"Why are you still wearing that cloak human? It's as hot as an Ironforge forge out here, and there isn't even any decent beer to take your mind off it for a few minutes..." If Harry wanted to stereotype what he thought a Dwarf would be like, Storri Ironfist wouldn't have been more than a couple of yards from what he envisioned.
Given Captain Pentigast's concerns about how the rest of Nijel's Point may react to both Nash'ala and Sirius, named in honour of his godfather despite how differently the dragon acted from its namesake at times, Harry had kept the introduction brief before inviting the pair of them back to Terra's Point. Captain Pentigast had politely declined given the amount of work that would be involved in sorting out the aftermath of their ruse, but Storri had been more than happy to visit the fortress, though it was only once they arrived and the Dwarf recovered from his inertia that it became clear why.
"Due to several items that have claimed me as their owner, the 'feel' of my magic is unsettling for people who are not used to it, and given the trouble this world has with undead and Necromancers I do not want to give people the wrong idea. Now, is there anything else you think we need to alter about the gatehouse? Or is it now passable?" It turned out that Dwarves took great pride in their ability assess and find weaknesses in constructions of all kinds, and the chance for Storri to offer his opinions on the Terran's new base of operations before any other Dwarf was something he could brag about later, if he found and fixed most of the faults.
"The angles of the walls are still wrong and I would suggest hiring a good Dwarven crew to tear the damn thing down and rebuild it rather than using your fancy magic, but I suppose I have seen worse defences in my time manling." Despite the fact Storri then carried on talking Harry released his magic from the translation rune, Nash'ala visibly relaxing as the straining feeling slowly battering the inside of his skull lessened to a dull ache.
Harry had only activated it in order to make rectifying the errors the Dwarf pointed out in his earthworks easier, and that was over an hour ago!
If it hadn't been for the repeated use over the last few months then the pain would have been too much to ignore. Indicating to Nashala that she should let Storri know that he had cancelled the translation spell, Harry was pleased to find he still recognised some of the smaller words Storri was using, the secondary effect of the rune spell a boon that would eventually make him able to converse in Azeroth's common tongue without burdening Nashala as he did now.
Nashala's polite interruption caused Storri to jump slightly before he gave the Naga a rough smile and continued, the Dwarf had his reservations about Nashala still but was doing a remarkable job of holding his tongue about it so far. Whether that was due to his experiences during the demon invasion of working with races he would normally consider enemies, or the fact that Nashala's presence wasn't at the top of the Dwarf's concerns in comparison to the revelations of Harry's origins he wasn't sure, but it was something that Harry appreciated even if Nashala didn't seem to notice.
"Expecto patronum." With a mutter and wave of his hand a familiar stag appeared in glimmering white and silver, though it was intentionally only the size of his fist, as a messenger being the size of a car wasn't subtle and also a waste of magical energy for what was a simple task.
"Susan, we're ready here, let me know when you are done with Coira and we can head off to Silvermoon." By the time they had returned the night before Susan and Coira had taken the portal device to Susan's room and clearly set themselves up for the night, his attempt to make sure Susan hadn't gone too far politely but firmly rebuffed by a rather red in the face Coira at the door.
Harry didn't know, but it wasn't exactly an educated sixth sense telling him that Susan was planning on holding the flirting incident over Coira's head in more ways than one. He hadn't seen either of them since, but given he had spent most of the morning being badgered by Storri that wasn't much of a surprise, though chances are he was in trouble with both of them over this one way or another. With another wave Harry sent the Patronus off in search of its target, Storri pausing for a moment as he conversed with Nashala to watch it climb towards the central keep of Terra's Point.
"Harry, Master Storri asks what your plans are regarding your time after visiting Silvermoon? He says he will relay your message to the King, but he advises that a personal visit to see the Dwarf Council would go a long way to improving the chances of a positive response to aiding your people." Storri hadn't said it exactly like that, the Dwarf was far too much like Harry to have termed such an informal request so politely, but Nashala was too mild mannered to use the words that Storri no doubt used in reference to the Dwarves that made up this council he was talking about.
