Disclaimer - I do not own Warcraft
Pandaria
A few hours after Alleria's encounter with the pandaren, she has regrouped to where the others have begun creating a makeshift base. The other expeditions have already arrived as well
"Is that everyone?" Khadgar asked
"Yes, only the four of us were sent by the Warchief, for now. We were planning to send more but..." Dranosh trailed off
"I understand. So, what do you think about all this?" Turalyon asked
"I sent a familiar back upon receiving da message and from what I saw, our homes was still holding." Rokhan said, much to everyone's relief
"Still, something about all this isn't right." Sylvanas commented
"What do you mean?" Rexxar asked
"Well, it's the timing that really bothers me." Sylvanas began to explain. "The Scourge goes after Deathwing and succeeds. Then a mist that covers this place disappears and we have no choice but to investigate ourselves before the Scourge ends up destroying it and cause more trouble for us. There is no way that this is a coincidence."
"Do you think that the Scourge has manipulated us here?" Jaina wondered after hearing the general's explanation
"I doubt it. The Scourge didn't know about this place. If anyone has manipulated us here, then it would have to be..." Alleria trailed off
"The Old Gods." Baine finished her statement
"Indeed. Earlier, I was ambushed by some bears." Alleria said and surprised them. "They had the chance to kill me but they chose to let me live. They called themselves as Pandaren and this land is called Pandaria." she said. "And also, the Scourge is already here." and she got a collective 'what' from everyone. "The Pandaren have mentioned them to me and also said that they aren't doing anything."
"I knew we couldn't trust that damn Demon Hunter." Arthas said in annoyance
"Maybe not. All Illysanna said was that she would allow us to investigate this but she never said anything about not having their forces here." Nathanos pointed out
"Then what would be the point of even letting us be here in the first place?" Arthas asked curiously
"To gather information no doubt." Sylvanas answered as if it was plainly obvious. "The fact of the matter is that we have a code of honor, one that would prevent us from doing something too drastic. The Scourge is aware of this and is taking full advantage of it. They don't have the slightest trace of honor which means that they have next to no limits when it comes to achieving their goals. Hell, if Illidan took the powers of the Legion and the Lich King, there is no doubt he would stop at nothing to destroy his enemies."
"I think you're right. Illysanna probably read that from the start which is why she had sent their forces here." Jaina said thoughtfully. "If the Scourge were being honest that they would allow us to take care of this, then their real agenda is to keep tabs on us."
"Makes sense, but what about this Emerald Nightmare thing? What do we do about it?" Rexxar asked, changing the topic
In the middle of their conversation, they forgot that very important thing. Rokhan's familiar earlier also helped take it off their minds
"I think we should continue here." Alleria said much to their confusion. "We don't have enough supplies to last for us to go back right now. There is also the possibility of the seas getting rough once more. They did say that the elementals once served the Old Gods."
"She has a good point. Besides, even if we do turn back right now, we would be far more vulnerable to ambush." Baine agreed
"But what if they overrun us?" Arthas pointed out
"I doubt that it would be that easy. Both Durotar and Theramore are well defended so the Nightmare would have a difficult time." Alleria said before letting a slight smirk tug her face. "If it does come to that, then the Scourge can always come to our aid." she said and that was the last thing they expected
"Alleria!" Turalyon said in horror. "Do you truly trust those creatures to aid us?" he demanded to know while the others said some murmurs at the ranger's words. He genuinely thought that his wife was joking when she said that the first time
Sylvanas was the only one who kept her silence and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. 'I know for a fact that this is the real Alleria. She's not possessed nor was she an impostor. The Scourge was captured Nathanos but let him go without any demands so it is doubtful that they want anything for allowing Alleria to come home. Has something happened to her while she was away? No, even if something did, I am in no position to judge her and she wouldn't have even considered that if we were still in Quel'thalas. However, this isn't Quel'thalas anymore so we have to adapt but still.' she analyzed her sister's behavior. "No, Alleria has a point." she said and quickly stopped all their random arguments. "When you consider the fact that Nathanos and the Draenei were let go without any demands, it is safe to assume the Scourge is willing to keep their word. With that in mind and the fact that they were the ones to start this war against the Old Gods, there is no way they would just let them take control of Kalimdor."
