Demons. I hate Demons.
Howling wind emanated from the screaming Lich, chilling the shaman to the bone. The gargantuan skeletal figure had smashed through the walls that protected the Alliance encampment in Hyjal, and now floated down the path in to the heart of the fortifications. The remaining soldiers, the ones that had not been cut down and raised shortly thereafter as undead warriors, had retreated further behind the front lines, to the safety of the mage's tower shortly within the camp. The head of the Alliance forces, the tall fair-haired sorcerer woman, was shouting to be heard over the chaos that followed in the Lich's wake, the soldiers were determined to flee in the face of this new terror. Among the few that stood their ground was the fiery troll woman, her mace and shield raised before her.
"All life MUST PERISH!" cried out the skeletal monstrosity, icicles forming in his deformed knife-like hands. Frost erupted from his grip towards the soldiers, freezing them in their place. Many among them were immediately trapped in the icy block that enveloped them, and with a wave of the Lich's tortuous arm they were shattered, blood, bodies and ice were scattered in every direction. The footmen left behind were not pleased with the situation, but yet they still rallied alongside the shaman, fire in her eyes. Tiji would have gladly faced the challenge any day; she only wished that it was her own family that she fought alongside. They weren't here, not this day, but the elements still remained, and that was the strength that the woman needed.
Quickly withdrawing one of the rune-covered sticks from her side, Tiji cast it in to the earth, the glowing wood quickly taking the form of a shamanistic totem. The totem exploded with flames, shooting miniature fireballs towards the monstrous form that assaulted the shaman. The Lich shrugged off these gnat-like attacks, instead seizing one of the footmen with his claws, cackling coldly as he dangled the human from his spider-like limbs. Shouting furiously, the man attempted to remove the armor with which the fiend was holding him, but there was not enough time. Gripping the soldier's plated torso in his other hand, the Lich hissed as he mercilessly tore the human in to pieces, much to the horror of all those that still stood.
The air burned around Tiji as a massive fiery bolder erupted from behind her, striking the Lich quite explosively, taking it by surprise. Fury in her eyes, the imposing sorceress commanded her magical powers as well as her troops, which were now rallying in front of her. The mounted knights valiantly charged the immense skeleton, striking him with their seemingly miniscule weapons. The megalomaniac sneered at the approaching forces twisting his gaunt hand in to arcane runes in the sky. Acidic droplets of burning red blood descended from the air, searing all those that it touched. "Ashes to ashes…" began the Lich, screaming horrifically, watching as the knights that neared him started to howl with pain as their flesh was scorched and destroyed, "Dust to dust!" he finished. The sorceress cried out from behind them, "No!" but she could do nothing to heal them.
Tiji's eyes were closed, her concentrated face muttering unheard words in to the wind. Placing her hands upon the nearest dying soldier, she called for water to give life to these men. Energy bounded forth from the knight, reaching forth towards his nearest comrades. Purity was restored to the tortured limbs of the fallen. "Even you cannot bring an end to death itself…" one of them hissed as his health returned to him. "No," Tiji shook her head slowly, "but that won't stop us from fightin' it." The knight nodded, seeing the determination in the troll's eyes, returning to the fight. "Some t'ings…" she whispered as he left, "are just worth fightin' for." The screams of the battlefield brought Tiji back from her thoughts. Death still reigned on the front line, but she would not allow it to continue its path.
Throwing many more of her totemic staves in to the ground as she ran, they lit up with flames, igniting the path as Tiji neared the Lich. Forming many of the magical sticks in to an unusual rune-covered spear, the shaman whispered to herself, Fire, walk with me! Still, fire did not answer her call. The Lich bounded forward with frightening speed towards the troll, his menacing claws crashing down upon her. Warding off his skeletal grip with her spear, Tiji knocked away his attack, striking boldly with one of her own. The fiend howled as the shaman pierced his own icy arm, flinging bullets of frost at her with his uninjured hand. A similar volley of fireballs erupted from the earth towards the skeletal terror, coming from the many totems scattered throughout the Alliance camp, aggravating him further still! Ignoring the pain of his wounded arm, the Lich seized the much smaller troll in his frost-bitten clutch, raising her towards his horrific, pale visage. Fire! Walk with me! She called again to the elements. This time, fire answered, and Tiji's rune-covered spear became elongated and surged with flame.
