I don't own Warcraft.

Chasing Through Hell

The Portal

They left the nameless town in flames, the abandoned buildings turned into pyres for the dead on both sides, and marched for Deadwind Pass in a mourning silence. Though they had weathered the attack with fewer dead than Maurus had feared, the battle and the following hours of caring for the wounded and preparing the dead for burning had extinguished the cheer the caravan had managed to hold on to.

As the days passed, Maurus' bruises faded yet his mood barely improved. The corpses, Horde, Alliance, the children in particular, seemed to have leached the heat from his hands and he felt a cold exhaustion in his limbs that had little to do with the battle. It should have been a relief, knowing that the cleansing flame must have released the trapped souls and made the bodies useless to necromancers, yet thinking about the souls of undead led to wondering how aware the Lich King's slaves truly were. He'd never dared ask a forsaken about their existence prior to their awakening and he probably never would.

He definitely wasn't going to ask now, not that he had many opportunities. Mathias had made himself scarce after the short ceremony they'd held for the dead and when Maurus did see him, his expression was haunted and he stayed silent through Maurus' few attempts to talk to him.

He saw just as little of Arianna. She and the other blood elves kept to themselves and despite neither her nor any of the other blood elves ever speaking it out loud, Maurus knew not to intrude. He hardly exchanged a word with her during their remaining days in Duskwood, and only saw her when she came to work on his shield.

Not that he felt like talking much those days anyway. Left alone, Maurus brooded, his thoughts circling the horrors of the Scourge and his worries about Outland. The nights brought little relief either, because his tired mind kept conjuring up nonsensical yet terrifying dreams of dead faces, grinning demons and green flames. It was a miserable march and only when they passed into the tombstone-grey mountains between Duskwood and the Swamp of Sorrows did he shake off some of the bleak thoughts. The same evening, he was surprised to come back to his belongings and finding Mathias and Arianna sitting by the fire, talking quietly.

He felt a momentary irritation but that feeling was forgotten in a sudden rush of understanding. The firelight played over expressions that were mirror images of each other and Maurus realized that the two had showed similar expressions most of the times he'd seen them.

It seemed the two had more in common than he'd thought and he suddenly felt both stupid and immensely self-absorbed. The attack had been his first real encounter with the Scourge. He'd been barely an adult when the Third War reached Kalimdor and he'd been in the Needles, far to the south, and only ever encountered a few roaming undead. Ashenvale had been far, far away and most of the continent had barely been touched by the Legion and the Scourge. Both of his friends, sitting here by the fire, came from kingdoms the undead hard torn down. For Maurus, the horror of the encounter in Duskwood was a fresh, urgent one, but for Arianna and Mathias, it must have been worse, ripping up deep, old wounds and bringing back much worse memories.

They fell silent as he approached, and that sent a spike of hurt through him, but he paid it no mind. He reached for a sack of supplies and pushed it toward them.

"Just eat," he said. "I doubt you've fed yourself properly the past few days." With that, he turned to leave.

"Sit, Cow," Arianna said, a shade of her usual irreverence in her voice. Surprised, Maurus did as instructed, lowering himself to the ground and folding his legs. Looking closer, he saw that they both looked better, their expressions less bleak and more open. A glance passed between them, and Maurus raised a hand, forestalling anything they might say.

"Your pasts are your own, no matter my curiosity. If you wish to share, you'll do it in your own time. If you don't, then I shouldn't pry."

That got a reaction out of both of them. Mathias revealed his teeth in a more subtle version of his usual mocking grin, while Arianna's lips curved slightly. Maurus' answering smile was wider, made so by the relief of seeing them cheering up.

"My past is only half-way mine," Mathias said, sounding partly like he was correcting Maurus. The tone was nonchalant, but there was an undertone of bitter truth to the words and Maurus barely restrained a wince. He figured that answered the question of whether enslaved undead were aware. He searched for words for a moment but realized there was nothing he could say.

Something snuffled to right Maurus' and he looked toward the sound, seeing red, bone and black. He jerked away from the maw filled with jagged teeth. He relaxed almost as quickly as he had reacted though and lowered his hand, allowing Ash to press his odd head into his palm, sniffing curiously. It was slightly disconcerting how natural the demon's presence seemed and it was with a subtle sinking feeling that Maurus realized he'd actually missed the fel hound.

