World of Warcraft: Burning Skies

by Blackdrag-rose

Interlude: Draenor

After the experiment was deemed a success, and they made sure the time portal was closed so nothing could follow them through it, Spitfire and the others returned to where Anduin, Illidan, Tyrande, and everyone else had gathered, as it was time for the feast to begin, with several individuals, such as Nozdormu and Murozond, returning to the Caverns of Time to ready themselves for what the next couple of days held for them, because there were calculations that needed to be made and both of them would return in due time to speak with Elisande about using the Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands to link their world back up to Draenor, three months after Archimonde's defeat. Spitfire's reasoning for such a thing was because just appearing right after liberating that world, as in right after the Legion was pushed out of Draenor, would leave the orcs and draenei who called it home weakened from all the fighting both groups had done to save their world from their enemies, so three months meant they should be more at peace and be willing to listen to her, Khadgar, and the heroes who held the Savage Hollow rings, as she was worried that bringing too many might cause Grommash Hellscream, Yrel, and whoever else might be on the other side of their portal. Of course one of the time dragons would have to come with them, or maybe one of the Nightborne who worked with Elisande, that way if they needed to make a hasty retreat they could portal over to the Dark Portal and travel back to Azeroth before closing the path between worlds, in the off chance that Grommash and his allies wanted nothing to do with them, but even then she had the feeling that he would honor the bargain and give them some reinforcements for their battle with the Legion, in fact he might even come with them and lead his forces to assault the demons who had tried to take his world. Spitfire was planning on ironing out the details of the mission with those who who would be participating in it after the feast was over and they had some rest, given that everyone had to be tired after all of the fighting they had done since she and Rainbow focused on Suramar and the rebellion, so for now she joined the rest of the group in enjoying the feast that Elisande had prepared, allowing the others to relax and take a well-deserved rest for a time before they worried about assaulting the Broken Shore.

An interesting thing that Spitfire discovered was that one of the rogues left the feast at one point, by a portal that Khadgar opened for him, and the night elf in question returned a few moments later, since it appeared to be a two way portal that the Archmage had opened, where he approached Lord Illidan and presented the Warglaives of Azzinoth, the weapons he had carried into battle against the Legion and had been stolen from him after his death, even though none of the heroes at the time had any idea that demons could be reborn in time and that demon hunters were the same to a degree, but she was happy to see that Lord Illidan accepted his weapons with a smile on his face. Spitfire knew that he would be eager to return to the battlefield and attack the Legion once more, now that he had been revived, his power had been restored and empowered thanks to what Gul'dan did to his body so it could be made ready for being Sargeras' vessel, and his weapons had been returned to him, meaning he was ready to do battle with the legion and any demons who dared to stand in his way this time around, since there was no telling what might be waiting for them on the Broken Shore. She and Rainbow also spent some time telling him and their Nightborne allies about what had happened to them since the Illidari, of which they were part of, headed to the broken world of Marduum, something most of the heroes didn't know about at all, but it was easy to see that many of their allies were interested in their tale, since most of them hadn't heard their tale about how they ended up in the Vault of the Wardens and what had brought them to Suramar, which did cause their Lord to chuckle several times, especially whenever Maiev was mentioned, likely due to him believing that they were stronger than many thought when they first gazed upon them, since he knew them the longest. Elisande was more than pleased to learn that both of them had the best interests of everyone in Azeroth in mind, especially since someone like Sylvanas had tried to drag everyone into a massive war while they were in the middle of dealing with the Legion, all in the name of some death god or something, that part she was still unsure of and honestly didn't care all that much since it was the Banshee Queen they were talking about, but it told Elisande that they would take down anyone who threatened the safety of Azeroth, be it those trying to make the Alliance and the Horde go to far with each other or forces like the vast Legion or the vile Old Gods.

Of course the only thing she didn't talk about was the odd sensation she felt when she was freeing Lord Illidan's body from Gul'dan and Sargeras, like some ancient and powerful being, far stronger than Sargeras, had been watching her while she did that, as she was worried that revealing such a thing would worry many of her allies and the other heroes, that there was another being that was far stronger than the Dark Titan and it had its eyes set on Azeroth right now, not counting the dark figure they had seen earlier in their battle against the Legion, though for now she kept the feeling to herself and just focused on everyone else and the glorious feast.

