Hey guys! A lot of you have been asking whether this story is heading into Legion territory, and the answer is yes! I have four more stories planned, so that when complete the whole saga will total nine volumes.
Future work will also remain in canon - it's my hope with all of these stories that they can just 'slot in' with existing canon (albeit with a few extra details) and can be read as if the events described therein actually happened in game. Hope that answers any questions, and once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading!
Auriana
Auriana's forces surged forwards before she had even finished speaking, racing swiftly for the destroyed gate. The blue tide of the Alliance was soon joined by the red and black of the Horde, all of whom appeared just as eager to give Gul'Dan what was coming to him. At the head of the war band rode Zala'din, shouting wildly in Zandali as he flattened himself across the neck of his raptor and pushed it for greater speed.
For her part, Auriana sprinted with the Alliance vanguard, both Ironfist and Hafela close on her heels. She was not the kind of leader to fight from the back, and would never permit her soldiers to face any danger that she was not prepared to face herself. Moreover, she was fiercely determined to finish the long war that had consumed her life for the past year, and she refused to let Gul'Dan or anyone else stand in her way.
The fel orcs had been well prepared to defend the Citadel against an extended siege, and Auriana was greeted by a hail of cannon fire the moment she made it through the shattered gates. The Iron Horde had mobilised several of their small, mobile tanks to repel the Azerothian forces, as well as hundreds of grunts, berserkers, and felcasters. The sky was already thick with ash and flying spells, and Auriana came within inches of a fiery death more than once.
Fortunately, the Kirin Tor and Sunreavers had followed her commands to the letter, and had encased the two monstrous fel cannons in massive blocks of ice, jamming their firing mechanisms and preventing them from adding their firepower to the chaos. Of course, between the heat of the machinery itself and the efforts of the fel orcs, the cannons would not be inoperational for long, and Auriana's top priority was securing them for her own purposes.
"Get to those cannons!" she hollered, rallying those nearest to her into a coordinated thrust. "Turn them on the main gates!"
With a snarl, she leapt clean over a flying piece of metal, her hands already icing over with a powerful frost spell. Ironfist was right by her side, and behind him ran a dozen other soldiers of the Alliance. Just before they hit the orc lines, Auriana flicked her wrist, and sent a fast-moving frost orb flying out ahead of her. She grinned as the orb smashed into the enemy lines with a satisfying hiss; snaring and slowing the orcs and leaving them vulnerable to further attack.
Ironfist took full advantage of the opportunity, drawing on his own strange necromantic magics to harden himself for battle. He leapt past Auriana with a savage dwarven battle cry, swinging his axe upwards to take an orc's arm off at the shoulder. The stout dwarf death knight was barely visible amongst the crush of orcs, but from the pained shouts and clash of steel on steel, it was clear that he was rather successfully creating all sorts of havoc.
Auriana blinked directly into the fray, following up on her frost orb with a series of precise, deadly frostbolts. Three orcs fell instantly before the fury of her magic, and a fourth soon followed as she blinked forwards. One particularly ugly orc with a missing ear howled at seeing his comrades dispatched so handily, and took a heavy swing at her head with his barbaric mace. Auriana's small stature was something of a disadvantage when it came to contests of pure strength, but when it came to speed, there were few people who could match her. She slid swiftly to the side, punishing the orc with a point blank frostbolt to the face before he could even recover from his initial swing. He tumbled to the ground, dead, and Auriana blinked away to find herself another target.
Her battle-hungry gaze fell upon an orc felcaster, who had separated herself from the chaos of the melee so that she might better cast her dark spells. Auriana could feel her power, even from a distance, but she knew that one-on-one there were few living spellcasters who could hope to beat her. She drew her magic close in around her, forming a protective ice barrier, and intercepted the orc's incinerate spell. The felcaster gasped in surprise as her fel fire burned away to nothing in the face of Auriana's unrelenting ice, but she quickly regained her composure and hurled a vicious fel volley back at Auriana's chest. Auriana leapt to the side, freezing the scattered felbolts as they raced past her and turning the felcaster's own power back against her. The orc's eyes widened as she was subjected to a storm of razor sharp icicles, and she had barely raised a hand to defend herself before she was impaled through the neck and chest.
