The Flight
They did not know how the cult found them. Neltharion thought he had covered his tracks well when he went to Theramore in order to rest. He forbade himself to leave his refuge, fearing that in his weakened state, any spy of Twilight's Hammer would discover him. He hated the fact he could not go outside, was not allowed to attempt to heal the world he shattered not so long ago as Deathwing. But that would draw them to him. And even Aspects could die.
Malygos was testimony of that.
In a weakened state, an Aspect could fall in battle just like any mortal. And right now, Neltharion was weakened. Calia and Jaina kept him hidden, made sure that only those they trusted knew he was there. The Earth-Warder was sealed up in a vast chamber under Proudmoore Manor. However, with his ears so close to the deep of Azeroth, he heard them coming. He could hear their footsteps, their marching, their calls for his blood. They could not hide their intentions from him. They were coming to Theramore. He had no choice, he had to leave. To save Theramore, Neltharion and Calia fled the last stronghold of the Alliance in a horse-drawn wagon and began to ride north through the night. They left no note to Jaina where they were going, preferring that no one should know. They kept their paths erratic to throw the Hammers off the trail.
Still, they found Calia and Neltharion
Twilight dragons. They could sense their father's power despite his attempts to hide it. They scoured Kalimdor, hearing reports of a massive black dragon flying towards Theramore. And they reported back their findings. The Hammers gathered their forces and swiftly made for Theramore Isle.
Neltharion, one claw upon a horse's flank, began to push the wagon through the Dustwallow Marsh. He heard the horrible roars in the sky and looked up. There they were, a whole wing of Twilight Drakes racing for him.
"Neltharion, get in!" Calia called.
Neltharion leapt upon the wagon and swatted the horses, forcing them into a gallop. The bumpy trail they followed vibrated the wagon. Their supplies spilled out from the sides. The twilight dragons bellowed out as their shadow breaths sprayed upon the fleeing couple. Horses reared back in the chaos as a cloud of darkness began to engulf them. The wagon toppled over as the horses began to kick, desperately trying to escape their bonds to it. Neltharion and Calia came falling out of the wagon. Neltharion hit hard upon the ground, rolling away from the wagon as all their supplies spilled out. Glass shattered and water was spilt upon the ground.
"Calia!" Neltharion shouted through the darkness. Even with his keen eyes so adapted to the dark, this unyielding blackness blinded him. "We have to get out of the cloud or..."
"Neltharion..." Calia began. "I...don't feel so well..."
When Deathwing made the Twilight Dragons, he gifted them with a vampiric breath that zapped the life out of creatures. Calia was human, only mortal. He knew she would be the first to succumb.
"Calia, stay awake!" Neltharion said as he moved toward the sound of her labored breathing. The Black Dragon dragged himself to his wife, reaching a scaly claw out to her. He felt his scales began to tingle as a sudden drunkenness swam through his head. Though he had not a single drink of alcohol. The darkness that surrounded him, it was beginning to work its dark powers upon him, stealing away his energy. Even he, the Earth-Warder, their creator, could not fight against their vampiric breath. Neltharion felt for Calia, his claw coming across her leather armor. He could no longer hear the horses whinnies. They had succumbed to the darkness.
"Neltharion..." Calia breathed as she felt him touch her side.
Neltharion gathered her up and held her close. He looked up through the blackness, hearing the sound of bat-like wings flap around him.
"Did you think you could escape us, father?" he heard a drake said in a sinister hiss.
"Did you think you could run?" another drake asked.
"Where ever you go," said a third drake. "We will find you."
"You have to answer for your failures to the Hammer," said another drake. "You went back on your promise."
"I don't want to destroy the world!" Neltharion bellowed out. "I exist to protect it. Take...that to your masters. Leave me be!" He looked around for any sign of the drakes that flew around him, but only heard the rustling of their wings. He could smell their putrid scales and he snorted in disgust. "You are no children of mine. You're all nothing more than bastardized, monstrous experiments created from a mad mind and a mad dream. I want nothing of you!"
"But we want you," said the drake. "Brought forth to our masters. You think what they did to your mind was bad? Just wait...you have yet to know real pain."
