Echoes of Doomfire.
Vereesa had to give her Kal'dorei kin credit as she and the other prominent Night Elves mounted their hippogryphs; when they went to war, they held nothing back.
"To Hyjal!" Tyrande yelled over her shoulder, at the row upon row of Hippogryph riders assembled behind them. "For Kalimdor!"
"For Kalimdor!" the riders echoed, as they all took off from the formation area they'd coopted by the city gates.
Tyrande, Maiev, Illidan, Malfurion, and Vereesa all lead the way as the hundreds of winged beasts and their riders dived over the edge of Teldrassil, weaving between the branches before gliding over the surface of the water.
"Our magi will ensure our warriors are not left behind," the High-Priestess assured Vereesa once they'd levelled out. "Our siege weapons, however, are already en-route to Stormwind to protect against the Legion's invasion there."
"When we arrive in Hyjal, I shall awaken the Ancients to aid us." Malfurion added quickly. "With their strength we will overwhelm whatever meagre force the advanced scouts have summoned into our world."
"Let us hope it is enough." Illidan pessimistically responded. "What of your druidic kin?"
"They will answer the call of the Ancients too, brother, do not worry."
"I am not worried about them answering the call." The blind Kal'dorei responded, seeming to glare at his brother. "What concerns me is whether these agents of the Legion have the capability to summon one of the Legion's lieutenants to destroy the world tree, or if they have some other plan for Nordrassil."
As they climbed slightly to avoid flying into the trees of Darkshore, Malfurion produced a curved horn from under his arm and blew on it; the sound was deep and echoing, sending a shiver through Vereesa's bones.
"They hear our call," Malfurion said suddenly, as they commanded their Hippogryphs to ascend over the cliffs separating Darkshore from Northern Ashenvale. "The spirits are with us this day."
Vereesa wanted to enquire, but felt it better to trust the Archdruid at his word, instead focusing on preparing for whatever would meet them in Hyjal.
"They can't have had long to prepare a defence against assault," she thought aloud. "Or muster a force big enough to pose a threat."
"We do not know all the facts," Illidan pointed out. "The scouts you saw may just be leaders sent to take command of scout groups that have been here for months, even years."
"We would have found them if they'd been here for years," Maiev laughed at the notion. "Nothing escapes our notice."
Illidan just stared at Maiev's back.
They led the other Hippogryph riders up the final cliff face and over the mountain peaks into Hyjal, but stopped suddenly at what they beheld. Plumes of smoke rose to the south, and the once tranquil valleys of Hyjal were now torn asunder by chaos; trees were either uprooted or burning as demons ran amok in the ruined groves, and the skies were thick with winged creatures whose cries hurt the ears.
"How were we so blind?" Tyrande gasped.
"The Legion are masters of deception," Illidan growled, "our priorities are thinning their numbers, cutting them off at their source, and..."
"Protect the tree!" Tyrande called to the riders coming up behind them. "Kill every demon who dares approach."
Vereesa kicked her mount forward, summoning arcane barriers around her and the other heroes, before hurling bolts at the nearest demons.
The winged creatures snarled and swarmed toward the mounted Kal'dorei, but Vereesa's eyes quickly picked out one beast inparticular, and the stout figure mounted on its back.
"Slay them all!" a thick, Dwarven accent called over the screeching. "Don't let them interfere with the ritual."
"Split up!" Vereesa called; "Malfurion, summon as many as you can to drive the demons back. Tyrande, Maiev, head for Nordrassil and rally a defensive force around the tree. Illidan and I will..."
"I will find this ritual he spoke of," Illidan said, and without waiting he spurred his Hippogryph into a dive.
"I'll deal with Kurdran." She sighed, and they all went their separate ways, the bulk of the Hippogryph riders moving to follow the High-Priestess.
She'd never met Kurdran Wildhammer, but she could think of no other figure who'd be leading the demons aerial defences from the back of a fel-corrupted Gryphon. Her heart sank at the thought that a proud Dwarf like him could have fallen to serving the Legion, more-so at how twisted his corrupted mount appeared to be; to fall into darkness was one thing, but it was worse to drag an innocent beast down too.
