Part Ten: Shatterpoint
A thick cloud obscured the small valley just a few miles south of Karnum's Glade. Demons and felhounds hacked and wheezed from the dust and debris caused when Atazay, in a fit of rage, unleashed a barrage of green lighting from his fingertips into the small dam that hindered their progress towards the druid outpost. Every time the army tried to circumvent the obstacle it seemed to counter them. All attempts to break the dam and diminish the water capacity met with failure. A section of the damn was destroyed only to have more rocks mysteriously appear to keep the blockage intact. Even splitting the army and trying to traverse the dam in two or more different directions at once had met with failure. Those demons capable of flight became disoriented or met with an impassable barrier of wind. Apparent to both a frustrated Atazay and a cautious Dzovitza, strong magic was set to work against them. While the male eredar trapped in a sith body assaulted the obstacle over and again adding to his frustration, the woman stood a short distance away in quiet contemplation. Their dichotomy added tension to the already restless demonic army ready to kill whatever their masters unleashed them upon. What none of them were aware of was the Archdruid countering their every move from the Emerald Dream. Malfurion knew he could not singlehandedly defeat this army, but he could keep it occupied. The longer he could delay them the better the odds the druids in Karnum's Glade could prepare for when the army did advance and have a fighting chance for survival until the jedi and his allies arrived.
Atazay poised to unleash another barrage of lighting upon the dam when the hound master, an ered'ruin, approached Dzovitza. The larger demon bowed to the smaller leader before speaking. "I bring news from the south," he said to the woman.
Atazay lowered his arms upon hearing the messenger and walked to stand next to his co-leader of this army. "Has Okus repaired the portal?" he asked.
"Unknown," the hound master answered.
"Then what is your news from the south? It can't be of much significance if it does not regard Okus' success or failure with the portal," Dzovitza said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "There is nothing left living between us and Mannoroc Coven and therefore nothing of great concern."
"Someone yet lives. Six of my hounds have fallen to adversaries…bearing weapons like those," he said pointing to the lightsabers at the leaders' waists. Atazay squinted at the hound master while Dzovitza turned to look southward. "They were killed quickly and decisively by a human, an elf, and an orc."
"Are you certain they used weapons like these?" Atazay asked.
"You and Okus are both fools," Dzovitza said before the hound master could answer. "Since you found that woman wielding one of these I have been concerned there were others like her that could pose a threat to us. Now we have proof and they are not as weak as you suspected." She looked over to the hound master. "Muster the army and prepare them to move. We'll hunt down these three to our south and eliminate them before they can warn any others like them."
The large demon bowed his head again and spun on his heel to follow her command. Atazay stood close to Dzovitza and spoke to her once the hound master was out of earshot. "The whole army to pursue a human, an elf, and an orc?"
She looked up to him with a hard expression. "A human, an elf, and an orc that slew six felhounds with weapons like this," she said as she ignited her own lightsaber. The vibrant orange blade hummed next to the other's head. "Unlike you and Okus, I will not take the chance they escape nor will I assume to underestimate them. The entire army will hunt these three down."
"And if you are wrong and they prove weak as I and Okus suspect?"
"We gain nothing, that is true," she countered as she extinguished the blade. "A few eredar could be sent and might be enough if you are correct, but we could lose everything if we are not certain of success…and that will require the whole army. I will not stand before Sargeras and tell him we have failed because we underestimated our opposition."
Atazay looked down at her for a moment and then back at the dam that had been the source of his frustration for the past day. "Fine…at least this diversion will get us away from here…and that," he agreed while pointing at the dam.
After defeating the felhounds, the three jedi quickened their pace southward, but not with a direct course. Should the demon army pursue them, Dorak did not want to lead them to the two women they were searching for. He could sense them alive through the Force, and the fact that they had survived the first encounter with the demons was not lost to him…he did not want to place the women back into danger. So they traveled as stealthily as possible and zigzagging their course southward. Not that it would have made much difference because that one small patch of living terrain was all they had seen for miles. The land was brown and barren with husks of dead trees dotting the landscape providing very little for cover should they come across more demons. Stars could not be seen in the darkened sky, and frequent lightning provided the only source of illumination. It reminded the jedi master of places he had been to corrupted with the dark side of the Force like the Nightmare Lands on the planet Voss, but this was more…much more because at least on Voss things still lived…this place was dead.
