Terra's Point, Desolace, Early Evening, 3 hours before 'The Plan'
Windfury, Harpy Queen
"Lady Windfury."
"Afternoon Ma'am."
Walking through the Terran Earth-walker encampment was something of a novel experience to Windfury.
Even with the few land-ste… Earth-walkers that she and her sisters had traded with before the arrival of the demon-walkers, the casual acceptance of her presence as she moved from the outer wall of the Terran stronghold was something she had only felt amongst her sisters before now.
Though, as she watched the small Black Dragon that served as Lord Potter-walker's mount settle in the tower it seemed to have claimed as it's own, Windfury supposed that she and her sisters were not the most dangerous creatures the Terran's interacted with anymore.
"Queen Windfury." Drawn from her musing by the use of her proper title, Windfury found herself facing Lady Bones-Walker, who was Lord Potter-walker's nest mate from Stormfire's reports.
"Lady Bones, Stormfire has spoke highly of you, and this place." Gesturing with a wing, Windfury took a half step backward to fully gesture at the fortress the Terrans had turned into a bastion.
As Harpy Queen of a desperate flock, Windfire had led two raids South in the search of resources and mates, though even the ramshackle wood and Iron structure that had previously stood here had been enough to put off her raiding party. When Stormfire had spoken to her of Lord Potter's work, she had mentioned his erection of an outer wall out of pure Earth, but the Terrans definitely seemed to have taken his initial work further.
"Thank you, thanks to the scouting your people carried out in Desolace and the surrounding areas we were able to bring through some of our architectural specialists through the Legion Outposts we purged. The Centaur attacks have forced us to postpone the planned Outer defences for the time being, though even they seem to be less eager to attack us now…" Given Stormfire's excited stories of hundreds of Centaurs being wiped out in several attacks with minimal injuries and damage to Terra's Point, Windfury wasn't surprised that the hordes had moved on to easier targets.
"The cloven ones like to target the weak and poorly defended. A place like this, it does not offer either of those. They will target any travelers to here however, and not all of your visitors can take to the air like my sisters and I."
Windfury knew it was petty of her to look down on the cloven ones, after all less than six changes of the moon prior she and her sisters had been similarly vicious and degenerate, but at least she could lay some of the blame for that on this strange curse the Terrans had found affecting her Matriarchy.
"That is true enough, Lady Jaina did mention being attacked on the way here, though thankfully she and her soldiers were able to deal with the attackers without many casualties." The name was unfamiliar to Windfury, but as she followed Bones-walker through the gateway into the inner area of the Terran Castle, she noticed there were a lot more people here than there had been on her only previous visit.
There were races she had only seen at a distance before, such as short stocky Earth-Walkers that were laying stones and using long pieces of notched wood to form several large squares and other shapes into the floor. But these new people didn't attract her attention for more than a few moments before her magical senses screamed threat towards the area she had heard Terrans refer to as 'the Citadel'.
Glancing in that direction, Windfury's gaze caught a pair of sky blue eyes staring piercingly in her direction from almost fifty metres away, the feeling of power to her magical senses similar to that she felt when Lord Potter-walker had released his concealed power.
"Jaina, there was no need for you to come down whilst I fetched Queen Windfury." Lady Bones-walker seemed entirely unaffected by the magical power the blue cloaked woman was casually giving off, striding half the distance between them before realising that Windfury hadn't followed her.
"The stories of you allying with a group of Harpies was something I wanted to see proof of as soon as possible, and I also thought my presence would help prevent any of my men getting too panicked. We were attacked by Harpies on our journey here after all." Several of the people helping with the building work had indeed stopped working to grab improvised weapons, some of them doing it a little more cautiously than others.
"You didn't mention that earlier Jaina, though I assure you…" Windfury was pleased to hear Lady Bones-Walker move to her defence, but knew that words wouldn't be enough to diffuse this tension before it could build.
"If you have any soldiers that could aid us, I will lead a hunting party against this other Matriarchy myself. The Terrans have aided us greatly, and I would not have such an issue cause problems for them if it can be avoided." The fact that she would be trying to capture as many of this other tribe as possible went unsaid, especially as it was something they had been forced to do with her own Matriarchy when she had been convinced of their curse.
Almost half of her Harpy's had been so lost to the feelings the curse amplified, that if it hadn't been for the squad of Terran Wizard-walkers helping to incapacitate them, Windfury knew she would have been forced to slay them.
She was eternally thankful that she hadn't needed to, especially as several of them were now roosting with fresh eggs to rejuvenate her tribe's numbers.
"There are more pressing matters to attend to right now, once Lord Potter returns that is, but I am sure some of my men at arms will be happy to assist in securing the roads. Do you know when he will be returning Lady Bones?" Clearly her offer had caught everyone by surprise, though this Lady Jaina was very good at masking that emotion even as she asked her next question.
"I'm here Jaina." The surprise Windfury had evoked with her offer was quickly surpassed as the familiar voice called out from above and in front of Windfury, all eyes rapidly following the sound to locate the source.
"Harry!" If asked, and even more unlikely given the opportunity to learn any of the Terran's magic, Windfury knew she would pick the teleporting method they used to learn first.
One second Lady Bones-walker was ten metres in front of her, the next she was slamming into Lord Potter-walker on top of the Citadel wall, the Terran-walker almost stumbling under the impact of the 'hug' so many of the ground-walkers seemed so fond of.
What was said between them was impossible to catch, but Windfury could pick out the change of expression on Lady Bones-walker's face as they continued to speak for several long moments, and the expressions weren't positive.
Lord Potter then raised his wand into the air, and fired off a spell that shot into the air like a fireball, before exploding into the shape of a strange bird that Windfury had never seen before.
Several moments later, a deep horn sound reverberated through the air, and suddenly the Terrans were downing tools and teleporting away or running towards the Citadel.
"Lady Proudmoore, Queen Windfury, if you could please follow me to the War Room…" The voice that spoke over the ringing sound in Windfury's ears was unfamiliar, as was the man who it seemed to come from, though he seemed to be unconcerned with whether they actually followed him as he turned and wandered towards the gateway.
The strangely ornate stick, that he seemed to be using to walk with, paused in it's clicking against the floor a moment later, as Jaina-walker spoke up rather abruptly.
"Lord Blaise, I must ask what this is about. I am here on an urgent matter…" To Windfury's surprise, this Blaise-walker merely paused for a moment, before turning and giving a smirk over his shoulder.
"We can discuss all matters in the War Room Lady Jaina, though the search for King Varian and this missing ship will unfortunately not have our complete attention for several more hours…" Windfury saw the look on Lady Jaina-walker's face at this announcement, and the look of shock was something that she would look back on with a smile for some time to come.
