J A/N: (Oh cruel, cruel world. I've FINALLY updated and my mind is still intact...kinda.)
J Cae: SORRY!!! FORGIVE ME!!! Didn't mean to leave you guys hanging. Anything I say will sound like a bunch of lame excuses, but I'll just go ahead and shoot: I got 4 midterms, a lab report, an essay, AAANND a computer that got screwed AGAIN!!! And this time, my combo drive kept on popping out due to some virus induced program, and eventually fried itself. My internet connection, for some reason, went on strike and I later figured out that it was all because of...Zone Alarm that should be protecting my computer but apparently did a better job than I need it to. It was very frustrating.
Syl: Very frustrating, but there really is no shame in getting a Norton.
J Cae: I know no shame. But I have no cash.
Syl: Try Kael's treasury. He has a number of hidden gold caches.
J Cae: ...I'm currently at odds with him (see J rEpOrT at the end ^_^)
Syl: *sighs and rolls eyes* O_o I'm starting to feel insecure about MY position as your favourite War female character...
**BY THE WAY, the #1 reason it took me so long to update is that this once-intended-to-be-last-chapter is SO LONG, and so I decided to split it into two which means you get another chapter yay ^_^. Another long wait O_o...bummer. I promise I'll TRY MY BEST to work on the final final chapter next week. You have my word (UNLESS I die or get brainwashed or my computer screws up again).
*~*~*~*
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: SHAMELESS
Sylvanas Windrunner woke up violently sick. Her nose started bleeding and she could but breathe through her mouth. Her lungs burnt with pain with every inhalation, and her world erupted into bloody shards of pain. Mondelv tried to give her a potion, but she could not swallow and vomited it instead.
When the nausea subsided, she laid quietly in bed and tried to regain control of her own body, but all she could feel was herself failing, her consciousness slipping back to the nightmare where dark and evil demons awaited to feast on her soul. Fear washed over her, but there was nothing she could do to break away from the horrifying visions.
Kael stayed beside her, doing everything in his power to console her. Through her tears, she cried out without being aware of what she was saying. She told him she did not want to become both Kil'jaeden and Ner'zhul. She needed him to protect her.
Yet this time, not even his light seemed able to drive out the inner darkness within her soul.
She had not made a mistake. She knew she did everything right. The spells were chanted correctly, and the ingredients were added at the accurate time. Illidan was brought back to life. Then why was she dying?
She had wanted to live forever...
And at the darkest hour when night shut out all lights, she saw Kael turn his back on her.
She wanted to call his name. She wanted to tell him not to leave her alone to her fate. But she had no strength left to move her lips, no strength left to voice her words.
"...please...don't go..."
*~*~*~*
Kael could not bear to watch.
Why must Fate be this cruel to show him the world and then take it away from him? He knew Sylvanas needed him, now more than ever. But he could not do it. It was too much for him.
He loved her.
He knew he would never stop blaming himself for walking away from her like this, but it would pain him too much if he had to feel her dead skin against his own. He tried not to think of Vashj, tried not to associate Sylvanas with the dear friend he lost.
And Ner'zhul was to blame for all this.
Merely a handful of stars plucked holes in the black night sky. The wind ceased its moaning. Nor were the insects chirping. The night was silent, because the Lord of Death had just swept over the land.
Kael's elven boots pounded against the blighted ground. No more trees were left to hinder him. No more life was present. All there ever would remain was the emptiness of death and sorrow.
And then, he saw a ghostly spectrum of light glinting off hair of the purest white. Ner'zhul was already there waiting for him, Frostmourne by his side. A smile appeared on the lich king's lips. It did not fade, not even when an angry fist struck on his head a glancing blow.
"What did you do to her?" Kael yelled and grabbed a strand of the white hair. "Why couldn't you fight her like a man and have to use your lowly tricks?"
"She is sick then?" Ner'zhul was not in the least bit surprised to see Kael so enraged--and he certainly did not need to ask what the elven king was referring to. A second blow came his way, followed by a chain of fire spells. The lich king held his ground, but he did not fight back.
Searing flames scorched the body, but not the merciless heart. And when Kael burnt up his mana, Ner'zhul stepped forth and asked, "Feeling better?"