He looked back to Mathias and Arianna, a slight frown of annoyance on his face, but it vanished at the sight of the small smirk on Arianna's face and Mathias' widening grin. He sighed and ran a hand over the stiff bristle covering Ash' neck.

"What happened to summoning your other minions?" Maurus asked. He wasn't complaining, the void walker had been a literally chilling presence and he had no desire to spend time with imps and succubi, those he preferred on the other end of his axe, but he didn't expect that to be part of Arianna's reasoning.

"I questioned them this morning. Away from polite company," Arianna answered. "Or rather, away from company," she added, feigning disdain as she looked at him and Mathias. Her mouth set in a displeased line. "Pizbis had nothing to offer but some choice insults for everything around him. Which is par for the course."

Maurus snorted and Arianna raised an eyebrow in question.

"Piss biz?" Maurus asked slowly, drawing out the words. He chuckled and added: "Makes sense. If I had a name like that, I'd lash out too. Make sure no-one had the time to comment on my name."

Mathias' grin widened further, growing more genuine and Arianna flashed a quick smirk.

"He is inventive, even for an imp," she admitted, "but except for that and his love of fire, his head is empty. I expected as much."

Mathias waved a hand in an encouraging gesture. "Anything else?"

"Mirlia was useless too," Arianna said irritably. "And as clingy as ever."

"Succubi often are, from what I hear," Mathias said. "Most 'locks don't seem to mind."

Arianna sniffed haughtily and Maurus chuckled. "So you found this to be the time and place?" he asked and pointedly glanced right and left at the people all around them. "Hard to find a moment alone here."

She let out a sigh and, after a short moment's hesitation, gave him a flat stare. "I believe it's easier for me to escape prying eyes than it is for you," she said primly. He felt no remorse for causing the slight irritation in her voice and it actually made his lips quirk in a grin. However crude the method, there was something very satisfying about getting a rise of her, no matter how small. She lifted a foot and her eyes trailed from Maurus' right shoulder to his left. "I'm lighter on my feet and somewhat less bulky."

Maurus took in her slim limbs, recalled how smoothly and silently she moved and conceded with a lazy nod. She probably could find privacy with more ease than him, assuming nobody followed in the hopes of sharing that privacy. The last thought made his brow furrow slightly.

"And if nothing else, I have a tent." Arianna's blunt words, now free of any irritation, caught him off guard. His eyes flicked to the three small tents that stood innocently to his right, then to Arianna, who this time met his gaze with a collected, challenging one.

"Could we get back on track? Demon summoning is not more interesting here than in the Undercity." Mathias' bored words sliced through the odd mood and made both Arianna and Maurus look at him. The sight of his undead friend suddenly made Maurus' mind connect several things and a vague, pleasant mental image that had hovered in the back of his head was suddenly replaced by another, much more disturbing one, this one featuring a forsaken. A warmth he had hardly noticed vanished, replaced by a stirring nausea that he fought down with some difficulty.

"Yes?" he asked, desperately trying to get the image out of his head.

Mathias gave him a strange look and Maurus willed him to let it go, which he seemed to do, asking Arianna: "So, we have no leads? And the trail is going cold?"

"Yes," Arianna replied, and Maurus was relieved that the conversation made it possible to push the revolting mental image aside. "The tracking is getting harder, I'm guessing because he reached the Blasted Lands."

Arianna glanced at Ash, still with his head on Maurus knee, purring disturbingly as Maurus scratched his neck.

"In addition, I've exhausted my summons' knowledge, though they might pick something up now that I have asked. Their involvement might hamper us though, if something comes back to the dreadlord."

Mathias frowned, though he looked far less murderous than Maurus had expected, considering the bad news.

"On the other hand," Maurus said, "he didn't really seem to think a few mortals were a threat. He might not even care."

"Many demons are arrogant," Arianna agreed, nodding at Maurus. She smiled a cruel smile that reminded him eerily of the dreadlord's, the resemblance only magnified by her poison-green eyes. "Till they are broken in, of course."