Breathing lightly from her effort, Auriana turned back to the melee, and was gratified to see that the last of the cannon defenders had fallen.
"All clear, ma'am!" one of her paladins cried. "Cannon's ours!"
Auriana raced to the edge of the parapet, and looked down at the Kirin Tor mages still holding the fel cannon in their icy thrall.
"Good work!" she shouted. "We've secured the cannon; get inside and join the fight!"
The Kirin Tor ceased their frost attack immediately, and without the constant pressure of their magic, the fel cannon immediately began to thaw.
"Turn that cannon inwards!" Auriana ordered sharply. "Let's knock on the door!"
Her soldiers complied immediately, and she took advantage of the brief pause in battle to look out over the Horde battle lines. They, too, had taken control of the fel cannon on their side of the field, and had also begun the process of turning it on the Citadel's sky-high gates. Auriana nodded approvingly to herself, satisfied that the major threat to the safety of her men had been contained.
"All of you - hold this position at all costs," she added. "We'll see to it that you're protected. Delvar, you're with me."
"Right behind ye, Commander!"
Together, Auriana and Ironfist leapt off the small, fortified hill that housed the fel cannons, and threw themselves into the main battle. Between the fire from the Iron Horde tanks, the relentless magic of the felcasters, and the general chaos of the melee, the Hellfire staging grounds had descended into complete and utter anarchy. It was incredibly difficult to tell friend from foe, and more than once Auriana had to pull a spell at the last second to avoid hitting one of Zala'din's orcs.
Ironfist fought at her side with more ferocity than Auriana had ever seen, brutally slaughtering any orc who dared to come within ten feet of her. Of course, Auriana wasn't complaining - a mage was most dangerous when given time and space to work, and with Ironfist's protection, she was able to wreak havoc on the Iron Horde lines. When fighting a pitched battle, Auriana was usually forced to prioritise spells that could be cast quickly over those that were the most powerful, but given time, she was able to push her abilities to the limit. A slow, savage grin spread across her face as she called down colossal ice meteors of terrible power, picking off the Iron Horde tanks one by one and crushing any orcs unlucky enough to be standing nearby.
Unfortunately, her efforts did not go unnoticed, and one of the furthest tanks turned its sights on Auriana and her death knight protector. Lost in the magnificent ebb and flow of her magic, Auriana heard the dread whine of a cannonball far too late, and only had mere seconds to react.
"Move!" she screamed, shoving Ironfist hard in the back and using the force of the push to launch herself in the other direction.
Auriana's last minute efforts were enough to save both of their lives, but she wasn't fast enough to avoid the blast entirely. The cannonball hit the ground and detonated hard, engulfing both Auriana and Ironfist in a wave of flame and sending them flying off in different directions. With a determined snarl, Auriana somehow managed to twist her body in the air and land in a shaky crouch, her left knee slamming hard into the dirt as she fought to stay upright. She squinted through the smoke for any sign of Ironfist, but the dwarf was nowhere to be seen amongst the crush of orc bodies.
A sudden movement to her left caught her eye, and Auriana couldn't help but to gasp as her gaze fell upon one of the biggest orcs she had ever seen; a dark, reddish-brown brute with a mouthful of jagged tusks and shoulders roped with dark tattoos. The hulk was at least twice the height and three times the width of a normal orc, and he stared down at her like a wolf who had just discovered a particularly vulnerable deer. His target chosen, he bellowed fiercely into the air, before lowering his head and charging at Auriana like a wild bull.
Startled, she only just managed to blink out of the way as the hulk barrelled past her, kicking up a massive cloud of dust as he ran. Despite the fact that the orc had passed by a dozen Alliance and Horde soldiers in his charge, he seemed to have eyes only for Auriana, and he skidded in the dirt as he came around for another pass. This time, at least, Auriana was prepared, and she managed to bounce a frostbolt off his tough, leathery skin before blinking sideways at the last second.