"What?" it took the elf by surprise-- some form of insult he did not get, perhaps.
"Sylvanas and I both know a way to save her," Ner'zhul chuckled. His ashen skin was not even blackened from the effect of the magical fire. "But whether or not she'd do it is the question."
"What do you mean?" Kael fumed.
"My friend," Ner'zhul adopted a mocking tone. "Now you are no longer by her side, what reason has she left to live? Why should she fight to save herself when death's so much easier?"
Pain struck Kael. Of course Ner'zhul was right--damn master of mind games. He should have stayed with her. Oh, if there was some other way he could have shown her he would never forsake her...
"You don't understand her enough to know how her mind works," the lich king sighed. "But I am not here to give you lessons on romance. No, there is no time." Ner'zhul smiled to himself again, as though he was taking pleasure in the bubbling anxiety of the elf. "It was not me who did this to her. I gave her the ingredient, true, and she had had enough sense to cleanse it with an enchantment before putting it in the concoction. Therefore, no powder or dust could have tipped the spell, else Illidan should have died together with her on the spot."
"And?" He was telling the truth, Kael knew. As a spell caster himself, he understood the properties of magic. If Illidan was alive and well, there should have been no problem with the ingredients nor the spell itself. He knew this, but he needed to hear it.
The lich king reached into his mind and saw his understanding, "She did not unleash her powers fully when she cast the spell. She is now severely deprived of mana."
"Why would she do something like that?" Kael was horrified--to channel such a massive spell without unleashing full power would be suicidal. He needed to know why Sylvanas should attempt something like this...
"You are more naïve than I imagine you to be, Kael'thas. Her powers are demonic in nature, and therefore very caustic," the lich king sighed. And when Kael still had no clue, he shook his head, "She has your child."
"My child..."
Sylvanas would rather choose to risk her own life than to expose her child to demonic influences, and that was why she withheld her powers. But did she know that if she died, she would kill her child along with Kael's heart? Now everything seemed to make too much sense all of a sudden. Knowing her, she would probably not tell him or anyone she was pregnant until it became inevitable. Her atypical mood swings lately should have told him something...it all fit well. He took a few seconds to decide whether he should thank Ner'zhul for unscrambling the mystery for him, but that choice was made for him.
"Hurry back," Ner'zhul advised him. "You could still choose to either lose your child or lose everything."
Kael's emotions were in turmoil, like dough being stirred in a mixing bowl until he could no longer make out what had been there anymore. He teleported himself back to the castle. The Light cared if Ner'zhul was laughing. The Light cared what was in store. He just knew he had to be with Sylvanas, and it was all that mattered...
*~*~*~*
The first person Kael saw by the hallway's dim candlelight was Mondelv, awaiting his return in front of Sylvanas's door. He prayed to any deity above to please spare him of ill news. The undead healer, of course, could not sense his inner turmoil. Undead could never understand, nor care.
"Milord, there is some bad news I have to tell you."
"Just let me see her, please," Kael could hardly keep her voice from shaking. Bad news could be anything. He did not want to hear it.
Obediently, the undead healer stepped out of the way and Kael darted into the room. He let out a heartsick moan as he saw her lying in bed, her face as pale as the white walls behind her. Her eyes were closed, and she did not move, not even as he approached. He fell to his knees beside her bed. Was he too late? Was that what Mondelv had been trying to tell him?
He hid his face in his hands. What Fortune's Fool he was! "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."
"Kael..." her blue eyes trained upon his face. She was no longer bleeding, but was still so weak, so fragile, "Did you listen...Mondelv...?"
She posted her healer in front of her door to speak for her should he return...and it was exactly what he did not want to hear. It did not matter.
"I have to...leave you... "
"Please don't," he clasped her hands in his own.
"I thought you'd understand, Kael..." she whispered, pain evident in her voice. "It would be best for us both...the child..."
"No," he shook his head, struggling to come up with words to keep her with him. "You have to keep on fighting. You can't just give up. I know it's hard, and you are tired, but you can't give up now." He had no idea what he was saying. He just thought that perhaps if he kept on talking, she would listen and not go away.