She cleared her mind of pity and morose thoughts, she could think on them when the fate of hundreds, if not thousands, were not on the line. She hurled an arcane bolt at Kurdran's head, but the skilled rider evaded it and quickly spurred his Gryphon to attack her.
"Brave of ye lass to challenge a Wildhammer to mounted combat!" the Dwarf laughed, though there was no humour in his voice. "A pity you have to die, but none can stop what's comin'. I promised the Herald I'd not fail 'im."
Vereesa forced her mount to dive, as Kurdran spurred his to try and tear her head off with its claws; she retaliated with an arcane shockwave, but the skilled Gryphon-rider was able to recover before she could take advantage of the momentary disorientation.
"Why are you doing this?" she called. "If the Legion prevail here, it won't be long until Khaz Modan burns to ashes beneath their feet. Your people will suffer and die because of you."
"My people were with me when we ventured into hell, lass," the Dwarf laughed. "They'll not suffer so long as I do not fail them."
Kurdran and his corrupted Gryphon turned suddenly, and swooped underneath Vereesa; before she could react, the Dwarf killed her mount with a hammer swing to its skull. As her Hippogryph began to fall towards the ground, she leapt from the dead beast and quickly cast a spell on herself to slow her fall, which only gave her a moment's respite. Seconds later she saw Kurdran wheeling around again to attack her whilst she was vulnerable. When the gryphon was about to claw her face with its razor sharp claws, she closed her eyes and lashed out with an arcane explosion.
A blood curdling scream snapped her eyes open, her heart immediately sinking at seeing what her moment of panic had caused. Her sudden casting of such a powerful spell had caught Kurdran and his mount off-guard, the blast had momentarily stunned the beast, and in that moment of confusion, gravity had reached up to claim on both rider and mount. A moment before they hit the ground, Vereesa closed her eyes; the sound alone sent a wave of guilt and revulsion through her; she kept her eyes closed until her feet touched thr ground, only then did she let herself witness the sight she had unintentionally brought about.
"Sky'ree!" Kurdran's voice wailed.
The mage looked to see the corrupted dwarf kneeling over his fallen mount, its limbs bent at sickening angles, and blood soaking the ground around it at an alarming speed. She cautiously approached, noting the Dwarf's weapon had been discarded several feet away, and he was wholly consumed with watching his mount slowly bleed out.
"Its my fault!" he said as the Gryphon closed its eyes. "It's all my fault."
She cautiously approached the Dwarf, quickly encasing Kurdran's weapon in a block of ice as a precaution.
"When… When we gave up hope and agreed to serve the Legion, she continued to resist them…" Kurdran said, his voice thick with emotion as he lovingly caressed his dying Gryphon's head. "She didn't stop fighting… Even as I forced her to drink demon's blood."
Vereesa knew she shouldn't, part of her screamed that this was all a trick on the Dwarf's part, but as she moved to stand behind him, she placed a hand on Kurdran's shoulder.
"It's okay girl, you're free now." Kurdran breathed, as Sky'ree's eyes closed for the last time.
He pressed his forehead against the great beast's, before straightening up and addressing her; though his eyes never moved from the dead Gryphon in front of him.
"What happens to me now, lass?"
"It's not to late to help us stop the Legion," she tried to assure him, though she was not entirely certain at this moment if it were true. "What is the purpose of this ritual?"
"They're summoning one of Sargeras' lieutenants into this world, he'll destroy the World Tree and cripple Azeroth's defences." The Dwarf explained, "I was ordered to defend the area from your inevitable attack, buying time for the ritual to be completed."
"How can you possibly summon such a powerful demon into the world?"
"The Herald tasked another with infiltrating Dalaran and stealing relics strong enough to power the rituals. He musta been successful as the relics arrived hours ago outta nowhere and the preparations were already completed."
"Khadgar?"
"Aye. Ain't no one better for infiltrating a city o' wizards than one of their own." Kurdran nodded, before sighing deeply. "This is pointless, lass, you're too late to stop it now. This world is doomed."
"Not yet."
"I admire your optimism," he laughed, though there was no humour in his tone. "Maybe it'll save you from what's to come, but for me… Hope died a long time ago."
