Chapter Three - The Commander
There was a chill in the air as the group walked along the border of the battlefield. Cries echoed through the air. Painful cries. War cries. Sounds of battle. Members of the Horde and the Alliance were fighting demons. Demons of various races were present and giving the inhabitants of Azeroth a hard time. They were fighting for months without achieving any progress. Whenever a demon fell, another one took its place while the inhabitants of Azeroth didn't get reinforcements that often. Not every mortal who fell was replaced by another.
The Horde and the Alliance were trying to reach the island for months but the demons didn't allow that. They were holding the attackers off and even attacked Illidari Stand from time to time. Fortunately, none of their attacks had been successful but so had been the attacks of the inhabitants of Azeroth.
Demons died, their bodies dissolved as they were pulled back into the Twisting Nether. The smaller ones were easier to kill than the bigger ones but that didn't mean that they were not deadly. Even smaller creatures like imps or felhounds could kill a mortal creature if they didn't manage to avoid their attacks. Taller creatures like infernals, wrathguards, dreadlords and even pit lords were present and giving the defenders of Azeroth a hard time. Several defenders were needed to slay one of these stronger demons and it was not unusual that some lost their lives in the progress. Especially the pit lords were pretty powerful.
They were at least twelve feet tall, carried large weapons and had massive tails which they could use to squash their opponents. They were also powerful spellcasters. Getting hit by one of their spells often meant the death for a mortal creature. The battlefield was filled with wicked, deadly demons but there were also lots of members of the Alliance and the Horde who were taking care of them. Mages, priests, paladins, warlocks and demon hunters were very effective against demons.
The battle was raging, creatures fell on both sides but the situation didn't bother the group. They were not there to join the battle. They had a different task, a more important task. Their mission was to kill the demon commander who was in charge of the troops stationed on Faronaar. Without her, the demon forces would be significantly weakened. No one would be left to organise the defence of Faronaar, so the Horde and the Alliance could attack the island from various points and force the demons back.
But the task was mucheasier said than done. First, they had to find the demon commander which wouldn't be easy because hundreds of demons were scattered all over the island. They were patrolling and searching for any unwanted invader. Sneaking past them was impossible. At least without the help of magic.
Thanks to Sanlara's spellwork, the demons couldn't see them. Most demons at least. Felhounds could sense magic which would mean they would also sense the invisible spell that lasted on the group. The group was aware of that, so they stayed as far away as possible from them. They also knew they had to avoid getting near any inquisitor because their floating eyes may detect them.
Cenon walked in front of the group and guided them to the foot of the island which had once been beautiful. The ground's colour had been natural brown once, many trees with green leaves had stood on the island and lots of animals had lived there.
These days, the ground was dry, infertile and grey, and those few trees that were left were either dead or very ill. The only creatures who occupied the island were the demons. There were no other creatures. No bears, deer, boars or other animals. No creature would voluntarily live in this dull place. Nothing of the island's former beauty was left. It was a sad, uninhabitable area. Even if the demons would be driven out, no creature would live there voluntarily.
They set foot on the island, walking to the left to avoid a group of wrathguards that was running towards the battlefield. Normally, the group wouldn't hesitate to kill the demons but they had to hold back because they couldn't give up their cover. They had to hold back and accept that the demons may hurt or kill their allies because their mission was too important. They couldn't allow themselves to do a wrong move, otherwise, their mission would fail. They had to succeed so that the Horde and the Alliance would get the chance to gain the upper hand against the demon army stationed on this island.
The group followed the course of the path but they didn't walk directly on it. They were a bit off the path to prevent colliding with any of these demons that were running towards the battlefield. They might be invisible but they were still there, so any demon could collide with them and get aware of their presence. Doomguards and even a large Mo'arg passed them but none of them noticed them.
They kept walking, coming to an abandoned but still intact tall building. It was not damaged, but the adjacent walls were. The doors were opened, a massive dreadlord stood in the middle of the building. Dreadlords usually belonged to the leadership of the Burning Legion but this demon was not the demon the group was looking for. He may be powerful but not as powerful as the commander they had to kill.
Velsana turned up her nose as the stench of fel stung in her nose. She held her nose, ignoring the stench as best as possible. It was barely bearable at first but she got used to it quickly. She quickly found out where the stench came from. The once blue surface of the rivers on the island had been turned green due to the fel corruption. She was sure that any contact with the liquid would have fatal consequences for any creature that was not a demon or demon hunter. The water was no longer drinkable nor could creatures take a bath in it.
There were also green markings on the ground due to the overuse of fel and the corruption caused by the demons. They spotted purple runes on the ground in some areas that were used to create summoning circles out of which more demons came out. Eredar warlocks and mages were standing around these circles and cast the necessary spells to summon more demons. Doomguards and infernals were watching over them. They would protect them in case they would be attacked.
The group passed a fel corrupted tall and thick tree next to which a few felfire elementals stood. As expected, they didn't notice the group. They just let their gaze wander around, one of them even looked in their direction but it didn't do anything. It couldn't know about their presence.