"I...will not suffer anymore because of those tentacled monsters in the deep," said Neltharion. His strength was failing him. He could hear Calia's breath becoming more and more shallow. Any longer in this darkness and she will soon be dead. "The...world will not suffer because of them. One...way or another, I will find a way to destroy them. Azeroth will be free of them! I will take down that accursed cult, I will destroy all memory of them and all memory of Deathwing as well. The world will know only me."
Neltharion let go of Calia, allowing her to fall gently to the ground. He rose up and pulled out a golden disk from under his drab, brown robe. The Earth-Warder gathered what strength he had left inside of him, his body shifting, growing larger. He tossed the robe to the ground as his body expanded to its full size. Neltharion's great size grew out beyond the darkness that engulfed him. He felt the fresh, night air upon his scales and he sniffed it, finally able to breathe again. Now free of the darkness, he felt his strength returning. A golden light began to glow brightly from the surface of the disk itself and the darkness shrank back in fear of it. The twilight drakes flying around the darkness paused to hover, their eyes upon the golden disk. Neltharion's green eyes flashed a strange fiery red color, reflecting the raging, burning, molten core deep inside of him. The twilight drakes roared out and dove for him, claws outstretched. Molten lava spewed forth from Neltharion's jaws as he parted them, burning the air around the smaller drakes.
"You are insects to me..." he said as his fiery, liquid, viscus breath spewed out upon half of the twilight dragons. They cried out for a short time only to be swiftly silenced, the lava burning away at their scales, melting their skeletons. Neltharion turned to the other advancing drakes and touched the surface of the golden disk. The light suddenly became blinding, as bright as the sun itself. The remaining drakes paused, screeching in agony as the light burned at their eyes. The disk floated above Neltharion's claw as its bright bream caused the drakes to suddenly burst into gray ash. The darkness they casted vanished the moment they did. The light of the disk faded away and it lowered back to Neltharion's chest, hanging from its golden necklace. He breathed heavily, still feeling the affects of the darkness. Neltharion felt a sharp upon his side and he reached back to touch it. Lifting his claw, he saw the glow of his blood drip down from it.
A fissure formed.
"Oh no..." he breathed. "Not again. No. Damn this thing...damn it. Not again."
Neltharion knew the consequence of using the Dragon Soul. The disk itself, though destroyed in this time line, had been lifted from ten thousand years ago by Nozdormu. He entrusted Neltharion to keep it, because only the Earth-Warder knew how to use it properly. This Dragon Soul did not suffer the affects the one that was destroyed did. He could wield it. But as it had before, each time he did use it, it would begin to split his body apart. It fed him with great power, power that his body could not contain. The fissure was a result of that.
Neltharion's eyes cooled to their sparkling emerald green color and he held the wound at his side, trying to pinch the fissure together.
Alexstrasza can fix me...she...did it before, he thought.
Neltharion looked down upon the ground, seeing Calia lie there. He heard her breathe softly. She was still alive.
"Calia...my love..." he began. He felt a heaviness grow upon his brow and his eyes rolled back into their sockets. The world spun around him. Neltharion toppled over, his great, massive body crashing, sending a violent tremor through the ground.
Suddenly everything went black.
0
He heard the sounds of meat sizzling on a hotplate. He could smell the scent of spices cooking. Then, his nose picked up a strange scent, the smell of hot metal. His ears heard the sound of a hammer beating against metal and he felt his side being pierced. Neltharion awoke with a painful pinch to his side and the sounds of a female voice grunting as a hammer struck.
"Get...get in...there!"
The Earth-Warder turned his head slowly to the sounds of the hammer striking metal only to find Calia at his flank hammering away upon a piece of elementium. Small rivets of elementium were being heated up by his spilt, fiery blood...as well as breakfast.
"Calia?" he began, looking upon her as she hammered away. "Ow."
"I was hoping you were going to stay asleep while I did this," said Calia, lowering her hands from her work. She wiped her brow. "Thank goodness I took smithing or you would be in deep trouble."
"You...found elementium?" Neltharion asked.
"No, I took out one of the little ringlets here and moved it over to where the rip began," she said. "You shouldn't have used it."
Neltharion subconsciously reached with his claw to place it upon the golden disk that hung from a chain around his neck.
"It could not be helped," he rumbled deeply.
He watched as Calia dipped a plate into his molten blood, heating it up. Then, she began to hammer it on.
