[Alliance] Chapter Five: Session Twenty-Six
Appearing Characters: Aileen Paletress (Alternate Timeline), Anachronos, Andantenormu, Arator Windrunner (Alternate Timeline), Arthas Menethil (Alternate Timeline), Benedictus (Alternate Timeline), Chromie, Darion Mograine (Alternate Timeline), Elgin Clickspring, Elissa Cross, Falric (Alternate Timeline), Gavinrad (Alternate Timeline), Gelbin Mekkatorque, Gilveradin Windrunner, Jaina Proudmoore-Menethil, Julia Celeste (Alternate Timeline), Kairozdormu, Korialstrasz, Liiraluma, Muradin Bronzebeard (Alternate Timeline), Nozdormu, Renault Mograine (Alternate Timeline), Saidan Dathrohan (Alternate Timeline), Sally Mograine (Alternate Timeline), Seria, Soridormi, Thaxdormu/Morchuron, Turalyon Windrunner (Alternate Timeline), Uther Menethil, Vaelastrasz, Velameestra Windrunner, Zap Rusthammer, Zagarra
Time-Lost Day 190
In the preparation room, Uther and Arthas were seated and talking.
Arthas smiled and put a hand on Uther’s shoulder.
Arthas chuckled.
Arthas stood up and stood behind Uther as he turned him towards the mirror.
As Uther stared at the mirror, he saw himself as he always had. He felt a sense of pride as he wore the Silver Hand armor he had been striving for. But then he frowned.
Uther looked back at the mirror, and he did have a beard in that moment, and his father’s hair was wild and white, his eyes sunken, his skin shades paler than it was supposed to be. Uther snapped his head back around to look at his father. This time, his hair was darker, like a dirty blonde, and his eyes dark and brooding.
Uther blinked and he was back to normal.
Arthas smiles.
Uther looked back at the mirror and everything looked normal. At least, it seemed normal, but Uther felt a strange feeling, like an unease separate from his nerves. Uther reached up and felt his face. He shook his head then turned to go over his lines that he would need to say. He couldn’t focus.
Meanwhile, in the chapel, Vel had started to hyperventilate.
Vel stood up and walked quickly out of the chapel. As she passed by Arator, he looked at her with concern.
Vel looked at him, her eyes wide and scared, but she was unable to put anything into words.
Arator had reached a hand out but he pulled it back as she hurried out of the chapel. She was trying to focus her thoughts and get herself back under control. The streets were bustling and the smell of food wafted around. However, the only thing she could smell was burning wood. She didn’t smell the food.
She looked around and tried to take some deep breaths that felt incredibly forced. When she opened her eyes, it had started to rain. There were no clouds anywhere. Everyone else seemed to notice the rain, and one child had gone to play in the water. But then Vel blinked, and the child was face down in the water, blood pooling from the gash wounds in her back.
Vel immediately started to run over to the child and began to call for help, but as she did, she blinked, and the child was standing up again. People looked at her strangely, as did the child, who looked confused that she was suddenly running over to them. Vel started to panic again, and as she looked around, she blinked, and the buildings were abruptly ablaze. She blinked again and they were not.
Vel took a step back, her eyes wide as she struggled to rationalize what was going on. A hand gently touched Vel’s shoulder, and she turned and saw Jaina.
Jaina furrowed her brow.
Vel nodded, and Jaina smiled at her.
Vel could tell that the way Jaina was speaking to the guards, she was taking Vel’s reaction seriously, and several guards branched out to take a look at things.
Meanwhile, Gil had watched his sister go outside. Vel was much different than he remembered. They had started to live very different lives, and it had been a long time since they really saw each other. Gil was concerned that something was really wrong, but he had seen Jaina had gone outside to check on his sister. However, he got the sense like he had forgotten something important, and his hand clutched at his chest looking for something that should have been there. However, almost as immediately, the feeling dissipated again.
Gil’s expression furrowed in confusion.
He let his hand drop and turned his attention back toward the door as Vel slipped back into the chapel. She had Arkha’din in her arms, and Jaina followed soon after. Vel sat down next to her brother again.
Gil squeezed Vel’s shoulder gently.
Vel had kept her arms hugged closely around Arkha’din, who was coiled in her lap.
