Disclaimer - I do not own Warcraft
Northrend, Two Days Later
In the raging waters of the land once known as Northrend, a Scourge necropolis has made its way back to the shattered continent. One of the Pillars of Creation was hidden in the northern area, the land which would become known as Northrend after The Sundering. Even with the continent itself being shattered, the powers the Pillar would shield its immediate surroundings from even that kind of damage, according to Azshara. That provided the explanation on why despite most of the land shattered, there were still a few large islets in the raging maelstrom
"Northrend. I never thought I would come back here again." Malygos noted when the shattered continent came into view
"This was where you took out Deathwing, isn't that right?" Vashj asked, accompanying Allari, Malygos and Agatha to search for the Pillar
"Indeed. Which reminds me, Vashj." Allari answered. "The spell that forced out Deathwing also caused the sea to rage out of control. Were you affected by it?" she asked curiously
"Not necessarily. You see, when Nazjatar was built, Azshara made sure that the surface world cannot just simply attack us by going underwater. A powerful barrier, was erected around the entire city that would hold off any incursions. Of course, this barrier won't last against a powerful foe but it would buy us time to prepare. This very barrier protected the city from the unstable waters throughout the whole ordeal." Vashj explained
"That explanation really just provides more evidence that Lord Illidan was trained by Azshara. I imagine that he would have done something similar if he was in that position. Those two think alike." Agatha commented
"By the way, why did you all agree to take me on this mission?" Vashj asked
"You didn't want to come?" Malygos asked her back
"I didn't say that but I thought that I would need to do something before you would trust me." Vashj pointed out
"This is it." Agatha answered, confusing her. "You said you wanted to earn our trust, well, you can start here. If all you do is remain in the fortress then you would accomplish nothing and we would never trust you."
"She has a point, Vashj." Allari said, getting the attention. "That's also the reason why we're the ones with you. I think Illidan is aware that he can't exactly be as objective as he can with you around and in all honesty, I don't blame him. When it comes to someone we care about, we are liable to get blinded by our emotions to a certain degree."
Vashj couldn't really disagree with that. As trained as Illidan was, even he should be aware of his own limits and was impressed at how self aware he was. 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised he is like that.' she thought. She wasn't even offended in the slightest sense
Their attention was diverted when an acolyte approached them. "Pardon, masters, but we have arrived and located a spot where the waters aren't raging too badly."
"Very well, thank you for informing us." Malygos said and the acolyte left
The commanding group went to an outside balcony which overlooked the area. It hasn't changed much from when Malygos was last here. They observed some of the naga dive into the water as they got on with their objective
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Allari asked
"No idea." Agatha answered, surprising her. "All the scrolls had were the capabilities, location, and a sketch of the Pillars. It never mentioned the details of what we should be looking for since it was just a sketch after all. Now that I think about it, it makes sense since the place would change over the last few thousand years so a general location would be far better."
"Except that general location wouldn't be that much help with this place all shattered." Allari pointed out dryly
"So, when Deathwing was defeated, he destroyed Yogg Saron's prison so you had to destroy the place?" Vashj asked curiously
"Kor'vas made the call to destroy Northrend and Nozdormu offered to sacrifice himself to activate the spell." Malygos explained. "However, that was all a diversion. We have no concrete proof but do you remember when we told you about the events with the Emerald Nightmare and Pandaria?" he asked, waiting for her answer and she simply nodded. "We suspect that shattering Yogg Saron's prison was just a diversion to cover up their activities in releasing the Nightmare and Y'Shaarj getting a vessel." he said and the naga adopted a thoughtful expression
"You know, now that you mention it, don't you think it's a bit weird that the Old Gods would sacrifice one of their own like that." Allari commented
"I don't think Yogg Saron was willingly released." Vashj said, confusing the others. "Aside from their forces in Ulduar and Ahn'Qiraj, N'zoth was the one that controls the rest of their resources, which included us and Deathwing. I imagine that N'zoth had ordered Deathwing to release Yogg Saron's prison to put pressure on you and buy them some time. The Old Gods are self serving and while they are willing to work together against a common foe, they won't hesitate to kill one of their own to save their own skin."