The group walked for three hours and then stopped in an area where no felhounds or inquisitors were around. Sanlara muttered a few words in darnassian, renewing the invisible spell. Velsana remained close to Vissia as they continued to follow Cenon who always took the safest ways. The steep path, they had been following, split eventually. In the middle was a wide fel river, the path to its left was much steeper than the path to its right.
There were two doomguards and a few felhound at the beginning of the left path and a huge Mo'arg in the middle. A few inquisitors were scattered over the other path. Each inquisitor was accompanied by their floating eyes and at least two wrathguards. The distances between these little groups were not so small, so the group didn't have to fight all of them at the same time.
They were spoilt for choice. Either they took the left path and be sensed by the felhound or they took the right path were the eyes of the inquisitors may see them. There was no way to avoid getting noticed by the demons.
Vissia let her gaze wander. From this point, she could already see the massive tower that stood out behind massive rocks. It was taller than any other building on the island and it was very likely that it was well guarded. Dozens of demons must be there and maybe even the commander they were looking for. There was no way that this building was not the base of the Legion forces on this island.
"Which path do we take?" asked Gori in a low voice. Sanlara's spell not only made them invisible but also prevented that the demons could hear any noises the group made. That included the words they spoke. Nevertheless, Gori kept her voice as quiet as possible, so did every other member of the group.
"The inquisitors are easier to kill than the doomguards. Maybe we should take the right path," responded Vissia.
"What do you think, Cenon?" asked Velsana. "You are our leader, so it is up to you."
The demon hunter made a thoughtful face. "Vissia is right. We should take the right one. Doomguards are pretty tough to kill."
"So be it," responded Velsana and drew her axes from her back. Cenon looked at Sanlara and Talu. "You will destroy the floating eyes while Vissia and I will take care of the inquisitors. They are the deadliest demons on this path. The others will take care of the wrathguards. The servants of the light will weaken them and the others will just hit them until they die. Does anyone want to say anything?"
The group members shook their heads. A small smile appeared on Cenon's lips. "Good. Get ready."
The group approached the first group of demons. The inquisitor's eye didn't spot them as Sanlara and Talu prepared spells. They fired their spells, heavily damaging the eyes. The eyes survived a for a few seconds before they were hit by a massive stone which had been thrown by Talu's earth elemental.
The destruction of the eyes was the signal for everyone to attack. Vissia appeared behind the surprised inquisitor and rammed her daggers in its neck. A loud cry escaped its lips but it was silenced a few seconds later as Cenon's scythe separated its head. The inquisitor's body dissolved quickly.
Velsana had charged at the left wrathguard in the meantime and fought against it with Selania. Gnal had thrown a few bombs at the second wrathguard and made it pretty angry. The demon ran towards him but Alison's wrathguard, which was one head smaller than its race member, and Gori were keeping it busy and prevented it from coming closer.
Velsana blocked the demon's first two strikes and then dodged the third at the last moment. Selania took a huge swing and crushed the demon's left kneecap with her hammer. The demon cried out in pain but managed to knock the human away with a strong punch. Selania landed on the ground and got up quickly.
Velsana duck beneath the demon's next swing, burying the blade of her left axe in the demon's hip. Green blood flowed out of the gaping wound as she pulled the axe out and executed a strike with her other axe, cutting off the wrathguard's left hand.
The demon roared loudly and tried to hit her with its other sword but its other arm was cut off by Cenon before it was able to do that. Vissia jumped behind the demon and rammed her daggers in the backs of its knees. She pulled them out and jumped to the side as the demon began to fall after it had been hit by a massive shadow bolt. The demon fell, lots of blood flowed out of the big hole in its chest. Gnal looked around, making sure that the spell Talu had cast before the battle was still active. The wind barrier which was wrapped around them was still intact and absorbed all noises.
No demon outside the barrier had heard the screams of demons or the sounds of battle. They had no idea what had happened. They couldn't know that the three demons had been killed. The group did that with every small demon group until they came to the end of the steep path which ended in a more or less even area. The ground was as dead as the ground in the area they had just left, the few dead trees were the only proofs that vegetation had once existed in this area. There was a small fel polluted lake around which orange and black spiders were crawling.
To her right was a fel green tower that was shaped like the head of a mace. The group could see a large demon through the huge entrance but that demon didn't match the description Cenon had given them. It was a huge wrathguard with two swords which blades were engulfed in fel flames. The demon was double the size of an average wrathguard and seemed pretty powerful but it was not the demon they were looking for.
The group didn't hesitate to follow the path to the left and crossed a few spiders and other demons. Aransi which were also known as broodmothers. These arachnid demons were pretty tall and ugly. They stood on two legs, had long wings and huge claws. Their poison was known to be very deadly, so the group was glad they didn't have to fight them. They met more of these broodmothers as they followed the path but none of them noticed them due to the invisible spell.
They spotted huge brown-orange spider eggs that laid in ponds filled with fel green water which had more similarities to slime than to water. Huge spiderwebs could be found everywhere in this area. Spiders were crawling over the ground or over the webs, looking for prey. Vissia was not the only one who felt uncomfortable near these spider creatures, so she was glad that they left the area quickly and came to the next area.