"I forgot how heavy this stuff is," she said, trying to hold it still while she struck the hammer against the rivet. "Wish I had one of those gnome jack-hammers. That would drive those spikes in quicker."
With one last, loud grunt, she slammed the spike in. Then, she gave it a tug with her gloved hand.
"That'll hold," she said. She turned to her drooping husband. Neltharion's eyelids were heavy. "You alright?"
"My head's swimmy," he replied. "The world won't stop spinning around me. It's..." Neltharion rolled over onto his back, sending a tremor through the ground. "...Making me dizzy. Would be fun if I was drinking. Like a hangover and I didn't even had my fix. They gave us a good dose last night." He looked up at the golden sky of dawn. Rays of sun began to pierce through the thin mist clinging to the trees. "You were using my blood to cook breakfast?"
"I'm surprised I didn't burn it," said Calia. "I was too lazy to build a fire. Cooking some of the food I managed to find scattered everywhere after the attack last night."
Neltharion let loose a snort: "How much did you save?"
"Only enough to fill my backpack," she replied. "And I've got a few flasks of water. Hopefully there may be a clean river, I can fill them up there." She walked over to the hotplate and took the food off. She was cooking some bacon. Calia got up and settled down right against Neltharion's gigantic chest. Neltharion lifted his forefoot up as she leaned against him, taking a bite of the bacon. "I can jerky some of this. It'll help make it last longer. How did they find us so quickly?"
"They sniffed me out," said Neltharion. "Like flying bloodhounds."
"I thought you were trying to hide your energies," said Calia.
"I was," said Neltharion. "I guess I can't hide it from them. I'm like a big beacon. They will know if I'm in the area. I never was the best at hiding. I mean...I was discovered trying to take over Alterac 30 years ago by Alexstrasza's favorite consort. I just can't hide."
"Any Night Elf or Blood Elf working for the Hammers can sniff you out too," said Calia. "No matter where we run, we can't hide."
"Maybe we shouldn't focus on hiding," said Neltharion. "Just running as fast as we can, or flying. They may have dragons, but none of them can fly as fast as an Aspect. I told you this back in Theramore, we should have just took flight. It would make this damned trip quicker." He paused, peering down upon her. "We ran off without a thought on where we were going."
"Anywhere they can't find us," said Calia. She scooted away to look up at her massive, black dragon husband. "Anywhere we can be safe so you could rest. Then, we'll strike at those bastards!"
Her tone shocked him. He could sense the building anger and frustration inside of her. Neltharion leaned down to nuzzle her gently with his huge snout. Calia felt his hot breath on her, sending a chill through her arms. She patted his snout, rubbing against the massive horn above his nostrils. She felt a moist tongue come out and graze her cheek.
"Cali, what's wrong?" Neltharion asked.
Calia pushed away from her husband, rising up so she could get a better look at him. She gazed into his emerald eyes, her blue-green eyes focusing upon them. Those eyes of hers, just like her brother's eyes. If she had blonde hair like her brother Arthas, she would have been a spitting image of him. Instead, Calia had her mother's hair instead of her father's. But that same look on her face, that was the determined, almost dangerous look Arthas gave prior to his betrayal.
"I never got a chance to give my brother the beating he deserved," she said. "To fight the Scourge. Instead, I hid. I ran and I hid. It was only when I joined Stormwind Intelligence that I trained hard to be given the chance to take down Arthas and his Scourge army once and for all. But I never got that chance. Arthas...his Scourge. It's like Cho'Gall and the Father and the Twilight's Hammers. They want the same things. Death, power, destruction. They look different, they're not undead like the Scourge are, but it's the same thing. I may have lost out on the chance to finally face my brother, but I will not loose out on this chance."
"So, you displace what you wanted to do to your brother upon the Cult?" asked Neltharion.
"Yes," said Calia. "It's...stupid. But, it is the same thing. Here I am again, running, hiding...from who? The Twilight Cult. It was like running and hiding from my brother and the Scourge. Like hiding from Sylvanas. But I have you know. Once you're all better, you and I, we are going to take the fight to them. We're gonna make them run and hide for once."
"Now that you have me?" Neltharion asked. He sighed. "Yes, now that you have me, you don't feel helpless anymore."
"I was never helpless to begin with, honey," said Calia. "I'm an assassin."
"But this isn't one guy you are going after," said Neltharion. "This is a whole army, with dragons I created allying with them. One assassin against those odds...very slim."