"You, how do you know…" There was no response from the crippled Terran-walker as he limped up into the Citadel, though Jaina-walker managed to get herself quickly under control as they weaved between people in the various corridors to their destination.
Windfury had some difficulty with that, given her wingspan was almost 4 metres and her wings couldn't exactly disappear on command, but the numerous Terran-walkers were considerate enough to give her as much of a wide berth as they could manage.
"Phantom teams 2 and 4 are attacking a group of Satyr about 50 miles to the East…"
"Scouts are reporting groups of Centaur to the South and East that will probably investigate…"
What had probably been the Feasting Hall of the old castle now had almost a dozen large tables spread throughout its confines, Terran-Walkers moving between the majority of them with parchment and maps in a controlled but hurried fashion.
In the centre of the hall was a table set apart from the others, and not just because of Lord Potter-walker being stood next to it. The table was not made of wood, like the others in the Hall, and instead formed from the stone floor of the hall itself.
The table also was at odds with all the others that Windfury had seen, the outer edges of the table higher than the parts on the inside, creating a lip around the entire table surface. Lord Potter-walker was already stood waiting for them, and Windfury made sure to drop into a Harpy bow as she reached the table, seeing as he was dressed in plate armour and seemingly ready for war.
Whilst they were allies now, and Windfury was forever grateful for what the Terran-walkers had done for her and her sisters, someone that powerful deserved suitable deference.
"Lord Potter-walker, Bones-walker said that you weren't to return for several more hours." Windfury had actually hoped to speak with Stormfire before this meeting, the young Harpy seemed to have adapted to her role with the Terrans remarkably quickly.
The question caused most of the assembled Terran-walkers to chuckle for some reason, though Lord Potter-walker and Blaise-walker silenced these quickly.
"Officially I'm not Windfury, and if the assistance you and Jaina can provide wasn't so important, we would have intended for that to be the case. Now, Susan, Jacques, have we shutdown all mirror communication outside Terra's point?" The grunt of affirmation from behind her was so sudden that Wingfury spun round and lashed out with a claw, it wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to assassinate her for the leadership of the Matriarchy after all.
The man that had made the noise managed to bring up some strange bladed stick to block her swipe, his pale faced expression never changing in the slightest as Windfury regained control of herself, something that just made her feathers itch even more.
There was no scent to this man, and as he moved round her to the available part of the table he made next to no noise, other than when he laid his strange stick on the table.
"All mirrors are accounted for, and all the lads in the field know what no response means, or the commanders do at any rate. We've informed the outpost at Ranazjar about the communications blackout, but the sooner I know what we can tell them the better. Is this to do with the Portal Magic you found with the Blood Elves?" Harry shook his head.
"No Jacques, and the battle at Quel'thalas was going well when I left. We will want to send a couple of teams when we send over a permanent ambassador. There's definitely enough work there to be done, and Lor'themar has insisted that any future work will be paid for, something about owing us too much already…"
"And whose fault is that?" Bones-walker's comment was full of humour, and Windfury joined in the laughs this time as she understood the joke.
"No denying that, though that favour is going to be need in the coming days. Now, enough jokes, given that a spaceship the size of a small city is going to crash into the Isles to the East of Darnassus before the day is over…" Windfury liked to think that she controlled her reaction to a bristling of her feathers and a slight gasp, but that was as much because she simply couldn't imagine what Lord Potter was trying to tell them.
"Impossible, how could you possibly know that Lord Potter?" It was as Lord Potter-walker reached to his neck that Windfury noticed another change in his dress.
"Lets just say that we have our way of getting warnings like this ahead of time…" Windfury wasn't fully understanding of Terran Magics, and whether they had some way of divining the future.
But as Lord Potter-walker seemed to notice what he was doing and dropped the hand, she was able to deduce something.
The necklace he was wearing, with a strange hourglass type pendant attached to it, probably had something to do with this warning...
Outskirts of the ruins of An'Owyn, Quel'thalas, 4 hours after the 'The Plan'
Magni Bronzebeard, King of the Dwarves, head of the Bronzebeard Clan
"Keep at it lads, for Khaz'Modan!" As his axe cut the an attacking ghoul in twain from shoulder to hip, with the accompanying eruption of blood and gristle spraying the ground next to him, Magni didn't even try and hide the grin that crossed his face.
Since becoming King of the Bronzebeard Clan, Magni could only remember half a dozen times that he had been involved in pitched battle like this, most of those incidents when the Burning Legion had attacked South in pursuit of those fleeing the fallen kingdom of Lordaeron. His blood was singing in his veins, and he hadn't felt this alive in decades.
"My King, I must insist that you do not charge forward so recklessly, if the Scourge swarm and the Horde abandon us…" The attempt at 'reasoning' drew a derisive snort from Magni's lips even as he backhanded a shambling corpse, the force of his blow tearing the former High Elf's head clean off it's body.
Thruggi Bronzebeard, his third cousin on his mother's side, had led a force of almost twenty Royal Guard forward from the established front line to ruin his fun. Even as he hefted his weapons, the Royal Guard cleared the area around him with brutal efficiency, so he turned to his clan brother and 'shield bearer' with a small sigh.
Royal Guard Captain Thruggi Bronzebeard was massive even by Magni's standards, many could confuse him for a short human if it weren't for the fact that his shoulders were as wide as an ox's, and probably twice as strong. The two handed hammer Thruggi wielded was a suitable weapon to match Thruggi's character, blunt and unsubtle, usually using volume and intimidation as opposed to subtlety or tactics in his arguments.
"Then we get to take part in a battle glorious enough to be recorded in the Hall of Reckoning, and show the Horde up in front of the Elves at the same time! They are here to try and impress their potential allies after all, and even Elves will find such a retreat honourless and cowardly. Besides, show me a dawri that is scared of a few rotting corpses!" As one, the entire contingent of Royal Guard that had come to 'aid' him bashed weapon against shield or armour and shouted their defiance of such an idea to the wind.
"Hard as stone, and twice as stubborn!" The cry was taken up by the other Dwarves further back into the hamlet a moment later, the cry attracting the remaining Scourge in the area to them with ease.
"So no more talk of betrayal and daggers lad, Thrall has more reason to see this fight through than we do. So skim the dross and let us get back to fighting, unless you want me to settle this like I did with the others?" Magni didn't think Thrall would do such a thing anyway, the Orc had seemed the honourable sort from the outset, and had even shared some small Orcish spirits with him after the War Council.
No one who shared good drink with effectively strangers could be all bad, and that was ignoring all the missives he had received from the lass Jaina over the last few months. Unlike Varian and even Tyrandre, Magni had no issues with Theramore signing a non-aggression treaty with the Horde, officially it was the only thing Theramore had with the Alliance as well, so it merely put them on a equal footing.
