World of Warcraft: The Ties that Bind

by Blackdrag-rose

Interlude: A New Course

As Lyra waited for her champions to return from the mission she had sent them on, hopefully with news of their success, she walked around the Fel Hammer and took in the various parts of the ship that she had ignored every time she had visited the ship. She could tell that there were fresh recruits, night elf and blood elf citizens that had seen the return of the Legion and wanted to stop them, no matter the cost. She often wondered why only night elves and blood elves could become demon hunters, but she had been told that they were the only two races that could withstand the demonic power without falling to corruption... or at least they didn't fall as quickly as the other races.

If that was true than Lyra would have never been able to bond with the demonic power that she had injected herself with during the Illidari ritual all those years ago... which could mean that the other races might be able to become demon hunters as well and had never been asked, but she decided not to bring it up with the others just yet.

As she walked down onto the lower level of the Fel Hammer she turned towards the ramp that would bring her to the Forge, where she could empower the Twinblades with the souls of the demons and other creatures she had killed during her time in Azsuna. While she was pleased that the souls of the demons would be put towards stopping the invasion, as it would prevent some of them from being resurrected, she felt sorry for the other souls that were trapped in the warglaives, as they would simply allow her to empower her weapons further. She wished that the Twinblades only absorbed the souls of the demons she slew, and nothing else, but there was no changing her weapons... to which she sighed as she set them on the Forge and let the souls further empower the warglaives.

"So those are the Twinblades of the Deceiver," a voice said, snapping Lyra out of her thoughts, as she had originally thought that she had been alone by the Forge, before she turned to the right and noticed someone standing there, "and I see that they have found a worthy owner."

The demon hunter that was standing to her right was a female blood elf, one whose skin appeared to be slightly hardened and dark red colored on her arms, legs, and the majority of her body, though the rest of her chest was lighter colored, like the other blood elves Lyra had seen in Dalaran. The demon hunter was, of course, wearing the standard Illidari Robes, though Lyra could tell that the blood elf's tattoos mimicked her own, only her's were blood red colored. The blood elf's hair was also red colored, while her horns were curved backwards, just like Lyra's pair of horns... though one thing that caught Lyra's attention was the blades that the blood elf was carrying. She could tell that they were powerful weapons, even if their design wasn't in the style of the warglaives she was used to using, though she had the feeling that they had been taken from a corrupted demon hunter... just like her weapons had been taken from Varedis.

Lyra stared at the demon hunter for a moment, trying to place where she had seen her while she slipped the Twinblades back onto her back, before she realized who was standing in front of her.

"Wait a second... Lyndraxa?" Lyra asked, to which the blood elf nodded her head for a moment, while at the same time a smile appeared on her face, indicating that she was pleased that Lyra had recognized her, "Lyndraxa Bloodmoon... the last time I saw you was when I followed Kayn and the others back to the Black Temple. Where have you been all this time?"

"Well, after the other demon hunters left with the Sargerite Keystone I was stuck here with there rest of the Illidari," Lyndraxa replied, though at the same time she cast a glance outside the ship, indicating that she was remembering something, "I was so caught up in killing demons that I hadn't noticed that you and the others went to challenge the Brood Queen that controlled Mardum. It wasn't until the Legion attacked the Fel Hammer that I realized that you guys had already disappeared, though without the Keystone I couldn't go anywhere. I then spent the next seven years with the rest of the Illidari, killing demons and protecting the Fel Hammer from the Legion... though I was only reunited with everyone once you opened the portal between Azeroth and our new home.

Kayn and the others also filled me in on everything that happened since you returned to the Black Temple... though while I dislike the Wardens for what they did I'm sure that you have a burning hatred for one of them."

"Maiev." Lyra growled, recalling the name of the Warden that had sealed her and the others away for seven years, before finally freeing them when she actually needed their help, to which she sighed, "I would have words with her if I knew where she had traveled to..."

"Val'sharah." Lyndraxa stated, causing Lyra to look at the blood elf for a moment, to which she beckoned for the leader of the Illidari to follow her for a moment, "I have been keeping my eyes and ears open for anything that could tell us where Maiev was last seen, though I was considering calling off the search when the news came to me. Maiev was last seen somewhere in Val'sharah, no doubt chasing down either Gul'dan or his demonic allies... though no one has seen her since and I can tell that the Wardens, those that speak with us, are getting worried."

