Sunstrider Isle, four hours later
Manifestation of the Sunwell, Lady Anveena
"And… There we go." As she finished using some of her newly unlocked magic to rapidly grow a large number of apple tree saplings to full maturity, including a large number of tasty apples on each tree, Anveena couldn't help but smile as the children around her cheered and gave awed gasps of appreciation.
With almost every adult Blood Elf dealing with the aftermath of Dar'Khan's 'distraction' on the South side of Silvermoon City, the children and those who were less physically capable were taking up the slack in all the other areas of the Blood Elven workforce. On her journey out of the city to Sunstrider isle, accompanied by 15 Silvermoon Guardians that she couldn't convince to go do something more useful no matter what she tried, Anveena had seen the Blood Elf children acting as everything from messengers to cleaners.
"Praise your kindness Lady Anveena!" As the children rushed forward, with small step ladders and other tools for harvesting the unexpected bounty, one of the adult Blood Elves accompanying them stepped in her direction and bowed deeply.
"Thank you my lady, this will be the first fresh fruit the children will have seen in months. The Sunwell's blessing is a truly wonderful thing." The man turned and limped over to the new orchard with a massive smile on his face, missing the troubled look that crossed Anveena's face for a few moments.
The fact that she was the living embodiment of the Sunwell, and had enough power to level the entirety of Silvermoon City if she truly felt inclined, was something she was still struggling to come to terms with. She had almost 12 years of living as a normal human girl in Tarren Mill, even if everything about that life had been a facade created by the ancient dragon Korialstrasz. And, despite the fact she had become one of the most powerful magic users on the planet, her character hadn't changed she hoped.
That saving a Dragon of all things, and being chased by both the Scourge and Dragon Hunters before facing off against Dar'Khan and his minions, had been a mere prelude to all that followed had hardened her character against the darkness of the real world. She liked to think she still retained much of her cheerful and helpful disposition, but the betrayal by Baron Mordis and the deceptions of 'Borel' had shown her that there were those who would gladly take advantage of those traits, even if they didn't even realise they were doing it.
She was loved and respected by the Blood Elf population, especially given the usage of her powers to revitalise the Northern part of Quel'thalas, but it was a terrifyingly lonely existence she had been cast head first into. Many of the Blood Elves didn't acknowledge her beyond the Sunwell she housed, and whilst the 'honour' guard she had was probably meant to keep her safe rather than anything else, after just two days she was already starting to feel more like a prisoner than a person.
The fact that the Blood Elves were trying to keep her identity and powers a secret, even with their potential Horde allies, meant that there were very few people that Anveena could talk to that weren't affected by 'fangirlism'. And as much as she wanted to hang out with the Terran who had taught her that rather humorous word, he had been busy working with Kalec to learn the spells he needed to rescue his people from their own planet. In fact, reaching out with her powers and focussing on the rather unique feeling of Lord Potter's magic, Anveena could feel him to the South of the City, his magic infusing the same soil that her own now invigorated.
Busy helping the Blood Elves with reclaiming the land North of the river, despite the fact that he could have left the moment he finished learning the spells from Kalec. It was exactly that attitude which had made him so popular amongst the general populace, and his confidence in defying the Blood Elf leadership was something that she wished she possessed.
His magic was easy to trace, at least on the objects he had heavily enchanted for his allies, and Anveena liked to occasionally check up on them, as they tended to be more interesting than the average Blood Elf. As she mentally scanned the city for these distinct entities, Anveena was surprised to find an additional signature to those that she usually sensed, and as she focussed on the new signature she couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face.
"I am heading back to the City, please go and assist your fellows with other tasks." It was probably cruel of her, not even giving her guards time to respond before she let her magic wash over her, but it was something that Lord Potter had done at least once in the last two days himself.
The guards would catch up with her at some point, no doubt due to any sightings of her being reported to the Guardian's leadership very quickly, but it would give her at least an hours respite. Given her power, and the instinctual control she had over the power of the Sunwell, the transition was so smooth that Anveena hadn't even noticed the first time she had copied Lord Potter's teleportation spell.
Gone were the smells of grass just after a rainfall and the noises of the birds and other wildlife, and instead there was the hustle and bustle of the city near to the Terran embassy, the air heavily laced with the smell of fresh paint and the sounds of construction work. The victory over the Scourge had given the Blood Elves renewed life, and the few craftsmen that could be spared were rapidly repairing or entirely replacing the worst of the houses in the city.
