed his barefoot run from both fighters until right before he reached them. The demon had the human cornered between a couple trees and had just knocked him down. He let out a loud roar as he charged in. The demon managed to turn his head at the moment Jagmar¡¯s blade sliced across his back. Desmon used the distraction to roll and jump to his feet, swiping his blade across one of the demon¡¯s arms, drawing a nice line of green blood. The demon now focused his blades on his right side at Jagmar and his left at Desmon. The demon struggled to maintain Desmon¡¯s flurry on his left side, taking his to his torso on occasion. His right weapons had to work in concert to deflect Jagmar¡¯s large blade. Desmon and Jagmar, the seasoned fighters they both were looked to each other to sense the other¡¯s motives and style. Desmon nodded first at Jagmar, and then nodded behind the demon. Jagmar understood this. He knew if they both worked to the back of the demon he would have to face one of them and show his back, or turn around, leaving an opening. Desmon and Jagmar both forced the demon¡¯s weapon sides back until he did what they expected and lashed all four weapon attacks at Jagmar, expecting Desmon to be the weaker opponent. What the demon did not know is that Desmon works best from behind. Jagmar leapt back as the demon pressed forward, and Desmon used the space the demon had left to get a short running start, leapt up, planting his foot on the demon¡¯s waist for leverage, and sank his sword into the demon¡¯s throat from the side. The demon twirled, knocking Desmon from his precarious perch. Desmon rolled with it, landing on his feet with his other sword at the ready. Jagmar now had the demon¡¯s back. He charged forward, pushing his sword into the demon¡¯s back. Desmon could see the tip come through the demon¡¯s stomach. For a short time the demon struggled to remove the blade from his back, but he lost too much blood from his neck wound and collapsed. The demon shriveled and burned a green fire for a moment, leaving only a husk. Desmon knew that the demon had returned to his plane, which was good enough for now. He pulled his weapon from the neck of the demon and backed away so Jagmar could retrieve his. Jagmar pulled his out while keeping an eye on Desmon. ¡°You fight with experience. What is your purpose here?¡± Desmon put his weapons back on his belt, as a sign that he had no intention of fighting the orc. ¡°Thank you, both for the compliment and for your help. I may be experienced, but I¡¯ve lost my edge. I can see before this is over I shall have to gain it back. I cannot say why I am here, in truth, but I know there are more problems here than I imagined. I could completely lie and say I was just traveling through, but you wouldn¡¯t buy that, would you?¡± ¡°I would not. That lie would make matters worse. I appreciate the respect you give me. I however am not working in secret, as I suspect you are. With what my old profession was, I could guess where you come from, and since I hold no ties anymore, I will give you what I know, as this is a bigger issue than I can handle, and for some reason, it feels like what I am supposed to do.¡± Jagmar wiped off his blade on a sturdy bush and put it away. ¡°But I shall not do it here. Come to my camp and I shall fill you in. It is safer than trying to gather the same information again, especially now, with all those demons. I¡­¡± Jagmar paused as a ray of moonlight covered both him and Desmon. A voice in both of their heads, a very soothing voice, whispered, ¡°I am with you both, take my blessing and use it to thwart this evil.¡± They both glowed blue-white for a moment, and the light coalesced into pendants on both of their necks. They both could feel the energy from it. The voice and the light were gone, but a feeling of hope and power lingered with both of them. They stared at each other for a moment. ¡°Lead on¡­¡± Desmon paused. ¡°Jagmar,¡± Jagmar said. ¡°This way¡­¡± Jagmar now paused. ¡°Desmon,¡± Desmon said, wondering why he gave this orc his real name. This was turning out to be an adventure he did not expect: demons, an orc, a blessing from Elune, and still no clue on the warlock aside from the huge herd of demons. This was going to take more than him. For that matter, it would take more than him and this orc. He¡¯d have to get the information and report back the Mathias. This might take all of Stormwind¡¯s army. Every clue came with a new question: why all the demons? Who is this warlock? Who is this orc? Where are we going? He followed the orc for at least an hour before he saw a camp with a fire dying down. Dawn was upon them. He needed rest, but that would have to wait. Jugkar stood atop a large mound of dirt peering out over his army. He smiled with excitement and self-praise. He would do what no other could do. He was the most powerful Warlock in all of Azeroth. He would rule this world. A sentry approached him. ¡°One of your other sentries has been killed, my lord. It appears that two were spying on us. The tracks appear orc and human.