Bones were scattered all over the floor. Gnawed-off bones. Lots of felhounds were in this place. The smell of death stung in their noses but the smell of fel was also very strong and disturbing. There was a huge wrathguard that was walking around this place with several felhounds as its companions.
Their eyes widened as they realized that the tower, they had seen from afar, was not a tower that was standing on the ground. It was a huge battleship that was floating vertically above the island. It was made out of a dark green material which was very firm and wouldn't break that easily. Everyone was wondering why one of the Legion's battleships was floating there but they knew it was very unlikely that they would find out the reason for that. The Legion was planning something and it was nothing good.
They knew the felhounds would notice them if they would come too close to them and there were too many of them to fight them. Fortunately, they didn't have to walk through this area because there was also a steep path to their left which allowed them to avoid this horrible area. They followed the path, passing two wrathguards who were patrolling.
The group came to a fel river around which dozens of imps were standing. These tricksters might be small but that didn't mean they weren't deadly. A lone imp might be weak but in larger groups, they can pose a big threat which shouldn't be underestimated. The imps didn't notice the group's presence, so they were able to jump over the river at its thinnest spot. They passed the big imp mother that was swimming in the fel riverand came to a massive building which was made out of the same material as the battleship.
They couldn't know that this building was a soul engine whose purpose was to power the battleship with harvested souls. Red-skinned eredar and wrathguards guarded the building. Most of the eredar were females and spellcasters. The building had similarities to a pavilion. There were no walls, meaning they could enter it from all sides.
They spotted three eredar who were standing around a hole out of which a ray of fel energy came out and shot through the hole in the ceiling. The ray shot through the hole in the second level and then ended eventually. The eredar were performing their foul fel magic which seemed to empower the ray.
The second level was supported by seven pillars, three of them were much thicker and even accessible. Inside these three supporting pillars stood more eredar who were casting spells. The group knew that whatever the eredar were doing was nothing good. They knew it was not their task to kill them, especially because they would be replaced sooner or later.
Nevertheless, Cenon gave the order to kill the demons in the building. They split up and sneaked to the eredar. The female eredar to which Vissia had sneaked was one head taller than her but that didn't bother the rogue. She grabbed the female's long black hair and pulled her head down, ramming her dagger in her throat. She pressed her hand on her mouth, preventing that she could scream, warn the other demons that way, or cast a spell as she pushed her dagger deeper in her neck. She watched as the eredar got weaker and weaker until the last sign of life had left her. The demon's body dissolved quickly.
She turned around and checked her surroundings, noticing that the other eredar were gone. Her gaze fell on Velsana who was fighting with Cenon against one of the wrathguards that had been standing around the building. She joined them and killed the demon eventually.
Seven wrathguards remained. They were tougher than expected and even managed to hurt some members of the group but no member died while all wrathguards were dispatched eventually. Gori and Vendera took care of the wounded while the rest dealt with the few eredar on the second floor.
Half an hour later, everyone was on the second floor which had been cleared in the meantime. Cenon stood in front of a floating fel green crystal and regarded it curiously.
"What is this?" asked Velsana as she stepped to him.
"I'm not sure but I think it can bring us to the battleship."
"How certain are you?"
"Ninety percent. It's a teleporting crystal. A demon in Lord Illidan's service told me how they are created and how they work."
"Seems we have no other choice than using it. The commander is not here so she has to be on the battleship," explained Cenon.
"We have no idea how many demons are there," said Vissia, sounding worried.
"You are right about that but we have no other choice than going there. We went so far already. We can't go back. We have to take the risk and hope the invisible spell will still last after the teleportation," responded the demon hunter.
Velsana looked at Vissia, noticing the worry in her eyes. She didn't hesitate to take her hand and squeeze it softly. "Don't worry, babe. We got this."
Staring into her lover's silver glowing eyes had a positive effect on the rogue. She calmed down and was less worried than before.
"Just remain close to me and I will protect you, babe."
Vissia nodded. "I will."
Cenon cleared his throat. "We should go. Is everyone ready?" He let his gaze wander from group member to group member, receiving nods from them. He looked at Sanlara who nodded again and began to cast a familiar spell. The group became invisible again and Cenon told everyone to put their hands on him or on those who touched him. They did as they were told. Cenon didn't hesitate to put his hands on the crystal and began to mutter phrases in Eredun, the native tongue of the demons.
He was a demon hunter so he spoke the language clearly. Knowing the enemy was very important for a demon hunter and that included being able to understand, write and speak their language. Most of the times they needed it to interrogate captured demons or communicate with those demons who were serving Illidan and his Illidari. Cenon spoke it perfectly and he knew exactly what he had to say to activate the crystal.
A few minutes passed in which nothing happened but then the crystal started to glow. The group found themselves in another location a few moments later. They were in the middle of a room which walls and floor were dark green. There was no furniture and the only demons in the room were two wrathguards that guarded the room's exit at the opposite side.
The group walked through the room, passed the wrathguards as they stepped through the exit and came into a long corridor. Demons were patrolling through the corridor but they didn't spot them. The invisibility spell was still working. The group reached the end of the corridor and entered the bordering room. The room was totally empty.
