Chapter 4

Orgrimmar

Tameriel found herself once again down on one knee, head bowed low, in front of the Banshee Queen. She tried not to think about what punishment lay in wait for her. Her duty was to report on her recent failure, no matter what the repercussions were, and besides, her queen and Warchief had her utmost respect. She wouldn't lie just to save her own skin.

Sylvanas sat back on her throne, gauntleted hands draped over each arm. "I don't see the champion with you, so you have failed then", she made a statement rather than ask the question. "Speak Tameriel", she finished in a cold, but steady tone.

"I followed the champion and his companion, Valeera Sanguinar, from Stormwind. What they were doing or why they were doing this, I did not know, but I decided to seize the opportunity, and keep on their trail", she began, and stopped when she noticed Sylvanas raise her hand.

"Valeera Sanguinar?", Sylvanas asked, "Anduin Wrynn's personal spy...go on!"

"I couldn't get too close, especially with her around, but I was able to collect some important information about their journey. I found out that they were to meet a small party of Kaldorei a couple of days later. When this was confirmed, I was forced to make a decision in haste, lest the size of this party increase over time, and make the extraction more difficult. And so, I put together a team of twenty or so of the best horde warriors that were available to me in such short notice." Tameriel took a moment to pause and continued, "The team consisted of dark rangers, orcs, trolls...we had the tactical advantage and the element of surprise. We outnumbered them four to one and..."

Sylvanas raised her hand again, steadily, calmly, her red eyes fixed on Tameriel. "What happened?"

"We were winning...and then...he decimated us!", Tameriel decided to just get to the point and take her punishment.

"...The Champion?", Sylvanas asked in her still cool, calm demeanor.

"The magic that he unleashed was extraordinary in it's ferocity. He took out ten of our warriors at once. Some of the bodies are ...irritrievable. He also healed one of the night elves, a priestess, who was moments from death. But it was not just his magic, he was fierce in hand to hand battle. He killed an orc twice his size in seconds with only two daggers. He seemed different at that moment, more primal...savage...", Tameriel finished, trailing off quietly.

"Thank you Tameriel, you can go." Sylvanas remained seated as Tameriel began to rise, surprised, shocked even.

"Excuse me my queen, I have failed you and the horde, but...you don't seem surprised"

Sylvanas's face remained unchanged. "Does your tale disappoint me?...Yes!"

Tameriel winced internally.

But Sylvanas suddenly smiled now, a sly, knowing smile. "Does it surprise me?...No!" She rose now and walked slowly over to the dark ranger. "My mistake was sending someone else in my stead. This power that you were witness to, doesn't surprise me. What he's fully capable of...I don't know, but right now it doesn't matter. If he was met by night elves and traveling towards the coast of the Eastern Kingdoms, there is only one place that he is going. He is coming right to us. He is coming to Kalimdor." Her brows knitted in determination, "And this time, I will be ready."

The Dream

Matt, Valeera, and the three night elves had quickly created a new campsite after the night's surprise attack. That was after travelling another three hours, and Matt's exhaustion had reached it's peak by the time they had settled in for the night. After the area was completely scouted and declared secure, the two sentinels had taken turns standing guard. He had collapsed in his makeshift bed and couldn't even remember falling asleep.

His body needed the rest, but nightmares plagued his sleep. At first, he had dreamed that he was back home, the sun on his face, his friends and family around him, and it felt good. He was happy. When his home merged into Azeroth, his happiness hadn't waned. He basked in the clean air, drinking in the beauty of nature and the elements. His eyes had opened wide at the wonders of this new world, the fantastical creatures, the many noble and extraordinary races. In his dream, he had felt as if Azeroth itself was speaking with him, and he was listening, understanding, feeling content, as a light filled his soul. Dragons of different colors were flying above and around him, as if they were pleased at his presence in this magnificent world. Like he belonged here...

And then the dream began to change, so subtle, he had hardly noticed it at first. A night elf he had never seen before, was walking serenely through a grove of trees. She had come to a clearing, walking barefoot into an open air temple. Grand, white, marble pillars were erected in a circle, and the moon, tremendous in size, seemed to fill the area with it's light. He followed behind the elf, and as she reached the centre, she turned to face him. Her bright, shining, silver eyes met his, and he could sense her wisdom, her power. It was as if they conversed without speaking. The moonlight appeared as if it was shining down on her and her alone. Her grace and compassion came off her in waves, like he could see and interpret her aura. She was a kind and benevolent being, his dream told him, and he believed it.