"I think I'm going to...lose consciousness..." she fought to get the words out, "But Illidan...he will...take care of me..."
And when she slept, he held her in his embrace.
There was nothing in his brain for a few seconds. But when his mind cleared, he began to wonder.
He thought he heard her say something like Illidan would take care of her. But it did not make sense. Was it something to do with what Mondelv had to tell him? He wanted to ask the healer, but he would not make the mistake of leaving her again. He would wait. He would wait until she woke.
*~*~*~*
Illidan was well aware of the situation he was in. He heard of Sylvanas's malady and knew the reason, though he refused to put himself to blame. It was she who made that agreement to cast the spell in exchange for information he had. Somehow, he still felt responsible to a certain extent, and that was why he agreed to aid her, even after their bargain was met, to accompany her to Kalimdor.
Perhaps deep down, he wanted to revisit his homeland where the scent of lush pine would guide him along the way and the rain would whisper softly in his ears. Or perhaps, though he would not admit it out loud, that he harboured a secret admiration for the Dark Lady's resolve.
After a day of rest, he felt well enough to move about. He was given her army at his disposal in order to secure a sea port and ships for her journey. With the aid of the Naga water troops and the Frost Wyrm scouting forces, it should not have been difficult at all.
Every time Illidan spoke to the new Naga sea witch general Scilla, he felt a strange kind of melancholy. He remembered every unjust thing he had done to Vashj and secretly wished that she was back. It would have been a lot easier with her in charge. There were so many things between them that were mutually understood and he did not have to explain it twice. But she was gone now. He would learn to make do without her.
The Demon Hunter took the troops to the western coastline of Khaz Modan. Still perceiving him as a hero who defeated Kil'jaeden and ally against the Scourge, the dwarves granted him passage and offered to sell him a few ships. No one, however, invited Illidan to stay for the night. No one wanted anything to do with a renegade demon-Night Elf who led half a thousand Naga, undead and satyrs.
Having a bit of sailing experience, Illidan made sure that the ships were in the best condition before posting Naga in the port and a few more guards at crucial passages to ensure that no one could try and destroy or steal their ships. This, however, was met with the objection of the Dwarven thane.
Rami Bronzebeard, younger brother of Magni and Muradin came to the coastlines himself, accompanied by his platoon of riflemen--the number of warriors in view was no match, of course, for Illidan's vast forces, though the demon hunter suspected that the dwarves, being as undersized as they were, could have hidden themselves somewhere without anyone knowing.
Thane Rami stood only up to the waist of the demon hunter, yet he would not allow himself be intimidated. With short arms akimbo, he stared up at Illidan in fury, his cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson that matched his red beard.
"I granted your troops passage because I consider you allies against the lich king and his ilk," declared the thane in a loud voice. "But do not make the mistake of thinking that I should let you post your army in my territory and threaten the safety of my people."
Illidan wanted to say, 'If we were to war, Thane Rami, who do you think would win? The forces you see here are only a fraction of our true power. King Kael'thas of Quel'dara and Sapphiron of the Blue Dragons would gladly lend their aid, and you and your puny dwarves are no match for us.' But he held his comment in check.
Instead, a smile of amusement spread across his face, "What would you have us do then, Thane, if we were not to guard our ships while we load our supplies? Ah, it is all about the gold, is it not?"
The thane's became livid. Illidan had seen right through him and knew what a lousy slave to gold he was. Though it was true, he refused to admit it, "No. I will not allow you to post your army in my territory. We dwarves are able to guard our own coastline--and we are more than capable of defending your ships as well."
"I mean no offence," Illidan said. "But you have to admit that no one does a better job at guarding the coastlines than the Naga."
Lady Scilla nodded in silent agreement. If Vashj as there, she would have been a little more persuasive.
"It might be true," Rami shook his head stubbornly, "But my gryphon riders are enough to handle it."
"What you say," Illidan shrugged, bowed at the thane with a mocking expression on his face, and signalled for his troops to move out. Scilla frowned, not quite understanding her master's display of submission yet but nonetheless followed him obediently as he pulled out.
They retreated back out of dwarven territory, and Scilla stopped to ask her question, "Lord Illidan?"