"One assassin with the Earth-Warder who knows how they think," Calia began. "The chances aren't as slim." She looked down. "Neltharion, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that I was going to use you as a weapon. I...I don't know what I'm saying right now, I'm just frustrated!"
Neltharion leaned in again and nuzzled her back gently.
"I'm not mad at you, Calia," he rumbled softly. "I know what is in your heart. One of my little perks is seeing what is inside people's hearts and minds...the deepest places inside oneself. Not just the deepest places in Azeroth." He pushed her slightly, causing her to look at him again. "I want you to promise me something."
"What?" she asked.
"Never have that look on your face again," said Neltharion. "I see that look and I don't see my wife, I see Arthas staring back at me. Don't become like him. You'll only end up where he is."
"They say he's with father, but I don't know..." Calia said. She felt a single tear drip down her cheek. "But...I don't know. I suppose you and I are made for each other. We're outcasts. My family is dead mostly, my home stolen from me by leftover grunts of the Scourge and you...well, most of yours don't want you around them." She wiped her eyes. "And your home...well...I hear Therazane really does hate you. I don't think you can go back there. And the home we were trying to create for each other...finally a place we could live...we can't even go back there either. It's like we're cursed."
Neltharion brushed his cheek against hers, holding it there. He close his eyes and Calia could hear the sound of a deep thrum come from his throat.
"We are not cursed," he said, his voice a deep whisper. His breathing began to calm her down. "We're not cursed. I...deserve most of what is happening...but you...you are not cursed."
"You don't deserve any of it," said Calia. "You're sorry for what you did, even if it was done by your split personality. You should be given a chance to show Azeroth what the real Earth-Warder is like. Instead...we're running."
Neltharion leaned up, arching his neck proudly. Calia looked up at him, admiring his noble profile. He gave his shaggy beard and long mutton chops a shake as he shook his head, getting the loose dirt out from between his glistening black scales. He let loose a snort, looking upon his tiny, human wife.
"We are not running," he said. "We are making a speedy exit so that we can regroup and strike at our enemies at the opportune moment."
Calia suddenly started to laugh.
"Well, you did say yourself that I am not up to par yet," said Neltharion. "I am still having to readjust to being free of my madness and the corruption of the Old Gods. That has taken its toll on me. Even if we could attempt to take them down, it would be unadvisable. We...need help. We need friends to go to. We need allies who will help us..." He touched the Dragon Soul. "So, I wouldn't have to rely on this as a quick escape route." With a flash, Neltharion shrank down to a more humanoid size, though still retaining his draconic form. The one thing he still could not get to work since his freedom from the hold of the Old Gods was his ability to transform into a mortal form. He saw the brown, drab robe he wore last night lying on the ground and picked up to give it a shake. Neltharion threw on the robe and covered his head with the hood. "Probably best I would not be on display. Who knows who might have seen me already."
"First you were complaining about not flying, and now we're walking," said Calia. "Make up your mind, Nel!"
"Well, if we are to find allies," began Neltharion. "Would it be better if I was my true size, dropping in on them, or this?"
"That," said Calia. "I see your point." She looked upon the golden chain peaking out from his collar. "Did anyone see you use that thing last night?"
"Only the twilight drakes," said Neltharion, touching the disk under his cloak. "And they are dead."
"I can only hope that no one else saw it," said Calia. "I've heard stories about the Dragon Soul, how it draws people to its power, warps them. How it warped you..."
"I haven't heard them speak through it since Nozdormu gave it to me," said Neltharion. He placed a claw upon her shoulder. "I am not going to be swayed by their whispers. I have you to remind me of my duties. I have not heard the whispers of the Old Gods since Uldum."
She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his thick waist: "Good."
Neltharion leaned in, resting his chin against her crown: "I have you to keep me from all of that, Cali. I am not going to dive into darkness again."
