Chapter Six: Wrath of the Naga

Jaina really wished she could appeal to Lady Serpenthra's reluctance to fight. She wanted to convince the two races to put aside their differences. However, that peace and friendship were never attained for their own sake. You had to give people an incentive. Her Father has taught her that in his own struggles with Graymane.

Even so, she felt obligated to try.

'I don't suppose we could demand their surrender?' asked Jaina, knowing the answer as Serpenthra surveyed the hosts of naga coming out the sea.

'Of course not.' said Serpenthra. 'So long as the night elves had merely intruded on our domain I was willing to let the matter pass. Now, however, they have violated the sanctity of our most holy site. They will pay in blood for this.

'Your ships are away. You had best go to them.'

'I'll go to them once I'm convinced that I can't salvage the situation.' said Jaina. 'It doesn't serve my purposes to have two of my allies killing each other.' The naga operated on enlightened pragmatism as their guiding principle. Ideology clearly meant very little to them.

'Then I suggest you stand by and observe. We will exterminate these foul monstrosities.' said Serpenthra.

Jaina almost left. Right now Serpenthra held all the cards. Vast forces had come with the tides to aid in exterminating the night elves. There would be no question of peace so long as the naga held the advantage. The only way Jaina might manage to sway them is if Maiev threatened to tip the scales.

What had Serpenthra called night elves? Foul monstrosities. It was just like the humans and the orcs. Two races, neither much better than the other. Both proclaiming the other unholy abominations unfit for life.

'That's a strange thing to say,' said Jaina, a bit late, 'weren't your people once night elves?'

'It is hardly relevant.' said Serpenthra. 'We honor them no more than you would honor a giant. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a war to plan.'

Jaina had no idea what she meant by that. She doubted she'd have time to find out today.

Hours later, suffering from grievous wounds and exhaustion, Maiev and her Watcher's stumbled back to the relative safety of their base camp. Shandris was waiting for them as they arrived. The General saluted. 'What happened Maiev?'

Illidan claimed the Eye of Sageras.' said Maiev. 'And Proudmoore teleported them away before I could stop her. Now he intends to finish the rest of us off! We have no choice but to sail back to Kalimdor and warn Shan'do Stormrage of what his brother intends.'

'It's too late, Mistress!' cried Naisha. 'Illidan's forces have arrived!'

Maiev looked up and saw a great force of naga approaching them from every side. They numbered in the thousands, and more were coming to support them. And that was only the naga; it did not account for the mur'guls who seemed more numerous than the stars.

'How is this possible?!' asked Maiev. 'Istral assured us that the naga could field no more than a thousand?!'

'They have been coming from the surrounding ocean in great force.' said Shandris. 'We were driven away from our ships. I ordered the crews to seek safety and left. What could have inspired such a march?'

'I will tell you what I know when we have the time.' said Maiev. 'We cannot escape, the naga would catch us on the sea. But perhaps we can send for reinforcements. Summon the runner! She must reach the shoreline and sail back to Kalimdor.' She looked to the runner who came forward. 'With any luck, Shan'do Stormrage will reach us before we're overrun. Be swift, sister!'

'The island is prowling with naga.' said Shandris. 'I fear she will never reach the ships in time.'

'Then I will take a detachment and see to it that she does.' said Maiev. 'Naisha, you are in command. You must hold here until I return.'

'As you wish, Mistress.' said Naisha.

They moved south quickly, and even as they did so, naga warriors emerged from the trees, snarling with rage. They were all around them; there was nothing to do but fight.

'Protect the runner!' cried Maiev. 'Tor illisar'thera'na!'

Then the battle was joined. Maiev leaped over a trident thrust and cleaved the skull of a naga. One of the druids of the claw was speared through the heart and then avenged by his comrades. As the druid fell to the ground dead, the runner fell by her and healed the wound before their eyes. Maiev blinked into the midsts of the naga and unleashed a fan of knives that tore them to shreds.

Then they were clear. The naga lay dead around them.

They headed south swiftly. As they did the clouds gathered above them as the sound of combat became audible behind them. Rain began to pour down upon them as lightning struck the ocean waves. The ruins they came across every so often loomed over them threateningly.

As they moved along the coast, they came to a stream. It was a pleasant enough brook and had she more time Maiev might have stopped to admire it. For now, they began to cross. Then she stopped. She realized that all around them mur'guls were emerging from the mud — hundreds of them. Maiev leaped into their midst and unleashed her knives. She killed many as arrows fell among them to slay more. Her huntresses and druids tore through them.