She timed the blink perfectly, but in her efforts to avoid the hulk, she moved right into the path of a rocketing cannonball. Letting out a rather undignified squeal of surprise, she stumbled backwards, only narrowly avoiding a chunk of iron to the gut. While Auriana was able to avoid being pummelled by a cannonball, the unexpected manoeuvre was enough to throw off her rhythm, and she was easy prey for the rampaging hulk. She did her best to avoid the orc's charge, but was unable to avoid being clipped in the shoulder and sent sprawling into the dirt.
Auriana's head hit the ground with a resounding crack, and for a moment she saw nothing but stars. She reached for her magic, but in her state of shock, she was unable to summon the necessary concentration, and a dagger of pain lanced through her forehead. Groaning, she rolled onto her back, feeling the ground shake with every step as the hulk approached to finish her off.
The orc let out a guttural laugh of derision as it lifted a fist as big as Auriana's head, ready to pummel her into the dirt, but she could do nothing more than lift a futile arm in her defense. Despite the hopelessness of her position, she stared up at the orc fearlessly, but to her great surprise the finishing blow never came.
As the hulk's mighty fist flew downwards, it was intercepted by a long, vicious blade, and Auriana looked up in astonishment to see none other than Zala'din standing to her defense. He had apparently abandoned his raptor in the chaos of the fight, but he otherwise looked fresh, eager and decidedly angry.
"Why don'tcha pick on somebody ya own size?" he hissed, moving to stand between Auriana and her orc assailant.
The hulk roared definitely, its fist bleeding from the cut of Zala'din's blade, and turned its wrath on the furious troll. The hulk had superior strength, but Zala'din was gifted with incredible agility, and he danced under the orc's lumbering swings. As he passed behind the hulk, he slashed backwards with one of his swords, opening the brute from waist to shoulder. The hulk stumbled, and Zala'din took full advantage of its sluggishness to whirl on his heel and drive both blades deep into its back.
The orc staggered forwards, trying desperately to keep its feet, but even something as large as the hulk could not withstand being bisected by Zala'din's dual blades. It stumbled forwards, dead, and Zala'din roared in satisfaction as his gaze fell upon Auriana once more.
"Ya still with us, little lion?" he asked, shouting to make himself heard over the din of battle.
He moved to help Auriana to her feet, but before he could reach her, he was intercepted by a pair of slavering fel orcs, and he was forced to engage them lest he lose his own head.
"It takes more than a cannonball to keep me down!" Auriana yelled back. "Keep fighting!"
She shook her head to clear it, and as she did so, Auriana noticed a massive she-orc that stood out amongst the hundreds of other Iron Horde combatants. The orc was heavily armoured in magma-infused plate, and had her fierce red hair styled into three long spikes. In her right hand, she carried an axe whose head was nearly as long as Auriana was tall, and she seemed to be having a perfectly wonderful time using the monstrous weapon to slice her way through the Horde and Alliance lines, all the while barking curt orders to the Iron Horde troops.
"Zal!" Auriana hollered, rolling over onto her stomach in the dirt. "I think that's their commander! Go, I'll give you cover!"
Zala'din jerked his head around, his eyes darkening eagerly as he followed Auriana's line of sight. He immediately finished off his two assailants and sprinted forwards, knowing all too well the importance of taking out the Iron Horde leadership. He ran towards the red-haired orc with his swords raised high, dropping his shoulder at the last second and crashing into her with a mighty shout. Sparks flew as his twin blades met plate, and the orc commander staggered backwards beneath the ferocity of his attack.
She recovered quickly, however, bellowing angrily as she forced Zala'din off with a brutal punch to the face.
"Taste my axe!" she roared, hurling the monstrous weapon through the air with astonishing strength.
Zala'din drove the point of one sword into the dirt, pressing his weight on the blade for balance as he vaulted over the flying axe. The orc's flying weapon missed his feet by only inches, and no sooner had he recovered his feet than he was tackled hard from behind.
Determined to help her friend, Auriana dragged herself back to her feet and blinked forwards, her hands glittering with deadly frost. She narrowed her eyes as Zala'din and the orc commander traded blows back and forth, trying to pick the perfect moment to attack. A misplaced frostbolt would not discriminate between friend and foe, and Auriana knew her aim would have to be excellent.