"Lady Scilla," Illidan signalled for her and the rest of the Naga to listen. "I want you to surround that port underwater. If there comes the sight of gryphon riders, shoot them down."
*~*~*~*
"No, you're not going to Kalimdor, Sylvanas," Kael repeated, this time making his tone more firmly than he had. "What could our child get there that he cannot here?" His eyes focused sharply upon her pallid face, framed by unruly blonde curls. She was giving him one of those expressions she wore when she had already made up her mind and it was not likely he could change her mind no matter what he said.
"A safe environment to grow up," Sylvanas turned her head to avoid his accusing gaze. She already predicted how he would react, and she was prepared to make her argument. "Kalimdor has been free of demonic corruption so far. From what I know, Ner'zhul and the Scourge will not invade the distant continent until his takeover here in complete. Our child should be there."
"You should have discussed this with me first," Kael tried not to raise his voice to her--a sickly figure sitting propped up in bed. "I would do anything to keep the child safe, and Ner'zhul shall not lay a finger on him. And I don't believe sending the baby away could be the best thing to do."
"We will both try our very best," though still quite weak from her sickness, her voice reflected naught of that in the heat of their quarrel. "But you know we can't. No one will ever be safe until I defeat Ner'zhul."
He sighed. Until she defeated Ner'zhul--there she went again, counting him out of her grand plans. It hurt to hear. Sometimes, he wondered how she could have done so when he would eagerly give his life for her. "Who would take care of the child if you take him to Kalimdor?" he asked, already feeling emotionally exhausted. "Obviously you won't be if you are going to come back and face Ner'zhul. And you know that the lich king is mobile. He could follow you if he puts his heart into it."
"Which is exactly why Illidan has to come with me," she declared. "He could give the baby to the Kaldorei. I'm sure the Night Elves would guard our child well."
"How could you be certain that the Night Elves are willing to care for the baby?"
"Tyrande would," Sylvanas reminded him. "She owes you a life debt. If it was not for you, she could have died."
"I have not done so much as to have her eternally grateful to me," Kael protested. "I merely told the truth. Illidan was her rescuer."
"And if he takes the babe to her and asks her of this favour, do you suppose she would refuse?"
"I don't like this."
"I'm not asking you to like it," she hissed irately. "I didn't ask for you opinion."
"Sylvanas, please. I don't want us to fight," he tried to touch her on the arm, but she pulled away from him. "Buy you can't go to Kalimdor. You are still sick, and you are pregnant. The journey will be perilous. There is too much at risk. But if we stay here, we could work together. We could keep our child safe."
"Alanen thought he could keep Elma safe--and he is dead," she reminded him of the unfortunate father whose daughter was still bounded to Ner'zhul. Sylvanas would rescue Elma--she gave her word. But until she got better, she would not have enough strength to do anything.
Kael went quiet. Alanen...Elma...perhaps there could have been some way to alter the ending to their tragedy. He found himself remembering those haunted, otherworldly green eyes of the girl he met in the afterlife. Even without being asked to, he would try and get her back from Ner'zhul. He would care for her and take her as his own daughter. He would raise her to the light. But he could not think about Elma now. He must worry about his own child who would be born into peril so far from home.
"What must I say to make you stay? What must I do to keep you safe?" he asked in a broken voice.
"You are never my king," she whispered with a sudden sorrow in her voice. "And I am not your ranger general. I am but a traitor who turned my back on Silvermoon and tore down my own home. I have been denounced, and I have denounced my heritage. Why do you love me, Kael? Why do you care? I want to hear."
"Why must you give me no choice at all?" he asked, closing his eyes to swallow the pain. "I love you, Sylvanas, no matter who you are--no matter who I am. I only want what's best for you."
"Tell me what you see in me when you look at me?"
Their gazes met, and they stared into each other's soul, unfolding the deepest secrets within--passion, fraud, and remorse. He had to break away first. It never mattered how he felt about her. It would not matter if he had forgiven her. She was still the traitor, and he was still the king. Both were bounded to their responsibilities. He understood, but it did not make it any easier for him to take it. Their child--their unholy union...she had to take away their dishonour.
