Chapter Ten
The week passed quickly and Coria found herself back in front of Aethas, her face a stony mask of no emotion. The senior Archmage glanced up into his apprentice's eyes sensing a change in her. She was more quiet and subtle, perhaps a hint of frustration or anger he sensed? It didn't matter to him quite frankly, as long as she did what he asked, he was content. Still, he sensed the new direction in which she was heading was going to make her more productive.
"I've compiled all I've learned over the past week and I believe I have placed the key members they rely on... taking them out should certainly lead to the Order's crumbling. Thus, I am leaving the woman I believe to be their leader for last, this way we can confront her at the next Gathering of Magi in one weeks time. You will need to eliminate all these members as I precisely instruct, otherwise we risk their leader fleeing the scene and thus converting to the other side before we can stop them."
Coria raised an eyebrow, "Where do you believe they are all based? As well as who is their presumed leader?" she asked. He flipped through several papers before pulling out a single piece of parchment with a list of scribbles on it. "The core group is made up of those who guard the Violet Stand below us, which would make sense if they were to ever invade Dalaran as they would have direct access. Amongst them I believe Melindra is the Order's leader... I fear she might be under the influence of a spell but regardless we cannot take chances." Coria nodded in agreement.
"Yet the remaining members are those most effected by the Azure Dragonflight out in the field; those at the Amber Ledge and the small group in the Transitus Shield just outside of the Nexus... I too fear they have been swayed by the song of Malygos." he murmured.
"And I am to eliminate them in what order?" she asked blatantly. Aethas looked up suddenly; such bluntness surprised him. "It would be smart to wipe out those inside the shield as they will not be able to contact the Amber Ledge group in time" he said fairly. "From there take out the remaining and return to the forest below. I will force Melindra to come here and while she is away slay the remainders. I will keep Melindra here until it is time for the Gathering and there we will splay our hand and reveal the intentions of our actions. Not even Modera nor Krasus knows of this and I believe they will be most impressed."
"And Rhonin?" Coria asked.
Aethas looked up, "I believe he would be proud as well." Aethas said, a defining note in his voice. Coria allowed herself to smile slightly at this. It would do her good to show Rhonin her strength and how much she had grown. "What of the Crystal that allows access to the city?" she asked. Aethas paused for a moment, then said: "Bring it here, it would be unwise to leave it in the open."
The elf nodded and got up abruptly to leave but her mentor held up a single hand, staying her for a moment. "Before you leave, I have prepared something that might assist you over the next few days..."
Aethas reached under his desk and procured a round crystal vial filled to the brim with a sparkling red concoction. The amount inside would be drained in perhaps three sips, but Coria could sense magic was swirling in those ruby depths. The senior Archmage un-stoppered the vial and dropped the crystal cork onto his desk, offering the potion to Coria. "It will amplify your abilities and perhaps open your mind to a few unseen things." he explained.
Convinced, Coria took the vial and downed the crimson drink, the last droplets stinging against the back of her throat. As she set the glass container back down her body began to tingle, and she felt her senses begin to open. The elf glanced around; Colors were more vivid, shapes clearer, smells stronger, sounds sharper... it was exhilarating.
"How long does this last?" Coria asked, starring down at her fingertips. "One full day." came his answer. "I believe that shall be enough time for you to at least destroy the members inside the Shield and on the Ledge."
She nodded softly and glanced to him, "I'll return soon then."
With this, Coria swept from the room, a blazing look of determination set on her face. She tore down the hallways and rounded about the final one that lead out of the Citadel... but as she did, she was greeted by a familiar, and surprising, sight.
"Coria." Rhonin spoke, smiling gently at her. His eyes looked her up and down, taking in her new appearance. Coria's determination slid to the back of her mind as she stared at Rhonin. "Master." she said numbly.
His eyes flickered back to hers, "I am not your mentor anymore, you know this." he noted softly. "You have changed, however... the red eyes are new."
Confused by the statement, Coria glanced to the reflective walls next to her and was shocked to find her eyes were, indeed, a deep red. Part of the potion, no doubt.. she thought, not worrying about it at all. Her mind returned to Rhonin and his statement of her changing. "I have." she declared.
At the tone in her voice, Rhonin's expressions hardened slightly. A steely edge entered his voice. "Be mindful of Aethas, Coria, his methods are more different than mine." he warned. "Are you saying my past work under his tutoring has been unsatisfactory? Has it not improved my magical knowledge and skill?" she said hotly, flaring up at Rhonin immediately.
At the sound of her tone, his expression softened. "I did not mean to offend, I am merely offering my advice and knowledge." he said quietly. Feeling suddenly foolish for getting defensive at Rhonin and gaining a tone with him, Coria simmered down and glanced away. "I did not mean to become so rude." she murmured. "It has just been..." "A long week" he finished for her, his gentle smile coming back. "And on said note, I will leave you to do your work... I can sense your busy."
Coria glanced up and Rhonin placed on a hand on her cheek, staring warmly into her eyes. "I have always loved you like my own, Coria. Never forget that"
And with this, he disappeared down the adjacent hallway.