He leaned over to press his lips against hers, holding her firmly in his, huge, muscular arms. She loved how soft his scaly lips actually felt compared to the rest of his body. Calia began to brush down the grain of Neltharion's black, triangular scales on his neck and she heard him purr as she did so. Neltharion leaned her head back to gently kiss the underside of her chin. Calia took in a breath, finding herself suddenly lost in the moment. Her mind slowly began to drift away from what was important. All that mattered was Neltharion's love. But the rogue part of her knew she could not get lost forever. There was no time to stop, no time for passionate play between a husband and a wife. The more time they spent kissing, their enemies would get the upper hand. However, it seemed Neltharion wanted to get lost at this moment. He wanted to hold her, to caress her, to kiss her over and over. Of course there were other things he wanted to do as well. Calia caught herself in the middle of the passion and tried to pull him away.
"Neltharion," she said in between their lips meeting. "Enough...enough..."
Neltharion moved away, lifting a claw to her face, touching it gently.
"Don't tell me you're having...certain urges..." she began. "And I'm the only female around to satisfy them?
"You...might say that," said Neltharion, his deep voice vibrating inside of her chest. "You drive me crazy, Cali."
He pressed his lips against hers again.
"Maybe...in the next town over, we'll find an inn to settle down in and..." Calia began in between the kissing. "And I could relieve...you of some of those urges. The last thing I need is you going crazy." She felt his lips again. "It's just that here isn't the best place..."
Neltharion pulled away from her again and smiled: "You're right. Besides, my mate should never sleep on the rough ground."
"I slept on it last night."
"You know what I mean," he said with a chuckle.
"You are horrid!" Calia shouted slapping him on the shoulder. Neltharion let go of her and laughed. While she listened to him laughing, Calia walked over to the broken wagon and picked up a couple of the maps. She placed several of them except one into her pouch and opened that one map up.
"Damn it," she began. "The farther north we go, we run into more Horde outposts. It's a long walk to any Alliance outposts, let alone an inn. Maybe we should just fly and until we know we are getting close to one. We'll drop out of the air maybe 10 miles away from an outpost so we won't scare anyone." She looked closer. "The only place close enough that's neutral is Ratchet. It's the only place close enough we can get to without being hounded by the Horde."
"Pirates," said Neltharion.
"I don't know what's safer," said Calia. "The Horde or the pirates."
"Any Horde wanting to gut you or any pirate wanting to...well...do the same..." Neltharion began. "Will be burned before they even think about it."
Calia gave a sigh of relief: "So nice to have a big, nearly god-like dragon as a bodyguard...and husband." She walked over to reach up and pinch his scaly cheek. "And you look so cute for one as well."
Neltharion chuckled, leaning into her hand. Calia reached over and gave his back a slap.
"Get that cute fat butt of yours moving," she said.
"Yes, ma'am," he said. Neltharion looked around the marshy forest. "Perhaps getting out of here is best for now. When we make the clearing to the Southern Barrens, I can shift and we'll fly the rest of the way."
"Sounds good," said Calia. "With the way we're going, there will be no time in finding a safe route over the Great Divide. Might as well just fly over it."
Neltharion took in a deep breath and hefted a sigh when she mentioned the Great Divide. Calia once more slapped him on the arm, knowing what that sigh meant.
"Oh, get over yourself already!" she said. "You're sorry for making it. Now it's just a part of the scenery. Just like that rock and those trees. People hardly notice it anymore."
"What's not to notice about a giant, fiery, lava-filled crack in the middle of the savannah?" Neltharion asked. "That I made!"
"Well, you made the Barrens look interesting," said Calia.
"How can you be so callous?"
"I'm not being callous," said Calia. "You did make the Barrens look interesting."
"Oh, I'm sure a lot of people who died while that crack opened up would say the same thing..." Neltharion growled, his voice holding a hint of sarcasm. He began to move faster, passing her by several paces. Calia ran up, trying to catch him.
"Hey!" she called. "Hey! Nel! Neltharion! Deathwing!"
Neltharion paused, turning around with a fiery gleam in his eyes: "Don't ever call me Deathwing."
"It got your attention didn't it?" Calia asked. "I'm sorry. Okay. But...they were Horde."
"Does that make a difference?" Neltharion asked. "It's okay for them to die in that fiery crack because they were Horde?" He shook his head. "Calia, I know you work for the Alliance, but as my consort..."
"What?" Calia began. "What?"
"As my Prime Consort..." Neltharion began, raising his voice louder. Calia felt the ground tremble slightly. Neltharion began to settle down, his tone lowering. "Maybe you should consider being neutral and indifferent to the conflict between the Alliance and the Horde. That is what I want to say."