The roar of the druids of claw echoed throughout the island as the small frog creatures died in droves. Finally, the mur'guls panicked and fled.

'Quickly sisters.' said Maiev. 'The naga are sure to have heard that. We must be gone from here before more arrive.'

As they ran onwards, the winds picked up around them. The trees swayed in them, groaning and Maiev thought she felt something coming. Then the winds howled all the louder, and the druids of the claw were swept up in it, swirling in the winds helpless.

Out of the trees came naga and mur'gols who rushed at them. Some fell to her archer's arrows, but the rest came on. Maiev leaped forward to bar their path and hurled a poisoned dagger into the throat of a naga warrior. Parrying a sword, she cleaved down two mur'guls as arrows claimed yet more naga.

Then it became a melee. Several archers were cleaved down before they could move and others soon joined them. Maiev hacked and slashed at the creatures, slaying more and more. Yet there were always more of them. Snapdragons came down to spit acid.

Then the winds died, and the druids rejoined the fray. With roars of anger, they tore into the naga, driving them off and soon the strike force withdrew. Yet they had claimed many lives, and now their small task force was only a shadow of what it once had been.

'Come, we must leave!' she said.

On they ran, across yet another stream and past other ruins. Maiev wanted to keep going, but many of her sisters were wounded. Finally, they halted for a moment to rest by an ancient fountain still flowing with water. Here the druids of the claw tended to the wounded. A few minutes into this rest a group of huntresses rode into view.

'Mistress Shadowsong!' said the leader. 'We're lucky to have found you!'

'What was your mission?' asked Maiev.

'We were sent to find safe harbor for our ships.' said the leader. 'However, we were cut off from camp when the naga arrived. We must reach there soon; there are more naga behind us.'

'Then we will meet them.' said Maiev. 'We must get a message through to Shan'do Stormrage, or else we will surely be overrun.'

'As you wish.' said the leader. 'We'll fight with you.'

'That is enough of a rest.' said Maiev. 'To the ships, quickly.'

As they journeyed through sunken lands, they would be attacked by mur'guls every so often. The creatures were beaten off with only a few casualties, but they were persistent. And each time they fled, no doubt bringing news of their whereabouts to the naga. This harassment continued. Even as they scaled into a set of ancient ruins, their progress was slowed. Great numbers of the wretched creatures were thrown at them.

'We are waist deep in the corpses of these mur'guls,' said a druid, 'yet we see almost nothing of the naga?'

'These are meant only to slow us down.' said Maiev 'The naga do not seem to value the lives of these wretched creatures. Perhaps they want to minimize their own casualties.'

As they marched onwards, the sky began to get darker. The night would soon fall, and when that happened, Maiev hoped Naisha and the others might gain a reprieve. Yet she doubted it. The naga might not mind the dark, having been born in the cold depths.

Finally, they came to the ships. Here they halted. Maiev looked at the runner. 'What is your name?'

'I am Byrandia.' she said.

'Very well.' said Maiev 'Get on board and make haste. Furion must know of this.'

Even as the ships departed, however, out of the trees came naga. Nearly a hundred of them, and with them were many more mur'guls. Exhausted and still not recovered, Maiev realized this might be their end.

'Shove off!' cried Maiev 'We'll hold these!'

Then she rushed into the fray with a warcry. Slashing down mur'gul after mur'gul, she saw even more folowing behind. Many of her warriors were lifted into the air by the fel winds from before, cast by the naga females. The others were left exposed. The naga would finish those and then destroy the remainder. It was inevitable. Already her warriors were dying.

No.

No Maiev would not let this happen! She would prevail! She would find Illidan and lock him once more beneath the cold earth! For she! Was! Justice!'

In that moment she felt herself, or perhaps something more, arise from her spirit. It was an avatar of vengeance, and it tore through the naga before her eyes. It loomed above all of them, seeming infinitely huge. Its blows cleaved through the naga like a scythe through wheat.

More were coming, but it didn't matter. From the corpses of those who fell the Avatar of Vengeance summoned the spirits of the dead. These specters rushed to slay the naga. Reinforcements arrived, but it was only lambs to the slaughter. Maiev and her Avatar rushed forward to slaughter and kill.

None could withstand her! The naga strike force fell beneath her blades. The mur'guls screamed for undeserved mercy and fled.

Then, at last, the Avatar faded. The remaining naga were gone. More than half of the escort she had brought with her were dead, and of those who had joined them, many were as well. They had killed many enemies, yet there were many more to face.

