The party fled through the back of the base just as the first of the countless infernal meteors landed. Even discounting the incoming horde of undead and demons heading toward the now empty Horde base, the place was getting demolished.
It would still take some time for the enemy to set up a forward base over the ruins so they figured that they had time to come up with a plan for when Archimonde appeared.
They moved through the mountain pass leading to the base of Nordrassil where the night elves had established the final line of defense. Once they arrived, the guards allowed them through so they could report to Tyrande.
The high priestess waited at the center of their camp riding atop her frostsaber, Ash’alah, hoping to hear some good news. “Ishnu’alah, brave champions. I have heard that the Alliance and Horde fought bravely against Archimonde’s forces and have given Malfurion time to complete his trap. Alas, he needs a little more time before it is ready.”
However, as she finished that statement, a deep baritone voice rang from the passage behind them. “At last, the way to the World Tree is clear! Witness the end, you mortals, the final hour has come! Soon the heart of your world will beat no longer!”
Archimonde emerged from the mountain pass and spotted his target. Not wanting to be delayed any longer from his objective, he jumped into the valley where the base of the tree stood, bypassing the night elves’ defenses, and headed straight for the tree.
Tyrande stared in horror as the eredar lord placed his hands on the roots of the tree and began to drain it of its energies. She turned to the party, “We have no more time to plan, Malfurion still needs a few more minutes to be ready. We must do the unthinkable, we must assault Archimonde directly and keep him away from the World Tree long enough for the trap to be sprung.”
However, things went from bad to worse when one of Tyrande’s scouts reported that the Scourge had already set up their base and were now sending forces at them. She cursed under her breath before turning her attention back to the party. “Goddess give me strength, it seems that we have no choice but to hold back the tide of undeath while you distract Archimonde.”
“We will do our best,” Raida said.
Just then, the humming pitch of a teleport spell was heard nearby as Jaina, Thrall and whatever was left of their available forces appeared nearby. “We will aid you in holding back the enemy forces,” Jaina said. “My soldiers may not have much fight left in them, but it is all we can spare now.”
“I will not sit idle while the world is in danger, we will fight to the bitter end,” Thrall said. “Lok’tar ogar! Victory or death!”
Tyrande smiled as she felt their resolve. She was now certain that she was wrong about them all along. The Alliance and Horde were truly honorable people. She then pulled out a vial and handed it to Feloma. “Should you find yourself in a dire situation, open this vial and it will protect you and your allies for a brief amount of time.”
With that, the party quickly ran along the road to the tree where the demon lord awaited. Archimonde sensed their presence when they were still fairly distant but he continued draining the tree until they were fairly close. “So, this insignificant resistance is all you insects could throw at me? Your pathetic world is about to end, but if you don’t want to see the moment of my triumph, then I will gladly crush you first.”
Archimonde stopped draining the tree so he could give the party his attention. He then summoned two green and black orbs that began to leak felfire onto the ground. The fire left a trail that moved toward the party as if it was alive.
Lokosh, Flutashe and Raida focused on attacking the eredar while the others attacked the green orbs. Bella had to keep moving away as one fire trail appeared to be pursuing her while another chased after Talia. A few blasts of frost from Stella destroyed one orb while Farra’jin destroyed the other with earth spirits. The fires instantly extinguished themselves.
Mena was suddenly tossed high into the air by a blast of shadow magic. Once she began to plummet to the ground, she levitated herself. However, there was an area of dark ground that she was falling toward and her danger senses warned her not to land on that. Instead, she summoned her unstable wings that helped her glide away from the patch and land safely. The dark ground dissipated harmlessly.
Archimonde summoned more orbs of his special doomfire while summoning more infernals to his aid. Four landed around the area and they left fire in their wake. Between them and the doomfire pursuing party members, the area was quickly turning into a big green bonfire.
Destroying the orbs and the infernals took time but in a battle like this, it was a step in the right direction since Archimonde was still busy trying to punch and stomp the three at his hooves.
While Sophia was observing the battle, Thanatas looked up at Nordrassil and noted the many lights moving around it. Each light was an ancient forest spirit, a wisp. Given the sheer number gathered so far, she estimated less than three minutes.