Vissia blinked in surprise as she suddenly found herself in another, much larger room. For some reason, she had been brought to this room but not only her. Cenon, Sanlara, Alison and Velsana were also here and were as surprised as she was. They had no idea how they had come in this room nor did they know where the rest of the group was.
Unlike the previous room, this one was not empty. In the middle of the circular room stood a throne on which a creature sat casually. Her skin was red, green glowing tattoos could be found on her beautiful face. Her eyes were fel green, black huge and bent horns came out of her forehead. She wore a massive fel green armour which was decorated by lots of dark green crystals. Her long ears were the only proof that she had once been an elf before she had been corrupted by the Burning Legion.
Next to the throne stood a mace which was made out of a dark green material and was six feet and five inches tall. Vissia had no doubt that she was the commander they were looking for. She wore the armour Cenon had described and her weapon was a mace just as Cenon had said.
"I was wondering when you'd show up," the former night elf said and leaned forward, regarding the four night elves and the human curiously."
"You knew that we were coming?" Sanlara asked irritated.
"I noticed your presence since you set foot on Faronaar. Your spell may have been strong enough to hide you from the sight of my minions but it couldn't hide you from me. I watched your every move," the commander responded.
"Why didn't you send your minions after us?" asked Velsana.
A smile appeared on the commander's lips. "I wanted to know how far you would get."
"You knew that we were coming but do you also know why we are here?" asked Cenon and drew his scythe from his back.
"I do. You want to kill me but I have to disappoint you in this matter. I'm playing in a different league. You won't be able to defeat me which means I have to kill you but I don't want to do that. That's why I'm offering to join us. I spare your pitiful lives if you agree to serve the Burning Legion."
"Never," hissed Velsana.
The commander gave her an amused grin. "I expected that. You lost your mother during the first invasion and you swore to avenge her. Joining us wouldn't be an option for you."
Velsana's eyes were widened in surprise, her lips were parted and her mouth was slightly opened. She was surprised that the demon knew about that. "How do you know?" Velsana asked after she had managed to catch herself.
The commander chuckled. "You told me that once."
Confusion was reflected by Velsana's face. She noticed Vissia looking at her who was having a similar expression on her face. "What do you mean?"
The commander didn't respond to her and looked at Vissia instead. "What's wrong, little rogue? I guess you are also wondering why I know about the reason why your lover wants to destroy the Legion by every means. Seems she never told you about me," she responded amused.
Vissia's gaze fell on the warrior who was even more confused than before. "What are you talking about?" asked Velsana.
"Seems you forgot me...Too bad."
"I never met you before," responded Velsana and regarded the commander with narrowed eyes. She regarded her closely, trying to find out if she had seen her before or if she had seen anyone who looked similar to her. No bell rang. She had no idea who that demon was. She was sure she had never seen her before.
"To your defence, I have looked a lot different the last time we met," said the commander. She raised her left hand, waited a few moments and then snapped her fingers. She looked different suddenly.
Her hair was no longer fel green but light purple, her skin was light purple too and her eyes were dark purple. She was smaller and no tattoos could be seen on her face. She wore a beautiful green dress and a necklace around her neck. She looked like a night elf and no longer like a demon that had once been a night elf. "The last time we met I looked like this," explained the commander.
Velsana couldn't trust her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She knew that woman. Thousands of years had passed since the last time she had seen her but she could still recognize her. She would never forget that face.
"Alyssa?" she asked irritated.
The corners of the commander's lips formed a satisfied grin. "That's me, babe. It has been a long time."
"You know that woman?" asked Vissia, sounding irritated.
Velsana nodded.
"Who is she?" asked the rogue. Velsana's gaze rested on her lover for a few moments before it shifted to Alyssa. "That's Alyssa Dawnspeaker. An old friend of mine."
"Felspeaker. My name is Alyssa Felspeaker. I renamed myself when I joined the Legion," explained the demon. "And we weren't just friends. Stop lying to your girl." Alyssa looked at Vissia. "I was her first love." She smirked as noticed the surprise in the rogue's blue eyes. "As I expected, she didn't tell you. Oh oh... Apparently, you two have something to talk about."
"No, we haven't," said Vissia. "First of all, I don't believe anything that comes out of your traitorous mouth. Second, even if that would be true, it doesn't matter. I'm not that type of a woman who is jealous of the women before me. I'm not falling for your attempts to stir us up against each other, demon."
"Damn. Was worth a try," Alyssa responded casually and looked at Velsana. "What do you have to say, babe?"
"First of all, don't call me that. You may have been my first love but that was thousands of years ago. You left me and never returned. I never heard from you again. I thought you were dead. Now I'm wishing you had really died."
"As you can see, I am alive," Alyssa said and snapped again. Horns grew out of her head, she became taller and the colours of her skin, hair and eyes changed. She wore her armour again and grew until she was ten feet tall. "I just look different. The fel made me stronger but changed my appearance in return."
"You are ugly," hissed Velsana.
Alyssa chuckled but didn't say anything in response.
"How could you just leave me and join the Legion."
Alyssa chuckled again. "I didn't join the Legion when I disappeared. I disappeared because my master had a new task for me."
Velsana's eyes widened as she realized what Alyssa wanted to say with that. "You worked for the Burning Legion the whole time?"
"Exactly."