That hadn't stopped Varian from going on a 'diplomatic mission' to Theramore almost two weeks ago, something that still amused Magni, as Dwarves were meant to be the hot-headed blunt ones according to the so called 'stereotypes'. But as he looked at the stony faced look Thruggi cast him before backing down with a grunt, Magni knew that the rumours weren't as far off as he would prefer.
The other Dwarves had not been happy to work with the Orcs and the other members of the Horde, not exactly a surprise given the tension between the two factions at the best of times, so Magni had been forced to deal with a few 'objections' personally. Two of the Rangers that accompanied his Royal Guard on their 'walk' had been forced to remain in Silvermoon due to the results of those particular 'arguments', Magni had never been one to shirk in reminding people of his authority.
The cracked ribs and bruising would heal up quickly enough with the attention of the Blood Elf Priests, though the damage to their pride would be a lot longer in the fixing. Thruggi paled slightly at the thought, shaking his head gruffly and stepping back in deference.
"I thought as much, can't have my own Shieldbearers disagreeing with me all the time after all." Leaping forward in a powerful bound to crush a skeleton's ribcage to bone dust and fragments with his hammer, Magni suddenly found no more enemies to fight.
Given this was only a small hamlet type outpost near the former High Elven city of An'Owyn, Magni hadn't been expecting massive numbers of Scourge, especially with the Horde forces flanking around the sides of the hamlet to hamper any attempts at reinforcements. But there had been less than a thousand Scourge here, and only three rather weak necromancers marshalling them, which given the number of Nerubians and other 'elite' Scourge forces they had dealt with on the path from the river Elrendar made Magni a little apprehensive.
"Thruggi, take 100 Guard and as many Rangers as can be spared, secure the Southern Road and make sure no Scourge manage to re-infiltrate whilst the Blood Elves are cleaning house. Angus, take 50 men and link up with the nearest Horde forces to the West, Aerin will do the same to the East." Now that the battle had finished, Magni only had to raise his voice slightly for his orders to be heard by his three Royal Guard captains, the other two approaching from where they had been leading different sections of the Dwarven force.
As Angus Stonehammer was the Commander of Magni's Royal Guard, and had been a member of the Royal Guard even in his father's time, the grizzled veteran would normally have been assigned the defence of the Southern road as a matter of deference. But Angus was also one of the most patient Dwarves Magni had at his disposal, which would be needed to prevent any issues from arising between the two forces, something a 'rockhead' like Thruggi wouldn't understand.
"And leave you to charge off with only a single Shieldbearer and 20 Royal Guard to stop you doing something foolish?" The amused sarcasm of Guard Captain Aerin Ironfist showed that whilst Angus was more than happy with the assignments, the youngest of his Guard Captain's was more than prepared to let her concerns in the manner she had clearly learned from her uncle.
The first female member of the Royal Guard, her skill with the twin axes she lovingly referred to as 'her babies' was only matched by her skill in combat and lack of respect for authority, something that caused the Ironforge Longbeards no small amount of frustration at the best of times.
"I was actually going to return to Regent Lor'themar to let him know the area is secure for his people to come and reclaim what they can, but if you want to be a glorified messenger I will take the East instead brat…" Magni wouldn't actually send Aerin even if she continued to aggravate him as much as Storri did most of the time, it could be seen as a diplomatic slight by the Elves if they were forced to deal with 'a common messenger', but she didn't know that.
As Aerin pointedly looked away from him, adjusting her plate armour that she had made as gender neutral and unflattering as possible to avoid becoming a 'booty warrior for all you old letchers', Magni knew he had won that argument.
"Besides, best the Blood Elves are ready for when we make a move towards the City itself…" Magni gestured to the South, the ruined spires and towers of Northern An'Owyn stood above the mist that seemed to dominate the landscape the further South they moved.
Whilst Magni was confident that his Royal Guard could hold their own against most enemies, a city like that would have held hundreds of thousands of souls during its prime. Even if only a small portion of the dead remained there under the command of the Scourge, the numbers would overwhelm them if they weren't careful.
"Agreed, their archers will be useful for support, even if we have to rely on the Horde to hold the flanks…" Thruggi trailed off as Aerin cuffed him over the head before Magni got the chance, the three Captains dispersing a moment later to carry out his orders.
It took several moments for the Royal Guard to split themselves between the different forces, but soon Magni was left with 25 Royal Guard and seven Rangers, gathered under the weathered glower of Ragnus Shieldhand. Ragnus was the only member of his shieldbearers not to be a Royal Guard Captain, though that was by the grumpy Dwarf's choice, rather than a lack of strength or ability.
"Right lads, let's go tell the Elves we have done their work for them again, and then we can get back to the good stuff. Ragnus, who is winning the competition by the way?" Ragnus paused for a second, speaking to the seven Rangers that acted as the wily Dwarf's eyes and ears amongst the rest of the Royal Guard, before looking back to him with his usual lack of good cheer.
"Ignoring yourself, as you instructed boss, Aerin is currently in the lead with 147 personal kills, though Angus is close behind with 132 kills. Obviously his beard is so long now he is struggling to fight with it effectively." The competition was something that Magni often used when he had missions or tasks for his Royal guard, offering prizes or acknowledgement to those that did well, and keeping a sense of pride and achievement amongst the Dwarves under his command.
"As expected then, I assume you have deliberately kept yourself from taking part?" As they began to move Northwards, Magni threw an amused glance in the direction of the Dwarf whose favourite phrases were 'honour is for the young, the dead and the deluded' and 'if it takes more than one strike to kill an opponent, either you are playing with it, or you're not worth mud on my boots'.
"Of course not, I have no time for such games, though I am sure Uruz and Hagalez will see action again soon enough…" Ragnus patted the pair of trench knives at his belt, the one named 'Strength' with a box like hilt guard, whilst 'Suffering' was slightly larger and had a wicked serrated edge to it that Magni had forged himself.
"Depends on what news the Elves have, though given the lack of a counter attack so far, I can't imagine they have launched their rescue attempt yet." The two continued to talk as they moved almost 2 miles North of the hamlet.
Well, Magni talked and mostly got grunts out of his spymaster and assassin guard, but it passed the time. And, more importantly, it distracted him from the oppressive nature of their surroundings.
Compared to the warmth and sunshine near to the City of Silvermoon itself, which as he cast a glance in it's direction was still enjoying the almost magical weather, the area that Magni and his men were fighting was overcast with dark clouds. There were persistent showers of ice cold rain, merely adding to the bone chilling mist that seemed to get thicker the further south they went.
Whether this was some large scale enchantment the Scourge Necromancers had created as a passive defence against attacks, or merely a side effect of the oppressive levels of Death Magic filling the air around them, didn't really matter to Magni and the other warriors.
