I love those special moments when a burst of inspiration smack you in the head like a bat, and you cannot help but be compelled to write for anything and everything that you get your hands on. One of the best feelings ever in my opinion. Thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapter. Please enjoy the next! ~F
Chapter Sixty Two
Within the Walls of the Enemy
Nobu'tan read the missive from Lucius again, just to make sure that he was not losing his mind.
'Lord Nobu'tan,
In the process of making contact with those warlocks that linger among the human nation of Stormwind, I have found their largest coven. However, their leader holds himself quite above his station. In the process of diplomatically appeasing him, while establishing that we hold ourselves rightfully above their authority, I may have suggested that you would come to the city and meet with him, on some conceived tour of the area and the local members that have joined with the Order of the Black Harvest.
I know that you are likely extremely busy with work regarding the mountain and our newly acquired forces, but when you can spare the time, this portkey will take you to my and Narcissa's new home in the mage quarter of Stormwind, where we will be most times of the day and evening. Knowing that you likely have means and then some of transporting yourself back to the mountain, I doubt it would be a difficult matter to come down and 'meet' with these warlocks, allaying them of their fear of having their local power usurped by our much larger organization.
Lucius,'
Laughing aloud at the absurdity of some small time warlock thinking that they're power was anything compared to his own, Nobu'tan rolled the parchment, hand-delivered by one of the members of the Order of the Black Harvest, and set about making preparations. There was a small lull in business at Blackrock, so he could easy disappear for a day or two without consequence. Even if something did happen however, there were standing orders for all his generals and commanders, leading up to the direction of Teg'Ramm to lead them should the worst occur and they were attacked.
The scouting party from the north was still at least a week away, crossing through the swampy Wetlands and there was no threat from the last remnants of the Dark Iron dwarves, who had been driven out to the rocky Badlands and held there by a small outpost of the false Horde.
Leaving a few small notes about matters that were trivial enough to be taken care of without him, Nobu'tan squeezed the small stone that functioned as a personal hearthstone to the Malfoy's new home. The blue light took effect, and Nobu'tan wondered what he was about to see in the newest abode of his closest wizarding allies.
The flash of light blinded him momentarily, and when it receded, the warlock looked about at the small, and rather cozy three story home. It was nothing like the cold expansive manor that they had had back on earth, but there was still a neat touch to it that screamed influence. Not the power of gold behind them, but something more. It was definitely something he would expect that had been created by Narcissa Malfoy.
"Lord Nobu'tan," said the voice of Lucius, even as the man appeared out from another room, smiling warmly as he greeting Nobu'tan.
"Lucius," the senior warlock replied, still looking about at the décor, "Narcissa's work I presume, I highly approve of the choices."
"Thank you," the same woman replied, also entering from the room that her husband had just vacated, "It took a small amount of doing, but most everything was local created or purchased from the city, only slightly modified by me to fit the style I was looking for perfectly."
"Well, I am no critic of the arts, least of all by human standards, but I feel that you captured the elegance of your family perfectly," Nobu'tan said with a small bow of acknowledgement. "Alas, there is only so long that I can spend for a social call, I was told that Lucius had some potential allies for me to meet in the city, but I would love to spend the evening meal with you both, and perhaps visit some of the families of our other friends," Nobu'tan added, pulling a stack of letters from his robes, "I have plenty of requests to pass along correspondence that were quickly thrust upon me."
Seeing the hopeful look on Narcissa face, the chief warlock wilted slightly, "I'm sorry Narcissa, but I sent Draco and Blaise off on a mission to get to the other continent before I had the summons to come here, but he should return soon, and I will give him leave to come visit you in person then."
She nodded, saddened by the lack of news, which made Nobu'tan somewhat guilty, but he had had few allies to choose from that he trusted to see the mission through to success.
"I'll be glad to show you to all our allies' homes when your business is concluded," Narcissa said. "I trust you'll be here for a few days so we can travel out to the other villages that they've spread through. We have people all the way into Westfall and back to Redridge. The housing market was rather thin in this area, as it seems that the nation is still recovering and settling back into its old ways."