"Indifferent..." Calia began. "And abandoning Stormwind? King Varian would think of me as a traitor...to my people, my heritage...I would be like Arthas."
"No," Neltharion began. "Not like Arthas. Remember, we dragons were created to protect Azeroth and the life that lives upon it." He approached her, cupping his hands around hers. "That means all life, not just the ones you favor. Arthas didn't want that."
"Then since we are so neutral, perhaps we can just walk into a Horde town and get an inn there..." began Calia. She took her hands from him and began to walk away. Neltharion followed her. "Who would touch two neutral people?"
"You are an assassin," said Neltharion. "I'm sure you've been to Horde towns before, pretending to be something you're not."
"Put on some pointy ears, long eyebrows and try to make my eyes glow green, and they'll think I'm a Blood Elf," said Calia. She paused, rethinking her idea. "Maybe finding a Horde town in the Barrens will be much safer than Ratchet. One look at you and those pirates will think something is up."
"You know I can make them look the other way if they see me," said Neltharion. "Another little trick of mine."
"Then, I hope you can do the same for the Horde," said Calia. She looked at the map. "Closest inn in the Barrens is the Crossroads."
"Calia," began Neltharion, finally drawing her close. "Though I express that you should consider neutrality over this silly conflict the mortals have...if any one, Horde or Alliance threatens you, it'll be the last thing they will do."
"I have no doubt about that," said Calia. "My hero."
"No," said Neltharion. "You are my hero. Always have been."
Calia leaned up against him: "I suppose I'm not exactly mortal now, am I? Considering what Nozdormu did."
"He took away your body's ability to age," said Neltharion. "In that, you might say you are more than a mere mortal. But, you are not quite immortal. Though...remember, even Aspects like me can die."
"When enough people beat you up," said Calia. "Guess you're not all that immortal either."
"More than you," said Neltharion.
Calia placed her arm around his waist and they began their speedy walk towards the Barrens. The wooded areas began to open up a little wider the moment they neared the Southern Barrens. The tall trees became more spars and spread out as brown, tall grass filled the rolling land. Neltharion lifted his head, smelling the familiar scent of brimstone. The Great Divide was not far off. The sun climbed higher into the sky, soon reaching its zenith. Off to the left was the Overgrowth. They were passing it. After Neltharion had told her of the stories of Emerald Nightmare leaking in through the druidic magic of the Overgrowth, Calia felt it best to skip it. Besides, she also recalled that was where Neltharion had his drug-induced hallucinations. The mushrooms that grew in the Overgrowth had narcotic qualities that Neltharion found rather enjoyable and he wanted to use them for a substitute for his alcohol while he was still hearing the Old Gods voices.
Calia forbade it.
Already, Neltharion was looking over at the Overgrowth, a gleam in his eyes.
"No!" said Calia. "No mushrooms."
"Aw..." he rumbled. "Please? Just one."
"No mushrooms," said Calia. "I don't want you seeing giant pink gnomes."
"I didn't see giant pink gnomes last time," began Neltharion. "I saw a giant butterfly with a hookah and I wanted him to give me a smoke."
"All the more reason why I shouldn't let you go in there," said Calia. She opened up the map again, eying the Crossroads once more. "There are tauren shamans in the Crossroads, right?"
"I believe so," said Neltharion. "Why?"
Calia looked back at him and then reached up to flip one of his braids. Dangling from a golden band on the braid were colorful feathers, a shimmering purple crystal and a stone ring.
"The Earthen Ring," said Calia. "Before all this mess started, you met Muln Earthfury and after a few tests of loyalty, he welcomed you as an honorable member. Maybe some of the tauren there will be more friendly to us when they see this symbol dangling from your braid."
"Thrall did say that perhaps because the druids have Ysera, the healers have Alexstrasza, and the magic users have Kalecgos," Neltharion began. "That the shamans should have me because we share a close relationship to the earth."
"What does Nozdormu have?" Calia asked.
"His head in the sand," said Neltharion. "Like always."
Calia giggled and Neltharion chuckled with her.
"So...maybe because you're the Earth-Warder," Calia began. "And shamans are now to show some respect for you...going to the Crossroads won't look all that bad, then."
"Can we trust them?" asked Neltharion.
"I have yet to see a Tauren joining up with the Twilight Cult," she replied. "Have you?"