The duo of them sat for a bit longer as Uther drank the water and tried to put the feelings of disquiet away, much like the twins.
Eventually, Bishop Paletress popped her head in to summon Uther as they were ready to begin. Arthas nodded.
Arthas left, and not long afterward, the crowd quieted. Soon, Uther made his way out. The chapel was lined with paladins–his fellow brothers and sisters, both initiates and full paladins. He looked across the crowd and he saw many faces he recognized. Lady Celeste, a justicar that hailed from Alterac, Arator, one of his closest friends and the cousin of Velameestra, his dear mentor in the arcane arts. Of course, Darion Mograine was there as well, the third of the proverbial three musketeers, as he had just gone through his own rites a few years earlier. He offered a wry grin as he stood at attention. Uther saw dignitaries from many locales, including Muradin Bronzebeard.
All the members of the Gauntlet were present: Renault Mograine and his wife Sally Mograine, Arthas Menethil, Turalyon Windrunner, Gavinrad the Dire, and the towering Saidan Dathrohan. Saidan’s eyes crinkled warmly at Uther.
However, Uther didn’t feel like he belonged. It was almost like his mind was a step behind his feet. Arthas gave him a nod, and Uther saw Jaina give a supportive smile, but she also looked worried about something. Her eyes glanced over at Vel a few times, who was sitting next to, presumably, her brother.
Falric was also nearby, speaking to a few other guards, seemingly in a higher degree of security than was needed for a chapel filled with paladins. That wasn’t… too strange, after all, Jaina was a cautious woman.
Uther was led to the altar, and before it was Archbishop Benedictus. His eyes were smiling, and his beard shifted in a smile. He radiated warmth and kindness, but it did little to ease his nerves. Uther knelt before the Archbishop, who began to read from the passages of a book.
Various priests bore censors as they walked down the aisle along with candle bearers and some young priests with a royal blue stole. Each of the clerics arrive in turn, and each one placed a blessing upon him. Finally, the stole was draped across Uther’s neck as his brow was anointed with blessed oils.
Benedictus then turned to the Gauntlet.
Each paladin came forward in turn. Dathrohan gave Uther’s shoulder a hard squeeze and offered a wink as a warm glow swept around him. Gavinrad came up next, then Turalyon, who offered his own smile. Renault came next, and then finally Arthas put both his hands on Uther’s shoulder.
Many other paladins do the same, including Arator and Darion.
Uther took in a breath, and there was a strange moment of deja vu mixed with mixed clarity.
The statement felt weird. But at that moment, there was a scream from outside of the chapel. All eyes darted to the doorway, and Jaina looked at Vel, then in the direction of the scream. The paladins immediately broke into action.
There was the smell of smoke.
As Falric rushed toward the door, and the door was blasted open as shrapnel exploded outward. A strange figure sauntered forward. She had two tall horns and large bat-like wings. A magic staff swirled with a bluish-green crystals, but her face was unmistakably familiar. It was Jaina’s.
Stratholme outside was in abject chaos. Buildings were ablaze, people were screaming.
The demonic figure raised her hand, but Jaina countered the spell and blasted the strange visage out the door.
The entire cathedral had broken into a defense mode, and Vel saw the walls of the chapel start to crumble, and then rebuild. Vel didn’t know what was going on, but there was some sort of breakdown that seemed to be occurring. Something was horrendously wrong. Some of the other people were changing into others. One of the figures turned into an undead monster, and a paladin rushed them, but in a flash, the paladin was wearing crimson and white, the Silver Hand symbol replaced with a crimson L as their blade ignites with holy fire. There were pockets where space almost contracted and expanded.
Darion Mograine drew his blade, but then his armor was clad in violet, and his helmet became the image of a skull.
Vel immediately dismissed Arkha’din and began to scramble for her spellbook as the fight was clearly unfolding.
Uther grabbed a nearby candelabra to use as a weapon and then rushed over to Vel and Gil. Gil had drawn his bow and was unleashing arrows into people that were glitching into walking dead and other figures.
Vel stood up and she saw an anomaly ripple, and she saw a gout of energy as a hand reached out through the gateway. A dozen, small, miniscule demonic creatures she somehow knew were imps stepped out with a wave of fel fire.
