Life continues to be hectic and prevent me from writing as often as I'd like, but I am struggling forward every opportunity I am given... Enjoy the next Chapter! ~F

Chapter 166

Control Spiral

Archmage Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody looked down from the deck of the Xenedar over the churning oceanic world that the Army of the Light was currently trying to save from the destructive forces of the Legion.

He was not terribly worried about the performance of their forces, as he had had quite an involved hand in training the entire Army of the Light. Nevertheless, he was here, relaying orders and watching the progress of the battle as the tactician that he was.

"Alastor…" a voice said, and the old scarred human turned to see Sirius and Lupin approaching, the latter looking around to make sure they were unobserved, although with the Naaru on the ship that was very difficult to achieve.

"You both are planning something stupid, and you need my approval or assistance," he said, without even pausing, knowing that look from both of their constant insane plans that something was indeed cooking in the slightly twisted brain of Blacks.

"You could say something like that…" Lupin said, the wolf face curious turned in something resembling a bemused glance at his close friend.

"It's about Harry…" Sirius said, and Moody felt his blood momentarily freeze. The Paladin before him, reinforced by the Light into a machine to fight against the demons, shifted somewhat under the scrutiny of his former mentor.

"Let me, guess…" Alastor said, turning to bark orders through the crystal controls of the Xenedar to a group about to be flanked on the battlefield, "You want to troop off on your own, in direct defiance of Xe'ra's orders to remain with the Army, and what? Defeat him, bring him before the Prime Naaru for redemption?"

"No," Sirius said hotly, and Moody turned to look at the protective streak that had flared up in the passionate man.

"Just checking…," he said, confusing the pair of younger men, "If you want to go and help the boy, to urge him onto the path of destiny that the Naaru might have seen, or just to make sure he is alive and well, who am I to deny you? You were, and are, still the boy's godfather, regardless of whether he claims you or not…"

"So you'll help us find a way to Azeroth?" Remus asked.

"No," Alastor replied, "but I'll point you to who can, and look the other way when the time comes for you to slip away…"

"I suppose that's the best we could hope for, given the circumstances…" Sirius said, deflating somewhat.

"And I have a good guess who you're going to direct us to, as well," Remus added, the shape-shifter sighing dramatically.

"Naturally, only those who are not approved by Xe'ra are the ones, ironically, who are outside of her constant scrutiny. You must free Alleria, Morgan and consult with them and Snape to find a way to Azeroth…" Alastor said

It was clear that neither of them liked the prospect that he was giving them, but they also understood that there were little other options, unless they wanted to continue waiting and hoping that the young man who had doomed their world still lived and breathed on Azeroth. Xe'ra had affirmed that the Chosen Ones, plural, were on Azeroth, and while the former wizarding police officer disliked the art of foresight and prophecy, there was little doubt that the Naaru Prime was not mistaken.

If she said that the ones to end the Burning Legion were on Azeroth, then they were there, and it was very likely that Potter would fit that mantle perfectly, no matter what level of darkness he may have sunken to.

But even Alastor agreed that there was little need for them to completely leave those on Azeroth solely on their own, with no one from the Army of the Light to help guide them to the place they needed to be in order to fight the Legion.

So he would allow them their little game, and sneak away two of their best to Azeroth, presuming that the wielders of void magic could think of a way for them to accomplish it.

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Nobu'tan suspected that they might have some issue, if they left the side portion of the inner courtyard of Ulduar unexplored, but through a fleet of eyes they had thoroughly scouted each and discerned that all was as Brann had said. Neither the molten giant nor the massive protodrake seemed remotely concerned about their presence.

Still, in an abundance of caution, Nobu'tan summoned a small host of Felguard to hold the central intersection of the four pathways, just in case their forthcoming battle at with the large mechanic creature at the end attracted any attention from the other two.

The strange, erratic behavior of this mechanic humanoid was rather disturbing. It spent all of the time that the Dark Horde approached running back and forth from piles of scrap metal, putting together smaller contraptions, occasionally poking and prodding them as they went about a small task. Inevitably the small ones fell apart or were crushed, causing the giant to lose interest and speed off once again to repeat the cycle.