"So everything about you was a lie?"
"Exactly."
"And about us?"
"You were nothing but a tool for me. I just used you to kill time while I was waiting for my next mission. You meant nothing to me."
Velsana was stunned. She couldn't believe what Alyssa had just said. She couldn't believe she had meant nothing to her. They had been together for three years before Alyssa had disappeared from one day to another. Alyssa had been her first love, the first woman who had really cared for her. And now she had just found out that everything about her and their relationship had been a lie. She had meant nothing to Alyssa. She had been nothing more than a tool. A toy.
Velsana was shocked but she was not only that. She was speechless and angry. Angry that she had been fooled around for three years. She had loved Alyssa and mourned her presumed death. She had needed years to get over her death, years in which she had not been very happy. She hadn't had any luck with the women she had been together with in the past millennia. All of her other relationships had failed. All of them hadn't lasted longer than five years.
Her relationship with Vissia was the only exception. It was the longest she ever had and the healthiest one. She knew Vissia for sixty years. She was an honest soul. She would never toy with her and would never take advantage of her. Vissia loved her and she loved Vissia the same way. The rogue was the best thing that happened in her life. She knew she could trust her. She could trust her with her life. The rogue would never betray her. She was her whole world. All she needed was Vissia. As long as she had her, she was fine.
Velsana averted her gaze and looked at her girlfriend who stood next to her and held her hand while regarding her worriedly. "Are you okay, Vel?"
Velsana stared into her eyes and nodded, putting a strand of purple hair behind Vissia's ear. "I'm fine, honey."
Vissia nodded and let go off her hand, looking at the demon who was regarding her curiously. "Are you two love-birds finally ready?"
"What do you want?" hissed Velsana.
"I want you to join the Legion."
"We will never do that," snarled Cenon.
The demon's gaze fell on the demon hunter. "I didn't talk to you, hunter. Shut up. I was talking to Velsana and her girl."
Alyssa looked back at Velsana and Vissia. "Do you seriously believe you can stop us? There is no way mortal weaklings like you can stop the Burning Legion. You will die sooner or later if you keep fighting us and that would be a shame. Such a waste of great talent. I offer you to join us and be on the winning side when Azeroth falls in the hands of Lord Sargeras.
Velsana didn't need to think twice about her answer. "No."
Alyssa raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowed. "NO?" she roared out.
Velsana's expression remained strict, her narrowed eyes still rested on the demon. "I will never join you. You said yourself that you know the reason why I want to destroy the Burning Legion by any means. I would spit on my mother's grave if I would join you. I loved my mother. I don't remember much of her but I still know after ten thousand years that I loved her more than anything else. I will never join you, demon. Never."
Alyssa was not amused. "Fine. If that's your final decision then I have no other choice than to kill you," she said and got up from her throne. She picked her mace up and whirled it around, looking at the four night elves and the human. "Who of you fools wants to die first?"
Nobody answered. They drew their weapons and made themselves ready for a fight. Sanlara started to cast spells so did Alison. Her wrathguard stood in front of her and will protect her in case Alyssa would attack her first. Alyssa came closer to the group, swinging her mace demonstratively. She did that to scare her opponents but she was not successful. None of them was afraid of her and that pissed her off.
Sanlara's fireball and Alison's shadow bolt hit her but did no damage at all because they had been absorbed by a barrier that was wrapped around the demon's body. The barrier absorbed another spell but then dissolved, so Alyssa was hit by an ice blast which froze her feet to the floor. But the ice didn't keep her for too long.
She managed to get free quickly and rushed towards the mage. Cenon and Velsana charged at her but they were knocked away by a shock wave, cast by the demon. Vissia allowed the wrathguard to pick her up and throw her in the air so that she could ram her daggers in Alyssa's unprotected neck but the demon bashed her away with the back of her hand, causing that she landed far away from her.
Velsana shouted her lover's name, her hammering heart slowed down a little as the rogue got up and ran towards her. Alyssa tried to hit Cenon with her mace but the demon hunter jumped to the side and execute a swing with his scythe, damaging the demon's armour that covered her left upper thigh. The armour was so firm that not even Velsana's axes were able to cut through the material with one strike. She had damaged the piece of armour that covered her other upper thigh but it was still intact and protected the demon' upper thigh.
Even the armour that protected the back of her knees was too firm for the weapons of the mortals. Vissia's daggers didn't manage to pierce through the material that seemed to bethinner than the rest of the armour. One of her daggers splintered but the other was still usable. Vissia got enough distance to the demon and avoided getting hit by her feet. Alyssa turned around and tried to squash her with her mace but the rogue managed to dodge it because she was pretty fast due to her light armour.
Vissia's successful dodges frustrated the demon. Alyssa raised her left hand, muttered a few words and created a fel fireball which she threw at the rogue. The fireball nearly hit the petite night elf who had only managed to avoid it at the last moment because of pure luck. She didn't want to imagine what would have happened if she would have gotten hit by the spell. Her wounds would have been fatal, she was sure of that.