Fresh coats of red, gold, green and even blue were being thrown up around the city. The blue was far in the minority, and clashed more than a little with the other colours, but in Anveena's opinion it helped bring further life to the city. Every house in Tarren Mill had been unique, both in construction and in colour, and the idea of having rows of houses all looking the same just seemed weird to her.
"Lady Anveena!" The cry from the first Blood Elf to notice her was soon taken up by the others, but thankfully the adults were all professional enough not to leave their work to swamp her in large numbers.
Smiling and greeting the few children who came running over to see her, Anveena kept her eyes fixed on the reason she was there though, smile widening as the Dwarf stepped out of the Terran embassy with a confused look on his face. Before the events with Dar'Khan, Anveena's interactions with the small but sturdy race had been sparse at best, limited to the few merchants that passed through the town whilst she had been visiting with her parents.
"Master Dwarf! Excuse me please." Slipping through the remaining Blood Elves as politely as she could, Anveena was pleased to see the Dwarf break off from walking towards a nearby Guardian and turn his head in her direction, confusion mixing with the gruff look peering out from underneath a rather impressive brown beard.
"What can I do for you lass? You haven't seen another human around here have you? Surprised the Elves are happy to let a human walk around unaccompanied to be honest…" Despite the dour look on his face, the Dwarf's true attitude still rang true with the Dwarves that she had encountered, on the whirlwind of chaos and adventure that led her to Silvermoon.
"I assume you are Storri of the Ironfist clan?" As Storri nodded his head a little uncertainly, Anveena gave her best smile and held out an arm.
"I am Anveena, if you would like to come with me, I will take you to Lord Potter." As Storri grabbed the offered hand, the confusion on his face still growing rather than lessening, Anveena transported both of them to where she could feel Lord Potter's signature.
"What the… By the ancestors!" Obviously Storri had blinked at the wrong moment, and therefore missed the transition to the banks of the River Elrendar.
Compared to the Spring sunshine that had covered both Sunstrider Isle and Silvermoon that morning, there was light rain falling almost lazily around the two of them as they caught their bearings.
The Mourning Mound, as the small mountain of Earth Harry had created from the Dead Scar was being called, was slowly being disassembled by hundreds of labourers and carted all along the river. Many of the Blood Elf Magisters were following Lord Potter's example, in using the material to create earthen defences along the entire length of the river.
"Storri. We thought you'd decided not to rejoin us when you didn't use your portkey. One moment…" Lord Potter was a sight to behold, as made clear by the awed looks more than one person threw him as he shaped and morphed a large amount of the blackened Earth to form a gatehouse.
The difference in ability between Lord Potter and the Magister's working on the walls nearby was clear, even to Anveena's inexperienced gaze. The gatehouse that was being formed in front of their eyes was masterfully crafted and easily 3 or four feet higher than the walls the Magisters were making, and in less than a minute the entire structure had been formed almost from scratch.
"And that will do, the rest of you can finish this off!" Despite their obvious envy at Lord Potter's skill, Anveena noticed that the Magisters still were appreciative of his efforts, and there were many cheerful goodbyes thrown in the Terran's direction.
Lord Potter turned in their direction and to Anveena's delight his smile widened when he saw her, his eyes flicking behind her before his smile turned into an amused smirk.
"I see you lost your 'protection detail' again Sunbeam…" His nickname for her made her blush slightly, Lord Potter had never put her on the same pedestal as the Blood Elves had, the ironic nickname one of the many ways he unconsciously made her heart warm in her chest.
Failing to come up with a good excuse as to why she had made the Guardians lives more difficult, other than to stop herself from going mad, Anveena mentally cursed the slight blush on her face as she looked away and off to the side slightly.
"Like you are one to talk brat, I was only at Terra's Point for a few days and the other Terrans were bemoaning your refusal for a bodyguard. But, you can carry on being a hypocrite later. King Magni has a request for you, and that request is most of the reason I was so late in coming back. Your damn portkey seems to have a range issue, we had to travel through the Wetlands and into the Arathi Highlands to get the damn thing to work."
Storri paused to grab a pair of hearthstones from one of the front pouches at his waist, tossing one of them in Lord Potter's direction. To his credit, Lord Potter immobilised the hearthstone in mid-air with a flick of his wand, casting several more spells over it before relaxing slightly.