"Well, colour me green and call me a goblin, the pansies aren't quite as slow as I thought they would be…" Ragnus' comment, which given what had happened to the last Dwarf to drunkenly refer to him as a member of the diminutive greenskin race was as morbid as it was funny, brought Magni to his actual concern about the difficult conditions in the area.
Dozens of former corpse carts had been converted into salvage wagons by the Blood Elves, thousands of Blood Elf civilians and workers literally stripping the land behind their advance bare, many digging the ground up behind the initial waves of workers to extract the corpses of their fallen brethren. It was a grim task, made worse by the poor weather conditions and oppressive atmosphere, but the Blood Elves were going about their work with an efficiency that could only come with experience paid in sweat and blood.
The wagons were mostly full to the point that the horses, or in some cases teams of Blood Elf workers, were struggling to pull them through the uneven ground. Which, given Magni's suspicions about the onslaught of Scourge awaiting them in An'Owyn, was something he needed to speak to the Lord Regent about.
The Lord Regent wasn't hard to find, the man working alongside his fellow workers at the forefront of the reclamation process. Lor'themar was dressed in dragon leather armour, which was a far cry from its original pristine state, with all the mud and gore the Elf Lord had obviously been handling. His bodyguards weren't as eager to 'muck in', two of them carrying banners that made the Lord Regent's location stick out like a Elf in a Dwarven tavern.
Magni could see the imposing figure of Thrall, made all the more obvious given his wolf mount Snowsong, moving towards the Lord Regent from off to his left. Obviously his fellow leader had a similar desire to discuss their strategy.
"Ragnus, you're with me, the rest of you wait here." Given the Warchief was riding alone, Magni didn't want to give the impression he didn't trust his Blood Elf hosts by swarming the upcoming meeting with guards.
That, and it would be the nice break he had been looking for since starting this 'walk'. Whilst Magni would never complain about being with his Dwarven brethren, there was a difference between friends sharing beer and guards who acted in many ways like a mobile prison. That sense of freedom, the chance to go out and do what he liked for the reasons he wanted, was something he could only clasp for a few minutes these days
Another point of character that Magni felt he might share with the young Lord Potter, Magni thought with a grunt of morbid amusement, as his roving gaze settled on the Blood Elves working to tear down the ruined village that had been close to the base of the Bleeding Ziggurat. The ziggurat was nothing more than magic and ash on the wind now, the intimidating Scourge defensive structure used by Lord Potter as a rather impressive display of his powers…
*Flashback*
At the head of almost a thousand elite warriors from the two most powerful groups on Azeroth, Magni still had more than a little cautious respect for the man who had lead them South from the major crossing of the River Elrendar and into Scourge Territory. Lord Potter had lead at a distance, even his Naga companion following almost a hundred yards behind, which was a good enough reason for Magni to do the same.
Lord Potter hadn't even drawn his weapons as the first wave of Scourge rose from their resting places to attack, hundreds of corpses and skeletons in various levels of decay and most pitifully armed with little more than broken weapons and clubs. The hum… the Terran had merely cast off his cloak, which proceeded to float behind him like some kind of terrifying shadow, and the touch of Death fell upon the battlefield.
Magni had encountered powerful Death Magic users before of course, several times the Scourge had tried to launch attacks South during the Legion invasion, some of their most powerful warriors and mages at the head of the onslaught. But even the Death Knight Magni had dueled at the height of the final Scourge assault hadn't given such a feeling of… foreboding.
Corpse turned on corpse, dozens of the Scourge turning on their fellows at a muttered word from the Terran, entire groups of Scourge disappearing at the same time as the very ground itself opened to consume them in an instant.
Glancing across, as drawing his weapons seemed a little pointless, Magni saw that Thrall was similarly impressed with Lord Potter's display of power. Regent Lor'themar however, stood in between the two of them just as his rangers separated the Horde from the Dwarf forces for the time being, didn't even bat an eyelid.
After slaughtering the first wave of attackers single handedly, Lord Potter had lead them further South at a constant pace, his stride not slowing even as Scourge attackers charged towards him, his companions working to protect him as much as his powers now.
Watching as the Naga girl summoned a small spring of water from the ground, before using the now available water to create a crushing wave of water that swept away a pack of ghouls and dozens of walking corpses, Magni could understand why Lord Potter wasn't concerned with the Scourge cannon fodder in the slightest.
So when Lord Potter stopped suddenly, at the top of a small rise that had once been part of the main road through Quel'thalas, it was clear Magni wasn't the only one surprised. Lord Potter's companions were amongst the few not surprised from the looks of things, even Storri merely shrugging to himself imperceptibly before slamming a meaty fist into the chest of a skeleton trying to attack him with a rusty blade.
Then Lord Potter started chanting, with a deep grating voice that sounded like that of a demon rather than a human, and the speed at which the Naga and the Blood Elf pulled Storri away from the Terran was as impressive as it was disturbing. The dozens of remaining Scourge charged towards the now undefended mage, only for the front ranks to collapse like the rag dolls his youngest clanlings were so fond of. The remaining Scourge followed a moment later, the dark nimbus of energy surrounding Lord Potter growing in size and intensity, Death Magic so strong that Magni could taste it on the wind.
But even as the spell Lord Potter was conjuring grew, over several minutes of chanting and rather wild hand motions, the oppressive feeling that had been slowly weighing down Magni's mood and soul as they marched South lessened little by little. So, despite the grumblings of his warriors about 'unnatural' and 'the mad Umgi going to kill them all' Magni quietened them with a roving sharp look.
If his look didn't stop the muttering, then Lord Potter releasing the spell in the direction of the Ziggurat certainly did. What had been an orb the size of a human torso became a steam tank sized bolt of destruction, arcing towards the imposing tower with remarkable speed. …
*Flashback End*
It had certainly been an impressive display, though Magni had caught the blood trickling down the Terran's face from both his nose and his left eye, before Lord Potter could vanish the evidence with a wave of his wand. The fight had obviously taken a lot of the young lord, as he had teleported away with his companions shortly afterwards.
Storri had gone with them, not that such impulsive behaviour from the abrasive Dwarf had surprised anyone amongst the Dwarf ranks. Still, between the five of them they had killed hundreds of Scourge, something that had fired up both the Horde and the Dwarfish forces to do their own reaping in the name of honour and competition.
Still, now was not the time to be reminiscing on the work of others.
The loose line of Farstriders that acted as the initial line of defence parted to allow him passage, though the team of elite Silvermoon Guardians that surrounded the area the Lord Regent was working in were a different story. Forced to leave a muttering Ragnus behind the Guardian line, Magni wasn't particularly surprised when Lor'themar spoke to him without even looking up from his work.