Not that Nobu'tan had much experience with the subject, but it seemed as those the creature was acting as a very large child, trying to make playthings and unfortunately destroying them in its lack of care for them once created.

"Why would the guardians of Ulduar leave such a thing here, on their doorstep?" Nobu'tan mused aloud.

"Seems as though it was throw out, left here to be destroyed, but it simply persisted through regardless…" Teron said, eyeing the same behavior.

"A pity we cannot repurpose it," Nobu'tan said, even as his attack force arrayed to engage the construct, "It could be a powerful weapon…"

"Nothing saying that the goblins won't want to learn all they can from the remains…" the Death Knight said helpfully…

"True…" Nobu'tan accepted, before nodding his command for them to engage.

"New toys? For me?" the machine said, turning to face them as they advanced, "I promise I won't break them this time!"

"Almost a pity we didn't bring the vehicles from outside, they would make much shorter work than what we have here…" Nobu'tan commented, watching as his forces quickly encircled and harassed the construct.

Still, the massive creature seemed to think that it was literal play, that was until its systems started to overload from a volley of chaotic bolts from the warlocks of the Stormreaver clan impacted its chest armor. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" it started shouting shrilly, slamming its fists into the ground as though through a tantrum.

Nobu'tan frowned at the display. It was quickly losing any means of diversion, and the Grand Warlock was past ready to enter this place and be about their business. Taking aim at the thrashing creature, he unleashes a torrent of powerful Fel magic at it.

The man-shaped machine was blasted backward, slamming into one of the many piles of scrap even as massive pieces of its metal plating were torn away, exposing a ticking, mechanical heart.

"So tired…," the creature said, its voice slowing, "I will rest for just a moment…"

However, Nobu'tan decided that the rest this robot was taking was going for me for more than a simple moment… one spike of glacial ice impaled the mechanical heart, slowing its recharging process, and acting as the wedge awaiting a hammer to drive it home.

And that came a moment later, in the form of molten Fel boulders, slamming the jagged ice deeper into the mechanical heart, sending a blast of electrical energy across the remaining metal monster. "You are bad… Toys… Very… Baaaaad…" the creature said, before its voice became nothing but static, and finally, silence.

Huffing at the wasted time with the annoying creature, Nobu'tan turned to see where their entrance to the Titan-made facility lay.

Brann appeared then, with more of his explorers and Kirin Tor mages in tow, "Great, the way is cleared, follow me!" he said, stepping forward and climbing a short series of stairs to a faded looking circular platform in front of the massive sealed doorway.

"Antechamber!" Brann said firmly, as soon as he was on the platform, and it shimmered with blue light before the dwarf disappeared completely.

Then Nobu'tan understood. It was like the Floo network of his homework, a means of instant transportation between set locations, which required knowledge of the desired location. Stepping up where the dwarf had been, Nobu'tan felt the subtle pulsing arcane magic waiting for the command phrase to activate.

"Antechamber!" he said, clearly and slowly, to make sure he was not misunderstood. The light surged around him, pleasantly warm, but not jarring or whirling as the Floo was. In an instant, Nobu'tan surroundings had changed, and the smiling face of the Bronzebeard Explorer was again in view.

Now they were inside an elaborate stone structure, clearly the facility itself. "This is where the heavest defenses will likely be," Brann explained, even as Nobu'tan forces appeared in rapid succession behind them, "The Iron Dwarves will congregate to defend this place, where the Keepers, the servants of the Titans, are located."

Moreover, as he said this, an alarm started to sound, notifying the entire facility of their presence. That was to be expected, no doubt, and the arrayed metallic humanoids, appearing man-like and dwarf-like, gripped weapons of the same material and prepared for any kind of attack that the Dark Horde could throw at them.

Still, they lacked the numbers or the power to hinder them. "Voldemort, Teron, let us unleash the concept of death upon these metallic menaces…" Nobu'tan advised, signaling the two Death Knights and their respective clans to advance.

