Chapter 11

Narzum (Day 27)

The guard moved closer to the cell and without warning, Matt sent a massive surge of magical power into the creaking spellwork that had kept both himself and Illidan incarcerated for weeks. His patient, controlled demolition of the spell from the inside payed dividends. All his hard work chipping slowly away at the almost impenetrable spell came to fruition as the cell bars literally exploded in a blinding light. The spell had collapsed spectacularly and when the light vanished, the guard was in pieces, his decapitated head landing at the entrance in which he had entered.

With the spell now dismantled, Illidan smashed through his cell bars, quickly joining Matt as they both hurried to the exit door. They looked at each other, knowing that through the door could be their escape route or an early death, and they were prepared for either option.

Matt nodded, "Let's do this!", and they opened the door.

The door opened into a long hallway with only one other exit that they could see, which was another door at the end. Running at pace, they reached it quickly and Matt spoke quietly to the night elf. "No guards here? I was expecting...I don't know...more so far"

"Their power is only rivaled by their arrogance from what I have seen. They probably never expected anyone to be able to escape here and they would have been right if it wasn't for you. They think we're weaklings, so you went completely under their radar and by the way...", Illidan suddenly punched Matt on the arm with no little amount of force.

"Fucking hell Illidan, what the hell?", Matt grumbled, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"You probably jinxed us now, and it was going so well", Illidan grinned.

Matt resisted a snort of laughter, "Alright, alright, it's true. I probably jinxed us now alright. Ah well, let's go die now then, yeah?"

"Sure", the night elf shrugged nonchalantely.

And so, grinning like idiots and prepared for the fight of their lives, both human and night elf burst through the door and were instantly assaulted by a strong force of wind. Their view was obscured by plumes of dust as both escapees readied spells. But...nothing happened. Neither spoke a word to each other as they remained alert and eventually the literal dust began to settle as the wind softened to a lighter breeze and they could finally view their surroundings. They were outside, that was clear, but they weren't quite prepared for this. They found themselves on a clifftop facing what looked to be mostly desert a long way below them. The small facility in which they were being held seemed to be the only building that they could see for miles and no guards patrolled the area. Not one.

"What the hell? I wasn't sure what to expect, but I always assumed that we were being held somewhere in the city limits, not in the back ass of nowhwere", Matt said.

Illidan was looking around. "Arrogant bastards. They must keep their dirty work away from their cities. And not a guard in sight, hahahahahaha. This is good. This is very good."

"We need to get out of here just in case. Get going while the going is good", Matt replied.

"Agreed. Their technology is still largely unknown to us. Alarms of some sort probably alerted the home base as soon as we escaped. Lets go!"

Illidan spread his massive demonic wings and with one strong motion, flew off the cliff edge, sending plumes of dust again into Matt's face. He could hear Illidan laughing.

"Son of a bitch", Matt chuckled as he rubbed his eyes and readying his flying spell, followed the night elf. He knew that time was of the essence. His smile quickly diminished and was replaced by a cold determination. He didn't know where the hell he was, let alone Valeera, but he had to find her and he wouldn't rest until he did.

Stormwind (present day)

Shandris Feathermoon walked slowly through the streets of Stormwind. For all intents and purposes, it was a beautiful day. If it hadn't have been for the rubble of destroyed buildings, which even after the exstensive cleanup was clearly visible, it would have been an otherwise relaxing walk. But she knew that what she was seeing in this part of the city had been far worse before the night elf entourage had arrived. She had heard that there had been mass burials not too long ago and she felt a twinge in her heart as she thought of the victims and their families. Her people knew well the pain of burying a loved one. 'Or an entire family of loved ones', she thought, her memories stained by both bitterness and sadness.

