Warcraft IV: War of Legends
Chapter 11: The Palace of Sand
Istraz had a job to do before he joined his master. He had a strained relationship with the Qiraj at best. Most that he encountered were Undead Crypt Fiends or Crypt Lords. This place, however, was one of the few the Scourge had reached. Where Azjol'Nerub had fallen, the southern insects thrived. The Lich King's power was far thinner here. Even so, it annoyed him to suffer them.
A Silithid Mantis approached him. "So, you are the one who brought Quel'Tira here?" The Mantis nodded. He pulled from behind him a warblade with three runes carved into the metal. Two glowing runes, one red and one green, stood beside one another on the left curve of the blade. Istraz took the blade. "I shall do my part. Then, take it to the master."
The Mantis flew away, leaving Istraz relatively alone. He then made his way through the desert for around an hour. He had a canteen of water and a Potion of Greater Health to tide him through. All of a sudden, he felt like he had been removed from the world. The blade he held shuddered, and he felt solid ground. He looked up and saw a large bronze leviathan. Without even speaking, he nodded.
Istraz cleared his throat. "Oh, Timeless One, great Nozdormu, I ask for your blood, which both ages and keeps immortal!" The Aspect of Time allowed Istraz to approach with the dagger which was attatched to Quel'Tira. The dagger, stained in red and green blood, left a small gap in the dragon's scales. Rather than blood, sand flowed from the wound. The grains of sand filled a third rune.
Istraz turned to leave, but then asked the great dragon, "How will it end?"
"Quessstioning yourssself? How unlike you… I sssee all, and the world will ressstore itssself in the end. I know how everyone will die, and you will sssuffer a grave wound at the end. One that ssshall dessstroy any mortal body… Your ssspirit may live on, but your body will not sssurvive…"
As Istraz left, Nozdormu questioned the sanity of the one who ordered the creation of the blade…
Istraz used his Staff of Teleportation to bring himself to the Mantis who gave him Quel'Tira. He offered the blade back, along with the dagger, which was now a slightly yellowish colour. As he walked away, the Mantis became a Blue Dragon. Istraz looked back in time to see him fly away. And, unbeknownst to him, he had the same thought as Nozdormu: 'How insane must one be to create such a weapon?'
Nozdormu's agents returned about fifteen minutes after Istraz left. They had been sent to ally themselves with the humans of Theramoore. Stormwind Keep had gotten word of the proposed Alliance, but the Timeless One had wished only to ally his Flight with those humans in Kalimdor. The dragons he had sent now told him that all was arranged…