"I plan on spending a week in Silvermoon City, as I'm hoping the Blood Elves will have some knowledge on portals that I can pass back to the other Terrans to aid in our arrival. Then I was planning on taking Sylvanas up on her request to visit the Undercity before moving south, so it would probably be a month or so before I would be able to make it to Ironforge." That was if he wasn't delayed on his explorations, but it wasn't as if Storri's question was unexpected, so Blaise and Susan had discussed it with him before the Slytherin left to hold court with Tyrande and the rest of the Council of Elune.
Given the Night Elves were still their closest potential allies, despite the clear hostility from Fandral and the other Druids under his influence, the need to have a constant presence in Teldrassil was vital to maintaining and improving that relationship. Susan had offered to go, given the Council of Elune was made up of almost entirely women, but Blaise had been quick to argue that the relationship with that particular Council wasn't the issue that needed addressing.
Even if some of the Druids followed Fandral's lead, from what they had been told there were a large number that were either neutral or still loyal to Archdruid Stormrage. And until Malfurion returned, these Druids were the ones who would need to be persuaded that an alliance with the Terrans would be advantageous, their voices of dissent far more dangerous to Fandral's ambitions than those of the other Night Elves as they would disrupt his power base. And as much as Susan was no amateur when it came to politics, when it came to such maneuvers Blake was far more, well the word Blake used was adept but Harry had several other far less eloquent and polite words he felt were far more accurate.
Storri seemed happy with his response via Nashala, the grumbling speech he gave seemingly full of contempt on the surface, but to Harry it was clear he was complaining about whatever it was because it was fun rather than he actually meant it.
"Storri requests to accompany us to Silvermoon, as it will be far easier for him to get transport directly to Ironforge from there rather than 'this ancestor forsaken pit'." Harry could only assume that the Dwarf had said several other things given the length of his grumble, but he was distracted by the appearance of a robin Patronus, that flew around him twice before settling on his left shoulder.
"We will be down in fifteen minutes, I just need to give Coira some last minute... instructions. Make sure you grab a wrist mirror from the armoury, and remember that Stormfire wanted to speak to you on behalf of her people before you left." Susan as usual left everything to the imagination regarding what was going on between her and their Blood Elf ambassador, Harry just hoped that it wouldn't come back to bite him with them going to Silvermoon.
She had a point about the wrist mirror though, he had forgotten about grabbing one, despite the fact they would have been very useful regarding Zmodlor and Onxyia. Best he grab them now before he got in trouble for losing contact with them for a month, especially as he still needed to instruct Nash'ala in how to use the one he was going to give to her. It wasn't a long walk from the armoury to the 'nest' they had set up in the aftermath of his negotiations with the Harpies, so he could visit their newest 'Ambassador' as well before apparating back.
"Storri can come with us to Silvermoon, though he will need to understand that whilst in Silvermoon City he will be considered a Terran, as he is arriving with us on a diplomatic visit." Which was a polite a way of Harry telling the Dwarf he would need to behave, whilst Regent Loth'mar wouldn't actually hold the abrasive Dwarf's behaviour against him and the other Terrans, that didn't mean the general population of Silvermoon City wouldn't.
Nash'ala nodded and quickly relayed that to Storri, who chuckled before catching Harry's serious expression and nodding, even if he was a bit grumpy about the idea based on his emotions. With the Dwarf returning his attention to checking his equipment for the trip ahead, Harry motioned Nash'ala to follow him back inside the fort. Whilst Storri may have been comfortable waiting where he was, Harry preferred not to fight the centaur hordes again if he could avoid it.
"We need to head to the armoury, there is a device I need to teach you how to use before we leave for Silvermoon City." It was a credit to Nash'ala's faith in him that she didn't question him in the slightest about what the item was, the Naga merely slithering alongside him as he walked with a small smile on her face.
Harry had to admit that Nash'ala had certainly bloomed since he had rescued her from the Legion almost three months ago, her scales on her serpentine lower body now a deep coral green that gleamed even in the arid and harsh conditions of Desolace. In addition, she had grown out from her almost underfed body structure, her humanoid arms now showing a buildup of muscle from using her bow whilst her tail had grown by at least half a foot in length. Even her plumage had developed on the diet of good food and the adventurous, active lifestyle she now led, golden flecks and the odd silver outline adding additional depth to her already vibrant head fin.
