Lyra moaned as she opened her eyes, where she silently wished that everything she had seen so far had been a dream brought on by drinking too much, but all she found was the ceiling of the room she had been given staring back at her. She was still in the Outlands, in the Black Temple, which meant that she had been shown a fraction of what the temple had to offer before the Head Trainer smacked her with his training weapon, knocking her out in the process. She had to resist the urge to rub her face where she was hit, because while it still hurt where Varedis struck her, rather uncalled for she mentally added, she knew that it was in an effort to show her how to properly defend herself against everyone and anyone that she might fight in the future.
Not that she actually wanted to fight and kill something in this world, as she had seen Kayn and Kor'vas do to that infernal creature that had hit her, because she was still hoping that Lord Illidan would be able to figure out what magic brought her here so she could go home... before something serious happened.
She eased herself into a sitting position as she thought about the strange world she had found herself in, the land that everyone seemed to call the Outlands. She remembered the map of the continent that Equestria was on, as there were multiple lands that shared the borders with her homeland, such as Griffonstone, the Crystal Empire, and someplace called Yakyakistan. As she took that into consideration she had to wonder what the piece of land she was in was called, because she knew that the entire world was likely referred to as the Outlands. The eerie area she was in, with the green flames, nearly blackened sky, and charred ground, had to have some name that was different from what the world was called.
She needed to find a map and see if she could figure out where she was in the Outlands, because she had the feeling that there was more out there that she was unaware of at the moment.
"I was beginning to wonder when you were going to wake up." a voice said, causing her to turn towards the doorway, to which she found Kor'vas walking into the room, "Varedis must have put more power into that attack than what he claimed, because you spent all afternoon sleeping off the effects of being knocked out."
"I wasn't expecting him to hit me without making sure that I was paying attention," Lyra admitted, though next time she would be sure to give the trainer her full attention to avoid repeating what had happened, though she also noticed that Kor'vas happened to be carrying a small crate in her hands, "I hope Lord Illidan isn't too upset that I was knocked out again, especially after I had just woken up from fainting at the sight of those demonic creatures that are standing before the door's of the temple."
"Lord Illidan has more pressing matters to worry about... so I don't believe that he'd be upset that Varedis knocked you out." Kor'vas said, setting the crate down on the floor by Lyra as she turned her attention to her, "Anyway, I was tasked to come and collect you... as well as to give you some new clothing to replace the worn out robe that your wearing."
Lyra hadn't paid much attention to the clothing that she happened to be wearing at the time of her arrival, considering that she was under attack not moments later, and she hadn't bothered to check when she had first woken up in the Black Temple, as she had three different people to talk with the instant she was up. She was wearing some sort of blue robe over her body, but there were several places where the fabric was torn, places where sections were missing, and she was fairly sure that there was a hole on her back where the flaming stone creature had hit her. She started to wonder how she could have not noticed the worn out robe that was covering her body, but then remembered what had happened since she first woke up in this world.
She supposed that it was time for a change in her attire, which made her wonder what Kor'vas had brought for her to wear... though she was sure that it was some sort of armor that the other initiates happened to be wearing. What was actually pulled out of the crate, however, was a violet robe that almost looked like it belonged to a high ranking mage, though that was what Lyra assumed it was thanks to the various golden symbols that had been added to the fabric. If that was the case, and she assumed that it was, she had to wonder why it was being offered to her, because Lord Illidan already knew that she had next to no skill in using her magic, as she was sure that Kayn had already told his master that piece of information.
"Are you sure that I can just take this?" Lyra asked, looking over the robe that Kor'vas was handing her, though she was impressed by how much it resembled something that Rarity would make for her friends and clients, "This looks like it belongs to a master of magic and not someone who has no skill in using their magic."