Maurus' lips twisted in distaste and Mathias' expression was the same, but they didn't comment on her last statement.

"But you think we can pick up the track in Outland?" Mathias asked. The way he said it made Maurus realize that they had had this talk at least once without him. Arianna simply nodded.

"We should be able to get something useful out of our souvenir. And I might have friends who can help us, if there is anywhere they'll be, it's on the other side of the Portal."

Maurus made an inquiring grunt and tilted his head in question.

"You'll see when we find them."

"And if you die before then?" Mathias asked bluntly, clearly irritated at the unclear answer. Maurus glared at him and placed a hand on Arianna's shoulder. He didn't think she'd turn to violence, but then again, he did remember how she almost cursed Bronn in Ashenvale. Mathias' comment was at least as rude as that of the shaman, so he wouldn't put it past Arianna to try to teach Mathias some manners and they were under much more stress now than they were then. With a hand on her shoulder, he could both support her and hold her back by shaking her to distraction if necessary.

Luckily, Arianna didn't seem too worked up, only slightly tense beneath his fingers. No feverish warmth warned of gathering power. "You'll get someone else to track if need be, it's not that hard," she said sharply. "But I'll write some names down if you are so convinced I won't survive this."

Mathias nodded, seemingly satisfied and utterly remorseless for his morbid comment.

"How about we focus on keeping ourselves alive?" Maurus asked Mathias.

"Just covering all angles," Mathias said, giving Maurus a hard look before grinning. "Remember what we're here for."

Maurus huffed, squeezed Arianna's shoulder, glad to feel her muscles loosen, before lowering his hand.

"Then I suggest we eat," Maurus said, pointing at the sack of supplies. "I have no idea how Outland is in terms of food, so I suggest we at least try to fatten up a little." He glanced at Mathias and added: "Assuming that's how it works for you." Mathias shrugged in response, but reached out for the supplies anyway.

"And you, I know you work like other mortals, so get some food," Maurus said, jabbing his pointer finger into Arianna's side. She yelped, much to his satisfaction, and glanced at him and he gave a winning smile.

"Come on, you can't complain when someone tells you to eat."

They spent the rest of the evening chatting quietly, most of the tension dissolved, and it almost felt normal. Maurus was a little surprised at just how much he had missed their companionship and felt a little resentful that they had just abandoned him like that, but he pushed it away in order to simply enjoy their company. As the moons rose, shining their pale light on the dark, foreboding tower to the south, Arianna retired after doing her usual work on his shield, leaving Maurus, Mathias and Wiven, who had joined them.

"So, what prompted your jump from pleased to disgusted earlier? 'Cause it looked like it was looking at me that was the cause," Mathias asked lazily. Maurus' ear flicked at the words and he turned his head from the tents to Mathias. He frowned, thought back and instantly regretted it. His face twisted as the mental image of forsaken in compromising positions appeared in his head.

"Yes, that one," Mathias said, pointing a claw-like finger at Maurus. Wiven looked confused. Maurus stayed silent, willing the image to disappear again, to little effect. Figuring it was useless; he decided to share the pain instead.

"Forsaken warlocks," he said tightly. "Succubus summoning ingredient."

Mathias stared blankly at him for a moment, as did Wiven. Then Wiven paled, making his facial scars stand out starkly against his skin. Looking decidedly ill, he rose to his feet.

"I believe this is where I bid you goodnight," he said hurriedly and went away. Satisfied that he wasn't the only one suffering anymore, Maurus felt slightly better. Mathias grinned when Maurus looked back to him and held out a hand in a prompting gesture.

"Symbolic component to the summoning," Maurus sighed. "Not something I want to connect to the undead."

"That explains the disgust," Mathias said amiably. His tone turned sly when he added: "What about the appreciative expression before that?"

Maurus thought a little more and felt a soft heat rise in his body, a heat that had nothing to do with the fire. A small frown slid onto his brow as the vague, pleasing image reappeared in his mind, thankfully replacing the forsaken in his head, though also bringing confusion with it.