Despite being at a temporary disadvantage, the orc commander somehow managed to recover her axe, and she slammed into Zala'din so that they stood body to body. Zala'din raised his blades at the last second, catching her axe neatly in the cross of his swords, but Auriana could see sweat glistening on the troll's brow as he strained to resist the she-orc's bulk. His feet slid backwards in the dirt, but in the process of fighting back, he inadvertently moved the orc commander so that her back was facing Auriana.
"Perfect…" she muttered to herself, and raised her hands to unleash a devastating beam of ice.
The orc gasped as Auriana's magic hit her back, and she roared in frustration as her protective plate began to ice and crack beneath the power of the spell. Grinning, Zala'din used her moment of distraction to push her away, then slashed at her chest with both his blades. The orc screamed as the blades bit deep beneath her armour to find flesh, and she only managed to escape by slamming the hilt of her axe into the side of Zala'din's head.
"I'll be back…" she panted, her hand pressed to the wound on her chest.
She leapt defiantly backwards, her axe still firmly in hand, and began to sprint back towards the gates of the fortress.
"Ha! Run away, coward!" Zala'din crowed triumphantly. "And ta think ya have da nerve ta call yaself Horde!"
He spit in the dirt with supreme contempt, his shoulders set proudly
"Tanks for da assist," he said, turning back to face Auriana with a weary grin. "Looks like we be even for today."
Auriana grinned and quickly wiped a hand across her face, trying to clear the dust and grime from her eyes. Already the fighting had turned the visible parts of her skin a dusky brown, and her robes were stained with blood, soot, and Light knew what else. Still, it appeared that the Azerothian forces had come off far better during the initial assault. The Iron Horde artillery lines had been entirely decimated, and the fel orcs were now scrambling to retreat in the wake of their commander. A handful of Azerothian soldiers were now picking off the survivors, while the rest of the Horde and Alliance troops had to pulled back towards the front gate to tend to the wounded.
"Hellbreach is ours," Auriana said confidently, tightening her right hand into a fist. "It's time that we finished off those doors."
With Zala'din loping close behind, she ran up the hill towards the fel cannons. The Alliance and the Horde had successfully kept their respective weapons secure from the Iron Horde during the battle, and both were now trained on the inner gate of Hellfire Citadel. Auriana waited patiently while her men and that of the Horde pulled back, but the moment they were clear, she raised her hand to signal the attack.
"Ready?" she shouted. "Fire!"
The Alliance-controlled cannon boomed, and a few moments later, Auriana heard the answering roar of the Horde's own captured artillery. Two massive fel cannonballs barrelled towards the inner gates of the Citadel, slamming into the heavy steel doors and eating them away with fel corruption. Auriana winced slightly, disconcerted by the nearby presence of fel magic, but she supposed that she could appreciate the efficiency with which it was destroying the doors.
"Again!"
A second volley launched at her command, dealing critical damage to the gates, and with a final shriek of protest, the thick metal collapsed. A yawning black hole now lead into the Citadel beyond, broken only by the occasional green spark of felfire. Auriana squared her shoulders defensively, half expecting to see a flood of orcs emerging from the Citadel, but the monstrous fortress remained forebodingly silent.
"Is dat all ya got?" Zala'din hollered, champing his tusks triumphantly. "Ha!"
"Er… Zal…" Auriana said quietly, reaching out to grab his forearm warningly. "Something's moving in there… something big…"
"What?"
"There!" she shouted, pointing.
The shadows inside Hellfire Citadel darkened, and something enormous took its first step out into the light. It was generally humanoid in shape, with massive spikes rising from its shoulders. It was also heavily armoured and at least thirty feet tall, and seemed to be powered by liquid hellfire. Worst of all was the massive fel cannon it had in place of one of its hands; the deadly weapon now firmly trained on the soldiers of Azeroth.
"What the hell is that?" Auriana breathed.