Nobu'tan nodded. He would stay as long as needed to fulfill his charge to hand deliver every letter to the families of his allies from earth. It was the least he could do in exchange for their loyalty.
Lucius casually checked the time of day with his wand, before turning to go back further into the home, "It's still early yet before the people I mentioned meet, so would you care for some tea, Narcissa found a rather charming little shop that gave her more than enough of their product for our private use." He offered.
"I suppose it could hurt to relax a small amount after the last few weeks we've had," Nobu'tan admitted, allowing himself to be coaxed into the sitting room, where an addition cup of piping hot tea was provided for him.
That was when he noticed that Narcissa herself was preparing the tea and providing it for the pair of them, rather than House Elves, which he found as quite odd. House Malfoy had had nearly twenty of the little creatures by the time of the opening of the Fel gate on earth, so where had they all gone?
As though noticing his gaze, Narcissa quickly explained, "we felt that it wouldn't be too fair to continue possessing House Elves, especially with there being none of their kind on this world, it would become a crutch that we'd lose sooner or later, and together we agreed to release them before departing earth."
"Times were hard at first," Lucius admitted, "but I think that in the long run it will be good for us to do more ourselves, and put things in perspective."
Nobu'tan hummed in response. Personally he would have kept them for other purposes, rather than comfort, but in the end it was the decision of the Malfoys, rather than Nobu'tan himself, so he was content with how things were as it stood.
It was a calm afternoon, and Nobu'tan could hear outside quite well, with the movement and speaking of passersby, many of whom commented on the house in which he was residing for the moment, and he smirked at Narcissa, "It seems that I am not the only one who took immediate notice of the charm that your home possesses."
There was a knock at the door, and Narcissa went to answer, even as Lucius checked the time quickly before stowing his wand away. Nobu'tan understood the reasoning. Most humans, or other beings in general, had never before witnessed magic quite like the humans of earth, so it would have become an oddity that the Mages would definitely want to study, and that would be rather inconvenient for them and their plans if it were to happen.
Narcissa quickly returned, escorting a young boy, hardly older than Nobu'tan had been when he left Azeroth so long ago. "Look who came to visit us Lucius," Narcissa said, smiling warmly down at the boy.
"Ah, Prince Anduin, a pleasure as always for you to visit," Lucius stated, sitting up straighter and nodding at Nobu'tan, "We were just welcoming a friend of ours who recently arrived to carry news of our people to the east."
"Tobias Banu, your Majesty," Nobu'tan stated, easily falling back into the false name that he had given the Kirin Tor so long ago. It was a good fit for his identity in the human nations, so long as none of the magi recognized him from the Violet Citadel so long ago. From his gage of the years since his departure, he guessed that most of the Council of Six ought to have been still alive, and most ought to have remembered his name, and the mysterious circumstances of his disappearance.
The young prince smiled widely at being introduced to him however, and together they spoke with the Malfoys about events going on about the city, especially the recent and upcoming festivals. It was rather interesting to note that despite being royalty, the child was more of a simple boy than what the orc-raised human would have guessed.
Not long later, there was another knock on the door, and while Narcissa departed, the boy shrunk slightly at the sounds of the people outside. "Anduin, did you have permission to leave the Keep this time?" Lucius asked, sounding more grandfatherly than Nobu'tan had ever heard him sound before, and the boy-prince blushed slightly in guilt.
"I suppose that answers that, doesn't it?" Nobu'tan pointed out, but he was smirking at the rebellious child. By all rights the boy ought to be his enemy, as leader of the Kingdom of Stormwind, but he couldn't bring himself to hate a young boy, even if his councilors conspired against his fledgling nation.
"My Prince, Lord Bolvar is here for you," Narcissa said sweetly as she returned, and even as Nobu'tan turned to look, a large, heavily armored man stood just outside the room. Subtly hiding the smile that he had for the antics of his prince in singling out the most influential noble family in the city, Nobu'tan stood and glanced at Lucius, who was also smiling at the prince.
