Multiple scenarios went through Thanatas’ head. While she had planned for this to happen all along, she didn’t expect that Sophia’s party would come waltzing toward them. Any plans she had on getting her group and Sophia’s group had gone out the window.
Now was the time for improvisation.
Lokosh noticed the worried look on the death knight’s face and while Talia would have taken no small pleasure in watching her squirm, whatever it was about, he preferred not to have the mission jeopardized. “Is there a problem, Thanatas?”
Thanatas snapped her head toward her group and gave them a stern look. “Apparently my cousin’s group is heading this way. I’m not sure how this is going to go down, they may act with hostility but I will not permit you to fight them. Sophia and I will get this situation under control.” She paused for a moment before she remembered one other thing. “Oh, and do not mention your Equestrian origins to them. I want them to be unaware of the nature of their reality for as long as possible until we can find a way to break it to them without putting them through an existential crisis.” She finalized her orders to them with a look that said ‘or else’.
A few minutes earlier…
Stella and her friends returned to Blackrock Mountain looking for a way to reach the lair of Onyxia’s brother, Nefarian, and put an end to his plans. However, this task was easier said than done as they had no idea how to reach his lair.
The only places in Blackrock Mountain where he could be were Shadowforge City and Blackrock Spire. However, they had already explored the city and found no trace of a dragon’s lair nor any sign of Black Dragonflight activity. This left the only option of Blackrock Spire.
From the central chamber in the mountain, the group took the route that they omitted the first time they were here. However, a few steps into this passage led to the discovery of orc corpses who appeared to have died from wounds or severe burns.
“It appears that someone has been through here,” Bella noted.
“No tellin’ if whoever did this is friend or foe. We better watch ourselves,” Jaqueline warned.
Sophia already knew who did this, especially since she sensed her cousin within the spire. This could only mean that their two groups were about to meet. Realizing this, she sent her psychic warning to Thanatas of their coming. This was a bit unexpected, and she had a feeling that the death knight was going to lay out some ground rules to keep the situation from escalating out of control. She needed to do her part to keep control of the situation.
“I can imagine that the most likely people to come to this mountain in the first place would be adventurers, either Alliance or Horde,” Sophia said.
“I hope it’s not a Horde party, those ruffians are nothing but trouble,” Bella remarked.
“Ah ain’t gotta problem with them, they weren’t the ones who ruined mah family farm and murdered mah ma, pa and brother,” Jaqueline said.
“They still deforested part of Ashenvale and rendered a good portion of the creatures there homeless,” Flutashe remarked. “Me and my people are still very upset with them about that.”
“Still, I think we’re going to need their help if we want to rid Blackrock Mountain of its two main rulers,” Sophia offered. “It’s going to take a small army to take on the forces of Ragnaros and Nefarian.
Bella groaned in exasperation, “I hate it that you’re right. I saw enough of the Firelord’s power in that vision to understand that we will need help in defeating him.”
“So are we going to ask this Horde group to join us?” Mena asked.
“How do you know they’re Horde?” Stella asked.
“Violetta told me. She said her mom is with them and they’re expecting us.”
“Mena are ya sure that thing ain’t messin’ around in yer brain?” Jaqueline asked. “‘Cause that makes no sense.”
“About as much sense as a blue dragon landing near us and transforming into a dashing looking young man with blue hair all for the sake of giving Stella some sort of impromptu… ‘Visage Day’ I think he called it?”
Stella was thankful that she didn’t have to wander around in public in her draconic form for too long. The blue drake who introduced himself as Faytagos, or Fayt while he was in his human form, helped her to design a new form for her to use. As shocking as the revelation of her true self was, she didn’t want to reject it as that came with its own psychological problems and she didn’t have time for an identity crisis right now. Instead, she compromised between her elf form and her dragon form. She still had the body of a high elf, except her hair was now a wavy-styled royal purple with teal horns shaped like the ones in her dragon form. It turned some heads but was not as attention-grabbing as if she were in her full draconic form. She kept her Kirin Tor robes but considered designing a new outfit once they were finished traveling.
Fayt also taught Stella how to shift between her visage form and her draconic form as both came with their own pros and cons.
“Don’t worry about my brain, Vio said that she needed me to stay as sane as I can manage. She also said that she prefers her house to not be made of gingerbread…whatever that means.” Mena shrugged.
The others decided to ignore that and move forward.
They soon came to the balcony with the doorway into Blackrock Spire near them. As they entered, they saw a man in a white and red robe with his back turned to them and blocking the entrance.
Vaelan had sensed the presence of both parties and considered his next course of action. He would have preferred that neither party would attack each other and hoped that it wouldn’t come to that. However, he did sense something odd about one among the Alliance group.
“Pardon me sir, but might we get past you?” Bella asked.