"Does that also mean that the Old Gods were desperate to fight back against us?" Agatha said after a few moments of thinking about the naga's words
"Indeed. The Old Gods have relied on their own imprisonment and how most creatures in this world would simply dismiss them as a myth. Of course, Illidan doesn't believe in that. He has always been like that for as long as I've known him and he rarely acts like how a regular night elf acts." Vashj answered, remembering the old times
Allari grinned at the naga's words and couldn't help herself. "Then that means that you like the bad boys, huh? You've got some good taste." she poked fun at her, causing some slight laughter
After a while, they all stopped and Vashj was the first one to speak. "Malygos, may I ask you something?" she asked and the dragon merely motioned for her to continue. "What is your reasoning for joining up with Illidan? I thought that the dragons would oppose him."
"What exactly do you mean by that, Vashj?" Malygos asked with narrowed eyes
"Well, I know for a fact what Illidan wanted. Back in Zin Azshari, all he wanted was someone who can relate to him without judging him for his decision. I imagine you already have a good idea of how we got to be together. After the war, I think that he wanted revenge on Sargeras and to find out exactly what this world's dark secret is. With that in mind, I don't imagine that he would think twice about destroying this world if there is no other choice or if he sees an opportunity to cripple the Legion for good. So, aren't you opposed to that?" Vashj explained. From the tone of her voice, there was no judgment nor criticism. It was nothing but pure curiosity and a need to understand the motives of her lover's allies
"You have a very good point, Vashj, however, that is exactly the reason why I chose to aid the Scourge." Malygos answered. "Allow me to explain. Illidan first came to me after making some magical disturbances in Northrend long before it ever became a battlefield. He told me that he wanted to go after Deathwing and asked for my help in ensuring that the spell he would use would not cause something similar to the Sundering. I chose to aid him in his task as I wanted revenge on Deathwing and he was also a threat that would reveal himself sooner or later. Naturally, Alexstrasza, Ysera and Nozdormu joined in the battle and we succeeded in taking out Deathwing, which resulted in the events we have explained to you before. After that, the Scourge was highly suspicious of my continued presence. My reasoning for choosing to continue working with Illidan is to ensure that he keeps a straight head. I can understand where he is coming from when he is willing to destroy this world but unless there is absolutely no other choice, I want to make sure he doesn't do it." he said. Agatha already knew about it but Allari and Vashj did not
The naga listened to him intently and was glad at his reasoning. "I should thank you for that, Malygos. Once before, I asked him to fight this world's enemies but I never even considered the extremes that he was willing to take." Vashj explained. "Like you, I too don't want to lose this world. I've just wanted to live in peace but with our enemies, that will be a long time from now. You probably think that I'm naive for thinking that."
"Not at all. I think that's just being reasonable." Agatha pointed out. "No one in the Scourge is going to judge you, Vashj. All of us who have joined up with Illidan don't want the exact same thing. Illidan only wanted revenge, or at least, until he rescued you, the blue dragons want to continue their duty in protecting the world, the undead want to live in peace despite being undead while we Val'kyr want the same thing as you do, to live in peace. The Titanforged tried to enslave us for their own experiments but we refused and were imprisoned. So, despite having been transformed, we simply wish to live out our lives."
"She makes a good point, Vashj. The rest of us demon hunters follow Illidan all because we don't want to feel helpless ever again. All of us, including Kel'thuzad, would prefer not to have this world destroyed." Allari added, explaining their own motives. "Having said that, Illidan's extreme is also not that too unreasonable unless you want a Titan to suffer the same fate as Neltharion."