"They should be worried," Lyra commented, to which she glanced to the side and recalled exactly what she and the others could have been doing during the seven years they had been locked up, "If they had just left us alone we could have cut down a large number of the Legion's soldiers and taken away many of the worlds that they have taken for themselves."

"Agreed." Lyndraxa said, though at the same time she and Lyra reached the upper level of the ship, where she brought them to the console that Lyra had been staring at minutes ago, "The druids that call Val'sharah home, and those that have gone to aid their brothers and sisters, should be able to find the Pillar of Creation on their own. At the same time, however, we have received notices about corruption slowly spreading around the ancient forest, in one form or another. The four leaders of the druids have asked for reinforcements, from any Order that might be able to spare them... and as far as we can tell the fighter type classes have gone to Stormheim to search for the Aegis, while the priests, warlocks, and others have gone to Highmountain. Some have also gone back to Azsuna, to clean up whatever you and Trixie didn't do... but so far no one seems to be taking the corruption seriously."

"Then we shall take it seriously." Lyra firmly said, because it seemed like everyone believed that the druids could handle their own problems with the forces that they had, but even so Val'sharah seemed like a big place and she knew that the druids needed some assistance.

"While you and your friends are aiding the druids of Val'sharah, I will be in Azsuna," Lyndraxa stated, to which he pointed at the zone that Lyra and Trixie had been in a few hours ago, "Kor'vas and the others want me to gather some demon blood and some other ingredients, though they refuse to tell me why at the moment. By the time you get back from the home of the druids we should be able to move onto whatever the next step of Kor'vas' plan is."

"Right." Lyra said, to which she started to head towards the portal that would take her back to Dalaran, but before she got too far she circled back and stopped beside the other demon hunter again, "Out of curiosity, what are those blades you are carrying?"

"The Aldrachi Warblades, taken from Carla's cold body." Lyndraxa said, though she seemed pleased with her deed, as it meant there was one less obstacle in their path to stopping the Legion.

Lyra nodded, as she recalled the weapons in question being mentioned to her when she was choosing which artifact to go after, before she bid her forces farewell for the moment and headed back to the portal, where she headed back to Dalaran so she could speak with Trixie.

When she returned to Dalaran she walked towards the inn and found that the only person still sitting at the table was Azuregos, who informed Lyra that the rest of the group had gone their separate ways. Lyra considered what she had done upon her return to the city and decided that the others had to have gone to wherever their Order Halls were located, to which she simply sat next to the disguised dragon and waited for Trixie's return.

"So why didn't you go with Trixie to her Order Hall?" Lyra asked, knowing that since the disguised dragon had taken on the persona of a mage, and that her fellow Equestrian happened to be a mage as well, he could have easily been granted access to Trixie's Order Hall.

"I did not wish to push the boundaries of our relationship," Azuregos answered, though he immediately raised a hand to stop Lyra from saying anything, "and I don't mean in a romantic sense. The two of us are friends, nothing more and nothing less, and I feel that asking her to personally invite me into her Order Hall would be a bad idea. As you have no doubt determined I'm don't belong to any of the groups of mages that call Dalaran their home, and I don't want me asking to reflect poorly on her... especially since she just earned her new position a few days ago."

"I think helping us find and retrieve the Tidestone will have erased any doubt that Trixie's followers might have for you," Lyra stated, though at the same time she smiled as she spotted their friend walk back into the inn, "Trixie, did your followers tell you the good news?"

"Maybe." Trixie replied, though it appeared that she was going to play a small game with Lyra, one that she was willing to play this time, "What did the Illidari tell you?"

"Maiev, the Warden who imprisoned me and the other Illidari, was last seen in Val'sharah," Lyra stated, to which she grinned for a moment as she noticed a small smile appear on her friend's face, "The way I see it we head down to the ancient forest, give some aid to the druids that are searching for the Tears of Elune, and then see if we can't find Maiev. Personally, I would like to give her a piece of my mind for imprisoning me and my forces in her vault for seven years... and I'm sure that you would like to have some words with her as well."

Trixie stared at Lyra for a moment, wondering if this would allow her friend to let go of her anger and hatred towards the Warden, before eventually sighing. The temptation to find out what happened to Maiev was too great, to which she offered Lyra a small smile and said that Val'sharah would be a great place to head to next... while at the same time she knew that the two of them would benefit in some way, though she hoped in a positive way and not a bad way.