Well, the numbers keep pouring in, which hopefully means someone's reading my story! And as long as you guys keep reading, I'll keep writing! One point I should address: this is not a "copy-and paste" story, for those of you who might be thinking, "I could just as easily play the game or read the novel if I wanted to know the plot." Yes, a good chunk of "A Demon's Tale" will be taken directly from the established lore, especially because the story will cover the Demon Hunter's starting areas. However, I can promise you that it will really start to branch out once we hit the Broken Isles…but that's getting ahead of ourselves. For now…
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft, which remains the property of Blizzard Entertainment. I make no money from this story, which is exclusively for non-profit, entertainment purposes.
Chapter 4: The Meaning of Sacrifice
In the weeks following our fateful mission to Nathreza, things got steadily worse. Now that I knew there was no demon, it was as if the rest of my mind had suddenly stopped trying to pretend. The knowledge that the voice inside my head had been nothing more than a coping mechanism did more harm than good. I could slay physical demons, and I could pacify or purge the mental ones. But how does one wage war against themselves?
I had often seen Lord Illidan stalking in the direction of his council chamber, which in turn led to the courtyard at the top of the Black Temple. No one was allowed up there, not even us demon hunters. Rumors abounded that the Master conducted special rituals of meditation, which none must disturb. While my knowledge of such magic was limited at best, I began trying to emulate the Master as much as possible.
This was how Kor'vas found me the day we would embark on yet another fateful mission: seated on my bed, legs crossed, my long, dark hair tied back. Meditation was yet another double-edged sword. Now that I knew my enemy's true identity, the phantom voices no longer echoed throughout my mind. But somehow, the silence was even more unnerving. It was like searching through a black hole for some final glimmer of starlight, only to be swallowed up, nothing remaining but a gaping void of despair.
"You're not interrupting anything, in case you were wondering," I told her.
"So the meditation isn't helping?" she asked, leaning against the doorway.
"Each time is as pointless as the last," I sighed, finally giving up and leaping to the floor. "Why are you here, Kor'vas?"
"Lord Illidan has another mission for us."
I didn't need to use my spectral sight to know she was worried about me…or harboring the same doubts that I was. The fear that had manifested itself on Nathreza was back, and it rolled off Kor'vas in waves of terror.
"Then we mustn't keep the Master waiting," I replied, leading the way to the central courtyard.
As I suspected, a large stone doorway awaited us, indicating another portal in the making. Kor'vas and I quickly fell in line as the other demon hunters began to assemble.
Lord Illidan loomed over us from the courtyard wall. He didn't speak, but instead glanced down at where two large crates flanked the empty gateway. As we approached, I could see that one was completely empty.
The other held dozens of what were then the most deadly-looking weapons I had ever encountered. I knew them by their shape, of course—the Sentinels included warglaives as part of their arsenal, and everyone knew of Lord Illidan's famous blades. But these weapons glowed with the bright green aura of fel, the blades deliberately curved and sharpened to maximize their killing potential. In the center of each handguard, the symbol of the Illidari shined proudly.
Understanding what was expected, I unsheathed my longswords and gently placed them in the empty crate, which was soon filled with the swords, daggers, and battleaxes of my comrades. I knew that it was silly to become attached to a weapon, but I still hoped that whatever soldier wielded my blades in the future would treat them with care.
It was symbolic, in a sense—our mission to Nathreza had been yet another step in distinguishing the most elite of Illidan's forces. We had invaded the Legion's world, slain their commanders and lieutenants. Now Lord Illidan was recognizing our potential with weapons truly befitting a hunter of demons.
With the last of us properly equipped, we fell back into position and silently awaited the Master's command.
"The enemy came into our world," he began, "their only desire to extinguish all life. They slaughtered our loved ones. They razed our homes, our cities, and our sacred places."
I could feel our combined anger as each demon hunter recognized the truth of Illidan's words. Above, a storm had begun to brew in Shadowmoon Valley: thunder boomed with unnatural ferocity as fel-tinged lightning struck the distant landscape. Rain that burned like acid poured down on us.
"You tried to stop them, and you failed. And so, you came to me, nothing remaining of you but rage and determination. And you learned that the things that once tormented you could give you power. Now you see that there is no sacrifice too great if it brings an end to the Burning Legion."