"But still, I don't like it." Dranosh commented with complete distaste
"If I may be honest, we must adapt." Rexxar said and confused the others. "If there is anything I learned during my time in the wild, you must always adapt to the changing circumstances."
With the mok'nathal's explanation, everyone had begun to understand Alleria's suggestion. They're fighting enemies who are more than willing to do things they wouldn't do and if they don't adapt, they will just get devoured
Nobody was fine with it especially Turalyon, who objected to it. "We cannot rely on the Scourge on this. If we do, then it would only prove that we are no better than them." he said sternly
Surprisingly, the last person they expected agreed to it. "The Paladin is right. Our honor would be tarnished if we have to count on the Scourge who fight with no honor." Dranosh pointed out
"Perhaps, but maybe we have to adapt like Rexxar said." the surprise kept coming as Arthas was the one who said this
"I think we can all agree that we need to gather supplies first before anything else. Besides, we still don't know if all of the Pandaren are really okay with us being her and could take us out. We have to trust our allies, and begrudgingly, the Scourge, to aid us." Sylvanas broke it all up and looked to Alleria. "Sister, come with me. Let's go find a Pandaren settlement. We need more information."
Alleria was curious as she knew all too well that it wasn't Sylvanas' only goal and that her sister wanted to speak with her. Regardless, she decided to agree. "What is it, Sylvanas?" she asked when they walked some distance from the group. "You don't approve of what I said?"
"No, it's not that." Sylvanas answered honestly. "I can tell there's something bothering you. I was wondering what it might be."
Instead of giving an answer, Alleria instead looked around to make sure there was nobody eavesdropping on their conversation. "It's Turalyon." she answered eventually. "After we began our journey here, he was thinking about declaring war against Illidan."
That made Sylvanas frown almost instantly. "That doesn't sound like him, unless he has changed during your time in Outland." she commented
"That's what concerns me. War has changed us no doubt but he isn't reckless." Alleria answered
"He does realize that we don't have the necessary resources to mount an invasion on the Scourge lands, doesn't he?" Sylvanas asked in surprise
"He does, or rather, he should." Alleria answered. "It's not just about being homesick either. It's something else. I don't know what is it but I know something is not right."
"When do you think it began?" Sylvanas asked
Alleria thought about this for a few moments.'That's a good question. Unless...' she thought as she began to suspect something was off. "During the war against the Legion in Outland, Turalyon was isolated in battle against a Fel Orc. That is the only thing that truly stands out." she replied
Sylvanas frowned at this. She had witnessed first hand the deception the demons were capable of and Alleria never mentioned anything about that. Their conversation was interrupted when they heard some noise just across some treelines. "Come on." she said and they ran towards the source. While they were running, both of them stumbled when a mysterious creature appeared out of nowhere. It looked like it was a shadow, had no lower body and was floating off the ground. Both high elves looked at what happened and were surprised at what they saw. "What in the hell is that?" Sylvanas asked in surprise
"Forget that. Kill it." Alleria said in an irritated voice and quickly drew her sword. Sylvanas was confused that her sister has grown rather violent but chose not to say anything as she could feel it in herself as well
To both elves' surprise, the creature released a wave of shadow magic and forced them back. Sylvanas reacted first when she fired an arrow and hit the creature. Alleria then took this chance to get close and sink her blade onto the creature. Instead of dying immediately, the creature grabbed her wrist and pulled her in. The creature then attempted to kill Alleria by trying to release some shadow magic and managed to hit her, forcing her back. Aiming to finish her off, the creature was stopped from doing so when Sylvanas shot an arrow right at the head, finally killing it
"Alleria!" Sylvanas said in worry as she ran over to her sister. "Are you alright?"