"Oh, this isn't the robes of a master mage... they're the robes of an apprentice." Kor'vas told her, which only made Lyra's jaw drop for a moment, "Still, seeing how you aren't a member of the Illidari, and therefore shouldn't wear their armor, this was quite literally the only other thing we have to offer. I'm not entirely sure why we happened to have a few crates full of mage clothing sitting around, but both Kayn and I figured it would be better than the worn out robe that your wearing. Its even got some boots and gloves... though for some odd reason there's no hood."
Lyra was amazed that such a fine piece of work, one that could easily rival the one's she had seen Rarity's friends wear, was only something that a mere apprentice would wear. That thought alone made her wonder what robes a master mage, or Archmage she mentally reflected, had to look like, though she then considered what Lord Kael'thas' robes looked like. All she knew about the mysterious 'Lord of the Blood Elves', as he appeared to call himself, was that he was a master of magic and was not to be taken lightly, which only made her wonder what type of robes he wore. She then let out a sigh and pulled off the worn out robes she was wearing, to which she was grateful for Kor'vas heading out of the room while she changed, before slipping on the new robes, boots, and gloves.
Once she was done changing, and was sure that everything fit as it was supposed to, she called for Kor'vas to rejoin her, who seemed happy with the fact that Lyra was now wearing something new.
"Well then, now that you are wearing new clothing its time we left the room," Kor'vas commented, heading to the doorway and pausing for a moment, to which she turned back to look at Lyra, "Lord Illidan has something he wants to tell you."
Lyra gulped as she followed Kor'vas out of the room, wondering if there was something else she had done that would require the Lord of the Outlands to call upon her as soon as she had woken up.
Kor'vas led her through the quickest route that would take them from Lyra's room to the temple's summit, though it gave Lyra the opportunity to see some more of the temple. She was amazed by the amount of demonic creatures that were walking around, not to mention the night elves and blood elves that happened to be training everywhere. Several of the demons almost looked like they were actually friendly towards the elves that were practicing. almost as if they shared a common enemy and were working together to destroy whoever that enemy was. Lyra had the feeling that if she stayed in this world too long that she would discover who this enemy was, though she couldn't help up wonder what would require so many warriors to defeat.
It took them some time to reach the summit of the Black Temple, but when they did arrive at their destination Lyra found a familiar face waiting for her; Kayn. He appeared to be waiting for someone before approaching his Master, who was either staring out into the harsh environment around them or was in some sort of meditation.
"Good. I was wondering how long it was going to take the two of you to arrive." Kayn commented, having turned around the moment Lyra and Kor'vas reached the summit, though how he knew there were there without looking Lyra had no idea.
"I needed to make sure that our latest ally had something to wear that wasn't falling apart," Kor'vas replied, coming to a stop beside Kayn, to which Lyra did the same so that they were in a row, "Besides, I'm curious as to why all three of us were called to the summit. I do hope its a mission to go and kill some demons."
"Don't get your hopes up too much, its likely a scouting mission." Kayn said, as if he was ignoring the fact that Kor'vas was excited about killing demons, which was understandable after what Lyra had seen on her first day.
It almost looked like the two of them were going to have a long winded conversation about what their master was going to do with them, and with Lyra for that matter, but before they could get any further Lord Illidan rose from where he was sitting and turned to face the three of them. The first time Lyra had been face to face with the Lord of the Outlands, and had felt his power, she couldn't speak and couldn't stop shaking, but this time she was surprised by the fact that none of that was happening. It was only a day ago, so she knew that she couldn't have adapted to the Outlands that fast, which made her wonder if Lord Illidan was able to restrict his power for some length of time.
If that was the case, and she assumed that it was, than she had something else to thank Lord Illidan for, otherwise she wouldn't be able to stand straight at the moment or keep her eyes leveled with his.
"I am sure that you are all eager to hear why I called you to the summit," Lord Illidan said, causing all three of them to tense up for a moment, "I have received word from one of Kael'thas' mages that there is some Legion activity at the entrance of Shadowmoon Valley. She could not tell me what they were doing, or how many of them there are, but I have a way to figure that out. Kayn, Kor'vas; I want the two of you to head out into the Valley and see if you can find where the Legion is trying to set up a foothold in my domain. All you need to do is gather some information on what they are doing and then report to me... and Lyra will be accompanying you, for some experience in how you operate as a team."
