Chapter Thirty-six: The Eye of Sageras
Kazzak looked around him in wonder as he walked throughout the hallowed halls. There were places where the yellow stone arches had fallen in. In other places, the designs on the walls had been eroded by ages of seawater.
Yet it was still as magnificent within as without. Indeed, there was a ruinous wonder to the place.
"I never dreamed I would ever be standing here. In this sacred place." he said.
"It is impressive architecture." admitted Gul'dan, his staff tapping the ground. "But it pales in comparison to the prize which lies within. Come Kazzak. Our destiny awaits."
"Why are you so focused on destiny?" asked Kazzak. "Destiny fulfills itself. One should try to look to the wayside now and then."
"I suppose." mused Gul'dan. "Still, I'd rather sight see at a time when we are not being pursued by enemies." They halted suddenly as they turned a corner. There were many red markings upon them, glowing with magic. Gul'dan smiled as he looked at them.
"What is this?" asked Kazzak.
"A record. Written by me." said Gul'dan. "I thought it would be my last legacy. But I have beaten that."
Kazzak read it. Gul'dan had led a team of warlocks deep into the depths and ordered them to fan out. Yet something bothered him. "So you led a large group of warlocks down here then? Why no warriors?"
Gul'dan grunted. "Daelin Proudmoore interfered. I had to have them take a defensive stance to hold them off. I was not expecting the Eye to be guarded. It had been beneath the sea for a very long time, after all."
"Right." said Kazzak.
They marched on. As they walked a force of doomguards suddenly rushed around the corner. They held huge weapons in hand and brandished them. "Turn back you mortals! None may defile the tomb of Sageras!"
"Stay your blade, warrior. " said Kazzak. "I am Kazzak! Do you hear me? Kazzak?!"
The yell halted them in their tracks. They fell to their knees at once. "My Lord, I did not know it was you."
"What has brought you warriors to this place?" asked Kazzak.
"Fifteen years ago when the Warlock Gul'dan was killed by Tichondrius he summoned a number of us." said the warrior. "He charged us with protecting this place from all who did not have Kil'jaden's blessing."
"Why did he not simply take the Eye of Sageras while he was here?" scoffed Gul'dan. "Was he a fool?"
"No mortal or immortal save perhaps Archimonde could properly wield the Eye." said the warrior. "And he has forbidden its use. Did Tichondrius send you?"
"Tichondrius is dead, happily." said Gul'dan. "I am here to salvage his mistakes."
The warrior narrowed his eyes. "Who is this, Kazzak?"
"This is the sorcerer Gul'dan." said Kazzak. "He has been restored to serve the Legion once more. He and I have been sent to retrieve the Eye. Lord Archimonde has been sorely wounded and we will need it if we are to save him."
A murmur of unease went through them. "Archimonde wounded?" asked the warrior. "These are dark times indeed. I stand ready to die in your service."
"Gather your brethren." said Kazzak. "There is a large force of our enemies coming in after us. They are too powerful for us to face alone. You and your warriors must delay them as long as you can, though I fear they may be too powerful for you to defeat.
"Our mission rests on our actions today."
"So be it!" cried the warrior. "Complete your mission, Kazzak! These foul intruders shall find our steel waiting for them!"
Kazzak clapped him on the shoulder and nodded. "Fight well, brothers. And farewell."
They marched on past. As they walked they saw many of the denizens of the tomb mustering for war. Hydras and murlocs and sludgelike monstrosities. Behind them, they could hear the sound of spells and steel. Their pursuers were now fighting with the guards. Yet with all the creatures within this place, Kazzak was certain they would have the time they needed.
His fallen brethren had met an honorable end. And their sacrifice might well mean the Legion's victory. Kazzak was proud of them.
As they walked they came to yet more runes. These ones' told of the warlocks splitting up into many places. Kazzak gazed at them in surprise. "So you were alone. Why did you tell the other warlocks to fan out? Were you trying to get them all killed?" "Actually yes." admitted Gul'dan, voice amused. "I expected to have to fight them when we reached the Eye. This way they would, at least, distract the guardians."