"King Magni. Warchief Thrall was just informing me of the assault's progress, though he has concerns about the lack of serious opposition from the Scourge. Our scouts reported large numbers of their elite forces leaving Deathholme shortly after we began this reclamation, but there has been no sign of them yet." Lor'themar dusted flecks of ash and mud from his Dragon Leather armour as best he could, leaving the collecting of some scrap equipment to his brethren to talk with the two leaders face to face.
"Our infiltration forces teleported into the outskirts of Deathholme, so we need to keep the attention of the Scourge here for as long as we can." Looking over to Thrall, who had dismounted for the discussion and was stood looking over the reclamation with a grim look on his face, Magni realised the Orc was giving him the chance to speak.
"Aye, we still haven't seen anything that could be considered elite Scourge forces, a few Necromancers here and there. They were dealt with easily enough. I am not sure what the Warchief's opinion is, but I would not be surprised if the main Scourge forces are waiting for us inside the city ruins themselves." Thrall gave a gruff noise of what seemed to be agreement, the Orc now eyeing the skyline in the direction of An'Owyn before grabbing a small bowl from his belt.
"The spirits of this place are fleeing from something to the South West of here." Thrall muttered several words in Orcish under his breath, before pouring a small amount of water from his water skein into the bowl.
The water swirled in the bowl for several moments, despite the fact that Thrall was holding the bowl perfectly still, before a flash of lightning was followed by the smell of ozone filling the air.
"Gol'kosh, that is a lot of enemies…" The Orc shaman gestured with his free hand for a few moments, obviously manipulating the spell he was using, but the initial reaction was telling enough for Magni.
"Lord Regent, whatever Thrall is seeing, I imagine it is at least part of the Scourge forces your scouts saw moving out from Deathholme. I would move the workers back Lord Regent, the last thing we need is to be defending them when we bring the thunder!" Given the armaments of some of his Royal Guard, as well as his own abilities, Magni didn't doubt their chances against a force even ten times the size of his own on an open battlefield.
But they had already been fighting for more than two hours, and if the stories of the attack on Silvermoon were even remotely accurate, then his lads were more likely outnumbered 100 to 1 rather than 10 to 1. Magni enjoyed a brawl as much as the next Dwarf, but the loss of any Dawi would be a devastating result to what was otherwise the best 'walk' Magni had been on in years.
"High Guardian Redwing, sound the retreat and summon our reserve forces." Lor'themar's order clearly wasn't popular amongst his kin, several of the Guardians having to disguise frowns or muttering a little mutinously amongst themselves.
Their desire to destroy the Scourge and retake their homeland was understandable, but this wasn't a battle to be won in a day.
"What the… Incoming!" The call had them all on edge in an instant, and as he was facing the North whilst talking to Lor'themar Magni saw what had prompted the call before the other two leaders.
A flash of light shot across the sky, far larger and brighter than any meteor shower Magni had ever seen previously. Whilst such a large object impacting on Azeroth was a major concern, the more immediate concern was the dozens of smaller meteors that were shooting down across Quel'thalas' landscape and beyond.
"Brace yourselves!" Even as Magni bellowed his warning, Azeroth moved under the impact of the smaller meteorites.
One advantage of being a Dwarf was steady footing even in difficult conditions, so Magni was able to keep standing as those around him stumbled or fell, until the larger meteorites fell at least.
"Not aimed at us…" Magni muttered to himself, eyes tracking the impact of at least three larger meteorites across the landscape to the North of them, impacting in a line that followed the direction the large Meteor had followed.
It was a second or so after the larger Meteorites hit that the shockwaves hit them, even Magni being forced to one knee to steady himself, but that passed in a few moments.
As the dust settled and the shaking abated, Magni forced himself to his feet once more.
"By the Earth mother's saggy tits…" It was a very rare thing for Magni to let his control slip completely, but he doubted anyone near him was aware enough to catch his slip up.
The Blood Elves had been relatively lucky, with only a few small impact craters spread haphazardly amongst their forces. But the screaming that his battered eardrums could make out made it clear they hadn't gotten away unscathed.
Lor'themar was on the floor, obviously having lost his balance and unable to stablise himself with his single arm, whilst Thrall was on a single knee, hands planted into the Earth and magic pouring off him. Given the reports Ragnus 'compiled' on the various members of the Horde, Magni guessed the Warchief was responsible for the shockwaves being smaller than he had expected.
"My King!" The cry made Magni spin round, catching sight of his spymaster even as the older Dwarf pointed to the nearest impact site, which was less than 200 metres south of where the leaders had been meeting.
It was one of the larger impacts in the area, and Magni could make out some kind of object in the crater that had been formed. It was at least four times the size of a corpse cart, and Magni suspected that the item was buried considerably into the Earth as well.
"Ragnus, with me!" Given the memories of Infernals raining from the sky during the Legion invasion, Magni was more than a little cautious about what the meteorite could actually have been.
Moving into a steady run, Magni moved through the still recovering Blood Elves with ease, many of them clearly dazed by the numerous impacts around them and struggling to stand.
Cresting the ridge, formed on the edge of the crater by the impact, it took a few moments for the dust to clear. As his eyes pierced the haze, Magni raised his weapons defensively, as something moved from the body of the meteorite towards him.
The sounds of hooves striking metal was not a positive sign, and as the figure staggered out of the dust, the horn like shapes that Magni could make out on it's head nearly made Magni growl and charge forward.
But as the blue creature fell to one knee, decked out in chain armour with the ornate handle of a two handed sword over his shoulder, the hand not keeping it from the floor was suddenly encased in Light.
"King Magni!" Ragnus' call heralded his arrival at the scene, even as the Light washed over the creature's body.
Ragnus obviously sighted the creature a moment later, as the grizzled spymaster was suddenly in front of Magni, blades sparking against each other as the creature's eyes shot up in their direction.
"Krokol Draenor, Archenon poros." To Magni's surprise, the creature didn't reach for his weapon or snarl in their direction.
In fact, as it pushed itself to its feet with far more steadiness than it had shown moments before, something akin to a smile transformed its face from terrifying into something almost human.
"Ragnus, stand down. I don't think this thing is wanting to fight us… By the forge, it uses Light powers." Which ruled out demons, or it did as far as Magni knew, and the Scourge as well.
Whilst Light powers didn't mean the creature was 'good', Magni had fought several Scarlet Crusade fanatics that were amongst the cruelest beings he had ever encountered, it was enough to stop him jumping to conclusions.
"Achal Hecta." His patience seemed to rewarded a moment later, as the creature spoke once more and bowed slightly in their direction, before it's grin faded and it looked back to the meteorite.
It muttered something else, that Magni didn't quite catch, before it moved back towards the meteorite. Now the impact dust had cleared, Magni could tell that it wasn't a natural meteorite, but instead what looked like part of a building. A building made of purple crystal and light coloured metal, the connections between the two fused in a way that he would have thought impossible through natural means.