Then a female elf appeared. They had graying white skin with long white hair and long fangs with two twisting horns. She had bright green eyes, and her eyes made contact with Vel. Her face was unmistakably Vel’s. An imp clawed up onto her shoulder and hissed. Vel’s eyes widened, and she began to conjure magic.
Another figure hacked into the edge of a pew with a massive rune blade. He had long white hair, drawn back into a ponytail, and Uther’s own eyes stared at him, sunken and determined.
Uther spun the candelabra and then pointed it at the figure.
An arrow shot by Gil and cut his cheek as the arrow punctured the bench between himself and his sister. Gil looked up at a strange, draconic creature that was wearing armor of black dragon spells. It hissed and knocked another arrow, ash-like war paint under its eyes. The cloak it was wearing was unmistakably the cloak of a Farstrider, and he was wrapped with a cloak of shadowflame.
Vel gestured at the demonic warlock.
Gil fired at Varadyn, the draconic creature that appeared to be himself from another timeline. It was a heavy hit as Gil then dove behind a pew to take cover.
The imp, hurled a [Fire Bolt] at Vel, who was able to block it with a [Shield]. Velameestra Felsoul then drew her sword as a bladesong started, and she whipped into Vel with a slash that got through the arcane shield. She then spun the sword into a reverse grip as fel fire swept around it, and she drove it into Vel’s side. She grabbed the collar of Vel’s dress and pulled her close.
The demonic woman then turned towards Gil. As Vel was actively bleeding out, she heard Varadyn, the Ashen Herald, hiss in draconic.
Shadowflame washed over Gil and he was overcome by intense pain as he dropped to the ground. Meanwhile, Uther the Deathbringer charged at Uther, who was able to deflect the blow with the candelabra. The death knight swung around with another strike as he headbutted Uther and then impaled him with the runeblade. Uther was lifted off the ground.
The death knight wrenched the blade from Uther and he was dropped to the ground. Arthas screamed Uther’s name as Uther’s vision went dark.
Vel tried to get to her feet, but the imp laughed and blasted fire straight in her face.
As Seria looked around for Rai, she started to panic. Then she found the first corpse. It was evidence of a fight that had broken out between trolls. It seemed several of Hakkar’s faithful had been slain here. Seria followed the trail of carnage and eventually arrived at a camp. The trolls weren’t Darkspear. They were some sort of other tribe that she couldn’t recall.
Then Seria noticed a man who was struggling to get to his feet. He had a long spear with dozens of bone-like barbed protrusions imbedded in him with a few arrows. He coughed blood as he started to try and drag himself away. There was an altar there, and upon it was an egg that was unlike any she had seen before. The man was trying to drag himself to the altar, withdrawing a stone hatchet from his hip.
Seria drew closer, and a stick snapped.
Seria emerged from the woods.
The man started to laugh.
The man launched himself at the egg and raised the hatchet.
Seria felt the urge to stop him, but suddenly, the man’s body seized, and the blood started to seep from his body as the spear was wrenched from his body. The blood streamed from his body and formed into an orb as it floated over to the figure that stepped out of one of the huts. They were wearing similar ritualistic attire as many of the slain individuals, but hers were more elaborate. She had a long cape of teal feathers draped over her shoulder, and she had tattoos of blood red all over her body with crimson, bloody scales making up the guard she wore.
She removed her serpentine mask, and revealed Seria’s own face.
She raised a hand and cast [Hex] on Seria as the blood witch then drew a dagger that was seemingly made of serpentine bone. She closed the distance as she hurled orbs of burning blood at Seria before she twisted the dagger around and cut into Seria’s shoulder.
Seria used [Blink] and disappeared as she tried to flee and hide. She was panting heavily as she ran, and the blood witch simply walked after her.
The blood witch was drawing closer, and closer, and closer, and Seria felt her strength sapping away. She lurched forward and hit the ground at the blood witch’s feet.
The blood witch grabbed Seria and dragged her back to the altar. The last thing that Seria remembered was the bite of the blade digging into her own throat as her blood was let to quicken the spirit in the egg. The last thoughts in her mind was fear for what that might mean.
Luma had been smashing their head against the desk because they felt like they were forgetting something. They started to roll a pen down to a hand prototype, which flicked it back in a practiced action.