Earlier when they searched this direction while at Karnum's Glade, the area felt devoid of the Force. Now as they physically traversed the region he could still sense it, but in a much more diminished capacity and twisted. If he would give it a name he would almost call it an anti-Force. Not a void like that which existed on the planet Nathema where one felt being ripped apart to fill it, or a wound like over Malachor V where one felt a hollowness or an echo of what had once happened…no…here Dorak felt like the Force wanted to bend and twist him…to contort him into something unnatural. And the feeling was worse for Grogg. Since becoming a padawan and his connection to the Force awakened, the orc's strongest ability was to sense and detect life itself which made him a natural healer. In this place where it was twisted and corrupted, that connection was strained and the orc was physically affected because of the corruption brought upon the Living Force by the demons. It was sick and thusly so was Grogg. Illiana spent her time helping the ailing orc as they continued their journey. Unlike the other two, she had been a practitioner of the dark side for years before Daneel freed her from the control of N'Zoth's avatar. Since that time she focused on the light, but she would always know the dark side and struggle constantly to walk the fine line between the two much like one of Daneel's mentors…Revan. To the elf this place was discomforting, but she erected barriers to help her ignore the wrongness of what the other two felt…barriers she had learned to use to protect herself from Drakus.
Grogg was the first to sense the army's approach. The three jedi were in the middle of a valley between two large hills when the orc suddenly doubled over in pain. Illiana ran over to assist him, but it was Dorak who next felt what the orc had. The army was advancing on them quickly, and they were in the middle of open terrain with at least a quarter mile from the base of each hill. The weaponmaster looked behind them to where the demons were approaching, and at that moment time stood still. Through the Force he could see the army. Hundreds of hounds like they had met back in the woods…large red beings similar in appearance to Kitali yet oddly different as some had large reptilian wings and others did not…creatures made of stone that rolled on the ground and at times would unfold into a behemoth of destruction on two legs…and two smaller beings wearing black robes and closer to his size…the leaders. Dorak sensed there was another of these last that was not present with the army, and then time moved forward. He was standing in a valley before a giant circular structure surrounded by the other jedi aligned with those of Kitali's race and the night elves. They stood ready for battle and ahead of them was an army of hundreds of thousands of demons pouring through the structure. Leading them were the three in black robes. The triumvirate guided the demonic horde in battle after battle until finally the jedi and their allies were overrun. Then Dorak saw the world as if flying high above the ground. Everything was burning, the oceans boiled, and the only living things were the demons. Now he was back at the structure where he saw the three robed figures standing before it with their arms raised with bolts of green lighting cast from their fingers gathering at the center to create a maelstrom of energies and from within the void of its center a being of unfathomable darkness and power emerged…everywhere he stepped life expired.
Suddenly he was back in the valley with Illiana and Grogg facing the demon army at their rear. Again he was propelled to seeing the two robed figures leading the demons, and then the Force removed them from his vision…the demons scattered…and then he was back at the valley with the large structure…only one robed being remained with raised arms pouring bolts of green lighting into the center, but nothing happened. The maelstrom of energies that were there before were but a fraction of what had been with the three, and the army of demons the jedi faced numbered only a few thousand and not the hundreds of thousands as before. Dorak could still feel the being of tremendous power, but now held behind the gateway unable to enter this world…and then the weaponmaster knew what he must do. The shatterpoint was now!
Dorak, back in the present with time flowing normally, looked over to the elf helping the troubled orc. He walked over to them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "You two must flee now to the other side of one of these hills," he said calmly. "The army is nearly upon us, and there are too many for the three of us to face."
The two padawans looked at each other and then back to the master. "You will be right behind us…yes?" Illiana asked.
Dorak shook his head as he looked at each in the eyes. "I will remain and hold the army in check long enough for you both to escape," he said solemnly. "I must try to reach and eliminate the two leaders at the head of this army. It is the only chance to defeat the demons."
"That's impossible," Grogg said shaking his head. "You can't do that alone. We will stay with you…"
"You must leave," the weaponmaster said interrupting the padawan. "Continue southward and find Illiana's mother and the other. There is still a chance to save them both, but you must leave now." He looked now specifically at the orc. "Trust in the Force, Grogg, and let it guide you. You have the ability to save her mother…only you can do that now." He looked at the elf. "Trust your feelings, but beware the darker emotions of anger and fear. You have known the dark side and now walk the fine line between the light and the dark…the gray walked by others who have been redeemed as you have. Always will it be a struggle, but you have within you the ability to do great things if you can keep your emotions in control." Dorak turned and walked a few paces away in the direction of the oncoming army. The dust cloud from their advance could now be seen when the lightning flashes lit the sky.
Illiana started to obey the master without voicing her objections. After all, who was she, a mere padawan…an apprentice, to question a master of the order? But Grogg hesitated. "You can't ask us to leave you here to die!" he yelled at Dorak.
