Okay kids, we're into the Cataclysm now. This is a pretty heavy chapter. It mostly takes place in the End Time dungeon and due to creative licensing, and because I think Nozdormu has spent so much time (eh, get it? Time, cuz he's the aspect of time? Yeah sorry...) lost in his own head because of all of the things he's seen he'd be kinda a d-bag without realizing it, I've smashed the possible combinations of bosses into one instance. So, with that out of the way, enjoy!
"I am sending you into the Obsidian Dragonshrine first. You need to take care of the threat there, then head into the Emerald next. If we can clear those two of the threats there, we will meet in the Azure Dragonshrine, and then into the Ruby Dragonshrine." Nozdormu looked to Aelwynn as he mentioned the Ruby Dragonshrine, and though his face was dispassionate, she thought she saw something pass through his eyes. "Our final task will be to rid the Bronze Dragonshrine of the final threat. Keep yourselves safe. These are twisted lands, in a twisted time, if you try to venture on without my guidance you could be lost."
The Obsidian Dragonshrine reeked of sulfer and ash, and the heat was sweltering. Even Nikola and Loki, both having inherent frost capabilities, were suffocating in the heat. They fought the dragons back, Sif striking down the last one as she cleaved its head off its body. Through the shimmering, sweltering heat, they all saw a corrupt version of their Chieftain...Baine Bloodhoof had fallen victim to the madness of the timeways.
Aelwynn looked around for any way to get to him without stepping in the lava and catching fire. "This is impossible..." She muttered.
"If I cast slow fall, we can all jump off the ledge onto that first island. As for getting to the rest, I have no clue..." Loki said.
Baine threw his totem as he fought with Sif and Nikola on the platform, and as the totem landed it sent out a shockwave that sent Aelwynn flying backward. She heard the hum of the bubble, and felt a hooking sensation in her lower stomach as Esme pulled her back.
Being in the pitch black, hearing the growls and snarls of the nightsabers surrounding them was unsettling. As the first beam of moonlight touched the ground, Tyrande spoke. Aelwynn turned to Sif and the others. "She's using Elune's powers, but it's corrupt." She said. She nocked an arrow and shot at a nightsaber, noticing that though it got the animal's attention the arrow seemed to pass right through it.
"I'll pull them into the light. Everyone follow." Sif said, nodding to Nikola as used his deathgrip as a chain and pulled several inside the pool of moonlight.
Aelwynn dodged a Sentinel's blade, swinging her bow and hitting the attacker in the head, stunning her momentarily, then stepped back and fired an arrow right between her eyes. She turned, firing off two arrows and taking out the two enemies that were coming for Esme, ducking when she heard a third and looked up with a smirk as Loki froze her in place. Nikola swung his dual swords, cleaving the Night Elf's head from her body.
When they approached the pool of water, Sif took an experimental step, wincing. "Nikola, we need to be quick." She said.
He looked down at the water, then looked at Sif and nodded. He sketched a bow to her, smirking. "Ladies first." He said, his echoing voice sardonic.
Loki turned, shouting. "Esme, Aelwynn, watch for that starfire!" He said, pointing to the falling balls of light. Aelwynn nodded and stepped back, just inside optimal range for her shots to strike powerfully. She charged up another arcane shot, letting it fire and looking down as a strike of what looked like lightning rushed across the ground towards the three ranged members. Esme looked down as well and stepped away, and Aelwynn dove for Loki, knocking him away from the strike just as Sif struck the killing blow.
"Thanks. I didn't even see that thing coming." Loki said, accepting Nikola's hand up. Aelwynn nodded, standing and brushing herself off.
"I didn't see it at first, but I could hear it charging, after it cleared the water I could see it." She replied.
"Let's move on." Nikola said, waving the group in front of him.
They all recognized the area the Azure Dragonshrine was in. Sif walked up to the edge of the hill and looked down. She turned. "It looks like there's three groups. There may be more."
"The ones in blue are priests...which means they'll probably try to cast off a light well." Esme said, watching the group on patrol.
"Those dwarves are hunters, both have a gun. Looks like there's a paladin or warrior in plate." Aelwynn remarked, looking around for the leader in charge. She assumed it was a corrupted version of someone important based on their experiences in the other two Shrines.
"The one in purple is most likely a mage." Loki mentioned, looking around. He turned to Aelwynn, curiosity in his gaze. "Black dragons were protectors of earth, that explained Baine. And the Green Dragonflight are guardians of the Emerald Dream, which is why they took Tyrande. Nozdormu mentioned the Azure Dragonshrine, which is here, and then Ruby. Blue dragons are protectors of magic. So whoever we go up against has to be arcane." He said.
Nikola nodded. "That makes sense."