"I know," she said softly, and touched his face. "If I stay, I'd be happy with you, but I can't pretend that I could put it all behind me. I could pretend to be who you want me to be, but I'd be in pain. We'd both be in pain. Let me do what I must do. Let me go. After that, I will come back to you, and it would be a promise. Let me go."
And if she did come back, she would still be a criminal. It had been the truth all along--the truth he refused to see. He closed his eyes to seek his invisible refuge and prayed that it would all leave him alone. But in his heart, he already knew, and there was a decision he must make, "I let you go. And when you come back, I will relinquish my sovereignty over Quel'dara. That is a promise."
*~*~*~*
Five days later, the Dark Lady was finally ready to make her voyage.
Illidan half-expected Kael to tag along--at least to see her off, but he was nowhere to be seen. Since it was not any of his business, he did not ask what decisions were made between Sylvanas and the elven king. He tried not to notice, too, that Sylvanas was leaning heavily against Varimathras for support--she who would not display her weakness. Constraints of mortality were holding her down, it seemed, but pretty soon, she would be on a boat, and she could rest without having to worry about anything for a while. Pretty soon.
They travelled to the dwarven territory. Rumours about a disappeared squadron of gryphon riders were everywhere. They were supposedly to be guarding the coastal area but they just went missing and left no trace. No one had seen anything unusual along the coastline, but indeed it was impossible for such a large number of warriors to simply vanish into thin air.
The first person Rami Bronzebeard suspected was Illidan who insisted on guarding the ships himself. But since the thane had watched with his very own eyes as the demon hunter led his troops away, he could not lay the blame on him. Rami only got very red in the face with anger when he watched as Illidan and his troops load their ships with goods and supplies for the long journey.
But the thane's heart softened as he saw Sylvanas--to him a beautiful High Elven lady who seemed sick and frail to him. No wonder Illidan insisted so on guarding the ships--to guard such a treasure. The lady needed only look his way once, and he thought he understood why Illidan was doing so much for her.
Illidan sent Sapphiron and the Frost Wyrms to scout the area ahead and the satyr guards to track back to make sure they were not being followed. He made sure that nothing should go wrong.
He had enough sense to give neither Sapphiron nor the Forsaken his complete trust. With Sylvanas that much weakened, her telepathic hold over her own warriors would be slighted, allowing the Forsaken opportunity to escape her control. The demon hunter would not be surprised if some of them hated her enough to turn against her. And who knew what Sapphiron might be thinking? Somehow, his change of heart came too quickly, too easily, and Illidan was suspecting there was more to what appeared to be happening.
He knew he could trust Ner'zhul, however, to appear with his assaulting forces, and indeed was not disappointed when a hundred crypt fiends appeared from underground, digging their way through for other buried troops. Ghouls, abominations, necromancers and other units oozed out from the ground like blood flowing from a wound and advanced upon the allies. The satyrs and the Forsaken readied themselves for battle--but the number that sprang from the ground seemed limitless...
Ner'zhul arrived at the very back of the line, his silvery armour flaring in the afternoon sun.
The Naga surfaced. Scilla motioned for her troops to go onshore to help, but Illidan shouted for her to stay put. There were barely enough forced to counter the lich king's own, but the last thing he wanted to do was to expose their supplies to destruction. Vashj would have known that if she was still alive. She would not have made the mistake of exposing the Naga to their enemies' knowledge. But too late for that now.
Sapphiron and the frost wyrms arrived at the scene, shrieking furiously. Illidan cursed out loud and shook his fist at the dragons, "Wretched, honourless animals! Never trusted you anyway! And now you have us compromised!!"
But Sylvanas's words made him pause, "It doesn't matter." She stood up straight with apparent effort and held out her hands in the air as if to hold the minds of her troops together. "It's done. No sense in pondering over it."
The telepathic connection between her and the Forskaen had slackened since she burnt up much of her strength in the reviving spell. Now, she barely had enough energy to stay awake. She could not take part in the fight--it would be the death of her. Now, all she could do was to will her fighters to hold the ground and protect her for as long as they could hold--for as long as she could hold.