Coria sighed to herself and the blazing determination returned to the front of her mind. She swept from the Citadel and headed for Krasus' Landing. From there she would have ample room to teleport just outside Coldarra and the Transitus Shield. Teleportation directly into the area would be near impossible due to the numerous amounts of blue dragons swarming over the area and the countless spells that guarded the area. Further more, teleporting directly into the Shield would be considerably foolish as her aspect of surprise would not be as great as if she were to enter unknown into the Shield.
Thinking this, she arrived at the spacious grounds, greeted by the familiar sights of flying mounts and even mechanical contraptions. Of course a goblin or a gnome was always under one of said devices. The mage headed for the far corner of the veranda and mouthed the incantation, fixing the coastline of the Tundra in her mind; her destination.
A blue rift of magic tore open the air in front of her and the scene she had pictured in her mind was now visible through the rift. Coria took a deep breath and plunged through the magic veil. Sand crunched under her feet as she stepped onto the shore and the portal behind her snapped shut.
She had arrived.
Coria turned her attention to the shimmering block of pure white ice rising out of the frigid waters beside her. A black hole of malicious clouds rolled over the icy stronghold, while azure rifts of magic flashed in and out of sight through the clouds. Amidst their swirling depths was no doubt the Oculus, the Nexus and the personal sanctum of Malygos: the Eye.
The elf mage sighed and tapped into the magic around her, pushing her body up and allowing her to glide through the air with ease. Using this ability, Coria flew low along the icy waters to the edge of Coldarra, then swooping up along the solid walls and over the basin's rim. She landed on a slope of snow and glanced down into the bastion of magic.
Surge needles shot skyward and columns of raw magic swirled along the landscape while earth covered rings rotated around them. She could faintly see blue dots patrolling around and on the rings. Coria pushed herself up and flew down to the edge of the basin, landing softly in a patch of trees. To her right she knew laid the Transitus Shield. The mage drifted through the trees and trudged up a small slope, her senses tingling slightly as she neared the edge of the shield. With a flick of her hood, Coria slipped inside.
Eight mages occupied the scene. She knew everyone of them. Warmages Calandra, Hollister and Watkins stood in a triangle, fueling the magic to sustain the spell constantly. Adami, Berinand, Raelorasz, Tiare and Serrah remained. They stood around reading from tomes or studying pieces of work; the fools.
Coria delved deep in her mind and there she found that vein. The single, most powerful one she had been seeking. Broken under her pushing, it flooded her being with a vast amount of magic and might, opening her senses and fingertips to a plethora of new spells and abilities. Her crimson eyes flickered towards the three warmages fueling the Shield. With a flick of her wrist a withering inferno shot from her palm and sped towards the three women.
They gave Coria incredulous looks and dove out of the burning spell, loosing control of their spells and control of the Shield. Without a constant influx of energy, the spell began to dissolve away above them.
"Are you mad! You traitor!" screamed one of the other mages.
Coria didn't care.
She loosed spell after spell against the mages, killing four in no time under her wrath. Raelorasz, with a roar, transformed into his ruby dragon form and took flight alongside the other red dragon that guarded the Shield. Coria instantly summoned a bubble of arcane energy as two jets of flames ripped from the dragons maws and threatened to engulf her. They did nothing however, instead bouncing off her shield. She tore the bubble away quickly and grabbed the fire quickly from the air, lacing it with arcane energy and forming it into a glittering ball of fury.
The sphere of energy slammed into one ruby dragons side and he plummeted instantly with a roar of dismay. Coria grinned and a trio of blue fireballs tore from her palm and extinguished the remaining mages alive, leaving nothing but rubble and bodies behind in her wake. Raelorasz made to dive at her but suddenly a blue shape slammed into his side.
Without the Shield guarding their presence, the Azure dragons instantly noticed a ruby shape flying in their midst. With a cry of pain, he was torn to pieces by three furious Azure dragons whom had no questions at the sudden appearance of the smaller dragon. Coria pulled her hood back up and quickly disappeared down the slope and into the trees, preparing herself to fly to the nearby Amber Ledge.
The entire firefight had taken no more than ten minutes, but then again that's all she needed. With a small smile of satisfaction, Coria lifted into the air and swooped off towards the next outpost. In no time she reached the Amber Ledge but before she dove in, Coria hovered high above the outpost contemplating how she would approach this.
There must at least twenty mages down there...
She thought, truly wondering if her new found strength would carry her that far. Spells of how to accomplish what lay before her danced inside her mind. Advanced fireballs, showers of Arcane bolts, Curtains of frost... it was all there. With a smirk of confidence, Coria dove downwards. As she dropped in altitude, Coria waxed barrier after barrier of fire magic in front of her. The heat rose around her and she became a bullet of white hot flames. With a deafening boom, she slammed into the side of the Mage Tower that looked over the small outpost. Stone burned, glass shattered and flames licked the entire inside of the building as Coria crashed through one side and out the other. With a second blast, she slammed into a group of several mages.