It was as the Alliance group entered the previously cleared room that he discovered the source of the odd feeling was coming from the purple-haired mage. He sensed the draconic power within her but while that wasn’t cause for alarm as dragons sometimes mingled with mortals, he sensed magics from all five flights within her. He could only think of one reason for that.
The bolt of fire came too fast for Stella to react and it slammed her in the face, knocking her to the floor. Vaelan readied another fire spell but Bella, Jaqueline, Mena and Flutashe were ready this time and moved between the red dragon and Stella, weapons drawn.
“Out of the way mortals, that abomination needs to be disposed of!” Vaelan ordered.
“We most certainly will not!” Bella snapped. “You just attacked our friend and you won’t get away with that!”
“You mortals are being deceived! She is one of Nefarian’s experiments to create a dragonflight capable of using the powers of the five flights. All of them have been made to serve him unquestioningly. She must have been sent to lure you to your doom!”
“That’s not true!” Stella shouted. “I don’t know much about my past except that I was raised from childhood by the wizards of Dalaran. I don’t remember anything about Nefarian!”
“A likely story…” Vaelan channeled a more powerful fire spell. “If you do not wish to share her fate, then I suggest moving out of the–”
His spell was interrupted when an icy spell briefly chilled his mind and made him lose his concentration. Another icy blast froze him from the chest down, binding his arms and legs.
Thanatas glared at the human visage with her sword pointed at him, “Stand down Vaelastrasz, the next spell you cast against her will end with me sending you back to Alexstrasza in a body bag!”
Vaelan struggled against his icy bonds while he glared daggers at the death knight, “How appropriate, dragon of death…”
Thanatas rolled her eyes, “Look, she’s not one of Nefarian’s experiments, she’s a dracthyr.
Vaelan’s glare turned to one of confusion with a raised eyebrow and a clueless expression. “A what?”
“Didn’t Alexstrasza ever explain to you about Neltharion’s army? The one he made before his descent into becoming Deathwing? He created the dracthyr with not only the essences of the five flights but also the adaptability and cleverness of the mortal races. They were his ultimate soldiers, at least until the relic that controlled them was destroyed and they were sealed away and abandoned on the Dragon Isles.”
“And how do you know that she is one of these dracthyr?” Vaelan countered. “You said it yourself, they were sealed on the Dragon Isles which doesn’t explain how one ended up here. The Isles have been abandoned for over ten thousand years!”
“As a scientific mind, I know of the extent of Nefarian’s experiments, his subjects are sloppy and amateur. He’s not as clever as he thinks he is. I know for a fact that none of them are capable of creating a visage form like she can. Nefarian has spent millennia trying to recreate his father’s dracthyr but failed time and again. As for how she ended up here, we will have to ask the self-proclaimed ‘Lord of Blackrock’ himself.”
The red dragon grit his teeth but looked away. She had made some valid points, ones that aligned with his observations on Nefarian’s forces. While the black dragons who served him had visage forms, those who were bred by that abominable breeding program did not.
If Stella was not on Nefarian’s side he would have her prove it.
“Is there something we need to know here?” Lokosh asked suddenly since he and his allies were watching the whole time but were ignored until now.
Vaelan suddenly channeled his fire magic to melt the ice around him. Once he was thawed out, the Alliance group kept their stance until they noticed that Vaelan’s stance was relaxed. He turned to the Horde group. “I see you have made it through the lower spire. I take it you have the adorned seal with you?” Talia presented the adorned ring to the dragon. “Place it on the floor and everyone move away from it.” Talia placed the ring on the floor while not taking her eyes off Vaelan, wary of his intentions.
Vaelan then turned to Stella. “I will give you the benefit of the doubt for now. Right now, we need your assistance in empowering the ring.”
Stella matched Talia’s glare toward the dragon with her own. “You mean like to enchant it?”
“In a sense. However, this enchantment requires the flames of the earth to work; the flames of the Black Dragonflight.”
Stella took a step back from the human visage. He was asking a lot from her. “I don’t know how to use the flames of the Black Dragonflight! I only just recently found out that I was even draconic! I don’t even know how to control which type of flame comes out of my mouth!”
“If that is true, then you either have amnesia or you were raised by the mortals. Which would make sense if you were indeed raised by the wizards of Dalaran.” Vaelan paused for a moment and looked toward the floor with a hand on his chin. “I don’t know how to get you to use your earth abilities but I might be able to point you in the right direction. Tell me, have you utilized abilities that were tied to abilities of various flights? Magic that mages usually don’t learn or spells that have an effect that is unusual when compared to how others use the same spell?”
It didn’t take long for Stella to recall such times. “I know my flamestrike has caused flowers to grow in the area of effect. There may also be my mist spell that puts enemies to sleep. No other mage seemed to know that spell and have confused me for a druid once or twice. Back in Shadowforge city I produced an ice breath and a sand breath.”
