Chapter 42 – Outland


"Tiene," a voice called softly, pulling her from her slumber. "Wake up," the voice coaxed. She recognised Thil'las' voice. It took her a few moments to open her eyes, they felt as though were caked shut. She had to rub them open. Her vision blurry from the action, she shook her head a couple of times as if trying to throw off the fuzziness. Thil'las smiled as she looked at him, then he moved across the room and joined the others.

She stretched, listening to some of her bones crack and muscles ping as she did so. Her body ached. She would love nothing more than a warm bath to ease her tired muscles and aching bones, but it was not a luxury she could afford right now.

She looked around, familiarising herself with the new landscape again. She shivered, but not from cold. It was the perpetual sense of doom that Shadowmoon Valley emanated. The eerie glow from the fel, the sound of meteors whoosing then screaming through the air before they hit the ground with a reverberating thud.

"Boy, when you sleep, you sleep!" Lexie said, sharpening her blades.

"What? How long?"

"A day and a half, nearly."

"No!"

"Yes. And you were dreaming most the time." Lexie's voice indicated she knew only too well what had been going on in Tiene's head.

Tiene pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Why did you let me sleep so long?"

"You must have needed it. I'm making sure you have all the strength you can muster."

Tiene stood up and stretched again. "You needn't worry any more on that front Lexie. I'm eating fine and, as we have just seen, I sleep well enough."

The undead woman cackled. "I dare say you do."

Emmek came striding into the rooms the team had been sharing. He had just returned from patrolling the area and he looked concerned, his eyebrows knitted, his eyes darting about the place like a nervous critter.

"What's wrong?" Tiene asked him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He jumped a little at her touch and took a deep breath before speaking. "It's the army he's buildin', they're – they're..."

Lexie came over to join the two rogues. "They're what?" she asked.

Emmek drew a hand over his mouth. This was not like the dwarf at all. He seemed genuinely disturbed. "They're demons themselves!" he said in a hoarse whisper. "They've horns sproutin' frae their heids," he gestured with his hands. "Some wi' other deformities such as gnarled, clawed hands an' feet, like whit satyrs huv. They're a' blind ana'! Wearin' dirty rags roond where their eyes yist tae be. Tiene! He's no' training elves at a', he's feeding them to these demons, ahm sure of' it! Ahm telling ye now lass, it's no the path for you. So git that nonsense right oot yer heid, now!"

Tiene looked at him as if he had gone mad. This could not be. The Betrayer was meant to be forging and army to defeat the Legion, not become part of it. There had to be a mistake. She did not doubt the integrity of her dwarf colleague, but she had to find out for herself. She gathered her daggers and clasped on more armour around her legs and torso.

"Where ye going!" Emmek said, not so much of a question as a demand to know.

"I need to see this for myself," she said turning to leave the rooms.

"Is ma wurd no gid enough, nowadays?" Emmek challenged.

Tiene stopped dead in her tracks. She had not meant to give the impression she did not believe him. Turning, she strolled back to where the dwarf stood with his stocky fists clenching and unclenching. "I do not doubt what you saw Emmek. But, I have travelled a long, long way, to suddenly be thwarted by something which I do not understand? There has to be more to this. Surely he cannot be simply training demons they capture to fight against their own. Brett told us Kael'thas sent some of the Sin'dorei to the Betrayer to train in his armies. I want to know what happened to them!"

"I'm coming with you," Lexie said, gathering her things.

"No, stay here!" Tiene said a little more forcefully than she'd intended. She noted how both Emmek and Lexie became rigid at her tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that to sound like an order. It's just I will be faster on my own and I need you to be here and make sure the others are all okay."

"Yer no' foolin' me, lass," Emmek said, his bushy eyebrows bristling and nostrils flaring.

"Nor me," Lexie confirmed. "We're going and that's it. The others are grown ups, they can look after themselves."

"Lexie, I have been asleep for over a day, you have all been fighting on without me. You need to rest now. Please, let me investigate on my own."