Spitfire found that the next day or two was spent preparing for her venture to Draenor, as in Nozdormu, Murozond, and some of their Nightborne allies worked with Khadgar and Jaina to make sure everything was ready for when she wanted to start her mission, because she wanted to be sure that reopening a portal to the world in question didn't bring any harsh side effects, given what happened to the Blasted Lands when the Dark Portal was opened all those years ago, and it was easy for her to see that many agreed with her desire to prevent such a thing from happening. From what she understood the barren landscape that existed around the stone structure had been a forest of some kind in the past, before the Dark Portal had been opened, so the act of creating or opening the portal had twisted the surrounding landscape into what all of her allies knew about and studied from time to time, to learn from the mistakes of the past, though they all agreed that such a thing was something they wanted to avoid, since it would annoy Grommash and Yrel to some degree and damage their chances of talking with them, despite what the Alliance and the Horde did for their shared world. During that time she and Rainbow made sure that the Illidari were making sure none of the demons were doing anything to the rest of this world, finding that, for some reason, Kil'jaeden was gathering his forces all over the Broken Shore and the area that the Tomb of Sargeras rested in, while finding that Illidan took a few moments to make sure his weapons were sharpened for the battles that were ahead of them and their allies, even though the blades of his warglaives became living flames, which showed his newfound power to him, the pair, and the rest of the Illidari. Of course they also focused on making sure the rest of their allies weren't under attack or bothered by Kil'jaeden's forces, as in Spitfire was making sure that the rest of the Order Halls were taking down any demonic threat that bothered them and dispatching the Illidari whenever another threat appeared on their radar, but for the most part it appeared that nothing massive was happening, like Kil'jaeden was waiting for them to make the first move so he could counter them instantly and without delay, meaning they and the rest of their allies had to be ready for when she gave the order to assault the Broken Shore, as for some reason the leaders felt it would be best if she gave the order, but it wasn't something she was going to complain about.

On the third day after the raid on the Nighthold, however, Spitfire and Rainbow gathered in the twisted and darkened land that was called the Blasted Land, where they stood in the cleared crater that happened to contain a smaller version of the Dark Portal, something that interested Spitfire since she knew that the one in Outland, and Draenor as well, was massive and imposing in its own right, before they found that Nozdormu and Murozond were already hard at work in front of the portal, even though it looked like one of them might be on the other side.

"The leaders of the time dragons, along with Elisande, Thalyssra, and Jaina are reassembling the Dark Portal that rests in Tanaan Jungle," Khadgar commented, informing Spitfire and those that were with her as to what was going on right now, as many heroes had come to witness what was going on with their own eyes, welcome any allies that would be coming to do battle with the Legion, and whatever else might be needed of them while they were here, before the Archmage took a moment to rub the back of his head as he considered something, "during our attack on Draenor, where we dismantled the Iron Horde and most of its leaders, we destroyed one of the pillars that supported the other Dark Portal, to stop an army from marching on Azeroth while we were busy taking down our enemies... truthfully, we never thought we would need to use that version of the Dark Portal, so we left it in the collapsed state we created, though our allies are busy correcting our mistake, so any soldiers that Grommash and Yrel decide to end our way will have a direct path to Azeroth."

"Good, it gives us time to prepare ourselves for when the portal is opened," Spitfire replied, because once Nozdormu and his future counterpart were ready, and their allies were back on this side of the portal, they would channel their powers into the stone structure and open the way to Draenor, as they agreed on three months after Archimonde's death to give their potential allies a chance to rest and recover from fighting the Legion, then it would be up to her and those that were coming with her to convince the leaders of both the Mag'har orcs, which was what they called the uncorrupted orcs that hadn't drank demonic blood, and the draenei who shared the world with them.

There was a slight change to her plans, as Rainbow was coming with her and the heroes who carried the Savage Hollow rings, while at the same time Khadgar was coming, as there were some in Draenor who might react positively to them if he was there, and both Anduin and Rokhan were joining her group as well, the latter being the new leader of the Darkspear troll tribe that Vol'jin had been the leader of before his demise and, more importantly, he was also a champion who had been present during the events of Draenor, working with Vytheril, Khadgar, and their allies to bring down the Legion, so if he was there as well some of the orcs and draenei might be more open to talking with them. She understood that having more recognizable allies might make things easier when they found Grommash and Yrel, where Khadgar was hoping they were near the alternate version of Shattrath, since it was more of a neutral place, like the one he was used to, and it would be a good place for them to talk with the pair and anyone who was near them, otherwise they would have to track them down and convince both of the figures to gather in the city for a short period of time, long enough to speak with Spitfire and all of her allies, even though many of them were hoping for the pair to agree with Spitfire's idea. Of course there was once more individual coming with her group, as Thrall, who had worked beside Vytheril during their campaign against the enemies of this world, wished to come along and offer his aid in making sure they reached Shattrath City, and she knew that Murozond was with them as well, to show that he was on their side and not going to turn on them while they were in Draenor, plus the leader of the Infinite Dragonflight could make sure there were no time disruptions, or whatever he and the other time dragons watched out for, that formed while they were visiting the other world, as it would be rude of them to cause damage to Draenor when they were just visiting Grommash and Yrel's home. Other than that she and the rest of her group watched and waited, giving the group that was working on the Dark Portal and the connection between worlds all the time they needed to ensure nothing went wrong during their visit, while the heroes seemed eager to reunite with those who had joined them on their quest to stop the Iron Horde, which later became Gul'dan's corrupted Fel Horde, from launching an invasion on Azeroth and allowing Garrosh to take his revenge on those who beat him, or at least that had been part of what was going on until Thrall found and killed the orc in question.