“So you have been channeling the other flights’ powers, you just haven’t realized the source of that power until now. My flight is about passion and love for all living things.
“Green dragons have a few responsibilities that overlap with red dragons but their main focus is the Emerald Dream. They protect the dreams of all who sleep on Azeroth.
“Blue dragons focus on the regulation of magic in the world. Given your profession as a mage, I would imagine that you would know how to channel that flight’s magic the most.
“Bronze dragons are the custodians of time but they are capable of manipulating it in places, such as the acceleration or reversal of the time on an object or person. Use it responsibly.
“At one time, the Black Dragonflight were the protectors of the land and what lay beneath it. They were charged with the protection of the world itself. Their power shaped the land we walk on, and it is that power that we need right now.”
Stella thought back to her studies in magic, including magics that were researched but never practiced by the mages of Dalaran. She gave a look to the dragon, still unwilling to extend much trust. “Alright, I’ll try.”
At first she considered the magics of druidism, given that their magics were based on what came from the land. However, that turned into a dead end as she only felt the life magics of red and green dragons.
Her normal magical studies were out of the question as she would only find the magics of the Blue Dragonflight there. A focus into the arcane school also helped her to make brief contact with her bronze magic. She would need to look into that later.
This left shamanism left to consider. A shaman’s ties to the elements, particularly earth and fire, seemed to be her best bet. However, her knowledge on shamanism would do her no good as this was something to be practiced.
Farra’jin picked up on her distress. Hearing that black dragons held dominion over earth, he had a feeling that he might be able to help. “‘Ey girl, ya don’t need ta be commiunin’ with spirits ta use dat power. Tink about what earth and fire represents. Earth is patient and unmoving most of da time, but fire can make da earth move if it be strong enough. Da will of fire can move mountains, but not without help from da earth itself. Fire be da will to move da land but earth be da body that fire inhabits ta make it happen.”
Stella wasn’t sure what the troll was talking about. To her it sounded like nonsense. At the same time though, she had to wonder what he meant by ‘the will of fire to move the earth’ It’s almost as if he were saying that she needed to exert her will on the ring, not through her magic, but a force of will to make the ring’s power activate.
That was when she felt the presence of the black essence within her. It remained elusive, as if mocking her for being unworthy of it. She decided to test Farra’jin’s theory and exerted her will over the black essence. The mental pressure she exerted upon that part of her caused it to struggle to fight for its freedom but Stella would not have it. She pressed upon the will of the black essence, suppressing it and forcing it to fall in line with her desires.
With a look of determination on her face, Stella transformed into her draconic form, surprising Vaelan as he had never seen a form like that before. She walked up to the ring but maintained a safe distance as she didn’t want to sear her robes by accident. She wasn’t sure how long she had before the black essence might try to break free of her will once more so she worked fast and took a deep breath. She opened her mouth wide and shifted her head toward the ring before unleashing a torrent of flame with bits of lava on it.
The flames were intense and within seconds the floor around the ring was charred black. The ring itself glowed from the heat. However, as bright as it was, it showed no sign of melting.
Stella breathed on the ring for a few more seconds before exhaustion kicked in and she stopped the blazing stream and fell to her knees on the floor, panting heavily.
Vaelan walked over to the still glowing ring and picked it up to inspect it, manifesting his red scales on his right hand to do so without burning himself. He stared at the draconic runes on the inside of the ring and smiled as he saw the runes glowing vibrantly. “You have done well. This Seal of Ascension is now ready to be used to open the way to the upper spire. I’d like to add one final touch to it though.”
He enclosed the ring in a fiery sphere before channeling a fiery beam into the sphere and the ring. The process took moments before the ring was freed once again and it fell into his hand. The ring rested there for a few moments before the ring stopped glowing but the runes continued to glow a fiery light.
“I have placed a tiny portion of my essence in this ring. If you encounter Nefarian or his persona, Lord Victor Nefarius, this ring will summon an echo of myself. It should be enough to get you out of trouble until you find your way into Blackwing Lair.”
“So what are ya gonna do now?” Jaqueline asked, eyes narrowing as she said that.
“My mission has been to hunt down and eliminate Nefarian. If you end up finding him before me, I wish you luck in surviving the encounter. He and Onyxia are two of the most powerful members of his brood, and their mother, Sintharia, would be your doom if you ever encountered her.”
“Your warning is appreciated, even though Onyxia is already dead,” Sophia said.
Once again, Vaelan was stunned by that declaration. He began to wonder how many more earthshaking revelations he was going to hear today. He tried to open his mouth to ask about that but the only thing that came forth was a stuttering, “I-I see…” He shook his head to regain his senses. With his composure restored partially, he became more cognizant of his next words. “Are you certain that it was her you encountered?”