Emmek shifted on the balls of his feet, shooting glances at Lexie. "I dare say she's got a point."

Lexie glared at him, furious that he would even consider letting Tiene go out on her own. "Listen wee man, you might need a rest, but I don't! I'm undead for crying out loud, we don't need to sleep!" She stabbed a gloved finger at the dwarf.

"Ah'll huv ye know that us dwarves have unlimited stamina..." Emmek was most offended that the undead suggested he needed to rest.

"For drinking, maybe..." Lexie taunted the dwarf.

"Ye cheeky wee bag o' bones!"

"Oh! Insults now is it, shortie!"

Tiene sighed and looked out to the small square where some of her other colleagues relaxed. The squad of ten rogues, now named the Shadow Blades, were all good men and women, consisting of Blood Elves, Night Elves, Dwarfs and Humans plus the token Undead of course. They had arrived in Shadowmoon Valley a week ago and were assigned to maintain covert operations going on in the area.

Tiene had readily volunteered her services. Brett had at first, been reluctant to let her join the squad, but she went all out to prove she was back to full health and her skills were once more honed, sleek and deadly. He conceded in the end. There was no reason she should not continue working for the guild.

Apart from the last two days where she had spent most her time sleeping, they had, as a team battled the myriad of demons as they progressed through the area. Taking refuge where they could find it, often around rocky crevices and ledges in makeshift shelters, they had taken turns at keeping watch. Tiene had went without much sleep up until they reached the Sanctum of the Stars. Then her body obviously compensated for the days she had battled on endlessly.

Now she felt revitalised. The news that Emmek had returned with, had her curiosity piqued, tenfold. They had heard stories as they neared their destination, but this was not a version encountered until now. Everyone had spoken of the half elf half demon leader but somehow, visualising him had been nigh on impossible for Tiene. Having befriended many Night Elves, though fierce fighters when in battle, they were overall a gentle breed with a strong persuasion to the druidic way of life. Her heart was hammering. What if in fact he was more demon and possessed all the foul characteristics of the Legion? What could she do then? Where could she turn next? This was potentially her future.

Regrettably, Emmek had overheard Lexie and Tiene talking one night. Tiene had foolishly said that if serving in the Betrayer's army was what it took to defeat the Legion, then so be it. She had come back fighting from her grief, and she was determined to do whatever was necessary to wreak vengeance on those who had robbed her of all her loved ones. The Burning Legion. The source of all the poison in Azeroth. Now she had a clearer understanding of its intentions and all those who had been influenced by its far-reaching grasp.

This Betrayer, Illidan Stormrage, might be the one to lead the fight and bring about the downfall of the Burning Legion once and for all. She certainly hoped he was, as she had run out of options to make a difference. The Burning Legion, this parasite that gorged itself on the greed and madness of those seeking ultimate power, and in turn laid waste to the good souls of Azeroth and destroyed their homes, had to be stopped.

As Lexie and Emmet continued to exchange insults, Tiene decided it was time to investigate on her own. Onas thuash d'aresh, alsu o'doreu. Tiene stealthed out of the rooms while the two of them argued. She had reached the bottom of the steps to the entrance to the Sanctum of the Stars before she heard the two of them shouting her name. She smirked and quickly made her way north-west to where the Betrayer was reputedly holding court.

As she approached the daunting structure known as the Black Temple, her heart started to hammer so loudly against her ribcage she could hear it plainly pounding in her ears. Now was not the time to let her nerves get the better of her. She was in the middle of the largest concentration of demons she had ever seen. All manner of beasts from the truly titanic fel –flamed, walking boulders, known as abyssals, to the smallest, but equally deadly imps, grotesque, nightmarish creatures with clawed limbs, long ears and tails and razor-sharp teeth.

She noted also many elves were present. Not all were soldiers either. Some were sorcerers, magisters, fear-bringers, all who possessed magical ability of varying degrees. This was where she would need to be most careful, for they would be able to detect her easily enough.