Mathias rose and his grin turned a little less predatory. "If it helps we have very little libido. So the warlocks might have found a way around that." Maurus raised his eyebrows, surprised that Mathias would relent in any questioning. "Unlike you," he added, his grin widening again and Maurus slumped forward. Of course Mathias wouldn't let up.

Off balance, for the second time that evening, Maurus could only give Mathias a questioning half-glare. Mathias just kept grinning as he slipped into his own tent. Maurus' eyes ran over the tents before he leaned back on his hands and returned thoughtful eyes to the flames. Without his notice, his lips quirked slightly upwards.

Arianna lost the trail the following morning.

Mathias handled the development much better than Maurus had expected, even if he had expressed greater faith in Arianna's tracking. It took just a single repeated assurance from Arianna that she'd pick it up on the other side of the Portal to satisfy him and only his fiddling with his sword betrayed how nervous he still was about losing the demon.

That anxious energy found an outlet almost as soon as they entered the Swamp of Sorrows. Even from the pass they'd been able to see the swathes the demons had burned through the mangroves and they hadn't traveled more than a few hours along the muddy road before the first demons came charging at them through the fetid waters.

It was just one of over a dozen attacks they endured on their way to Stonard, though they fared much better than Maurus had feared, mostly because of the disorganized state of the demons. It was obvious that whatever force had appeared from the Portal had lost coherence at some point and the roaming demons, while still dangerous, were nowhere near the threat they had seemed in Ashenvale. In truth, the demon's seemed almost desperate in their fury, like cornered animals, and it took a while for Maurus to figure out why:

There were trolls in the shadows of the trees, harassing the demons, herding them towards the Horde caravan, but never outright joining the fight and Maurus wished them far away. Knowing that the Atal'ai were always close unnerved him, because, unlike the Darkspears, they weren't friends of the Horde. Or of anyone for that matter. The trolls of the Sorrows were almost as likely to attack and eat members of the Horde as they were to kill demons, but they had apparently decided the demons were the more important foe and the caravan weren't directly troubled by the trolls. Maurus probably ought to be grateful, but he couldn't shake the worry that the Atal'ai would finally decide to stalk Horde instead of demons.

It was a great relief when they finally reached Stonard, the well-guarded, wooden walls making him relax enough to get a few good nights' sleep, despite the chaos of the overfilled outpost. It being the last real permanent settlement they would visit before whatever they might find in Outland, everyone got the most of the days they spent there and even Mathias seemed to take the chance to relax a little, despite his impatience with the delay. The three-day stop slipped by in the blink of an eye and before Maurus knew it, they were marching into the Blasted Lands, joined by several other caravans that had arrived earlier.

To Maurus' surprise, the trek through that desert became the most uneventful part of their journey. The scorched, rust-colored plains were open, flat and only broken by the odd crag and bluff, so they made quick progress, safe in the knowledge that there were no places to set up ambushes, ensuring that they would see any enemy long before they became a threat. They only ever saw ogres though and even then only out in the distance. It seemed even the dimwitted ogres were unwilling to attack the army, a wise choice considering the size the army had reached.

Their biggest concern was the aridity and heat of the place. There was no water anywhere and the air seemed to suck the moisture from their bodies to be carried away by the howling wind. They weren't much more than a day out from the swamp before Maurus eyes were stinging, his lips threatened to split every time he moved them and his skin and fur dried out. Wiven almost exhausted his mana each day conjuring as much water for them as he could. All the mages in the caravan had that duty and few liked it, but the blood elves in particular seemed unduly galled by it, snapping at everyone. It didn't help that many of the others ended up making a game out of riling them up.

Maurus and Mathias found that between them, it was very easy to get a rise out of Wiven. The fun lasted only a day though, before Arianna pointed out that Wiven's threats were more genuine than they'd thought, particularly those directed at Mathias. After that, they backed off, Maurus admonishing himself for the stupid behavior as he realized what it meant for Wiven to expend so much mana, day after day. Now that he looked at it, he could see the similarity between how the blood elf looked and some of the more wretched people he'd seen in Ratchet.

He made an effort to make it up to the blood elf and tried a few times to get some of the others to let up on the other blood elves, though he had limited success with the latter. Mathias seemed to let up mostly because he found it no fun to do alone and most of the others had no such reservations.