Eventually Spitfire found that Nozdormu, Murozond, Elisande, and the others that were working on the Dark Portal were done with their work, as the portal that was on Draenor's side had been restored to normal, something that allowed her and her group to regroup in front of their Dark Portal and make sure everyone was ready to start their mission, along with Murozond, in his elven form, standing with them as they approached it, though once all of them were ready they headed up the ramp that was in front of them and stepped through the magical portal that had been opened. Not a few moments later all of them appeared in a massive jungle that, based on what Spitfire could tell, was somewhat corrupted by the Fel energies, likely a combination of Gul'dan's doing and the blood of Mannoroth, something she and Rainbow might be able to help them with since more Fel energy was always welcome and they could either power the Fel Hammer, aid more new demon hunters in harnessing their skills, or even empower one of them for whatever the future held in store for them, as they were waiting for Kil'jaeden to make a move. Of course that wasn't the only thing she and the others noticed, as there happened to be a large citadel or keep of some kind that had been corrupted by Fel energy, given that there was a moat all around it that was filled with Fel blood, though Khadgar and the others paid it no mind as they started down the path that was in front of them, as it was quite a walk between the portal and the citadel, as the later rested in the middle of the jungle and the portal was at the very edge, but as that happened Spitfire and Rainbow found two structures that seemed to be more like what the Alliance and the Horde might make. The reason for that was because they had built two bases in this place, where Khadgar told them that the Alliance's base was called Lion's Watch and the Horde's was Vol'mar, but as they walked down the path that was in front of them Spitfire noted that there were some orcs stationed inside the Horde's base of operations, some having black skin, others having brown, and a few having gray skin, meaning they had to be part of the Mag'har, while at the same time there were a number of draenei in Lion's Watch, who were wearing silver colored armor with purple stones in certain parts, similar to what Velen's forces wore, meaning they had to be Yrel's forces, given that she was one of the leaders for Draenor's draenei.

Eventually they came to a stop as a pair appeared in their path, one being a draenei that was riding an elephant of some kind, an elekk as Khadgar called it, that had a pair of long tusks and seemed somewhat imposing, while having golden gear on its body, to protect itself from harm in case it went into battle, while the orc that was to the right of it was riding a wolf that also looked ready for battle, meaning they had to be guards that had been positioned here in case more demons tried to attack Draenor, or at least that was Spitfire's current thoughts on the matter, and they had to be curious as to why the group was here and why the Dark Portal had been restored to its former glory.

"Archmage Khadgar, it is good to see you again," the female draenei said, while the male orc nodded his head not even a second later, showing that he agreed with her statement, even though her words indicated that she must have been one of the residents of Draenor who had interacted with Khadgar during his time helping the heroes take down the enemies who were threatening this world, though that was when she glanced at his companions for a few seconds before focusing on the Dark Portal for a few more seconds, likely confused about something, "though truth be told, we were worried when we noticed that the ruined portal was being put back together and was reactivated by some unknown magic, fearing that the Legion might be getting ready for another invasion."

"Sorry about that, we had allies come by and rebuild the portal for us... as to why we wanted that to happen, well, we'll be explaining our reasons to Warchief Grommash and Exarch Yrel," Khadgar replied, revealing the titles of the two figures to Spitfire and Rainbow, even though they were sure that they would have learned them well before meeting either of this world's important leaders, not counting whatever councils either of them might have created since the day the Legion had been pushed back and Archimonde met his end, before he considered something, "Are they in Shattrath City, or are they in another province?"

"The Warchief is meeting the Exarch today, about what I do not know, and said they would be overlooking the city during their discussion," the orc answered, not that he was surprised by Khadgar asking such a question, even though he did look at Spitfire and Rainbow for a few seconds, clearly wondering if it was okay to trust either of them since they were slightly different from everyone else, before he glanced over to his companion for a moment and it was clear that the paladin, as that was what the draenei had to be, nodded her head towards the warrior, "Come, we will escort all of you to where they are having their meeting, as they will be interested in hearing why you have returned to Draenor, though we can provide you with mounts if you don't have any of your own."