"Of course, Lord Nobu'tan," Teron replied, while Voldemort simply grimaced in acknowledgement.

But even as the dead led the charge into the enemy forces, Nobu'tan was concerned by something. Call it his own internal paranoia, but there were a few gaps in just how they had come to this information regarding Yogg-Saron, questions that he wanted answers to.

"Brann, how exactly did you come to find this place?" he said casually, between throwing orbs of Felfire into the melee, tagging foes that were gaining the upperhand in order to protect his people.

"That's right, you didn't hear the entirety of the story back at Dalaran," Brann said, reloading the long barreled rifle that he was aiding them with, "It all started thanks ta Lady Jaina. She discovered that my brother Muradin, long thought dead, was alive and well in these mountains. Both Magni, my eldest brother, and myself came here ta find him. Can ya believe that he became the leader of the Earthen Dwarves that were native ta these mountains?"

Brann collected himself for a moment, taking aim and blasting a iron dwarf in the head before reloading again. "Anyway, we found him and help restore his memories of being a Bronzebeard, and he went back to Ironforge with Magni, but I stayed to help the Earthen, and found out that the Iron Dwarves, their enemies, were coming from here in droves. We came here to try and stop the tide of Iron Dwarves and the rest you know…"

Nobu'tan nodded, even as the enemy lines started to break, allowing the Dark Horde to press forward. It was a tale that made sense, and fit in line with his impression of the Dwarf's personality, which alleviated some of the impending dread that he felt regarding walking into a trap set by the Old God down in the depths of this place.

"This way!" Brann said, as soon as the guardians broke under the collective boot of Nobu'tan's forces, steering their forward momentum into the left hand passage, "There's an archive of knowledge this way. We'll be able to use to confirm what's going on here, and why all of the facility has lost their minds."

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Teg'Ramm was not surprised when the Scourge forces all around them quickly discovered their position. It was a unrealistic ideal to think that they would have remained unnoticed until the siege began, but they had been given all the time they needed to set down deep roots here.

As soon as the first wave of undead appeared, marching toward the former Vrykul settlement, the enchanted walls and towers that they had shrunken with magic from earth were deployed, and enlarged; fortifying the location instantly and given all their forces predetermined locations to defend.

That had been some time ago, and the attacks had only intensified. "Blackrock Clan, to the front!" Teg'Ramm yelled, even as banner carried and trumpeters sent out the signals for the flurry of orders as they fought off the rampaging undead.

The ground forces were easily managed with trolls on the battlements and in the towers, while the Blackrock and Dawn's Hammer Clans took to the field. But when the gargoyles started to warm, they needed heavy air support. As the warlocks and mages of the various clans turned their spells to the sky, a runner was send south by portal to rally the Dragonmaw, who's Feldrakes would be unmatched in the air against these horrors.

But before they could have arrived, something massive barrled down from the heavy cloud cover over the land, massive propellers whirring as it engaged the swarm of flying undead.

From the golden eagle on the bow, Teg'Ramm could guess that this was an Alliance vessel, but they had had no intelligence regarding such a vehicle in their arsenal. The screaming weapons on the airship, dwarven or gnomish in origin, tore through the cloud of winged beasts as the ship barreled past.

But that was not the end of the strangeness, as not long afterward another hulking ship flew through the same area, crimson red and supported by a myriad of large blimps. These sort of zeppelins were somewhat familiar, but one of this size was new.

More of the winged Scourge broke off to follow the Kalimdor Horde's airship, just as the Feldrakes arrived to mop up the rest of them.

As soon as they had air superiority, the assaults from the ground forces were rendered moot, allowing the other clans to rest and recover their strength, and turn their attention to other needful tasks. Teg'Ramm knew that the Argent Crusade was setting up a base farther away, and if the appearance of both the other Horde and Alliance heralded a meeting with the Paladins heading this assault, then the Dark Horde needed to be represented as well.