Luma stood up with an annoyed grunt and kicked a rock down the corridor. Luma heard the rock clink off of something metal.
It was an unfamiliar voice and Luma squinted down the corridor.
Something was moving quickly, and Luma saw a most curious sight. It was some sort of small mammal that appeared to have a bushy tail. However, the creature seemed to be mechanical.
The mechanical creature looked up at them.
At that moment, there was a very clumsy clanking sound as another figure blundered their way into Luma’s workshop. For the first time, Luma had seen a dwarf. Zap Rusthammer had just blundered his way into the caves because he knew the liege-lad and his friends needed help, and he knew this individual had what they needed to help: Subject Not-Remnii.
The dwarf had a scruffy oil-stained beard, and he peered up at Luma, a draenei with dark, periwinkle purple skin and a missing arm. Luma frowned.
Luma squatted down in front of Zap.
Now that Zap got a closer look at Luma, they looked familiar.
Luma grabbed Zap’s beard.
At that moment, a demon stepped around the corner. It was an eredar with fel prosthetics and red skin, but it was Luma’s face that stared at them. They had both arms and no burn scars.
The eredar pulled out an explosive, and Zap scrambled to pull out some sort of object that appeared to be a contraption inside a pickle jar. Colonel Nutters launched at the eredar and started to wrestle with the grenade. Luma barked at Zap to hold their object and helped to open whatever jar they were pulling out.
Luma looked at the device and it was the strangest mish-mash of technology that they had ever seen before. And in that moment, all their memories flooded back.
Luma wheezed and coughed, but then looked at the demon. Luma sent a surge of power into the device that Zap had provided, and then the ground ripped and a portal of quicksand opened. Zap and Luma fell through it.
The eredar spiked Colonel Nutters into the portal, and then dove into the portal after them.
As the knife was about to carve into Seria’s neck, it started to rain sand, and then suddenly several individuals fell down upon her and the blood witch. The blood witch jumped back, and together, Seria continued to tumble with the new arrivals as they fell through another tunnel of sand.
Seria was not looking good.
The device suddenly sparked, and Seria felt a surge of thoughts, emotions, and power, and Seria regained all her memories and abilities.
Back at the cathedral, Vel, Gil, and Uther, in their delirium, heard glass break three times as the stained glass window at the front of the cathedral shattered. Tumbling through it was Luma, Seria, and Zap.
He fell face-first and tumbled into a graceful landing, only to be clocked in the head by Colonel Nutters. Nutters spiked the device onto the ground, which activated the emergency function, and a clicking blast erupted from the ground and washed over the cathedral.
Vel, Gil, and Uther felt power realign in their bodies and minds, and Vel managed to shove off the imp. However, Blood Witch Seria and Fel Inquisitor Liira also emerged into the cathedral.
Liiraluma deployed their prototype turrets, which were little more than scrap metal cobbled together. One of the turrets fired at Liira and another fired at death knight Uther. One of Liira’s mirror images shattered.
Liira hurled a fel grenade at the group, which exploded in a surge of felfire. They tend withdrew a drill and tried to dig it into Luma’s throat, but they put up a [Shield] to turn it aside.
Zap took out a vial of a mysterious liquid and tossed at Nutters.
Nutters scampered over and dumped the vial on Uther, who was overwhelmed with an apple-mint scent as [Haste] was applied. Colonel Nutters then hopped into Battle-Nutters ZX and charged over to help Seria against the Blood Witch Seria with a cut of a buzzsaw. The latch then popped open and Nutters pulled out a tiny pistol and blasted the witch.
Blood Witch Seria attempted to stab at Colonel Nutters, who was able to deflect the blow aside. She then started to conjure a [Circle of Death]. Vel’s eyes snapped towards the conjuration of magic across the cathedral and as she grabbed a sword from the ground and slashed it upwards with [Counterspell].
Velameestra Felsoul used [Steel Wind Strike] as she looked over at Vel, and while her attacks were deflected away from Gil and Uther, but the blade managed to connect with Vel herself as Velameestra Felsoul cut into her again.
Meanwhile, Seria turned into a bear and roared.