"No offence Storri, but don't just toss things randomly in my direction, I have far too many bad experiences with catching them and then being cursed or transported somewhere to be attacked by Dark Wizards and the like. I assume we are going somewhere? We were heading back to Kalimdor in an hour, so I hope whatever it is won't take long…" Storri didn't seem upset at Lord Potter's caution, merely chuckling and waving a hand dismissively.
"It shouldn't take us very long, but I thought you would like the chance to meet the Dwarf King as soon as possible…" The casual way in which Storri dropped that statement allowed Anveena to see one of the few times Lord Potter was left speechless, but given her own face was probably quite similar made it slightly less amusing…
!"£$%^&*()_+
Arathi Highlands, 10 minutes later
Phantom of Earth, Harry Potter
After learning to create Portals and experiencing Hearthstone travel, Harry was certain that magical transportation was one area that the Azerothians had Terran travel beat hands down. Admittedly the Portals took a couple of seconds to create, something that Kalec told him would only increase with the Portal's size and the distance being travelled, but he'd take that over the 'fun' he had with portkeys.
Apparation was far more useful in combat still, at least until he got the portal creation magic properly under control, but the versatility of portals made it a very useful skill to have.
"That's… that's a lot of Dwarves." Drawn from his introspection at Nash'ala's comment, who he had insisted accompany them to cement her position as his advisor, Harry took a quick glance around him to confirm that yes, there were a lot of Dwarves around them.
There were at least 400 of the stocky humanoids, many dressed in heavy armour that Harry wasn't sure he would be able to stand in, let alone fight. They all seemed armed and ready for combat, though Harry couldn't detect anything beyond surprise and a little shock at Nash'ala's appearance, so he doubted they were there to ambush them.
Given that they were stood in the middle of a snowy plain, with very little in the way of cover other than the tents and other items that were currently set up in a very ordered and methodical manner, it wasn't exactly the territory to carry out such a plan either.
"By the ancestors Storri, you said you would be at least an hour! The Watchers haven't even made it to Refuge Point yet! How can you expect a King to welcome a guest without some ale to hand!" Striding towards the three of them was one of the largest Dwarves Harry had ever seen.
Reaching Harry's shoulders, and his own shoulders at least twice as wide as Harry's own even without the masterfully crafted plate armour bedecked with glowing runes, Harry could only assume that this was King Magni Bronzebeard.
"Apologies for being efficient. One would almost think that King Magni only wanted to meet people so that he could drink alcohol this early in the morning…" Harry knew he wasn't the only one thrown off guard by Storri's abrasive reply, but the King didn't even pause in his stride as he released a fully belly laugh that seemed to echo around the mountains.
The amusement spread to many of the other Dwarves a moment later though, as a mailed fist clipped Storri round the back of the head, the speed of the swipe making Harry determined not to get into a close combat fight with this particular Dwarf.
"As much as I appreciate your grumbling Ironfist, not in front of our guests! Let them work out my bad habits for themselves!" Leaving the Dwarf Hunter to continue grumbling under his breath, King Magni turned his attention to the two of them, the glint in his eye only growing as he spoke first to Nash'ala.
"You must be the Lady Nash'ala that Storri spoke of to the Council and I about. I must admit, when 'The Grumbler' only had a couple of minor gripes about you, we were all convinced of your character. Even his own ancestors are insulted with a list as long as my arm!" There was a muffled 'Oi!' from Storri, though Harry couldn't help but smile at the rather fitting nickname, Nash'ala managing to restrain her amusement remarkably well.
"You honour me with such kind words your highness." Pulling off a picture perfect bow, which had been one of the things Regent Lor'themar had insisted she practice before the Dar'Khan incident distracted them all, Harry's eyes were sweeping the assembled Dwarves for any signs of trouble.
To his slight surprise he didn't find any of the Dwarves looking at Nash'ala negatively, in fact most of them were now beginning to pack up what was clearly their camp for the night. That didn't mean his hand had lessened his grip on the Elder wand, just in case…
"I wouldn't worry about what happened with the Night Elves lad, Lady Tyrande made it clear in the letters she sent us all that you are rather protective of this charming lady." Eyes shooting back to King Magni at his words, Harry could see the glint of amusement in the Dwarf King's eyes, moments before the Dwarf extended his hand.
"Wish I had been there to see you embarrass the Archdruid though. We Dwarves do tend to think of the Elves as being stuck up, but I think in this case it is more something is stuck up…" Even as Harry grabbed the hand he couldn't help but laugh, the relief at not having to deal with every leader like he had to with Lor'themar raising his spirits considerably.