"Trenebrous," Teg'Ramm said, quickly locating the assassin, "You should take the Dawn's Hammer, as soon as they are recovered from this assault, and head up to where the Argent Crusade is located, make sure that our presence in the assembly of factions is noted, until Lord Nobu'tan can return."

The assassin did not seem pleased with the prospect, but there was no one else the Teg'Ramm could trust to see this through. The assassin was loyal, even if he had his own objectives and desires regarding his place within the Dark Horde.

"I understand," he finally said, accepting the assignment. Teg'Ramm nodded, acknowledging his reservations in light of the need that they had for this mission.

Moving on to other issues, Teg'Ramm went to an overlook of the eastern side of the region, where they planned to march on the Scourge fortress, circling around and blasting through the massive gates of the dark metal to reach the main Citadel. The goblins were working to prepare more siege equipment, and the ogre mage looked on as they prepared long tubes of metal, some manner of device that they had gleaned knowledge of from the dwarves of the Alliance.

Apparently, they were needed to punch through the reinforced stone that comprised the walls of the fortress that the Scourge had built, and while their standard trebuchets were already set and ready for use, they needed something with more power to blast holes in the walls.

It was something beyond his understanding, the science behind these devices, but so long as they worked for the good of the Dark Horde, he didn't need to understand the specifics.

Still, the diminutive creatures were well engaged and did not have need of him to oversee what they were accomplishing, which left Teg'Ramm is something of a lurch, as their operation was already moving steadily forward, and he had nothing to do himself but monitor the situation and wait for another problem to arise.

Momentarily, the ogre mage wondered if that was how Nobu'tan had felt during the early days, and why he had chosen not to delegate as many responsibilities as he could, preferring to take care of as much personally as he dared, before the convinced him that the Dark Horde was growing too large for him alone to oversee.

Still, with what was soon to happen, Teg'Ramm knew his wait would be over soon. The Dark Horde would march into battle once again, where his talents would be most desired. He could wait that long.

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Severus sighed as he saw Sirius Black and Remus Lupin barge into the area where his cell was aboard the Xenedar.

"Come to gloat?" he asked sarcastically, shifting in the marginally furnished room, for his comfort.

While the Naaru's ban on anyone using the dark magic of the void was well enforced, Severus had been a special case. While the likes of Alleria Windrunner and Morgan le Fay had been put in temporal shielding, preventing them from ageing or acting unless they were released, Severus had been permitted to continue aiding the Army of the Light in a limited capacity. Albus had vouched for Severus' abilities, and with an adaption of his magic restriction spell, Severus had been denied access to the power of shadow magic completely.

While he understood that Albus had done everything he could to prevent Severus from being frozen like the others, he still resented that the beings of Light held such a oppressive control over the ship and everyone in it.

Those that had fawned over the Lights grace, or worse still had allowed themselves to be 'purified' by it for the sake of the war against the Legion couldn't be trusted, not completely.

"We need your help, Severus," Black said, the name feeling like a grater on Severus' skin to hear from his old nemesis' lips. They had long ago buried the preverbal hatchet, but feelings like that weren't so easily brushed aside.

"What sort of potion do you need, then?" he said with a sigh, as that was what most of his visitors desired these days. That or they wanted some of the other magical enchantments and inscriptions he had learned to make over the last several hundred years.

The idea that time had altered around them was still very disjointed for Severus. While he still felt like he was only in his mid fifties, the amount of time that had passed made him realize that even he, one of the youngest of those original few that fought the Legion before they arrived on earth, was well past his two hundred year mark, typically the lifespan of the average wizard.

Only the very oldest of their earthborn group, Albus and a few others, had required to undergo the process of becoming Lightforged just to stay alive, while there were many more that elected to do so for the power that it granted them.

"Moody said that you lot who used the Void would be the only way we could get to Azeroth before the time Xe'ra says we will encounter them…" Lupin said, causing the mage and void wielder to raise an eyebrow.

"Now why would two of Albus' best want to do something as naughty as that? Xe'ra won't be happy about that one bit. Especially after all the work you'd have to do in order to free one or more of us to make a void tear to Azeroth…" Severus said, although the idea of it appealed to him greatly.