A war summit had been called by King Wrynn and from what she had seen since her arrival, the turnout from across the length and breadth of Azeroth had been huge. Even now, ambassadors of numerous peoples and races were still making their way into the city by land, sea and portal. She had even witnessed several flying machines landing in the city limits. Goblins and gnomes most likely, and she marvelled at the change of tune from many of the summit attendees. Not even ten days ago, many didn't even believe that the Nar'zuleem existed, let alone lend soldiers to fight them, but now fear had spread and some were even panicking. After the attack in Ashenvale and on the cities of Stormwind and Orgrimmar, similar attacks were recorded far and wide. Almost all of those that had chosen to bury their heads in the sand could do so no longer. War was coming. Some would say that it had already began, but a seasoned warrior like Shandris knew better. These attacks were nothing more than a test of their defences. She couldn't help but feel like they were toying with them, like a game, and a shudder traveled up her spine at the thought.

All races would be represented at the summit, but Shandris was well aware that many of them were also extremely interested to see the human champion from another world. News of him had spread, she had noticed. Different races spoke of him in alcohol soaked taverns, stories spreading between soldiers, and he had become an enigma of sorts to many of the leaders. She had noticed it herself after he had rescued her army in Ashenvale. She would hear his name spoken regularly amongst her sentinels. When the various races began to arrive to the summit in Stormwind, at first the tension was thick, almost dangerous, but when beer and wine was introduced, so were loose lips. Rumours of his battles on the way to Ashenvale spread, then so too did his time in Orgrimmar. Stories then began to spread of his miraculous rescue of the night elf army and his rumoured relationships with the blood elf Valeera Sanguinar, possibly even the dragonqueen Alexstrasza. But none of these romantic rumours were more salacious or indeed even outright dangerous, than his eluded affair with the Warchief herself, Sylvanas Windrunner. Tie all of these stories in with a man that not only survived on Narzum for an entire year, but did so alongside none other than Illidan Stormrage. Not only that, but he fought and escaped and managed to find a way back to Azeroth to help fight this new threat. Some even believed that he was their only hope, while a few believed that he wasn't to be trusted. One thing was for sure, in his absence, he had become a cult hero to many and a person of interest to all. His presence at the summit had been confirmed by King Wrynn himself, and it brought a level of excitement to many. Shandris wasn't quite sure what to think of him yet. She still hadn't actually met him, but she felt that his presence at least would serve as a distraction to the growing fear and panic. And right now, she believed that was a good thing. She may not have known him personally, but he saved her and her army's lives, ressurecting them from death. It was miraculous and even though the general in her forced her to remain wary of a man who had remained on the enemy homeworld for a significant period of time, in her heart, she was indebted to him.

There had been no further attacks since and while armies were prepared and ready for battle at any time, the war summit was of grave importance. It would give the opportunity for all the leaders of Azeroth to put a firm plan in place now that alliances had been officially formed. It was of the utmost importance that everyone fought together under one banner instead of fractured armies and bickering leaders. "Strength came in numbers after all", she muttered to herself. Shandris looked around again at some of the devestation surrounding her. "And right now, Azeroth needs that strength more than ever."

Kar'coran (present day)

Kar'coran knew that his superiors would probably have frowned upon his methods but this was his operation and he would carry it out as he saw fit. He served the people of Narzum after all, not a bunch of aristocratic blowhards who seemed to be more concerned with their lavish lifestyles and emassing of power as quickly and efficiently as possible. They couldn't possibly appreciate the true art of war, he thought. When the Nar'zuleem had survived the burning legion's invasion generations ago, their people evolved and power was spread throughout the population, but unsurprisingly the aristocracy benefitted most and their power remained as strong as ever today. It didn't matter that his grandfather was a war hero or that his father had fought bravely on countless planets, amassing power and resources for the advancement and prosperity of their planet. It never mattered because only the connected advanced in the military. Commoners were never given the opportunity to lead. They were grunts. Fodder for the first wave of any invasion. They never made the position of an officer. That was until Kar'coran. Few of the Nar'zuleem matched Kar'coran's boldness, his tenacity and his tendency to think outside the box. He could never quite understand why some of his comrades were repulsed by him. They were hypocrites, he thought. They helped to destroy entire planets and yet they had the audacity to berate him, to be outraged and appalled by him. They only managed to earn his scorn and that was something that nobody, no matter the race, wanted to earn.