All her years training were about to be put to the test. Stealth, shadow-stepping, Shado-pan, her three vital "S's" which she needed to combine expertly in order to get past these elves and demons to reach her goal.

Crouching low, she moved with feline precision, smooth and fluid, keeping her back close to the wall that bordered the first set of stairs she ascended. The sound of clashing steel coming from her right reached her ears. At first she thought a battle was in progress but when she rounded the corner of the wall at the top of the steps, she saw it was merely elves training. They were perfectly normal looking elves too. So where were the ones Emmek spoke of? She darted past the groups of combatants and up more stairs.

Her eyes widened as she saw an enormous demon, to her left. It was immobilised by shadow magic being cast by four elven spell weavers manipulating shadowy chains around the great beast. It was a giant hybrid of dragon and man, with its head adorned by ram-like horns that curled back over its massive skull. She could see it roaring in agony, throwing its head back in silent screams as the magic wound its way round, in and through its gigantic form. Its eyes burned an unearthly fiery red and flames licked around its mouth. She had to tear her gaze from the torture of the beast and move on towards the temple itself.

Having scaled three levels towards her goal, she halted and looked over towards the wide road that led up to the entrance of the Temple. Her mouth fell open at the sheer numbers of demonic creatures below. The sounds of clashing steel and the heavy thwack and thud of maces, axes and swords from fighting on both her left and right built to an ear-bleeding crescendo. Screams and mighty roars resulting from agonising wounds and hacking of flesh rose on the sulphur infused air. The unmistakable stench of death permeated even the cracked stone and crumbling walls of a once impressive place of worship. The dry, pitted, grey-green soil ran black from the blood which spread out like nightmarish tendrils set on a path of destruction as if to tear down the great walls that housed the Betrayer, his army and faithful minions. This was what the self acclaimed Lord of Outland defended against the Legion? It was shambolic.

The attackers to her left seemed to be of Alliance affiliation, mainly humans, Night Elves, and dwarves. There were some however, she had never seen the likes of before. Blue-skinned, tall and cloven hoofed with tails. The males of the species, powerful and strong, had tentacle type growths sprouting from their jaw lines, all adorned with bright gold and silver rings. The females, though more slender, fought just as fiercely and effectively.

It took time for her eyes to differentiate those on her right from their quarry. The cloth wraps around their eyes, horned heads and varying demonic deformities indicated the creatures Emmek had spoken of. They looked vaguely elven but there was too much demon for them to have been her people.

These were the super soldiers? These half demons? No! This couldn't be. They were the Legion. It mattered not that Illidan had somehow brainwashed them into fighting their own, they were still just vermin. Emmek had been right. The Sin'dorei must have been nothing more than a food source for them. Kael'thas had indeed betrayed his nation, and in as barbaric a way as he could.

She sat down with a defeated thump. She felt utter hopelessness. The dark depressive surroundings started to eat into her. With her head in her hands she started to weep. All this had been for nothing. There was no hope, no salvation. No end.

A sudden draught and sound, like tough hide being rapidly unfurled had her on the defensive. Turning round slowly to look behind her, she was faced by one of the blind demonic creatures.

It was female, no mistaking that. The long ears, eyebrows and oddly familiar markings leaking from below the cloth that covered her eyes, strangely resembled that of a Night Elf. The facial markings reminded Tiene of the rite of passage tattoos she had seen on the elves in Auberdine. Yet, this creature also had long slender horns protruding from her head. Her hands were more like talons and she had ... wings! Like a giant bat.

Still stealthed, and sitting, Tiene pushed up on her hands and feet, moving backwards, her behind catching on some of the sharp stone beneath her. She winced as she felt her palm being sliced by one of the loose shards. She glanced down, a moment of panic. Her blood was on the stone.