"I won't kill you." Vereesa declared. "You may be without hope, but I've seen first-hand that it is possible to return from the darkness."
"I'll take your word for it, lass." Kurdran bowed his head again, and before he could say another word, Vereesa teleported him away.
'The Violet Hold ought to be strong enough to hold him for now.'
She looked around at the splattered remains of the sky battle still raging above her, before a deep, booming voice rolled over the hills and trees of Hyjal and caused shards of ice to pulse through her veins.
"Oh no…" she breathed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Illidan found the ritual site easily enough, the amount of energy that was being channelled into it made it trivial for him to follow with his spectral sight. Even as he cut his way through the ritualists protecting the site, he could feel the power building all around him, signalling it was nearing completion.
'When the ritual is complete, Hyjal will burn.' He thought, as his glaives made quick work of those who stood in his way. 'But the Legion will pay the greater price when their lieutenant falls by my hand.'
He reached the site, which was at the centre of a desecrated glade, only to see the lead summoner completing his spell. Energy erupted from a single object at the centre of the glade, and Illidan could just make out the shape of a large tome, from which the portal was slowly forming.
'When the summons is complete, I must gain possession of that book before it is used to summon armies.'
Illidan's unique sight beheld an enormous portal forming before him, and as a cloven hoof stepped through, he dived for cover behind a large, ancient tree that had been blackened by fel magic.
"Welcome back, Lord Archimonde," the lead summoner bowed deeply before the demon commander, and Illidan studied the Eredar from his hiding place.
Though it had been thousands of years since the last time Archimonde walked upon Azeroth, the demon lord had not aged, though there were marks of a hundred conquests upon his body that denoted the passage of time. Illidan could sense the smug satisfaction that Archimonde felt at being on Azeroth once more, and he readied himself to attack when the opportune moment arose.
"I have returned, to lay waste to a world that foolishly resisted in eons past." Archimonde announced, looking down at those who had managed to summon him. "Is the way clear?"
"It was, my lord, but the Kal'dorei armies have arrived in force and have moved to defend their precious world tree from us."
"Where is the pawn?" the demon lord asked with derision.
"I don't know, my lord, the Dwarf went to lead the aerial defence so we could complete the ritual…"
"Then he completed his task, and is therefore of no use to the grand design anymore." Archimonde interrupted. "If he does return, slay him at once. There can be no loose ends going forward."
"Yes my lord." The ritualist bowed. "What of the book?"
Archimonde looked to the relic that had aided in summoning him, and Illidan readied himself to move.
"The Spellbook of Medivh has served its purpose in opening the way for me," the Eredar stated, reducing his size to better inspect the ancient tome closer. "While there are many more secrets to be learned within its pages, they can wait until this world is ash."
Illidan leapt out and slew the first two summoners that were in his way. Archimonde turned his head toward him, seeming almost unsurprised by the sudden appearance of a foe in their midst, before turning back to the book.
"Face me demon!" Illidan commanded, throwing one of his glaives and watching as it spun in a wide arc, cutting down the other demonic pawns before returning to his hand.
"Ah, so you are the reason the Dwarf was not here to greet my arrival," Archimonde said slowly, waving his hand to turn the tome's pages as he read.
"The Dwarf was of no concern to me, you were my true target."
This got Archimonde's attention, and the Eredar slowly turned to face him now.
"So you let them complete the summoning, knowing what it would mean for this world? You truly are the betrayer of your people."
Illidan bristled at the moniquer, his eyes glancing toward the tome.
"You want this too?" Archimonde gestured to the book, before laughing.
The Eredar snapped his fingers, and the tome vanished in a dark green orb, leaving just himself and Illidan in the clearing.
"As I stated, it has served its purpose here, but the Herald may find another use for it soon enough."
Illidan charged, before leaping at the Eredar, his glaives raised to strike. In an instant, Archimonde towered over the Kal'dorei, and with a lazy swat of his right hand, Illidan was sent hurtling backwards. The demon took a moment to ensure that he was not about to be attacked by the meddlesome individual again, before increasing his size until he towered over the trees, and loudly proclaiming for all to hear;
"Tremble, mortals, and despair! Doom has come to this world!"