Thankfully, his superiors saw more in him than his hypocritical comrades and it was when he was transferred to the interrogation division, that he really came into his own, showing his true worth. He allowed himself a sly smile as he thought back on his humble beginnings. He had thrown himself into his work and it was a job that he had relished. It wasn't long before he had mastered many of the known methods of physical and psychological interrogation and soon he was inventing his own. He worked night and day and eventually, through countless hours of interrogative research and exhaustive spellwork constructions, Kar'coran began to rewrite the book on what many cretins called torture. His work was groundbreaking and his superiors were left with no option but to promote him. It wasn't long before he was running one of the main interrogation departments and he was promoted yet again. He became a rising star in the military and yet he could still sense the disgust even from the inferiors below him. None of them had the courage at that point to actually show it, but he could see behind their painted on smiles that they feared him. His methods seemed to disgust some of them but those methods were effective and that was all that mattered to him. The fact that he thoroughly enjoyed his work was a bonus. After he was deployed to one of the Nar'zuleem's latest planetary conquests, he led a significant army to overwhelming victory and had become a cult hero among many. Only those who worked closely with him seemed to continue to fear him. When he was promoted to general, even he himself was shocked and humbled by the honor. He had been handed the resposibility of invading one of the many targeted planets on their list. His first conquest was to be this planet, Azeroth. It was an operation a year in the making and he had left nothing to chance. The scouting operation and the many citizens that they had abducted and subjected to different interrogation techniques were common practices in the year leading up to a full scale invasion. He had acquired all of the information necessary to crush this planet but there was no reason why he couldn't have some fun before the main assault.

Even now, as he walked among them, camoflagued by one of his cloaking spells, he almost felt pity for them. Almost, but not quite. He perused the small village, watching citizens going about their daily routines. Primitive and sedentary, he thought. They were much like the Nar'zuleem generations ago before they evolved both physically and with the advancement of technology and magic, mentally. His wafer thin pity quickly turned to disgust at these creatures yet again. They represented everything Kar'coran hated in so many other sentient races. Weakness. The village was clearly on alert as word of the Nar'zuleem had begun to spread across Azeroth. Guards were stationed here and there to protect the village against any imminent attack and many of the villagers continued to live and work as they usually would.

A young mother and her child were tending to a vegetable crop. Even now, they seemed to be having fun. The woman was on her knees using a small metal trowel to dig up dying plants and replace them with new bulbs. Kar'coran recognized them as humans. The child, which couldn't have been much older than nine or ten years old, was helping her to plant the new vegetables. The woman ruffled his hair in appreciation. "You're doing so well Thomas. Before I know it, you'll be taking over from me", she said, smiling proudly at him all the while. The child argued that he wasn't a baby anymore and his good work should be expected. His mother took the opportunity to lovingly tease him and putting down her trowel, hugged him, squeezing him tightly and smothering him with kisses. "You'll always be my little boy Thomas, no matter how old you are" "Moooommmm!", the boy protested weakly. It wasn't long before he was hugging her back, his protests turning to giggles.

Kar'coran had had enough. He had being watching this display for about ten minutes now and his stomach could hardly take any more of it. The mother and child had continued their work, back to back now, and Kar'coran raised his hand. With a short whisper, black wispy tendrils touched the boy's sandy brown hair.

