Anduin Lothar was inordinately pleased that Gul'dan's Fel-transmission experiment was a resounding failure.
Lothar had been so concerned for Khadgar after his episode of lucidity and pain that he had practically forgotten about it. And now, although Khadgar had returned to the pre-verbal state he'd been in previously, the mage was no longer in any visible distress. He'd even gone so far as to fall asleep on the pile of furs, sprawled out with his wings unfurled…even with his altered features, Lothar could still recognize the look of exhaustion on the other man's face.
Once Lothar realized that if the Fel was going to overtake him it would have already done so, he began to clean himself and Khadgar up. Wiping away the evidence of their encounter with some of the fur bedding, he dressed himself and then draped one of the cleaner furs over Khadgar's hips. Demon or not, he wanted to give the mage some measure of dignity.
"How disappointing," Gul'dan rumbled from the entrance to the room. "I was hoping to have found you as 'gifted' as your colleague. A pity. It's the only thing that would have kept you alive beyond this day."
"So sorry to inconvenience you," Lothar replied drily. "You're going to kill me today? I thought you were going to wait until we got back to your main settlement. You know, for the good of orc morale and all that."
"A slight change of plan. Alliance soldiers are in the area…probably searching for you and Khadgar. So you will die now, rather than later." He regarded the commander through narrowed eyes. "I suppose I should be thankful that at least one of you is dressed," the warlock stated, and prodded Khadgar's foot with his staff. "Get up and put your pants on, pet, you and your friend are going for a walk."
The mage sat up, blinking owlishly at Gul'dan before doing as he was told. The three orc guards reappeared, opening the cell door and pulling Lothar out. Khadgar followed them.
"If he tries to run, break his arm."
Lothar wasn't sure if he was talking to the guards or to Khadgar, but something about the warlock's demeanor made him think the orc was rattled. That was good. If Stormwind troops were close enough for Gul'dan to step up his plan to this degree, it meant they might reach the village in time, and he and Khadgar could actually make it out of there.
Provided Gul'dan didn't order Khadgar to kill him first, which seemed to be what was about to happen next.
Lothar didn't miss that Gul'dan kept his distance from the rest of them until they'd left the deepest part of the jail complex, however. Which made sense, if the anti-magic wards were as powerful as they would need to be to control the Guardian Novitiate before his transformation. But Khadgar's eyes had flashed blue even while in the cell…that had to mean something. Magic was dampened but not totally depleted, that must be it. And he'd noticed that Khadgar had paused just now before following Gul'dan's command. The warlock obviously didn't have as much control down there as he would have liked.
The orcs were already assembled in the town square, Lothar saw as they reached the outside. At the center of the square stood Gul'dan, who had already begun to address them, saying they were the true warriors of the Horde who would bring glory to themselves by conquering all of Azeroth. Lothar couldn't help but roll his eyes. A standard pep talk, he decided, as they brandished their weapons and cheered at the sight of the three guards leading him to the center as well, forcing him down onto his knees.
"You will all remember what you see here today," the warlock intoned. "The newest weapon in my arsenal, transformed and remade to serve the Horde, will kill the commander of Stormwind's army. At my command."
There was more cheering. Evidently Gul'dan wanted Lothar to be aware of everything he was saying, because he was speaking to the orcs in Common. He doubted all of them knew the language, but this display wasn't just for the orcs. It was for Lothar as well, meant to demoralize him before his death.
"And so, bear witness to our latest victory – the death of Anduin Lothar, the regent of Stormwind." He turned to the demon. "Kill him, Khadgar. Kill your friend, for the glory of the Horde."
The mage looked at Gul'dan for several seconds, and then at Lothar. Then, very slowly, he turned his head back to the warlock.
Gul'dan scowled, and struck his staff on the cobblestones. "Obey me, demon. Kill Anduin Lothar."
Khadgar just cocked his head, remaining motionless otherwise, and Gul'dan swore in his native tongue. "Guards – kill Lothar, I will deal with my recalcitrant pet," he growled, raising his staff again.
This time Khadgar did move, so fast that for a few moments he was nothing more than a blur in Lothar's eyes, reappearing at the man's side and snarling at the three guards. He raised his right hand towards them, curling it into a fist.
Lothar watched in amazement as green mist started pouring out of the orcs' skin, swirling around Khadgar's hand; and he realized the mage was pulling the Fel out of them, just as Medivh had done during the confrontation in the forest…and just as Khadgar had done to Medivh at Karazhan.
They screamed, staggering back, and the mage's eyes narrowed. Then he sent the Fel blasting back into them as he might normally throw a frostbolt. They dropped to the ground, dead.
He'd used the Fel he'd harvested as a weapon against them, Lothar thought, unable to suppress his shock. And now, as Lothar grabbed the ax one of them had dropped, Khadgar gazed out over the crowd of orcs, raising his hand again.