Khadgar, on the other hand, informed him that such a thing wouldn't be necessary for most of them since he and the rest of the group had their own flying mounts, save for Thrall since he only had a whistle to call a frostwolf to his side, though as both the draenei and the orc raised their eyebrows for a moment those who could summon their own flying mount did so without delay, Murozond shifted into a slightly smaller dragon form, as to not shock everyone with his Aspect form, all while Spitfire and Rainbow spread their wings as well, something that really caught the guards off guard as they stared at them for a few seconds. Of course Spitfire had the feeling that they might be staring at her four different wings, or maybe it was just due to the surprise of her and Rainbow even having wings since they didn't have any a few moments ago, but a moment or two later the pair snapped themselves back to reality as they headed for the two bases that were near their current location, where it wasn't long before the pair took off from Vol'mar and Lion's Watch, the orc riding on one of the wyverns that Spitfire and Rainbow had seen around Orgrimmar while the draenei rode on a gryphon's back, meaning that the Alliance and the Horde had left a few of their own mounts as a peace offering or something when they left Draenor and started to hunt down Gul'dan in Azeroth. As soon as the pair took off the group followed after them, where it was easy for them to glance all over the rest of Tanaan Jungle and find that there as a ruined draenei village, no doubt attacked by Gul'dan after he created his Fel Horde, along with a warpath which must have been smashed by the demons at one point in time, but other than that it looked like most of the jungle, or half at the very least, was corrupted by the Fel energy and that meant everyone who was in Tanaan Jungle was sent there to watch and warn everyone else if demons suddenly came back to attack them, confirming what the guards had said. Of course they didn't head just straight to the west, rather once they reached a certain point the pair turned to the southwest and Spitfire's group followed after them without delay, even if it allowed them to stare out at a new part of Draenor, a forest that had been inhabited by the draenei, given that there were a number of settlements that they lived, worked, and trained in, before noticing a massive dome shaped structure in the southern part of the province, as Khadgar informed them that this was Talador, an area that hadn't been touched all that much by the Legion, while the dome structure was Auchindoun, a mausoleum for the draenei's dead.

That was, of course, before the group noticed the massive city that was to their right, one that was made in the style of the draenei and seemed to be a place of Light, which was no surprise to Spitfire when she considered what she knew thanks to Velen, where they could see that there were draenei, orcs, and other races trading with each other, such as a large cat-like species called Saberon or the keen avian-like race called the Arakkoa, a race that was split between a hunched version and a version that stood straight, though it was clear that they were focused on a cliff that happened to be overlooking the city, which happened to be on the southeastern side of Shattrath City. Based on what Spitfire could see there were several guards watching over the overlook that they were heading towards at the moment, though she spotted a female draenei who was wearing a more impressive set of silver armor that had golden inlay and purple crystals placed in certain spots, with a large warhammer that was metal with a massive purple crystal at the top of it, with an imposing orc who had light brown colored skin, almost tan colored based on what she was seeing, who wore no chest piece and had a single shoulder piece on his right shoulder, with bracers, pants, and boots that resembled what some of the Horde's orcs wore, which had to come from Garrosh, and his hair was black while being done up in a ponytail of sorts near the top of his head and there were a few bangs on either side of his head. While she was sure that the draenei was Yrel, making the orc Grommash, she did find a large imposing battleaxe resting near the orc warrior, Gorehowl according to what Khadgar told them, but there were a few others standing near the circular table that they happened to be standing at, like the tall blue skinned ogre who wore some decent looking armor, another tall figure who looked like a bipedal tiger and wore some shaman gear, one of the Saberon even though he was only six feet tall, and a third tall figure who was more avian-like, an Arakkoa who stood upright and wore a blue robe over its feathered body, which was pale white colored. It was clear that the five individuals were in the middle of a conversation, likely about dealing with any threats Draenor might be facing right now, which had to be focused on Tanaan Jungle, though they stopped talking as they heard the sound of wings and glanced in their direction for a moment, causing them to turn towards where the guards were leading them, though it wasn't long before Spitfire's group landed at the edge of the area and dismounted before she and Rainbow landed as well.

Of course Spitfire noticed that some of the guards, an equal mix of draenei and orcs, turned to focus on them for a second or two, which was when Yrel and Grommash noticed who was among the group and beckoned for the guards to back off for the time being, allowing them to approach the table that they were standing around, something she and the others did without delay since they didn't want to annoy either of the leaders that were in front of them, before they came to a stop at the table and focused on the five figures that were staring at them.

"Archmage Khadgar, what brings you back to Draenor?" Yrel asked, because everyone who didn't know who she was had to assume that she was Yrel, given that this was the meeting the guards had told them about, even though they knew that they would be told who was who in the next couple of moments once she and Grommash understood that none of them were here to threaten Draenor or declare war on them, especially since rebuilding the Dark Portal must have worried a good number of this world's residents, given what little they had learned earlier, "You aren't here to craft more rings, like the ones you created for the heroes while they were fighting the Shadow Council and everything they were planning on doing to the rest of Draenor, are you?"

