Chapter 24

The vanguard was starting to fall. One moment of fatigue or confusion and they were down. We were losing numbers quickly. But only a section of the portal remained.

"Hold on!" I yelled, and with a grimace I recalled my wolves from Anduin, kneeling down and spawning as many as I could.

I watched as they found themselves a member of the guard, bolstering them with light magic, and assisting in the assault.

I looked to Anduin through the chaos, his face streaked with sweat and dirt as he forced every drop of strength out of himself.

His eyes found mine, the blue light that poured out of them and caressed my skin gave me a second wave of energy, on a warm breeze of honey and mint.

I gave him a smile, before I turned to fight my way upwards and around-a door stood ahead.

I allowed my magic to rip into everything around me-the roars of orcs as they were torn apart sickened me, enforced by the gore that stuck to my sweaty skin. I kept moving.

I pushed my way inside, and let loose a snarl of surprise and rage.

Gul'Dan, in all of his wretched glory, stood before me, chained to four magical stones. The dead screamed here.

"Set me free, and the portal will close," The orc said, burning red eyes piercing me, and I hesitated.

If I free him, then he will slink into the shadows.

If I don't…

I roared, reaching out spectral hands and shattering the stones in rapid succession, watching the souls around me fade back into rest.

Gul'Dan is free.

"I have a feeling I will see you again. You and your power…" Gul'Dan reached out a hand, but I reigned in my power quickly, clinging to it as though it were someone dear to me that this monster just tried to caress.

With that, he opened a portal, and was gone.

I will have to bring him down-but that was for another time. For now, we must focus on surviving on this world.

I made it back outside to utter chaos. The vanguard was struggling, and the portal's close hadn't gone unnoticed.

"We gotta go. Now!" I launched myself up the steps, yanking vanguard along with me and sending waves of energy back to keep them off my tail. I felt blood trickle down my face, and put a hand to my nose.

It came back bloody.

"No more magic Jadearra! You're overextended! Bring in the wolves!" Khadgar yelled, and I called them in as Anduin pulled me to the platform, his own being shaky with fatigue as he sent out more magic to bolster our remaining forces.

I sighed as power returned to me, and looked out into the chaos for Teir, spotting her amongst a pile of gore, screaming and cackling as she ripped into things.

She sensed me, and looked up, the sanity piecing back together behind her eyes as I looked into her, and she nodded, moving her horror train of blood back towards the platform.

"Let's go!" I yelled, pulling away from Anduin's grip to get people moving, nocking arrows and firing behind us as vanguard moved in.

We fled, moving down the backside of the portal, diving headfirst into the dense, foreign jungle.

This was no hunt, nor battle. This was a retreat for our lives.

We came upon a village, and ducked down into the trees, and I bristled at the cages of orcs and Draenei.

"Frostwolves." Thrall growled low beside me, pointing out the grey and white emblem at their waists, "sacrifices. This is Bleeding Hollow land."

I bared my teeth, remembering the blood red, fel crazed orcs of Hellfire Peninsula-these are not the same orcs.

"We need to get them out of their cages-they could help us." I whispered, and I heard a grumble.

"Leave that to us, Jadearra."

I looked over my shoulder and jumped to see Kenlora wearing bloodied armor that definitely couldn't be hers, with a Darnassian emblem on the breast. Beside her was Teir, whose mind was still a crackling mess.

"Nice armor. You can pull of a distraction and get them out of there?" I asked, and Kenlora grimaced.

"One vanguard's death garb is another's survival," Kenlora said simply, and Teir added on, "Trust me kid, I'm good at distracting."

I nodded after a moment, and they faded into the foliage quickly, and I didn't even hear their breath.

"Send scouts ahead, figure out where we can get weapons for these survivors." I said, and I heard rustling to my left.

"What about you?" Anduin's lips were by the lobe of my ear, his breath causing them to twitch.

"I'm watching Teir-she's not doing well." I murmured, and he nodded, settling in beside me with on arm bracing me, and we waited.

We didn't have to wait long.

With a bang, a set of huts blew up, with orcs fleeing them in fear. Teir emerged, cackling as she swung her blades into whatever orcs survived the initial explosion. She was really shaky, but holding on with a finger.