The jedi master turned his head to look back at the orc. With a smile he said, "Grogg…there is no death…there is only the Force. Now go!"
When the demons suddenly turned and began marching south, Malfurion was not only confused but concerned. In his spirit form from the Emerald Dream, he followed the army and stayed as close to the two robed leaders as possible. Not much was said as they marched southward, but he could sense much anger from these two strange demons. Several hours passed as the army moved at a pace that even the orcs would be hard pressed to match. It was when they came to a valley between two large hills that things became clearer to the Archdruid. In the middle was a single human wearing white robes kneeling on the ground, hands steepled at his chest, and his head lowered like he was praying. Instead of attacking the single human, the demons surrounded him filling the entire valley. The two robed figures moved forward to stand before the kneeling man, and as Malfurion got closer he noticed a faint glow surrounding him. Not once did the man look up to his adversaries approaching nor did he move to stand or defend himself. The Archdruid knew this man was one of the jedi by the metal cylinder at his waist. The man and woman leading the demons each removed similar weapons from their waists and ignited the orange blades. Malfurion tensed expecting some sort of reaction, but still the man did not move.
"Strange to see a determination to meet your fate, human," the woman said to the kneeling man. "I admire such resignation and acceptance of the inevitable."
"Where are the others?" the robed man asked. Still there was no response from the jedi. The demon took a step closer to him. "I asked you a question…where are your two companions?"
Malfurion watched as the glowing increased around the human, but still he did not respond to them. What was the jedi waiting for? Was he praying to his force to protect him? The Archdruid looked at the thousand demons surrounding the man. No matter how powerful this force was…he could not defeat them all and live.
"Atazay…perhaps he is too preoccupied with praying to his god," the woman said with a chuckle. "Hoping that whatever it is will come and strike us down to spare his life."
The large robed man took another step…one more and he would be standing on the human…and looking down he yelled. "Is that what you do? Is Dzovitza right…that you are praying to your god? It will do you no good." Malfurion could feel the man bristling with anger when the human still did not respond to his outburst. "Speak…damn you!"
Then the human did move, but only his head. As he raised it to look not at the demon, but at something beyond, Malfurion saw a man with an expression of pure serenity. This human, in the face of certain death, was the most calm and peaceful of any being Malfurion had ever witnessed in all the thousands of years of his life. His heart sank in his chest…perhaps it was wrong of his people to put their hopes in these jedi if this one was prepared to die without a fight. The one named Daneel had helped them immensely almost a year ago, but in the face of the Burning Legion…and this small army of its demons…perhaps the jedi were not the ones to help them end the threat. He sighed and turned to leave, but the human spoke…
"Zufa, my love, I will join you soon," the human said quietly.
"Your love? What is this nonsen…" the large robed figure began to say turning his head to look at the woman he called Dzovitza, but at that moment the human threw back his head and his arms to his sides, and from all over his body a blinding flash filled the valley. Malfurion was blinded almost instantly even in his spiritual form, and then a second later a concussive wave threw him from his feet.
Daneel stood next to the railing at the bow of the ship. The winds were bracing, but still comfortable as they blew against his face. Then he felt it…a great disturbance in the Force…and he staggered as he reached out to grab the railing to steady himself…breathless. After a few seconds he recovered and turned to head belowdecks when Kai'moira emerged onto the upper deck. She was wearing the same worried expression he must have been because they both had felt it…Dorak was gone.
Flying over Ashenvale, the dragons were a sight to behold to those on the ground who happened to look up and see them high in the sky. Very rarely did the average person see a dragon, and to see thirty-two flying together was a sight many had never seen nor hoped to ever see again. Near the front of that group was Alexstrasza, the Life Binder, and riding atop her was Zharn, the orc shaman. After the change of plans, the dragons were making good time in their flight to Desolace. Suddenly she faltered almost throwing Zharn from her back. Alexstrasza recovered quickly, but Zharn was instantly concerned.
"Are you alright?" he asked her as he reseated himself.
"I…I am fine," she answered while nodding to her sister who had also noticed the great dragon's brief bobble. "I'll be ok."
"What happened? Sudden wind gust?" the orc asked now very concerned. Dragons were most comfortable in flight as Kuro often stated, and Alexstrasza was the greatest of all the dragons.
"I…I felt something…something through Daneel's Force," she answered. "I think one of the jedi…" her voice trailed off.
"One of the jedi…go on."
"I think one has passed from this world."
"Passed…as in…dead?" the orc asked. The Life Binder only nodded. "Can you tell who it was? How many?"
"I felt only one expire," she answered. "But I do not know which." She looked back at the shaman. "I…I am sorry."