"No, we aren't here to make any new rings... three Savage Hollows were more than enough for us," Khadgar replied, which was when the three heroes who wore the three powerful rings rubbed the back of their heads for a moment, something that told Spitfire that there was a tale behind everything that went into making the rings in question, though it looked like his words seemed to please some of the individuals who were resting around this area, be it the leaders or the guards that were making sure no enemies came at this area, before he focused on why they came here, "however, we did come back to Draenor to speak with you and Warchief Grommash about something... but first, allow me to introduce my companions to you and your acquaintances."

Spitfire said nothing as Khadgar introduced everyone to Exarch Yrel and Warchief Grommash, even though she spotted an orc who arrived slightly after they did, who happened to be wearing a white wolf's pelt as part of a hood, cloak, and even shoulder pieces, meaning he had to live in a snowy or winter-like environment, who Grommash noticed not even a second after she did and introduced Durotan to all of them, Chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan, before Khadgar wrapped up his own introductions to Yrel and Grommash, making sure she and Rainbow were the last two to be spoken about, since it allowed him to make sure they knew that Spitfire was the one that needed to speak with them.

"We came to speak with you because the Legion has invaded Azeroth, thanks to Gul'dan's efforts... whose dead, since we just killed him a few days ago," Spitfire stated, deciding to get to the point and tell them why her group had come to speak with Yrel and Grommash, where it only took the Exarch a few seconds to understand what was going on and Grommash followed her not even five seconds later, showing that they realized that this was about the promise that they had made to the chosen commanders who lead Azeroth's counterattack on the Iron Horde and the demons who eventually invaded this world while they were distracted, before she started to speak again, "however, before we killed him he was successful in opening a massive portal in the skies of Azeroth, one that leads to the Fel-corrupted world known as Argus, and we do know that Kil'jaeden, the Legion's second-in-command, is preparing his forces for a massive assault on our forces and the allies we have right now... given that things are a little dire for us, even with the powers we possess, I figured that it was time we called on our allies to come aid us, to fulfill the promise that was made after Archimonde's death."

While things weren't as dire as she made it sound, given all the power she and Rainbow commanded, they had no idea if the demons of Argus were as strong as Xazariel or if they were almost as strong as both Kil'jaeden and Archimonde were, if it was the latter the forces of Azeroth were definitely in trouble and would need all the soldiers they could muster for the final assault on Sargeras' domain, but for the time being she wanted Yrel, Grommash, and their council to know what was going on in Azeroth right now, as the mention of the Legion's home might convince them one way or the other, even if she could see that some of the draenei guards glanced at each other for a second, no doubt at the mention of Argus, which had been their home world before the Legion took it.

"Gul'dan... I told him that he would fail, and that your forces would bring him and his demons down... he laughed and told me that 'all would serve the Legion', though we're laughing now," Grommash commented, where it was easy to see that a smile had appeared on his face not a moment after hearing that Gul'dan had been slain at long last, something many of the others agreed with based on what Spitfire was seeing right now, though at the same time he considered what he, Yrel, and everyone else had been told so far, even though he seemed to be glancing off in the direction of the Dark Portal and all of the corruption that the orc warlock had brought to this world, "also, you have our condolences for the loss of your previous High King and Warchief, as they were good warriors and will be missed by those that knew them. Though we are weakened from Gul'dan's madness, and my own failings after beating him the first time around, we should be able to find enough warriors to make a difference in this battle... as while we don't know you or some of your allies, you do seem like an honorable and strong individual..."

"Not to mention the fact that Archmade Khadgar is with them, which should reveal that he trusts them," Yrel added, more in the sense that the man in question wouldn't follow someone who was part of the Legion, though while she focused on Rainbow for a time, who did look more demonic than most of the group, everything she could see informed her that she wasn't an enemy and could be trusted as well, before she considered what they were being told and recalled the last thing she had told Khadgar, before he and his forces started to withdraw from Draenor, "I think we can find fifty warriors from each clan that calls this world home, giving you a decent force to take down the Legion and whatever assault is coming up next, while also ensuring that we have enough forces to maintain our own safety, in case our enemies decide to attack us for getting involved with this war... members of the council, what do you say?"

"We would lose a third of our clan, but it is an agreeable suggestion," Durotan replied, because he and his clan had been one of the few to survive the battle against both the Iron Horde and the Fel Horde that Gul'dan created, meaning they had a lot more warriors than what Grommash's clan or any of the remaining clans had, though he did know that many of them did have enough members to find the troops to aid the forces of Azeroth in taking down the Legion, and it didn't take long for the Saberon, Arakkoa, and Ogre to nod their heads as well, showing the group that most of Yrel's council agreed with her comment and would be able to find some forces to send their way, before he focused on them, "Draenor has been, well, peaceful since our combined forces pushed the Legion back to whatever foul world they were attacking us from, be it Argus or another world, and those that survived have agreed to aid the forces of Azeroth should you come calling, so we should be able to build a suitable army in a short period of time."