As if in answer to her question, the construct fired its green fel jets, and flew forwards until it was hovering over the centre of the arena. A harsh, grating voice boomed out from within the metal monstrosity, and with a start Auriana realised that it was piloted by the orc commander who had fled the battlefield earlier.
"The might and invention of the Fel Horde… the fury of Hellfire itself!'' the she-orc screamed. "Behold!"
"Get back!" Auriana screamed, as the massive iron construct began to clear the area of debris with its deadly cannons.
While the majority of the Azerothian forces had retreated to the position secured by the fel cannons, there were still a large number of troops in the centre of the arena. Auriana raised her hands, and began to frantically teleport anyone within her range back to safety. She didn't discriminate between Horde and Alliance, and more than one orc or tauren gave her an odd look upon realising the identity of their rescuer. Luckily, both the Sunreavers and the Kirin Tor were quick to follow Auriana's lead, using their combined powers to save the dozens of soldiers fleeing from the iron reaver's wrath.
"Alliance, form up on me!" Auriana ordered. "We're not out of this yet!"
The soldiers of Lunarfall complied like the well-oiled machine that they were, pulling the wounded back out of harm's way and sending their most heavily armoured troops to form a vanguard on Auriana's position. Behind them, her ranged troops assembled into three neat lines, their faces set as they prepared to unleash hell on the Iron Horde's terrible creation. Both Ironfist and Lieutenant Hafela flanked her on either side, while Zala'din quickly moved away to see to the reorganisation of his own lines.
I'm not afraid of you, you big metal bitch, Auriana thought grimly. Let's do this.
"Alliance! Engage!"
Auriana's men charged into the fray without hesitation, followed closely by the warriors of the Horde. Auriana kept pace with the vanguard, drawing deeply on her wellspring of power and allowing the faintest hint of her rage to unfurl within her belly. The iron reaver was a truly fearsome opponent, and Auriana suspected that defeating it would take a special effort to see it destroyed.
"I warned you!" the orc's voice roared, as she swept the reaver's cannon arm back to cast down a wave of bright green fire across the battlefield.
"Watch yourselves!" Auriana yelled, blinking sideways to avoid the flame and opening up on the reaver with a powerful frostbolt.
What followed was one of the most hectic fights that Auriana had ever experienced. The tidy lines of the Horde and the Alliance broke almost immediately as the reaver turned the battlefield into a scene of utter chaos. The orc pilot continually sprayed the arena with hellfire, making it difficult to breathe, and Auriana began to wonder if they really had descended into hell.
Of course, the hellfire was only one entry in the long list of Auriana's problems. In between blasts of green flame, the iron reaver fired out artillery shells and firebombs every few minutes, and even began to tear up the ground beneath them. She felt badly for the melee fighters like Ironfist and Hafela who had to try and contend with the roiling earth as they fought, and she began to grow seriously concerned as more and more of her men fell. Unfortunately, her ranged fighters and the Kirin Tor seemed to be having just as much difficulty dodging the hellfire, and even with her phenomenal reflexes, Auriana caught the tail end of a fire blast more than once.
Despite the pandemonium and her singed robes, however, Auriana was not so easily discouraged. Gritting her teeth, she hurled spell after spell as quickly she was able, hoping to douse the iron reaver's flames with the fury of frost. She blinked around the battlefield like a woman possessed, her rage burning almost as bright as the iron reaver's flames. Thanks to her hard work with Jaina and Kalecgos, however, she was able to keep it tightly leashed, and slowly, gradually, her efforts began to take effect.
Unfortunately, much as with the earlier battle against the Iron Horde's siege engines, the orc piloting the iron reaver had realised that Auriana was a considerable source of trouble. After forcing the vanguard back with yet another wave of deadly hellfire, the iron reaver dropped into a low crouch, and began feeding greater amounts of energy into its powerful leg jets. For a split second, Auriana paused, confused, only to deeply regret her distraction a moment later as the iron reaver dropped its head and charged.