Kenlora snuck in behind her, a shadow on the ground that I almost didn't notice, and then cages were unlocked, and scouts emerged from the trees, guiding them away from the chaos.

More explosions, more survivors being freed, and more blood, and then it was done. Teir put fires out almost as quickly as she started them, and they returned to the shadows.

It was a silent agreement to move, and we swung around to meet with the rest of the party. Anduin joined Kenlora and Maraad in healing the survivor's wounds, and we kept moving.

We came upon an alter, where some kind of blood magic was being performed, and my stomach twisted as I noticed the bones littering the ground.

"I can out the magic-" I gasped as a voice entered my mind.

Invaders…

"The eye of Kilrogg is here," Thrall said, his voice low, and I realized he was right.

Atop the alter, staring right at us, was a golden spectral eye that was filled with hate.

"We haven't long. I can go in and disable the eye, while you go around, find us a resting place," I whispered, and a rough Orcish hand came down on my shoulder.

"I will go with you," A greyish orc with piercing gold eyes nodded, looking straight ahead.

"Thank you, Ariok," Khadgar supplied the orc's name for me, and I nodded.

"Let's go then," I turned to move forward, but Anduin grabbed my arm, forcing me to look at him.

His eyes said all that was needed, "Go, Princeling. I'll be right behind you," I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forward, before I shook his grip and moved towards the alter.

Ariok was silent behind me, and I dropped to all fours as the scent of blood grew stronger, I prowled through the overgrowth, stopping when a sentry walked by, holding my breath when he inhaled and stopped.

An arrow nocked and into his throat before he could even blink. Ariok brought the body into the shadows and retrieved the arrow for me, and we kept moving.

Four feet of open path between our shadowy trail and the stairs to the top of the alter. I watched the sentries for a few moments…Every seventy seconds we were in range to be caught by one.

A sentry passed by. Five seconds…we raced to the steps, secluded in the shadows once again. We moved the top in silence, Ariok leading this time while I watched our backs. We reached the top of the steps, and I felt the intense magical presence of Kilrogg's gaze.

You will die…

I reached out a magical hand and crushed the eye of Kilrogg, absorbing the residual magic and protecting our party.

"So you're the rats mucking about my jungle!"

Ariok and I looked, and I balked at the sight of Kilrogg, backed by a large number of hulking berserker orcs.

"Go," Ariok grunted, and I looked at him, perplexed, "What?"

"Go!" He shoved me towards the other staircase, before he jumped down and landed in the middle of the blood ritual.

My stomach clenched and I flinched as a wave of magic shot out from him, and he exploded into a berserker.

"GO. FIND. KHADGARRRR…" With a roar, Ariok launched himself at Kilrogg and his clan, and I turned away, leaping down the steps and racing into the jungle.

I looked for my bond to Teir, and let that guide me to the party quickly, and I came upon them in the shadows of a set of large wagons, where survivors were being tended to and everyone was resting.

Anduin and Teir leapt up at my arrival, Anduin reaching me first as he crushed me in his arms, his heart thundering, "We heard the chaos, where's Ariok?"

I shook my head, explaining quickly, and our party was quiet in honor of Ariok.

"We must keep moving. There are prisoners within the camp across the path, and Shattered Hand orcs are numerous," Khadgar said, and I went for my bow when-

"No, Jadearra, this is a targeted extraction mission. You cannot," Thrall said, and I looked at him like he was out of his mind.

"Maraad and I will go," Thrall continued, and I bristled, teeth bared, "While you and Teir cause a distraction."

I looked at Teir, and she nodded, gore hardening in her hair, and her skin cracked in numerous places.

"Mind their blades-more than likely they been augmented with poison," Kenlora said, and I detected the underlying concern in her tone.

Anduin looked at me, eyes burning, and I squeezed his hand, promising my return, before we took off.

Teir and I were dead silent, needing nothing more than glances to plan, and we reached the edges of the camp quickly. I took in the scene-dozens of orcs, all with large, serrated blades in place of their left hands.

I looked at Teir, and I saw as well as felt the cracking sanity that showed in her eyes, and she brandished her blades silently, nodding to me. I nocked a series of arrows and let fly, taking out the first couple of the closest orcs, and Teir leapt into the camp with a fatal silence.