"That is good to hear. We should have them meet us at the Dark Portal, as we reassembled it so an army could march into it, because we were hopeful that you would agree to lend us some aid," Anduin spoke up, though even as he said that he was still surprised that Grommash, of all people, was the one to offer them some condolences for the loss of his father and Vol'jin, despite the fact that he never personally met them, before he took a moment to consider something that all of the leaders had been talking about for some time, as an additional part of Spitfire's plan, "I know that this will fulfill your promise to Azeroth, but if there is anything we can do for you and your people, such as enemies to take down or maybe teach you how to use some of the equipment we left behind, please don't hesitate to ask us... we even have locations that could be used as settlements, in case some of your people wanted to see what Azeroth has to offer... I'm not saying that you have to move to our world to aid us, just that such a thing can be done if you want it to happen."

"That sounds lovely, and I'm sure there are some among our number who would want to live in Azeroth for a few weeks or a couple of months," Yrel said, as while Anduin's statement was one that none of them had honestly been thinking about, since most of them had been focused on getting reinforcements before heading back to the Dark Portal, it was good to see that many of Draenor's people did like the idea of seeing what Azeroth had to offer and kept their mouths shut while the conversation went on, since there had to be more for them to discuss with each other, but as all of that happened Spitfire felt something odd happen in the air, like someone was using magic and caused her to glance around, finding that none of her allies and none of the council or guards were doing it, "Are the terms not to your liking?"

"No, its not that... there's a hint of powerful magic in the air, and yet..." Spitfire replied, as she was wondering if Kil'jaeden had figured out what they were doing, traced them back to Draenor, and were going to attack them while they talked with the leaders of this world, though her statement was cut off as something unexpected happened to Talador and caught all of them off guard, the earth started to quake beneath them and several of the guards, plus some of her group, fell to their knees for a few moments, even though Spitfire forced herself into the air to see what was going on.

What she found, however, was that everything around Shattrath City, meaning Talador and the other provinces that were all around where the council was meeting, was shaking like a massive earthquake, a cataclysm in some sense, struck the planet and it took her a few seconds to spot where part of the damage was happening, the ground to the east of this city, starting at the coast based on what she was seeing, started to crack and separate from each other as their side of it stayed in the same area while the ground on the other side was pushed upwards, even though more was happening to the rest of the province. Talador was breaking apart, that much she could figure out by just witnessing the destruction that was in the middle of unfolding before her eyes, as the crack contained to extend towards the southern part of the province, heading right for Auchindoun, though it wasn't long before it connected with the area in question and the mausoleum started to break before her very eyes, the outside material starting to crack as parts of the wall collapsed, causing the souls of every fallen draenei to escape the area they had been held in, likely leaving Draenor for whatever safety the Shadowlands held for all of them. Another thing she noticed was that Talador wasn't the only one suffering right now, as part of the damage went even further to the south, to a more swampy area that had a single massive earthen spire in either the middle of the province, or close to it, while the same was true for the northern direction, heading across a small sea before striking what looked like a frozen region of Draenor and a mountainous region that looked like it was divided between two elements, as if nature and a harsh wasteland were at war with each other, and both provinces were shaking as well, sections rising and falling like what was happening in Draenor. It was in that moment that she glanced up at the sky and spotted someone up in the air, likely near the edge of this world's atmosphere or even beyond it, who seemed to be male based on what she was seeing right now and appeared to be a descendant of a human and an elf, as his ears seemed pointed like an elf's and were sized like a human's, while his body seemed thin and well trained, like he was a warrior of some kind, though at the same time she noticed that his attire appeared to be elven in nature, not like what Tyrande wore, rather he seemed to be wearing a well made silver shirt that had a black undershirt resting below it, not to mention the fact that the figure seemed to have deep blue shorts on and wore a pair of brown footwear over his feet.

Of course she noticed a few other things, like the figure's short black hair, the blue coloration to his eyes, and a black sash that rested around his waist, though attached to his sash was a scabbard for a sword, where she found that the blade was sheathed and not in use, one that appeared to be a longsword that had been scaled down to the size of a normal sword, with a horizontal cross-guard and a curved pommel that merged with the handle, while the end was curved like a dome of some kind and was all made out of metal. After taking in his appearance she noticed something else, he was wearing four rings on his right hand, the first one being a band made out of silver and had a brilliant amethyst set inside it, the next was a golden ring with an equally brilliant sapphire, while the third was another ring made out of silver and had an emerald set inside it, once again brilliant like the rest, before finding that the last one was made out of gold as well, only the gem on it appeared to be a diamond that was half white and half black, like a Yin Yang symbol. Instead of worrying about that, and why the rings she noticed went from his pinky to his pointer finger, in the order she noticed them, Spitfire quickly turned her attention to the fact that the figure had his right hand pointed down at the planet's surface, the palm facing Draenor, to which she turned back and headed for the ground, as she knew that there was no way for her to reach the area that the figure was positioned in.