¡± Jugkar thought for a moment. ¡°They want to interfere? Fine!¡± His smile grew larger. ¡°Tell them to all get ready. We move to Theramore in an hour. My orders are to kill everything on the way to our prize.¡± The sentry ran off to do his master¡¯s bidding. Jugkar could taste his victory. He was actually very happy about moving up the time table. He would not allow Stormwind or Orgrimar to be ready. They would not stop him from reaching the prize. Once it was in his hands, they would not even be able to offer resistance. They would just be an ocean of blood for his demons to swim through. When Desmon and Jagmar reached the campfire, only one orc sat near it. The camp felt very empty. This worried Jagmar. ¡°What is wrong, sister? Where has everyone gone?¡± ¡°Jags,¡± she replied, ¡°I have sent them all away. They all go to warn their people. The cloud of evil approaches. I see you found the human I saw in my dreams.¡± ¡°What are we to do? There are so many. Why did we wait for them to come?¡± Jagmar asked his sister. He would have rather kill the orc warlock before all of the demons arrived. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°You would not have killed him, brother. Not for good. You would have died and not been able to play your role in this war.¡± She stood up and looked at Desmon. ¡°Human, we need your help. I have seen you fight in my mind, and the wind says you are true to this cause. What challenges await may be the greatest you have faced, aside from the loss in your heart. Please, help my brother as he will help you. You must both go to Theramore, and with haste. My people and yours have both overlooked something both amazing and too powerful for humanoids to own.¡± Desmon was puzzled at how much she showed she knew of him in her eyes. She could see to his soul, or at least that is how it felt. Words did not come to him, he just nodded at her. Jagmar looked at his sister over a long silence, his skin browning just a little. ¡°As you wish, Jegs. Where do you go if not with us?¡± His words were a little sharper than he was attempting. He was angry. He knew his sister was not saying he was incompetent, but that is how it felt when she said he would not have killed the orc. He was confident in killing, but as always, she knew more than he did, and accepting that was painful to his pride. JegJeg smiled. ¡°I go to speak with our old Warchief.¡± It was Jags¡¯ turn to smile. He knew that his sister had always wanted to meet Thrall. His smile faded as he thought of the evil approaching, knowing it was not just something for her to enjoy, but something that meant the situation was more dire than he could imagine. He gave her a serious look and pulled her in for a hard hug. ¡°Loktar, Jegs. Be safe.¡± ¡°Loktar, brother. May the wind guide you on your path.¡± They let loose the hug and Jegs walked to a makeshift stable and grabbed her worg. She quickly mounted and rode into the forest. Jagmar turned to Desmon with a sad but as stoic a look as he could muster. ¡°We must go. There are no mounts left, so we are on foot, but we must make haste, as my sister has said. I¡¯ll fill you in on what I promised to tell you along the way.¡± Desmon nodded. ¡°The others that she mentioned were going to warn their kind: who are they? What is their kind?¡± Jags smiled, ¡°All kinds. Your people will be warned, as will many others. We may be nobodies here, but we all come from somewhere that we once cared about. Most still have people they still care about. We are outcasts by choice and by reasons unknown. We don¡¯t ask, we just accept. These people are why I did not kill you after the demon. These people are the reason I care for all of Azeroth and not just my part.¡± Desmon smiled, ¡°Try to.¡± Jags looked at him confused as they started walking. ¡°Try to what?¡± ¡°The reason you didn¡¯t try to kill me.¡± Desmon smiled at Jags. Jags grunted and smiled a big tusky grin. ¡°Try to keep up old man.¡± With that they picked up the pace and pushed on towards Theramore. Along the way Jagmar let Desmon know all about what he had been observing and they both debated over what they would find in Theramore that was so powerful. Theramore was once a thriving Alliance port city run by Stormwind¡¯s humans, but after Garrosh Hellscream took over the Horde, they dropped a very powerful bomb on it and wiped it out. The potent item that powered the bomb was taken by Jaina Proudmoore, a powerful Alliance mage. Both had heard the stories in many different versions, but neither could figure what could be left in that rubble that would be so powerful and so sought after by this orc demon master. When Jegs had warned the camp of the coming onslaught, Grimmer offered to take on a different responsibility than warning his own people, as they were scatted and could not be united as easily to help. He offered to warn those not represented in the camp. Of those, his first target was the Diremaul ogres. He