The cool sea wind floated through the forest on the island of Teldrassil. The light scattered as it shone through the green and purple leaves of the amazingly high trees. Her feet moved the dust along the path as she walked towards Dolanaar. The buildings began to rise in the distance, causing her to smile. One of the local sentinels passed her and said good morning to her to which her smile just got wider. He soon faded into the distance as he continued to patrol the different parts of the ancient wood. She pushed her lips together and let out a high pitched whistle before she threw her cloak over her shoulder. She let out a small sigh and entered the first building, pushing the cascading beads that fell from the archway.
"Good morning Danlyia," She said into the room. For a few moments the only answer was from the elegant rustling of the beads as they fell back together behind her. As she looked around the room, she caught herself in the mirror on the wall opposite. Her elegant young face shone brightly back at her, showing the dark blue markings on her light purple skin that her people were so proud of. Her long ears pointed backwards and her light blue eyes glowed faintly. Her tall slender body was a gift from her mother; however her mind was from her father. He was wise and had taught her from a child that knowledge is strength. However as she grew, the echoes in the forest had called to her and she soon preferred time on her own away from the pressures of being the first born daughter of a High Druid.
"Good morning Ally" Came Danlyia's answer as she appeared and descended down the spiral ramp from the upper level. "Come for your breakfast?" Danlyia smiled at Ally over the top of the wooden crate she was carrying. She placed the wooden crate on a nearby table before quickly turning and giving her older sister a hug. After a few moments of embrace, Ally noticed her sister seemed a little more giddy than usual. She pulled away from the hug but held Danlyia's hands in hers before looking her up and down with a questioning look on her face.
"Something happened last night?" Allyon asked. Danlyia bit her bottom lip still with a slight smile.
"I spoke to Father last night," She began jumping up and down on the spot. "He has approved my engagement to Jannok," Her eyes were wide with excitement. A small smile crept across Ally's face as she pulled her sister into another tight hug.
"That's fantastic little sister," There was a few moments of happiness between them before a low growl came from behind them. "You certainly took your time," Ally said without looking behind her. There was a small apologetic moan before her frostsaber pet appeared at her side. His fur was black with a few white stripes cascading down his back. She had raised him from a cub and now they spent their days together exploring the wilderness.
"Good morning Camard," said Danlyia as she patted him on the head. She looked back up at her older sister. "Well let's get you two fed then," She disappeared into the small kitchen at the back of the room. Ally smiled and sat down at the large round table in the centre of the room with her back to the door. Camard as usual came up and sat down at her side. Ally pulled the leather gloves from her hands and placed them on the table. Danlyia returned a few moments later with a large plate of soft banana bread and a pitcher of melon juice and placed it in front of her sister.
"Thank you," Ally said as she began to eat. Danlyia watched her eat for a moment before Camard looked up and gave a menacing growl towards the door. They both looked at Camard before a rustling of beads disturbed them both. Danlyia looked up and immediately a puzzled look clouded her face. Ally quickly glanced over her shoulder. In the doorway, stood a large figure wearing a dark cloak that covered his body. His face was hidden in the darkness of the hood that covered his head.
"Can I help you?" Danlyia asked. The figure stood still for a moment before a steady voice answered.
"Sorry for intruding, but I was told by the sentinel outside that this is a place I could get some rest and a meal,"
The figure stepped over the threshold and pushed back his hood which fell back behind his shoulders. He was a young looking human with dark hair and a distinctive chin. His eyes were dark green and his cheeks were glowing brightly because of the cold winds outside. Danlyia welcomed him with a smile and pointed to the seat on the other side of the table from Ally who simply ignored the visitor and carried on with her breakfast. He took a few steps forward and Camard made another loud warning growl towards him.
"Ala Camard," Allyon said in sharp voice. Camard looked up at her for just a moment before turning back to his meal. However Camard's aggressive show didn't seem to affect their visitor as he continued to step towards the table. As he did, he pulled out a black sack from the back of his cloak. He placed it on the floor next to the stool and took his seat at the table.
"I'm Danlyia and this is my sister Allyon," She said as she pointed across the table. The stranger glanced at Ally and the pet at her side with a small smile before looking back at Danlyia. "We don't get many Humans around here. They tend to stay in the Darnassus,"
"I try to avoid the major cities if possible, No matter where you are they're always seem to be people wanting to sell anything they can," The stranger said with a sigh. "Things certainly have changed over the past few years," Danlyia let out a small laugh while Allyon continued to eat. There was a few moments silence.
"Well, what can I get you to eat then sir?" Danlyia asked.