After a week of slogging through the barren, boring landscape, living on water and dry rations, with only the sight of zeppelins and the occasional messenger reminding them that they weren't the only ones going to the Portal, they saw the first sign of civilization in the Blasted Lands. Rising from a bluff to the west was Nethergarde Keep, a fortress of grey-white stone, stained by the dust in streaks and patches so it looked like the walls were bleeding. Above the battlements flew the purple banners of Dalaran and the blue of the Alliance.

A mile to the west of the keep, spreading out from the foot of a large hill, was a city of rough tents, ranging in color from dirt-brown to bloody red. Deep ditches lined with wooden spikes surrounded the camp and soldiers in red armor patrolled the perimeter. A huge zeppelin was outlined against the sky where it stood near the camp, workers scurrying over it to unload its cargo. The myriad colors that dotted the camp, banners of different clans and tribes, more than anything revealed that the camp was Horde.

Maurus nodded in respect towards the keep. Even if the Portal had been inactive for years, recent events had served to prove how important the duty was and the men and women of the keep was worthy of great respect for sacrificing easier lives for thankless work in the inhospitable lands. Maurus himself would like nothing more than never seeing the Blasted Lands again and he'd only been here a week and a half. He wondered at the kind of people who could stand it year after year.

Arianna noticed his gaze. "I have family there," she said and Maurus looked at her in surprise. Judging by the expression of light confusion that flitted across her delicate features, she hadn't meant to say that and the short pause that followed before she continued added to that impression. "At the very least, I know I had."

Before Maurus could ask for elaboration, Wiven spoke from behind him: "We haven't heard from them in years."

Maurus glanced back at him before eying Arianna, noting how her expression had settled into a mix of irritation and sadness. He could understand missing family, his own wandering life made his visits with family few and far between but there was something else there. He debated for a moment before asking: "Do you have any idea why?"

"They could be dead," she said simply.

"Or gone through the portal," Wiven said.

Arianna's expression hardened, though there was a hint of brittleness to it. "Maybe they cut contact because we joined Illidan and the Horde."

Maurus snorted, giving the Keep a more hostile look. "And I was just about to tell you I admired them. I still do, but scorning kin?" He shook his head and scowled. "Blood is blood."

Arianna' dark expression lightened slightly and she glanced down her red robes. "That is one of the reasons behind the name we have given ourselves. The blood of the fallen cry for the blood of our enemies, but we also think of ourselves as of one blood now."

Maurus' heart sank in sympathy. He raised his hand and enveloped her shoulder with his huge fingers. Mathias patted her other shoulder lightly, but for him, that gesture of support was huge.

"You're not alone anymore," Maurus said firmly. He reached behind him with his other hand and grabbed hold of Wiven, dragging him forward into a one-armed hug, making him squirm uselessly. "And now we are going to reunite you with your kin on the other side."

A murmur went through the crowd and Maurus faced forward, following the gaze of the people around him. He felt a surge of apprehension and awe when he looked past the banners and pennants over the camp and noticed the massive stone edifice appearing beyond the hill. He guessed he could see about half of the Dark Portal, the rest of it hidden by the edge of the crater it stood in, but it still seemed to loom forebodingly, ash-grey stone lit by the swirling green fire inside the gate. Points of the same light glowed within the stone hoods of the statues along the sides of the gate and within the eyes of the carved snake twisting along the slab topping the gate.

His grip on Arianna slackened and he released Wiven as the bottom dropped out of his stomach. The Portal, so very real and solid, was now so close. Tomorrow, they would cross between worlds. A small tremble went through him as the thought sunk in.

"We're really here," he said. He cursed how weak he sounded, but the path ahead of him terrified him. The events in Ashenvale had been trying enough yet now they were going to a world where the demons succeeded. In the back of his mind he asked himself why he'd gotten involved in this.

"Yes. We are," Arianna said. There was apprehension in the words, but far more eagerness, and Maurus glanced down at her again before his gaze drifted to Mathias and Wiven, finding several reasons to gather up his courage: Duty, friends, honor. He'd sworn to help Mathias and, in truth, Maurus himself had a score to settle for the men who'd died in the traps in the canyon. Besides that, Arianna, and Wiven, had people to find in Draenor and Maurus wanted to be there for that.