"Harry? Is everything okay?" Nash'ala's question echoed the shyness in her posture, as Harry realised he had been looking at her as they walked for far too long, causing him to look away as he felt the slight redness of his cheeks. Even with all of his experience with women, something about Nash'ala's innocence and unerring faith made him feel like a blushing schoolboy again.
"Sorry, got lost in my thoughts. We've managed to come a long way in a short amount of time haven't we?" It was something Harry had been stressing with the other Phantoms since they had first started transitioning from Earth, Nash'ala was one of them as far as he was concerned, and anyone who felt otherwise could take it up with him personally.
Nash'ala seemed surprised by the question, and he could tell she still wasn't used to his informal references to her being an integral part of their group, her two humanoid hands fretted for a moment before she realised what she was doing and pulled them apart to hang awkwardly at her sides. Harry chuckled to himself at the reaction, though he was slightly surprised when she moved closer to him a moment later, wrapping her arm around his lightly.
"You have Harry, and I will never be able to repay you for trusting me as you did. All the trouble siding with me against the Night Elves could have caused you and you did it without a thought, that is more kindness than anyone has shown me in… well forever. Lady Susan has told me that you are like that, referencing something about a 'White Knight' that I did not fully understand, but she seemed to understand that didn't change the enormity of what you have done for me."
That sounded ominous, especially as Harry didn't remember a time in the last couple of days that Nash'ala and Susan had met with him, meaning it was a meeting that either had happened a while ago or with Susan deliberately not telling him about it.
"Nobody deserves to be judged by things they cannot control Nash'ala, I'm sure Susan and the others can tell you some stories of my childhood at some stage to make it clear, I understand that kind of persecution far too well to let myself fall into the same bad habits. And don't sell yourself short, I know for a fact that you have been changing some of my more… provocative statements during our discussions with many groups into something that is far more diplomatic and less likely to get us killed."
His humoured revelation, that he knew she had been diplomatic with her translations to some of their more aggravating contacts amongst the Alliance and Horde forces, got the desired reaction as her skin flushed vividly and her red head fin turned scarlet.
Harry used the grip she had inadvertently given him by joining their arms to prevent her from trying to distance herself in her embarrassment, dropping a quick glare at a pair of laughing Phantom's who were watching as they reached the storehouse they had turned into an improvised armoury. The two women quickly found other things to distract them with and Harry turned back to Nash'ala, who had given up trying to wriggle her arm free and was now looking at him with a guilty expression on her face that fit her remarkably well.
"I'm sorry? It's just there were some things that you said that could be taken in the wrong context… Or the right context given how angry you were at the Archdruid in Teldrassil. I won't do it any more I promise…" Harry released her arm, only to elicit a small shocked sound from Nash'ala a moment later as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, only just avoiding an reflexive swipe of her claw arm as he did so.
"You do realise Blaise would kill me if I tried to make you stop? As far as he is concerned I should let you do ALL the talking, less chance of me 'starting a war before everyone's even arrived'. You just need to give me some lessons in private after each meeting so that I start talking like you do, then you wouldn't need to smooth out my bad habits." Harry was surprised when the attempted joke/approval of her actions didn't produce the relief he expected, Nash'ala freezing in place for a moment before a surge of embarrassment almost burst out of her pores, reducing her to a stuttering mess in his one armed hug.
It took a moment before Harry put the dots together, when he remembered what he and Susan had gotten up to during their 'etiquette and language' lessons after their relationship began, and judging by some of Nash'ala's incoherent mutterings it had been the redhead who had put those particular thoughts in the Naga's head. Doing his best to work out how to make it clear that such things weren't what he had meant, without upsetting the Naga or potentially pissing off Susan, left Harry with a single thought as they entered the armoury.
Damn it Susan!
!"£$%^&*()_+
Nash'ala had never felt so embarrassed in her life! Admittedly it was her own fault for the most part, when Harry had rather nicely given her the opportunity to be useful by teaching him Azerothian customs, her mind had treacherously gone back to the conversation she had with his wife and the mental images the woman had been only too eager to evoke in her mind.