Even after such a heavy impact, the building fragment was in remarkably good shape, no doubt due to the arrays of runes that Magni could see crisscrossing it's surface. It seemed to be part of a chamber, with several strangely shaped boxes arrayed across the fragmented wall Magni could see.
"My King, the meteor, there are more of the creatures…" Ragnus' comment focussed Magni on what his somewhat groggy mind was struggling to grasp.
Each of the boxes Magni had noted were covered in the same runes as the rest of the building fragment, along with a large pane of what looked like glass across the top third of each box.
Two of the five intact boxes were dark, whilst a sixth was missing its front, showing an inside of what looked slightly like a coffin... or an operating table. In the remaining boxes, the faces of three more creatures were visible, one of which was what Magni assumed was the creature's version of a female judging by its features.
The creature was working on something in front of the nearest box that had no active runes on it, the air of urgency in it's movements making Magni realise that the darkened boxes probably contained the creature's comrades as well, and that the lack of lights was not a good sign.
"Do you speak Common? Can we help?" Speaking slowly and loudly, Magni placed his hammer and axe on the ground and stepped down into the crater, waving Ragnus back as he attempted to follow him.
"I speak little your language, though words of Sin'dorei demons not expected." The words came from the creature's with a tone that carried heavy emotion in it's inflection, and the emotions did not seem to be positive in nature.
"Sin'dorei? Shit…" Ragnus' muttering mirrored Magni's own thoughts, the implications that the Blood Elves had interacted with these creatures before was not positive news given the reaction.
Before he had a chance, to get Ragnus to go warn the Blood Elves away, the sound of movement at the top of the crater made the creature turn towards them once more.
"King Magni, what is thi…" Lor'themar's words were cut off as the creature, who had been passive and almost friendly so far, roared in anger and grabbed it's weapon.
"SIN'DOREI!" Magni knew that things were about to get violent, but he risked a single glance up at the Lord Regent, the hate in the creature's voice making one thing clear.
Something had happened between the two races, and it had been bad enough that the creature would instantly turn to violence. The only thing that was preventing Magni from thinking the worst, was the look of complete unfiltered shock that crossed Lor'themar's face in response to the creature's fury, the Lord Regent clearly had no idea what caused such a reaction.
"Ragnus, get them back!" Magni had no time to say anything else, he was effectively now in an combat arena with an armed opponent who clearly had an axe to grind.
Holding his hands up, in what he hoped the creature would take as a non-aggressive gesture, Magni spoke with a firm calmness that was backed up by his body posture.
"Peace creature. The Sin'dorei will not approach. First, rescue your people. Then, we talk." How much of what he said was understood by the creature he wasn't sure, but the response seemed to surprise the creature enough for it to calm down a little.
"You ally with Demons, though you speak of peace. You come without weapons, but are prepared to fight. Either you are of honour and brave, and deceived by them, or you lie like Sin'dorei." The creature gripped it's blade hilt with both hands, and for a second Magni thought it might charge him, but a high pitched whine from one of the boxes behind the creature made it spin around.
"The door is jammed, it needs to be moved." Suddenly there was a face at the glass of one of the darkened boxes, muffled screaming echoing out from the box, the creature sprinting over to the box and trying to open it through brute strength.
Magni didn't waste any time asking further questions, the creature in the box was clearly in a lot of pain and the other creature was clearly having no luck removing the 'door' to the box. Covering the unstable and uneven ground with an ease that came with years of practice, Magni was next to the creature in moments.
His hands found the seams of the box, well fitted to the point that in normal circumstances he would have struggled to find purchase, and pulled. The creature was strong, such was obvious by it's size and gait, but Magni's strength was renowned amongst the Bronzebeard clan for a reason.
There was a screeching sound, metal twisting against metal in an unnatural manner, but even then the box would not open, the door separating a mere few inches from the rest of the container. A strange gas poured from the chamber, and Magni hissed as it passed over his fingers, the feeling akin to the times the steam from the furnaces had burnt his skin as a youngling.
"Aloc'hai, Aloc'hai!" The screaming transformed into whimpering that Magni didn't understand, obvious the gas had done as much harm to the creature inside as it had to his hands.
For a moment, Magni was tempted to transform into his Avatar form, the extra strength such a form would provide easily enough to rip the box apart.
"For the Horde!" Thrall's shout stopped Magni, the sound of movement from behind them the only warning they had before the shaft of Doomhammer planted itself in the gap they had generated in the door.
The Warchief's momentum on the haft of the honoured weapon was enough to tear the door entirely open, Magni and the creature falling back in a rather undignified heap. The creature that had been trapped in the box fell to the floor whimpering, though as Magni forced himself to his feet once more, he could see the creature trying to crawl away from the now frozen Warchief.
"Draenei…" The word fell from Thrall's lips like an insult to the dead at a funeral, the mail clad creature bulling past Magni to stand between the fallen creature and Thrall.
"Pheta vi acahachi! Man'ari…" (Light give me strength! Unclean Creature/demon)
Light poured from the creature, a Draenei Magni assumed by what Thrall had said, and it seemed two or three seconds from swinging it's redrawn greatsword at the Warchief.
"Enough!" Magni was tired of being in the dark about what was going on, especially when they had bigger problems to deal with than whatever feud was going on here.
The Draenei turned slightly, no doubt to snarl about some past hatred or other, but Magni had activated his Avatar form. Suddenly half again the size of the Draenei, Magni blocked the reactionary swing of the zweihander with a stoney hand, before wresting the blade and it's owner into the air.
"I have no idea what this is all about, and honestly right now I don't care. We have hundreds of thousands of Scourge coming towards us, based on our previous scout reports, who will not care about race or history. As you seem to have bad blood, with both the Orcs and the Blood Elves, I will send some of my men to aid you in retrieving your kin before we withdraw." The Draenei seemed to realise Magni wasn't releasing his weapon any time soon, so it dropped to the floor in a wary combat stance.
"Scourge? What is this you speak of? The only scourge is that of the treacherous Orcs!" Magni's response was cut off by the sounds of horns in the distance, the signal that a large force of Scourge had been engaged by the Horde/Dwarf combined forces.
"You will see soon enough no doubt. Thrall, your wolf will allow you to return to the front lines faster than I can."
Magni pointed at where his hammer was lying on the ground further up the crater.
"Take my hammer, the Captains will listen to you in my stead. If they can, withdraw back here before they engage the Scourge. I will get the Lord Regent to contact Lady Sylvanas, we may need Lord Potter's portals to summon additional reinforcem…" Before Magni could say anymore, Azeroth moved once more, in a manner far less violent than the initial meteor storm they had suffered through.