Seria tore into Blood Witch Seria with her claws, and Blood Witch Seria used [Hellish Rebuke] as bloody fire washed over Seria. Seria roared, and Blood Witch Seria looked to be quite worried.
Sehaar managed to claw Vel in the face, leaving a bloody scratch.
He spun the candelabra around and smacked the death knight in the head.
Vel swung the sword she had found around as it was wreathed with magenta energy. With one strike she opened a gaping wound, and with the other she drove the blade through the demon’s chest. She snarled.
She wrenched the attack back and then round to cross blades with her felblood self.
Meanwhile Gil fired several arrows at Varadyn. One of the arrows are incinerated, but the other two find their marks.
Varadyn hissed and his eyes flared with ashen magic. He grabbed Gil’s arm as he used [Searing Pain]. Gil responded with [Earth Shock], and his concentration on [Elemental Weapon] faltered. Varadyn then flipped backwards and shot Gil with an arrow.
Uther continued to spar with Uther the Deathbringer as Zap pulled out a lightning javelin which crackled with unreliable sparking. He lined up a shot through Varadyn and Deathbringer Uther.
Zap then pulled out his gun and shot Varadyn. Shadowflames were pouring from his wounds. Meanwhile, Colonel Nutters continued to focus on Blood Witch Seria. With a series of Colonel Nutters they fired a series of blasts at the blood witch, who exploded into a cloud of sand that blew away. Colonel Nutters looked at Seria.
The battle squirrel then flanked around Liira, and managed to break their mirror image. Inquisitor Liira activated a device that triggered a pulse blast that hit everyone around them.
Vel sparred with Velameestra Felsoul briefly, but then used [Blink] to disengage into a better position. Meanwhile, Gil lined up a shot on Varadyn.
With a direct shot through the creature’s chest, Varadyn fell to the ground.
He erupted into an explosion of ash and sand. Gil eyed up Deathbringer Uther then and managed to land a strike. The arrow flared with magic.
Gil blinked, not seeing a horn, but then he saw one of the skulls with a horn. Maybe that was what he meant?
The bone shield was dispelled.
Uther managed to catch the runeblade of Deathbringer Uther in the spokes of the candelabra. The force was able to send the blade wide.
He swung the candelabra around and caught Deathbringer Uther under the chin with the base of the candelabra, which flared with a smite. As Deathbringer Uther hit the ground and faded, they could have sworn there was a smile of peace.
Uther ran over to Vel and used his lay on hands.
Velameestra Felsoul started to conjure a [Fireball]. Gil used [Earth Shock], but she was able to push through the spell and released a ball of fel fire that erupted around them and burst through the pews. She then ran at Gil and clipped into his side.
Seria raced at Liira and started to tear into them with her claws. Luma fired their gun and managed to break the final mirror image. Their turrets then unloaded on that eredar inquisitor. Seria tore into them again, and Liira was unable to defend themselves.
Gil disappeared with a [Zephyr Strike] and then fired several strikes at Velameestra Felsoul, which left her heavily wounded.
Luma open fired again on Liira, who collapsed to the ground.
The eredar disappeared into sand.
Vel meanwhile, swung the scavenged sword around and opened up a bleeding wound in Velameestra Felsoul’s abdomen. She then flipped the blade around and managed to deflect a return strike away before she pulled a dagger off her belt and slammed it into the chest of the fiendish copy.
Blood soaked the warlock’s chest.
The copy fell to the ground and disappeared into sand.
The fight in the cathedral had wound down, and various paladins had started to tend to the wounded and regroup.
The tentacles beneath Luma’s ears flexed instinctively.
Luma looked at Uther, but at that moment a figure was blasted through the door and the demonic version of Jaina slammed into the ground. A water elemental surged forward, and then Jaina teleported in and impaled her demonic self in the heart with the bottom of her staff. She twisted the staff, and the demon disappeared into sand.
Jaina looked over at them.
She looked at Zap.
She then looked at the bear.
They got the sense that if they could find where Thaxdormu was trying to stop things from, they would find Thax himself. Gil closed his eyes and tried to focus on the portals that were opening and closing. Occasionally, he would sense one that was created on purpose, and then he felt more and more of them.
As the group ran outside, they saw Stratholme was in abject chaos, but Gil saw bronze dragons appearing out of sand-like timeway portals in the sky. They were swooping around trying to disrupt the striations in the timeways.
