Thanks again to my beta for helping me out with this chapter! It's rather on the short side, but it's past midnight here, and I can't add any more. I don't even have the courage to reread it to check for typos, so, I'm sorry in advance! I hope you enjoy it, even though it didn't quite turn out the way it was originally intended to! You know how characters are, they won't behave, especially Sylvanas.
There were demons in the Undercity courtyard. As badly as I wanted to use the sewers entrance to get to the Royal Quarter as quickly as possible, I knew that we couldn't let the creatures stay there.
"So we're going to go in through the main entrance?" asked Faith, looking anywhere but at me. She looked exhausted, and part of me wondered whether she'd gotten any sleep at all, while the rest of me told me to put it out of my mind, which I did. "How will we go down there with the elevators disabled?"
"I can handle that," said Thrall. "But let us take things one step at a time."
"So… the Scarlet Crusaders we killed yesterday…" Faith's voice trembled.
Cairne went to her, speaking softly, "They would have probably tried to take over the Undercity themselves. Killing them was unfortunate, but a necessity. Think about it, why else would they have had reinforcements?"
"Still… we could have done it some other way."
"It's all right, Faith. You did what you were told to do."
I glanced at her, exasperated, "You know, if doing violence to enemies of Undercity upsets you, maybe you should just leave. I don't need you for this."
"Yes you do." Thrall's tone was final. I couldn't argue with him if we were going to take back Undercity, but I really didn't want Faith anywhere near me.
"Fine. Everstone, you can stay at the rear and back us up in case something happens."
"I don't think that's going to be helpful. Faith will stay on the front lines with us. She'll be much more useful that way."
I couldn't stress how much I didn't want that. I was still so angry with her that she distracted me, and I didn't need that when I was going into this kind of battle against the Burning Legion and my own people who had betrayed me. I caught Faith looking at me uncertainly. Whatever the warchief said, I knew she would take my orders on this, whether or not either of us liked it. I shook my head dejectedly, "Do whatever you want."
I vaulted onto Venom's back, and everyone did the same, getting onto their own mounts. It was a short ride to the entrance of the Ruins of Lordaeron, but we didn't quite go in, staying outside to look at everyone assembled with us. We didn't have a huge army with us, as we could have ill-afforded further losses. But whatever remained of the Magi Corps were there, all behind Faith, directly behind us. They looked determined.
"Today," said Thrall, "we take Undercity back for the Horde! The Burning Legion will rue the day they dared to come up against us!"
Half a cheer went up, mostly from the people who had remained in Undercity while the Northrend campaign was going on. The ones who had just returned from battle seemed too weary to say anything.
Personally, I was in two minds as to whether I was doing this for the Horde or really for myself. We had fought hard for Lordaeron after we'd broken free from the Scourge. I had fought hard for it. I had rebuilt it from the mess Arthas had left into an amazing city that was a haven for anything that didn't want to be found, be they rogues or warlocks.
And I had to admit that Faith had helped me with a lot of it.
We went in, and were immediately greeted with demons standing on the left and right side of the courtyard, and Varimathras in the middle, looking massive. I didn't recall him having been that big since he had joined us after the Third War. Infernals dotted the landscape here and there, and I wondered whether we were going to make it through. Behind me, Lady gave an impatient cry as Varimathras laughed.
"Have you come to take your home back?" he asked, his smile sinister. "Do you really think that we're going to give it up without a fight?"
"I think that you've made a really big mistake, Varimathras," Faith called out. She sounded absolutely furious.
"A mistake, have I? You're the one who left Undercity to me. Sylvanas kept leaving to be with you all the time, so, naturally, I took over. Undercity is mine now, and there is nothing you can do about it." He raised his arms, "Attack!"
I didn't have time to ponder what he had said as an infernal hurtled towards me. A spell flew past my ear, hitting the thing in the chest and exploding. For several minutes, I couldn't tell who was doing what. I dismounted quickly, as did the others, and we began to battle in earnest. Thrall called upon the spirits of water so that a great wave crashed all around us, obliterating the demons where they stood. The mages around us finished them off with frost and arcane spells, thus allowing us to move further in.