But without a word, Ner'zhul began to chant arcane words much too familiar to Sylvanas--a charm spell on her troops. It should not surprise her that Ner'zhul would try to intercept her forces by enslaving them to his psychic control. He did not need her forces to win the battle, but she knew exactly what he was trying to do.
"But it would not be through my power you should fall. It is through your own."
She remembered his words now. He would try to tire her already exhausted will. And it certainly would not be too long before she'd burnt herself out and fall...
While her warriors were immobilized in their mental struggle against both sides of control, his troops moved forward in attempts to slay her. Illidan and his satyrs held off the Scourge as best they could, but they could not save Sylvanas from the merciless claws of a pact of ghouls. Her lieutenant the dreadlord Varimathras stayed beside her--one of the very loyal warriors Ner'zhul had no hope of possessing. He guarded the Dark Lady with his very own existence.
But suddenly, Ner'zhul's banshee began to emit shrill noises. The satyrs faltered and became distracted by their haunting song. The Scourge advanced.
Illidan whipped his double blades at the undead all around him--one certainly did not need eyes to see his opponent. He was so outnumbered he could have just swung his weapon randomly and be sure to have harmed something. It seemed far better he could not see the horror going on around him.
Lifeblood trickled down his arm from a fresh wound--a wake-up call. He could die now--he was alive. But he was not about to relinquish the sweet pleasure of life. He would fight until he could fight no more, and perhaps he could avenge himself by slaying the lich king.
All around him, the satyrs fell. The Forsaken lost themselves to Ner'zhul's mind control and the frost wyrms fell from the sky in ensnaring webs. Illidan fought with both magic and with his weapons. Ecstasy coursed through his veins. Yes, this was it. This was his life. This was what he waned to do if that was the only thing he could have done. He would fight the Scourge, or he would die trying.
Sylvanas lost a quarter of her troops to the lich king. Her body was fully prepared to give way, but she refused to be defeated. And suddenly, she had the vision of herself, like Ner'zhul, trapped in a frozen throne. There was nothing she could do, not with a broken body, and her only ally and weapon was her telepathy. And though she had tried so hard to dissociate with him, she was still changing into him...
And when she was sure it was hopeless, new warriors arrived, as promised.
She sighed in relief--the last request she asked of Kael before she left.
With dragonhawk riders to clear the way before them, the elven troops marched into the battlefield. If Ner'zhul would try to expand his troops by telepathy, Kael would try overloading his psychic capacity.
"Good," amusement appeared upon Ner'zhul's lips as he whispered into the minds of the four heroes, "You are all here. The four of you each owe me debts I will ask for repayment here...starting with the demon hunter."
*~*~*~*
TeAsEr: Didn't really have time to edit this, so hate me O_O. One more update, and I think I'll be able to wrap up this story, though *sigh* stories of mine that started without a solid plot are particularly difficult to end. *BUT*, we can expect some Nerz vs. Illie, Sapphie, Kael, and Syl. Nerz should have a bad time fighting this 4 on 1 battle, but I'm gonna help him by killing off someone, and I think you are gonna hate me so much.
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J rEpOrT:
And allow me to leak a little more info--ILLIE FANS BEWARE!! 'I'm coming up so you better get this party started!!', stolen directly from PINK. Whenever I manage get my life back from my profs and their monstrous loads of work, I'll have something to add to my RG series--an Illie story, and thus begin my Illie obsession ^_^. Mwahahaha. (Bye bye, Kael!! It was nice meeting you. I release you from my closet.) Oh, definitely Illie'll have some romantic scenes with a mysterious War female character ^_^ and I promise it'll be sooo cute.
After this story concludes, I'll be working on 'Listen' and 'Maiev'. People who are still interested in 'To Honour' will probably find it...re-released soon with a totally different focus.
Reviewers, thank you for your support and patience, and your comments are appreciated as always. Even a lil debate about Arthas sounds exciting. I'm prepared to write an essay to defend my anti-Arthas position ^_^ (just a parody, okay?!)...But it's just that, if I don't hate Arthas that much, I wouldn't be writing stuff to 'glorify' all the other characters who suffered in his hands...