"Well, if you wish to visit Terra's point, we have artefacts that would allow you to see the memory as if you were there…" The translation rune had run its course between him and Nash'ala now, though to his surprise she had asked him not to remove the runes, merely to modify it so that she could learn to speak English from him as well.
"Really? I imagine such a device would require more than simple enchantments, probably runes or other methods of tightly controlling the magic of the devices given the risks involved… Still, I imagine that many of the people I have sent as Ambassadors would give their beards to see the Archdruid like that. I think our people are going to get along just fine." Magni's words rang true, but before he wanted to say anything that might be construed as a promise, Harry decided to ask the question that had been in the back of his mind since Storri raised the idea of meeting the King.
"I do wonder why you needed to come all this way, with so many of your kinsmen? If it had just been to meet me then Storri could have just used his Hearthstone to transport us to Ironforge." There was some grumbling from behind Harry at this, before Storri chuckled and the sound of coins clinking together made the situation clearer.
"It seems Storri was right, you are a perceptive one. Well, the official answer is that having heard the plight of the Blood Elves, we are a diplomatic envoy travelling to properly establish diplomatic channels between our people's once more." Looking around at the 'diplomatic party', Harry knew there was either more to the story, or that the Dwarf definition of diplomacy was more in line with his interpretation rather than Blaise's.
"And the unofficial reason your Highness?" Nash'ala had asked the question more politely than Harry would have, but Magni laughed off the formality with ease.
"Call me Magni lass, none of that King nonsense right now. Given the Council were very disproving of sending anything more than the stone and engineers I personally financed to aid the Blood Elves, given their close ties with the Horde, it wouldn't have been possible to send any forces to aid them in reclaiming their city. Just because the grumpy bastards won't open their purse strings though, doesn't mean they have control over my actions." Magni grumbled something at the end of that which Harry didn't catch, but it sounded suspiciously like 'not that they haven't tried'.
Storri seemed to have recovered some of his earlier biting sarcasm, as he spoke up before anyone else could continue the story
"So what actually happened is that Bronzebeard declared that he was going on 'a walk' up to Quel'thalas, with a full complement of guards befitting his over inflated ego of course, and the Council had to term it a diplomatic mission or lose face when word of whatever happens reaches Dun Morogh. The fact that it allows Magni and his guards to test out some of his personally forged arms and armour has no impact whatsoever…" To his credit, Magni didn't even try and deny that he was in essence, bored and wanting to see a bit of action.
"A chance to give those Scourge bastards a bloody nose and perhaps stop another shift in the Alliance/Horde balance of power at the same time? It's certainly a far more useful way of spending my time than sat on a throne listening to the clans try and argue each other to death. To that end Lord Potter.." The formal address was the closest to 'civilised' this conversation had gotten, and Harry could guess what the Dwarf King wanted.
"You want a magical lift to Silvermoon city? Luckily for you I've spent the last few days learning this particular party trick." With a slight tap from his right foot, Harry morphed a simple gate structure covered in runes, about three times his height and wide enough for five men abreast.
The physical gateway made portals more magically stable, or at least that is what Kalec told him when the Blue Dragon had him practice making them. Chanting under his breath for a few moments, the now familiar pull of his magic made Harry grin, even as the portal shimmered into existence.
"Storri should probably head through first… Actually, probably not, the idea is to convince the Blood Elves not to try and kill those coming through…" Even Storri laughed a little at Harry's joke, the Dwarf not taking much offence when Nash'ala slithered through the portal first.
"Right lads! Let's go show these Elves how the Dwarves deal with the Scourge!" There was a cheer from the assembled Dwarves, 40 of the most heavily armoured Dwarves forming up into pairs.
Harry knew he planned on heading to Orgrimmar in less than an hour, but from the sounds of it the Dwarves were about to do some good work. And a chance to earn some diplomacy points with Magni, as well as further cement his support amongst the Blood Elves…
Well, a small diversion wouldn't take too long…
[]{}#%^*+=_\|~
Valley of Wisdom, Orgrimmar, two hours after Storri's return to Silvermoon City
Warchief of the Horde and Leader of the Clans, Thrall, Son of Durotan
When a portal appears in the middle of the circular Council room, that served as Thrall's 'study' to borrow a human word when the other leaders of the Horde weren't present, his elite guard naturally tend to get a little nervous. Especially when the portal gateway forms itself from the floor, and is big enough for at least three Orcs to pass through weapons drawn and ready.