Zharn closed his eyes and lowered his head. One of the jedi had fallen, but which one? Daneel? Dorak? Kai'moira? Or one of the younger ones from this world? And how had that jedi died? Was it a natural cause or at the hands of the demons? His heart sank in his chest, and after a moment he looked over to see Kitali riding atop Ysera looking back at him. With a heavy sigh he signaled to her what Alexstrasza had told him. She lowered her head and buried her face in her hands. Like him the same questions and confusion raced in her mind…one of their friends was gone.
In Mannoroc Coven, Okus scrutinized every detail of the process to rebuild the portal. The previous mistake would not…could not…be repeated. Satyrs and fel orcs worked feverishly, and without breaks, to complete the necessary repairs. Sargeras was not a patient master when his goals were in sight, and he had seen that the triumvirate was ready to lay siege to this world once and for all. Okus smiled to himself knowing that in their victory he could conceivably replace Kil'jaeden at the right hand of his master. At the very least he would rise to the status Archimonde held before he foolishly allowed himself to get killed by these mortals. As he looked up to the top of the portal and then back down at the now more secure base, he was pleased. Soon the others would return with reports of success against the nearby druids, and then they would be ready to welcome their lord and his army into this world. He took a few steps towards a troubling corner of the base when a sudden wave of nausea befell him. He staggered and then fell to a knee. He felt it…he felt them expire…all of them…Atazay…Dzovitza…the entire army…one second there and then the next gone! How could this be? Okus looked up at the portal and his heart sank…it took all three of them to open it the last time…how would he open it now that the others were no more? Sargeras was impatiently waiting on the other side.
Malfurion was back on his feet after a few moments. Even in the Emerald Dream he felt the explosion caused by the kneeling human. Fortunately the blindness of the jedi's attack was only temporary, but as he looked over the valley he wished suddenly that he could not see…nothing was left but piles of ash that blew in the winds. The jedi…the two robed leaders of the demon army…all of the demons…nothing of them was left, and as the winds blew even their ashes would not remain to ever suggest what had happened here. The Archdruid realized that the calm and serene man was building all of his power up to that last second before unleashing it…and annihilating the Legion's small army at the cost of his own life. His earlier doubts about the jedi were now gone and replaced by a new concern…was this the cost to defeat the Burning Legion and Sargeras? If so…was the price too high?
Grogg and Illiana had just began their descent of the other side of the hill to the south when the concussion wave from Dorak's attack on the demons struck the padawans from behind knocking them both to the ground. They lay unconscious for several minutes before Grogg started to stir. His large hand clawed at the dirt as he struggled to raise his head. The whole region had been dark and desolate with frequent flashes of lightning, but as he slowly opened his eyes he saw sunlight shining on his hand. He started to move his head to look over at Illiana, but a sharp pain in his neck stopped him. Closing his eyes he reached within through the Force and found the muscle strain in his neck. Focusing on the damaged cells, he healed his injury before opening his eyes once again. Though his neck wound was healed, it was still very sore as he looked over to where he suspected Illiana had fallen. Like him, she had been thrown to the ground, and he could see a gash on the elf's forehead. He slowly brought up his other arm to raise his sore and beleaguered body. Every muscle in his body ached, but seeing the gash concerned the padawan, and with more effort he got up to his knees. Illiana was only a few feet away from him, and he crawled to sit next to her. Her breathing was shallow, and he reached out with both hands over her head. Closing his eyes, calming his breathing, and reaching out through the Force, Grogg spent the next several minutes healing the damaged cells of the wound on her forehead, and then he stretched out further to normalize her other body functions. Outwardly one could see a golden glow coming from his hands to encompass the elf's body while he used the Force to heal his fellow padawan. When he finished, the orc lowered his hand and slumped as he waited for Illiana to wake.
"H-h-how long…was I…"she started as her eyes slowly opened.
"Several minutes," Grogg answered quietly. "I think we were both unconscious for several minutes more before I woke up." She raised her left hand to her forehead where the cut had been and grimaced. "I think you hit your head on a rock when you fell. I healed it, but I'm sorry about the headache…I can't cure that yet."
"Thank you," she said. Lowering her hand, she pushed on the ground to roll onto her side. She looked up and tried to focus her eyes. "Sunlight?" Grogg nodded to her. She looked around to see it all around them, but only on the hill where they were as towards the bottom the darkness was prevalent and lighting strikes were still frequent in the distance. She swallowed hard before speaking again. "Master Dorak?" she asked.
"I haven't looked," the orc answered. "I woke up, saw your forehead, and that's as far as I've gotten."