Thankfully Harry had been impossibly kind and not asked her about mental breakdown, instead leading her to a section of the warehouse that she had not been to before, where several rather large bracelets were resting on one of the long tables that the Terran's had conjured from a few dead trees! It was times like this Nash'ala hated herself for her cowardice, as she was sure that Harry and the others would be happy to teach her some of their wonderful spells if she was able to access her magic.
But if she asked, Nash'ala dreaded that Harry would be unable to do anything to release her from her bindings, and having revealed her weakness he would eventually replace her with someone more useful. It was irrational, given all that Harry had already done for her, but knowing that didn't ease the worry in her heart.
"Nash'ala, are you okay?" Harry's question shook her from her melancholy, and with a jolt she remembered that she was currently getting all worked up next to the man who made sensing such emotions easier than spotting the rather obvious attraction that Coira had for him.
"Sorry Harry, just got lost in my memories for a moment there. So what are these mirror things, and why do we need them?" Parroting back Harry's excuse for when he had been staring at her earlier, something that still brought a light blush to her cheeks, Nash'ala giggled at his questioning raised eyebrow that indicated he had caught her cheekiness.
"These are communication mirrors, which will allow us to talk to the team's here at Terra's Point whilst we are travelling in Silvermoon and the other cities of Azeroth. I thought it best to teach you how to use these before we head over there, last thing we would want is for you to be trying to learn how these work whilst I'm off doing something stupid." Harry gave a small laugh at this, and Nash'ala got the feeling that the example he had just given was something that he used to do more often than most people would admit.
The mention of using the device sent a sliver of fear up her spine however, and she cursed Harry mentally for teaching her the meaning of his favourite phrase about 'self-fulfilling prophecies', had her earlier thoughts brought this horrifying revelation to fulfillment so soon?
"Don't worry Nash'ala, I don't actually plan on doing something so stupid anytime soon, Susan and the others would kill me even if whatever foolishness I got involved in didn't." Nash'ala managed to resist shaking her head at Harry's misunderstanding, if she wasn't doing her best to keep herself from panicking she would have found such an attempt to reassure her endearing.
Still, it wasn't like she could put the situation off any longer, as she could guess that the mirrors he was talking about would require active magic to use. And the shackle on her magic made using it for more than a few seconds at a time almost impossible for all but the smallest amounts. Squaring her shoulders, as Harry gave her a concerned and confused look that made it clear that he had no idea what was troubling her, Nash'ala took a deep breath and ignored every instinct that told her to run.
"These require magic to function, don't they Harry?" At Harry's bemused nod, Nash'ala steeled herself and grabbed hold of his arm, doing her best to not to wince as she uttered the words that she hoped she would never have to say to him.
"There is something I haven't told you about me, please don't hate me…" The last part slipped out before she could stop it, and Nash'ala couldn't help but look away in shame, bad enough to reveal she was useless without sounding pathetic about it.
To her surprise Harry didn't try and step away or break her grip, instead he merely placed his other hand over the one gripping his arm and squeezed it reassuringly for a moment before speaking in that relaxed, self-assured manner that made him so comfortable to be around.
"You mean the part where you tell me why your magical reserves are so small compared to pretty much everyone I have met here on Azeroth?" For a second Nash'ala was certain her brain had just stopped, the revelation that her big secret wasn't even something that she could reveal to the person who she had come to see as her closest friend more than slightly unnerving.
She managed to drag her eyes up to meet his as he squeezed her hand lightly again, his grin making her blush as she resisted the urge to look away once more.
"I can sense magic remember? It's how I could detect how powerful people like Tyrande. Now, the way you brought it up made it sound like there is more to the story than just you having a small magic reserve, and though I didn't want to invade your privacy earlier now seems as good a time as any. Why don't you tell me about it?" Nash'ala wanted nothing more than to tell him everything, after so long with it weighing on her mind the relief would be impossible to quantify, but a glance to the mirror on the table reminded her that there other things they needed to do first.
"We need to see Stormfire and get to Silvermoon Harry. As much as I want nothing more than to focus your attention on fixing my issues, our people need us to stay focussed on getting them here safely first." It was only as a massive grin burst into existence on Harry's face did Nash'ala realise she had referred to herself as a Terran, but thankfully he didn't comment on it further as he helped fit one of the mirrors to her upper left arm.