The demon creature's head snapped round and she sniffed the air, suddenly lowering herself into a crouch. Tiene caught her breath and stayed rigid. The female demon used its long arms in conjunction with its folded wings to creep along the ground in front of her, like a predator searching for its next meal. Tattoos on its arms pulsed, glowing the eerie green of the fel. Still the creature sniffed the air. Then it smiled in a lop-sided manner, the tiny fangs glinting in the fluorescent fel flames of the crashing meteors that shot overhead. Tiene was afraid to breathe, but pain was building in her chest from lack of air. The demon stilled, like a stone gargoyle, it's wrapped eyes facing Tiene. Unsure whether it could see her, Tiene very, very slowly exhaled. Next she chanced moving back another few inches. The creature didn't move. Without moving her head, Tiene's eyes glanced either side of her. She was trapped. A high section of wall immediately to her left, and the massive drop to the road below on her right.

As she was trying to assess her best move, the creature shifted at an alarming speed. Before Tiene had a chance to react the creature had grabbed her ankle and the giant wings unfurled. The female lifted into the air, taking the Blood Elf rogue with her in a most undignified manner. Tiene tried to pull herself up, drawing one of her daggers from her thigh straps ready to slice the creature's wrist. But the demon was not to be outsmarted and shook the little elf quite briskly, causing Tiene's body to flop downwards again and the dagger to be loosed from her grip.

The demon rose higher and higher, flying towards the apex of the Temple. Tiene, knowing full well struggling was only going to result in her possibly falling to the dry earth below and dying in the process, still fought against the demon's grip. She had decided she would rather die by being splattered on the cold stone below than ending up being torn to pieces in the teeth of hungry demons. She used all the strength she had to pull herself up again. She swiped at the demon's hand, almost reaching it. Another swipe. The demon looked down, her mouth displaying her lop-sided smile, before she shook Tiene once more causing the elf to falter again.

Then, quite unceremoniously she was dumped on the high rise platform of the Black Temple. She landed half on her side. The impact had hurt her elbow and all the way down her right leg. She pushed herself up a little, groaning as she did. As her eyes travelled across the stone in front of her, she was met by cloven hooves. Enormous, cloven hooves! She inwardly groaned again. This was how she was going to die. As a canapé for a demon.

"Thank you," a deep voice said.

"A pleasure, my Lord."

Tiene saw the female's legs come round in front of her and stand beside the cloven-hooves.

"Welcome, Sin'dorei," the deep voice said.

Tiene's brows knitted. Unusual for one to speak to one's dinner, she thought. Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and raised her eyes.

The deep voice belonged to a purple-hued demon with bright green tattoos over its arms, shoulders and chest. Arms folded with taloned fingers flexing over its immense biceps, it towered over her, a grin, suggesting it was amused at her obvious confusion.

As with the female it wore a ragged piece of cloth over where it's eyes would be. From behind this one's bandage though, the green flare of fel flashed. It was then Tiene realised, the wraps covered not eyes at all, merely sockets.

It's head bore two horns that curved high and back over its head. A black mane tied up in a tight high-knot fluttered out behind between the demon-hide wings that rippled and flexed, one curving affectionately round the female who had delivered her.

"You can drop your concealment," the male said. "I am well versed in magic, you cannot hide from me."

"Sha'al," Tiene whispered. There was no point in even considering trying to make a run for it. These creatures would have her impaled on their horns before she got two steps away.

The female knelt beside her. She looked at Tiene with mild curiosity as far as she could tell. "I did not mean to hurt you," she said.

Tiene flinched, taken by surprise. "You – you didn't?"

The lop-sided smile crept on the female's face. "No. My Lord saw you and asked me to fetch you, for fear you fell."

Tiene glanced between the two demons. This was...odd. "You are demons. I don't understand."

The female laughed lightly before standing up and rejoining the male. He simply stood, arms still crossed, looking in Tiene's direction. He seemed to be studying her like a specimen under a scope. Finally he smiled, albeit a little unnerving. "I am who you seek, Sin'dorei," he said. "I am Illidan Stormrage."