"Anduin," Bolvar said, struggling to maintain his composure of seriousness, "Lady Prestor was most displeased to find that you had disappeared before her lesson on recent politics, perhaps it would be best if we returned to the Keep."
The boy seemed to wilt under the half-hearted look of disappointment on his Regent's face, but the man softened a moment later, "perhaps we will take a more scenic route back to the Keep, just to make sure that the route if safe enough for you my Prince."
Anduin smiled, and together the pair departed from the house. "A common visitor I gather?" Nobu'tan said after they had gone, and Lucius shrugged.
"The boy has a rather pleasant nature to him, and he reminds us greatly of Draco when he was younger, would you fault this older couple the chance to act a bit like grandparents before their time?" he said.
"Long before their time, I might add," Narcissa said, stepping back into the room and rubbing her stomach area suggestively. Nobu'tan's eye shot up at the declaration. "You know so soon?" he asked, looking between the pair of older wizards. Lucius smirked, while Narcissa merely smiled.
"Well, I'd say congratulations are in order, and I suppose I ought to be the one to tell Draco when he returned first thing then…" Nobu'tan stated, feeling genuinely happy for the pair that had been as parents to him while on earth, whether he had appreciated it or not.
"It is about time we should visit the others now, my Lord," Lucius said, checking the time once more, and walking to the door. "We will return before it grows too late my love," he said, kissing Narcissa on the cheek, and together Lucius and Nobu'tan departed, steering away from the Mage's Tower, and toward the northern section of the district.
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Onyxia was growing most irritated by the recent developments, both in and out of Stormwind. The boy, Anduin, was growing ever more difficult to control, stealing away day after day to visit the Malfoys, and while she had recognized that the woman who had so easily bested her control of both the boy and the Lord Regent was with the advisor of her new ally, Nobu'tan, she still was most incensed that such a move on her power had been made, whether by his design or not.
Moreover, her outside activities had struck a snag. The captive King, Varian Wrynn, had been successfully split into two beings, a complacent fool that would obey her every command, and the rebellious spirit of the lion, but before her servants could deliver the puppet back to her, Naga had attacked and captured the useful Varian, holding him ransom against the Broodmother.
It might take a small amount of maneuvering, but she was already prepared to pay their outrageous sum, and set it up as a tax upon the people of Stormwind itself. They desperately wanted their King, despite many not even being aware that he never arrived at the Theramore Peace summit, and they would have their King returned, only for Onyxia to control his every move.
Then, all of Stormwind would be hers, and if it was possible, she would unite the forces of Nobu'tan with her Stormwind, and they could take control of all the Eastern Kingdoms, from Ironforge all the way to Silvermoon. But… was that even what she wanted anymore?
It had been her and Nefarian's plan for their eventually takeover of the entire continent, but without her scheming brother, did Onyxia really want to go through with all the tedious need for ruling over the other mortal races on the continent, as well as fighting those who would surely come from Kalimdor to fight her?
It was definitely something to consider, but part of the plan was already in motion, and unable to be hindered. The ransom was already en route to the naga, and the loyal and obedient Varian would be returning to Stormwind soon enough. Perhaps she would be content with just Stormwind, and leave the ruling of the rest of the Eastern Kingdoms to another, or even more interesting, she could lead Stormwind into a golden age of prosperity, and actually help the lives of the humans that lived therein…
The options seemed limitless, but she had no idea where she wished to turn. Things had been far simpler with Nefarian dictating her moves, but without her brother she would have to take charge. If Nobu'tan hadn't already grasped power that held sway over even the Broodmother of the Black Dragonflight, she would gladly have continued the plan in revenge for Nefarian's death, but her new alliance changed everything.
Turning from where she had been more or less staring into space, she spotted Bolvar and Anduin's return, and noted that it had taken significantly longer than usual. They were both trying to hide their smiles, which told her that they had gone out for some fun as they considered it before returning.