"Such mindless and needless bloodshed is against their nature," said Neltharion. "But there are some members who are Tauren. Not many, though. Still. I suppose I will have to see into their hearts to know for sure. I can only do that when I am looking at them." He pulled the hood over his head. "I suppose we can give it a try."
"Not before you fly me over the crack," said Calia as they neared the burnt edges of the Great Divide.
Neltharion heard the bubbling sound of the river of lava at the bottom of the gorge itself. He stood before a severed road, the road that was called the Gold Road. The Black Aspect knelt before the ground, touching it with a claw. He winced suddenly, growling as he withdrew his claw quickly. He held it close to him, his digits suddenly frozen in a fit of agony. His eyes seemed to water for a moment, his intense expression squeezing upon his tear ducts. They were not tears of sorrow, but more like tears of wrenching pain.
"Honey?" Calia asked.
"My...connection with the Old Gods," he began, blinking away the tears. "Before I was finally cured of them. I could not feel the land like I can now. I...feel the pain the Divide has caused this land. It...throbs like an open cut."
"I never knew the world was in pain," said Calia.
"It always has been..." said Neltharion. "The Old Gods tried to make me believe it was the Titan's fault. Creating life on an infected world. In some ways they're right. But...the pain the Old Gods have inflicted upon this planet, it's far worse than what the Titans did. And I helped." He took in a deep breath, feeling the pain in his claw subside. He wiggled his fingers, the stiffness slowly passing. "I have a lot of work to do. I can heal this. I can heal the Divide. I can seal it up..."
Raising a claw out to the fiery crack, Neltharion stepped towards the edge. Calia walked towards him and raised a hand, lowering his arm.
"Wait," she said. "Leave it."
"What?" Neltharion asked. "But this world has shattered. It's my duty to heal it. Why should I not close the crack?"
"People will know you've been here when they see the Divide missing," said Calia. "We're trying to keep a low profile, remember?"
The Black Dragon shook his head. He pulled back the hood and raised his claw once more.
"Neltharion, don't!" said Calia. "Let's worry about the Twilight Cult first. Then, when we've taken care of them, you can go all over Azeroth, healing everything you've damaged."
"It'll only take a moment," said Neltharion. "I've spent too long in that cellar, not being able to do something like this. I am not letting my freedom go to waste."
"Nel..." Calia said, stamping her foot. She felt the earth beneath her feet quake. Her legs wobbled and she nearly lost her footing on the ground. The lava in the crack bubbled up, filling the Divide itself. Calia backed away, feeling the heat from the lava as it rose up closer to the edge of the crack. She stared, her eyes wide, watching the lava rise up. Once the lava was as high as the rim, Neltharion let loose a growl, waving his claw. The molten rock suddenly cooled into nothing more than a black, crystalline line where the Divide once was. The Divide was sealed. The ground quieted down. Neltharion lowered his claw. The world once more began to spin around him. The Black Aspect fell hard upon his knees, panting heavily. He toppled over to his side, his body tingling all over. He felt heavy. Calia blinked and then rushed over to him.
"Neltharion!" she said, kneeling down to him.
Neltharion reached over with a heavy claw to the black, healed scar that was now in place of the Great Divide.
"You see...I've...healed the land..." he said, gasping for air as he spoke. "It...doesn't hurt...anymore..."
Calia took in a deep breathed and grabbed his shoulder, heaving him up against her.
"Damn it," she said. "You shouldn't have done that."
"I...had to..." Neltharion said, his eyes drooping.
"Anyone who saw you do this would know who you are!" said Calia. "If the Twilight Cult asked, they would report you to them." She swallowed hard. "They would know we were here!"
"Would you want me...to open the crack up?" Neltharion asked, looking up at her.
"I didn't want you to close it in the first place!" said Calia. "Do it after we don't have the stupid cult after our hides!"
"I'm sorry..." said Neltharion, he leaned his head against her shoulder. "Really. But...this is my duty."
"To hell with your duty right now!" Calia shouted. She placed his arm around her and hefted him up to his feet. "I'm trying to think about our safety."
"Oh, and you don't...think me presenting myself to a bunch...of small-peas shamans who are probably not associated...with the Earthen Ring wouldn't attract some attention too?" Neltharion asked.