Call it a more sinister side, but the lure of darkness had always been present for him, and the Void had satisfied his needs in a fashion he had never known he lacked before. The subtle whispers giving him needed information had always been a welcome boon, until Xe'ra's decree that no participants in the Army of the Light could wield such magic.

"I can break Albus' spell on you, easily," Sirius said, "but I wouldn't know how to even start unraveling Xe'ra's stasis on the others…"

"I won't need the others for this, just a clear vision of where you want to be placed, and time…" Severus said, more than eager to feel the sweet croon of the Void once more.

"We only have one location that we know of in Azeroth…" Lupin said, sharing a look with Black.

"Is it strong?" Severus challenged, knowing what momentary flashes they had all been given of the grand prize of the Legion.

"I have all the destination I need," Black said, determination in his eyes, "Wherever Harry is, that is where I need to be."

Severus did not challenge the man on this point. They may have differing ideas of what ought to be done with James Potter's son, but he respected that the other man had a far closer emotional attachment to the memory of his best friend and the son he had been placed in charge over.

"That could work, but it is likely to be volatile for multiple people to pass through the Void to reach…" Severus said, "It is highly likely that the three of us will be separated…"

"You're coming too?" Sirius said, confused.

"Naturally," Severus replied, "I have to guide you through the void if your to arrive safely, and I certainly am tired of wasting my time here, cut off from the magic that I grew to enjoy."

"Sirius, perhaps we should reconsider," Lupin said, but Black shook him off.

"I will go through any trial, and pay any price, to make sure my godson is safe and well, and heading back on the right path…"

"Then free me, and we'll get started…" Severus said, offering his wrist where the light magic cutting him off was located.

There was a moment's hesitation, before Sirius' eyes and hand flashed with holy magic, banishing the ring that sealed away Severus' power.

Instantly, the whispers of the void returned, stronger than ever, and the sallow man had to steady himself to withstand the torrent of demands for attention that came from the Void. He had been taught by the very best, and while rusty with his skills because of the seal, he would remaster everything quickly.

"Now, Black, focus all your thoughts on Potter and Azeroth, bring every ounce of your mind to finding him. That passion alone must be our guide, rather than knowing exactly where we want to be." Severus instructed, allowing the shadows to waft through him.

They had to work fast, as Xe'ra would sense any use of the Void in an instant, and the vindicators would be pounding down the door not long after.

Setting Lupin to gather all of his things quickly, Severus wove tendrils of the Void around himself and Black, allowing the burning passion of the Paladin to guide the pathway through the Nether for them.

The Naaru flared to life as soon as he began, and Severus poured everything he dared into the spell, hurrying the transitional pathway along as much as he could.

The shadowed arch appeared, the cold of the Void beckoning Severus into its embrace, but he knew it would be pain for the others. Taking a firm hold of the hands of both Lupin and Black, he walked forward into the darkness, just as the door to his cell broke open, revealing Lightforged warriors of Xe'ra.

They could only watch, however, as the three wizards vanished into the Twisting Nether. Severus trusted that they would arrive safely, but where, and more importantly, together, was another matter altogether, as they reached the heart of the Void's realm.

"This is where we must part ways," he said, much to the surprise of the others.

Holding a hand to stop them, he continued, "The path to Azeroth is different for each of us, and we will be placed where we feel the most attachment to, that is why a clear idea of a location is the best. I doubt we will find each other again quickly, but I trust you both can take care of yourselves until we are reunited on the other side."

Clearly neither of the others understood the myandering price that had to be paid to the void for their passage, but Severus lacked both the time and care to sit down and explain it fully. As example therefore, he turned, and found the pssage calling to him, "Just follow where feels most right to you…" he said, before departing, deaf to the calls from Black to return.

Once starting down a void path one could not stop, unless they wanted to be lost forever.

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Thrall knew that to simply expose the Dark Horde spies in his city to send his message to Nobu'tan would be counterproductive to his goal, and therefore was forced to go undercover, himself, into the taverns in order to observe and stalk the three that he knew were funneling information to the Dark Horde from inside his city.