“She is an ancient dragon with purple sinew on her wings and curved horns, Marshal Windsor of Stormwind openly declared her name and she didn’t deny, and I have her head in a dimensional pocket with me. I’d rather not bring it out because this room seems too small to be bringing it out and I’d rather not set Nefarian off just yet as he will be looking to seek vengeance for his sister once he finds out.”
“Yes, I’d rather he not be on the warpath until we find a way into his lair,” Vaelan thought out loud.
“We still don’t know how to get there though,” Bella said.
“Actually, we found a way,” Lokosh declared. “Somewhere in the upper spire is the entrance to Blackwing Lair where Nefarian resides. There is a shortcut there using the orb outside but we need something called the Mark of Drakkisath branded onto our hands to use the orb and the brand is guarded by a dragon of the same name. Drakkisath and the brand are somewhere in the upper spire.”
“So you guys are here to take down Nefarian too?” Jaqueline asked.
“Sort of,” Groun replied. “We came here with the mission to take down Rend Blackhand, the leader of the Dark Horde and any who support him, which would include Nefarian.”
“I see, perhaps we might be able to offer our assistance in your mission,” Bella offered. “However, Nefarian is not our only objective in Blackrock Mountain.”
“What do ya mean?” Farra’jin asked.
Thanatas answered this one, “This mountain is a battlefield between the Dark Horde and the Dark Iron Clan of dwarves. Both sides are led by two malevolent beings. The Dark Horde is led by the black dragon Nefarian while the dwarves are led by Ragnaros the Firelord, the ruler of all fire elementals. Defeating only one of these two powers would lead to the other claiming the rest of the mountain before beginning their war on the nearby kingdoms of Stormwind and Ironforge. Their forces would spread through the rest of the world if left unchecked. Neither the Alliance nor the Horde will be spared.”
“So we need to topple both of them, and quickly,” Talia concluded. “The question is: Which one do we attack first?”
“Given that we just dealt a severe blow to the Dark Horde’s numbers in the lower spire, it may take Nefarian and Rend time to regroup their forces. That may just give us time to focus on Ragnaros,” Lokosh offered.
“That may be the best course of action,” Stella replied. “With Ragnaros taken out, Emperor Thaurissan and Princess Bronzebeard can begin the path toward redeeming the clan, as long as the emperor was being honest.”
“Ah don’t think we need to worry about that,” Jaqueline assured.
“If no one objects, then it appears that our course is set,” Thanatas said.
With that, the group began leaving Blackrock Spire and headed toward the lower sections of the mountain while Vaelan continued his hunt. On their way, the group introduced themselves.
However, their journey was paused when Mena said something odd to everyone but Sophia and Thanatas. “Hey Thanatas, Violetta wants me to tell you ‘Hi mom!’”
Thanatas sighed and rolled her eyes. “How long are you going to be lurking? Just show yourself so we can get the introductions out of the way. It’s rude to lurk, after all.”
The Alliance and Horde groups jumped back as they saw the woman in the black skinsuit and writhing purple hair manifest before them. “Aww…but lurking is a means of causing uncertainty which leads to a delicious case of paranoia…”
Thanatas had her arms crossed as she gave her daughter a disapproving look. “Maybe, but you’re also not supposed to drive insanity into the minds of those you’re trying to befriend. There’s a time and a place for those antics but not in this case.” She had to be careful to word that in a way that didn’t raise unwanted questions.
The only reason the behavior between the two wasn’t a major surprise to the Alliance group was because Flutashe and Mena had already explained Violetta to Stella, Bella and Jaqueline. They also mentioned something about her mother forming ties with the Horde leadership. Of course, one being pale and dead while the other being a mind-raping eldritch horror, there was some difficulty in finding a resemblance between the two.
While the death knight and the horror were having their conversation, Talia received a mental message that made her feel more unclean than she ever felt in her life…
“I’d be careful with that hatred you carry if I were you, otherwise you might draw unwanted attention from me one day…”
Despite being undead, Talia felt a biting chill that made her want to hug herself and shiver uncontrollably for warmth.
Jaqueline noted that Thanatas was undead, but guessed that she was one of the Forsaken since she was associating with the Horde. Of course, some part of her didn’t want to dismiss that she might be a Scourge agent. She would need to keep an eye on her.
Once Violetta made her introduction, she returned to the recesses of Mena’s mind while leaving everyone feeling a sense of discomfort.
“How ever are you related to that fiend?” Bella asked. Everyone else, except Sophia, shared in the paladin’s curiosity through overlapping sounds of agreement.
“It’s a long and unbelievable story, trust me,” Thanatas dismissed, not in the mood to share the story right now. “Now come, we have an appointment with the king of the fire elementals.”