Unknowing, the group was instantly killed as Coria's living bomb impacted into the earth and tore a large crater into the landscape. As the smoke and dust cleared, Coria stood in the middle completely unscathed. She yelled in both excitement and fury and five glowing spheres of fire tore from the fingertips of one of her hands. As they shot forward they loosed off rays of molten fire, lashing out at anyone who happened to be close by. Completely unbidden, the fire spells moved on their own and Coria advanced forward.
The numerous ruby dragons who resided in the ledge roared and swept towards her, loosing flames from their gaping maws. Coria clapped her hands together and a ring of frosty, blue magic shot forward, slamming into the majority of the incoming dragons. Their wings icy and laden, they fell to the ground but the ones who avoided her spell shot at her.
Coria dove out of the way as several whips of fire attacked her, managing to dodge all but one. Her side seared with pain as the flames licked her ribs, burning away her robes and even her armor, leaving her with a glassy, red burn. Ignoring the pain, Coria shot an army of frost bolts at the furious dragons, managing to hit every one with pinpoint accuracy. As they crashed into the tower and ground, she whispered words of death and loosed several spells, ending the dragon threat.
Faced now with a wall of mages, Coria charged at them bravely and in moments, tore them to pieces. Raining curtains of molten flames, dancing clouds of furious Arcane magic and blackouts of frigid frost bolts tore from her fingertips and palms with ease, ending life after life. As it was all said and done and a body count of over twenty lay at Coria's feet, she glanced over herself. Her neck and ribs were seared with burns, her left forearm cracked from an angry frost bolt and her left leg throbbing with pain. The elf's eyes burned a raging crimson and she heaved up and down, her lungs burning as stinging air filled them.
It was over.
She was worn, weary and well over her limits... but she still had three more targets. Could she do it? Coria laughed. After all she had just done, three more foes seemed nothing. She had killed a mixture of angry dragons, inexperienced and knowledged spellweavers and some of the Kirin Tor's best warmages. But they were all traitors! Filth Coria thought as she looked down at one of the mages at her feet. She spat on the corpse.
With a final sigh, she limped over to a patch of uncharred and unmarked land, deciding to finally end this. Picturing the Violet Stand in her mind, Coria hopped through a portal and landed at the top of the night elf ruins. A bit off, Coria thought, smiling to herself as she gripped a nearby pillar for support. Below her lay the Violet Stand, covered in a similar bubble like that of the Transitus Shield. Inside Coria hoped would only be three mages and not four. Hopefully by now Melindra was gone and with Aethas.
"She is gone."
Coria suddenly perked up. Where had that voice come from?
"Aethas?" she called out quietly, glancing around.
"Down here."
Coria glanced down, finding a sizeable ruby at her feet. Inside was a pair of piercing gold eyes, swirling amongst the gems depths. Coria swooped down and picked it up, starring into the two eyes. "Melindra is with me. Slay the remaining mages and return to me. I will talk with you then." Suddenly the gem burst and dissolved to red dust, the wind carrying away the remaining pieces of the mystical gem.
Her answer given, Coria glided down to the outside of the bubble and with a similar move like before, she slid inside the Stand. Four Warmages greeted her sight.
Four?
Coria thought quickly, noting the additional high elf mage. Aethas hadn't mentioned him.
She shrugged inwardly and before the group could all turn their heads, Coria launched a shower of arcane bolts at the three in the center guarding the crystal. Two managed to dive away but the third was not so lucky and took the bolts full blast. Launched off his feet, the human mage landed on the ground, dead. Choice words flew from the other three's mouths and they charged Coria.
The Archmage froze the human and elf women, whipping her other palm around and tearing them to pieces with shards of arcane magic. Unable to raise a defense in time, however, the fourth mage slammed a wall of energy into her. Coria yelped and was slammed into the ground, blood quickly spilling into her mouth and out of her presumably broken nose. Angry, Coria sprung to her feet and prepared to fling a raging fireball at the other elf, but a hand suddenly grabbed her throat.
Coria was brought high into the air and back down again, her body slamming into the ground she had just gotten up from. Stone shattered and formed a crater around her as pain shockwaved through her body. Her eyes fluttered open and she could see the fourth mage standing over her, a look of disgust on his face. "Foolish girl!" he yelled, his palm beginning to glow a bright silver.
Coria rolled out of the way just as a blast of magic tore open the ground she had just been laying on. With a scream of fury, she unleashed a globe of white, burning magic from her palms. Unsure if it was any of the main schools of magic, the raw energy tore into the final mage and with a flash of light was gone. What remained behind was nothing, not even ashes. Coria gaped at the scene, had she really just done that?
Perturbed, she stumbled over to the floating crystal that allowed access up into Dalaran and grabbed it. The humming it procured stopped and the sounds of the forest resumed around her. Exhaustion and pain began to blanket Coria's senses and she summoned a portal to Aethas' office before she collapsed. Finished with her task, she stepped through and collapsed on the other side.