Vashj gave them all a grateful smile. When they were planning their moves, she didn't really dare ask the rest of the Scourge for their own motives in all of this but she was glad that she wasn't alone. Ever since the world was sunder, Vashj finally felt at home with people she can relate to
"I think we've chatted on this balcony long enough. We should start searching. Northrend may be destroyed but the area is still very large. This will take a while." Agatha said after they all observed the whirlpools in silence for a few minutes
"Agreed." Malygos said as he jumped off the necropolis and when he put some distance between it and himself, he transformed into his dragon form. Agatha soon followed him and flew off
"I'll search underwater. Maybe these currents also have something we can learn from." Vashj offered
"Sure. Just be careful, alright? I wouldn't want to face Illidan if something happened to you right after you two reunited." Allari said and together, they jumped off the balcony. The demon hunter then took to the skies while the naga dove underwater, transforming into her serpentine form in the process
Pandaria
At the same time, Illidan, Anub'arak, Anya and Kel'thuzad all went towards Pandaria in search of another one of the Pillars. Among them, only Anya saw the destruction caused by the war against the mantid and when Arthas was corrupted firsthand. Even to this day, the results from the various battles still remained. Parts of the land were still corrupted and the forests dead
"So, this is Pandaria. It is as beautiful as I heard." Anub'arak commented aboard the gunship when it finally had a clear view of the land below
"You've heard of this place before, Anub'arak?" Anya asked
"Only legends. In Azjol'Nerub, there were tales of a land that was beautiful and untouched by any corruption. Of course, I didn't believe such tales until I was told of this place by our own forces." Anub'arak answered and a silence took over as the gunship landed
"What would a Pillar of Creation be doing all the way out here?" Kel'thuzad wondered when they exited the gunship
"To keep it safe, I imagine. Azshara must have had the foresight to realize that anywhere near the palace was not a safe place to hide the Pillars so she scattered them far from Zin Azshari." Illidan said
"But still, it is impressive that Azshara would have that kind of foresight." Anya commented
"True enough but she did have two hundred years to think about all this." Illidan said and led the way. He took out the scroll and began reading through it, following its directions
"By the way, Anya." Kel'thuzad spoke while they were walking. "Are you sure you want to come with us? Weren't you hurt pretty badly during the battle here?" he asked and everyone turned to her
"I'll be fine. My body has been fixed since then so I can move as well as I can in an uninjured state." Anya answered
While Illidan believed her, he wanted to see it for himself. He knew the dark ranger pretty well which is why she was among the commanders directly below the high command. Out of nowhere, Illidan created a sword made out of pure fel energy and attacked the dark ranger. Anya was surprised at how her master was just attacking her out of nowhere and was forced to draw her blade to defend herself. He even made sure that the other two will not interfere and they had no intention to as they quickly realized that Illidan wanted to see if Anya was lying or not. After only two minutes of fighting, it became clear that Anya was completely outclassed by Illidan even though she was once a Farstrider. The demon hunter kicked her away but before she could be slammed into a tree, he rushed behind her and broke her crash
"I guess you really weren't lying, Anya." Illidan said as he helped her balance herself
"What the hell was that about?" Anya demanded to know after gripping her head
"If you were lying, then you wouldn't have been able to defend yourself at all. I know the limits of your ability, Anya." Illidan answered and they began walking again
Anya just looked at him in annoyance but she was glad that Illidan didn't truly pry that much. "If I had been lying, what would you have done?" she asked
"I would have killed you." Illidan answered with blunt honesty. "Remember what I told you from the very beginning, you should take responsibility for what you say and do. That is why the details of a current situation are always known to all of the Scourge, so that any decisions made will be educated ones. If you decided to come just because you were reckless or had something to prove when there is nothing you really had to, then you should take responsibility for it and face the consequences."