Though the time lapse meant the distance from the crash site was considerable, and for them to still feel it meant…
"The Exodar… My people…" And then, one of the lit up boxes began to emit the same shrill whistle as before, and Magni moved his massive stone form in that direction without asking for instruction.
And here he thought this walk was going to be boring…
Conclave of the Druids, Teldrassil, Just before Sunset (Roughly the same time)
Blaise Zabini, Terran Advisor and Diplomat
"And after the insults that your Lord has heaped on us, including consorting with the vile Naga beasts and threatening the Arch-druid himself, you now come here and talk of a treaty between our peoples!" Blaise honestly thought he had dealt with the very worst that politics could bring to bear.
Between pampered Slytherin students who thought they were Salazar Slytherin reincarnated, to Harry bloody Potter's attempts at 'diplomacy', Blaise knew that he would be lucky to get to 70 before the stress killed him.
Either that, or if the group of Elder druids he was 'negotiating' with carried on with this show-boating, he might do Azeroth a favour and take them all down with him.
"I understand that you have some concerns about the Naga exile that was brought here through no choice of her own. And I have apologised on the behalf of Lord Potter for his conduct soon after arriving to this world, he is a warrior, not a person skilled with people…" Blaise didn't believe what he was saying for a moment, but that had never stopped him in the past.
"A warrior, that is most true. Though he certainly has skills beyond the battlefield, we of the Thistlefur clan know that well. Our clan has joined with remnants of several other clans due to the defences and living spaces provided by Lord Potter, something that brings warmth to these old bones." The words of Vera Darksnout certainly helped to take the proverbial wind out of the Night Elf Druid's posturing, for the moment at least.
Blaise had traveled to the Thistlefur Enclave on his way to Darnassus, because one could not have too many allies in this strange new land, and he had been shocked by the work Harry had done.
Either his 'leader' had been holding back considerably during his time on Earth, or his powers had grown significantly since his arrival here. Blaise had heard of the battles against the Scourge in Quel'thalas of course, but given the pedestal Susan put her… partner on at times, he had assumed the battles had been on a much smaller scale than she had described.
The Furbolg fortress that Harry had created was large enough to house hundreds of Furbolgs if needed, and Blaise had seen signs of Furbolg expansion beyond its walls during his visit.
"My Lord was impressed with your race's appreciation for the natural world and it's resources, even when they had been corrupted by the fell touch of the Legion. He will no doubt be glad to hear about the benefits his work has provided your people, and if the Terran people can be of further assistance I can relay any requests on your behalf."
Though the combined Furbolg clan remnants barely numbered in the hundreds for the moment, mostly the elders of the clan and younglings, there were quite a few powerful magic users amongst their number, and other Furbolgs were arriving every few days with the news of a safe haven for their kind.
"And yet, neither he or you have not requested any recompense for your aiding of the Furbolgs, and the Thistlefur tribe are not the only group Lord Potter has 'aided'." Looking away from the group of Elder druids, who were sat on one side of the table and who had dominated the talks so far today, Blaise found himself looking at Filandia Treebloom.
Short, for a Night Elf at least, Filandia's dark green hair was tinted with grey flecks that belied her status as the oldest Night Elf Priestess of Elune present. There were only three priestesses present, a sign of faith from Tyrande perhaps, or a sign that Druids had turned out in force simply to be difficult.
"It is a common religious belief amongst many Terrans that kindness, given in the expectation of a reward, is not kindness at all. Whilst Lord Potter is not religious, he has alway been one to help those he can, when he can." The fact that Blaise didn't agree with that kind of mentality went unsaid, if those he was speaking to couldn't read between the lines, he felt no need to enlighten them.
"The topic of religion was discussed briefly with the previous Terran to visit us, though Lady Bones stated she wasn't a practicing follower of the main Terran Religions. Therefore, she declined to provide information on them to us, in case the information that she had was incorrect or outdated…" There wasn't an obvious accusation or signs of anger in the tone of Filandia's statement, but the way the very air in the meeting hall seemed to still made it clear to Blaise that this was an area that could cost the Terran's a lot of support if handled poorly.
Harry had of course not commented on the fact that Religion was a key part of Night Elf Society and Culture, though Blaise had surmised some hint of it's importance given the structure of the two ruling groups. The depth of the impact Religion had amongst the Night Elf culture was becoming all too apparent, and perhaps a little later than Blaise would have personally wanted.
"Unfortunately, most Magical practitioners on Earth aren't heavily religious, as many of the Religions there consider Magic to be the work of demons and inherently evil. Naturally, that means all of the more 'devout' religious Terrans perished during the Legion's invasion, as many of them viewed us as the reason for the Legion's attack. I am sure that those religious practitioners that remain will be glad to meet and discuss things in depth with learned individuals like yourself Priestess, many have had their religious beliefs quite heavily shaken during these last few years."
Blaise would never be a believer in religion, it just did not appeal to him, but the fact that Priests and Priestesses could actually summon the favour of their Gods here would gain them a lot of converts amongst the Terrans. Certainly, the followers of 'The Light' would appeal to Christians on principle if nothing else.
"I see. As long as the Terran leadership do not object to any of your kind that come to worship Elune, and that should it be desired our Priestesses can come and visit believers as is need, this should not be an issue." Whilst Filandia seemed pacified by Blaise's comment for the moment, the troubled expressions on the other priestesses faces indicated that this would continue to be a key topic.
There was a sudden knock at the door, something that Blaise guessed was one of his Terran guards, given it was the three-one-three code to indicate an urgent issue that he could not delay on.
"Who is intruding on our meeting? I thought you said that contact with your people was temporarily cut off human, so whatever it is it cannot be…" The Druid that was talking, Stonepalm or something else ironically suitable, cut off as the door was suddenly blasted open with a remarkable application of force.
"Sorry Blaise, but according to Susan 'time is precious for the two of us'…" Blaise's annoyance at Harry's abrupt appearance disappeared as the code phrase that had only been used twice before made him reach for his neck.
With the complete destruction of the Ministry, in a move that everyone assumed was Arthur Weasley's final 'hurrah', time turners and other ministry related artefacts became almost impossible to obtain. There were only two Time Turners that Blaise knew about, one used by Hermione and her research teams almost constantly, and the other sat around his neck.
It was a Zabini family heirloom, and Harry had been generous enough to secretly nominate him guardian of the item. If the Burning Legion found out that they had artefacts that could control time…
"Understood, Prophetess Luna has received another of her visions?" That was why secrecy was of utmost importance, and why Luna's 'visions' were now regarded with something approaching awe by the general Terran public.