Grark Lorkrub, a Blackrock orc heralding from the Burning Steppes seemed to be the brains of their operation, while the stoic and brooding Gorosh was his bodyguard and enforcer, clearly a former assassin subtly keeping any interference away from Grark.

Their contact, who had put Thrall on their trail with how oddly he was behaving, was Gor'shak, one of the Kor'kron that Thrall himself had character in infiltrating the Dark Horde before the appearance of the Dark Horde. He did not know what sort of magic was controlling the elite orc's mind, but whatever it was, Thrall had to make contact with these three unobserved so that he could make certain his message was delivered.

Clearly, despite his disguise and hood shrouding his features, the fact that he was observing Grark had not gone unnoticed, as soon, casually, the orc and his bodyguard sidled over to the secluded corner of the tavern.

"You have some persistent eyes, friend," Grark said, "what business can I help you with?"

"That depends, friend," Thrall said, keeping his voice low and tossing the false friendliness back, "I need to get a message out to particular parties…"

"I might be able to help with that, given the right price…," the Blackrock said, not even denying contact to the mutual party that they were referring to.

Sighing, having expected a side racket the moment he thought of this plan, Thrall withdrew a small pouch of gold, tossing it on the table with a small thump of coins, alongside the rolled and sealed parchment that comprised his letter to Nobu'tan. "For delivery to the Grand Warlock, for his eyes only…" he said, unsure of whether the Blackrock spy would respect a message for their leader.

The orc had the audacity to count the gold in front of Thrall, but he nodded, accepting the pouch and the scroll. "It'll see its way safety to Blackrock, Warchief." He said, signifying that they had seen through Thrall's disguise. "Your meeting with him will be as soon as possible, but I do not have ability to reach him at this time. He is on Northrend, but I will forward the message to my best."

"Good…" Thrall said, rising.

The question of what these three traitors and spies were to do was irrelevant at the moment, and Thrall was willing to look aside for the time being, as there was nothing that they could give to Nobu'tan that would make a difference. If he wanted to bring war to Kalimdor, there would be a fight worthy of remembering, for whomever emerged as the victor.

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If Bellatrix had thought that her power as a Banshee was impressive, now was a level altogether higher in every fashion. She could sense the beating hearts of those among their group who lives, and yet sense the aura of undeath in those Death Knights and her Lord as well.

What she could not sense, aside from the pulsing magic keeping them animated were the stone and metal figures they fought. The mobility and existence in the corporeal world was indeed a boon in their combat situations, as Bellatrix could finally return to the front lines, fighting alongside her Master rather than remaining back in a supporting role.

She retained all the powers she had as a banshee, aside from the ability to posses another target permanently, but those that stayed has been magnified by an increased power over necromancy. Not to mention she had more magic, that she couldn't completely identify, but she felt powerful. Leaping over the front lines with a wail of pleasure and hatred, she brought forth a spear with her magic, strong enough to cleave through the metal and stone of their foes.

The Dark Horde, led by the Blightbringer Clan, pressed forward through the defenders, leaving them littering the floor in their wake as they followed the directions of the Dwarf.

They rounded a corner and started toward a large chamber, where three final figures waited. An iron dwarf, stone humanoid figure, and massive giant stood together to face them.

"You will not defeat the Assembly of Iron so easily, invaders!" the giant said, the booming voice echoing around the chamber.

"Whether these be the world's greatest gnats or the world's greatest heroes, you're still only mortal!" the dwarf chimed in.

"Nothing short of their total decimation will suffice," the medium humanoid added, smacking his hands together with a metallic crash.

"The Archivum is just beyond, we defeat these three and all the answers we need will be at our fingertips!" the living Dwarf among them declared, which was all the reasoning that the Dark Horde needed to push forward and attack.

"Go, We'll hold these here, get the answers we seek," the older Death Knight, Teron, commanded, even as his Shadowmoon clan surged around to cut the three foe from falling back to the doors even as the dwarf, as well as the leaders of the Stormreavers circled around to bypass the fight altogether.