We kept our mouths shut and our breaths scarce, but our deadly actions proved distraction enough.

We were soon swimming through orcs, ducking under and dodging serrated blades that looked like butcher's knives. I nearly got nicked at one point, and Teir turned to cover me-

Her eyes grew in size, and her mouth gaped as the blade of an orc pierced the skin of her shoulder, and I heard the slicing of muscle and bone, and the squelching of gore, and the blade came out the other side, completely separating her arm, which fell to the ground, limp and flaking.

Teir's madness crashed into me, along with her agony and her fury, and I let loose with a roar. Magic raced out of me, knocking the orcs away with a forceful slam. I caught Teir, whose expression mirrored mine.

I lifted her body up bridal style, bringing her departed arm with me and curling it into her torso, and I nearly fell as a sickening agony hit me-

Mind their blades-more than likely they been augmented with poison.

I forced myself forward, sending out wave after wave of power to clear the path.

I seized up around Teir as a wrenching pain tore through my shoulder-

Whatever happens to me, happens to you Kid. Run.

I screamed, leaping the border of the camp and into the sight of the party.

Anduin and Kenlora wore twin looks of utter horror, and Kenlora was beside us between one blink and the next. She snatched Teir from me possessively, bringing the detached arm with her, and she started whispering in rushed, panicked Darnassian, rushing her to the shade of the wagons.

I fell to my knees, screaming as my skin split and bones throbbed, and I felt a sickening wave of weakness slam into me, along with utter terror. Anduin was there immediately, scooping me up and rushing me to the shade, laying my down beside Teir.

"They're-."

"I know"

"What do we-."

"I don't know!"

My vision went sideways as a sickening agony flooded my veins, along with the tearing of muscle. I screamed as blood filled my mouth. "P-poison-."

My back arced, putting unnecessarily agonizing weight on my torn shoulder, which triggered a fresh wave of pain so strong that I felt nauseated. My head went to the side, and I met Teir's gaze, nearly white with insanity and pain, and I felt those emotions within my own soul. Her mouth was open in a silent scream and her face held the expression of object terror.

"Jadearra! Use your magic!"

I pulled in every ounce of power to me, blood dribbling down my chin and gushing from my nose as I forced it all to my shoulder, and I screamed as I felt tendrils of tendon and tissue attempt to stitch together. Teir's own agony joined mine, and I realized that this was a shadow effect for her.

I forced myself up, and I felt hands try to force me down again. "Off!"

I turned and threw myself at Teir, the impact painfully jarring enough that my vision stopped for a moment, replaced with explosions of colour as pain shook through me. I continued forcing power through my shoulder, biting down through my lip and tasting blood as I writhed, Teir's own body roiling beneath mine as I forced our shoulders to keep contact.

"I-can't-!"

All at once, the pain was gone, and the absence of it was painful in and of itself. I fell away, onto my back, gulping in humid jungle air for my starving lungs. My eyes watered and my face was bloody. I didn't dare look at my arm.

"Jadearra…"

Anduin's gaze swept into my vision, blue eyes burning brightly with tears and fear. I managed to nod, and I tried to move my hands.

I felt both, and when I looked, my arm was attached firmly at the shoulder again. Where the tear had originated was a single band of ridged, red scar tissue-a permanent blemish to my milky white flesh.

I sat up completely, my skin clammy and cold from exertion, and I wiped at the blood on my face, spitting the last of it out of my mouth.

I heard a whimper from beside me, and when I turned to look, my stomach clenched in sympathetic agony.

Teir cradled her arm, curled into a ball around it as black oil oozed from her eyes, and she expelled a small, choked sob as the arm decayed in her lap, turning to bone, then dust that fell between her fingers. Where it had been attached was a thick layer of the same reddened scar tissue, uglier against her dead, grey skin than against my own pale skin. Kenlora held her as she cried, and I felt guilt.

Teir was always a being of both hands-two blades, two loyalties, two sides.

Two homes.

Two Lives.

Two Arms.

Now, she was one handed, and she ran shaking fingers over the new scar tissue, her quiet, sad pain oozing through the bond like her tears did from her eyes.

"How will I fight?" were her only words, but they were enough.