Author's Note: Little snippet involving Deathwing's four elemental lieutenants. Song by...I don't know who, but the Youtube video is awesome and the song is serious and funny at the same time. Its called Run, Deathwing, Run if you want to look it up.
The Bullets In His Gun
We thought we had you trapped down under
We never thought that you'd breakthrough
You woke and tore our world asunder
So now we're coming after you.
Skywall
Thunder and lightning shook the Skywall. Winds howled through the great palace. Al'Akir couldn't be happier. His master was free. Al'Akir observed the other air elementals gathered around the Throne of the Four Winds. His greatest allies and most powerful lords of air were gathered here to celebrate the freedom of their master. The Conclave of Wind.
The Windlord grinned, sending a silent prayer of thanks to Deathwing, which he knew would not be heard, but he couldn't help but be joyous. Mortals had slain his children, Prince Thunderaan and Prince Sarsarun. Now he would have his revenge. The mortals would fall under the power of Stormwake, his great sword capable of summoning the most powerful air and lightning spells in the world.
He remembered fighting in battle with his ancient masters, the Old Gods. Now, he had a new master, one who had freed him at last from the prison the Titans had imposed upon him. Perhaps in time he could even avenge himself on them. Tiny air elementals flitted here and there about Skywall. Children of he and the other lords of air. Soon, their world would not be confined to simply Skywall. Soon they would taste the air of Azeroth and feel the power the World Breaker. The corruption of the Tol'vir was only one step in his plan. When the mortals came to take on Skywall, they would face a deadly foe.
Firelands
It all existed to burn. All of Azeroth. Burn beneath the fires of doom. They had thought him trapped, defeated. Now he was free, thanks to Deathwing. Now, all of Azeroth would taste the flames of vengeance. Though he had not challenged that orc shaman, even he, the Earthbinder, would see his home burn beneath the flames of the Firelord. You have called, little shaman, and the Firelord has answered!
Ragnaros grinned a terrifying grin. He remembered his confrontation with the shaman well. How the shaman desperately sought to soothe the elements, calm them. There would be no calming of the Firelord. The shaman was terrified and powerless in his presence. Ragnaros wondered why he had not stopped Thrall when he was alone and weak from days without rest. Majordomo Staghelm had told him that Thrall was the last obstacle that stood in the way of making his dream come true. His dream of bringing the world to ash.
Someone of Deathwing's called the Twilight Prophet had saw fit to inform the Majordomo of Thrall's threat, making Ragnaros greatly regret not killing the shaman when he was weak. Ragnaros wondered momentarily who the Twilight Prophet was, but in the end, it didn't matter. In the end, he would burn with the rest of the world. If the Destroyer's agenda was correct, if he hadn't lied to the Firelord, Azeroth would burn. ALL would burn. The fires of doom would again sweep Azeroth and there would be nothing anyone could do to stop it. The Firelord laughed and crushed another foolish mortal with a remade Sulfuras. Nordrassil would be only the first to burn. Hyjal only the first world to taste the fires of doom. When Hyjal fell, so too would the rest of Azeroth, shaman or no shaman.
Throne of Tides
Naga tore at him from every side. His elemental lords fought, but the minions of the Naga Queen, Azshara, were too strong. Neptulon felt each one of his children die. Deathwing's shattering of his prison had brought this about. But it had also allowed him freedom. His children had told him that the Naga had been attacking and killing them for thousands of years. Now, he was at last free to get revenge on the wicked Mage-Queen.
The Tide Hunter swung his staff, knocking back more Naga forces, saving several small water elementals in the process. He told them to enter the now-naga-free throne room in his palace. The small elementals fled as their lord bid. After mortals had helped clear the naga from the Throne of Tides, a strange creature called Ozumat had trapped Neptulon with powers hitherto unknown to the Tide Hunter. He was unable to escape and they had traveled through the water at alarming rates.
Only when he saw a gleaming palace in the distance was he able to break free. Nazjatar. If Ozumat took him to Queen Azshara, there would be no escape, not even for an elemental lord. Azshara was in there right now, plotting, planning. She was not on Deathwing's side, he knew. For HE was on Deathwing's side and she was attempting to kill him, or put him under her spell, he did not know nor did he wish to. After giving the mortals trinkets for having saved him from Ozumat the first time, Neptulon had no wish to further help them. His loyalty lay with the World Breaker. The one who had allowed him freedom and the ability to defend his children from the wicked Naga. Azeroth would be awash in waves of his fury, soon. Not even Deathwing would escape the wrath of the Tide Hunter, ally or not.
Deepholme
Therazane mourned her children. The vile Twilight's Hammer, Deathwing's minions, had killed so many and enslaved many more. A small rock elemental near her feet was still squeaking in pain from the shackles that had held her trapped in a Twilight's Hammer camp. Therazane soothed the little one as best she could. The gentle Stonemother couldn't bear the sight of seeing so many of her children die. That was why she had agreed to something she had never thought she would have agreed to. Helping mortals. Helping the fiends that had slew her grieving daughter. In the end, Therazane thought, what was the loss of one child to the loss of thousands? Gentle no more. I will see the end of Deathwing.