Alleria groaned as she clutched her head. "Five more minutes." she mumbled in annoyance. "What happened to that thing?" she asked upon looking around
"It's dead but something tells me it isn't over." Sylvanas answered and helped her sister up. "We need to go back before more of those things show up." she suggested before a pandaren suddenly came out of the treeline. Sylvanas quickly drew her blades in the event it was a hostile
"Easy there, elf. I mean you no harm." the pandaren answered while raising its hands. In response, the ranger general lowered her blades. "What happened here? What was the creature that attacked?" it asked in a clearly worried tone
Both high elves looked at each other in confusion but soon realized there would have been no harm in letting the pandaren know
"We have no idea what exactly is it but it looked like a living shadow without a lower body." Sylvanas answered and the pandaren grew worried which did not go unnoticed
"What's wrong? You know what that was, don't you?" Alleria asked suspiciously
"Unfortunately, yes, and it is a legend among our people which was proven to be real just now." the pandaren answered. "I will just tell you the context and I can explain to you the full details in our village." the pandaren said and the elves nodded in understanding. "Long ago, one of the Old Gods, Y'Shaarj was ripped out of this world. As it died, it's essence fell back to the world and became those creatures, which is known as the Sha."
That completely surprised the two high elves as they did not expect that at all
"We were right. This isn't a coincidence." Alleria said and surprised the pandaren
"Would you mind explaining that?" the pandaren asked
"Before we talk more about it, why were you so willing to allow us into your village in the first place?" Sylvanas asked with narrowed eyes
"Because we need information. In recent days, something strange events has been happening in our lands and after a thorough investigation, we discovered that the cause is from the outside world." the pandaren answered and the two elves quickly realized that it was connected to Illidan but they didn't say anything
"Alright but at the first sign of danger, we're out." Sylvanas said sternly and the pandaren did not object. The two of them then followed the pandaren as it led them to the village
What they didn't know is that among the treeline, Kayn and Anya observed their conversation, making sure to hide themselves
"The Old Gods influence reaches even here." Anya commented when the three were gone
"I'm not even surprised anymore." Kayn said. "Let's go. We'll need to tell Altruis of what we learned." he ordered and the two of them left
Sylvanas, Alleria and the pandaren soon came across a settlement deeper in the Kun Lai Summit. More of the pandaren were there as well doing their own things
"Follow me." the pandaren said. The rest of his kind observed the two elves but made no moves as the other pandaren merely stared curiously. They soon entered a small house which both elves assumed to be a command center of some kind. "Taran Zhu, I have brought the outsiders as you ordered."
"Leave us." Taran ordered and the pandaren from earlier. "Take a seat." he ordered to the elves. "Normally, I would have attacked you outsiders for intruding into our lands but there are more pressing matters." he said as he himself sat down. "Now, as you heard earlier, my name is Taran Zhu."
"Alleria Windrunner."
"Sylvanas Windrunner."
"Sisters, I presume?" Taran asked and both of them nodded. "As you know by now, are rather, should have been told, we need information. For millenia, our land has enjoyed peace and serenity. However, in recent times, other creatures known as the Mantid have become more aggressive and creatures that were only in legend, the Sha, have revealed themselves. We had some battles against the Mantid before but none of them were as rough as the recent ones."
"Mantids? What are they?" Alleria asked, not knowing those creatures
"Well, they are mostly insectoid creatures." Taraz asked and Sylvanas' eyes widened in realization at the connection. "You have heard of them?" he asked upon noticing the general's reaction
"Not exactly but I have encountered similar creatures. In Northrend, I have encountered and fought insectoid creatures." Sylvanas answered
"Let's compare notes." Taran said and both elves nodded in agreement. "What are these insectoid creatures you encounter in Northrend?" he asked but wasn't exactly sure what or where northrend was
"That I'm not exactly sure. All of them were really just flying insects but they were affiliated with creatures that are called the Faceless Ones." Sylvanas answered and the pandaren made a note to ask about those creatures. "What really happened was the master of the undead, Illidan Stormrage, wanted to kill Deathwing." she said and looked at Taran. The pandaren understood that she was asking for confirmation if he knew about the fallen aspect and he nodded to let her know he did so she continued. "I do not know the details but he ripped through the elemental planes to force out and kill Deathwing."