Calia began to move, keeping her husband close to her. Neltharion limped weakly beside her, bracing his weight against her shoulder. He coughed and his breathing became difficult.
"Maybe they'll show a little respect and keep their mouths shut when we leave," said Calia.
"Wishful...thinking," said Neltharion, pausing between gasps to speak.
"Better than 'I'm the Earth-Warder, I can change the damned landscape because it's my duty'," said Calia. "And then falling on your face afterwards!"
"It is my duty," said Neltharion. "The Divide isn't supposed to be there...and I won't open it back up again."
"No point in doing that now, is there?" Calia asked. She held him steady as they walked along. "Let's just get to the Crossroads."
Neltharion rumbled as he dragged his feet across the cobble stone road. He stumbled a few times and Calia felt his great weight nearly pulling her down. She grunted as she tried her best to hold him up. Neltharion slipped from her grasp and like a deadweight, fell hard. Calia sighed, kneeling down. She took hold of his paw again and slung his foreleg around her neck.
"Come on, get up," she said.
"I'm...just really tired..." he said, his voice barely audible.
"We have to keep moving," said Calia, lifting her husband up. She heard her knees pop at the joints as she rose him to his feet. Neltharion's tail dragged below the bottom of the robe. The elementium bladed tip scraped loudly on the stone road. She walked and he continued to stumble while they made their way slowly to the Crossroads.
"Neltharion..." she began. "Why do you have to be so damned difficult at times?"
"I'm sorry," said Neltharion. "I just want to heal this world. I want the people to know I'm not the Worldbreaker anymore. I'm not...him. If anyone saw what I did back there, then all the better. Let them see the Earth-Warder at work. Let them see what the real Aspect of Earth does. Everything that Deathwing has done, that is not what an Earth-Warder would do."
"Can't that all wait?" Calia asked. "Can't it wait until you're better. And not like this? Healing that crack took every bit of your energy. You're not well."
"No," said Neltharion. "It can't. I know, we have to look out for each other, but if I see anything on Azeroth that I had...destroyed through my horrible deeds...even just merely coming out of Deepholm, then I will stop and make it better. I want the healed Divide to be an example to the people of Kalimdor. Their guardian has returned. I...don't want people to see me as Deathwing."
"There's no convincing you otherwise, is there?" she asked. "You are stubborn. Like a giant, immovable boulder."
Neltharion let loose a weak chuckle.
"Calia," he said. "I love you. I won't let anything happen to you. But I can't allow this destruction to exist without...doing something about it as I see it. People would call me lazy."
"I just...want us to be safe," she said. "Think about that before altering things, alright?"
"Alright," he whispered. "Come on."
As they neared the guarded gate to the small village, Neltharion heard the screech of an eagle flying above. He turned to see the eagle fly over them and then land inside the town. Once more, he pulled the hood over his head, shielding his draconic face in shadow. The sun was starting to set, but it had a long way to go before it did. It was getting to be late afternoon. Neltharion and Calia stopped before the guards as they pointed their spears at the two.
"Halt!" called an orc guard. "What do you two think you are doing?"
"We...we've come here to rest," said Calia. "We are a little tired from traveling. There's an inn here, right? My husband needs to lie down. He's a little weak."
"A human!" called the other orc guard. "Alliance no doubt. If you want to leave with your heads attached, I suggest you turn back the way you came."
"We can't," said Neltharion. "My wife and I hold no allegiance to the Alliance or anyone."
"We say again," said the first orc guard. "Turn back or else."
"We do not mean any harm," said Neltharion. "But, we do need food, we do need shelter. You are the closest we have. We will come in, get our supplies, rest up, and then leave. We look for no trouble, but if you two continue your threats or even try to attack us, it will be the last thing you do."
Neltharion let go of Calia and with a shaky stance, tried to make himself look threatening. The first orc guard turned to his companion and nodded. The two began to advance upon the travelers.
"Very well, then," said Neltharion. "If it is a fight you want..."
"Stop!" called a gruff voice from behind the wall of Crossroads. The two guards paused and turned around to see a Tauren holding out his hand. "Stand aside."
The two guards placed their weapons at rest and parted, allowing the Tauren to pass. The Tauren approached Neltharion, staring up questionably at him.
"I saw you," the Tauren said, his voice low and quiet. He pointed at Neltharion. "Yes, I saw you. You were the one who healed the fissure."