Karabor, The Temple Summit. One month before the Fall of the Black Temple
Illidan
Illidan never felt so weak in his entire life. His mission in Auchindoon took a very heavy toll on him, his power was nowhere near as close to what it was before the Draenei necromancers and their sinister forces attacked him and his fel orcs. A full day has passed since lady Malande discovered him unconscious in his chambers and he still felt like the first few days after he survived Frostmourne. Of course, he didn't admit any of that to the priestess, the last thing he wanted, was to admit to one of his subordinates how weak he felt nowadays. Especially since said subordinate was a beautiful female who more than once has made her true intentions towards him quite clear. He wasn't blind to her advances and not as uninterested as he appeared to be. He just felt that it would be inappropriate for him to become involved with a member of his inner council. So he continued to pretend that he didn't notice that she was flirting with him. He shrugged and paced the terrace. Nice steps either side, of course.
Things were not going as well as he had expected. Kael'thas had arbitrarily ordered an assault on Shattrath in his name! When did he ever expressed the desire to sack the city of a potential ally? When did he order Kael to do such a thing? Why had he not contacted him in two months? The last communication he had from the prince was that he discovered an abandoned crystal fortress in the north, established a base of operations and begun to harvest mana. He had also discovered numerous Legion outposts there and has sent two third of his forces under the command of Voren'thal the Seer to dispatch them. And today he discovered that he pulled them all from their successful campaign, and sent them to destroy the Draenei capital in Illidan's name.
The Demon Hunter was furious. He casted himself to where Akama was at the Warden's Cage and the Broken Priest informed him that rumor had it that Kael was talking to Kil'Jaeden, so Illidan ordered him to send someone to kill A'lar, Kael's Phoenix as a warning. He knew that the bird's death was only temporary, it should be reborn again in a few weeks time, he only wanted to let Kael know that he was watching him and that he should remember who their true enemy was. He glimpsed towards Maiev's cell, she had stopped her pacing for a moment to look at Illidan and then turned her back to him like a disgruntled lover. Oh, how he longed for her touch, how he wanted to feel her all around him once again and hear her cries of passion. It didn't help that since that fateful night, all of his dreams were about her. Only the setting was sometimes different. She was not his prisoner here at the Black Temple, but rather he was hers at Mt. Hyjal. And it felt just as real as THAT night. That puzzled him, because never in the ten thousand years of his imprisonment did he ever touch her. But the dreams were so vivid, he could smell her, taste her, feel her as if it was a real encounter and not just a wet dream. Now, as he looked at the billowing green cloak and the long white ponytail that reached the small of her back, he wanted nothing more than to help her out of it and run his fingers through her long silky hair. He almost ordered everyone to leave so that he could run to her cell and pull her into his arms. But he caught himself at the last moment and callously asked about the prisoner's condition. He heard her indignant scoff at his question as Akama informed him that she was fairing well, and grinned inwardly. He grunted and teleported back to the summit at great cost of his stamina.
Illidan spent the rest of the day sitting on a ledge trying to regain his strength. Only now, did he feel well enough to begin pacing again, thinking over the events of the last few months and making plans for the future. On his hundredth set, a flash of light and a bang forced him to turn around startled, ready to draw the glaives of Azzinoth and impale whoever dared to invade his inner sanctum, only to have the most beautiful Sin' dorei female he had ever seen in his life almost fall into his arms. The rune jewel dangling from her neck assured him that she was a friend and not a foe, he remembered giving the artifact to young Rommath years ago and concluded that she was sent by him to deliver a message.
"Wow", she whispered and then bowed to him, Kaldorei style.
'Well that should really be my line, gorgeous!', he smirked.
"I formally request an audience with the lord of Outland, master Stormrage. I am lady Thalia Lightcaster, High Priestess of Quel'thalas and member of the new Silvermoon Convocation.", she addressed him in Darnassian.
'She speaks my language, very impressive', he smiled at her despite wanting to look more austere. But her beauty and aura made him act quite at ease around her even though he only just met her. Well officially, that is. He was certain that he had a brief glimpse of her before he flew out of the Dalaran ruins in search for Tyrande.
"Welcome to Outland, lady Lightcaster. What brings you here so far away from Quel'Thalas? I must say, that I'm surprised to see you again after Dalaran.", he cocked his head to her.
"You remember me, my lord?", Thalia was surprised that the Demon Hunter noticed anyone besides his brother and Maiev back then.
"I never forget a beautiful face, young Thalia. You could be hiding in a sea of a thousand of masqueraders, and any full-blooded male would still spot you in an instant.", Thalia blushed bright red at that, she never expected a compliment like that from the "Betrayer". Her blush earned her a grin from Illidan.