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Queen of the Harpies: Why, it was my pleasure to read your story. I know, Arthas's the only cute person on CG movies. He does have cool quotes--e.g. "Your pain shall be legendary.", but really I don't know about...sweet O_o. I have 3 reasons for disliking him--you see, my 3 favourite characters from War3 are currently Syl, Illie and Kael. Look what Arthas did to Syl? Illie? And Kael (the whole backstabbing thing was enough)? How can I not hate him? But hey, I do pity Maiev, even though I hate her so much for what she did to Tyrande. Wonder what happened to her?!
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mister Uknown: Thanks. I won't kill off everybody, I swear, and Ner'zhul's gonna suffer so bad first before he dies. Overrated??! Ah, I suppose it's just a matter of personal opinion. I'd value Illidan more than Arthas, even though he lost the duel (and didn't last for 1 full minute). Though they both strived to become something more powerful, but in the end Illie still has a bit of himself left, whereas Arthas didn't and relinquished his soul completely to Ner'zhul. That's kind of why I don't like Arthas. Whatever. I'm glad you like this story though ^_^.
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ToughPreacher: Why thanks!! I'm so glad someone misses me ^_^ Why do I like Syl better than Arthas even though she's about as evil as he is in the canon?! Well, apart from the above reasons I typed to QotH and mister Uknown, after finishing ROC, I hated Arthas so much. BTW, I hated Sylvanas as well (she was really really annoying when you're fighting her). I was dying to kick Arthas's ass--but my chance never came. The closest thing Blizzard bestowed upon me was to watch Syl put her arrow through his pathetic lil heart, and that was IT! I decided to LOVE Syl though she's really a bit of a Kerrigan there.
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ShadowedLight: You're welcome. No, really. I don't appreciate invincible heroes either. I understand why you guys had to do that to my favourite character. She could have been in more chapters though...So I'll just take my liberties and write the companion. I do have MSN, but I don't have internet in my dorm room, so I won't be able to talk a lot...too bad.
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Ira Poon: Thanks a bunch ^_^. Final forgiveness and friendship, and they lived happily ever after?! Heh...not a chance. I'm gonna make them both suffer, mwahahahahahaha!! Passion-driven...That's exactly what I love about Kael. I would have given him the world (with Syl in it) if he loves me back. But since he doesn't, never mind that. He'll be forever stuck in his misery until I decide to let him go.
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ErifEhtRebme: Syl is definitely older than Kael in my stories (because we first met her when she's at Lv. 5 (or whatever Arthas was at) and Kael was Lv. 2...oh wait. That doesn't make any sense. Syl would be older than Tyrande then...which I don't think is the case), but how old, I don't know. I'd say they should both be over 10,000, since Blizzard seems so obssessed with this particular number, and Vashj said that magic has flowed through Kael's veins for ten thousand years when they were talking about the hunger.
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DemonGod86: Illidan said he wanted his life back. He didn't ask for his sight!! But I'm not gonna do anything bad to him anymore cuz he's my current favourite War male character ^_^!! I change my mind often and I totally know it. I have not undeadified the black warden, and I've never said she *smiles evilly * is Maiev. Hahaha.
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wingchumonZERO: Thanks ^_^.
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aureola: Thanks for your comments. Yup, somebody was wondering too WHEN exactly did Vashj die? Sorry for being vague, but she died when Kael killed her.
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Ice Dragon XXI: Thanks. A lot has happened in War3 actually, and it's not easy to understand without background knowledge of the series. That's how hard it is when I try to get my friend to read.
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San: Sorry...please forgive me O_o. I tried not to make you wait too long.
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Rowan Seven: Haha. All right. One more point for you over the Vashj matter. *smiles evilly* But it's not over yet. *stops smiling evilly*. Well, in fact, the black warden won't have anything to do with anyone until later...Ha, how odd. Sylvanas doesn't want to stick with either choice. She wants BOTH ways. She wants everything!!
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Casen: Thank you. I did get a firewall, but it stopped my computer from connecting to the internet...technology *sigh*...I'll never catch up with it. And I'm just 19...
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TwilightSage51: Thanks.
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GG Crono 4: Thanks ^_^.
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