"Deathwing." Taran muttered. "Now it makes sense how the mist was cleared. Was this event recent?"
"Yes, it's only been about a little over a week since Deathwing's defeat." Alleria answered
"That's very strange since the Mantid have become more aggressive for a few months now." Taran commented
"It could be that the Mantid are servants of the Old Gods. Illidan's goal is to destroy the remaining Old Gods and preparing for a battle against someone like Deathwing would take some time, in which case it is possible that the preparations have been undertaken for a few months." Alleria pointed out
"I suppose that is true." Taran said with a sigh. "But I would assume that ripping through the elemental planes would have some side effects. Did you just allow it?" he asked curiously
"We weren't really in a position to do anything." Sylvanas answered. "We were in Kalimdor and we didn't really have the means to leave the continent unlike Illidan's undead army, the Scourge." she explained and the pandaren grew confused at her statement so both sisters decided to explain what Kalimdor was and where the Scourge were located and the events in Northrend
"I understand and based on how you said, this Illidan must be someone very dangerous." Taran said
"That would be an understatement. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he is the most powerful being in the world, barring the Old Gods and the Dragon Aspects." Alleria explained before leaning on one of her hands. "Although he is rather enigmatic. He has more than enough forces to attack us in Kalimdor but he chooses to leave us alone unless we deliberately provoke him."
"Probably to save time. If there are three..." Taran trailed off while thinking of the right word. "Factions on Kalimdor, Illidan probably wants to avoid a war because he wants to move against the Old Gods as soon as he can."
"Could be. We thought about that as well." Sylvanas commented. "What about on your end? What's going on?"
"Well, as I said earlier, we have been in relative peace. There were legends about the Old Gods that are known to us. The Sha were believed to have spawned from the remains of one of them but there was no evidence of their existence up until recently." Taran explained
"So, the one that attacked us wasn't the first?" Alleria asked
Taran raised an eyebrow at this as it meant that he had more problems that he first thought. "No, I'm afraid it is not and this is probably only the beginning."
"Why are you so willing to just give that kind of information like that?" Sylvanas asked curiously
"Because we need information and, as much as I hate to say it, your kind do not seem to come here in an act of aggression." Taran answered honestly. "Having said that, I am still suspicious of your kind but what you know is very valuable."
"In that case, there is something else you should know." Alleria said and irked the pandaren's curiosity. "The undead are also here."
"What would they be doing here?" Taran asked and had a bad feeling about it
"For the same reason as us, I imagine. After they destroyed Northrend, we managed to convince them to let us investigate this place although they are exploiting loopholes in it. Their hunt for the Old Gods is not yet over so they probably want to scour this place for any information that would concern them." Alleria said
"Then we should consider them as hostile." Taran said but the way he said it was as if he was asking
"I would strongly recommend against it." Sylvanas said much to his surprise. "Even with my personal distaste for the undead, they are more than willing to leave others alone for as long as they don't get in their way, although that is not saying that I agree with their methods. If you attack the undead, then they might just launch a full scale attack. While that is concerning, what really makes a war against them complicated is that they have flying ships that can rain down destruction from above and there is also the blue dragonflight which are working with them."
"I see. That is smart." Taran said, unconvinced but willing to consider. "I suppose I'll have to take your word for it but if that is the case, we would have to deal with the Sha on our own."
'Assuming that the Scourge doesn't find out about the them first.' Sylvanas thought to herself, knowing full well that it was entirely possible and very likely that the Scourge would narrow down the details before they do
"That reminds me, why was I attacked by a Pandaren some time ago?" Alleria asked suspiciously
"We Pandaren do not have an army. Instead, a group of us, known as the Shado Pan, is responsible against our safety against the Mantid. The one that attacked you was part of the Shado Pan, which I am the leader of." Taran explained and both elves narrowed their eyes. "They were under orders to determine if you have any hostile intent."