"It will be as you command, Lord Illidan," Kayn and Kor'vas said in unison, which surprised Lyra for a moment, as she was not expecting them to do that.
"Indeed." Lord Illidan said, turning to Lyra for a moment, who turned her attention to him, "I expect you to follow their orders while you scout out the demon's location... while I try and find a way to send you home."
"Y... yes Lord Illidan," Lyra replied, still finding herself a little scared by the night elf that was standing before her, but she was thankful that he was trying to find a way to send her back to Equus.
"Then fly my Illidari," Lord Illidan commanded, to which both Kayn and Kor'vas saluted their master, leaving Lyra to follow their actions, "I eagerly await your return."
As Lord Illidan returned to his meditation, or whatever he was doing, the trio departed from the summit of the Black Temple and gathered some items for their journey. It was then that Lyra was given a small pack that contained some food, some water, and a notebook of sorts that she would be able to write things down on, though she knew that she'd have to learn to write all over again. Kayn and Kor'vas both carried their warglaives on their backs, though Lyra had nothing considering that she had no experience with any of the weapons that they used. Once they were all packed up they made their way to the entrance of the Black Temple, where Lyra ignored the demons as they passed into what she now knew was Shadowmoon Valley.
Lyra did her best to ignore the fact that the area she and her companions were walking through was pretty much dead, or what she assumed was dead considering that she had no idea what had twisted the land into what she was currently looking at. She felt bad for this world as she looked at everything that was either dried up or was in the process of withering away, which only made her want to think about her home and how lively it was.
It took them some time to reach the destination that Lord Illidan sent them to, though Lyra knew she would have gotten lost on the way if she didn't have Kor'vas or Kayn to help guide her through Shadowmoon Valley. The area that they eventually stopped at looked like a mountain that had been torn apart by some large creature, while not mentioning the green flames everywhere. Lyra spotted several demons patrolling the area ahead of them, though they dared not get much closer, so they stayed behind the pile of rocks that they were hiding behind. It gave them the ability to observe the demons and see what they were up to, though the only demons that Lyra could see were the infernals and several smaller creatures, though she guessed they were imps or something else.
"So they're building a forge to make more infernals," Kor'vas commented, touching her warglaives for a moment, as if she wanted to run out and cut them to pieces, "Great, the Burning Legion is trying to build an army to invade the world again..."
Lyra was going to ask what Kor'vas meant by again, but as she started to open her mouth she noticed a tear in reality appear in the area between them and the forge area, as Kor'vas called it anyway. That was seconds before a massive creature tore through the tear and stepped out into the area the other demons were working in, though one look at it sent shivers down Lyra's spine. It was a massive four legged creature that had green flames burning along its backside, though it had two hands, one of which happened to be carrying a deadly looking weapon that looked like a massive version of a warglaive. There was even an armored section covering its chest, while it had two massive horns that she assumed were used for crushing enemies and tearing them to pieces.
Lyra knew that they didn't have any chance at defeating such a creature at the moment, not when she had no idea how to fight and that both Kor'vas and Kayn couldn't protect her all the time, which meant that they would have to retreat for the moment.
"A PIT LORD?!" Kayn said, staring at the massive creature in shock, as if he hadn't expecting to see a creature like this, "We must take this information to Lord Illidan. He'll devise a plan to take out that Pit Lord and disrupt the Legion's operations. Let's get out of here before that creature notices us."
Lyra couldn't agree more, though she had the sneaking suspicion that, at some point in the future, she would be fighting against those demons and, ultimately, a creature that was as terrifying and as powerful as that Pit Lord. She only hoped that Lord Illidan had found a way to send her home, because she was beginning to suspect that she wasn't cut out for this world and the various evil creatures that she was discovering every day.