Then she opened her mouth to speak. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. He tried to tell her that he couldn't hear her, but she quickly became panicked. She spoke quicker now as she looked at him, her eyes pleading for him to listen to her, but no sound escaped her lips. Her panic, as if contagious, spread to him, and he was shouting now, trying to explain to her that he didn't understand. She stopped abruptly and just stared at him. Her kindness and serenity all but disappeared, and suddenly he felt intimidated. The silver glow in her eyes began to disappear, as thin tendrils of black worked their way from the corners, filling the sockets with an obsidian pitch. She tried to speak again now, with those sinister eyes glaring at him, but an ink-black tar substance gushed from her mouth, splashing on the ground. She turned away from him, and raising her hands to the moon, she screamed, a horrific sound full of anger, bile, grief...pure hatred. He could hear her now, but wished that he couldn't. She cursed in fury in a language he shouldn't understand, but he could. She became a terrifying creature filled with rage and he tried to drown out her screams by putting his hands over his ears. And then she went silent. He looked up slowly and his heart was beating so hard in his chest, that he could hear it thumping. She had turned back to stare at him, her head slightly bent, and her long hair now dripping with the same black tar. The moon behind her, impossibly large, began to turn the same sinister black color until he could no longer see anything.

He jerked in horror as a hand grabbed him by the collar and literally dragged him away in an unknown direction. As he was about to fight back, the hand dropped him, and he was on a battlefield. Somebody was shouting his name and a sword was shoved into his hand. He was frantic, angry now, as he remembered the heat of the fight. When he staggered to his feet, a blade slashed the air, inches from his face. His muscles tensed with rage and he slashed forward, a perfect strike. He knew before he had even looked, that his blade had met it's target. An orc helped him properly to his feet and clapped him on the back, congratulating him on his instant kill. He looked at the face of the human he had just decapitated, and ran into the fray. He joined his fellow soldiers on the front, fighting back to back with orcs, trolls, forsaken, blood elves, and tauren, his brothers and sisters in arms. He was skillfully hacking and slicing elves, humans and dwarves and he could feel his bloodlust build and build. Then, he felt a slender hand on his shoulder from behind and a haunting, but melodious voice whisper in his ear, "Now, my champion, finish it." He dropped his sword and held his hands in the air. A tremendous pressure was the precursor for his final trick. A small black ball of energy began to swirl in his hands, and it grew and grew until the pressure was so great, that even one of the tauren close by, began to collapse to his knees. Matt stretched his hands wide apart and released the hideous mass of dark energy in one shot. The result was devastating. The enemy... every single human, elf, dwarf, or any other race on that side of the divide...lay dead on the battlefield. His fellow warriors were silent in awe. He could feel himself release a satisfied smile and pumped a fist in the air. He roared a powerful warcry, "FOR THE HORDE!" They all screamed their own victory warcry, following his own, most of their energy and praise directed at him. And he felt good, content...like he was where he was supposed to be...like he belonged here...

The Journey (Day 4)

Matt awoke in a cold sweat, still breathing hard. Turning over on his back, he raised his hands to his face, about to rub his eyes, when he realized that they were still caked in dry blood. He had been so tired, that he had fallen asleep before he could even wash it off. All he could do was stare at them, thinking about the events of the night before, and the disturbing dream he had just woke from. What could all of this mean? Why did he have that dream? What was wrong with him? I'd never killed before yesterday, but now I'm a killer. Why was I fighting with the horde? He could feel depression setting in. Even though it was a dream, he felt incredible guilt, shame, and worry. Maybe it's because it felt like more than just a dream...like it was a warning. He rose quietly. His body felt fully rested, but his mind was in turmoil, exhausted even. Visstra was quietly patrolling the area, but the rest were still asleep. It was just before dawn, but he needed to get out of here. He needed some time by himself, to try to figure out what all of this meant. He waited until Visstra had moved out of sight, and walked silently into the woods.