knew that his task would not be easy, but he was not one to shrug off important duty. Grimmer had not shared with the camp what or who he was, and they accepted that. He knew Jegs knew. She seemed to know all that people did not tell her. He was a druid. He was a master of all animal forms. He was experienced and powerful. He could have led his people, but did not because of petty differences, and that would stay with him. That was what led him to be as honorable as he now was. He roosted above the King¡¯s chamber in Diremaul in the form of a crow, staring down at the new King. In Diremaul, the Ogres accepted as king any person who defeated their king. The current king was a night elf with a large mohawk and a large gold chain with an oversized medallion around his neck. The area around the king was littered with ogres and hyenas. He would have to find the right moment to talk to the king. He knew he couldn¡¯t wait for too long, as he had others to warn, but if he was attacked and possibly killed, he would not be able to accomplish his tasks. He found a nice opening when the ogres nearest the king fell asleep and the hyenas were playing away from him. He flew in and landed near the king, transforming back into a large Tauren. He instantly kneeled and showed his hands. ¡°King of Diremaul, I bring a warning.¡± The king turned and looked at him, seemingly not shaken at all by the druid. The night elf king¡¯s stare was more intimidating than Grimmer would have thought. Grimmer cleared his throat and spoke, ¡°A horde of demons will cross your land in half a day¡¯s time. They intend to destroy all in their path, which includes you and your people.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like birds, and I don¡¯t like cows. Why should I trust you, cowbird?¡± the king inquired. A couple ogres near them started waking up. ¡°I am risking my life being here. It will not be the last time I risk my life just in this day as I warn many more. You must trust me because your life is also at risk. You may still die, but I assume anyone willing to come in here and kill a bunch of ogres to be king of them will fight with a warrior¡¯s spirit and hopefully help save this world from the dark cloud that is obscuring the fate of all.¡± ¡°You talk funny, cowbird. No fool is going to threaten my castle. I make being king look good! Those demons should have stayed in school. I¡¯ll teach them a lesson.¡± An ogre woke up fully and rubbed his eyes when looking at the Tauren. ¡°Hey, that cow is threatening our king! Duh¡­ get him!¡± More ogres were waking up and starting to converge on Grimmer and the king¡¯s location. Grimmer shifted back into a bird and flew off, hoping the king would do the right thing, for whichever reason he chose. Grimmer flew on to his next location to warn the gnolls. While Jugkar¡¯s demon horde made their way to Theramore, he took a smaller contingent made up of mostly shadow yeti and moved north. At his destination, he would meet up with Thaelus. He was very zealous, but he knew this of himself. He had taken secondary measures to ensure his goals happened. Using stolen Sands of Time, he and Thaelus had constructed this second plan while under the effects of a spell that kept them from being detected even by an Aspect of Time. His movements even now were disguised. Even if his demons failed, it would be at such a great cost to his opposition that they would never be able to muster a force quickly enough that had the ability to stop his current path. He smiled deep at his impeccable planning. He truly was as great a warlock as ever existed. This would be his world. Anything that he let live would be enslaved to him. Zandormu stepped through the passage of time onto the beach of Feralis. He reduced his size from his enormous dragon form down to that of a tall bronze-tinted night elf. To him, it was only days since he betrayed his leader, the powerful Aspect of Time Nozdormu. As a bronze dragon, he watched the timelines and made sure they all happened as they should, just as all of his dragonflight did. None were as powerful as the Aspect himself, so they all watched time periods and certain pathways. Zandormu was not typically the kind of dragon to stray from his flight or betray his leader, but this was different. He had seen the future to come in this timeline and how it would corrupt all timelines. The corruption from the future timelines was already working its way backwards, and had put him here at a different time than he intended. He could feel it. He could hear no animals, no people, and the silence was deafening. He could also smell the putrid trail left behind by a force of demons he hoped to stop before they made it this far. He climbed the path that led to the top of the cliff by the beach to get a better look. The sight before him made his stomach turn. So much death left in a swath of purple demonic fury. The bodies were plentiful. The demons were already on their way to the child. He needed to get there fast, but