Strangely enough, that did not bother the Broodmother as much as she thought that it would. Dare she even state that she was starting to view Anduin as her own, just as much as any of the whelplings back in Blackrock Mountain?
Perhaps it was so, and the disguised Black Dragon felt her face relax as the pair approached, the irritation ebbing away as she watched the way that little Anduin was relaying some tale to his guardian and regent, likely something that he learned or otherwise overheard at the resident of the Malfoys. It was something she had heard before, some tale about their affinity for all things magical, and indeed their home in the Mage District was truly something extraordinary.
It was enough so that Lady Prestor had gone and viewed it herself, just to confirm the rumors, and she had been impressed at what she had seen. As a powerful dragon, Onyxia was familiar with every known quality of magic, but these seemingly frivolous changes, all wrought by the hand of Narcissa Malfoy herself were something altogether unknown to even the Broodmother, and that warranted a great deal of respect and caution.
She had a feeling that there was much about the faction now occupying her brother's fortress that she did not know, and that caused her to feel a small sense of worry. "Ah, you found him Lord Bolvar," she said as the pair finally approached, the prince looking rather sheepish; albeit not terribly apologetic to running off from her lesson.
"I gather you weren't in the mood for another political lesson this evening, were you Anduin?" she asked gently, catching the boy off guard. He had clearly expected some sort of lecture, which the Broodmother had initially been more than gearing up to deliver, but with other matters pressing of late and her most recent change of view, she had dropped the idea and decided that the prince possibly required more time to simply be a child his own age again, and therefore some of his necessary duties and training could wait a little longer.
"Perhaps I have been too strict with you lately," Onyxia said, almost giggling at the looks on both the regent and the prince at her words. Were they truly so out of character? "I forget sometimes that despite the fact that you are the ruler of Stormwind, you are still very young, and need time to grow into yourself as well as duties that will be expected of you by your people. How else can we expect you to become a wise leader like your father unless you are allowed to discover who you are as you grow…?"
Sighing slightly, Onyxia decided that she had better commit to what she was saying, "We'll cut down the hours in the day that you need to devote to lessons and studying, and allow you more time to go out and play, but don't try to take too much advantage of this freedom. The Malfoys especially have much to do, and while I don't doubt they enjoy your company, there are times where they really ought to be allowed to go about their own business." She said, only slightly allowing some of the chiding back into her voice.
Even as she walked away, she could tell that neither of them knew how to respond, even to each other regarding the strange change in their advisor.
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Draco woke with a start as the zeppelin finally started to make a decent, shuddering somewhat as it slowly changed direction. Turning to look, he still could only see water out of the rear of their vessel, but now there were small outcroppings of red-brown rock that jutted from the sea, and he could only guess that they were at last approaching land.
It had taken far longer than he had suspected the trip would, but it might have had to do with all the extra weight of the supplies that the goblins were shipping, and therefore he did not complain about the long journey.
Venturing to the top deck, while Blaise slumbered on a bit longer, Draco watched the desolate-seeming land approach ever swifter, and the outlying tower that flashed odd, almost muggle, lights to guide them in.
It was still quite early yet, and the sun hadn't risen over this land at that time, which made it quite difficult to make out the city that lay beyond, much farther up from the beach that the zeppelin tower was constructed upon, but Draco could at the least tell that it was only the front gate that was visible from here, and that there was far more of the city build into the canyon beyond.
"You'll want to wake your companion and get yourselves ready to depart," the nearest goblin advised, "it'll take a long time for us to unload, and leaving the ship will be difficult once we start."
Sensing the real reason that the goblins wanted the two disguised orcs off their ship as soon as possible, Draco nevertheless went and woke Blaise. They would need to find a place to shelter their horses anyway, before entering the city properly as to not draw too much unwanted attention, as they had back in Grom'gol.