"My name is Algernen," He smiled a little. "Please, I haven't eaten anything but berries for the past few days. Do you have any broth or stew left over from last night?" A large smile spread across Danlyia's soft blue face.
"Yes I do," She answered. "I have some rabbit broth left over, will that be ok?" She asked. Her guest simply nodded and smiled. She turned and walked towards the small kitchen in the back of the house. "It will take me a few moments to warm it up in the pot," She said as she vanished through the doorway. Algernen sat there in silence as Allyon ate her meal with only sounds of Danlyia humming a tune as she cooked in the kitchen. A few minutes later, Danlyia walked into the room carrying a big bowl of steaming broth and a small loaf of crusty bread that had been cut into smaller slices. She placed them on the table in front of Algernen with a smile. He reached under his cloak, around his back and pulled out a small blue pouch tied up at the top with a golden string. He untied it and reached into it to pull out a handful of gold coins. He passed then to Danlyia with a smile of his own before returning the pouch to its hiding place behind his cloak. Danlyia looked down at the amount of gold coins in her petite hands.
"How long do you intend to stay with us Master Algernen?" She asked as she placed the coins into her waist pocket. Danlyia walked over to a nearby small table with a jug of fresh water on it. She poured some into a flagon.
"Call me Algernen," He answered. "Master really doesn't suite me," He lifted a spoonful of broth and began eating. He waited until his mouth was empty before he spoke again. "I'll be staying for a few days, if that is alright with you of course?" He asked as he lifted another spoon of broth to his mouth. Danlyia placed the flagon next to him as she answered.
"No that will be fine; it gets rather quiet around here during the winter months,"
Algernen ate his meal rather quickly, obviously showing that he had not eaten a decent meal in quite a while. Allyon however had eaten hers slowly so that the meal would last her till the night. She placed the plate onto the floor and Camard began to lick the plate clean.
"Thank you very much for breakfast Danlyia, it was delicious," Allyon said to her sister across the room. Algernen dipped the last piece of bread into the broth and dropped it into his mouth leaving a small amount of broth in to the bottom of the bowl.
"Yes I agree Danlyia, very delicious," He said as he picked up the bowl and placed it onto the floor as well. Camard gave a quick glance to the bowl and simply turned his nose up at it before sitting back down at Allyon's side. Algernen waited a moment before he picked the bowl up off the floor and handing it to Danlyia with a small smile. He immediately stood up and gave a momentary look at Allyon before speaking again "Now if you don't mind, I would like to get a few hours sleep,"
"Yes of course" Danlyia answered as she wiped her hands on her apron. "I'll take you up and show you to your room," Algernen nodded and picked up his bag from the floor before following Danlyia up the spiral ramp that led to the rooms on the top floor. Allyon sighed and stood up from her seat and wiped her mouth, brushing away any crumbs.
"Danlyia, I will come and see you tonight!" She shouted upstairs as she turned towards the front door. She whistled and Camard ran to her side, licking his jowls, savouring the taste for he wouldn't be eating till nightfall.
With it being the winter months, it wasn't long before night came. Allyon walked out of the forest with a freshly killed boar draped over her shoulder. She had cut one of the legs of her kill and given it to Camard before he dashed off to find refuge in the woods. The wind howled through the buildings and whistled its way into the trees behind her. She pulled her hood tight around her face and pulled up the collar on her chest armour. She walked through the village before she arrived at her sister's house. She noticed the door was shut which was usual on cold nights such as this. Allyon stepped up and knocked on the thick circular door. After a few moments, the door open inwards and Danlyia was there smiling at her sister. Allyon stepped past her and placed the boar onto the table.
"Have you had a good evening sister?" Allyon asked as she pulled the hood from her head. Danlyia simply nodded and smiled as she closed the door behind her. "How is your guest?" Danlyia walked up to the table and glanced over the dead beast before her.
"He has been in his room since this morning," She sighed as she walked over and sat down in front of the shimmering fireplace. "I've heard some small movements but most of the time he is completely silent,"
"Well that's good for you then," Allyon said as she sat down besides her sister. "A quiet guest who is barely out of his room," Danlyia just shrugged her shoulders.