Maiev felt empty.

'What now, Mistress?' asked an archer.

The Warden looked to he ships, fading into the distance. The fleet had gotten clear of the naga and was now on its way to Ashenvale. Now they had a chance. They needed only survive long enough for the Archdruid to arrive. Then they might be able to defeat this army.

From there they had Illidan to settle with.

'Mistress?' asked the archer. 'Are you alright?'

'Elune grant that she reaches Shan'do Stormrage in time. If not, Illidan may never be stopped.' said Maiev. 'We must return to base and aid Naisha as best we can. Provided there is still a base to return to. Come, this will be a long battle.'

Long and very costly.

Later that evening, in a secluded Moonglade, Malfurion Stormrage and Tyrande Whisperwind discussed the aftermath of the Legion's invasion. There was a somber mood, but there was also a kernel of hope in it. The land was weakened gravely. Many plants and animals were killed or displaced by the demonic corruption. But hope remained nonetheless.

Great swaths of territory were being regenerated, and it was a monumental effort. It had consumed almost all of their attention. And that wasn't even the end of it, for the orcs were still in Ashenvale. The Warchief of the Horde had claimed that it was impossible for him to withdraw his forces. But he had at the least reigned in the cutting of trees.

On the brighter side of things, an entire colony of goblins had been massacred by furbolgs. So there was some good news in all of this. The miserable green creatures had been trying to despoil the forests for years. Their destruction was just and necessary.

'Nordrassil's roots seem to be healing well.' said Malfurion, gazing at a pristine waterfall. 'I wish I could say the same for Felwood. I fear the Legion's corruption will be a long time in the unmaking in that unfortunate glade.'

'Your druids will think of something.' said Tyrande 'Perhaps Ysera or Alexstrasza could lend their—'

'Your pardon, Shan'do Stormrage,' said the guard, 'Priestess Tyrande, but she insisted that she be allowed to see you.'

With him was a young night elven girl, clad in the yellow garb of a runner. She was breathing hard, and she was very tense. As a doe hunted by a wolf.

'Who are you girl?' asked Tyrande. 'What is so urgent?'

'I am a servant of the Warden, Maiev Shadowsong.' said the girl. 'She who pledged to hunt down the betrayer, Illidan.'

'Illidan?' said Malfurion. 'Explain yourself!'

'Your pardon, Shan'do, but your brother has raised a dark army from the sea, and stolen a powerful demonic artifact! Even now my mistress battles him on the broken isles! She requires immediate reinforcements!'

'I will go.' said Tyrande. 'I will lead the Sentinels there myself.'

'No, my love.' said Malfurion. 'The druids and I can handle-'

'Maiev pursued Illidan on my watch.' said Tyrande. 'The responsibility is mine.'

'Then we shall both go.' said Malfurion. 'If this girl's tale is true, Maiev will need all the help she can get.'

Malfurion had a feeling that this would be a difficult task.

Author's Note:

This chapter is quite a bit shorter than I'm used to. Part of the problem is that there is no room for introspection when you are rushing to get a runner out.

Now on another note, some of you may have noticed that Jaina is a bit more politically savvy than in canon. This is because if Jaina were as naive and pure as she is in WoW, she would have never gotten to Kalimdor. No one would have trusted her with a fleet. Consequently, I'm going with the interpretation that her goodie two shoe act was just that, an act. Since the naga don't respect that sort of thing, she is going for something else.

Oh and I'd like to take this moment to tear Blizzard a new one on their female characters. Ever since WoW came out Blizzard has only been able to write two kinds of females. Incorruptibly pure maidens who need to be taken care of by big, strong men. And scheming complete sociopaths who never get punished for their crimes. If a female character is not one of these things, then they invariably become one one way or the other.

For instance, Sylvanas started out as an anti-villain or even antihero. She mostly killed asshole victims. She was promptly derailed into a complete monster. Thus far to my knowledge has yet to be punished for her crimes. Jaina Proudmoore was a character who was closer to the pure maiden archetype. However, she made the mistake of being more accomplished than Varian Wrynn.

Consequently, she got derailed into a complete sociopath. All so that Varian could adopt her previous opinion. That way Varian could be the good guy. After all, Jaina actually had a character arc independent of a man, and we can't fucking have that, can we?

It's like the entire company of Blizzard has a Madonna-Whore complex. Except they are totally okay with sexually objectifying the Madonna.

Anyway, I'm done for now.