Soon enough the zeppelin touched down, settling in gently to the waiting section of the tower, and ropes were thrown to tie down the craft so that they did not float away. Without even a word of farewell, Blaise and Draco stepped off the zeppelin and onto the land of Kalimdor, and descended the tower quickly.
Walking up the path, and guiding their horses to not draw much attention of the regularly posted guards, they kept their eyes open for any possible place to keep the animals without too much trouble. Luckily, many of the orcish farmers were already up and at work, tending to various pens of pigs and other herd animals.
Approaching one that was nearer to the main gates of the city, Draco inquired about the orc watching and caring for the horses for them while they were present, and while the farmer was clearly curious as to why they had horses as mounts, he made no argument when pieces of silver were placed into his hand for the trouble.
Walking quickly to the gates of the massive city, Draco took the opportunity to admire the handiwork of these orcs, comparing it to the Horde that was stationed at Blackrock Mountain. Whereas those clans preferred to use darker material, and much cruder fashion in their own personal architecture, these clans were more privy to wood, with some stone for foundations and specific placements, where as rooftops were either skins or tarp-like material draped over massive bones, allowing heat to be channeled out of the top in a centralized place. It came across as far more tribal and rustic than Draco had expected, then again with the myriad of races present in the city, he ought not have been too surprised.
Orcs he had expected, naturally, but the presence of trolls, gangly things with ranges of blue and purple skin were quite unexpected, as well as the massive bovine creatures that seemed more in tune with the natural world than any race Draco had ever encountered. Occasional goblins were also seen as the pair of illusioned humans made their way through the canyon city toward their destination, following the flux of magic toward the largest concentration of the Fel.
There seemed to be a network of tunnels below one of the bluffs that formed around the city, and it was there that the Fel magic leaked like a luring arm, beckoning the two powerful warlocks. And yet, even as they approached, Draco could feel many eyes upon the pair of them. "We're being watched," Blaise stated, although neither of them allowed this knowledge of influence how they acted or inhibit their progress. Casting a casual look around, Draco spotted that indeed, many of the guards gripped their weapons tighter when they drew near, and subtle movement along the rooftops of buildings signaled the presence of hidden watchers.
Although it was clear that they were not suspected to be anything other than what they appeared, which told Draco that warlocks, in any fashion, were not terribly acceptable or tolerated in this city, which would work out in their favor, he supposed. The light from the sun above dimmed as they entered the long covered area outside the cave network, which sported rows of buildings on either side, but these were either unimportant shops for the two disguised humans, or else buildings still under construction.
Even as their unseen watchers continued their spying, Draco took note of the great deal of labor and construction that was taking place throughout the city. It was quite the beehive of activity. In due time however, they arrived at the entrance of the underground network, and only then did it seem that those following them ceased to watch them. The pair of humans gave each other a look of knowing, and proceeded in, bypassing the braziers that burned with arcane fire.
Apparently Mages were here in this orcish city as well, kept in close quarters with those who practiced the Fel arts, which was odd for the two humans, due to their experience long ago with Granger and her band of mages that struggled against them for so long.
Walking among the darker section of the city, Draco actually felt quite comfortable with the number of warlocks present. Although to be true, there were few, and many of them actually looked suspiciously at the two new arrivals, there was something encouraging about the open practice of the Fel here that Draco appreciated.
What he did not appreciate were the guards stationed at every entrance to this underground area, all who watched with careful eyes as the warlocks went about their daily routines.
Their presence was also not able to go unnoticed. "Disgusting, isn't it?" said an orc nearby, watching the pair from within his tent, "the way that we're watched and kept separated from the others in Orgrimmar…"
Draco stepped closer, eager to gather what information he could before he had to depart once more, leaving Blaise all alone here to continue their work for them. "One might say that…" he answered noncommittally.
"Step inside young ones, where I can see you better," the other orc urged, and there was something else in his voice that betrayed the need for them to join him inside the tent, something which Draco and Blaise both could tell was to their favor as well.