The fact that he was still fixing the mirror to her after her attempted revelation was a show of silent faith in her, and it was all Nash'ala could do to prevent herself from throwing herself at him for a massive hug, such displays were frowned on as weakness in Naga culture after all. A moment after that thought passed through her head, Nash'ala smiled before wrapping her arms around the man who saved her from a life of isolation and hate.
It would take some time for those ingrained mannerisms to wear off, but that didn't matter to her, as far as she was concerned she was a Terran now...
[]{}#%^*+=
"How are you finding your new attire Stormfire? I am impressed with the workmanship, but I can't imagine some of your sisters are overly impressed." If anyone had asked Kelanas a year ago what she would be doing now, sitting and talking amicably with a Harpy of all things in a reclaimed fortress in Desolace was an answer that would have gotten her taken for 'healing' at a moonwell.
Still, most of what had happened since the first Terran had arrived on Azeroth couldn't be considered 'normal' by any standard, and Kelanas was glad that the High Priestess had given her this assignment. It had initially been difficult to accept at first, and there were times as they travelled into Ashenvale where Kelanas wondered if her post was a sign that she had upset Lady Tyrande in some way during her dealings with Archdruid Staghelm.
Whilst she often acted mature and modest about her position on the Council of Elune, despite only being 203 years old, Kelanas was honest enough to admit to herself that she enjoyed the attention of Lady Tyrande such a position implied. Despite her young age Kelanas had been involved in rebuffing the Legion's invasion from the outset, though a rather heavy injury she sustained in the defence of Ashenvale prevented her from taking part in the final defence of the World tree.
Whilst some of the other injured bemoaned the glory and prestige they had missed in fighting in such a climatic battle, Kelanas concentrated on the far more important tasks that the survivors of the invasion now faced, which was dealing with the remaining demonic invaders and undead that remained entrenched in the various forests the Night Elves once called home.
"They are delightful Windflower-walker, they are so warm and colourful that I want to wear them all the time! Though I do miss the way Harry used to turn red and look away when talking to me, even if he would not explain what it meant, it was a nice feeling for some reason in my stomach. Do you know why he did that Windflower-walker? With my place here representing my flock, I realise I do not know all that much about Land-walker customs, and I would like to learn all I can to bring back and teach my sisters!" Kelanas did her best to keep her face calm and relaxed as she tried to work out how to get out of discussing how much Harry, and the other male Phantoms, had been embarrassed and more than slightly appreciative of the Harpy's small but perky breasts being bared to the world.
She had only been given the talk 30 years ago by her mother, and Kelanas had thought she would still have centuries before she had to go through that embarrassment again with her own children, if something she fought didn't end up killing her before then of course. Thankfully she was prevented from having to answer by the approach of Harry and Nash'ala to the base of the tower they had converted into accommodations for Stormfire and any other Harpies Windfury was able to convert to their side.
Stormfire seemed to be taking to her new lifestyle with unrequited glee, all sorts of shiny and colourful items spread around the inside of the former guard room, many of them conjured or transformed by the strange Terran magics from debris or basic materials. But the origin of her baubles did not bother Stormfire, something that made Kelanas suspect she had never had much in the way of possessions prior to this point to call her own. This helped explain Stormfire's love of what many Night Elves would view as a simple shirt and trousers, even if they were remarkably well made and in several hues of deep reds and purples that shifted from time to time like a breeze.
"Nash'ala-serpent, Harry! Thank you for the clothes, they keep me so warm I almost don't need the bed-nest thing you gave me! Not that I want to get rid of the bed-nest or imply that it is a bad gift, it is wonderful and… I am talking too much aren't I?" If Kelanas didn't know why Stormfire was acting so much like a Night Elf child high on moon water she would probably have been annoyed by the way the young Harpy acted, but Lady Susan had somehow noticed her initial frustration and taken her to one side to explain why the Terran's thought this was happening.
Between the curse magic suppressing all of her non-fear or anger dominated emotions and ramping up the two particular emotions against anything but other Harpies, as well as the almost cut-throat conditions between the members of her Harpy pack over the little food and resources available, Stormfire was socially and emotionally stunted to the point that even the small positive emotions from things like her new clothes were the equivalent of emotional overload in anyone else.