He had found a stream nearby and sat down sluggishly by the water's edge. He didn't know how much time had passed, but the sound of the water and the light breeze blowing through his hair, put him into a semi-meditative state. He had come here to think, but instead, his mind had emptied, and yet he could feel the misery he had experienced months ago seep back in. Something was wrong. It was like he could taste it in the air, an impending doom that he knew was coming, but could do nothing about. He heard light footsteps behind him, but he didn't turn around. He wasn't in the mood. He wanted to be alone. A small hand squeezed his shoulder lightly and he heard Valeera's voice.

"Good Morning!", said Valeera, quietly, as if not to wake the others.

"...Morning", Matt replied without looking at her, annoyance tinging his low tone.

Valeera stood for a moment, before slowly sitting down beside him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing", Matt said, still staring into the water.

He could feel her looking at him. "You can talk to me you know, I...", Valeera began.

"I said I'm fucking fine Valeera", Matt snapped at her, cutting her off mid sentence.

Valeera stayed silent for an uncomfortably long time, and his guilt at treating her like shit wore him down. He finally turned to look at her, "I'm sorry, I...shouldn't have reacted like that."

She just smiled back at him and said, "You can tell me, I'm actually quite a good listener."

He attempted a smile back, and clenching his jaw tightly, he asked her a question. "Valeera, is there a kind of bovine looking race, massive, with hooves, feathers in their hair and armor, and massive horns,...is a race like that part of the horde?

Valeera looked confused, but answered quickly, "The tauren, yes. Why? Have you seen one? Where?" And it was then that she noticed that all the color had drained from his face. The bloodstains from the night before, now looked as if they were spattered on a corpse's skin.

Her face changed from one of confusion, to one of concern. "Matthew, what is it, please tell me."

Matt told her about his dream, and he left nothing out. Though feeling better at being able to tell somenoe else, it was still negated by the worry that crept into his mind. When he had finally shared every last detail, Valeera took some time to reflect. When she made up her mind to speak, she looked assertive, determined.

He was surprised when she spoke to him in a soft voice. "We all have a darkness inside us, Matthew. Everyone...No exceptions. Some people have done bad things and turned their lives around. Others think bad thoughts sometimes, but never act on them. Nobody is all good, we have to fight to make sure that the good in us will always defeat the darkness inside. That's why it's something to strive for. It's because it's not easy...but the end result is always worth it."

Matt nodded, "I agree, but I had never seen a tauren before that dream. I'm worried...worried that it was showing me a future that I can't stop."

"I disagree.", she replied resolutely. "You seem to be forgetting about the first part. The part filled with light, and Azeroth itself celebrating you. I do think that it was important, that it was showing you two different diverging paths, neither yet set in stone."

"I hope that you're right Valeera, I really do", he replied in a sigh, letting his head drop.

"Do you want to kill the alliance,and give into your darkness, not knowing where it may lead", she asked him in a completely non-serious tone and a raised eyebrow.

"No, of course not!", he snorted.

"Well, don't then!", she said.

She made him laugh, "Why didn't I think about that, thanks Valeera."

"You're welcome", she replied in feigned superiority.

Her attitude relaxed him somewhat and he was suddenly glad that she had interrupted his brooding. She looked out at the water and continued in her assured but soft tone.

"Someone in my...line of work, gets to know the makeup of a person. You learn quite quickly how to tell who you can trust, because your life may depend on it. Learning to use a mix of your own skills, experience, and your gut, never fails to determine friend from foe." She turned her head to face him now. "Along with all of my experience, being able to judge someone's character, I am also a Sin'dorei, a blood elf. The first day we met, when we shook hands, I felt the energy in you, and I knew then as I know now. You are a friend...not a foe. I trust you."

Matt's heart instantly lightened and realized that his fondness for her had only increased. To know that somebody, anybody, believed in him, even when he wasn't sure of himself, gave him something to hold onto. The fact that it was her, made him believe it. He couldn't help a grin. "You know Valeera, did anyone ever tell you that you should have become a psychologist?"

She looked slightly confused.

"Ehhhh...like a head doctor...forget it!", he said as he shook his head trying not to laugh.

Clearly not understanding the humor, she made a pouty face which, he noticed, just made her all the cuter. "You better not be making fun of me", she said with fake anger.

"Like I would ever do that", Matt pretending to be hurt by the accusation, raised his hands to protest.