For such a large construct, it moved impossibly fast, knocking over dozens of soldiers who failed to move quickly enough to avoid the attack. Auriana just managed to avoid getting directly hit by blinking sideways at the last second, though the heat wave generated by the reaver's charge was enough to send her flying into the air like a ragdoll. She tumbled head over heels through the dirt, crying out in pain as she rolled straight over a lingering patch off hellfire.
The iron reaver then turned around for a reverse pass, and while the soldiers of Azeroth were better prepared this time, there were still those unable to avoid the iron reaver's devastating blitz attack. As a result, both the Alliance and the Horde were now completely scattered, and the iron reaver's pilot took advantage of the chaos to fully power its jets and take to the air.
"Oh, come on," Auriana growled, pushing up off the dirt floor of the battlefield and lurching back to her feet. "It flies, too?"
The ability to fly gave the iron reaver a considerable advantage, in that it rendered more than half of the combined Azerothian forces useless. Warriors, paladins, and the like could hardly be expected to hit something hovering forty feet off the ground, and they could do little more than watch in frustration as the iron reaver continued to rain down death from above. In addition to the continued threat of the hellfire, the iron reaver had begun to blanket the area with deadly bombs, and Auriana knew that her men could not hold out against such a furious barrage for long.
"We need to bring it back down!" she shouted, gesturing frantically to Calandra and the other warmages of the Kirin Tor. "Concentrate all your fire on its jump jets!"
The Kirin Tor complied immediately; channelling frost, fire, and pure arcane energy into a single coordinated blast. Blinking forwards, Auriana added her magic to their own, pouring every last bit of strength she could muster into one of the most powerful frostbolts she had ever cast. Her rage surged, fighting for release, and Auriana began to fear that she would lose control long before the iron reaver was grounded.
Sweat poured down her face as she wordlessly screamed her fury to the sky, and she was finally rewarded for her efforts as one of the reaver's jets exploded, sending the great machine crashing back down to earth. Seeing the reaver fall was enough to reinvigorate the spirits of the Horde and Alliance soldiers, and they fell upon the twisted metal creature with renewed ferocity.
Auriana, too, had begun to sense victory, and she was not the kind of fighter to allow any kind of advantage to go unpunished, no matter how small. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated her savage attentions on the reaver's heart and the burning hellfire that lay within, overwhelming the orc machine with a stream of endless power. All around her, mages, shaman, priests and druids began to do the same, and the iron reaver began to stagger and smoke under the combined weight of the magical assault.
I've got you now, Auriana snarled inwardly, sending one last concentrated burst of power lancing towards the reaver.
The construct sent one last blaze of hellfire arcing across the battlefield in a pale imitation of its earlier attacks, and Auriana knew in that moment that it was finally done for.
"Eject! Eject!" the orc pilot screamed, but it was far too late.
The iron reaver's internal systems must have been badly compromised, and it seemed to Auriana as if it were now being torn apart from the inside. The liquid hellfire powering the reaver's heart abruptly flared blinding green as a series of explosions raced up its left leg, and barely a second later the entire construct simply exploded. Auriana raised her hand to shield her eyes from the blast, and when the flames had finally died down, nothing remained of the fel reaver save for a smouldering pile of scrap metal. The Horde and the Alliance let out simultaneous roars of triumph at their collective victory, raising hands and weapons into the air with an air of fierce pride.
For her part, Auriana simply slumped in place, letting out a long, relieved sigh. She closed her eyes in concentration as she slowly forced her rage to slip away inch by inch, though took a few long minutes before she was able to overcome the sweet temptation of her power fully. Only once was she certain of her control did she finally look out over the battlefield once more, and her brow furrowed deeply as she began to tally the aftermath of the fight. The fel reaver was a weapon of terrible power, and she knew they had been incredibly lucky to escape with as few casualties as they had. Thankfully, more of her men than not seemed to be still standing, and Auriana let out a silent prayer of thanks to the Light for their lives.
Among their number were Hafela and Ironfist, who had shared the brunt of the iron reaver's attacks between them. Hafela was crouched down over her sword and shield, apparently taking time to recover her breath, while Ironfist loomed protectively over her. Fortunately, both seemed Iargely unharmed by the encounter, if perhaps a bit singed, and they looked up as one as Auriana approached.