Nash'ala was translating for Harry again, though judging by his reassuring smile Harry understood at least some of what Stormfire had said, something that pleased Kelanas even if she knew it was not the correct feeling to have. It just meant that soon Harry wouldn't need Nash'ala to translate all but the most important conversations for him, which meant if the Naga was trying to turn him against them by changing her words…
Kelanas shook her head to clear it of the negative thoughts in her mind, it wasn't that she didn't trust the young Naga, by Elune Nash'ala may be the only Naga she could ever trust. Her stomach ached at this point as if on cue though, reminding her of the very personal reason that made it so hard to let old hatreds lie. It was why she was gratefully her priest robes were so modest, the scars from the night Illidan escaped in pursuit of the Eye of Sargeras would not be so easy to hide otherwise.
"Harry is glad you like the clothes, he says that the armorer should have explained the enchantments that have been woven into it to get them off right? Whilst they do have some cleaning charms included he advises getting them washed every couple of days, if you want he can…" Kelanas had thought about warning them, given Stormfire's lack of understanding with social etiquette she could see the metaphorical hippogryph clash before it happened.
But as Stormfire flared her magic, twirling in place delightedly as her clothing separated itself at the seams and folded itself into a nice neat pile on the floor, Kelanas could only chuckle at the shocked look on Nash'ala's face as Harry quickly looked away. She didn't get off completely however, as the now 'free' Harpy hopped over to her with a flap of her wings to point excitedly in Harry's direction.
"Look Windflower-walker, Harry's doing it again, and it produces a warm feeling in my chest. What does it mean?" And now she was going to have to explain what a crush was to the young Harpy, as well as convince her to get back in her clothes before anyone else came perving.
Maybe Lady Tyrande was punishing her for something...
!"£$%^&*()_+
Even as his eyes started to recover from the magical transition that had just occurred by long range hearthstone, an experience Harry was sure Hermione would love to experience as a comparison to portkey or apparition, he could tell by the magic in the air that this was a very different place compared to Theramore or Darnassus.
It felt almost sickly in places as it flowed around him, the sensation reminding him of the numerous undead that he had fought on Earth, and as sound returned to his ears he suddenly understood why. The grotesque roaring of some massive creature ripped through the sounds of combat and shouting that was occurring around them.
Looking around Harry saw that they were on what could loosely be described as a battlement, though it's condition was at best rugged if not precarious. Not too far to the South of their position he could see at least a dozen Blood Elves armed with bows, firing down into what looked like a wall breach, though with the dust and debris filling the air the breach seemed to have occurred very recently.
"%^*^%% attack!" Coira's shout brought a smile to his face even if it didn't fit the situation, even if it was short, a 50% understanding rate was the best he had achieved so far.
The smile disappeared from his face a moment later as his eye caught several shadowy shapes descending towards the Blood Elf archers, who hadn't noticed the grave threat as they poured fire into whatever was going on below. He didn't have time to activate the translation rune and shout a warning or order, so Harry did what he did best and acted.
With a wave of his hand several feet of battlement next to him shifted like water, forming a spiked barrier above the Blood Elves even as they started to react, just in time for the first of the attackers to careen right into it. The following three monsters managed to maneuver around their stunned and probably concussed fellow, but these arcs took them away from the archers, two of the beasts flying in his direction.
"Well aren't you two ugly bastards…" The flying creatures reminded him of the gargoyles he had seen around Hogwarts, though these made even those ugly statues look positively endearing in comparison.
Even as the first one closed with him it emitted an ear piercing shriek, Harry doing his best to shrug the sound off, flicking his wand into his hand and fired a rather powerful banishing charm that reversed the first creatures velocity. Whilst not particularly damaging by itself, Harry's spell made the two creatures collide with bone crushing force, a sound not too dissimilar to bricks breaking against each other ringing out as the two fell to the floor of the battlement in a heap.
"Stop and #%^#^ #%^*^!" Two of the Blood Elves now had their bows pointed in Harry's direction and one of them was shouting at him and the others, though Harry had no time to try and appease them as more black shapes descended from above.