One of the dragons they recognized as Chromie.
Chromie approached and transformed into her visage form. She took Gil’s hands and looked up with large draconic eyes.
Gil started to focus, and he believed that he found the right trail. Uther saw Arthas actively fending off two other Arthases that were trying to carry out the Culling of Stratholme. There were Knights of the Silver Hand fighting Scarlet Crusaders, and dragons actively trying to shove people back through portals. Other bronze dragons were watching in shock, horror, and rage.
Uther ran over to help Arthas against the other Arthases with the candelabra in hand.
Various knights started to ride into the streets. They heard a horse whinny, and riding on Radiant, they saw Elissa wearing a few pieces of her armor. A few soldiers were chasing her.
Elissa hopped off the horse and patted Radiant graciously.
Luma sensed a shadow connecting the portals, and together with Gil, they were trying to tie into the portals to take them directly to where the weight was located.
Zap busted out some snacks to try and ease tension. He explained they were made from the finest honey from the Dragon Isles. An immaculate dragoness in her visage form, Soridormi, approached and scolded Zap about cooking in a time of chaos. Zap countered that it was the perfect time to fill empty bellies before peril. Soridormi took a bite, and her eyes glazed over for a moment as she commented how delicious it was. She then rounded on Luma and said that she felt the shadow that Luma had referenced.
Vel nodded and she helped Luma and Gil, and was able to locate the sigil at the heart of some of the portals. Vel pointed it out, and Soridormi’s expression turned grim.
Meanwhile, while this was going on, Seria was fending off zombies, murlocs, orcs, and every other possible threat that was pouring out of the portals.
Soridormi released a cloud of sand that issued forth on the wind. It created a circle in the air, which opened into a gateway. Jaina called that she and the others will see to everything else going on.
The group raced through the gate. As they emerged on the other side, they stepped into a wasteland. It was the Amber Sanctum. Once it was perhaps a place of meditation that was brimming with the power of the Aspect, but not any longer. It was empty. Bones and blades from wars fought so long ago were littered all over in a mixture of dragon and mortal. There were endless dunes with weather beaten stones and a sunless sky overhead that glittered with barely visible light.
Gil had heard of the Ruby Sanctum. But this was a place of desolation. They walked forward across the dunes, and they saw great gears as if ripped from a clock impaled in the desert. They were motionless and soundless. They walked for a short distance following an urge or a lingering essence. Eventually they came to the sight of the greatest battlefield. Bones of wyrms were cast in black and beaten down by the sand. They saw a singular figure on a precipice that led out into a valley just beyond their vision.
Thaxdormu was in his dwarven guise, and he had dropped to his knees with his back facing toward them. He looked down into the crater. The group continued to approach, and they could then see into the crater that he was looking into. Inside it was a skeleton that dwarfed all the ones they had seen before. It was hundreds of feet long, and the bones were blackened, but had an almost bluish hue to them. It spread out amidst dozens of other skeletons.
Other dragons had started to appear within the Sanctum. They were standing on cliffsides and gears, just watching. Many were ones they recognized.
Luma had approached and sat down in the sand next to Thax a few feet away.
Thax turned to face the group. His scales were blackened, and one of his eyes were bright white. He started to take his draconic form, and his horns shifted to a graying, blue coloration. His scales were dark, endless, ebony black. He roared.
He looked at the other dragons.
As they looked around, some of the bronze dragons started to change. Kairozdormu’s draconic face twisted and he snarled.
Thaxdormu’s crown of horns had become fully visible, and they could see nubs of carved horns that had been carved off. He rounded on the party before him.
It was clear there was fear and uncertainty in Thaxdormu’s eyes. He wasn’t fully gone, but he was teetering on the edge. Uther planted his candelabra next to him.
Thaxdormu growled.
Uther extended his hand.
Luma approached and put a forehead and hand on Thax’s leg. The momentary image of the being that would become Dorithax the Infinite threw his head back in a mournful, pained roar. He then collapsed to the ground, tears streaming from his face.
One of the dragons took wing and flew down. It was Chromie. She landed.
She reached a claw out and brushed along the horns that had been torn from his head.