Thomas knew that he was a kid, but he took great pride in the fact that he could help his mother out around the house and in the garden. After all, his father had left him with the responsibility of protecting her when he went to join the other soldiers a week ago. He noticed his father wink at his mother as he said it and saw his mom try to hide her smile. He knew that his father wasn't serious, but Thomas was adament that he would protect her all the same. His father was his hero and he loved his mother and, kid or not, he would keep them both safe while his father was gone. It was as he was thinking these things that he felt...something. He couldn't describe what it was but it was a feeling. A bad feeling. He turned around, "Mom, do you feel some...", his words stopped immediately. His head jerked backwards as shock and indescribable fear took over and the realization that he was still only a child, began to truly sink in. He was confronted by a troll. The troll was kneeling in the same place as his mother was only a moment ago. "What's wrong?", the troll said. Thomas's eyes were as wide as saucers. He could see blood on the troll's tusks and some of it had begun to drip down it's mouth. His mother was nowhere to be seen. Had this troll eaten his mother, his young mind spun in panic. He remembered his friends telling him that trolls sometimes ate humans. This troll...this beast...must have attacked his mother, but where was she? His eyes quickly darted around to search for any sign of her. The troll spoke again, "Are you alright?" Thomas began to gain control of his fear. His father trusted him and he wasn't going to let him down. "Where is my m...mother?", he stuttered, trying to control his terror. The troll looked at him in what he thought was a sinister smile and answered, "What do you mean? Are you trying to be funny?" Thomas saw the trowel that his mother had left on the ground and he quickly picked it up, mustering as much courage as he could. "What have you done with her?", he shouted now. The troll looked at him strangely and all of a sudden began to laugh. Thomas couldn't believe it. This monster had just killed and possibly eaten his mom for all he knew, and it was laughing at him. Thomas swung the trowel with all his might. He was surprised to find that the troll didn't attack him, almost like it didn't expect a child to put up a fight. The trowel lodged itself into the soft flesh of the troll's neck and the laughing immediately stopped. Spurts of red blood exited the deep wound, splashing onto the grass below them. Even in his panic, Thomas thought it was strange. He had been told that trolls didn't have red blood like humans. The body fell to the ground as the red pool continued to grow around it. In an instant, Thomas felt the bad feeling disappear, but it was quickly replaced by another one. He looked again at the body of his mother...no...he meant the troll... He felt his mind was foggy, confused. He looked at the body again and it was indeed his mother that lay there, quiet and unmoving. His young mind was reeling as he dropped to his knees. The troll must have killed his mother, but where was the troll that he just killed...and why was there a trowel stuck in his mother's neck. He placed his trembling hands on his mother's body. Fat wet tears began to stream down his face. "Mom...mom...mommy...mommy...oh no...mommy."

Guards and villagers began to join the commotion and Kar'coran turned away from them, bored. He was still amazed at how easily these people succumbed to something as simple as an illusion spell and he began to walk back into the trees. The fun never lasted too long for him. After all, there was still much to be done. At least the two troublesome bastards that had almost threatened his invasion plans back on Narzum were no longer a problem. The demon elf had escaped but he could not hope to stop them. Not alone anyway. The human was dead and that gave Kar'coran immense pleasure and not a small amount of relief. He was extremely troublesome. He was unique, and Kar'coran hated unique. He had caused a serious amount of trouble on Narzum but he was a problem no longer. This world was his for the taking and who knew what the future had in store for him. Who knew how far he could go. He smirked just thinking about it. He created a portal and walked through, never looking back.

Thrall and Saurfang

Having grown up amongst humans, albeit in a cage for the most part, Thrall entered Stormwind amidst a flurry of memories, most of them bad and remembering the good ones always left him with a twinge of pain. But he could no longer stand aside and do nothing. The elements had been disturbed for too long now and he knew that Azeroth was in danger. It didn't take long for word to arrive about a new threat to the world and that an oncoming invasion was imminent. Every day, more and more news had spread about attacks in cities, towns and villages across the land and it had become clear that he could no longer remain hidden from the world, or the politics of Azeroth. It was about two weeks ago that Saurfang had made contact in order to enlist his help to depose the dishonorable Warchief, Sylvanas Windrunner, but their plans had inevitably changed. Deposing Sylvanas would have to wait. Word had reached Saurfang of a war summit being held in Stormwind and they both agreed that it would have to be their new destination.