Alyssa snarled and began to cast another spell but she was interrupted as a shadow bolt and an arcane shot exploded on her chest, making her stagger backwards. The armour was damaged but not destroyed enough that any piece of skin was revealed. The armour was firmer than the group had expected. Only the demon's head was unprotected but it was difficult to hit because it was small compared to the rest of her body. Hitting her chest was much easier for the spellcasters.
Another arcane blast and a fel fireball hit the demon in the chest, causing that cracks appeared on her upper body armour. Alyssa roared out angrily and stomped her feet on the floor, causing it to tremble heavily. Those who stood around her lost their balance for a short moment which Alyssa used to kick them away. Cenon and Velsana landed on the floor but the demon didn't attack them. She charged towards Sanlara who got away at the last moment due to instant teleportation. The demon would have reached her and most likely killed her if she wouldn't have reacted so quickly.
Alyssa snarled and ran towards the warlock who was closer to her than the mage. The wrathguard ran towards her but she swung her mace and crushed the demon. A loud scream escaped the smaller demon's lips before it died and its body was pulled back to the Twisting Nether.
Velsana, Vissia and Cenon approached the demon from behind but Alyssa made a large leap and landed not far away from the human. She blocked the fel fireball with her mace and sprinted towards the warlock whose face reflected anger. A painful scream escaped Alison's lips as her body grew in size and lots of hair came out of her skin. Her head deformed, her legs and arms grew and her hands turned to claws. Her transformation didn't take too long so that she was still able to jump to the side and avoided getting crushed by the former night elf's weapon.
The worgen dodged her next attack and jumped on Alyssa, burying her sharp teeth in the demon's neck. Alyssa cried out in pain, dropped her mace and tried to remove the worgen but Alison was tougher than expected. Her teeth were deep in her neck so that it took the demon a lot of effort to remove her and fling her away. Alison had lost three teeth in the process but her attack had been successful. There was a deep, yawing wound in Alyssa's neck out of which green blood was flowing out.
Alyssa had to press one hand on her neck to slow down the bleeding, meaning she was only able to use one hand to fight. She picked up her mace and tried to crush the worgen but she was too fast and jumped away at the last moment. Cenon, Velsana and Vissia reached her and started to attack her, damaging her armour more and more. Sanlara cast spells at her, trying to break her upper body armour. More and more cracks appeared in the corselet but it didn't break.
"You are really annoying me, mortal weaklings," shouted Alyssa and stomped her feet on the floor, creating a shock wave that knocked everyone around her away. Vissia hit her head hard on the floor as she landed, causing her to lose consciousness. Velsana got up and rushed to her lover, lifted her upper body up and checked if she was still alive. She calmed down a little as she found her pulse. "She is still alive," she said to Sanlara who had just come to her. Velsana tried to wake her up but it didn't work.
"We have to put her near the entrance and fight the demon on the other side of the room. We have to prevent that Alyssa reaches her and kills her," said the mage.
Alison came to them. "Do we have a plan?"
"We need to break her armour and then hit her until she dies. Hitting her head is nearly impossible."
Velsana picked up Vissia and laid her in front of the wall near the entrance, rushing back to the group. "Alyssa is not unbeatable. Alison proved that. We just have to hurt that bitch pretty hard and hit her until she dies."
"Sounds like a good plan," responded Cenon and smiled.
"YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO BEAT ME FOOLS!" shouted Alyssa and raised her mace, muttering words in Eredun. A portal appeared in the ceiling out of which an infernal and two wrathguards fell. They landed on the floor and looked at Alyssa who ordered them to attack her foes.
Cenon concentrated his power, his tattoos started to glow brighter, his body grew in size and his skin became black. Wings came out of his back, his horns grew and his feet changed to hooves. He had just transformed into his demon form.
"Let's deal with the minions first and then attack her. Sanlara and Alison have to make sure she doesn't summon more demons. Don't stop shooting spells at her." His voice was much deeper and sounded demonic.
Velsana charged at the left wrathguard, blocked his massive axe with her battle-axes and then duck beneath the next attack, cutting off its left leg within the same movement. The demon cried out and was unable to react in time. She cut off his other leg, beheading him as he fell. The demon was dead before its body hit the ground and dissolved a moment later.
She turned to the other wrathguard and duck beneath his sword swing, burying one of her axes right between its legs while she cut off its sword hand with her other axe. She dispatched the wrathguard quickly and checked her surroundings.
Cenon was fighting the infernal which was twice his size. He had the upper hand and caused many injuries to the infernal but the fel construct still stood. It had managed to hit the demon hunter a couple of times but the demon hunter was still as agile as before. His fresh injuries didn't bother him at all. He continued to fight and rammed the blade of his scythe through the infernal's head eventually. The infernal's body dropped to the floor and laid there for a few moments before it dissolved.
Velsana and Cenon rushed over to Alyssa who was hiding behind a barrier she had erected to block the spells that flung at her. She had to feed mana to the barrier to keep it active, so she hadn't been able to do anything else in the meantime.
The warrior and the demon hunter managed to surpass the barrier and charged at the demon who picked up her mace and swung it. They avoided the demon's weapon but not her left foot which sent them flying. They landed hard on the ground and were stunned for a few moments before they could get up slower than before.