"I am honored, my lord", she grinned back at him. "As you may be aware already, a vast army is amassing, ready to march against you and my prince. They believe that you both serve the Legion. Especially after the failed attack against Shattrath. They have issued an execution order for the both of you and all those who follow you.",Thalia informed the Demon Hunter.
"I did not order the attack on the Draenei capital, young one. Why would I want to make an enemy out of the enemy of my enemy? It would have been a very foolish move on my part and extremely counterproductive. My enemy always has and always will be the Burning Legion and not the natives of this land, nor the inhabitants of Azeroth. It was your prince who arbitrarily ordered the attack in my name and lost most of his forces as a result since they defected. Even they saw the foolishness of such a move. Kael'thas left Karabor three months ago to explore Netherstrom. I haven't heard from him in two months, I have no knowledge of what he is up to. I would go to investigate my self, but unfortunately, I am very busy at the moment with my preparations for different Legion campaigns. I will, however, send one of my Demon Hunters tomorrow to investigate Tempest keep and your prince's dealings. Telarius Voidstrider has a talent in stealth and a keen and penetrating mind. He will get to the bottom of this. Perhaps you should join him, he will provide you with ample protection and will detect any threats, especially demonic ones.", Illidan informed the priestess.
"That would be amazing, my lord. I am very grateful about this.", she bowed her head at the Master of the Illidari.
"It's the least I can do for your kind, young one. Your prince and your people here in Outland trusted me and followed me in my campaign against the Legion and the Lich King. Hundreds of them offered to become Demon Hunters, and many others are bolstering my forces here in Shadowmoon Valley and at Terokkar forest. I couldn't have accomplished so much these past six years, had it not been for their constant support and dedication. We will get to the bottom of this and we will save your prince and your people even if is from themselves.", Illidan promised Thalia.
"You've been training more Demon Hunters, my lord?", Thalia's scientific curiosity perked up. She wondered how her people made the decision to train and become Demon Hunters and how they fared during their training. 'Whatever it was, I'm certain that it wasn't pretty.'.
"Yes, I have hundreds of Demon Hunters under my command now, both Sin'dorei and Kal'dorei who agreed with my views and sought me out. The training is extremely difficult and quite often lethal, but none suffered more than I had when I became a Demon Hunter ten thousand years ago. They can now deal with any demon that dares to cross their path quite easily. Together we have dealt devastating blows on many Legion's worlds, destroying them and depriving them of powerful artifacts and resources. The most notable of them all was Nathreza, two months ago.", Illidan informed the Priestess.
"You destroyed the planet of the Dread Lords? The home of Malganis is no more?", Thalia squealed and clapped her hands like a little girl. Illidan chuckled at her reaction and nodded.
"Indeed we have. It was not an easy feat, many good Elves died that day, but I promise you that the home of the Nathrezim is now floating into the Twisting Nether in pieces. I am not certain whether Malganis or Tichondrious were there when it happened, but I can only hope that we were that lucky. Would you like a tour of Karabor and meet some of my Demon Hunters, young Thalia?", Illidan offered his arm to the gorgeous Priestess, who wrapped her arm around his elbow and looked up at him.
"I would be honored, my lord!", she smiled.
Illidan led her down the stairs to the Elven quarter, dozens of Sin'dorei and Kal'dorei residents were lounging on benches under trees or around the numerous ponds and fountains that adorned that part of the temple. It was very strange to find gardens in the Black Temple, but Thalia discovered that Karabor was adorned with a great number of them. All the Elves smiled, jumped to their feet and bowed to their lord, eyeing Thalia curiously. Illidan nodded at them and led Thalia further into the bowels of the Temple. The priestess was very impressed by how the Blood and the Night Elves were so much at ease with each other, they appeared to be friends and that was extraordinary since in Azeroth they were sworn enemies. And that was not only because they belonged to different factions, but also because even though it has been eight thousand years since the Highborn were exiled from Kalimdor, the Kal'dorei still did not trust anyone associated with the arcane. On the other hand, the Sin'dorei were enraged that they were still not allowed anywhere near the Well of Eternity, something that would have alleviated their withdrawal symptoms. But it would appear that here, all of that did not matter. They were here to fight the Legion, so any petty differences were cast aside.