He heard Saurfang grunt and he looked up, only to be met by a pair of bright blue eyes surrounded by a beautiful feminine face by human standards and indeed pretty by any race's standards. A woman with whom he shared a complicated past. A woman that he had always trusted and indeed called a friend, albeit a rocky friendship at times. They had sent word that they would be attending but he hadn't imagined that she would have met them on their arrival.

"Jaina", Thrall's deep voice rumbled, not quite hiding his surprise. "We weren't expecting you to meet us. It's...been a long time."

Jaina smiled briefly. "Yes, it has. Thrall, Saurfang, If you'll follow me, I'll take you to Anduin. We have much to discuss."

"Of course", replied Thrall.

"Lead the way", grunted Saurfang.

"I hope your journey wasn't too arduous. There's food and refreshments -"

"Jaina", Thrall cut her short. "I doubt that the Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras and one of the most powerful mages on Azeroth met us here to discuss food and refreshments. What are we looking at here? What exactly are we dealing with? How bad is it?"

Jaina looked at him and her bright eyes seemed to dim. "Bad."

Saurfang suddenly snorted, clearly agitated. "Well there's no time for idle chit-chat then, is there. Lead on Lady Proudmoore."

Jaina nodded and the three of them disappeared into the crowd.

Sylvanas Windrunner

Sylvanas arrived in Stormwind surrounded by an entourage large enough to suit her station as Warchief of the horde. She could never have imagined that she would be riding into the alliance city on peaceful terms, albeit a temporary truce. She had always imagined either conquering the city or razing it completely as she had Teldrassil. They were met by a significant number of city guards and standing at the head of the alliance welcoming party was a blonde haired female elf. For a moment, Sylvanas's voice almost stuck in her throat but she felt the corner of her mouth curl in a wry smile.

Jumping down gracefully from her undead mount, she stood to face her. "Sister. What an honor that you're here to meet us. I hope it wasn't too much trouble." She found it almost impossible to rein in her sarcasm.

Alleria Windrunner's face remained unmoved. "Not at all. King Anduin is awaiting your arrival. If you and your entourage will follow me, I'll take you to him. You and all of the race and faction leaders will be accomodated in the castle. Your guards will be accomodated next to the castle for the-"

"My lady will not be left unguarded in the heart of alliance territory. Those terms are non negotiable", a dark ranger piped up, dismounting and standing beside Sylvanas.

Sylvanas raised her hand lazily. "Don't worry Tameriel, surely I can trust my own sister that there are no plans to assasinate me. Isn't that right Alleria?"

Alleria looked at Tameriel before turning back to Sylvanas. "Of course. All leaders are safe here. This a summit to reconcile and join against an alien race intent on our destruction, as I'm sure that you are aware...sister." She spoke the last word in as sarcastic a tone as Sylvanas had used.

"Oh yes, I'm well aware. Of course I would expect the little lion to stick to his word, but there are many others who wish to see me dead, Alleria. Are you saying that I'm supposed to just trust your word. I'm taking a great risk just being here", replied Sylvanas.

"As are all who have chosen to be in the same room as you", Alleria snapped.

Sylvanas laughed bitterly. Alleria took a breath.

"We are all here out of necessity Sylvanas, including you, but...I won't deny that there are many here that are not happy about your presence. All leaders are allowed four handmaidens or attendants of their own choosing ,from their own party, to accompany them at the castle. You can choose four of your rangers if you wish", said Alleria

Sylvanas smirked. "Now, are you happy Tameriel? Your skills are needed to tend to my nails. And don't forget my dresses."

Alleria emitted a quick snort of laughter and cursed herself for it. "We should get going. If you'll follow me, Warchief."

Sylvanas nodded and they followed, ignoring the stares and looks of complete disdain and hatred aimed at them all the while. She knew that Matt would be here and her thoughts drifted back to him.