Thaxdormu looked up at Chromie. Vel could suddenly see the similarities between the two dragons. Chromie pressed her head against Thaxdormu’s, and he sank into her. In the swirling sand, they heard him wail and weep, the sorrow of a thousand lifetimes. They shrank into their visage forms.
The dwarf wasn’t there any longer. It was two Chromies, one was just a bit darker.
The dragons looked around, and suddenly the boiling rage melted away. Some of them took to the skies to leave, but others waited to see what was going to happen.
Anachronos and Soridormi stepped forward.
With a wave of her hand, a portal opened as Azeroth was revealed. Through the different viewpoints, they started to fold in on themselves as the collapse grew harsher. There were buildings breaking apart, streets bending and folding upon themselves. People were vanishing with screams as they broke like glass mirrors. The group all looked upon the scenes with stunned silence.
The group looked around, and Soridormi’s eyes lit up. In the air, they heard a slam, and white cracks appeared in the very air as the sky spidered like cracking glass. Nozdormu, the aspect of the bronze flight, burst in.
Soridormi shifted into her dragon form to nuzzle against the Aspect.
Nozdormu smiled as the rest of the party looked over at Zap a tad incredulously.
Nozdormu held a claw out and channeled his magic into the fabric of the world, and one by one, the other dragons joined him. Chromie offered a hand to her counterpart, who took it.
The group closed their eyes and thought of their loved ones and the sacrifices they made. Everything grew bright.
Then they opened their eyes. They were in a place they had not been in many months. It was Krasus’s lair. All of their belongings were restored, as were the things created within Mechagon. They were all together, including the Scales of Azeroth, Riff, and the dragons that were near them. Chromie. Thax. Soridormi, Nozdormu, and Anachronos in their visage forms. Nozdormu was a tall and regal troll with golden skin and tusks that were wrought with gold. The Demon Soul was back in place, for weal or woe.
Zap, however, wasn’t there.
Anachronos looked very worried.
They furrowed their brow over at Thaxdormu.
Thaxdormu blinked.
Thax furrowed her brow and crossed her arms.
Luma was still sitting on the ground.
Nozdormu blinked.
Vel’s face just sank behind one of her hands, exasperated.
He then looked around at the other dragons.
Chromie looked at her counterpart.
Chromie took Morchuron’s hand.
Morchuron reached into a pouch and looked at Luma. She pulled out the rifle she was using earlier, and handed it to Luma, who looked quite started. Morchuron then looked at Gil.
She pulled out a shield that looked to be created by a vrykul, but it was almost as if a massive dragon scale was used for the primary catalyst.
She then looked to Uther.
She held a hand out to Uther, mimicking the gesture that had been given to her earlier. Uther grabbed her and pulled her into a massive hug. She doesn’t flinch away, but she winces.
She pulled out a beautiful golden plate with a disk out of the hammerspace. It was a shield that had one of the Mimir discs built into it.
Uther bowed his head and took the priceless gift in his hands.
Morchuron looked at Ve, who inclined her head.
Morchuron nodded gratefully before she looked at Zagarra, indicating that they needed to speak briefly before they left. Vel then looked as if she had just remembered something, and she called after the dragons.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a portal opening, along with hitched breath. They all turned around, and Uther saw his mother who was wearing clothes rather unlike those she had worn before. She had a streak of white in her hair, and tattoos beneath her eyes that were similar to the Dalaran eye.
She put a hand over her mouth, and without a word, she dropped her staff–which hovered–and threw her hands around Uther. Behind her was Korialstrasz in his visage form of the archmage Krasus, and Gil immediately ran over to hug him.
Vaelastrasz cleared his throat.
Korialstrasz smiled and offered a hand to his son. Vaelastrasz approached and gave him a hug as well.
Somewhere far from this place, the gnomes emerged, and for the first time in their lives, they saw the sun. It was very bright. They awoke to a new dawn. As promised, Gelbin Mekkatorque came clean of his involvement, and also of Silco Thermaplugg’s involvement. Both were exiled. Sometime later, they along with Ini Stormcoil, the dragons, and many other gnomes that dreamed to see the Promised Land left Mechagon behind them to step through the Caverns of Time to the desert sun of Tanaris.
Elgin squeezed Gelbin’s arm as they stepped into a brave new world.