However, more demons kept coming. I glanced around, seeing that Faith was moving towards the archway that led to the rest of the courtyard around the city, and striking down demons there with Rotvine and some of the others who had come back with her. For my part, I was shooting down demon after demon and noticing that my arrows were crackling with magic as they struck – another one of Faith's spells.
Somehow, it worked, and we were able to make our way to the Lordaeron throne room.
"What's that on the floor?" asked the priestess Carelia. She already looked sickened.
I followed her gaze, "That's where King Terenas Menethil died. We have spells around here to keep the memory of what happened fresh, so to speak. I'm surprised Varimathras hasn't gotten rid of them, now that I think about it, but maybe he hasn't had the time yet."
We walked to the elevators, but even before we'd reached them, we saw that it was impossible to go down to the Undercity that way. I cursed under my breath, "Even I wouldn't be able to manage that jump without breaking both my legs and my back, never mind the rest of you." I looked at the warchief, "What do you think?" Varimathras and his forces had erected deadly spikes at the bottom of the elevator shaft, so that anybody jumping would probably be impaled and die on impact.
"I think that the spirits of air can help us. The currents should help us touch down between the spikes on the floor."
We stood back, watching him invoke the spirits. I was skeptical, even when I saw strong air shafts swirling down to the floor, seeming to sparkle before my eyes.
"Who wants to go first?" asked Thrall.
"I will," answered Faith right away. Before I had even had a chance to blink, she had jumped into the gaping hole. I looked down, and saw her landing softly, if looking a little windswept. She started casting spells right away, and I jumped after her without even thinking about it.
No less than three winged demons were occupying the space that led to the Trade Quarter. It was a tight fit, but Faith and I, accustomed to fighting side by side, dispatched them quickly. I signaled to the others to join us, trying not to pay attention to the fact that my skin tingled where Faith had accidentally touched me.
Thrall, Vol'jin, Cairne, and Rotvine joined up, while the other groups made their way around the other sides of the Trade Quarter. It was ominously quiet, but that didn't mean that nobody was going to attack us at any time.
"What have they done to my beautiful city?" I cried, looking around. Odd fel fires burned here and there, and the slimy water that ran through the city was burning as well. It didn't look like my home anymore, but rather like a bastion for the Burning Legion now. I heard Faith whisper a plea to the Sunwell in the softest tone. She moved closer to me, and, looking down, I saw that she was about to take my hand.
I stepped sideways, "Let's go."
We walked down to the lower level of the Trade Quarter, and Faith gave a cry of warning, pulling me out of the way as a ball of flame hit the exact spot I'd been standing in. A second later, more demons appeared, and we started fighting again. I found myself facing a towering doomguard that seemed intent on beheading me. As I dispatched it, something else came at me, and something else.
Soon, all of us were drenched in blood, mostly belonging to the things we were fighting, although I saw Faith sporting a nasty cut on her leg. The robes she wore were stained with it, and it was dripping onto the floor.
Thrall put a hand on her shoulder, murmuring a few words. She winced, locking her eyes with mine, but her cheeks immediately began to regain some color.
We started moving again, crossing a bridge and killing more demons along the way. Something monstrous rose out of the flaming river, but Faith and Rotvine had it handled before I'd fully turned to see what it was.
"The Royal Quarter is just this way, Warchief," I said as Vol'jin took care of yet another demon, a felhound this time. From behind us came the sound of intense fighting. I heard screams of the Forsaken who hadn't betrayed me, and saw them cutting down one of my own abominations with triumphant cries.
I almost smiled.
"They're going to rue the day they ever came up against the Horde," said Thrall, looking over at them, then turning his attention towards the corridor that led to the Royal Quarter.
"Ah, damn," I hissed.
The corridor was blocked. Varimathras had caved it in with several large boulders that would take far too long to remove.
Thrall glanced at me, "I've got it."
"Of course you do," I said just as Faith said the exact same thing.
He smiled grimly, "Faith can help me. Arcane magic might speed this along."