Narzum (Day 43)

It felt like it had been a couple of weeks that passed since their escape from the remote facility in which they had been held and after a few rough days traversing the desert that they found themselves stuck in, Matt and Illidan had entered a type of grasslands that eventually led to forestry. It was thanks to an oasis or two that they came across that they could count themselves alive at all. The water was drinkable and didn't seem to have any adverse affects on either of them, but food was another matter. After a week of trial and error when it came to vegetation, they were finally beginning to learn what was edible and what was not. At some points, it had almost become a comedy double act. Illidan insisted on becoming the test subject and Matt had lost count how many times that he had to heal him after eating a poisonous plant or fruit. The alien forest held many unknown factors including animals that they quicky realized were almost entirely edible.

When they were fit and healthy enough to move on once more, they found themselves on the edge of desert land yet again. Illidan noticed something in the distance and they decided amongst themselves that it was worth checking out. When they got closer, they realized that it was another remote facility very similar to the one from which they had escaped. Matt wanted to get closer but Illidan didn't want to take the risk.

"There's probably other prisoners in there, maybe even from Azeroth. Either way, we can't just leave them there. They need our help", Matt tried to reason with him.

"We need to help ourselves. The entirety of Azeroth needs to be warned and we need to escape this planet to warn them. We shouldn't jeopardize that by trying to free prisoners that may or may not even be from Azeroth", replied Illidan cooly.

Matt stood his ground. "I'm going. You don't have to, but I am"

Illidan shook his head and sighed. "Like most humans, you're a stubborn one. I'll follow. Lead the way."

Matt nodded in thanks and together they made their way as quickly and quietly as possible closer to the small facility. They hunkered down within yards of the place and managed to remain hidden. One guard was posted at the entrance of the small prison, just like their own.

Matt whispered to Illidan. "We take him out, we're in!"

"That's not necessarily true. We're only going on our own experience. What if the place is filled with those almost unkillable bastards?", Illidan replied, keeping his voice to a similar volume.

"I guess we're going to find out"

"Are you crazy, human?...Matt...Matt, what are you...fuck!"

Matt had already gotten up half way through Illidan's incredulous reply and using his flying spell, began to levitate and silently move above the guard. Illidan watched as he looked to be powering up a small but fierce looking ball of magic in his right hand. It was an unfamiliar spell to Illidan. Matt fired it at the unsuspecting guard and it landed with a crushing blow, disintegrating the guard's head. The lifeless corpse dropped to the ground, limp and unmoving. Matt landed in front of the door. Illidan joined him.

"They're only almost unkillable if you leave their head attached. I learned that to my detriment", said Matt, shame clear in his eyes.

"Let's go", replied Illidan and sent a mass of fell magic towards the door of the prison, blowing it off the hinges.

They ran down the corridor and came across the door that surely led to the cells. Just like their own prison, no more guards were to be seen.

"Every one of these small remote prison facilities must be the same. They really are arrogant bastards. One guard?", Matt snorted.

"It's all they need. The spell surrounding the cells are pretty much impenetrable, remember. I doubt many cellmates have you to help get them out. And it took you weeks. I got lucky that you were thrown in the opposite cell or else I'd still be there." Illidan kicked the door open with one powerful cloven hoof, nearly taking this one from the hinges too.

"You could have just opened it you know. It wasn't locked."

"I know. What's your point?"

Matt chuckled and moved his arm forward, palm down, "Nothing, after you"

Illidan moved inside. There were four cells, two on opposite sides of the room. The decor, or lack of it was exactly the same as their own little home away from home. Matt could see right away that each cell was occupied. Illidan moved to the back two cells and Matt went to the front two. There was a human man on the left and a female troll on the right. The man's eyes opened wide when he saw Matt, hope filling his face. Matt was surprised to find that the troll looked as happy to see him as the human was.

"Are you here to save us? Thank the light. I never thought that I'd see a human face outside these bars again", the man sank to his knees in celebration, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

"Well I'm sorry dat I be such bad company, mon", the troll surprisingly looked a little hurt but clearly happy to see these two figures breaking in. "Is it true? Are ya here to save us?"