They gathered the pieces one by one, killing the groups patrolling the area. The final piece was put into place and they heard Jaina Proudmoore, leader of the Kirin Tor. Loki frowned. "She's going to be difficult. Nikola, anti magic shell yourself as often as you can, arcane explosions hurt tremendously. Sif, same goes for you with your bubble. I'll keep ice shield up as often as I can, Esme...you're going to have to keep yourself and Aelwynn bubbled as much as you can. And interrupt her as often as possible."
Aelwynn saw the molten bomb fly and ran toward it, hoping to displace the energy. She heard Jaina Blink and appeared away from them, three large shards of ice shooting up from the ground and fanning up. She let two arrows fly in rapid succession, watching Sif and Nikola dodge the ice shards. The final hit was an ice lance that Loki unleashed directly to her chest and she fell.
Aelwynn had felt bad about killing the former leader of the Kirin Tor, as well as Tyrande, but nothing could have prepared her for the Ruby Dragonshrine.
They walked in to find geists and other undead fiends, and Aelwynn's heart stopped. She looked out across the desolate area, her gaze falling on an armor clad figure floating in the sky, ghouls popping from the ground and shambling about.
"My gods..." She heard Sif say.
"Who is it?" Nikola asked.
Aelwynn paled as she recognized the cloak. "It's Sylvanas." She said hollowly.
Sif turned to her. "Aelwynn-"
The hunter shook her head, never taking her gaze off the figure in the air.
Esme rested a hand on Aelwynn's back, bringing her out of her stupor. "If you-"
"No...we need to do this. I have to."
Sif took a deep breath, then nodded.
"Wait..." Aelwynn stopped her before she could step up. She looked around at the group. "Sylvanas is smart, there's no reason to believe that...that this echo of her isn't just as intelligent. She's also cunning and ruthless...If we thought the other's were hard, she's going to be worse on us. Watch out for her black arrow. If it hits you, it'll poison you. If it hits the ground, it poisons the ground. Don't be near it." She said, looking up at the Banshee Queen. "She'll most likely shoot four or five in a row, so make sure you're on the move if you have her attention."
Sif threw her shield, ricocheting it off the ghouls heads, killing them instantly, and caught it as it came back.
Sylvanas turned her head, dropping from the sky, fury in her gaze.
"Another band of Deathwing's converts? I'll be sure your death is especially painful." She yelled furiously, pulling her black blades.
Aelwynn kept her focus on Nikola and Sif, gritting her teeth as Sylvanas let her Banshee Wail fly. All ears were bleeding now...this was not good.
Esme looked up as the Dark Lady launched herself into the air, drawing her bow and aiming at her. She took off, tossing a heal Aelwynn's way.
Nikola tried to get a strike in, growling as his blade was deflected once again. Even with her back to him, she was still blocking nearly every hit he was dishing out. She shot up in the air again, and he tried to use his death grip to pull her down, but she used her own to pull them all to her.
They all dropped, Aelwynn landing hard, and looked around as purple runes scattered in a circle around them.
"Watch, heathens, as death surrounds you!" Sylvanas shouted.
"Pick a ghoul and kill it!" Loki said.
They all focused on one ghoul, furious when it wouldn't go down, and Loki blinked his way passed the poisonous gasses twice before hitting it from behind. He pulled mirror image, three copies of himself popping up and hitting their targeted ghoul as well. Nikola called on his Army of the dead, more shambling ghouls surrounding the one they wanted dead, and took it down. A path cleared where the ghoul had been standing.
"RUN!" Esme shouted. They all took off, Aelwynn a bit slower due to the injury to her knee, and cleared the area, Sif and Nikola running back.
She let off another banshee wail, and all ears had been protected by their respective barriers except Aelwynn's. She shook her head as Esme turned to her and pointed at Nikola and Sif. "Keep an eye on them! I'm fine!"
The final shot, an arcane arrow to her chest, came from Aelwynn's hands.
"This...isn't how it was supposed to end..." Sylvanas said, pain and resignation in her voice. Her eyes closed and she moved no more.
The hunter dropped her bow, collapsing to her knees as the pain in her skull and the realization of what she had done hit her.
Sif rushed to her side, looking her over. "Your ears..." She said, and Aelwynn shook her head, staring blankly at the twisted echo of her lover. "Aelwynn, we need to move. We're almost done. Esme, can you-"
"Leave it." Aelwynn said hollowly, slinging her bow over her shoulder and painfully standing, walking up to where the Banshee Queen lay. "I..." She looked back at the group, limping over to them.
"Let's go." She said quietly.
Sif and Esme looked at one another, worried.
Aelwynn felt nothing as they fought Murozond, and before she knew it, the fight was over. Loki opened a portal to Orgrimmar and they all stepped through.
"This...isn't how it was supposed to end."