"Are you both alright?" she asked, placing a hand on Hafela's shoulder.
"Just fine, Commander," Ironfist said, wiping off the blade of his axe on his cloak. "And a hell o' a lot better than that reaver, ha!"
Auriana couldn't help but to smile at the dwarf's enthusiasm, though her grin faded somewhat as Ironfist secured his axe to his back and looked her up and down. His expression was difficult to read, and the intensity of his stare made Auriana feel vaguely uncomfortable.
"What are you looking at?"
"Oh, nothin', I'm just surprised that ye seem to have survived the battle without any life threatenin' injuries," Ironfist said slyly. "It's a nice change."
"Oh, very funny," Auriana huffed, rolling her eyes.
She offered Hafela a hand and pulled the draenei back to her feet, before turning her gaze back to the ruined Citadel gates. The inside of Gul'Dan's fortress remained eerily quiet, but Auriana wouldn't put it past the Iron Horde to have some other nasty surprises in store.
"Lieutenant - have our forces pull back," she ordered thoughtfully. "Set up a camp."
"We're not entering the Citadel?" Hafela asked, blinking in surprise.
"Not yet," Auriana said firmly. "We've won an important victory today, but we cannot afford to be hasty. Gul'Dan is clever, and I won't risk underestimating his power."
"Never thought I'd hear ye counselling caution, lass," Ironfist guffawed, though Hafela nodded her agreement.
"Do you really want to fight one of those again?" Auriana asked, gesturing to the remains of the iron reaver. "No. We will take the opportunity to secure the Hellbreach, heal our wounded, and bring in reinforcements."
She looked over her shoulder to the right, where Zala'din seemed to be involved in a similar discussion of strategy with his own officers. Aside from Zala'din, Auriana recognised one of the orc sergeants from her time with the Horde war band, as well as the feisty young shaman lieutenant, Te'Jaia. She knew that she wasn't particularly liked by Zala'din's seconds, particularly Te'Jaia, but waiting to assault the Citadel proper would be a rather ineffective strategy if the Horde simply ran headlong at Gul'Dan, and Auriana resolved to speak to Zala'din immediately.
"Wait here," she instructed, and ignoring Ironfist's growl, she walked over towards the Horde lines.
Many of the Horde soldiers looked up as she approached, though none of them moved to bar her path. Surprisingly, the Sunreaver leader Girana nodded to her with grudging respect, and Zala'din's tauren friend Stormrunner even waved. Auriana only had eyes for Zala'din, however, and the Horde commander looked up almost instinctively as she drew near.
Auriana stayed slightly back, jerking her head to the side to indicate that they should talk. He nodded his agreement, much to Te'Jaia's obvious displeasure, and bounded up to the hill towards Auriana. Together, they walked back towards the outer gates, taking up a position midway between the Alliance and Horde camps so that they might speak in private.
"Ya men are pullin' back," Zala'din observed. "Ya givin' up, little lion?"
"Ha!" Auriana barked. "Have you ever known me to run away from a fight? That said… I'm trying to be smart about this, and I suggest that you do the same. I…"
She cut off abruptly as she felt a sudden surge of arcane power, and she whirled with her hands raised defensively. Every muscle tensed, Auriana was ready to call down a spell of terrible power, when she finally recognised the figure who stepped out from the bright light of a teleport.
"The Citadel is breached," the newcomer said, his voice at once both comforting and imposing. "Gul'Dan is within."
"Khadgar!" Auriana exclaimed.
With a genuine smile, she stepped forwards to meet the older mage, and was thoroughly surprised when he pulled her into a tight and affectionate embrace despite her sweat and blood stained robes.
"It's good to see you, Auri," Khadgar said warmly.
"Don'tcha get any ideas about cuddlin' me, mon," Zala'din said, giving the Archmage a toothy grin. "I not be dat kinda troll."
"And you, Zala'din," Khadgar added, his lips twisting into an amused smile.
He released his hold on Auriana's waist, and looked over her head to the shattered remains of the iron reaver.
"I see you've been busy," he said lightly, raising a bushy eyebrow as he surveyed the destruction.