if he assumed his dragon form, they would detect him and stop him before he ever arrived. He hoped that defenders he had seen on this timeline were strong enough to hold them back long enough for him to save the child; long enough to save everyone. As a member of the bronze dragonflight, he could see different timelines, and what he saw from this one was horrible. The biggest problem was the corruption of time. He could no longer see what was to come, which made his efforts in the here and now that much more important. A troubling thought erupted in his mind: with the corruption of time and him arriving at the wrong time, maybe he wasn¡¯t even on the timeline he planned. This gave him even more reason to hurry. He moved through the woods as fast as he could. While in the form of a humanoid, he may not be able to fly, but he could still move faster than any normal humanoid. He moved fast enough that soon he made it to the sounds of death, anger, and helplessness. He watched gnoll, night elf, tauren, and ogres die as he passed. As much as it destroyed his soul, he moved on. He went past the demon horde, which was such a huge force it stretched from the east end of Feralis, through part of the Barrens, and almost to the start of Dustwallow Marsh. He needed to hurry. As Grimmer left the quillboar cave he flew above the Southern Barrens and was horrified by the multitude of demons he saw. The line of demons went as far as he could see. He knew that the quillboar would protect their lands, but he did not expect more from them. Even so, he hoped that it would make enough of a difference. It took him way longer than he had hoped to convince them to prepare for this war. In the end, they did prepare, and would soon be attacking what he could see now was the middle to the end of the demon procession. From his high vantage point, he saw two sights that made his spirits rise a little. He saw a large tauren war party coming towards the demon horde. They were a day out, he assumed, but they were coming. He paused while looking at them and was proud to be a tauren, even if not from the same tribe. Even in their glory, they were not the sight that amazed him the most. Even closer than the tauren was a large pack of raptors. They were moving fast in a pink, purple, and blue dusty cloud. He had no idea why they came, how they knew to come, but nonetheless was surprised by the will of even the beasts to protect their lands. His last order was the hardest. He had to leave his friends and all those he asked to help behind. He was asked to fly to Moonglade. As a grimtotem druid, he was not accepted or allowed there. Even so, JegJeg said it was very important. He trusted her as they all did. While no one seemed to say it, they all knew she was their wise and powerful leader. He would do as she asked. Desmon and Jagmar neared Theramore. They were only a few hills from seeing it. They would have made it sooner, but they had to deviate their path to avoid being run over by the demon march. Even now, the demons were already upon the town. They could hear sounds of battle. The intriguing part was trying to figure out who was defending Theramore. As they neared the peak of the last hill for view, Jagmar stopped dead in his tracks. Desmon stopped a few paces behind him, putting his hands on his weapons. Jagmar¡¯s expression was one that Desmon could not comprehend. It was a mixture of awe, confusion, and shock. ¡°What is it?¡± Desmon asked, as he started walking closer to see what was taking his companion aback. Seconds later they both stared in shock. ¡°What in all of Azeroth¡­ is going on?¡± Desmon asked. The scene in front of them was not what they expected, at least not completely. They expected demons and a battle, but the defenders were not at all what they expected. Along the front line of battle was a group of Makrura, which are humanoid sized and somewhat humanoid shaped crustaceans. Along with them and to the rear of them were more murlocs than either could have ever imagined in one place. Gurgled chanting and war cries mixed with the sound of battle as the fish men battled the demons. Most of the murlocs were their normal few feet tall, but towards the front of battle there was a murloc as tall as Desmon wielding a sword even a head taller, slicing through demon after demon. It was an amazing sight to behold. This giant murloc was also wearing what looked to be the armor that the Theramore Marines wore. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what is going on here, but it looks like those murlocs could use some help. Something tells me Jegs would want that,¡± Jagmar said to Desmon. As he said this he noticed a twinkle in Demon¡¯s eyes he knew all too well. Desmon¡¯s inner warrior was showing itself. It made him more comfortable knowing that his friend also shared his battle rage, at least to an extent. He smiled, they nodded at each other, grabbed their weapons, and started sprinting to the battle. ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad if you can¡¯t keep up, ¡°Des chided at Jagmar. ¡°I¡¯ll try to, old man,¡± Jags replied, and they both smiled as they reached the side of the demon contingent, plowing their metal into unexpecting demon flesh. As Zandormu neared Theramore he felt another dragon. At first, he assumed it was the child, until he saw the young dragon in humanoid form directly in his path. It was the uncorrupted black dragon! He was the last of his kind. Why was he here?! He stopped just a few feet shy of being face to face with the black. They stared at each other, one with an expression of curiosity, and the other with a stern determination. ¡°Zandormu, I assume,¡± Wrathion stated. Zandormu tried to hide his surprise as much as he could, but some leaked through in his facial expression. Wrathion smiled, knowingly. ¡°Being a bronze, you know that I have certain goals. You should also know that they will not be left to chance any longer.¡± He paused. Zandormu mustered the courage to speak to the son of Deathwing, who was the most powerful Aspect to have ever rained their destruction down on Azeroth. ¡°The future of Azeroth is being determined now, and I have but a small window to rescue the child. I am certain you can feel their presence as well. As we speak, a horde of demons descend upon him. I must lend him aid. Our futures, as well as the people of this world depend on his continued existence.¡± Wrathion continued, showing no change in expression, ¡°As I stated, I leave nothing to chance. You are correct that his existence does alter the future; however, you have been led astray. The child is already being rescued and protected. What you do not know is that he has a sister. She needs your help, not the child. You will go to Winterspring as fast as you can possibly fly, and then some. Look for what you cannot see. The orc hides from YOU specifically.¡± ¡°How can I trust the son of Deathwing?¡± Zandormu asked, with too much contempt in his breath. Wrathion smiled again, ¡°How can anyone trust the betrayer of his flight, Zandormu? If you want to save Azeroth with me, then you MUST trust me.¡± He gave a brief pause. ¡°But for your own assurance, just fly over Theramore and you will know what I say to be true. In the future, disbelieving me will not end well for you.¡± With that, Wrathion, the Black Prince, transformed into his dragon form and flew off. Zandormu did as he was told. He also transformed, and made sure to fly over the port town as he headed north to Winterspring. What he saw gave him hope, and trust to a degree in the Black Prince. Below him he saw the vast horde of demons he expected to see, but their numbers were smaller, at least the ones still standing, than he had seen when observing the timeline. To their rear, Tauren, raptors, quillboar, and ogres worked to destroy them. To their front, a large contingent of murlocs defended Theramore. Even more to his surprise, Alliance ships could be seen closing in on the shore. The combined relief that the child would be protected and painful knowledge that he was not where he was needed to protect another child gave his wings the power to push him faster than he had ever flown. He had to believe that time was still on his side. Desmon and Jagmar could feel their arms growing tired from overuse and abuse as they plowed through demon after demon. Adrenaline helped, but only went so far. The other notion that kept them going was that if they failed, many more would pay the price. Desmon knew he had seen more loss in his life than anyone ever should, and he could see by how hard Jagmar fought that he had that loss in his heart as well. Both seasoned warriors would fight to the last breath. As they fought inward the murloc and mukrara contingent fought forward, and now they converged. From behind the murlocs Desmon could see Stormwind¡¯s ships unloading large groups of warriors, mostly human but also some dwarves. ¡°Looks like we have some help on the way,¡± Desmon said to Jags. Jags lowered his weapons for a minute as the murlocs pushed the fight inward, giving him a chance to breath. He was exhausted, covered with a mixture of his blood and sticky demon blood that felt like it was burning his skin. He pointed one of his weapons at the oversized murloc. ¡°We just need 10 of those.¡± Desmon followed the line pointed with Jags¡¯ weapon and also stared in amazement. The giant murloc was jumping around from demon to demon wielding his even bigger weapon with amazing skill, which rivaled anything either of them had seen. While doing this he was also calling out gurgled orders to the others. As they stared at the murloc, shadows passed over their heads. They both quickly looked up and saw dwarven griffon riders swooping into the battle. Desmon looked back to where they were coming from and noticed one flying towards them. He instinctively stepped in front of Jagmar in case they were coming in to attack the orc. The rider landed in front of him. ¡°Vuhrelli?