Valeera, frowning now, took his hands gently in hers. She pulled them lightly towards the water. "It's about time you took care of this", she said, and before he could answer, she began to wash his hands with surprising tenderness and care. Her slender fingers intermingling with his, as the water began to turn a dark shade. He could only look at her as his heart swelled. "Valeera", he held her hands in his, raising them from the water.

Still on their knees, she slowly raised her head to look at him. There was a hint of both apprehension and expectancy in her expression, but Matt already had his mind made up. He gave her hands a gentle tug towards him and she acceded, leaning into him. Their lips met, and Matt moved his hands to her waist, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. Valeera moaned softly as her hands moved up his back, caressing his neck. Since he had found himself in this crazy world, she had been the one that always lightened his heart, that made it beat faster whenever he looked at her. That she had felt the same, was as unexpected as it was welcome. The moment tasted as sweet as he'd imagined, and when they momentarily broke the kiss, their eyes met. Valeera, biting her lower lip, began to lie slowly back and pulled him towards her. He leaned over her now and resumed the kiss. Her long nails scratched his neck, as their tongues entwined. She gasped as his hands began to explore her body, sliding up her long slender legs and slowly moving up her body, tracing her curves. His hand moved to her breast, as he gently squeezed, taking his time, caressing her...when they heard somebody approaching.

Matt, still leaning over Valeera, turned his head to see Visstra standing there with a sly smile on her face.

"Ahem...whenever you two lovebirds are ready, there is breakfast waiting for you. We'll be setting off again right after", said Visstra as she turned on her heels, striding back the way she had come.

Valeera and Matt looked at each other and burst out laughing. Getting up, he pulled her with him, helping her to her feet.

"I...should go back to the camp, get prepared to leave", Valeera said smiling, averting her eyes almost shyly.

"I'll meet you there, I'm gonna quickly finish washing up here", Matt said, returning the smile.

As Valeera turned to leave, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him for one more kiss. She reciprocated, squeezing his hand and kissing him back. When she left to return to the camp, he could only think how lucky he was, and how his entire mindset had changed since he had woke up. He cleaned himself thoroughly in the stream and soon returned to the camp.

He joined Valeera, Thelenia, and the two sentinels as they ate a hearty breakfast. Visstra seemed to barely contain a knowing smile as she ate, but since last night's battle, she had garnered a healthy respect for Matt. He was happily surprised that they had struck up a conversation, and even more surprised to find himself cracking up at her jokes. Yesterday, it seemed like she didn't have a funny bone in her body. It was as if she was a different person, once he had proven himself worthy. Esora, he had found, was quieter than Visstra, but was also good company. When they had finished eating, they set off again. Matt slung the guitar on his back and joined the rest.

"We're close to the hippogryph's, It shouldn't take too long now", Visstra said after about an hour.

"Oh yeah, Valeera, I forgot to ask you", Matt said in a low voice, "What's a hippogryph?"

Valeera's face lit up with a devious glee. She squeezed his hand and declared, "Oh, you're going to love them"

Matt frowned, "I don't like that look on your face, what am I to expect here?"

"It's a surprise", was all she would say.

"Some sort of boat or something?", he asked again.

She burst out laughing.

"...well, that's a good sign", he muttered sarcastically.

After about another hour, they reached a clearing. Visstra whistled and three large, half animal, half bird creatures with antlers on their heads, flew down and landed beside them. Matt rode on the back with Visstra taking the reins. Valeera was with Esora, and Thelenia took the reins of her own.

When they took to the air, Matt couldn't help but whoop loudly with joy, much to Visstra's delight. "They are magnificent creatures aren't they, highly intelligent too", she shouted back to him, the wind tousling her hair.

"They're incredible, this is amazing", Matt cried, patting the hindquarters of the beast. He looked over at Valeera and snorted laughter. She had a dramatic pout on her face again, since she was expecting Matt to be holding on to the beast in terror. He decided to tease her. "Just amazing aren't they Valeera", Matt shouted over to her. She turned her head away from him in disgust. "Aren't they Valeera", he kept going. "This is such an incredible experience...Valeera, isn't it!", he roared at her. He could see her body trembling and saw that she was trying to stifle laughter.

She turned to him and shouted back, "Okay, you win, I was wrong, happy?"