"I know he told us to leave," she said as she tried to sit and then to stand. Once on her feet she looked down at Grogg. "We should head back anyway and see if we can help him. Whatever hit us had to have hit him as well…maybe worse."
Grogg nodded and painstakingly got to his feet. Aches and pains wracked his muscles and joints. Looking up towards the top of the hill, they discovered the blast that struck them had thrown them to near the middle of the hill. They looked at each other and with deep sighs arduously climbed to the top. What concerned Grogg as they made their ascent was the unexpected silence. The only sounds were the wind howling and the occasional crack of lighting followed by thunder. He expected to hear at least the roars and shouting of the demons and hoped to hear the thrumming of Dorak's lightsaber…at least that would tell him the jedi was still alive…but he could not hear either and when he looked at Illiana she responded with a shrug of her shoulders. She was plagued by the same concerns as he. The sight they did find when they reached the top was worse than either could have imagined. Each had their lightsaber in hand when they approached the summit expecting to see hundreds of demons, but instead what they gazed upon was an empty valley with a single swirling cloud of ash. Eyes wide in shock and mouths open, the two padawans stared in silence as the sunlight that shone in the valley dissipated into darkness, but in that short span of time they could see everything…which was nothing…no demons…no Dorak…only the single swirling cloud of ash.
"W-wh-what happened?" Grogg asked quietly. "Where's the army? Master Dorak?" He looked over to Illiana, but she didn't answer as she continued to stare at the dark valley. "Illiana? What happened?" He reached over to touch her shoulder, and she jumped to the side and stared at him with wide eyes. "Illiana…what's wrong?"
The elf looked down at the ground and then back into the valley. The urgency from Dorak that the padawans leave him to face a thousand demons alone…the concussive wave that struck them from behind….the eerie silence as they climbed to the top of the hill…and finally the scene below in the valley…she knew what had happened. Drakus had told her of such things, but never did she believe what the old sith had said. How wrong she was to ignore the old stories as she looked at proof of what her old master claimed was possible…Force Explosions. The weaponmaster had built up all the Force energy he could and once amassed and in the vicinity of the demon army he unleashed it...vaporizing everything in the valley including himself. The significance of his sacrifice struck Illiana to her core and she fell to her knees. Tears welled in her eyes. For the second time a jedi had placed his life on the line willing to die if necessary to save her…the first when Daneel shielded her mind from the dominance of N'Zoth and eventually slipped into a coma while in a battle of wills with the Old God's avatar…and now Dorak.
"Illiana?"
In a daze she looked over to Grogg who was now kneeling beside her with his hand on her shoulder. What was that on his face? Worry? Confusion? He was still relatively new to the ways of the jedi and of the Force. Would he understand what Dorak had done? She closed her eyes forcing the tears to run down her cheeks. Turning her head and opening her eyes, Illiana gazed back at the valley below.
"He did it," she whispered. "I never imagined…this…but he actually did it."
"What? What did he do?" Grogg asked. She looked back to his face…eyes searching hers…questioning. "Where's Master Dorak?"
"He's…he's…gone, Grogg," she answered quietly. "They're all gone."
The orc released her shoulder and sat back on his heels in shock. "What do you mean he's gone? Gone how?"
Illiana swallowed before she spoke. "He…he sacrificed himself…"
"No," Grogg said shaking his head. "No…he didn't…" But she looked at him with sad eyes and tears running down her cheeks. "NO!" he yelled and then leapt to his feet and sprinted down the hill to the valley.
Illiana tried to reach out to him, but he was faster and she missed his arm by inches. "Grogg…wait!"
The orc didn't respond and soon she lost him in the darkness. Ignoring her pain and soreness in her joints and muscles, she slowly stood and followed her fellow padawan to the valley. The entire ground was covered in an inch thick layer of ash…all that remained of Dorak and the demon army. Each step was a burden as she neared the approximate place where they had left the jedi master earlier, and it was in that spot she found Grogg on his knees and clawing at the ashes. As she slowly walked closer to the orc she could hear his sobbing, and again tears began falling down her own cheeks. Illiana moved over to him and kneeled in the ashes facing him. She reached out to his shoulder and hesitated before touching him. The orc looked up to her with tear-filled eyes and holding two handfuls of ash.
"Why?" he asked through his sobs. "He was a master….we are mere padawans…he was more important than us…so why?"
"Because…he felt otherwise," she answered with the only one she had. Grogg said nothing. He dropped the ashes and reached over to grab the plasteel pouldrons of her armor and buried his face in her shoulder as sobs continued to wrack his body. She embraced his head and looked up at the dark sky as she cried with him.