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Des replied. ¡°Head to the docks. The prince is waitin¡¯ on ye.¡± He pointed to one of the ships. He then flew off to battle, but not before giving the orc a dirty look. Desmon looked at Jagmar. ¡°You better come, too. This many Alliance on hand¡­ they might try and kill you.¡± Jags smiled, ¡°Try. I should let your people know what I have seen. I don¡¯t think this is all that we have yet to face.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Jegs would not be talking with Thrall if this was all we faced, as bad as this is.¡± Des started walking to the docks. ¡°I wish I could say I felt like you were wrong.¡± Jegs had given Braedo a different task than sending out warnings. She sent him to Bael Modan. He knew he would not be welcome, and he knew that she also knew this. Even with that, they both knew he was the most likely to acquire the relic. He couldn¡¯t do it alone, and so somehow he was going to need to get them to trust him. He worried about this the whole way there and still had no idea what could convince them to help him dig up something that was guarded by something terrible and more dangerous than any of them wanted to face. He would have to find a way. A tall, brown haired high elf and a middle aged fisherman both sat in a boat slightly off of the coast from Theramore¡¯s City remnants. They both sat in the small wooden boat with fishing poles in their hands. They had seen the demons, the murlocs, the various races also facing the demons, and had even watched the ships from Stormwind come in. Neither one had spoken about it or done much more than move their poles a little to move their lures, though neither seemed to care if they even hooked anything any time soon. ¡°That looks bad,¡± the fisherman finally spoke. ¡°It is, and it isssn¡¯t,¡± the elf said. ¡°It has to happen for it not to happen.¡± ¡°You going to do something?¡± the fisherman inquired. ¡°In time.¡± They both continued their silent and patient fishing. As Desmon and Jagmar got to the Dock, Prince Anduin was coming down the ramp from his ship, giving some final orders to a couple dwarves that ran off to do whatever it was he told them to do. He looked over at Desmon. ¡°Mr. V. My father sends his regards and thanks, as do I. It has been a long time, sir.¡± Anduin smiled. ¡°It has, young man. I think the last time we spoke was at my retirement ceremony, when I thought I was actually retiring.¡± Des paused. ¡°This is Jagmar,¡± he said,¡± pointing to the large orc by his side. ¡°Ah yes, Wrathion said you were traveling with an orc.¡± Anduin looked at Jagmar, ¡°If Mr. V trusts you, then Stormwind does, too. You have my word that none here will harm you. I guess we should get each other up to speed.¡± He paused. ¡°Wrathion alerted me of the nature of this threat two days after you left on your mission. We loaded ships and left the next morning and made the journey here as quickly as we could. I¡¯m told there is a child that the demons are after.¡± ¡°I know nothing of a child,¡± Des replied. ¡°We were sent here by a shaman, Jagmar¡¯s sister. She has sent out warnings to many races and is on her way to speak with the Old Warchief. Jagmar knows more about these demons.¡± He waved his hand toward Jags. Jags cleared his throat, ¡°These demons were summoned by an orc warlock in Desolace. He uses very dark magic. He is working with a blood elf. They performed their work underground in caves. They¡­¡± he paused, noticing Anduin staring off into the distance. He and Desmon followed the prince¡¯s gaze. ¡°By the Light!¡± They all stared at the giant murloc as he walked towards them with a contingent of smaller murlocs. As they approached, Anduin¡¯s guards moved to intercept. ¡°I¡¯ve seen murlocs, but never one that big.¡± Anduin said to Jags and Des. ¡°Hell of a fighter, that one.¡± Des said. ¡°Pretty sure he is on our side.¡± ¡°Let him through,¡± Anduin said to his guards. His guards parted ways and stood aside, making a corridor of armor and weapons. The small murlocs stopped and the large one walked up to the trio through the hall of guards. ¡°Hello, I am Anduin, Prince of Stormwind.¡± In a slightly raspy, gurgled voice, the giant murloc said, ¡°I know of you, Prince. I am Glurgasiglig, Protector of the Little Blue. I am thankful for your assistance.¡± ¡°Hmm, I thought you were assisting us. Funny how perspectives change when you have more of the picture. I am glad we could be of assistance. The Little Blue must be the child that Wrathion spoke of. I am a bit confused, I must admit. What exactly is the child?¡± Anduin inquired. ¡°Little Black sent you to help Little Blue? That is curious. Little Blue is a whelp. Big Blue made me the protector.¡± Glurg answered. ¡°Wait, Big Blue? You mean Malygos? But the only remaining eggs were¡­¡± Anduin paused deep in thought. He knew of saved eggs, but this didn¡¯t fit. Glurg smiled a toothy grin, ¡°Before Big Blue went crazy he and Big Brown came to me. Made me. Taught me.¡± Anduin sighed. ¡°What are these dragons up to?