"Well at least he pays well," She said quietly. Danlyia let out a small laugh which Allyon answered with one of her own. All of a sudden, a massive gust of wind rattled through the house. The wind was ice cold as it crept through the small gaps between the glass and the wooden frame in which the glass sat. In a matter of seconds their breaths began to freeze as it escaped their mouths and goose bumps began to form on their skin. Suddenly a loud roar echoed through the village. It was something Allyon had never heard before. It was definitely not a bear or a wolf. The roar was dark and it sprung fear deep in the Nightelf's heart. The roar seemed to last for an eternity before slowly dying out. Allyon slowly looked over at her sister whose face had drained of all colour. She was staring out of the window into the forest. Allyon stepped closer to Danlyia's side and grabbed her hand. She looked out the window and saw that there was a strange green lingering light throughout the forest. She stared into the forest and saw the light get higher and began to flicker. They both continued to stare until another deafening roar echoed from the forest. When it died down, it was followed by a loud bang upstairs as one of the bedroom doors slammed open. There was a sound of quick footsteps as they travelled down the corridor before Algernen appeared at the top of the ramp and ran down it. He was still wearing his dark cloak however it was open at the front, revealing a bright silver breastplate. He headed straight for the door, throwing back his cloak to show the black and silver hilt of a sword behind his shoulder. He reached around as he ran past them both and pulled the blade from it sheath which was laid across his back from his shoulder to his hip. The blade had been stained dark red with a serrated edge as it curled up towards the tip of the blade. It bore the engraving of a roaring lion just below the hilt of the sword. The engraving shone brightly against its dark background. Algernen pulled open the door and looked over his shoulder.
"Bar the doors and windows as best as you can then get somewhere safe and hide," He said in a monotone voice. His eyes were dark as he stepped over the threshold and began to close the door behind him. Through the closing gap, he stared back into Allyon's glowing sapphire eyes. She felt a knot in her stomach from his powerful gaze.
"Wait!" She shouted. "Let me come with you, I can help," She felt the knot in her stomach quickly unravel but his answer was also quick.
"No," He answered. "Stay her and make sure your sister is safe," The door closed and he was gone. Allyon grabbed her sister's hand who had turned back to look out the window.
"Danlyia, go get in the basement and stay there," Allyon said. Danlyia jumped and stared directly at her sister.
"He said to stay here," Her words trembled as she spoke them.
"I have to help, I will quickly bar the windows with the shutters and I will lock the door," Allyon began quickly closing the window shutters and locking them. She stopped when she began to hear her sister cry behind her. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Danlyia, go and hide in the basement and don't come out till I get back. Everything is going to be alright,"
She made sure the door was locked behind her and turned towards the cold night. The glow from the forest cascaded across the village. There was some mass shouting coming from the outskirts of the village. Allyon quickly ran down the steps and towards the voices. A group of local guards were making sure the villagers were safe inside their homes. One of the sentinels spotted Allyon and stood at attention as she ran up to him.
"My lady," He said. "We need to get you to safety,"
"Has a human come past here?" She quickly glanced around the village to see if she could spot him. "Have you seen anyone?"
"Oh you mean the Grand-Marshal," he answered.
"Grand-Marshal?" Allyon asked back. She stared at the sentinel.
"Yes he told us to make sure the villagers were safe and then setup a defence on the outskirts of the village," The sentinel then pointed to the trees. "He then ran into the forest towards the green flames," Allyon looked towards the tree line for a moment.
"He's in the Alliance Army?" She asked without looking away from the forest. The guard looked directly at Allyon and was about to say something but was disrupted by another deafening roar from the forest. "Whatever it is, it is getting closer,"
"My lady, what are your orders?" The sentinel asked. Allyon snapped her head back and looked at the guard.
"Defend the village, if it gets to close, draw whatever it is away from the villagers," She said with a firm voice. He bowed his head before running back to the other guards to relay her orders. Allyon returned her gaze to the forest and slowly released a breath as another roar echoed through the village. She sighed before sprinting towards the forest. As she approached the tree line, she stopped and hid behind a tree. She looked all around her before blowing a high pitched whistle. A few moments later she felt an all too familiar lick on the back of her gloved hand. She looked down and saw Camard and the worried look he had in his large brown eyes. She knelt down beside him and hugged her pet. "Don't worry," She whispered. "We'll be fine,"
Algernen pulled his sword from the ground and stood back up just in time to take a Chaos bolt to the chest which knocked him back to the ground, several feet from where he had just been stood. This time, his blade stayed in his hand. The flaming beast shook the ground as it took a step closer to him. The green fire that covered the demon dripped to the ground and had spread across the forest.
"Where are you?" He whispered under his breath as he jumped back to his feet. He glanced around the trees before the beast swung his giant fist causing Algernen to quickly jump backwards to avoid it. Two arrows flew past him as he moved, hitting the demon in the head. The arrows just bounced off the hard surface of its rocky skin. Algernen looked into the tree line behind him to see Allyon pulling two more arrows from her quiver and loading them into her bow. "Save your arrows," He shouted to her. She instantly loosened the string on her bow and looked at him. "Infernals can't be killed using normal weapons,"
"How do we kill it then?" She shouted back. There was another quake in the ground as the creature took another step towards Algernen.