The dark ranger continued to stare at the demon hunter. She should be furious but she was not. Instead, she was somewhat relieved that even though he had found the one he cared about, Illidan didn't grow soft, something that would be concerning given who their enemies were. "I see." she said simply and with that, they all continued to follow the demon hunter
After a while, Anya realized where Illidan was leading them. "Wait, this area is close to where Arthas was possessed by Y'Shaarj. Could the Pillar be here?" she asked curiously
"She does make a good point, my lord. If an artifact of that power was around here, why would the Old God not use it?" Anub'arak pointed out
"The Old Gods are not aware of the Pillars' location. Azshara had a grudge against the Old Gods and has been aware of them for a long time. Considering how incredibly thorough she has done things, I wouldn't put it past her to find a way to transport the Pillars under the noses of both the Legion and the Old Gods." Illidan pointed out. "At any rate, fan out and search the area for anything unusual." he ordered and turned to the nerubian. "Anub'arak, tunnel undergound and see what you find. However, do not attack the Pandaren no matter what. Let's not waste time on these creatures." he finished and they all split up, Illidan himself heading to the Mogu'shan Palace, or what remains of it
Southern Kalimdor
Like with the others, the Scourge sent a scouting force to Kalimdor, where the last Pillar would be located in. In this group was Illysanna, Kor'vas, Drak'thul, Valeera and Ymiron. Instead of using a gunship or a necropolis, they instead used a sky barge to avoid any prying eyes. The two demon hunters left the barge early in order to ensure that their landing zones were clear. When it was, the barge landed and dropped off the other three. When they did, the sky barge was then ordered to remain hovering some distance away
"I never thought I would ever return to this place after joining up with the Scourge." Valeera commented
"It won't be your first time. One of the Old Gods is even here, on this very land." Kor'vas pointed out, completely surprising the high elf
"And just when the hell were you planning on telling me that?!" Valeera asked furiously
"When the others finally have a clear mind and you finally have finished training with us. I don't have to point out to you at how differently we do things from the rest of the Alliance or the rest of those who live here. If you can't work with us, then there is no point in telling you that information." Drak'thul answered her calmly
Valeera calmed down upon hearing this and was somewhat taken aback that her outburst didn't annoy the undead at all. If she did that to her former superiors, she was in for a lot of trouble. She was genuinely impressed that the undead simply focuses on the objective rather than trifle matters like this. "If that's the case, then does that mean that my training is finished and that I have your trust?"
"Indeed. You have had every chance to run away but you chose to stay and even though the battle against the Naga was your first time fighting alongside us, you did so as if it was natural. That was impressive when you consider that the Scourge was the one, or at least took part, in the destruction of the Eastern Kingdoms." Illysanna answered but her face grew more serious. "Having said that, we will still keep an eye on you. If you try to break that trust, things will not be easy for you and there is nowhere in this world you can hide from us nor is there anything that can save you."
"In all honesty, I have no intention of breaking that trust." Valeera said, surprising the others. "You've done a lot for me and at this point, it's clear that the Scourge is no longer the same when the Legion controlled it. A lot more ever since my hunger was slowly driving me insane and the Twilight's Hammer."
"Well, you people were never Illidan's target in the first place." Kor'vas pointed out. "Come on, we have to sneak around or we'll get spotted." she said and turned to her best friend. "Illysanna."
"On it. Follow me." Illysanna said and led the way
"So, where exactly are we head?" Ymiron asked while they walking towards their destination, careful to avoid any patrols. It wasn't easy considering the mortals had a lot of patrols. Mages and shamans were even in the patrols which made using magics much more complicated
"Stonetalon Peak. The scroll stated that the place the Pillar was hidden was underground. Stonetalon has a cave which leads underground so that's a good place to start. If it's not, then we'll have to find some other hidden caves in the area." Illysanna answered
"I see, and what if we run into the mortals?" Ymiron asked again
"We don't have to mention anything to them. We've already told them that an Old God is in Kalimdor so they should be focusing on that." Drak'thul pointed out
Ashenvale Forest
The night elves' home was still completely corrupted. The dragons and druids have only just recently recovered and have not yet begun on purging the corruption. This made it a perfect hiding spot for the unknown individual that appeared after Northrend was shattered. By staying at the very edge of the northern coast, this individual has managed to evade even Illidan thanks to how secluded the area is. The Nightmare didn't even bother to come anywhere near the area ever since they destroyed Teldrassil
This individual also bore witness to the destruction of N'zoth and was familiar with the energy released upon the Old Gods' destruction and has thought about it ever since the event. 'Those energies were without a doubt from the Pillars of Creation. If memory serves, then I believe two Pillars were used. That could present complications and I cannot even investigate it myself. It would seem I have no choice.' the individual thought and began channeling a ritual. However, this individual made sure that it will not release a noticeable amount of energy. The individual was also certain that its presence was not known to Illidan otherwise it would have been dead by now
Theramore Isle
Kael was in his office, reading the reports. With all the consecutive events that have been happening, things have been very stressful for him. The sudden war that has happened after Northrend have made things difficult for everyone on Kalimdor, especially the night elves, who lost their home. With the night elves being in no position to do anything, the high elves too began to suffer, this time the effects of their magical addiction. Kael'thas was grateful that none of the high ranking high elves, especially the Windrunners, have begun showing the effects of the addiction. The night elves were barely keeping them sated before and now, they were completely on their own. As he was reading yet another report, Rommath suddenly came inside the room
"Prince Kael'thas." Rommath greeted with a grim expression
Kael noticed this and frowned. "How many?"