Archimonde opened a small portal into the nether and summoned a number of demons to attack his enemies while summoning more infernals and more doomfire orbs to overwhelm them. Raida had to break off from the attack on Archimonde to take out the demons while Stella and Farra’jin took out the infernals. The rest would try to deal with the doomfire orbs. This took a minute and a half to accomplish.
Growing tired of playing around with the attackers, Archimonde began to channel red lightning in his hands, readying his Finger of Death spell. Unlike Magtheridon, he required next to no charging time since he was a master of the spell. The party scrambled to use the demons belonging to Raida, Talia or Archimonde as shields to avoid being turned inside out by the lethal spell. It took a whole minute for Archimonde to annihilate every obstacle on the field so with nothing else left to hide behind, he prepared to begin to finish each insect one by one, pointing his index finger at Raida. However, he took a few moments to relish what he assumed was the look of despair on their faces.
A few moments too many.
The deep bellow of a horn sounded in the distance.
Archimonde fired the scarlet bolt which raced for the demon hunter at blinding speed. She braced herself for a painful death. She could only think to use her arms and protect herself as she closed her eyes and waited for the end.
However, she felt nothing for a time before she opened her eyes to find a wisp had protected her. The spirit writhed in agony before fading away.
Raida chanced a look at Archimonde and saw that he was suddenly being swarmed by hundreds, maybe thousands, of wisps who began detonating themselves against him, leaving small but painful injuries. Try as he might, Archimonde could only kill so many wisps at a time with his deadly Hand of Death spell but there were too many to count and many more were damaging him through their detonations.
Archimonde soon realized that with the number of wisps set to attack him, he wouldn’t last against this onslaught. He glared at Nordrassil, weakened as it was. He was so close to his victory only to have it stolen from him at his moment of triumph. “No, it cannot be! Noooo!”
He then turned his attention to the party who was now attacking him with reckless abandon. If he was going to be destroyed here, he would take them with him. He unleashed his Hand of Death on them to obliterate them. However, a white veil of light shrouded all of his enemies with the blood elf holding an opened vial in her hand. Whatever it was, it had made them immune to his attacks. He wasn’t sure how that was possible.
Archimonde made one last bid to attack the tree but a huge number of wisps detonated on his chest at the same time and knocked him away from it. The explosions began to tear him apart as glowing cracks formed on his body that quickly spread.
With one last howl of fury, the eredar exploded, sparking flames throughout the valley. This was followed by a second explosion from Nordrassil itself that not only put out the flames but incinerated the undead and demons on the mountain.
Raida had a feeling that if it weren’t for the protective blessing around her, she might have joined the unholy army in death.
With that final explosion, silence reigned throughout the valley. Nobody said a word as they stared at the scene around them, trying to make out what they could. Even the sound of distant battles were silenced. It wasn’t until another minute later that the sound of a bird chirping broke the silence. The cool mountain wind blew through the valley once more.
In the distance, the spirit of a certain magus stared at the aftermath for a few moments before he turned away and walked forward. With each step he faded until all traces of him were gone, as if his very existence was nothing more than a dream.
A few minutes later, the party was visited by Jaina, Thrall, Tyrande and Malfurion. Each of them congratulated the party for their success in delaying Archimonde’s attack on Nordrassil. Of course, they were also wanting to know the names of their saviors so they could be remembered for their deeds.
However, this would not happen as a pair of bronze drakes descended into the area. Malfurion and Tyrande quickly understood what was happening. The drakes turned into a pair of adult high elves.
“Ah, Andormu and Nozari, if you’re here then that would mean that Nozdormu had an interest in this moment in time,” Malfurion figured.
Indeed, the two draconic elves were adults compared to the child forms that the party had seen before.
“Could this mean that these champions are from a different time than this one?” Tyrande asked.
“Yes, we sent these heroes here to assist in the Battle of Mount Hyjal to ensure Archimonde’s defeat,” Andormu replied.