"Warchief Thrall. Apologies for the unexpected entrance… Could you all please stop pointing your weapons at me, before I lose my temper!" So when General Windrunner of all people appeared through the portal, Thrall had to admit a wall of blades and spears wouldn't be considered a 'warm' welcome.
"Stand down and return to your posts, clearly this isn't an attempted assassination…" The dark energy Sylvanas was exuding was fairly unique, so the likelihood of it being an assassin was very small indeed.
But, whether it was some artefact that Sylvanas had found that had allowed her to use portal magic, or a new Mage amongst the Forsaken, simply appearing in one of the most highly secured areas of Orgrimmar was a big security faux-pas that Thrall wouldn't normally imagine Sylvanas pulling if she wasn't distracted by something serious.
"What do you mean assassination atte… Oh…" It seemed his 'subtle' reprimand about her arrival location choice made Sylvanas realise exactly where she was, ruling out her being the one to have created the portal in the first place.
"That idiot, wait, no one leave yet! Warchief, we have a situation in Silvermoon City!" Nodding his head, as the guards looked to him about Sylvanas' unnaturally sudden order for them not to leave, Thrall picked up Doomhammer from where it had been resting at the side of his chair.
As much as he had spent years butting heads with those of his kindred that insisted on violence being the first and only answer to problems, Thrall was not foolish enough to think that a problem serious enough to cause his normally stoic and haughty ally to act like she was could be solved with quill and parchment.
"That portal, will it allow multiple people through?" At Sylvanas' nod Thrall pointed at one of his personal guards.
"Thraegar, summon the rest of the Kor'Kron that can be spared, the rest of us will go ahead." If the situation required more than 400 of the best warriors the Horde had to call upon, then Sylvanas would have made that clear from the start.
"Can you explain the basics here Lady Windrunner? Or is the situation dire enough that there is no time?" Sylvanas seemed to think for a moment before pointing at the portal with a grin.
"Not dire Warchief, but certainly disadvantageous to the Horde if we do not act now. Lord Potter is waiting for us on the other side, so I can explain further there. But, you should be aware that King Magni is there with his own personal guard, to help the Blood Elves reclaim some of Quel'thalas…" The Dwarven King himself, what had been going on over in the Eastern Kingdoms?
Thrall had never met King Bronzebeard, mostly due to logistical issues and the Alliance/Horde divide rather than a dislike of the Dwarf, though the few Ambassadors he had sent relayed a mostly positive impression. But, if the Dwarves were helping the Blood Elves physically retake some of their homeland, Sylvanas' concerns suddenly made a lot of sense.
"Fetch me my armour, and inform Chieftain Bloodhoof that I request a small force of elite Tauren for an urgent mission. Then brothers, we go to war…" It was something that Thrall had been tempted to do on more than one occasion, when the Horde's outlying settlements and outposts fell under attack.
But his sense of duty had held him back, disappearing for weeks from the capital would destabilise the control he had over the more… Close minded of his Orc brethren.
With the ability to go directly to the source of the problem though, that concern was muted and the chance to do some Scourge clearance something he couldn't ignore.
"Let us go through Lady Sylvanas, and then you can explain to me exactly what has happened since we last met…" Then, once he knew the facts, Thrall could work out exactly what to do next…
[]{}#%^*+=
Sunfury Tower, Just before sunset, 6 hours after Storri's return to Silvermoon City
Lord Regent of Silvermoon City, Lor'themar Theron
"You want my Ironguard to work with the Orcs and the undead? You certainly know how to ask a lot of someone you've just met Lord Regent." Despite King Magni's words, there wasn't much heat in his voice, and he hadn't openly said no.
The Dwarf was stood on a small step, which Lord Potter had created next to the war table in Sunfury Tower without even asking if Magni wanted it.
'All who stand at a table of war should be able to view it without concern for height, or any other issue that isn't within their control.'
It was a bold and inclusive statement that no one could disagree with, even Magni seemed to appreciate the gesture, and Dwarves in general got very defensive about their height.
"With so much assistance suddenly available to our cause, the opportunity to strike a decisive blow against the local Scourge forces is something we cannot ignore." Lor'themar looked around at the three faction leaders, before pointing at the the pre-war map of Quel'thalas in three distinctive places.