Stepping in, the orc quickly went about closing the flap covering the entrance to his home, as well as the smaller openings for windows. "It still isn't terribly safe for those of us to speak openly, even within the Cleft of Shadow, the Warchief keeps tabs on those of us that he knows have power or influence within the ranks of the warlocks, and he does not trust our kind whatsoever."
Draco said nothing in response, it was clear that this one knew that they weren't local warlocks, which likely was the cause of their scrutiny as they entered, but their quick and direct travel through to this place, the Cleft of Shadow, seemed to have at least momentarily thrown off suspicion. The only question was how long that alleviation would last.
"Who are you two, and where do you hail from?" the orc asked, clearly more than a little interested in the arrival of foreign warlocks to what Draco guessed was his own realm of influence.
"We represent something greater," Draco started, cryptically, knowing that secrecy was to be their weapon and greatest shield, "an order that seeks to locate and unite with our fellows across the world over."
If anything, this answered seemed to please the orc far more than its intent had been, "I see, then perhaps you could aid me with a bit of a problem…" he said quickly, snatching glances toward the covered door, "time is short, but I need someone to go down to the coast, and enter the cave there named skull rock. Gazz'uz is a fool at times, but he needs to be told specifically that he needs to rally our supporters from around Durotar. I cannot have his idiocy drawing the wrath of the Warchief upon us all…"
Draco smirked, but turned to Blaise. "It seems you have your work cut out for you, but I must return to our leader with a report of what we discovered." The other wizard-in-disguise looked infuriated at being left on his own so quickly, but Draco did not care.
There were signs enough of what was going on here, and he felt it best to return and consult with Lord Nobu'tan about these defectors from their enemies Horde, particularly if he was correct about what he guessed the clan they hailed from was. The symbol of a fiery blade came to mind as he stood to depart. "My friend here will do all he can to assist, meanwhile I must return across the sea, I've been gone too long as it is and our leader would wish an update on what we've discovered here. Good day…" he said, exiting the tent rather quickly.
If there were still agents of the Shadow Council present, allied directly to the Burning Legion, then Nobu'tan would want to know, and caution had to be exercised in how they were to proceed with the allies of their deepest enemies present in the city.
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Thrall heard the report from various shadow hunters that patrolled the rooftops of Orgrimmar. While nothing untoward had occurred, the fact that two new warlocks arrived, not matching the markings for any known clan, loyal to the Horde or otherwise, he had his suspicions. That they immediately went to the Cleft of Shadow, and that only one left for the zeppelin tower not long afterward was equally disturbing.
He felt strongly that the Stormreavers were on the move to infiltrate his Horde, perhaps learn more of why Thrall had abandoned the warlock ways and their desires for conquest. That they would meet solely with the warlocks in the Cleft was unsurprising, if these were indeed members of the Shadow Council then they would seek to find Neeru Fireblade, the local leader of the Burning Blade Cult in Orgrimmar. The Warchief felt himself more secure knowing exactly where his enemies were, and allowed the warlock to do as he pleased for the time being, so long as Thrall was aware of it, but the presence of these new orcs in his city was already worrisome.
He knew that the expedition had already passed through the Undercity on their way south, but had not yet had enough time to have arrived near to the Burning Steppes and Blackrock Mountian, nor had there been any word of their failure, so he could only presume that they were still on their way unhindered through the Alliance territory that blocked access to the mountain.
How then did their potential enemies already start to infiltrate Orgrimmar itself? Or was that a plan that they had already put into motion at the same time as the Horde leaders? There were too many questions regarding these developments, and Thrall felt that simply capturing the lone supposed Stormreaver and questioning him would prove less than fruitful.
Therefore he ordered for the orc to be watched from a distance and all his activities and journeying in and around the Horde's lands be monitored and reported back to Thrall, for a decision of the orcs intent to be made at a later time.
Consequently to this, he wondered if Jaina was yet aware of these disturbing events. Blackrock Mountain was nearer to Stormwind than any of the Horde cities, and therefore it was highly likely that the Alliance was infiltrate as well. Perhaps his friend needed to be warned so that she could pass on the message to the leaders of the Alliance there.