"What's going on?" Yrel asked, where it was clear that she, Grommash, and everyone that was around them were worried about everything that was happening to the area they were standing in right now, not to mention everything else that was scattered around them, even though Thrall and those who communicated with the elementals knew that something very wrong was happening to their world, before she glanced up at the sky and noticed what Spitfire had seen, prompting a few of the others to do the same thing, "And who is that?"

"As for the latter, I have no idea... for the former, I'm pretty sure he's destroying Draenor," Spitfire replied, though that was when some of the ground violently rocked as Shattrath City was torn in half, the side they were on sinking into the ground while the other half was raised a bit, allowing the water of the coast and sea to start spilling into the lowered sections of the city, something that caused her to turn to everyone else, who seemed to understand what she might say without her even speaking the words, "Listen, we need to get the civilians out of Shattrath City and get them to the Dark Portal... based on how widespread this destruction is becoming, as its heading towards the southern and northern tips of Draenor for the time being, its only a matter of time until that being, that deity or whatever he is, focuses on the other provinces and starts to wreck everything else... if that happens, we might lose the Dark Portal. Exarch Yrel, Warchief Grommash, we need to call the people of Draenor and have them gather whatever supplies and items they need... Khadgar, take whoever you think you need and bring as many mages as you can muster to this world, to open as many portals back to the Dark Portal, since we have no idea how long it will be before that being starts to truly break this world."

Yrel and Grommash looked like they wanted to say something, either to talk about what was going on or something else, but that was when the ground stopped shaking and caused them to glance up at the sky again, finding that the figure had lowered his hand for a moment as a golden portal appeared nearby and a new figure, where another male human walked out of it not a second later, a figure who looked like he was in his early thirties, had short golden yellow colored hair, with a shirt of the same color and seemed to be wearing a dark blue pair of pants, though he turned and looked at the first figure for a few seconds, like a conversation was starting between them.

"It would appear that they're talking to each other," a voice said, where Spitfire glanced towards the middle of their group, counting those who came with her and those that made up the council, and found the black robed figure who had shown up when she and Rainbow talked with Discord some time ago, when he tried to convince them to head back home, but as all of them noticed the strange dark figure he glanced at them for a few seconds and raised a hand, where he quickly did the shooing motion with his hand, as if he was dismissing everyone that was around him, "the lot of you had best hurry it up and leave this world while you still have a chance, because while this planet's destruction has been stopped, due to the arrival of another, it won't last for too long and you might get caught in the crossfire... though the harvesting of this world will begin in due time."

Spitfire was going to ask if the robed being was stalking them or something, since this was the second time they had seen each other, though before she could even get the words out the ground shook again as everyone braced themselves for a couple of moments, but as that happened she noticed that parts of the earth off in the distance, close to a mine based on what Yrel told all of them, broke apart and a sphere of shimmering metal seemed to be extracted not a few seconds later, a mass of black ore to be exact, which was joined by clusters of gems being pulled from the earth, with spheres of blue ore being pulled up as well and even metal being picked up from scattered locations around Draenor. It hit her that the robed figure meant that the golden haired figure was literally harvesting this world of the metals and gems that it contained, not to mention discarded items that were no longer needed by those who lived in every province this world had, which caused her to make sure that Khadgar and the others were moving, the heroes heading down into the sunken area to pick up the citizens who were now trapped in the city that was quickly becoming flooded. To combat the flooding Khadgar and those he called upon from Azeroth were opening portals and redirecting the water elsewhere, not that it mattered where they put the water since it flowed back to the sea, and back into the sunken city as well, giving those who headed down into the sunken part of the city time to aid the citizens in rushing to safety, while Spitfire and Rainbow did their best to fly around to the different parts of Draenor to make sure people were evacuating before the destruction resumed. She could see that many of the orcs, draenei, and other races that happened to be in the middle of leaving their settlements were terrified of what was going on right now, while the warriors were concerned for their well-being, especially since they could see that their next destination was Tanaan Jungle, though they were using the portals that the mages and the Kirin Tor had opened for them to use and that each of them had some items on them, gear or food stocks to help them when they reached the other side of the Dark Portal, meaning she and Rainbow didn't have to worry too much about people being caught in what was happening to every province of this world, as she could see that metal and ore was being pulled out of every province of this world, all thanks to the fact that the golden figure now had a hand pointed down at the world.