They came to her in droves, asking for her blessing, asking for her aid in the battle with Deathwing. She herself could not help them. She could not leave Deepholme. It didn't mean that there wasn't a way of aiding the mortals without leaving and alerting Deathwing to her "betrayal". Therazane glanced at the newest arrivals, an orc and a blood elf. The elf had plate mail and a shield that marked her as a paladin. The orc was obviously a hunter, as evidenced by her gun casually slung over one shoulder and a bronze scorpion loyally waiting at her side. The orc was first to speak to her.
"Stonemother, we humbly come and ask-"
"I know what you ask. You ask for my aid in defeating Deathwing. I will tell you what I have told all others. I cannot leave Deepholme. I had to wait for you to come to me."
Sarantha, the orc huntress, was puzzled as to what the Stonemother meant by this. A nibbling sensation near the bottom of her mail pants drew her attention downward. An extremely tiny pebble-looking creature was nibbling heartily on her pants, its blue eyes intent on devouring the mail. Sarantha raised an eyebrow at the little creature, bending down and holding out a hand to the tiny thing.
The tiny rockling stopped chewing on her pants and sniffed the orc's outstretched hand. To Sarantha's relief, the rockling did not choose to chew on her hand, instead it rolled its way onto her hand. The sensation was odd. It felt like tiny pebbled feet slowly whirring in her palm. She held the tiny thing up to her face and to Llirra's. The blood elf paladin was just as awed as the orc.
Llira reached out a delicate finger and stroked the rockling's head. It apparently decided blood elf flesh was edible and attempted to nibble Llirra's finger. Llirra pulled back and glared at the baby rock elemental, but there was no heat there.
They both looked questioningly at the now-amused Stonemother. Sarantha still held the pebble creature in her hand. The Stonemother spoke.
"I had to wait for you to find me. I wanted to find a way to stop Deathwing."
Llirra glared at the powerful elemental lady. "Last I heard, you were ALL on Deathwing's side. Why do you want to stop him?"
The Stonemother pointed a huge finger at the tiny elemental in Sara's hand. Sara looked at the little thing, then back at Therazane. "I don't understand. What does this little guy have to do with-"
Therazane cut her off. "My children, orc. Your kind slew my daughter, in her grief, for no reason other than getting a pittance of trinkets. And yet...Deathwing and his cult destroy more than just one child. So many of my children have died to his vile cultists." Therazane gave Sarantha a penetrating stare.
"Tell me, orc, the rockling in your hand, does it deserve death? Does it deserve the torture that will be set upon it should the Twilight's Hammer get hold of it?"
Sarantha looked again at the little pebble. Its blue eyes gazed at her in adoration for some reason. She slumped in sadness, realizing just what the Stonemother was going through. "No, Stonemother. I...I would never let...not willingly...any of these children, orcs or not, come to the torture and death the Twilight's Hammer provides."
Therazane nodded sadly. "There is a way to stop Deathwing."
"How, Stonemother? He has all three of the others on his side, elemental lords as powerful as you, my lady!"
Sarantha felt a jerk. Her gun came free of its holster and slowly floated toward Therazane. What was she doing?
The gun's bottom opened. Sarantha's bullets fell to the ground with a clatter. The gun still floated in the air near Therazane.
"Stonemother, what-" She started.
"There is only one way to defeat Deathwing, mortals." Therazane smiled. "Take the bullets out of his gun. A gun with no bullets is of no use to anyone, is it hunter?"
The gun was suddenly thrown back at the orc with force. She managed to catch it in one and not drop the little pebble at the same time. Sarantha pumped the gun. Every single bullet was gone. But now she understood.
"The cult. The other elemental lords. They're Deathwing's bullets. We defeat them, we weaken the Betrayer enough to defeat him."
Therazane smiled. "Good girl. Smart girl. Go, and take the bullets out of Deathwing's gun. And...take care of my child. He doesn't seem to want to leave you."
Sarantha took this as Therazane's way of dismissing her and Llirra. She looked at the pebble.
"What do you eat, I wonder?" she asked of it. The pebble did respond in any manner whatsoever, merely chewing on her mail shirt now. Therazane's child. This little guy...she looked at the giant rock elementals flanking the Stonemother. This little guy would grow up to be as huge as they.
If the cult didn't kill him first. Sara and Llirra would take the bullets out of Deathwing's gun and save the world. At least, with help they would. Two people alone couldn't take on an army of cultists and elemental lords. They would protect all the children, not just this one pebble. Sarantha put the tiny elemental on her shoulder and started toward the Stonecore, where Therazane had said one of her own children had sided with Deathwing.