Against the threat that a powerful warlock clan like Gul'dan's would pose, there would be no need for the Alliance and Horde to be fighting each other. War could, and would indeed come upon them from outside their own factions. Quickly conveying a small message with everything he knew, and the plans the Horde had made to investigate the mountain, Thrall passed the message on to a trusted Ko'kron that would have it rushed to Theramore via portal in the Valley of Spirits.
By the time he was finished, another of the shadow hunters had returned. "Da other warlock be leavin' da Cleft o' Shadows," he reported, "he be headin' also toward da Zepplin dock, but we be suspectin' dat he be having a different destination…"
Thrall nodded, "Keep your eyes on him wherever he goes. If he leave Durotar via the zepplin, all the better, but if not I want him watched at all times." The troll bowed, before departing to relay the Warchief's command, while Thrall turned to Nazgrel, "Send for adventurers of the Horde to come before me. I have a task for them regarding our dear warlock allies in the Ragefire Chasm, and their leader, Neeru Fireblade."
"Yes, warchief," the chief advisor replied, calling for another of the Ko'kron to add the notice to the message boards out in the city, as well as subtly bring in those who had proved themselves in the past of their valor toward the Horde.
Thrall was silent as these events transpired around him, deep in thought of what the Stormreavers might think they were planning in going to the lead warlocks of Thrall's enemies, right in the middle of his own city, and thinking that they would go unnoticed.
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Blaise Zabini was not pleased at being left all alone by Draco, especially with the strange orc warlock named Neeru, who clearly was under the impression that they were also full servants of the Legion here to help destroy the orc capital around them.
Just as disturbing was the knowledge that Blaise had, as he agreed and departed for the strange place known as skull rock, that he was being watched and followed. Leave it to Draco and Nobu'tan to underestimate their opponents and forget that within every stronghold, the leader reigned supreme. Naturally information about everyone that came and went would flow up the chain of command, and clearly, as they had gone straight to the one orc that seemed to be known to be against the leadership of this place, they were automatically assumed to be in league with him.
That being said, Blaise also knew that his current actions of aiding the warlock weren't helping in the slightest, but he was clever, and would take whatever opportunity there was to manipulate this to his own ends. That, he believed, was why Nobu'tan had entrusted this work to him, and not Draco, his personal connection to the Malfoys notwithstanding.
Still, it was somewhat demeaning that all suspected him to be far weaker than he was, so be only useful in running errands and delivering messages, and the desire to prove them wrong was high, but Blaise knew better. If he displayed his prowess as a warlock to Neeru, not only would the warlock grow suspicious of his motives and intent, but then those watching him would know his strength, and Blaise doubted that he would be allowed to move freely if the leaders of the city, who clearly despised warlocks and the Fel arts, knew his skill.
Therefore, he humbled himself to the task, and cautiously walked down to the beach where the strange cave lay, even as Neeru had told him it was. The cave from the outset seemed deserted, but from the stench of Fel magic the human in disguise knew far better. Allowing flames to crackle to life in his hand to light the way, Blaise started into the cave, knowing that the eyes that watched him couldn't follow as easily once he was under the shelter of the cavern.
However, that opened up the possibility of other eyes watching him, and these seemed to wish a much crueler fate upon him. Once he passed the corner where it was truly dark outside of his enchanted fire, Blaise concentrated, allowing more of the Fel to leak into the flames, turning the dancing light green with the taint, and signaling to those in the darkness that he was one of them.
At once several orcs stepped forward, their skin grey like the Blackrock orcs, but their markings and tattoos far different, signaling that they were of a far different clan. "Who are you, and why did you come here with our secret sign?" one demanded, but Blaise had been instructed to speak to none but their leader.
"I will speak to none but Gazz'uz," he said clearly, "Neeru wishes an update directly from him."
His knowledge regarding their leaders seemed to mostly relax the grunts in the first chamber, and they directed him down the left most of the three off shooting passages, which sloped downward as it curved around the length of the cave.