"That's fair, I suppose." Sylvanas said
Before anything could be said further, a pandaren warrior suddenly barged into the room. "Taran Zhu, we're under attack. It's the Sha."
"Quickly. To arms." Taran said as he ran out of the room
"Should we help them?" Sylvanas asked her sister
"I think we should. We can't exactly afford to fight the Pandaren and we have no reinforcements with the trouble in Kalimdor. Best to earn their favor unless we want to beg the undead for help." Alleria said as she led her sister out
The high elves made their way out and found seven Shas attacking the settlement. Drawing their bows, they instantly downed two of them by shooting an arrow right at their enemies' heads. Two other Shas quickly targetted the two elves with shadow magic and they both quickly moved out of the way. Unlike earlier, these Shas were more reckless and when Taran noticed exactly where the Windrunners targetted, he instantly dispatched one of them by slamming a pole right on the head, killing it. It only lasted a few more minutes after the sisters got rid of three more Shas and the pandaren took care of the rest
"You have our thanks for the help, strangers." another pandaren said gratefully
"Indeed. For as long as you are against the Old Gods, you are welcome in our lands." Taran Zhu said. After being on guard for a few more minutes, nobody attacked the the Windrunners went back
A few minutes later, Alleria and Sylvanas made it back to their camp and once more, they gathered the group and explain what they discovered
"And the Pandaren are fine with us being here?" Arthas asked, unable to believe what he just heard
"Well, it is either let the remnants of the Old Gods win or let us do our thing." Khadgar said
"Then I guess this means that we won't be returning to Kalimdor anytime soon." Dranosh concluded
"You were right earlier, Sylvanas. The Old Gods definitely wanted us here." Jaina said before thinking more about the current situation. "It may be possible that they wanted to thin out our forces in Kalimdor but I think we should all be very careful."
"She's right. Da Old Gods might target us to be da next Deathwing." Rokhan agreed with before looking at the sisters. "Can ya two lead us to deir billage?"
"Of course. We'll just need to pack up first." Alleria answered
"I don't like this. There is too much we don't know." Rexxar commented to himself
In the meantime, Kayn and Altruis have observed what was happening in the pandaren village. After Kayn and Anya told him of what happened, Altruis took Kayn with him but they were unable to make out anything significant from the village other than the Sha attacking them
"They've already made an alliance with the Pandaren. I'm impressed." Altruis commented after the Sha was held off
"I would be too but I wouldn't expect anything less from the Windrunners. There's a reason they are one of the most famous families in Quel'thalas." Kayn responded right as three Shas appeared behind them. "Are these things for real?"
Altruis just sighed. "Kill them as soon as you can but be discreet about it." he ordered and in only five minutes, the three Shas were killed
"I meant to ask, what do we do about the Pandaren?" Kayn asked after killing the last Sha
"Nothing. We brought mostly dark rangers and death knights. We should be able to avoid detection and even if we're caught, we should be able to escape." Altruis responded in an unconcerned tone. "Focus on the main goal. At least we have confirmation that the Old Gods have influence here in one way."
"True enough. I'll keep an eye on the mortals though in the event they are targetted." Kayn said as Altruis motioned for them to leave the immediate area. "Who do you think would be the most likely one to be targetted?"
This was something that Altruis did not consider. "From what we know of, I guess it would be Arthas since he is the most brash."
"I'll have to agree. Might I suggest we keep a necropolis nearby?" Kayn asked when they arrived to where the rest of their forces were
"That depends. I'll have to tell Illysanna what we found first before anything else." Altruis answered
As promised, this chapter picks up on the Pandaria part. As I said before, a lot of the part from MoP is gonna get cut out to make the story as simple and straightforward as possible. The part about the Sha only being legends is something I made up
Aside from that, there's not much to talk about since this only has the prelude of what this part of the story is truly about
That's about it for now I guess