She was haunted.
That phrase ran through her mind, over and over. Along with the sight of her lover as an echo of herself. An angry, lost, embittered echo. A malevolent shade that Deathwing's conquer and corruption of the world would have created with the help of the Infinite Dragonflight. Seeing Jaina Proudmoore, Baine Bloodhoof, and Tyrande Whisperwind twisted in that same dark, horrendous way had been difficult. But seeing Sylvanas had been heart wrenching. Knowing that for all of her bravado and veiled ruthlessness, she was a woman struggling to keep her faction together, and that horrible, demented version of herself that had been created through the mass destruction of Azeroth.
She rode through the entrance of the Undercity completely numb, unable to process what had happened due to the shock. Sif and the rest of the group had ridden the zeppelin from Orgrimmar with her, all surreptitiously keeping an eye on their friend and fellow adventurer.
When they reached the Royal Quarter Sif dismounted first, looking up to the Banshee Queen before coaxing Aelwynn off her horse. Sylvanas met them at the bottom of the stairs, looking between the two women. She leaned into Aelwynn, softly leading her into their chambers, hoping she was focused enough to bathe. Sif had followed at Sylvanas' behest and once the hunter was in the bathroom Sylvanas turned.
"What happened?" She asked. She could see the haunting look in Sif's eyes as well, though not as prevalent.
"Nozdormu called for us. He sent us into a strain of time after Deathwing...we ran into the Infinite Dragonflight. Faction leaders from both sides had been corrupted. Jaina and Tyrande were both there, as well as Baine...and you." Sif replied quietly.
"None of us took it well, but she was useless the last fight. We couldn't get her to snap out of it. Nikola and Esme nearly died. We all made it out alive, barely."
Sif watched as Sylvanas looked at the door to the bathroom. "Go to her. She's going to need you."
Sylvanas nodded. "Thank you for bringing her home."
Sif smiled weakly. "Of course, let me know if you need anything. We'll be here in Undercity a few days, my husband is training new mages." She said, gesturing to the door where the rest of the group had come in as well.
Sylvanas watched as she left and turned to the bathroom door. She opened it slowly, her undead heart aching at the lost look on Aelwynn's face. "Dalah'surfal? Come, let's get you cleaned up." She said softly.
Aelwynn moved automatically with the gentle pressure Sylvanas used to move her through the routine of getting cleaned up.
She'd seen the tears and gashes in Aelwynn's tabard and cloak, noticed the bent and missing links of chain holding the mail together, the protective barrier doing a fairly decent job at keeping her hunter alive. Once she had the woman stripped she saw the bruising and scratches. There were two spots on her upper left arm and upper right thigh where an arrow glanced off her armor but managed to catch a chink in the mail, tearing through skin.
Sylvanas did her best to be gentle, hoping that the heat of the water would help bring Aelwynn out of whatever stupor she was in, but it had yet to do anything other than add a red hue to her skin.
She cleaned Aelwynn up, washing the sand and dirt from her hair and body, gently cleaning the dried blood from her ears and looking her swollen left knee over. She drained the tub and guided her out before drying her off and dressing her gently. "You need to get some sleep, Surfal. Come, I'll lie with you." Sylvanas whispered.
The tears came an hour after Aelwynn fell asleep. Sylvanas had lain with her until she was asleep before vacating the bed to sit at the desk on the far wall. She turned as her lover screamed, crying for her and shouting 'no' over and over again.
"Dalah'surfal, hush. You're safe." Sylvanas said, stroking Aelwynn's cheek with her thumb. Aelwynn awoke slowly, her tears coming again. "You-you're alive?" She whispered.
Sylvanas nodded, wiping the tears from her temples. "I am, Surfal. Your friend Sif told me what happened. You've helped make it so that won't happen, you do know that, yes?" She asked softly.
Aelwynn bit her lip in an effort to stem her tears. "It was awful." She whispered. "You were so broken. Not physically. But mentally, emotionally. There was nothing left of my Sylvanas. It was like all of the darkest parts of you were amplified. There was no life there." She explained. "If seeing you that broken wasn't enough...we had to..." She swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut. "I had to kill you! I couldn't even nock an arrow...but there were ghouls everywhere, and you-she kept raising more, shouting about how death was surrounding us. I knew we needed to make sure we were all doing what we could to survive, but I couldn't... The hit that finally took you down was one of my arrows..." She sat up, wiping her face. "When...when you died...the pain in your voice..." 'This isn't how it was supposed to...end.'
Sylvanas cupped her cheeks, bringing her head up to meet the Banshee Queen's gaze. "You did not kill me. Remember what she was, who she became." She said. "Because of you I will never, can never be that person. Everything I have become is because of you. You've brought out the best in me."
Y'all know what to do!