"So there was no trust between you then?" asked Kazzak.
"Not after what they forced me to do, no." said Gul'dan. His voice held anger. Deeply personal anger. Kazzak wondered what act could make someone with so few standards so furious. It must have been something truly depraved. "Come, we should move on."
On they marched. And the sound of combat was drawing steadily nearer. Then they came to yet more runes. And these one were different. Kazzak gazed at them in surprise. They chronicled Gul'dan's last moments. He died alone, wounded, with no one to help him. "…This is blood?"
Gul'dan shrugged. "I was somewhat lacking in ink. I wonder why no one washed it off."
"We doomguards like to leave markers demonstrating where our enemies attacked our fortresse." said Kazzak. He wrote his log in his own blood? That wasdeterminationn. "Yet why were you writing? Surely it could not help you."
"I always knew it was possible I would die before I became a god." said Gul'dan as they walked on. "That I might fail. So I took to writing in my spare hours. If I will not live on for eternity, then let my knowledge and legacy live on in my stead."
"Wise words." said Kazzak. "Yet we doomguards believe that it is only through service to the whole that ones truly becomes great. All of us are warriors in our own right. Yet at the same time we are one."
"Interesting." said Gul'dan. "I am surprised such shamanistic beliefs have survived in a race devoted to the Legion." His voice was a little too condescending for Kazzak's tastes.
"I know well that other demons do not believe in the cause." growled Kazzak. "The pit lords use it only as an excuse to cause blood and death. Yet we doomguards do serve the cause. And we have never failed in our duty since the day we were uplifted."
"Well just see to it that you do not in the future." said Gul'dan, voice eager. "We are nearly there."
They passed to the great doors. Here Gul'dan tried to push them aside. Yet they would not budge. Stepping back Gul'dan raised his hands. "Keep watch. It will just take me a moment to open these. We need only a little time."
As he began to channel power, Kazzak heard the weapons very near. He could make out individual voices among them, now. One was Arthas, the Prince he had faced before. Kazzak felt somewhat torn as Gul'dan chanted.
On the one hand, another duel with Arthas would be a welcome pleasure. On the other, the situation was to their disadvantage. Reluctantly he hoped Gul'dan finished soon.
Now the sound of fighting had stopped. The sound of armored feet was in the air. Kazzak looked to Gul'dan. The warlock sent a bolt of green energy forward. It hit the door and the stone portal shattered into thousands of pieces.
"Through the door!" said Gul'dan. "We must gain the Eye!"
They rushed through. And Kazzak saw it. It coursed with the power of the Void. To look at it was to look at the end of all things. And to imply the great renewal which would follow this failed universe's fall.
"Yes… here it is." said Gul'dan, walking forward and reaching out with one hand. "At long last I have it. It… is… mine…" His hand froze, and he shook visibly. Kazzak glanced back to the hall. The alliance would be here soon.
"Is something wrong?" asked Kazzak.
"…My will is not my own." said Gul'dan, voice quiet. "I am enslaved to that cursed Ner'zhul once again… No… I will… not… be… denied this…"
"Perhaps you should have your crisis of faith later, Warlock." said Kazzak as the enemy rounded the corner and rushed into the room. "Good day to you, Prince Arthas."
"Kazzak." said Arthas.
The high elf stepped forward. "It has been a long time, Gul'dan."
Gul'dan looked up. His eyes narrowed as fel energies rose around him. There was recongntion in that gaze. "I have no idea who you are."
The high elf narrowed his eyes. "I am Prince Kael'thas! We did battle in the Ghostlands of Quel'thalas."
"I've done battle with many people." noted Gul'dan. "Remind me, what exactly is Quel'thalas and why should I care?"
"The high elven Kingdom you nearly laid to waste!" roare Kael'thas.
"Oh right, that backwater." said Gul'dan. "You'll have to forgive me. I was rather preoccupied by orcs and humans."
Kazzak laughed.
At which point the night elf male came forward. The power of nature coursed through him as he summoned vines from the ground. Here was the heart of nature itself, come to face them in battle. "Foul creature. Your unholy works-"
Gul'dan fired a bolt of energy which blasted him through the chest. "I heard enough of this nonsense from Velen."