"We have to kill the summoner," He yelled back. "Pull the Infernal towards the village!" It was a moment before Allyon realised what he said.
"What? Are you crazy?" She shouted back.
"Warlocks have a limited range on the connection to their demons," He yelled before he had to jump and roll out of the way as the Infernal slammed its enormous fist into the ground of the forest. This caused a massive shake in the ground which rippled away into the woods. "If we pull it far enough away, the Warlock will have to re-establish its connection for the demon to remain in this world," The creature roared again and Allyon quickly aimed and fired an arrow directly into the demons open mouth. She wasn't sure if the creature swallowed them or whether they simply disintegrated in the fire that emitted from its throat. Whichever it was, she seemed to get the Infernal's attention and it made a quick dash towards her which Algernen simply dodged out the way as it thundered past him. Allyon quickly turned and began to run towards the village. She thought that she could run slowly and make sure to keep the beast's attention, however the creature was quickly catching up to her so she ran as fast as she could with Camard at her side.
At last the village lights shone into the forest and she knew she was close. She cleared the tree line and found herself in the open grassland just before the village. She stopped a moment for breath but Camard kept running. A few moments later there was a massive crash as the Infernal shoved its way through the trees and fell into the field. It was beside her on the ground a few moments before it looked up at her. The Demon roared at her and she immediately sprinted away. The creature stood up and began chasing her again, shaking the ground as it followed. Her chest burned as she breathed in, wishing her to stop but she couldn't. She raced across the grassland, running as fast as she could. The thundering footsteps behind her were getting louder as the creature gained pace on her. She just couldn't out run the creature. She began to feel a burning pain in her legs. She concentrated on the village in the distance. She saw the lights and could hear the guards shouting as they looked on at the colossal Infernal that was behind her. She looked back over her shoulder and saw the smouldering face of the demon not far behind her. She caught the edge of her boot on a half buried rock in the mud and crashed to the sludgy ground. That was it. Her chest and legs continued to burn in pain. She rolled over and saw the Infernal standing over her. A drop of flame fell from its chest. She moved her leg quickly to avoid it landing on her skin and the drop splashed to the ground. The Infernal lifted it gargantuan fist into the air over Allyon and roared again. There was nothing she could do now. She simply stared up at the fist for a few moments before it quickly started plummeting towards her. She closed her eyes. There was a sudden smell of sulphur and a shriek from above her. Allyon opened her eyes just in time to see the demon explode into green ash and drift away into the wind. She stared into the space where the creature had been just moments before. She could still see its giant fist lowering towards the ground about to crush away her life. She tried to calm her heartbeat and the breath rushing in and out of her lungs. She could still feel the heat from the vanquished demon as the air entered her body. There was a shimmer of light that came from the forest as the green fires began to die. Allyon looked up and saw a familiar outline of a human emerging from the trees. She smiled at the sight of Algernen. He began to walk quickly towards the village with a noticeable limp in his stride. Allyon remained on the ground still thinking of the fight and how close they had both been to death. It took a few minutes before Algernen approached her with a slight smile on his face. She could see the silver hilt of his sword over his shoulder. In his hand was a bright purple and red satchel tied up at the top with a thin piece of black thread. It had something large and rounded in it causing it to sag at the bottom. He outstretched his hand to her and she looked at it before smiling again. She took his hand and he pulled her up from the ground and back onto her feet. She coughed as the burning stench from the demon still lingered in the air.
"Congratulations," He said as she continued to cough. She looked up and gave him a quizzical glance to which he just smirked back. "You fought well and even out ran an infernal on foot, not many could boast such an achievement," Allyon looked at him for a few moments longer before wiping away a few marks of dirt from her leggings. "Are you ok to travel?" He asked. She straightened up and gagged as the smell of sulphur came back. "Don't worry, the smell effects everyone the first time,"
"Travel? Where to?" She asked between coughs and splutters. He turned and began to walk to the village.
"We must be in Stormwind by morning," He said as he walked away. It took a moment for her to realise what he had said and she ran after him.
"Stormwind?" She asked as she slowed to his pace and walked besides him. He stopped and turned to look at her.
"Allyon, tonight you and I are the only witness to something that could drastically affect Azeroth as we know it and our haste could save millions of lives. You and I must go to Stormwind City and inform the King and the other leaders of the Alliance of what we have seen on this night," She sensed the dread and seriousness in his voice. It took only a moment to decide.
"I will go with you Algernen," She said. "You have saved my Sister and these villagers. You have my loyalty"
"Excellent," He said before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Gather what you need and be ready as soon as possible, we must get to Darnassus before sun rise,"