"What is this nonsense about visions? Or is this another 'secret' power that you Terrans will claim was common on your world, along with being able to talk the tongue of the Naga!" Stonepalm evidently wasn't enjoying being ignored, but Harry continued to do so as he looked at his wrist, the mirror enchanted to act as a watch as well as a communication device.
"We have three minutes I think, that should be enough time to get them outside to see this 'nonsense' in person. I have Jaina Proudmoore and her apprentice in the harbour, as well as other forces securing Auberdine and any other notable settlements that might be affected by the impact." Blaise knew that Harry was trying to tell him things, but all he could think of as he stepped outside was…
"That's rather large…" As the fireball passed over their heads, Blaise grabbed Harry's arm, trusting him to know where he was going.
Harry's apparation skills had improved, probably through excessive practice, so Blaise only stumbled slight as they appeared in unfamiliar territory. It took a second for Blaise to work out where they were, and another to notice another key detail.
"Potter, why in Merlin's name…" Blaise didn't have a chance to say anything else, as Harry was already at work, the tip of several of the large hills to the East of their position dipping and disappearing entirely.
Leaving a free line in their direction, as the massive meteor Harry had obviously been talking about bounced on the ocean once, and then twice, before flinging itself rather ominously towards them…
!"£$%^&*()_+
Western Coast, Azuremyst Isle, Sunset
Harry Potter, Phantom of Earth
Sweat poured down Harry's face as the meteorite skidded across the length of the Azuremyst Isle, sinking further and further into the specially softened Earth he and the other Terrans had been working on for several hours.
Returning from Silvermoon, only to find the entirety of Terra's point on lockdown and the Phantoms gathered in force, had been an experience to say the least. Supposedly his future self hadn't been clear on why they had to be so gentle with this massive hunk of crystal and metal, but Harry assumed it was because of something or someone aboard it.
The first of the Eastern Azuremyst 'Mountains' disappeared under the sheer momentum of the meteor, it's core crisscrossed with passages to reduce the damage to the meteor. It was barely two thousand yards from where he and Blaise were stood now, as it impacted two further mountains with such force that a shockwave erupted from the impact points. Blaise's shield protected the two of them, as Harry expended all his consciousness on preventing the meteor sinking too much into the earth.
If there was something alive on that thing, being buried hundreds of metres beneath the Earth wouldn't be very helpful to rescuing them…
The meteor broke through the two mountains, carving a path between them like an angry god, though as it hit the third and last mountain it's momentum seemed to be spent, beaching itself like a whale, the tip of what now was clearly a massive crystal spire sliding over the tip of the mountain and dominating Harry's vision.
Dropping to one knee, and letting the Earthen spire they had been stood on slowly descend back to Earth, Harry's mind and battered eardrums just made out Blaise laughing like a madman, before the Slytherin appeared in his vision and gestured at the spire.
"You crazy bastard, next time just tell me you want to get yourself killed!" Harry would have replied that he knew they would have been fine, Susan mentioned seeing both of them of course, but he was honestly too tired to do anything else than kneel there and breath right now.
"Well, why did I even have to… Oh, right." Blaise turned from shouting to the world and seemed to notice his exhausted state, his advisor transfiguring a bed from some rocks nearby and levitating him onto it.
"I assume phantom teams are already on the Island ready to move in?" Harry nodded, knowing that the Phantom teams had also been working to migrate some of the native animals and Owlbear tribes out of the path of the meteor. Some of them had no doubt still been caught in the impact, but they had to try.
"I'll send the signal and hand the search over the Jacques, then I will be back here to ensure we 'get back' in time…"
Harry honestly lost track of what Blaise was saying at that point, just about managing to have some Mage water before dropping off to sleep, trusting in whatever spells and wards Blaise would have erected before he left.
He'd just helped land a meteorite the size of a city, he deserved some rest…
!"£$%^&*()_+
The Grotto, Somewhere below the Pennines, Midnight
?, ?
Slipping through the crowds of refugees, which had been evacuated from the 3 bases in the US that had fallen in the last two weeks, a man strode with purpose and intent.
"They're saying that someone on the bases let the Demons in, summoning a portal inside the wards…"
"I heard the cultists were all cut down to a man by security forces, but they couldn't reach the gate…"
The gossiping of the civilians around him made him smile as he dodged round a young couple trying to sleep on the floor, though that smile was anything but benevolent.
The cultists that had been killed were merely enchanted non-magicals, their entire purpose to convince everyone that they were safe from further infiltration. Judging by the increased patrols and inspections being carried out by the soldiers here, those in command obviously didn't feel quite as secure, not that it would matter.
His masters had already rewarded him handsomely for the work he and his coven had carried out in the United States, but that had merely been the prelude to his biggest reward.
"Padre, do you have time to give us a small sermon?" The man looked up with a slight frown, but that rapidly changed as he realised he was looking at one of the cultists he had personally converted almost ten years ago.
Affecting his warmest smile, and reminding himself that he needed to take things patiently, the man nodded his head.
"Of course my child…"
A/N: I really wanted to continue this a bit further, but some foreshadowing is really needed I think, at least on the Earth front if nothing else.
It would have been very boring if all of the Terrans made it across easily or without incident, and it would have really downgraded the threat posed by the Legion, not just as a force on the battlefield, but also as an insurgency force.
Cultists, infiltrators and assassins, they are the bread and butter for the Scourge and the Legion, and we start to see things truly start to pick up pace for the Exodus.
Speaking of, the Exodar is here! Massively changed how it arrived, and gave it a lot of help to ensure that it wouldn't be an extinction level event, but I am prepared to admit a little artist laziness in allowing the creatures on Azuremyst survive, it would have been impossible to prep and evacuate an entire Island, even with 6-12 hours notice.
Also reveals one of the points I was most uncertain about when writing this story, time turners. With the Bronze Dragonflight involved, this is certainly going to get messy sooner rather than later. Big props to Byakugan789 for his continued support and influence particularly on this point.
I've left it deliberately vague, but the idea is future Harry goes back to help protect Darnassus and Auberdine from the effects of the two 'bounces' caused by Exodar's landing.
I will be wrapping this story up when the Terrans eventually arrive, but before then there is still:
Harry's visit to the Undercity
Varian's disappearence
Rescuing the Draenei
?
? (I'm not telling you everything… XD)
If you are on a certain site, and are a fanling of mine, I will need some red-shirt names for the next few chapters:
At least two male and female Draenei
Two or Three Night Elves (open to suggestions on classes)
Two Night Elf Druid names (These are going to be bad guys and probably die, as a heads up)
At least 6 Forsaken names
Half a dozen Terran names (Mostly going to be cultists)
Fanlings of mine get first choice, I haven't put a limit on the number of suggestions per person, will see if I get any interest first.
If interested, type Defiasstone2 into google, and look for the site that isn't FF or AO3.
As always, review and let me know what you think guys!