Of course they weren't the only ones rushing to aid the citizens of Draenor, as Yrel, Grommash, and their council rushed to make sure everyone was using the portals that had been opened for them and were leaving their world with everything they could get their hands on, in fact some of the draenei made sure to start up their space vessels, ships that looked sort of similar to the ones that Kael'thas and his forces had been in control of back in Outland, and head for the Dark Portal, an action that caused some of the Nightborne to focus on opening larger portals for the decent sized ships, where many of the races of Draenor were aboard each of them. Those that were on the other side of the Dark Portal had to be shocked by what was going on right now, as this certainly wasn't part of Spitfire's plan and they had to adjust accordingly, to avoid being caught in what was going on to the world, though as she thought about it she found that several of the spheres the second figure had created were merging into a single mass, meaning it had to make it easier for the being to transport all of them to wherever he stored them, but she focused on making sure everyone cleared out of each settlement she found before doubling back to Talador, where Khadgar and the others were in the process of closing their portals, as everyone in the sunken portion of Shattrath City had been cleared out. As that happened another section of the coast broke and the sea started to truly flood the sunken section of the city, meaning they were just in time since everyone that had been down there had been pulled out before such a terrible thing happened, but that wasn't the worst of it as the cracks in the ground from before widened in a matter of moments as Talador split in half before their eyes, sending a shudder throughout the entire province and the other provinces, leading to Khadgar calling for the council and their allies to depart, as the way this was going they were getting closer and closer to the end of Draenor, especially since it looked like the second figure was in the process of reaching the depths of this world for everything of value. Spitfire wasn't surprised to see that the odd robed figure had joined the two that were up in the atmosphere, as he seemed interested in observing what was going on before heading back to whatever he had been doing before this event happened, though with the planet falling apart around her, with patches of the province rising, some falling, and some being broken into small fragments, she knew that time was not on her side and head through the portal as well.

Once she was on the other side of Khadgar's portal she headed through the Dark Portal and returned to Azeroth, where all of the people who were fleeing the doomed world were standing around it in shock, more about what was happening to their planet and less about where in the universe they might be now, though since she seemed to be the last one to cross over the time dragons and Elisande closed the Dark Portal, severing their connection to Draenor, before she opened a new portal to take her, Spitfire, and a few others to the Eternal Observatory, where they found Etraeus observing Draenor as it was harvested by the second figure. As they observed what was going on Spitfire had to assume that the three figures had to be gods, deities of different aspects, given that she assumed the one with the sword had to be a destroyer, the one with the golden shirt might be greed given everything he was stealing from Draenor, and the robed one, while doing nothing at all, might be darkness, since something about him screamed that he wasn't a good person, before her thoughts were put on pause for a moment as the now small moon sized spheres the golden figure had collected disappeared through some new golden portals he opened, depositing everything he was taking in whatever location he was storing them in, and the moment he was done he stepped back. In the following moment the first figure refocused on the world that was below all of them and gathered some of his power for a few seconds, meaning he had to be getting serious, before raising his left hand as he made sure the palm was facing the planet's ruined surface and fired a beam of searing orange energy down at Draenor, striking what appeared to be the middle of Talador and was swiftly followed by cracks spreading out from where his attack was hitting the planet, cracks that were a red-orange color based on what they were seeing, where both Yrel and Grommash, who had come with them to observe what was going on in a vain hope that the figures would leave Draenor once they were done attacking it, cried out in rage as this happened. Sadly there was nothing any of them could do to stop what was happening to Draenor at the moment, and even if Spitfire had decided to fight them she had the feeling that an attack against them would be suicide, especially given that she felt the destroyer seemed to be hiding most of his power and his blade seemed to be a weapon of power, similar to their artifact weapons, so all they could do was observe as the planet's surface continued to crack.

Eventually enough was enough as the planet exploded before their eyes, which produced a bright light that most of them had to look away from when it happened, even though Spitfire found that there was nothing left of Draenor when she and the others opened their eyes again, unlike what happened when Outland was created in the main timeline, since the one she and Rainbow were familiar with was a shattered floating world with limited water, before Yrel fell to her knees as she and Grommash understood that their world was gone, leading her to sob as she mourned for their home while Spitfire found that the orc placed a hand on her shoulder without saying much, though his silence told her that he was shocked by this event... to which Spitfire sighed and moved to speak with the leaders of the Alliance and the Horde, as while part of her plan worked they had to deal with the unforeseen consequences of their actions and aid the residents of Draenor for a time, before bothering to focus on the Broken Shore and Kil'jaeden.

Comments

[PrismStrike]

well i can quite honestly say i was not expecting that... someinteresting beings there and quite powerful to boot.

[badninja]

So we have a someone who thinks they are a god of destruction running around. I am more then thinking that Spitfire will be ending this persons life some time down the road.

[Xarmar13]

So, those are some of the main antagonists of the Demon War Saga.