“Whoa, you mean these guys are all from the future? That’s so awesome!” young Raida exclaimed. Before she could gush about the party’s heroism, Flutashe quietly dragged the young Sentinel away. Present Raida looked at the scene with nostalgia, remembering how excitable she used to be.
“The time has come for us to return these heroes to their own time so that they may continue their adventures,” Nozari said.
“Actually, there is one last loose end that we need to tie up before we go,” Andormu corrected. He then whispered something to Flutashe who nodded and walked up to Malfurion.
“Lord Stormrage, if I might make a suggestion, that young druid who is carrying her sister away was once the student of Cenarius until he was recently slain. She holds immense potential within her but she needs more guidance before she can realize it.”
Malfurion looked back at the sisters. He then looked at the disguised druid and nodded. He knew that if the Bronze Dragonflight allowed her to disclose that information, then he was meant to train the young druid. “I understand, I will complete her training.”
Young Raida gave a neutral look at Malfurion. Though he was a hero to the night elf people, something she recently saw in the Felwood region didn’t sit well with her regarding the archdruid.
Raida, still in her rogue disguise, walked up to her past self and stared out at the wilderness, giving the impression that she was simply voicing her thoughts. “Y’know, sometimes we make difficult choices in our lives. Personally, I follow whoever or whatever earns my loyalty. Whether it’s my people, the coin or those who inspire us, it doesn’t matter as long as you follow the path you choose with no regrets,” she casually said. She then walked back to her friends. It was those words that she once heard from her future self that inspired her to follow Lord Illidan.
She remembered back in Felwood when Illidan claimed the power of the Skull of Gul’dan and transformed into a half-demon. He used that power to send the nathrezim Tichondrius to the Nether. When she saw how his brother treated him for his sacrifice, it made her question her loyalty to Malfurion. If he hadn’t banished Illidan from the forests he would have been a great asset against Archimonde. It may have been possible that Illidan could have kept the eredar from getting close to Nordrassil and given Malfurion plenty of time to finish his trap.
It was Lord Illidan who proved that the fel could be wielded like a weapon against our enemies without succumbing to its seductive temptations of power. It was a risky procedure to become a demon hunter, but if they had time they could have refined the process and reduced the risks.
Alas, what could have been was not what happened. Events have led up to where they were now and soon she would have to say farewell to her master. She knew what was coming and it still filled her with dread.
Andormu soon opened a cavern into the mountain and led the party through it. Once all of the time travelers were in the cavern, Nozari began to collapse the tunnel behind her. After a few minutes of silent walking they arrived at the central chamber.
Andormu turned to the party and gave a small bow. “On behalf of the Bronze Dragonflight, we thank you for your service to us. Keep in mind that we will call upon you in the future. For now, I believe that you have some preparations to be made.”
The two siblings waved the party goodbye before Stella opened a portal to Shattrath. Once they returned to the refugee city, they made their usual arrangements and sought their rest.
Once they were rested, Raida, Flutashe and Stella prepared to travel to Warden’s Cage to see Akama once again. At their usual destination spot, Stella pulled Rage’s phylactery from her dimensional pocket and handed it to Raida who reluctantly took it into her hands.
Flutashe understood her sister’s reluctance. She knew what was about to happen. They couldn’t delay this event any longer and Xi’ri was likely assaulting the Black Temple by now. She placed a hand on Raida’s shoulder. “When this is all over, I will do everything in my power to ensure that you are not locked away in Maiev’s prison. I will even work to convince Tyrande that you are worthy of a chance to prove yourself and the Illidari as assets to the Alliance. We will make sure that Illidan’s efforts have not been in vain.”
Raida gave a modest smile to her sister, “Thanks, sis.” She was still nervous about the coming events, but Flutashe’s words gave her some comfort.
With the phylactery in hand, the two proceeded into the underground prison and reached the broken leader. They handed the container to Akama. “The vision becomes clear now, The powers this artifact has over the soul…to contain it…to siphon it into itself. I will use these powers to reclaim what belongs to me! The time has come to take the fight to Illidan.”
“Yeah…” Raida said, unenthused.