"The Kal'dorei you see are here to train as Demon Hunters, they sought me out over the years and now I have a good number of my kin bolstering my Illidary. Most of my Demon Hunters are Sin'dorei at the moment, so for the past three months, I've focussed on recruiting only Kal'dorei, giving your kin a break for a while. The Blood Elves you just saw are my elite non-Demon Hunter forces here in Shadowmoon Valley, my last line of defense should everything else fails. They are all very experienced and extraordinary fighters, a testament to your peoples' excellent fighting skills and your Prince's unwavering trust in them. He could have taken them with him but chose to leave them in my care. For that, I am grateful.", Illidan explained to Thalia. The Lord of Outland led Thalia through the Den of Mortal Delights, he explained to the priestess that none of the residents were here against their will and that they were handsomely compensated for their services. Thalia understood the soldiers need for comfort and since none of the scantily dressed people she saw sprawled on ottomans and pillows appeared to be here against their will and she did not detect any will dominating spells, she did not judge the troops for hiring their services. The Demon Hunter and the Priestess walked into the Sanctuary of Shadows, where Thalia heard the most beautiful yet most haunting music in her life. It was a chorus of female and male voices accompanied by a medley of melodic instruments. Though Thalia did not understand the words, she was captivated by the raw emotions the music and lyrics stirred in her, she could feel the sadness, the desperation, and the anguish of the composer. Illidan saw how captivated she was and decided to explain what she was hearing.
"You feel it, don't you? Though this song was composed long before I was even born, it captures the heart of everyone who hears it because it speaks to each person's soul and relates to his or her's personal anguish. It was written and composed by a Draenei Priestess as she and her people fled Argus. I don't speak their language, but I was told that "Chronakai Kristor!", roughly translates into "The Legion will fall". My Illidary are the performers, Lady Malande and Gathios the Shatterer lead the chorus. I believe that they are excellent so I tasked High Nethermancer Zerevor to enchant these halls so that this song can be constantly played here, but Akama claims that they have slaughtered it.", Illidan shrugged at his last comment.
"I think it's wonderful, my lord, never has a song captivated me so completely!", Thalia closed her eyes and enjoyed the last verses of the song, that in her mind promised salvation.
"Perhaps Lady Malande can teach it to you when you return. Legion themed songs always remain contemporary. I could have sung it ten thousand years ago or just last night, and it would still stir people's hearts.", the Lord of Outland led Thalia up a set of stairs heavily guarded by Orcs who saluted Illidan as the two Elves passed by them.
Instead of continuing up the next set of stairs, they walked towards the wall on the other side. He waved his hand and chanted something in demonic. Runes flashed green in an intricate pattern and a gate appeared. As soon as they walked through it, it disappeared. Sconces lit up as they walked down a large flight of stairs that led into a semicircular cavernous chamber bustling with life. A large atrium was lined with smaller chambers. On the left side, there were several lecture halls, while on the other side there was an infirmary, a dining hall, and a library. Several Demon Hunters, Sin'dorei and Broken healers and Magi were sitting on the benches around the garden, while others hurried towards the infirmary, the lecture hall or the library. On top of these chambers, overlooking the atrium were several rooms that Thalia concluded were dormitories for the Demon Hunters as a good number of them were either entering them or were running down towards the other end of the atrium that opened to the training grounds. They all stopped what they were doing and bowed to Illidan who nodded his head and continued towards the training area with Thalia still wrapped around his arm. Hundreds of Demon Hunters Kal'dorei and Sin'dorei, male and female, big and small, young and old were sparring with each other, exercised or trained with an instructor following his or her orders to the letter or hung to their every word as they lectured them as if their life depended on it.
'And it probably does', Thalia concluded as she watched Azeroth's greatest hope train for the inevitable Armaggedon that the Legion will eventually unleash upon their world. 'Correction, All worlds'.
"This is all amazing, my lord. You have done wonders with my people and your kin. These Elves are the last best hope for Azeroth. Without them fighting the Legion and you leading them, all worlds will burn", she looked up at the master of the Illidary.
"We need more of them and more ways to destroy the Burning Legion. I've been working on several projects and soon we will have a way to attack other core Legion worlds directly. Perhaps we could get to Argus itself. But first, we have to ensure that the Legion does not destroy us instead, by infiltrating my ranks and corrupting my highest ranking officers. And you and Telarius are going to ensure that. TELARIUS!", Illidan bellowed the name of his Demon Hunter, and a tall Night Elf with long dark hair and a pleasant face glided in front of his master and bowed to him.
"At your service, my Lord.", he rasped.
In the past few moments that she was surrounded by the Demon Hunters, Thalia noticed that when they spoke, their voice was very raspy as if they had a heavy cold. 'Or as if they screamed for hours. Even Lord Illidan's voice was raspy, though not as much as theirs. But he had ten thousand years to recover from whatever caused him to scream so much.', Thalia shuddered inwardly thinking about the horrors Illidan and his Demon Hunters must have gone through during their transformation.