"Well, you know me, Khadgar…" Auriana said slowly. "I like to make an entrance."
"Indeed. When do you intend to begin your assault on the inner Citadel?" Khadgar asked, his face growing unusually stern.
"In the morning. We… well… the Alliance, anyway… are going to set up camp here for the night and bring in our reinforcements," Auriana explained. "The Iron Horde still have troops moving freely in Nagrand and western Tanaan, and I don't want to risk being hit from behind while we're trying to press our assault. I'm sure Gul'Dan has plenty of surprises for us in there without having to worry about attacks from out here. Holding the Hellbreach also means we have a strong fall-back position, and a place to evacuate our wounded."
"Da Horde are also in agreement," Zala'din added, pulling on one of his tusks. "As da little lion said… we need ta play dis one smart."
Auriana smiled ever so slightly at Zala'din's acknowledgement of her earlier words, and she silently nodded her thanks.
"A wise decision," Khadgar agreed.
"Well… it had to happen sometime," she said wryly, making Zala'din chuckle.
"You two seem to be on good terms," Khadgar observed, looking between the two of them thoughtfully. "Somewhat unusual for a troll and a human."
Auriana and Zala'din exchanged a look, and the big troll grinned mischievously.
"Lions make good pets," he said slyly. "Especially da little ones."
"And trolls make excellent cannon fodder," Auriana retorted, deadpan. "Especially the big ones."
"Ha!" Zala'din barked, clapping Auriana on the back with such enthusiasm that she staggered.
"Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you two have found a way to work together," Khadgar said approvingly. "Azeroth needs all the heroes she can get, and we cannot afford to stand divided against an enemy like the Burning Legion."
"So I be learnin'," Zala'din said, looking down at Auriana with a strangely considered expression. "Now dat we got a plan, however… I gotta see to my men. Dat reaver did some serious damage, and I wanna make sure we be fightin' fit for da assault tomorrow."
He inclined his head respectfully towards Khadgar, and loped back down the hill towards the Horde war band without another word. Both Auriana and Khadgar watched him go, each taking a moment to gather their thoughts. Although she might never have said it, Auriana was very glad to have the elder mage by her side in the upcoming siege. Khadgar knew the depths of Gul'Dan's machinations better than anyone else alive, and if she wanted to win, his help would be invaluable.
"I meant what I said before. It is good to see you," Khadgar said, finally breaking their long silence. "I heard you gave Varian quite the scare during the invasion of Tanaan."
"He worries too much," Auriana said vaguely.
She frowned, wondering how Khadgar had come across word of Varian's impromptu visit to Lunarfall. The Archmage had always had an uncanny sense for gossip, though Auriana found herself slightly perturbed by the fact that he knew more about what was happening in Lunarfall than she had initially realised.
"Still… from what I hear, you were very lucky that Zala'din came along when he did," Khadgar mused. "I don't know what it is about you, but you seem to be a magnet for trouble."
"How did you…? I… ergh, never mind," Auriana grumbled, shaking her head ruefully. "And don't you start. I've already been thoroughly lectured, thank you very much."
Khadgar's eyes twinkled, and he scratched thoughtfully at his chin.
"I can imagine," he said lightly. "The anger of the King of Stormwind is said to be a legendary thing to behold."
"If 'legendary' is another word for 'unnecessary', then... perhaps," Auriana scowled. "I'll tell you what I told him - I know what I'm doing."
She gestured defensively to the debris all around them, slightly miffed by Khadgar and Varian's seeming lack of faith in her destructive powers.
"Oh, I bet he loved being told that. Our fearless King does ever so enjoy his protectiveness," Khadgar mused, clearly enjoying their banter despite the devestation all around him. "Still, I think it's clear that everything between you two worked out eventually."
"Oh, really? And how do you know that?" Auriana asked archly, turning to face him with her hands on her hips. "Are you a mind reader now, as well as an Archmage?"
"I don't have to be a mind reader," Khadgar said gently, folding his arms across his chest and giving her a surprisingly devilish grin. "I can still see the bite marks on your neck, my dear."