The Blightbringers were the tip of the spear, driving forward to pincer the three constructs between their forces, and Bellatrix went straight for the smallest target, who appeared to be the caster of out of the three, if the lightning sparking staff in its hands was any indication.

Spear and staff clashed with a shower of sparks and the crackle of lightning, which the former pureblood witch could see already building around the metal hands. Driving the iron dwarf backward, Bellatrix maneuvered the foe away from the rest of the battle, but not so far that her ranged allies could not support her in pushing toward defeating her opponent.

"Stand still and stare into the light!" the dwarf called, as his electric power peaked. Bellatrix leapt into the air, allowing her new wings to buffer her about as the explosion of crackling power discharged in all directions. Fortunately, they were well away from the rest of the fight, and more importantly the living, who would have been severely injured by that amount of electricity.

Once the storm dissipated, Bellatrix slammed back down, folding her wings to allow maximum speed, spear aimed for the iron head of the dwarf. Whatever metal that the spear was made of was clearly stronger, as it punctured into the skull cavity, heavily damaging the dwarf, as well as sending more electricity sparking in all directions as the enchanted hunk of metal started to swing wildly. It staggered around blindly, clearly in its death throes, or whatever the equivalent for the enchanted metal statue was.

As soon as it stopped moving, Bellatrix turned upon the next target, and flew to her Lord's assistance against the giant, a song of vengeance on her lips.

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Nobu'tan covered Brann as the dwarf crossed the pitched battle between the three generals of the Iron army, and both the Blightbringer and Shadowmoon clans. The Stormreavers were keeping reinforcements from reaching their enemies, so he and a handful were left to make sure that they got what they came for as quickly as possible.

"If we weren't pressed for time, I would enjoy studying this place in greater detail," Brann said, looking around quickly, "this is what we call a nice find!"

As they approached the door, it stubbornly remained shut, "Entry denied. Access level insufficient." A voice chimed, with a undertone of threat in it.

"I'll show ye access, ye wretched machine," Brann said hotly, "Here it is again: Norgannon's key!"

After a moment of flashing the door spoke again, "Access to the Archivum granted. Intrusion protection mechanisms suspended."

Brann hurried inside, going straight to a large console of many buttons and levers, which Nobu'tan knew he would have no idea what to do with if it had been him alone standing here without the dwarf.

"Looks like all the other titan archives me lads have found… only older… and bigger," Brann said, glancing around the flashing lights. "Wait a second: this doesn't look right!" he added, pointing at a particular area, "Next to this blinking light… what's this Alglaon signal?"

"Initiating query," the console replied, and Nobu'tan turned away for a brief moment to check on his forces before returning his attention to the information that they were being given, "The Algalon Failsafe is an automated emergency signal following a Prime Designate's demise."

"Prime Desigate?" Brann said to himself, "Where have I 'eard that before? By my grandfather's beard, Loken is Azeroth's Prime Designate. Loken's death triggered this!"

Who, or what, Loken was Nobu'tan didn't know, but apparently the death of this being was significant.

"Affirmative." The console continued, "Timestamp of Prime Designate Loken's destruction coincides with signal activation."

"Well? Who's on the listening side of the signal?" Brann demanded of the Archivum, "What's going to happen?"

"Searching…" the console replied obediently, "Destruction of Prime Designate is considered the first warning sign of systemic planetary failure. Algalon observer entity's arrival is followed by a planetary diagnostics resulting in one of two possible reply signals. Reply-code Alpha, signaling "All is well" and Reply-code Omega, signaling planetary re-origination."

"Planetary re-origination?" Speak plainly, ye blasted machine!" the dwarf demanded, giving the console a small kick.

"The decomposition of the planet and its living organisms into base elements: metals, rocks, gases. This is followed by a period of reconstitution of each element into the original planetary blueprint." The devise replied mechanically.

"That doesn't sound good…" Nobu'tan said, even as the dwarf blanched slightly at the explanation.