With these words, Illidan stood, raised his hands into the air, and began to channel fel energy. The magic shot down at the gateway, and the empty space flared to life, the makings of a new world suddenly appearing from nothingness.
Yes, I thought, vengeance. Vengeance is what I seek. And Lord Illidan shall give it to me.
With each second, my desire to tear into demon flesh grew, but a part of me continued to scream out in protest.
It was Kor'vas who gave voice to my conflicted thoughts, and I watched in surprise as she broke through the crowd to kneel at the Master's feet. The fear that had once clung to her like a cloak now broke through and washed over her like a tidal wave.
"But Lord Illidan!" she protested desperately. "Demonic energies course through our veins! They gnaw at our every thought! What makes us any different from the monsters we fight!?"
The other Illidari waited in stunned silence. None had ever dared to speak out so boldly, and Lord Illidan was not known to reward hesitation or disloyalty. Even so, it was a question that had tormented me for months. I had to believe that I wasn't the only one seeking the answer.
Kayn apparently disagreed, and the proud blood elf now stepped forward, levelling his new warglaive at Kor'vas' exposed throat.
"You question the Master!?" he demanded.
Kor'vas didn't flinch, but neither did Kayn administer the killing blow. Both waited in silence for the Master's judgment. We could feel the tension burning through the air, as dangerous as the fel magic that gave us strength.
Illidan now stood, and swept his unseeing eyes over all of us. None escaped the Master's gaze; once again we were reminded how easily he could dispatch us, if he so chose. A stray bolt of fel lightning illuminated the Master as he spread his wings, becoming the very image of a god. He now leapt down to land directly before the one who had spoken out. The Master's power could be felt by all, and I held my breath, waiting for Kor'vas to receive her punishment. Would Lord Illidan make an example of her himself, or would he allow Kayn to perform the deed?
What happened next surprised us all: looming over the still-kneeling elf, Lord Illidan leaned closer, peering intently as if judging Kor'vas by her very soul. After what felt like hours, he finally drew back and again stared out at the rows of assembled demon hunters.
"We will not sit idly by like those on Azeroth, waiting to become the demons' prey!" he roared. "We will take this war to the Legion's worlds, and prey upon them!"
The Master's words thundered through the courtyard, and demon hunters on every side now swarmed through the portal. After a quick glance at each other, Kor'vas and I joined them. We would find our answers one day, but for now, the will of the Master took priority over all else.
The world we invaded was lifeless and barren. At first, I wondered if Illidan hadn't sent us to another part of Outland. The only sign that sentient beings had once populated this dead planet came in the form of a massive citadel, or at least the remains of one. The ruined structure better resembled the top of a tower that had been sheared off and stuck in the ground.
Destruction had come to this world, and its name was Legion.
As the Illidari marched toward the citadel, I thought of Lord Illidan's victory over Magtheridon. If the Legion was in the habit of leaving behind powerful commanders to protect its territory, I didn't want to think about what dwelled inside.
For now, I focused on taking out the meager felguard that had been posted at the entrance. Here we saw our new weapons fulfill their ultimate potential. Allari warped behind one of the demons and sliced through its midsection. As the two halves rolled down the now blood-soaked stairs, Kayn launched his own attack, tackling the next felguard and pinning it to the ground. The blood elf's warglaives came crashing down on the demon's face. Lord Illidan himself dispatched yet another enemy by actually throwing his famous warglaive. The deadly projectile decapitated the last of the felguard as it sailed back through the air to its master's hand.
As the Illidari burst through the doors of the citadel, I let out a curse as we confronted this world's demonic governor.
"Ah…demon hunters," rumbled the beast. "You dare attack the Doom Lord Azgoth in his own domain!?"
The Legion had indeed left behind a pit lord to stand guard over its conquests. The reality of the monster that now stared down at us defied anything I had heard from Varedis. Its four massive limbs could have easily been the stone pillars that lined the room, and the demon himself was larger than an entire house. Crooked teeth twisted into a horrifying grin as the Legion's commander glared down at us.
And he was not alone; more demons now spilled into the room. As the Illidari met them in combat, Lord Illidan flew into the air to do battle with Azgoth himself.