'And seeing a new world isn't bad either,' he told himself, able to muster a spark of excitement from the thought. It would be quite a proving ground at least and if he succeeded in his quest, he would have much to be proud of.

"Never thought I'd go to other worlds. Not in this life," he said, his voice somewhat steadier. Arianna ran her fingers along his hand and the warm touch made more of his anxiety disappear.

Mathias gave him a crooked smile, turning his sword over in his hand. "Neither did I. But here we are. A shame we're are going to camp first."

The camp was their last stop before entering the portal, a place to rest and prepare for Outland and the likely chaotic situation on the Hellfire Peninsula. The night didn't offer much rest though. The atmosphere was one quite fitting to Maurus' mood, one of hectic preparation and silent anxiety and instead of sleeping, many seemed to prefer making the most of their last night in Azeroth. The camp was noisier than any he'd been in in years, so Maurus didn't get much sleep. It didn't help that his demon-filled nightmares returned in full force that night, so when they rose and departed early the next morning, Maurus felt as groggy as those who had abandoned sleep entirely looked.

Most of the sleepiness was quickly chased off by his worries though, when they turned toward the Portal, leaving him irritable but alert as they marched toward the crater and the remaining traces of drowsiness were burned away when they passed over the crater edge.

Maurus' breath escaped him as he took in the entire Dark Portal. It stood at the center of the wide hollow, a towering construction of grey stone many times his height. A ramp, wide enough for a dozen tauren to walk shoulder to shoulder, led from the barren ground up to a wide platform, from which the gate rose high above the crater floor. The statues standing vigil on either side of the gate looked even more threatening from here, dark, cloaked figures, each holding a long, stone sword, point down. Both the statues and the snake over the gate seemed to glare down at them as they descended the slope, the light of the gate making it look like the snake and the cloaks twisted minutely.

The wind came over the edge and plunged toward the portal, as if drawn from the Blasted Lands into the unnatural hole in reality that was the gaping maw of the Portal. He wondered briefly, irrationally, if there was any air on the other side of the gate, before he pushed the idea aside.

He hardly noticed the siege engines and the defensive embankments around the foot of the gate. The soldiers manning them made no impression on him and he was only barely aware that both Horde and Alliance walked side by side, in two loose columns with their animals, toward the Portal. He was completely captivated by the Portal which grew higher and higher above him. It was a surprise when he heard the clack of his hoof coming down on the stone ramp and despite the noise of the marching army, the sound of his hooves on the stone seemed deafening. His heart beat quicker with each step up the ramp and each row of soldiers he saw vanish into the Portal.

'This must be how it feels walking to the headsman's block,' he thought and it shocked him out of the daze. He grit his teeth, tried digging up anger to reinforce his courage with and looked around him. Arianna and Wiven looked as serious as they ever had and they held their staves in white knuckled grips. Mathias was grinning widely, though his stance was tense, as if itching for violence and he kept turning his sword in his hands.

Casting his gaze farther, he saw similar signs of worry all around him, among both Alliance and Horde, orcs and trolls showing teeth and fiddling with weapons, dwarfs and humans pulling on their beards and hair, night elves looking like deer ready to bolt or cats ready to pounce, gnomes fidgeting.

'At least I'm not alone,' he thought. It was little comfort though, growing smaller with each step up the ramp. The ascent seemed never-ending, yet was still over in the blink of an eye and his heart beat a heavy rhythm against his ribs as he stepped toward the towering gateway, now completely unable to tear his gaze away from the green fire and dark void facing him. It was lucky he didn't have any time to hesitate or he might have lost his nerve. As it was, he could either go in himself or be pushed by the row behind him when they got impatient. He held his breath as he stepped forward, afraid in a way he had never experienced before.

The world lurched, turned upside down. Then it turned sideways as the void swallowed him.

And Azeroth is behind us. Let me hear what you think!

Really sorry this took so long. I'd like to blame exams, and they are partly to blame, but more than that, my work ethic is terrible. That is another reason to keep going with this. To train my lazy ass into shape so I will write much more and quicker.