A shadowy blur rushed past him even as he fired a reducto spell at the closest beast, thankfully he recognised Coira by her magic or he would have tried to react defensively, the rogue slamming both daggers into the back of the first creature that tried to attack him. The beast he targeted shifted to avoid Harry's spell, but it couldn't dodge the crossbow bolt Storri fired into its left eye, Harry could imagine the cocky smirk on the Dwarf's face as he started to reload his weapon whilst the thing dropped out of the sky like a stone.
There were at least a dozen more of the things descending towards them through the darkening skies, something the other Blood Elves seemed to realise as they stopped pointing their weapons at him and his companions to target the actual enemy instead. Even as arrows and other projectiles from both groups started to pepper the incoming flyers and Kelanas's Magic lit up the area in Holy Light, Harry was reaching down to the Earth at the base of the wall itself, his abilities were far less effective against enemies that could dodge in 3-D after all.
It took all he had not too recoil at the feeling of the earth on the outer side of the wall, the feeling of death powered curses and corruptive demon magics infusing the very particles of the ground. To use such raw materials to create golems, to help in Silvermoon's defence, would run the risk of the demon magic interfering with his own and causing the golems to 'go feral' and attack everything that came near.
Not what he needed when he was trying to make a good first impression, and though Harry thought he could do something about the necromancy based magic, it would take too long and require too much energy to be done in the heat of battle. Still, just because he couldn't utilise it as an autonomous weapon didn't mean he couldn't use it more… directly.
"Nash'ala, I am going to join the fight below. If you could keep our new friends from shooting me, that would be most helpful!" Given the way that Coira had respected Nash'ala to the point of trying to rescue her, Harry got the feeling that she would have a better time convincing the other Blood Elves than he would.
Feeling her emotions spike with pride and no small amount of embarrassment, it was clear Nash'ala had heard him and Harry decided to take that as his cue, apparating out of the way of one of the approaching flyers as it's claws reached for him and reappearing near the base of the wall outside what he assumed was part of the Blood Elf city.
There were hundreds of Undead pushing their way towards the breach in the wall from the wasteland area beyond, intermixed with beasts and constructs that Harry didn't recognise, ranging from groups of spider-like beings to giant flesh constructs amalgamated from different corpses. It was these flesh constructs that gathered most of Harry's attention, as three of them pushed forward through the arrows and spells of the defenders without concern for their own safety, they reminded Harry far too vividly of the work of Vasquis and his flesh golems.
It took a few moments for the nearest undead to react to his arrival, with many of them focused on forcing their way into the breach about fifty yards to his left, and by the time the corrupted Blood Elves who seemed to be commanding the assault were ordering their minions to attack him it was too late. Whilst he could have actively caused a lot of damage with Earthen Spikes or a similar spell, Harry had learnt from hard earned lessons to take advantage of the terrain around him.
The corrupted Earth seemed to be related to the massively long gouge that ran off into the horizon, both into the ruins of the city and beyond what he assumed was the outer wall several hundred yards away, running several metres deeper than the earth at the base of the wall they were attacking. This meant that the undead were trying to force their way up quite a steep slope, which covered the hundred yards from the edge of the gouge to the base of the wall. Naturally, or unnaturally now he thought about it even as he finished gathering and manipulating his magic, the undead wouldn't care for the slope they were climbing as they didn't tire or become exhausted.
But turn that solid earth into a mudslide that his magic was assisting, and the fact they wouldn't notice the difference in terrain would work against them. Even as he watched, Harry saw one of the crude siege weapons the undead had probably used against the wall begin to slide downwards, crushing at least a dozen Skeletons before slamming into one of the now flailing flesh golems and over balancing it.
The spider things were coping with the mud better than most of the grunt undead, who were either falling over themselves trying to continue their advance or were being forced down the hill into the crush rapidly building at the bottom of the gouge. Harry's plan had then been to bury them in their own corrupted earth, after he corralled them all suitably in the unnatural grave some terrible event had created, but the appearance of an arrow far too close to him made him react to that instead.
Thankfully he was wearing both his dragon hide armour and his phantom robes, but even then the arrow pierced the latter's defensive spells and embedded it's tip in the meat of the former, the force of the impact sending him tumbling back. With a growl aimed mostly at himself for being so over-confident, Harry snapped the shaft of the offending arrow with a swipe of his free hand whilst summoning his earthen armour to him with his thoughts.