"Very happy", he replied,a sly grin on his face. "I bet our hippogryph beats your hippogryph to Kalimdor first."

"Ha, not a chance", she returned the sly smile.

Visstra and Esora looked at each other, and a competitive grin appeared on both of their faces. They put their heads down and spoke to their respective hippogryphs, and instantly both creatures burst forward in a surge of speed and power. It was all Matt could do to keep a hold of Visstra's waist and not fall off.

Thelenia watched, sighing slightly, as the others sped away from her. A laugh did escape her lips though, when she heard Matt in the distance roar "Woohoo!" Soon they would be in Kalimdor, she thought to herself, and she knew that they would have to be careful. They would arrive before sundown. She quickly followed after the others as she hastened her own speed.

Matt lost track of time, but eventually he could see land ahead. Before he knew it, they were gliding over tree tops. A vast forest lay below them, which he noticed was pockmarked with felled trees, and in some places, tree stumps were all that remained. The further they flew, the more devestation he bore witness to.

"What is this place?", Matt asked Visstra. Their speed had slowed dramatically, so they could converse more easily.

Visstra shook her head either in anger or sadness, he couldn't tell. "This is Ashenvale forest. It used to be so beautiful before the horde lay waste to half of it."

Matt remembered the story of Teldrassil and decided to stay silent. They were coming up on an area that was most likely the scene of a previous battle. It looked like a large flattened area between two banks of trees, and he could see movement in the distance. Tiny figures became larger figures as they drew closer, and he knew right away that a battle was occuring ahead of them.

"Is it the horde? But I thought all of the night elves had left Kalimdor", Matt asked grimly.

"Most, not all. There are still pockets of resistance. Some sentinels and some others chose to stay and fight, while more came back when the civillians were brought to safety in the Eastern Kingdoms. The Kaldorei have not given up on Kalimdor Matt. We intend to take back Darkshore and Ashenvale and push the horde scum out of our lands", Visstra claimed through gritted teeth.

They circled high above the battle for a short while, and his heart sank. The night elves were fighting fiercly, but they were largely outnumbered. He could see that the elves were holed up behind one of the treelines, but most of the heroic attempts to dash forward into battle were put down quickly by the horde's sheer numbers. In fact, he noticed that the horde didn't even have to push forward, such was the ease that they despatched each attack.

Visstra shut her eyes and clenched her jaw, and began to turn the hippogryph in the opposite direction.

"What are you doing? We can't leave them alone, they'll be slaughtered", Matt growled, surprised at Visstra's actions.

"We have a mission to bring you to Lady Tyrande, not to willingly engage in battle and put you in harm's way", Visstra replied, hardening her voice.

"I know you want to help them...so do I. I still don't know exactly what I'm capable of yet, but I know we can do something to help", Matt said, trying to force her hand.

Visstra stayed silent, but he could see that her emotions were reeling from having to leave her fellow warriors behind. Matt looked across to Valeera. She met his gaze and simply nodded.

"I know you can't disobey your orders, but I can't let you hate yourself for turning your back on them, not because of me. Let me down. I'll take full responsibility if anything happens", he said.

Visstra shook her head sadly. "No, I...I appreciate what you are trying to do, but there will be no responsibility to take if you are dead."

Matt took his hands off her waist. "Bring us down Visstra or I'm just gonna jump off, right here, right now!"

Visstra looked back alarmed. "Put your hands back, you could fall. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that the only way you'll take us down is if I force your decision. I'm not joking Visstra, I'll jump off. Who knows, maybe I can even fly", he made a gesture like he didn't really believe that and continued, "Maybe I'll just leave an artistic splat on the ground of Ashenvale forest, but we're gonna find out soon, if you don't take us down."

Visstra still looked at him with a mixture of alarm, anger, and relief. "You...", she shut her eyes again and cursed in darnassian, "You are as belligerent as I am. Forgive me Lady Tyrande." She turned to him, her eyes steeled for battle, and she wore a fierce smile. "Hold on tight."

He gripped her waist again and they sped back in the direction of the battlefield, followed quickly by the others. She led them to within a few hundred yards behind the night elves line, and the hippogryphs landed with ease and not a little grace. When Matt jumped down, he petted the animal, "Thanks buddy", and it nuzzled him back.