¡± He looked to Des and Jags. ¡°Ever feel like every move you make someone has already decided for you to make? Reminds me of my childhood. Always dragons, though. Even then, just different ones. I would have words for Wrathion, but I think he is playing a different game entirely.¡± ¡°Little Blue can stay here no longer, Prince.¡± Glurg said in his raspy wet voice. As he said that screams and explosions were heard from the battlefield not far from them. Infernals were raining down onto the troops, knocking flying dwarves and their mounts from the sky and doing massive damage to both sides as they landed, though the favor was definitely on the side of the demons. Glurg turned to his murlocs and gurgled out commands and they ran off. Anduin sent his guards on to assist as well. Anduin looked at Des, then to Jags, and said to both of them, ¡°I know you guys are tired and have already given more than anyone could ask, but will you please assist the Protector with moving the child dragon?¡± ¡°I signed on for wherever this ended up.¡± Des said to Anduin, and then turned to Glurg. ¡°You have my assistance, but we should make haste. I fear the other side is making a rush.¡± ¡°I shall also see this through. Lead on,¡± said Jags as he looked from Anduin to Glurg. Thaelus stood over a smoldering cauldron of green viscous liquid deep within a cave in Felwood, a tainted forest home to demons and corrupted nature. He had been chanting for hours and the cauldron had grown in magical power slowly over this time. The more he felt, the more he wanted. He felt it growing more and more rapid and knew his master was close to paying him a visit. In the mist that flowed above the cauldron a red face with impressive horns slowly appeared. ¡°Thaelus, have you done as I have instructed?¡± the ethereal visage boomed. ¡°Yes, master. The plan goes as you demanded it. Jugkar is making his way to Winterspring. You were right about this orc. He is too confident to know you guide his progress.¡± ¡°You may yet earn your immortality, elf. Perform the ritual again after he has acquired it and I shall tell you your next step. Remember, if he fails, you fail.¡± With a burst of magical green fire the cave went dark and the Erudar¡¯s face disappeared. Thaelus felt exhilarated from the sheer power of the magic from the ritual, but also already felt the withdrawals he was so familiar with. Grimmer landed in Moonglade near the entrance to the old furbolg cave. He knew that he could not just fly directly into Moonglade, as that would risk a conflict more harsh than he could face in this dire time. The night had come and Elune was high in the sky looking over them. It was by her grace that he belied he would earn the chance to talk to the Cenarian druids of Moonglade. He moved fallen sticks and cones from the trees near him and made a circle between a few, in full view of the moon. He sat on one side of the circle and began chanting to Elune. After a few moments, he light shone brightly upon him. He felt the warm radiance grace his fur. He felt strong; he felt primal. She was blessing him. He chanted for a short while longer before two druids showed up. One was a night elf and the other was tauren. They both sat on the edge of the circle as well, their bodies forming a triangle within the circle. They also began to chant. Soon, they all were covered in the radiant grace of Elune. ¡°Elune has blessed this meeting, Grimtotem. Why have you come where you do not belong?¡± asked the night elf. Grimmer cleared his throat. ¡°Whether I belong or not is not of importance. I come to give you warnings of a terrible threat that comes this way.¡± He looked the night elf in the eyes. ¡°One of our kind was used in a sacrifice and I am sure you felt the pain as I did when she was taken from us.¡± ¡°Our kind?¡± scoffed the tauren. ¡°While our tribes may have been at odds, Bloodhoof Shu¡¯halo, Elune sees us the same. Do not judge me by the people I was borne to. We don¡¯t need these petty differences right now. I am here for your sake as well as all in Azeroth.¡± Grimmer replied. The tauren still looked miffed. The night elf nodded at Grimmer, ¡°We did indeed feel the loss. We have heard rumors from our own sources. Please tell us what you know, as we both,¡± she paused and gave the tauren Cenarian druid a stern look, ¡°know how hard it was to come here and understand for you to do this it must be important.¡± Grimmer explained to them how their small band of outcasts had discovered the threat and observed. He explained the roles that each of them were playing to get the word out. He also told them the most important part for them; the part he was sent here to tell. The Warlock is coming here to Moonglade. He is bringing his army of Shadow Yeti. The worst part was that he planned to use the power in their grove by corrupting it. He planned to expand the taint of Felwood into Moonglade and sacrifice any druids who managed to live through the onslaught. War is coming.