"I am, just hold tight okay", Matt replied.

"No, I didn't mean it that way Zhiza, honestly. I don't know what I would have done without you all this time alone. I just meant...", the man blurted out an explanation to the female troll.

"I know what ya meant, don't worry Joseph. Relax. I'm glad dat dey be here too", replied Zhiza.

He was initially surprised that this unlikely pair seemed to have formed a bond, but then he wondered how long they had been here and he understood. Strange relationships can form under traumatic or pressurized situations and he found his mouth curling into a smile.

"Matt!", Illidan shouted from further back. He was with the other two cellmates. "There's someone here that you're going to want to see"

His heart thumped in his chest. It couldn't be, surely. He turned from the interesting pair and rushed to the back cells. Another human male was in the cell on the right and in the cell on the left was...

"Valeera...", Matt found that his voice came out in part a gasp and a whisper.

The yellow haired elf stood in front of him, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had been stripped of her greaves, shoulder armor, helmet and weapons. Her long hair flowed behind her shoulders, running down her back. He had never seen her look so vulnerable...or beautiful.

"Matt, you're alive. I'm so glad. I knew that you would be okay. You came for me!". He realized that the tears were happy ones. She was smiling at him and it was as if she were healing his soul with that beautiful smile.

"I...Valeera, I never even knew you were here. I was trying to find you but this was just blind luck. A miracle. I can't believe it. You have no idea how happy I am that you're alive and well."

"I knew we'd find each other, one way or another. I believed it."

Matt felt tears about to well up in his eyes, but immediately pushed his emotions down. This wasn't the place for happy reunions.

"I'm going to get you guys out of here", he commented loudly so that all four prisoners could hear him.

"It be no use mon. Dis magic be unbreakable. Ya goin to have to find another way", Zhiza shouted from her cell.

Matt wasn't listening. He was concentrating. His blue eyes lit up, crackling with energy.

"We dont have two weeks to break the spell Matt, I hope you've improved your cell cracking skills because more guards are probably on the way now", Illidan reminded him. "If you can't break it soon, we'll-" The four cell doors opened at the same time. "-never mind!"

Matt grinned and looked at him with a sideways glance. "In those two weeks, I learned every inch of that spell and how to deconstruct it. Don't worry, I improved."

Matt, Illidan and the four escapees took no time getting the hell out of there. It took some time, but eventually they made their way back to the camp that they had constructed in the forest. It was no palace, but it was home for now. Together, they made up a few more tents for their new guests and before they knew it, night had fallen. The night in Narzum didn't differ much from the day, but the bright purple sky darkened a little for a few hours every day. Everyone was tired after the adrenaline fuelled escape and they had all moved into their tents to sleep. Everyone but Matt and Valeera.

She took his hand. Matt squeezed it gently. She tugged lightly on his arm and they moved towards his tent.

Inside, she lay down on her side and he lay beside her. They spoke no words. No words were needed. She began to slowly undress, the light from the opening in the tent illuminating her soft skin. Her breasts moved up and down as she inhaled and exhaled. He was enraptured by her. Her hair fell over her shoulder as she remained on her side, looking at him all the while, as if he were a mirage that could disappear at any moment. His eyes trailed the shape of her body. Her beautiful shapely legs, her curvy hips. Her hand moved erotically towards her stomach, brushing her breasts on the way. Matt undressed quicker than she had and their eyes met. He couldn't wait any longer. He kissed her softly at first. She moaned gently. Her lips pressed against his, opening partially. They kissed more passionately now, their tongues meeting as he gently brushed her long hair back over her shoulder. He pressed against her and she leaned back. He kissed her neck, slowly, feeling her blood pumping below her skin with every movement of his lips. She gasped as he covered her neck with passionate kisses. Placing his hand on her waist, he moved across her stomach and cupped her perfect breast. She lay on her back now, breathing more rapidly. He moved down her body, trailing kisses all the way, stopping at her breasts. He took her engorged nipple in his mouth and she moaned again, deeper this time. He took his time playing with her nipples, gently flicking them with his tongue.