The former locations of the three largest cities outside Silvermoon itself, An'owyn, An'telas and An'daroth, lying on the leylines and former containers of the moonstones that powered the barrier of Silvermoon City. Each had been home to hundreds of thousands of High Elves when they fell before the might of the Scourge, and the fallen for the most part laid where they fell, puppets waiting for the Scourge's strings to bring them to life.
"Warchief Thrall, King Magni. If you and your warriors can all strike at one of the three city ruins in Southern Quel'thalas, and be as obvious as possible about it as you do so, then the surviving Scourge leadership will send all their available forces to combat your forces. You will supported by several elements of our Farstrider forces, who will act primarily as scouts and guides." Lor'themar then pointed at a section of land near the mountain range that made up the southern border of Quel'thalas, which was blank on the old map other than a large black cross.
"Once we are sure that the Scourge are distracted, Archmage Rommath and Ranger General Halduron will be leading an elite force of mages, Farstriders and other specialists to target Deathholme. We have recently confirmed that many of the Blood Elf children that were captured during the fall of Quel'thalas have been held there, being slowly indoctrinated into joining the Scourge." General Windrunner looked absolutely furious at this revelation, as there had been no time for a briefing with Dar'Khan's attack going on, and it had admittedly slipped Lor'themar's mind in the aftermath.
"General Windrunner will be joining that assault, as she has as much a stake in this as anyone, but based on a suggestion by Lord Potter, I have a boon to ask of your Dark Ranger guards whilst this attack is taking place." Given that the ten Dark Rangers accompanying General Windrunner were all former High Elves themselves, it was a big ask for them not to get involved.
However, It seemed that Lord Potter had earned himself enough of a reputation to allay any instinctive protests from the three Forsaken in the room, though Lor'themar knew it was only a temporary reprieve.
"The Forsakens' unique abilities will be vital in restoring our internal security against future Scourge attacks, though that will require considerably more time and resources. For now, Lord Potter has highlighted their usefulness in clearing the shores and base of Lake Elrendar of our long fallen brethren, which once completed will allow the purification of its waters. This will allow us to naturally sustain the renewal of our land instigated by Lord Potter's actions."
None of the Blood Elves wanted to reveal Anveena's identity, or her Sunwell powers, to either side of the Horde/Alliance that didn't already know about it. The fact that he therefore needed to allude to Lord Potter being the cause of Quel'thalas' rebirth, well it wasn't something the Terran was going to disagree with, and Lor'themar saw both King and Warchief send an appraising look Lord Potter's way.
"I have sent two of my Dark Rangers back to the Undercity, to prepare for a Horde Leader's meeting in three days, but the other Rangers will be happy to assist in reclamation efforts." Another Horde faction meeting?
Given Lor'themar hadn't been told about it, then it was either about the Blood Elves or not an official meeting. Before he could ask about the meeting though, a now familiar hissing sound echoed around the room, from where Lord Potter sat comfortably on an elevated throne like chair.
Despite the need to use Nash'ala as a translator any longer being entirely defunct, it certainly added a level of mystique and drama to Lord Potter's presence, even as Nash'ala began to speak.
"I am afraid Lord Potter must protest the name you use for that meeting Lady Windrunner. Though he is attending as a neutral party, many will not think that even if the name of the meeting didn't imply our people's potential allegiance." It was a minor point, but one that Lord Potter had obviously been looking for.
The Terran leader had been adamant that his people were not to be affiliated with either side, and had just drawn a very clear line in the sand with leaders of both groups present. In a remarkably relaxed gesture, King Magni scoffed and gave a hearty chuckle when several sets of eyes settled on him to watch for a reaction.
"I don't think you have to worry about people jumping to conclusions about such things so quickly lad, at least not amongst my lads. But we can discuss politics later, we've got a fight to be getting to, and I notice that you haven't been given a role yet…" Lord Potter shrugged at the Dwarf King's question before hissing to Nash'ala once more.
"Lord Potter points out that if he hadn't transported you all here, then none of this would be happening in the first place. He also needs to return to his people today, in order to start preparations for their journey to Azeroth, though he will be dealing with that before he leaves." Nash'ala pointed her hand over to the just visible tip of the Bleeding Ziggurat to the South of them, before sighing as Lord Potter coughed expectantly.