Faith nodded and stood next to him, placing her hand in his. Together, they began their spells, Faith chanting in ancient Thalassian, and Thrall simply beckoning the spirits of the earth to come to our aid. The very ground began to tremble, magic seeping into the boulders from Faith's outstretched fingers. The boulders turned a light shade of pink before growing brighter and brighter, as though they were being consumed by the magic.
A few seconds later, they disintegrated, leaving a faint pink residue in the air that was nothing more than a mist of sparkling arcane particles.
"Good job, Major Everstone," said Thrall to her.
"Thank you, Warchief. You too."
We ventured into the tunnel, seeing dead deathguards strewn about the place. I glanced down at them, feeling fury boiling within me.
"Varimathras is down there," I said through gritted teeth. We could all hear low chanting in Eredun, that demonic tongue that the Burning Legion liked to use. I knew some of the language, having been in the Scourge before it had fully broken free from the Legion, and I knew what Varimathras was doing. "He's summoning something."
"Several somethings, I should think," said Lor'themar, who had just joined us. His hair was splattered with blood and gore, and he looked like he'd been burned, but he wasn't paying it any attention. "He must have been doing this a while, considering the amount of things we killed back there."
Summoning things into my city. I gave a shriek and darted forward.
I burst into the throne room and killed the first thing I saw, a Forsaken wearing some kind of fel green tabard. He didn't even have a chance to scream before I decimated him. Faith was right behind me, along with Rotvine and the magi corps, casting as many spells as possible.
There was a small portal open near the corridor that led to my chambers. Faith bounded towards it, her blade flying and slicing off felhounds' tentacles so that they would suck the magic right out of her. She drove her blade through the portal, crying out a spell that destabilized the swirling vortex. A felhound that had been about to cross was cleanly sliced in half when the portal collapsed.
"No you don't," said Varimathras. He was casting a spell to summon more things into Undercity, which would ultimately lead to him summoning his brothers, I feared, and Sargeras, which we could not allow to happen. One of his wings lashed out, catching Faith's back and slicing through her robes and the skin on her back. She gave a cry and stumbled, but got up again, blood pouring from the gash. The material of her robes fell apart, leaving her only in leggings, knee-high boots, and her undergarments.
Demons surged out of hidden corners, attacking us left and right. Spells and arrows flew. Blades cut down everything within reach. And Faith and Thrall worked their own magics to try and stop Varimathras from finishing his demonic spell.
The spell, which was connected to Varimathras by glowing pink lines of what I could only assume to be arcane magic, slowly lessened. Sweat poured from Faith's body, and she fell to her knees with the effort it took to counteract whatever he was doing. Rotvine went to her aid, casting as well, and as he did so, a disembodied voice, a terrible voice that scared even me, echoed throughout the room.
"You have failed."
"No!" cried the Nathrezim. "No, Master! I tried!"
The spell broke, exploding every which way. All of us were knocked to the ground, and the few demons that remained were incinerated by it.
Varimathras recovered first, crying out and turning towards his nearest foe – Faith.
I wasn't even aware that I'd begun to move. Rage fueled my body, and it acted on its own accord. My arrows were spent, and all I had was my bow, the top edge of which was bladed. I swung it, catching Varimathras on the shoulder. Blood flew.
"Do you really think you can defeat me?" he cried, swinging a colossal fist at me. I ducked, but felt the air above my head move as though a gale-force wind had blown past me.
A spell hit me, a barrier that caught Varimathras' next blow. The sound his fist made as it caught the barrier was like lightning hitting the ground during a storm. He bellowed in his native tongue. His next spell hit me in the chest and lifted me clear off my feet, tossing me backwards until I hit the far wall. My vision blurred momentarily, but I was able to see he others in tight formation, attacking him.
Faith ran to me. She was bleeding from a dozen wounds, but, ignoring this completely, she took my hand and pulled me to my feet.
"Together?" she whispered to me.
I nodded and as one, we leapt. My sword embedded itself into Varimathras' back, right between his two leathery wings, which Faith's spell turned to fire, then ice.
"End it!" I cried, stabbing him again.