His next spell from the Elder wand stopped a second arrow in its tracks less than a foot from his head, and looking down into the gouge Harry saw the shocked face of one of the corrupted Blood Elves, even as she fumbled for a third missile from her quiver.
He wouldn't allow her the chance, slamming his hands into the Earth with a roar, causing the Earth on either side of the now packed gouge to shoot up almost fifty metres in the air and then collapse inwards like the wroth of an angry god. To his surprise both the archer and another Corrupted managed to overcome their shock in time to escape his trap, the archer vaulting athletically over undead and other Corrupted alike before using the falling form of one of the flesh golems to clear the far side of the gouge trap.
The other Corrupted disappeared in a flash of purple fire, but as Harry couldn't sense his emotions anymore amongst the rapidly emptying battlefield he focused on the enemy that had actually nearly killed him instead. Apparating behind where he could see the Corrupted archer heaving for breath, which given her frantic escape was unsurprising, Harry disarmed her of her bow with a flick of his wand even as she turned to face him. No doubt she was sensing his magic like Coira did.
To her credit the archer didn't panic or hesitate at the loss of her preferred weapon, leaping forward to engage with fists, not that her punches did anything against his enhanced armour. His shoulder armour cracked slightly under the impact, but he could tell at least two of the woman's fingers cracked from the vibrations he felt, the woman doing her best not to cry out in pain as she drew her hand back.
Summoning the sword of Gryffindor and levelling it firmly in her direction, Harry was struggling to resist the urge to just end the creature in front of him, the corruptive magic embedded in her soul so close he could almost smell it oozing from her. But beneath all of that was pain, hunger and most of all fear, the Corrupted freezing in place at the sight of the sword, in a manner that showed a desire for self-preservation that no undead or low level Legion minion could hope to replicate.
And besides, Harry had never killed an opponent in cold blood, despite how much he had been tempted at times. So he wasn't going to break that rather impressive streak now, flicking his wrist to send a stunning spell at the archer faster than she could react, his next spell dying in his mind before he could cast it, the stunner disappearing as the Corrupted elf reacted like a starving animal and tore it into pieces with her hands before devouring it.
Before she could do anything else though Harry fell back on his earth powers, sinking the Corrupted up to her shoulders into the floor before she could react, the Corrupted's ambient ability to absorb his magic merely rehardening the Earth as she started to struggle at her new bindings.
Looking around, Harry saw one of the Flesh golems trying ineffectively trying to tear itself from the ground he had buried it in, the few remaining undead that had avoided his trap far less threatening as they staggered towards the wall. Leaderless, and with their flesh golems neutralised, it would be relatively easy for the defenders to deal with them.
Now Harry had two problems left to deal with. The first was working out how to explain capturing another woman to Susan and the others, which was always a challenge even if the girls didn't actually suspect things most of the time. The more important thing to consider though, as Harry looked up to where his companions were finishing in their defence of the walls by driving the few remaining monstrous flyers into retreat, was why Regent Loth'mar would give an esteemed guest a hearthstone that put them in the direct path of an attack…
A/N: Before we go any further, no Harry doesn't think Loth'mar did anything to actually orchestrate an attack as they arrived, but he has other suspicions that will unfold further in the next chapter.
Still, we have finally left Kalimdor, and with that we move to a whole new area of danger, pitfalls and opportunity for Harry to navigate. So now we get to spend a couple of chapters in and around Silvermoon city, Harry working to help them secure some more of their ruined city, as well as pouring through scrolls with Nash'ala and Coira to try and find something useful to help make a portal to Earth.
As a heads up, the Nash'ala and Kelanas POV's were added after everything else. This was partly because of the word count being to short, but also to deal with two long running issues I keep mentioning or alluding to but never actually covering, Nash'ala's bindings and some actual character development for our little Night Elf. Let me know what you think, they are the written equivalents of 'one take music videos' and therefore could be okay or could be terrible.
Hope you all enjoyed it, let me know what you think, especially if you are coming to this a while after it's put up, I need the reminders to work on this :P