“You know what must be done,” Ahama said grimly. “It is time for you to return to the temple, Illidan has begun to call all of his demon hunters to return. This mission is vital to defeating the Legion once and for all. Your role in the coming days is more important than your feelings about your master, please remember that.”
“I know, I will carry out my role to the best of my ability. I just…I feel that I will need my friends’ support more than ever when this is over.”
“And you will have it,” Flutashe reassured. “We will even introduce you to Jaqueline when we get the opportunity. I’m sure you two will get along.”
Akama sighed, “It is time. Flutashe, head back to Shattrath and inform A’dal and your friends. Maiev and I will await a signal at the Black Temple before we move for the sewer entrance.”
Once they left Warden’s Cage, the sisters went their separate ways. Stella spotted only Flutashe approaching and tilted her head in confusion. “Where is Raida?”
“We need to get ready for the assault on the Black Temple and Raida has her own mission to accomplish.”
Knowing what this meant, Stella quietly opened a portal to Shattrath. The two regrouped with their friends and the Horde party to inform them of where they would be going next.
Once they were properly stocked with supplies and all preparations were made, they checked in with A’dal. He informed them that Xi’ri awaited them at the temple entrance. Stella created a portal that would bring them as close as she could to the doorstep of the Black Temple. From there they would walk.
Meanwhile, Raida had just arrived at the temple summit. She saw many of her brothers and sisters in arms. She managed to rein in her emotions for the mission. She knew what was about to happen, even though the other Illidari were unaware. She would tell them after the mission was over.
She spotted Altruis and Kayn Sunfury, a night elf and blood elf respectively, bickering with each other as usual. How those two managed to reach the upper ranks of the Illidari she would never know. One thing she disagreed with Illidan about was that one’s position should not be dictated by the power they wield but by how well they could lead the lesser ranks.
She also saw Allari, a demon hunter who forewent the traditional warglaives for a scythe. Raida saw how she wielded that thing and it gave her chills knowing how deadly she was with it.
She also noticed Kor’vas Bloodthorn. She was truly dedicated to the cause but she also kept a level head. Despite losing her family to the Burning Legion, she never allowed her desire for vengeance to cloud her vision. She was a pretty skilled demon hunter and if it weren’t for the fact that Altruis and Kayn were slightly more skilled than her, she would be around the same rank as the bickering duo.
There were many other demon hunters around their lord as they awaited his words, considered by some of them to be gospel, a sentiment that made Raida do a mental eye roll.
Staring at the temple entrance, Raida could see a blue naaru behind a small battalion of Aldor vindicators and Scryers magisters. For once they appeared to be focused on the enemy before them instead of the enemy beside them. Perhaps the naaru might be able to get the two sides to find common ground in the future.
Regardless, it was time to set events into motion. Illidan turned black for a moment and flew toward the edge of the summit overlooking the entrance. “Illidari. My demon hunters. With countless worlds burning in the Legion’s wake, you answered the call.” The other demon hunters looked down to see the gathered Sha’tari. “Yet these mortals in their…ignorance…have come to destroy their own salvation.” He turned back to the demon hunters. “Our time is short. I will deal with any intruders. You must all venture to Mardum and retrieve the Sargerite Keystone.” He turned his right palm upward and created an illusion of a dark green stone. He crushed the illusion in his grip before he used his left hand to create a green portal leading to Mardum. “Now go. But remember, should you fail, all worlds will burn.”
With that, the demon hunters rushed into the portal, leaving Illidan and Raida alone. The Illidari master turned to his second. “Remember Raida, that necklace bears a fragment of my soul. It will aid you in the days ahead. Even when I am gone, I will still be with you. You will be my eyes and ears. I shall return when Azeroth needs me the most.”
“I will not fail you, Lord Illidan,” Raida said.
“I entrust the future of the Illidari to you. They are already aware that I have given the mantle to you. Guide them well.” He turned back to the entrance. “Sargeras’ keystone is the crux of my plan to defeat the Burning Legion. It is also your only way back. Find it and return.”
Raida nodded, eyes filled with determination. With one last calming breath she rushed through the portal.