Wings grew out of Alyssa's back and she rose in the air, casting a shock wave to knock everyone away. Alison got up the fastest and had begun to cast a spell as the demon's gaze fell on her. Alyssa snarled and dove down, grabbing the warlock and lifting her up in the air. The worgen flailed around wildly, hurting the demon with her sharp claws but these injuries didn't bother the demon.
"You are tiring me, beast," she cried out and rose to the ceiling, flinging the worgen on the ground with all her strength. A loud cry and the sound of breaking bones were hearable but then the worgen became silent quickly. Velsana didn't need to go to the warlock to know that she was dead. A huge pool of blood appeared beneath the broken body in the middle of the room.
Velsana's eyes were narrowed and reflected pure anger as she stared at the demon whose face reflected amusement. "What's wrong, Velsana? Are you angry that your little friend died? She didn't have to die if you and your group would have joined the Legion. But you decided against it. It's your fault."
"No, it's not," hissed Cenon. "First of all, I'm in charge of this group, so I make the decisions that involve the group. Second, no one is allowed to decide who joins which faction. This decision must be made by each individual." His gaze fell on Velsana. "Don't listen to her. Don't allow to get manipulated by that traitor. The only wrong decision we can make is to join the Burning Legion. There are no other wrong decisions."
Velsana nodded. "I know, Cenon." She looked at Alyssa. "I'm not listening to your lies, Alyssa. I'll end you for using me like a toy. I'll kill you for working with those who want to destroy our world."
Soft laughter escaped Alyssa's lips. "Nice joke, Velsana. You have seen how powerful I am. You have seen how easily I killed your friend. There is no way you can kill me. I only give you this chance one more time. Join me. Or die."
Velsana didn't need to think twice about her response. "Never."
Alyssa's eyes narrowed. "Seems I have no other choice than killing you. What a waste. You have so much potential and you are so beautiful. You and your lover would have been a great addition to my harem. Maybe I kill you and then bring you back. Sounds like a good plan, don't you think?"
Velsana didn't respond to the demon's taunts. She held her battle-axes in her hands and came closer, her narrowed eyes rested on the demon. Cenon was right behind her and Sanlara was already preparing a powerful spell. Velsana waited until the mage shot the spell. Alyssa avoided it as expected but was distracted for a short moment, so Velsana took advantage and jumped to the demon and swung her axes, breaking through her upper body armour.
Green blood flowed out of the long and deep cut in Alyssa's upper body, an angry snarl escaped her lips. Alyssa was not amused. She was furious that her favourite corselet had been destroyed. She swung her mace three times, hitting Velsana with the last swing.
Velsana landed on the floor, her upper body armour was totally destroyed and she could feel that some of her ribs were broken. She felt a sharp pain in her upper body whenever she drew was bleeding and her head hurt pretty badly. Cenon cried out her name and charged at the commander but Alyssa cast a spell, rooting him in place. She snapped with her fingers, smiling widely as Sanlara's body was wrapped in ice.
Alyssa's gaze fell on Cenon. "Your little friends are unable to fight which means only we are left, demon hunter."
Cenon gritted his teeth but didn't respond to her. He watched her closely, preparing himself to avoid her next attack. But Alyssa didn't attack him, instead, she looked at Velsana who was regarding her with narrowed eyes. "I'm not defeated yet, traitor," she hissed and got up slowly, biting her bottom lip hard to prevent any painful noise from escaping her lips.
Alyssa snorted amused. "You know what is funny, Velsana?"
Velsana raised an eyebrow. "What?" she pressed through gritted teeth.
"Your mother said the exact same words before she died." A pleased grin appeared on her lips as she saw Velsana's facial features derail. Shock was written all over her face but it was quickly replaced by anger. "That's a lie," she shouted. "You only say it to provoke me and lead me to attack you. I'm not listening to your lies."
Alyssa shrugged. "Believe me or not, I don't care. That won't change the fact that it was me who killed your mother during the First Invasion. She fought bravely but she was no match for me after I consumed my first fel portion. She died to protect Tyrande Whisperwind, my main target. If your mother wouldn't have held me up, I would have killed the High Priestess of Elune and her husband. But thanks to that whore, I didn't manage to fulfil my task."
Fury was reflected by Velsana's eyes. "Don't you dare to insult my mother, you filthy demon bitch."
Alyssa smiled amused. "And what if I don't stop? What will you do then, Velsana? You are powerless against me. Even with the help of your demon hunter, you won't be able to beat me. But don't worry, you will see your mother soon in the afterlife. But you won't have much time to speak to her. I will bring you back and make you a loyal servant of the Burning Legion." Alyssa lifted her mace again. "Give my regards to your cock-sucking whore of a mother and tell her it was a pleasure to me to kill her whore of a daughter."
Velsana was ready to charge at Alyssa. She wanted to kill her so badly for many reasons but toying with her and insulting her mother were the main reasons she wanted to see her dead. Alyssa deserved to die and Velsana wanted nothing more than chop off her horned head.
But Cenon held her off. He stepped in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder, preventing that she could jump on the demon and commit suicide that way. There was no way she would be able to defeat that demon while being so furious. She would only get herself killed because she wouldn't think about her actions and just run into the demon without paying attention to her opponent's movements and actions.