Cairne was closest to him, and he drove his runespear deep into the Nathrezim's belly. Faith called out another spell as she drove her blade into his neck.
"You should have never attempted to betray us," she said, bending close to his ear so that he could hear her. She moved her blade around so that he could feel it, and he made a gurgling sound.
"All… my… y-years of planning…" he said, the words broken, as Thrall delivered the death blow with his mighty hammer.
The cruel light in Varimathras' eyes dimmed. A few seconds later, he began to fade away, and we jumped back.
"What's going on?" asked someone.
"His body's being pulled back into the Twisting Nether," I said. "He won't come back for a long time."
Faith fell to her knees, running a hand over her eyes. I glanced at her, but felt no desire to go help her now that the battle was over.
"It is done then," said Thrall. His voice rose, "The Undercity belongs to the Horde once more!"
There was a cheer of victory that I didn't partake in. I didn't particularly feel victorious. Yes, I had gotten my home back, but it came at a terrible price.
"We need to deal with Putress," I said.
"Oh, Sunwell…" whispered Faith, holding out a hand to Rotvine, "Help me up."
He did so, "You're in no condition to battle," he told her. "My Lady, tell her."
But I didn't. "It's her mess, she should clean it up."
"You keep insisting that the Wrathgate was my fault," she said loudly. "I agree, it was. I should have disobeyed you and followed my instincts about that damned plague, but I didn't." She staggered to her feet and went to Thrall, handing him her blade, "My life is forfeit. It is yours to do what you will, Warchief."
"I will be the one to take her life," said a voice.
I whirled around, my eyes widening in surprise. "What the…"
King Varian Wrynn was standing there with all of the Alliance leaders, including Jaina Proudmoore, looking absolutely livid.
"We have killed the monster Putress, and now we come to finish the job and reclaim Lordaeron for the Alliance! I have been waiting for this day ever since I was forced into your arenas, Thrall. Your Horde is dishonorable at best, and that witch you have allowed to lie deserves to rot in the deepest recesses of pain."
"Watch who you're calling a witch, pup," snarled Faith. Despite her injuries, she managed to plant herself in front of me, her blade held high.
"None of you are fit to live. You all deserve to be purged from Azeroth, and we will do so now! Attack! For the Alliance!"
It was complete pandemonium. Ignoring the rules of engagement, we all began to hack away at each other. I slew one Alliance soldier who couldn't have been out of his teens yet, then an older night elf. Faith cast spells over me to protect me, and I was just about to shout at her to stop when Varian swung his sword at her, catching her torso.
My body seemed to freeze. Everything moved in slow motion as I watched Faith blink once. Twice. Blood spurted from her mouth.
A terrible noise rent the air. A scream. Faith began to fall, and I ran to her even as Thrall began to heal her. A soft green light wrapped itself around her injury, along with what I knew to be holy light as a priest also muttered an incantation to help her.
As I reached her, everything froze. I couldn't move.
"Varian, no!" cried Jaina. "What happened at the Wrathgate was not the Horde's fault, I told you!" She sighed, "It didn't have to be like this."
The ice encasing my body vanished, and I nearly crashed into Faith, trying to get to her as she fell. The Alliance was gone, and the scream had vanished. Only when I felt the blood coating my throat did I realized that I had been the one to scream.
"She's fine, Sylvanas, look. Varian's sword cut her badly, but she's all right, see? The healing spells are working."
All right.
Faith opened her eyes and looked at me. Blood was drying on her lips.
"You did it again," I said to her. "You distracted me again. He tried to kill you because he wanted to hurt me. Enough of that! You will leave Undercity as soon as you've been healed. I don't ever want to see you here again!"
Faith spat out a mouthful of blood, "You bitch. Do you think you can get rid of me that easily? I will go back to Northrend, because I have something I need to finish, a promise I made to someone long ago. Someone who died. But you are not dumping me, my Lady. I will not have it."
She got to her feet again, and somehow found the strength to create a portal. I heard Rotvine crying out for her to be careful, that she was in no condition to brave a portal, but she didn't listen. Stepping through it, she vanished.