I ducked under a felguard's swing, catching the demon's blow with one warglaive and slicing open its chest with the other. Cyana gleefully hacked into a wrathguard with both her weapons, while Jace raised his glowing blades and sent out felbolt after felbolt. Asha crossed her blades to catch a doomguard's axe, then pulled them apart, shattering the mighty weapon before doing the same to the demon. Kor'vas slew a felguard with both glaives, then parried a blow from the next demon and delivered a vicious counter. Here, in the heat of battle, I could feel her icy terror becoming a raging inferno as she fought relentlessly to survive.
I was the same—desperation drove me to slay every demon I could find. I had to live through this—I needed to hear the answer to her question. I was not like these monsters. I couldn't be.
Had there been time to stop and think about it, I would have considered the situation ironic: I was fighting for survival not so that I could continue slaying demons, but so that I could hold on to…whatever it was that made me an elf. Did any of me remain inside this new creature, this thing that sought to devour demon flesh and dreamed of nothing but endless slaughter?
I had to find out, and to do that, I had to survive any way I could.
Above, Lord Illidan did battle with the seemingly-unstoppable pit lord, cutting down the felbats the beast sent after him and retaliating with blasts of demonic energy. The beams scorched Azgoth's monstrous bulk, but this only tempted the pit lord's wrath. The mighty demon cackled madly, brandishing a massive flail. Chains rattled in the air as the nasty-looking weapon knocked Lord Illidan from the air, like a grown elf swatting at a bothersome fly.
My immediate response was to defend the Master, and I began to cut my way toward where Lord Illidan had fallen. Demon after demon fell to my blades as I carved a path through Azgoth's army. Still more felguard leapt into my path, and I roared in fury. For every demon I slew, three more seemed to take its place. Even with Vandel and Asha at my side, we would never make it in time.
Fortunately, I was not the only one who had watched the Master fall. Kor'vas was closer to the mountain of ruined stone that had once been a series of pillars. But as Lord Illidan began digging himself out of the debris, Azgoth raised his mighty flail once more.
"Your mission has failed," cackled the pit lord. "Your cause dies with him!"
Moments before the vicious, spiked implement would have shattered the Master's skull, Kor'vas brought her warglaive crashing down on the chains that bound the pit lord's weapon. The powerful metal links shattered into pieces, and the end of the flail went flying far from its intended victim.
Azgoth roared and delivered a vicious swipe that sent Kor'vas flying. She hit the stone wall hard, and the pit lord leaned in close, preventing his target from escaping. The monstrous demon sniffed the air and spewed his foul breath in her face. I felt renewed hatred for the Legion as I watched Kor'vas turn away in disgust.
"You smell more of demon than hunter," rumbled Azgoth. "You would serve us well."
At that moment, I wouldn't have blamed Kor'vas for accepting the demon's offer. Her master was injured, her mind was already mired in doubt, and hell itself stared her in the face. Her mind should have shattered then and there. I know mine would have.
Instead, the fear that had followed her for so long simply melted away, as if it had never been there to begin with. Kor'vas met the demon's stare with one of her own, glaring back at Azgoth with a look of hatred and defiance.
"Never," she hissed.
I tore my eyes away to where a shadow flew along the wall. It was Illidan, and our Master now plunged his glaives into the Legion's commander as the last of the demonic minions fell before our might. The pit lord's powerful flesh began to crack apart, and with one last roar, Azgoth the Doom Lord died in a massive explosion of fel energy.
Lord Illidan stood, picking up Kor'vas' fallen glaive as he did so.
"You wish to know the difference between the demons and us?" he asked her. "They will stop at nothing to destroy our world."
"And we will sacrifice everything to save it," she answered.
I gaped as Lord Illidan actually cracked a smile, before handing Kor'vas her warglaive. He looked…satisfied. I knew I hadn't been imagining things—the Master had seen something in Kor'vas, and he had marked her as being special, even among the Illidari.
Then, he turned toward the rest of us, and we immediately stood at attention.
"The Legion will know of this victory," he announced. "And they will fear you, my Illidari. Now…you are prepared!"
As Lord Illidan raised his warglaives into the air and led the Illidari in their victory cry, I looked over at Kor'vas. Physically, she was in pretty bad shape: glowing green blood ran down the side of her face from a long gash in her forehead, and her lower lip had also been split open.
But as the courageous demon hunter raised her fist in triumph, I thought she had never looked more beautiful.