"This is Lady Thalia Lightcaster, the High Priestess of Quel'Thalas and a member of the New Silvermoon Convocation. She is here to determine whether Prince Kael'thas has joined the Legion or has just finally succumbed to his addiction and we are going to help her. I want you to accompany her to Eclipse and Firewing points and retrace the Prince's steps from here to Tempest Keep. I have the utmost faith in you, my Illidary and I am confident that you will both get to the bottom of this and will keep the Lady safe from harm.", Illidan gave his subordinate his mission and the Demon Hunter was all too eager to accept it.
"I will not fail you, master.", he saluted his mentor and bowed his head to Thalia before he scurried off to his quarters to prepare for his mission.
"There you go, Thalia. You will soon discover the fate of your Prince and I will know whether he has betrayed me or not. We have a very difficult road ahead of us and we cannot lose anyone to the Legion. Especially someone so powerful and talented as Kael'thas. Not to mention all of his troops and resources.".
"You're right, my Lord. We can't afford to lose anyone and great measures need to be taken. As well as precautions. As amazing as this place is.", she waved her hand around the Illidary training compound, "aren't your Demon Hunters exposed from the sky?", she pointed at the open space over them and the glass dome over the atrium.
"Actually, they are not. The entire compound is magically enchanted to look, feel and be scanned as solid rock. My Illidary are safe from any external threat. Well now that I have assigned Telarius his mission, why don't I tell you all about my campaign against the Legion over dinner?", Illidan felt very relieved that the beautiful Elf came into his life when she did, she would provide the perfect distraction from thinking about Maiev. He was determined to erase every memory of the Huntress on the Priestess' gorgeous body, he was certain that he will accomplish that tonight.
'One way or another, no matter how many times I bring us over the edge, I will wipe Maiev's image from my mind once and for all.' he vowed to himself and escorted the Priestess back at the Temple Summit where a dining table was set up for them.
"Resources are not so easily available in Shadowmoon Valley. The fel has corrupted all the plant and wildlife here. Even the water is undrinkable. Everything is brought in from Terrokar Forrest and Nagrand, and with the increased number of attacks against my outposts there it has become even more difficult to have fresh meat and vegetables every day. So I've decreed that food should be rationed till further notice. Thankfully, my enemies have not yet discovered the underground aqueducts that provide Karabor and the rest of my outposts with water so we have plenty of that, and the cisterns all around Karabor are full. So you will have to understand that our dinner will be very light.", Illidan was not the type to apologize about anything but he hoped that the priestess would be understanding.
"You should not be concerned about trivial things such as food, my Lord. Ever since Arthas ravaged my land, I have learned to forgo creature comforts and live off rations. Only during the past year has Quel'thalas been able to find some semblance of a normal life that included more than one meal a day. Anything you might have to offer me will be greatly appreciated.", Thalia smiled gracefully and took a bite of the unidentified meat on her plate and was surprised that it was quite delicious. And so were the vegetables and the Draenei flatbread. The wine was not Suntouched special reserved, but rather a local Draenei reserve made from Nagrand berries, but it was quite pleasing.
"I am pleased that you enjoy this meager dinner, Thalia. Rest assured, that should you return at a future time, a proper feast will be set up in your honor and Kael'thas will be here, along with all his people. And together, we will bring the Legion to its knees. To the fall of the Legion, then!", he raised his goblet to her and Thalia clanged her goblet with his.
It was a pleasant dinner, Illidan possessed a devilish charm and the young Priestess became enthralled. Before Thalia knew it she was sprawled on his bed writhing and moaning under him while he moved on top of her in wild abandon. His clever fingers played her body like a well-attuned music instrument, he kissed nipped and licked every nook and cranny and brought her over the edge more times than she could count. He was like a man possessed, it was like he just couldn't get enough of her, as soon as he would spill his seed inside her, he was ready for more. He took her in every surface of the room, both vertical and horizontal and in every position possible, Thalia was certain that she will be sore for days after her body was bent and twisted in awkward positions for what seemed to her like hours. Not that she complained about it. She enjoyed every second of their lovemaking, so much so, that she even forgot to cast a contraceptive spell on her. It was way past dawn when they collapsed in each other's arms spent, and late afternoon when they finally woke up. With an embarrassed look on his face, Illidan escorted Thalia at the Temple summit where Telarius was waiting for them since early morning. He appeared to be unfazed and unconcerned despite waiting for them for so many hours, but Talia caught him flaring his nostrils and smirking when she stood next to him waiting for Illidan to open a portal for them to Eclipse Point.