Four night elves came running towards them, the noise of battle polluting the air behind. There were two males and two females. One of the females,who seemed to be in charge, began to speak to Visstra in darnassian. The four of them looked at him and Valeera in either surprise or confusion, he wasn't sure which. But the other female seemed to have a look of contempt in her eyes when she looked at Valeera. He realized very quickly that he didn't like it one bit.

He decided to speak. "What's the situation here? How can we help?"

The elf that was talking to Visstra turned to him and changed to common. "I am Alari Skystar, acting leader of the sentinel resistance in eastern Ashenvale. Are you from the alliance? If you are reinforcements, why have they sent so few?"

She sounds worried. Matt could see that Visstra was about to say something, but he answered before she could. "Yes, we're alliance, but I'm afraid that we just happened to see the battle from the air. We were on our way to complete a different mission, but we're here to help."

The other female night elf, still staring at Valeera spoke. "And what exactly is a blood elf doing here. Shouldn't she be over behind the other treeline", she spat disrespectfully.

He noticed that Valeera didn't bat an eye, her face remaining completely calm. His anger rose, when he it hit him that she had the look of a person who had to deal with this sort of thing on a regular basis.

"She is Valeera Sanguinar, a blood elf that works directly for King Anduin Wrynn, leader of the alliance. You should be grateful that someone of her talents is here to assist in what I noticed was a losing battle", Matt bristled with anger at the night elf, but it was too late to retract what he said. Not that I would anyway.

The night elf seemed taken aback and mildly ashamed. To her credit, she turned her head back to Valeera. "My apologies." Valeera simply nodded back, her face unchanged.

Alari regained her composure. "I apologise, we will take all of the help we can get, but you are correct...", she looked at him questioningly.

"My name is Matt", he replied

She continued, "You are correct Matt, we can't gain any ground and are being picked off as soon as we rush to attack. There are simply too many, and we are spread too thin"

Thelenia spoke up. "Where are your injured? I can see to healing them right away"

One of the male sentinels replied, "Thank you priestess, If you follow me please. We have more than a few who could use your attention." Thelenia quickly followed him and disappeared.

Matt lay his guitar down on the ground and Visstra and Esora began speaking in darnassian to Alari. Matt and Valeera joined them as it seemed like a plan was coming together. Alari opened her eyes wide as Visstra spoke to her quickly, gesticulating in a dramatic fashion. Then Asari turned to him, reverting back to common.

"You are an accomplished mage!", she exclaimed in a hopeful expression.

Matt glared at Visstra who just grinned back at him.

"Yeah...I...am." He decided to hold back on his real answer, which would have been "I dunno" with a shrug for good measure. He knew that he had to stop doing that. He could create magic, it was time that he believed in himself and really let loose. This was the perfect opportunity.

"If we use you on the front line, they will have to finally rush us and attack, lest they become sitting ducks for a barrage of magic. When they do, we can attack from the flanks and start picking off the ones that escape your magic. That should at least even up the fight and give us a chance. We fought too hard and lost too many to have to pull back yet again to these bastards.", Alari gritted her teeth as she spoke those last few words, and the other night elves nodded in determination and renewed hope.

"Okay, what are we waiting for, lets do this", Matt said, doing his best to push his fear and nerves deep down. He was about to enter battle for the second time in the space of a couple of days. He remembered what Valeera had told him that morning. He looked at her as they walked to the front. He caught her eye and she smiled at him. Taking his hand, she gave it a gentle squeeze.

"If we become overwhelmed, use the hearthstone, It'll take you back to Stormwind", she said, and after a slight pause finished with, "Believe in yourself, as I do."

He could feel his confidence rise instantly. "I'm not leaving here without you. Be careful Valeera."

"You too", she replied as their hands slipped apart, and Valeera followed the sentinels who were to attack the right flank. Visstra and Esora joined the ones on the left and Matt followed the rangers straight ahead.

The front line consisted of felled trees stacked on top of each other. Matt sat with a group of night elf rangers he had never met before, knowing that as soon as he stood up, the battle would begin again in earnest. They all looked at him expectantly as he waited for the signal. The tension was palpable. An eerie silence spread across the battlefield. He could feel his heart begin to thump loudly in his chest and had to blink sweat out of his eyes. He began to wonder if the horde had disappeared, just marched back where they came from, until a gutteral warcry erupted from the opposite treeline. The signal was given. Matt swallowed hard, sprang to his feet, and all hell broke loose.