Cenon succeeded in calming Velsana and preventing her from losing her life for no reason. Velsana stepped away and gave him a thankful nod. Her gaze landed on Alyssa who was regarding the two night elves with an amused smile on her lips. "I'm tired of this," the demon said. "Let's end this quickly."
Alyssa lifted her hand, focusing power to cast a deadly spell as the floor shook suddenly. But not only the floor, but the walls had also shaking. Surprise was reflected by Alyssa's face. "What the..."
The walls and the floor shook again, stronger this time. A loud bang was hearable. Something had exploded. Another explosion shook the floor and the walls, this time it was so strong that everyone lost their balance and landed onto the ground. Even Alyssa.
"What's happening," Alyssa cried out as she got up. She turned her head, her eyes widened as she noticed the huge hole in the left wall. Six creatures stepped through the hole. Six creatures Cenon and Velsana knew very well. Gori, Gnal, Selania, Vendera and Talu were unharmed but their armour and clothes were covered with demon blood. It seemed that they had a tough fight behind them. Talu's earth elemental carried a large and green spiked sphere. It was a bomb they found in one of the rooms they had cleared.
Talu gave the elemental the signal to throw the bomb at the surprised demon. The bomb exploded and heavily injured the demon who was still able to stand. Gnal threw some of his bombs at her and Selania and Gori charged at Alyssa and attacked her. Vendera rushed over to Velsana and cast a few healing spells on her, then she went to Vissia and made sure she was alright. Talu managed to free Sanlara from her icy prison within a few minutes.
"What happened? Where have you been?" asked Velsana.
"We were suddenly in a room full of demons and had to fight our way through corridors full of demons before we finally reached this room. We found lots of bombs in the ship's arsenal and used it to damage its core and its drive. We don't have much time. We need to get out quickly because the ship will explode soon," responded Talu.
"I doubt Alyssa will allow us to escape. She will do anything to prevent me from casting a teleportation spell."
"That's why I will keep her busy while you evacuate everyone," said Cenon. "I will hold her up as long as possible."
The eyes of Velsana, Talu and Sanlara widened. "What?" they asked in unison.
"You can't be serious," said Velsana, doubt was reflected by her face. "You are going to die if you fight her alone."
"All of us are going to die if we don't get out of here. Someone has to stay and make sure Alyssa won't leave the ship before it explodes. If we allow her to escape, our efforts and sacrifices were for nothing. Alison died in vain if we don't kill Alyssa. It is our mission to kill her. She will die and this battleship will also be destroyed. We will achieve more than we had wanted to achieve if we succeed."
Velsana wanted to protest but Sanlara covered her mouth with her hand, silencing her. "We appreciate your sacrifice, Cenon. I wish there was a solution where you didn't have to die. If there would be a way to guarantee your survival, we would choose it but we have no other choice than to accept your offer. Not everyone has to die today. You will not be forgotten, Cenon Nightstar. Our people, the Alliance and even the Horde will remember your sacrifice. They will remember your selfless act of sacrifice."
Cenon nodded. "I only ask you for one favour."
"Go ahead," said Sanlara.
"Search my sister and tell her what happened. Her name is Venara. Tell her I love her and I will always watch over her from the afterlife."
Sanlara removed her hand from Velsana's mouth and started to cast a teleportation spell. "We will. You have my word."
Cenon looked at Velsana, noticing the tears in the corner of her eyes. "Don't cry, Velsana. You fought bravely today. I'm sure your mother would be proud of you, especially when we take down her murderer."
Velsana nodded and hugged him quickly. "You will not be forgotten."
Cenon didn't say anything in response. The corners of his lips formed a small smile as spread out his wings, rose in the air and flew to Alyssa who had been injured and weakened by the two paladins, the gnome and the earth elemental. Cenon gave them the order to retreat and they obeyed without hesitating for too long. They went to Sanlara who had almost completed her spell.
Velsana carried her still unconscious lover in her arms while the earth elemental carried Alison's corpse. The eyes of the group members rested on Cenon who fought fiercely against the weakened demon. All of them knew he wouldn't win this fight in the long run but he didn't have to. The bombs Gnal and the other had planted will take care of the commander and destroy her with the battleship.
More explosions shook the floor and the walls, signalizing the group that the ship would explode soon. An extremely loud bang was hearable the moment Sanlara completed the spell and teleported them out.
They appeared in Illidari Stand and the first thing they saw was the explosion of the battleship, whose remains fell on the island, destroyed the soul engine and killed many demons which were scattered all over the island. The group mourned the deaths of Cenon and Alison. They died like heroes. They have given their lives to weaken the Burning Legion. They have sacrificed their lives to protect Azeroth. They will not be forgotten.
The group had lost two of their comrades but they had succeeded and that was all that mattered. Alyssa Felspeaker was dead, her battleship was destroyed and a large portion of her forces had been killed as well. The group hadn't expected that they would make it out alive. They had thought they would die that day but they didn't. Not all of them died.
Eight of the ten members survived. They succeeded and would continue to give everything to stop the Burning Legion from destroying their home. They wouldn't stop fighting until the Burning Legion would be defeated. They will protect their home by any means no matter what it will cost.