"Seventeen. All of them were members of the Farstriders." Rommath answered
The prince released an exasperated sigh at this and ran a hand down his face. "Things just keep getting worse. Ever since the night elves have been forced out of Ashenvale, our hunger for magic started to resurface. Their stopgap lost its effects just a few days when it was stopped. They gave us a few vials of waters from the Well underneath Mount Hyjal but it wasn't enough for some reason." Kael sighed, clearly tired. "The Alliance is not in the best of shapes right now. Arthas is still unconscious and there is no guarantee he would wake up. Jaina is doing her best with the leardership duties but it's doubtful she would be able to keep a clear head which means she will have to be watched nearly all the time."
"That is true. At least we are fortunate enough that neither Alleria, Sylvanas nor Vereesa have begun showing effects otherwise we would be more shorthanded than we already are." Rommath added
"Which reminds me, where are they anyway? I don't see them around the city that much." Kael asked
"In the roads leading to that temple to the southwest of this land. They're still investigating the barrier that surrounds the temple but so far no luck. Khadgar suspects that this is Illidan's doing but there is no evidence to prove it. Even if there was, it wouldn't change a thing. The Horde have already begun building a large outpost that can easily blockade any path that would lead to the temple. The Windrunners have spent most of their time their, taking shifts in maintaining guard." Rommath answered
"I see. That's good. The last thing we need is to be caught off guard again." Kael said, happy with some good news at least
"Perhaps but the question is, is it already too late? The Scourge has already gone quiet ever since the Old God's destruction out at sea and the Pandaren are far too occupied with the damage to their own lands." Rommath said more of the details, which did not help Kael's mood. "As much as I hate to say it, I have to hand it to Illidan for choosing his timings in waging his war. If our situation wasn't this dire, I would be impressed." he added the last sentence when Kael gave him a questioning look. "Which reminds me, should we ask Illidan for help with our addiction?"
"I am not sure to be honest. The reality is there is nothing we can offer the Scourge in exchange for this so I can't really see why they would bother to help us. Besides, Tyrande had already mentioned that Illidan spent most of his younger years with our ancestors which means he is probably already aware of our situation. If he had any intention of helping us, he would have done so by now, or at the very least, warned us that this would happen." Kael pointed out before they went silent. "Rommath, what about the Draenei? What have they been doing?"
"Creating defensive artilleries. Their primary concern is still a potential invasion of the Burning Legion. They've only built two new ones for now but if things are this quiet, I imagine they would be able to build more to add to their rather decent number. Their workers are really sophisticated and are able to work fast especially with the aid of the Horde." Rommath said
"At least we have that." Kael said before stashing away the reports. "Is there anything else, Rommath?"
"Nothing else, Prince Kael." Rommath said
"I see. I would like to be left alone please." Kael asked politely
Rommath granted the prince's request and headed to the door. "Prince Kael, if things keep up like this, all of us will be lost to this addiction." he said before he finally left, reminding the prince of how dire their situation was
Kael just released another sigh upon hearing that. His people were getting sick because of the addiction but he had a very bad feeling that it would get worse for them if they don't find a cure and soon. His only option now was to ask Illidan about this but the problem is that they literally had nothing to offer the demon hunter in return and Kael wasn't too willing to allow them to serve the Scourge
A few minutes later, the door opened once more and Turalyon entered the room
"Yes, Turalyon? How can I help you?" Kael asked curiously
"Prince Kael, I believe I may have found a solution to this magical addiction, or at the very least, something to look into." Turalyon answered
Nothing too much in this chapter. After recent chapters, I wanted to write one that didn't have too much going on. Instead, I just added in the general locations of the Pillars of Creation. As I said before, I don't particularly care about where they are in the canon but here, each of the Pillars are split among the four continents while the last one, the Tidestone, was in Azshara's possession near Nazjatar all this time. I also just added a small moment about Vashj's time with the rest of the Scourge and how they're willing to give her a chance. It's not much but at least she works fine with them
I will give a warning though. In the next chapter, there will be a really twisted moment in it so be ready