Knowing that he couldn't use fire against the horde behind the opposing treeline, in fear that it would spread, he amassed ten large swirling balls of ice and hurled them in the direction of the enemy. There was an instant reaction as cries of shock, anger, and pain could be heard across the open divide. He could hear orders being barked in what he assumed to be the orcish language, and as predicted, the horde troops began to rush forward. There seemed to be dozens, storming towards them at once. Orcs, trolls and tauren seemed to make up most of the frontline troops, but there were also arrows flying from forsaken rangers at the back.

Now that they were in the open, Matt conjured a mass of fireballs and slung them at the oncoming horde. A sickening cry of pain, followed by a horrific burning smell was the result, as horde soldiers fell in a flaming heap. The left and right night elf flanking attack occured simultaneously. Sentinels were expertly cutting down the enemy in a flurry of attacks that belied their lithe figures. Orc limbs were hacked from their bodies. Troll and Tauren blood covered the battlefield floor. He was shocked by the utter fury and carnage that these, mostly night elf females wrought. He could see Valeera on the right flank, deftly dodge an orc hammer, and cutting him down with expert precision a second later. The rangers beside him were picking off targets with ease.

It was looking like the battle had turned in their favor, when a second wave of horde troops burst through the treeline. Double the amount of the first attack. Matt started to see sentinels drop to the ground. Some were riddled with arrows and others were covered in ugly gashes and bloody wounds, as a consequence of the incresed numbers of the horde counter attack. A night elf retreat was called, and with the friendly troops now slowly dispersing back into the trees, Matt could resume his attack. Lifting his arms up and towards the quickly closing enemy, he shot an immense coil of terrifying lightening. He didn't know that his eyes blazed and crackled with a pale blue light, as almost every horde soldier that had passed their treeline, dropped dead instantly. Blue, arcane electricity crackled and popped, jumping from one body to the next, until finally dispersing. The few lucky horde stragglers that remained, ran back into the treeline. The battlefield reverted back to silence.

He sat back down behind the felled trees, and with his head towards the ground, let out a huge sigh of relief. He looked up and saw that all of the rangers he was with, were looking at him with both delight and respect.

One of them, a male, spoke first. "You must tell us your name mage. I thought that I knew most of the alliance's top magic users, but I do not recognise you."

"My name is Matthew Dawson. I'm eh...new. Most people just call me Matt", he replied.

Another one, a female, spoke now. "Well, Matt, I can speak for all of us when I say that we are lucky that you turned up when you did."

"I'm just glad I could help.", he smiled, slightly embarassed by the attention, and adding in a now serious tone, "The night elves have been through enough after all."

They looked appreciatively at him and the male night elf took him by the arm and helped him up. Most of the sentinels had gathered now. "My name is Jarea Stonewind and you have my thanks."

"Pleased to meet you Jarea", Matt replied as they shook hands.

Valeera arrived, and as they moved to embrace each other, an arrow shot an inch past Matt, and buried itself in Jarea's forehead. Jarea dropped to the ground dead. Matt knew that the arrow was meant for him. It was so unexpected that everyone just stood there in shock for a long moment. It was the sudden loud beating of drums that pulled everybody back to reality.

Alari Skystar's face said it all, as she looked straight ahead. "We need to retreat...now!"

Matt looked behind him as hundreds of horde troops including blood elf mages began to move forward. Matt looked at Jarea and could feel the deep, black, bitter hatred rise in him. He felt in control, but he could also feel as if a switch had been flipped. He was himself, but a different self. Alari put a hand on his shoulder, "Matt, we're leaving n...", she gasped in surprise and snapped her hand back. His eyes had turned an inky black. He held a finger to his lips, "Shhhhhh". He began to conjure a black sphere in his hand as he looked at her. Everyone was hurrying, getting ready to leave, and Alari was the only one who was seeing this. She found that she couldn't take her eyes off him. The hero a few minutes ago, was now keeping her rooted to the spot in fear. Terror crept up her spine, as he continued to just look at her while this tiny black sphere spun around and around in his hand. Then he uttered four words, "This should be enough", and when the horde had almost reached their treeline, he released the tiny ball of pitch black, arcane energy.