Battle was joined. Kazzak rushed at Arthas and their weapons met in a flurry of strokes. Out of the corner of his eye, Kazzak spotted Gul'dan fending off a massive barrage of magical energy. Such was the intensity of it that Kazzak thought he'd be destroyed.
Yet Gul'dan seemed to be drawing strength from the Eye. And with the aid of Kazzak's escort, the battle went back and forth. One of the naga females from before summoning a whirlwind. It threw many of the doomguards against the wall. One of her arrows pierced another through the eye.
Kazzak stepped aside from one of Arthas' swing and bashed him with the pommel of his sword. It sent the Prince falling back. Kazzak brought down his sword to split his skull, but Arthas rolled aside in time before getting to his feet. A red-haired human woman cast a sphere of flame at Kazzak and he summoned a defense. Yet the power of it was beyond expectations.
He was thrown back and Arthas pressed his attack. Parrying several strikes, Kazzak leaped back and lashed out whip his whip. It wrapped around Arthas' hammer and with a pull he threw Arthas to one side. Things were going badly. The red-haired sorceress and Prince Kael'thas were hurling spells. They were rapidly burning through his escort.
Kazzak rushed up to Gul'dan, motioning to his remaining warriors to do the same. As they rushed to safety Gul'dan tapped the ground with his staff and a great wave of fire protected them. Moments later an onslaught of magic hit the shield and was scarcely deflected.
"This is going poorly." said Kazzak.
"Your powers of observation continue to astound." said Gul'dan. "The Eye may be of some use here then. How I loathe teleporting." He grabbed the eye. There was a flash of green light, and then they were standing on their ships, heading back to Northrend.
Kazzak smiled.
"Rejoice brothers!" he cried. "We have the Eye of Sageras! Now the destruction of this world is assured!"
There was a flash of green light and they were gone. Wiping the blood from his face Arthas rushed up to the place where the Eye had been. "Damn it! They got away!" "Don't worry about them, Arthas." said Alara. "Archdruid Stormrage needs your help now."
Arthas glanced back. Malfurion was bleeding heavily. He was surprised he had lasted that long. "Right. One moment." He rushed up to Malfurion and channeled the light into the wound. "How has he survived such a wound this long?"
"I know something of healing." admitted Alara.
"I thought you were a sorceress." said Arthas. The wound was knitting together now.
"I dabble in many skills." said Alara.
That was an excuse. The arcane arts did not transfer well into the art of healing. They were two completely different styles. It was possible that Alara had limited skill. But the explanation still didn't sit right with him. And if Alara has spent time on two different arts of magic, she should not have had anywhere near the level of power she had demonstrated today.
She was easily Kael'thas equal.
So why had he never heard of her? Something was wrong here.
"This is intolerable. They have escaped us!" hissed Vashj. "But they will not get far. The naga will scour the seas and rivers of this world. Nothing will stop us from reclaiming our lost artifact.
"For now, you have a new ally in the Naga, Prince Kael'thas."
"Excellent." said Kael'thas. "Once we've seen to Lord Stormrage we should return to the surface and get the colony underway." He looked to Vashj. "As for their destination, I know where they've gone."
"Where?" asked Vashj.
"To Northrend. It's where they have their base of operations." said Kael'thas. "There is already an Alliance Fleet en route there. You should go and aid them."
"We will discuss strategy aboveground." said Malfurion with a groan. "I have never seen such a powerful warlock."
"Gul'dan is the strongest of his kind." said Kael. "Can you stand?"
"Yes." said Malfurion, forcing his way up. "We have much work to do."
Wasn't that the understatement of the century?
Author's Note:
Well, here we have chapter 36. I didn't see Arthas or the others developing any in this chapter. And Kazzak is fun to write. So I figured I'd write this chapter from the bad guys perspective. It gives me a chance to develop his relationship with Gul'dan.
In fact, Kazzak has arguably been the main protagonist of these past few chapters. He's the one with the quest. He's the one with everything to lose. And he's also sort of the underdog.