He continued his trail downwards, brushing his lips against her stomach, his hands moving across her thighs. Valeera gasped again as he raised her leg, resting it on his shoulder and pressing his lips against her inner thigh. She opened her legs wider, her breathing quick and shallow now. He moved his head down and tasted her. She groaned in pleasure, placing her hands on his head and with every flick of his tongue, her hips moved upward and her thighs began to tremble. Her hands gripped his hair as she came, convulsing with her orgasm. She lay back, trying to gulp for air. She looked at him. She was the picture of beauty. "Do it", she said, through deep breaths. He entered her as her soft hands hugged his back. He controlled his ecstasy with every thrust. She kissed him passionately, their hips moving together. She placed her hands on his strong arms, drinking him in with her smouldering eyes. They made love deep into the night. Their moans intermingling now as he came inside her.

She fell asleep in his arms. All that had happened to him, he thought, 'It was worth it for this moment.' It was all worth it and It wasn't long before he fell asleep himself.

He woke up feeling groggy, strange, but he remembered last night and smiled to himself. He couldn't wait to see Valeera's face again. He partially opened his eyes, still sleepy, and looked at the strange metal tiles that lined the roof of his tent. Wait...he was confused, still half asleep...his tent was made of animal skins. A flash of light blinded his eyes and he jumped up to shield them but was instantly forced back down. He couldn't move his arms. He looked to the side. Metallic shackles held him down on a cold metal table. His head was propped up slightly. The blinding light began to dim. He looked around, still confused and quickly turning to panic. He was in a cold, bright room. It reminded him of a surgery on earth. Strange machines surrounded him and he couldn't break free of the shackles. He looked to his right. Illidan lay on the same type of metal table and by the looks of it, just beggining to wake up too.

Matt felt so strange, groggy, weak. He couldn't collect his thoughts. Something was very wrong. "Valeera!", he groaned but the words sounded strange. "Where...am...I...How..." His hearing was muffled. He felt like he had been drugged.

"...you really think that y...escape that easily", a disgusting tremelo voice utttered words from behind him, but he could only catch some of it. The voice got closer and a familiar face suddenly loomed over him, needle like teeth grinning like a madman. "Kar'coran", Matt cried in horror, "What...I don't understand."

Matt bucked in his shackles and then remembered his magic. He concentrated.

"Now, now, don't struggle, you'll only hurt yourself. And I wouldn't attempt your magic to escape. It may work in my simulation, but it won't work in here."

Illidan was groggy but awake now. "Simulation, what...do...do you mean?"

Kar'coran feigned empathy as he replied, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but neither of you have left this room since your arrival on Narzum" He smiled now, "But isn't it a wonderful simulation. I created it myself. A mix of magic and technology." He looked over at Illidan and jeered, "Did you really think that we would leave only one guard, you demonic buffoon. I can smell the fell on you from here. You disgust me how you have chosen to use it." Facing Matt again, he continued, "Through it, we can test every race of every planet. How strong they are, how weak they are and...", he looked at Matt and grinned maniacally, "...what makes them tick."

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH, I'll kill you. I'll fucking kill you. You're dead! FUCKING DEAD! What have you done with her?", Matt screamed, the reality hitting him like a tonne of bricks. Illidan began to roar and smashed his hoofs on the table in anger and horror.

"She's safe. You on the other hand, well...my simulation is completely under my control, but you", Kar'coran punched Matt hard in the face, breaking his nose and leaving him coughing up blood. "You broke the spell on your cell before I was going to let you out. Nobody is supposed to be able to do that. NOBODY SHOULD BE ABLE TO." He punched Matt again, screaming those last words. "No, that won't do at all, human thing. That won't do at all. I have learned all that I need to learn from you. You'll have to go. You'll have to die"