With her newly-empowered weapon, the shaman broke free of her captor's grasp and shattered his already fractured arm with a powerful thrust of the flaming spear. Screams of suffering replaced those of assault as the Lich recoiled with the sudden realization of his own mortality. Standing upon her enemy's massive shoulder, Tiji's countenance was now the cold one, her eyes were as flames as her viciousness terrified the monstrosity that was the Lich. "Death itself…" Tiji muttered to him, driving the powerful element-infused lance into his once fearsome skull, "I'm not impressed!" she finished as she tore apart the former master of the unliving. Rage Winterchill, once a general of the Scourge, crumbled to the ground; the troll deftly hopped off his form as it cracked and fell apart.
Slowly sauntering up to the troll was the tall sorceress commander, of the Alliance forces. "Had I know Thrall would be sending someone of your kind… I wouldn't have sent so many men to the ranks of the Scourge. Felling the Lich alone…" but Tiji cut her off, "I did na' do it alone. None of us be alone, Tiji least of all," the shaman walked past her, "da spirits walk with me…" Nodding, the mage woman called out to the remaining human forces, "We have won valuable time, but now we must pull back!" They cheered, but all of them knew the battle had been won only for the moment. Rattling armor and whinnying horses soon filled the air as the Alliance troops sped off up the mountain pass behind the encampment. Tiji looked questioningly at the sorceress; she was already channeling great arcane energy. Suddenly, the human woman's arm shot out, grabbing Tiji as the spell finished, both of them disappearing before the oncoming onslaught. Bloody ghouls and towering abominations burst through the already decimated walls, finding nothing but an empty fortress. The wailing screams of the dead could be heard for miles. Behind them, a truly gargantuan grey-skinned giant approached the gates, his bronze armor glinting in the setting sun. The colossal being raised his head to the sky as he let out a howl that was heard throughout the world, "Tremble mortals, and despair! Doom has come to this world!"
Miles away, further up the massive peak of Hyjal, an immense orc with braided black hair hung his head down, hoping for more to aid him against the terror that was now ascending the mountain pass. A flash of light surprised the warriors around him; Tauren, Troll, and Orc alike were momentarily stunned as two figures appeared in the middle of the war-camp. "I hope we're not late, Thrall," stated the worried fair-haired woman, waving at the enormous orc shaman. The warchief grinned, "No, Jaina, you're right on time. Who is this?" spoke Thrall as he eyed the blue-skinned beauty curiously. Lady Jaina Proudmoore didn't quite know what to say, leaning in to whisper to the orcish warchief, "I thought you sent her! She tore apart a Scourge general!" Thrall gazed upon Tiji once more, bowing slightly before her. The troll gasped, and quickly kneeled before him. "Warchief!" she exclaimed with a salute. "Rise, shaman, we have no time for such formalities. Though I wish we did, there is much to talk about, if you are not too drained from your previous battle, we could all use your help. It would be quite catastrophic if the Legion is allowed access to the Well of Eternity, and we are not going to let them!" The troll nodded, and alongside her warchief, the two sped off towards the front of the Horde Encampment.
Though certainly glad to be back among her own people, Tiji could not help but worry. She was familiar with the events of the Battle of Hyjal, though reliving it was something entirely different. The Burning Legion had come to destroy this world, a nigh-unstoppable force of demonic creatures. Even amidst the Horde, Tiji felt solitary, alone. Unfortunately, there was no time for such thoughts. The shouting of an orc warrior brought her attention to the mountain path before her. Rushing up the path were yet more enemies to be fought. It surprised her that mortals would stoop to that level of evil, for in the middle of the demonic legion came shadowy warlocks, fiendish runes covered their twisted faces. Ghostly banshees served as the consorts of the coming malevolent forces, these long-dead elven women could silence and even kill with a scream. Almost the worst among these new terrors were the fel hounds, mutated crimson beasts that sought out and devoured magical energy; they were feared by all those that harness the arcane and elemental forces.
Sighing, the troll muttered quietly to herself in the face of the incoming onslaught, "Demons. I hate demons."