"And Lord Potter claims that, if he were to join in the diversionary attack, then the fact he would get a higher kill count than the rest of you would just make the rest of you being there kind of pointless." It was clear, to Lor'themar at least, that Lord Potter's words were meant to antagonise rather than said out of arrogance or pride.
"Oh, you think that your fancy magic is more effective than good Dwarven Steel and Orcish ferocity? Warchief, I have a few spare weapons that I personally crafted, if your warriors want to use them to show this blowhard that he is full of hot air then I will be glad to lend them to you! You can attack one of the city ruins yourself if you are so confident Mage, then we will see 'who gets the higher kill count'!"
But as King Magni pretty much roared out his challenge for all to hear, Lor'themar could see even the normally calm Thrall heft Doomhammer and smile competitively in Lord Potter's direction, it was clear the boast had served its purpose.
The Dwarves and the Orcs would now be so focussed on making Lord Potter eat his own words, they wouldn't even have time to bicker between themselves…
[]{}#%^*+=
The Twisting Nether, ?
Prophet of the Naaru and Leader of the Draenei, Velen
Far above Azeroth, and deep within the vastness of the Twisting Nether, a series of desperate battles rage aboard a magnificent spaceship easily the size of Theramore Isle.
The crew of the ship was made up of Draenei, blue skinned creatures standing on cloven hooves as feet, bony plates and horns framing their faces as they moved back and forth across The Exodar. A large Draenei, dressed in chainmail armour and armed with two long Sabres, entered the room at a run
"The Fel demons and their Blood Elf attack dogs have been driven from the main crew bays for now Prophet, but we sustained several casualties and cannot pursue them back into the sections of the ship they have fortified for fear of ambush!"
Stood at the complicated board of lights and other controls in the centre of the Ship's primary command deck, was a tall almost white skinned creature standing on cloven hooves for feet, bedecked in very well made but modest Priest robes.
"Despite the damage to our engines, the Light is with us my kin! We must continue to follow the path that I have seen in my visions. Azeroth will be our salvation!" There was a cheer from the gathered Draenei, though the desperation and weariness in its tone were clear for all to hear.
He didn't tell them that he was nowhere near certain in visions any longer, it was almost like something was muddying the threads of the future, something that he hadn't seen in all of the 25,000 years of his long life. Such news would surely break the spirit of his people, given what was riding on this plan.
If they were wrong about Azeroth, then the Draenei didn't really have another survival plan…
A/N: Progress! Both in terms of the Terran storyline, as well as advancing the 'official' storyline of Azeroth at the same time.
I have had multiple people asking about Anveena and the Sunwell, and I realised I fell into a trap I promised myself I would avoid, skimming details because I was aware of them. Sorry about that, and I hope my little PoV helped explain things a little.
We also start to dive deeper into the rabbit hole of changes in the WoW universe, with both Alliance and Horde factions now almost competing to aid the Blood Elves and therefore come out on top, in their efforts to sway the Blood Elves one way or another diplomatically.
After the arrival of King Magni and his bodyguards on their 'walk', I could see no recourse for Sylvanas but to ask Harry to portal her to Orgrimmar. Craftsmen and materials is something that the Horde can easily match the Dwarves in without issue, but a faction leader himself turning up to fight against the Scourge with you is definitely a step up.
So we have roughly 500 elite Dwarf warriors, approximately 400 elite Horde warriors and the two faction leaders launching an assault on one of the three Elven cities that were raised to the ground in the events of Warcraft 3. A very literal contest of quality versus quantity, and one that will be quite similar to WoW raids I imagine.
Harry doesn't think he can beat the two forces for kills of course, not without nearly killing himself (again!). But nothing stops infighting like the risk of losing the honour associated with the bet, so we will have Dwarves fighting with Orcs, Trolls and Tauren, which shall be fun to think how those mixed unit tactics will work together if nothing else.
All is not well in Quel'thalas though, or at least not behind the scenes. And one of the 'skeletons in the closet' is about to drop itself North West of Kalimdor, just when Harry plans to be visiting 'home' as Terra's Point is becoming. Complete coincidence that… :P
Big thanks to Treant Balewood, Eirik, Thomas Smith, Xerxes-Lopez and Druid, for being supporters of my work. I'm still getting goosebumps when I write stuff like that. :P And if anyone wants to become a Fanling of mine (see previous chapter and/or search 'Defiasstone2' on Google and select the website beginning with a P), I would be hugely grateful.
Anyway, let me know what you think boys and girls!
Defias Out!