Soon enough the chamber opened up to a high ceiling, with a small pool of fresh water, which clearly was aiding these holdouts in their vigil out of the law of their other people here. More warlock acolytes and other grunts were around, as well as their leader, whom Blaise could identify easily by the imp he sported proudly upon his shoulders, the little demon seeming to be almost bored with its lot.
"Gazz'uz," one of the orcs called, gesturing at Blaise, "someone comes bearing the sign."
"Let him approach," the orc leader said, clearly enjoying his position of power. "Why are you here, and what do you want?" he said once Blaise had approached.
"Neeru wants his update, Gazz'uz," Blaise said slowly, making sure that the key words he had been told were used, "but also he has a new order for you and the clan. The Warchief is aware of your activities, and is rallying his forces to destroy you. All of you need to withdraw into the barrens, to Dreadmist Peak, and unite with the others of the Shadow Council there to await further orders."
"What?" the orc said hotly, "he wants us to run and hide like cowards? Let the slave Warchief send his warriors, we shall break them! Everything has gone according to the design, you go and tell Neeru that all is well here, and we will hold out till the end before we flee before our enemies."
"He mentioned that you might have that sentiment…" Blaise replied, quickly drawing a dagger from his robes, and plunging it into the neck of the orc. The blade sunk in deep, and blood flowed quickly from the wound as it was wrenched free. The imp cackled gleefully as it vanished back into the Nether, freed from its binding.
Gazz'uz fell to the ground, shock overriding even the pain of his fatal wound. He lay there gurgling for several moments, even as Blaise turned to face the other warlocks, who had all raised their weapons to defend themselves, as though the disguised human would turn on them all. "You have your orders from Neeru, I suggest you follow them if you wish to avoid Gazz'uz's fate…" he said blandly, before cleaning and sheathing his blade and walking back out of the cave.
From the mad scramble of motion behind him as he departed, Blaise could tell that he would not need to return any time soon. Unfortunately, he had at least three other locations to visit to relay the same message before he was allowed to return to the city. It was somewhat amusing that these orcs couldn't have thought of a better method of concealing their presence rather than just hiding in caves or other natural barriers, but the lack of the utility wizarding magic gave may have been a factor in those efforts.
Resigning himself to the irritation of walking to these other locations in order to complete his task, Blaise set his feet toward the south, and the small outpost known as Razor Hill, near to which lay the second largest grouping of demon-worshipping orcs that he needed to contact.
While Blaise personally found little worth in these orcs, he knew that Nobu'tan inevitable goal was the complete destruction of those warlocks that truly served the Burning Legion, and the unification of all those who would willingly oppose them, so that they could form a great army of warlocks and their allies, who would be more than prepared to face off against the Legion and whatever else that they sent to try and destroy this world.
It was still odd that the young leader cared more for this world and saving it than he had for the world of his birth, but Blaise had to admit, this world had a charm about it that far exceeded the old days on earth, or event the brief stint that they had had on the world of the Legion as they passed from one portal to another in arriving here.
Magic seemed far more alive on this world of Azeroth, vibrant and active, rather than the dusty stale thing it had been back on earth. And for what difference it made, Blaise was willing to do whatever it took to exact vengeance on the demons that had destroyed his world. True, he had willingly sacrificed it alongside Nobu'tan, to travel here, but their leader had clearly stated and explained that his goal had always been, from the moment of learning of his old Master's death at the hands of the Legion, to return to the place that the demons most desired, and rally the defense therein to drive back and inevitably destroy the Legion utterly.
A mad desire, yes, but Blaise liked those sorts of crazed stunts, almost to the point of having been placed in Gryffindor himself so long ago. If there was a wickedly insane idea that would also give him the revenge he sought, then pretending to work for the demons a bit longer was worth it. Blaise just hoped that he had first crack at some particular demons that had single handedly devastated the isle of Britain, in remembrance of his mother, who had been left behind.