The horde banged their drums and continued to press forward. They had been surprised by a powerful mage that had come out of nowhere, but their relaxed attitude had come to an end. It was so easy to just pick off the kaldorei fools, that they had made it a game. It was more fun to kill them one by one, sap away what was left of their spirit, slowly and deliberately. They had held most of their troops in reserve, but the mage had pissed them off. The kaldorei regained hope and the game was over. Now they would just annihilate them. The first line of orcs didn't even notice it at first, it was so small. But then, "What's that?", one of them said. Another looked and saw a tiny black ball about two or three inches in circumference floating slowly, about head height. It moved, almost floating past them, and soon a blood elf noticed it. He burst out laughing, "It looks like their mage has run out of energy, but this is pathetic. JUST RUN WITH THE REST, MAGE!", he shouted the last part in derision. The rest of the horde joined him in the insulting laughter. He continued, "Time to slaughter some night el-"

The night elves stopped immediately when they heard a massive splashing sound. It was like a wave had crashed into the clearing from nowhere. Alari could only stare forward in abject terror. She could feel tears streaming down her face. She had seen everything. She had seen how the horde laughed, as a tiny black sphere floated to the centre of the troops. She had seen how a silent explosion erupted, and watched as hundreds of torso's were obliterated at once. She could see masses of legs still standing as a river of blood now flowed into the kaldorei treeline. The sound the elves heard was hundreds of liquified bodies crashing to the battlefield floor at the same time. It was indeed a wave, a wave of blood and body parts. She could see Matt close his eyes, and when he opened them , they were a pale blue again. He looked at her, and her fear turned to pity. His face was wracked with emotion, "It had to be done, I know it was awful, I know what I did was horrific...but they would have killed everyone here, and I couldn't let that happen." She could see genuine pain, but resolute belief that he had done the right thing, even if it would haunt him. She sensed no malice from this man, none at all. Why then, did she feel so much terror a moment ago? Looking again at the massacre in front of her, she didn't revel in the bloodshed, but neither did she mourn for the horde. He was right, they would have killed them all, and there was Teldrassil. Fuck them! She was confused. The fear she felt, was quickly dissipating, and as they were joined by the rest of the night elves, was forgotten altogether.

The night elves had all gathered now, and could only stare at the images that confronted them. A portrait painted in blood. Matt found that he couldn't face them and started to walk away, when loud cheers erupted. They began celebrating wildly. He could see the pent up emotion, the grief, and the hatred for what the horde had done to them, be released all at once. This victory meant more, so much more after Teldrassil. It wasn't just vengeance, it was a statement that the Kaldorei were not just going to lie down, they would fight. They would take back what was theirs. Matt understood all this, and yet he just couldn't bring himself to celebrate. He walked past them in a haze, as they patted him on the back and cheered for him. They spoke words of thanks, but he wasn't really listening. He did his best to fake smile and nod, but kept walking. He had so much blood on his hands now, that he felt weighed down by it. He managed to make it past the crowd and almost ran head first into Valeera, who was searching for him. His eyes met hers and he realized that he couldn't look at her. What will she think of me now? The images of the massacre flashed in his mind, and he winced, trying to shake them from his memory.

Valeera took one look at Matt and her heart ached for him. She could see the pain and conflict that he was clearly struggling with. She didn't say anything. She took his hand in hers and they walked together in silence.

They met Thelenia and Esora, who were tending to the hippogryphs. Visstra finished saying her goodbyes to Alari and the rest of the sentinels, and soon they were back in the air again. Matt was quiet for a long while and Visstra let him have his space. She understood what an inexperienced warrior like him must be feeling, but she only thought of her new human friend as a hero. When he could bring himself to speak again, she would tell him so. She would tell him that the kaldorei warriors thought the same. She would tell him that he had given them the first real glimmer of hope, in a time filled with grief and defeat. She would make him understand how important he would be to their cause, because they would need him in the times ahead. And she would be able to bring the good news to Tyrande Whisperwind. The champion was indeed a gift for the night elves. He was kind and powerful, with unknown limits, and a ferociousness in battle that he had displayed twice now. Yes, he could do it. Her face creased in anger. He could kill the bitch...he could kill Sylvanas Windrunner.