All of the orcs here were green, and they'd seen what the mage had just done to their compatriots. Some of them were muttering to each other, edging away nervously. One of them called Gul'dan's name and then shouted something in orcish. This had the effect of turning Khadgar's attention back to the warlock, and the mage smiled coldly, advancing on his former master.
Lothar stayed at Khadgar's side, his ax raised in a defensive position. Even though Khadgar had access to his magic out here, so did Gul'dan, and Gul'dan had the benefit of being at his full intellectual capacity. The mage hadn't spoken since they were in the cell together, and he had no idea what was going on in Khadgar's head right now.
Gul'dan was clearly angry that his prize was no longer under his control, and he raised one of his hands, sending a sizzling bolt of Fel energy at Khadgar. This was not the wispy tendril he'd sent into the mage before, this was an attack meant to disable, or to kill. Lothar tried to pull him out of the way, but Khadgar was immovable, and Lothar's jaw dropped when he saw the mage intercept the bolt. The green glow slithered around his hand like a snake…and then Khadgar sent it straight back at Gul'dan.
The warlock was knocked backwards, and Khadgar advanced on him again, glaring furiously. He slowly spread his fingers, as if he wanted the orc to know exactly what he was going to do. Then he clenched them into a fist once more, and began to pull the Fel from Gul'dan.
The warlock screamed in a combination of anger and pain. Then there was a sudden sound of wings from above, followed by shouting in Common, and a wave of relief washed over Lothar. Stormwind had arrived.
A throng of orcs rushed forward, eager to battle enemies they could understand. But a few of them had apparently decided that if Khadgar wouldn't kill Lothar, they would instead. Weapons raised, they came barreling directly at him. Khadgar immediately stopped his attack on Gul'dan and turned to face the onrushing orcs, but he was too late to stop the first blow. A spike-studded mace connected with Lothar's shoulder, and he dropped to his knees, wheezing in pain.
Now that Lothar was down, the orcs seemed to want to try their luck against Khadgar. One of them managed to sink her knife into one of the mage's wings; but the Fel he'd pulled from Gul'dan was still swirling around him almost angrily, and he sent a bolt of it into her. A moment later she was dead, and Lothar watched the wound she'd inflicted on him heal almost instantly after he'd killed her.
Khadgar's burning green gaze seemed to grow brighter then. He raised both hands, extending them towards their attackers, pulling more Fel from them. His entire body glowed with it, a maniacal expression on his once-innocent face; and the fighting between the rest of the orcs and Stormwind's troops seemed to pause, as all eyes turned to the Guardian Novitiate.
"SHA'LA ROS!" he cried, his eyes shining pure, arcane blue. The Fel he'd been manipulating exploded outwards in a blinding ball of green flame, engulfing the surrounding orcs.
Khadgar slumped to the ground then, unconscious, his energies fully spent.
There was silence, but only for a moment. Immediately afterwards there were cries of alarm from the remaining orcs, mixed with the sounds of clashing weapons. Every orc that had been in the blast radius of the massive burst of Fel was dead, and Lothar hurried to Khadgar's side. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he knelt beside his friend, forcing his eyes open. They still held the blue of the arcane, but they were rapidly fading to brown.
Lothar could have wept when they stayed that way.
Now that a path to them was clear, a group of soldiers came rushing up, weapons drawn in alarm as they got closer to Khadgar. Lothar knew what this must look like, and he held up a hand. "Stand down!"
"What? Commander, do you really think that's wise, look at him, he's a—"
"Don't kill him," Lothar commanded. "That's a direct order from your regent. Anyone who disobeys won't see the outside of the stockade for the rest of their lives. That's a promise."
There were murmurings of concern at that, but no real disagreement. "We need to get him back to Stormwind," Lothar pronounced. "Into the highest security cell we have – something warded against magic of all types, until we can figure out how to fix this. Something like what they have set up at the lowest level of the jail here." He gestured at the building where they'd been kept. "He may have just saved my life, but until we know for sure how much of Khadgar is still in there, that's the safest thing for all of us." He rested a hand on the mage's arm gently, wincing at the stab of pain through his shoulder. "Khadgar included."
"Commander," said one of the lieutenants. "You've been injured. We need to get you to Stormwind as well."
Lothar nodded, finally noticing the blood seeping down his arm. It had barely registered once the orcs had attacked, and he'd all but forgotten the residual discomfort from what he and Khadgar had done earlier – he'd suffered far worse pain in the past, and without the benefit of pleasure to override it. Now, though... "I won't fight you on that." He moved his shoulder experimentally and was rewarded with another stab of pain.
"Good," the man said. "We can't have you dying on us after all this, sir."
Lothar smiled. "Don't worry, you can't get rid of me that easily," he said, gazing down at Khadgar fondly. "I have too much to live for."