by Milton Garby
She didn't go to sleep yet.
Sara made her way out of the inn, passing by the other members of her group with little glances at them. Then she stepped outside into night time Silithus.
Immediately a blast of cold air knocked the breath out of her, and she rubbed her hands together, her skin turning to gooseflesh. It wasn't quite freezing, but holy - !
She walked a few paces away, looking around as the desert became encased in cold. Even fewer elves were outside now, the only one she could see was a man working at a forge. The forge itself was painful to look at, given how bright it was compared to absolutely everything else.
Sara thrust her left hand into the air and summoned a pearlescent emerald barrier around herself. It didn't do much to keep the cold out, but hopefully her body heat would start warming up her bubble shortly.
The stars glittered above, the crescent White Lady and gibbous Blue Child standing at odds with each other in the sky. The night elves had little in the way of light pollution, so Sara could easily make out the scattered stars of their galaxy forming a long trail through the heavens. The dry air scraped her throat and its vaguely salty scent filled her nose with each and every fogging breath she took. She went towards the southern edge of the Cenarion Hold and found a fence overlooking the desert. She approached it, adjusting her barrier so she could get close, and rested her arms on it to look out across the vast distances.
The Swarming Pillar loomed off to her left, but if she looked as far as she could and really squinted against the darkness, Sara could make out a few mountains that looked too... smooth to have been natural. Without a doubt that was Ahn'Qiraj, the ancient city of the Qiraji. The Liberality Confederacy had ransacked it over more than three decades ago, but according to the Cenarion Circle some of the insectoids still resided within the city. If they showed themselves, she was going to have to rely on herself and Fardol to fend them off. Maybe Leira too.
Sara stared out at Ahn'Qiraj for a few more minutes, trying to make out more details. Then, when she didn't succeed, she returned back to the inn with the sand sifting about in her shoes. Everyone else was already settling in for the night, so Sara decided she too needed to go to sleep. Early to bed early to rise and all that. She dispelled her shadowy barrier and found her heated section of floor, plopping down on the tan blanket draped over it. She closed her eyes and settled in, ready to tackle the final day of their journey.
But sleep didn't come easily.
Sara tossed and turned, her thoughts like wasps around her head. There was the ever present threat of the Burning Legion and the growing dread that once she returned to Stormwind she'd be pressed into fighting against the demons, an occupation that was distinctly hazardous to her health. Related to that was the worry of how close the Legion was to Greenvale, or to her home in Stormwind. The Blasted Lands weren't that far away, and the Legion had undoubtedly progressed since then.
Then there was her research. The data she'd collected had yet to be analyzed in any real way, but just a cursory glance strongly suggested that there was at least trace amounts of C'Thun's magic floating about as far north as Nigel's Point in Desolace. She knew that since it was trace magic it couldn't harm her or anyone else, but just the idea that the air she breathed had any Old God magic at all was rather unnerving.
And her own magic! Her own faceless magic was still present as ever, growing stronger the more she exercised her magic just like it had been doing for the past twenty years. How much stronger would it get? When she was thirty years old, how much magic would she be able to wield? Forty? Fifty? Not to mention the Twilight's Hammer she was bringing to C'Thun and she still had no idea how to handle it!
No, forget bringing the Hammer to C'Thun, she was bringing herself to C'Thun. Who knew how her magic would react to being so close to a damn Old God? Even now it was like a miniature earthquake rolled perpetually through the land and shook her to her bones, but nobody else seemed to notice so it must've been just her. And what about when all the readings were done and she had to return to Stormwind? Nevermind that it would be the first time she ever used a portal, what if she simply wasn't up to the challenge of interpreting the data?
For what seemed like hours Sara tossed and turned. Maybe she caught a few winks, maybe she didn't, but either way the time came for her to blearily drag herself out of bed. Before waking up anyone she slipped out of the inn, alternating between rubbing her arms to warm herself up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
There weren't many night elves about, which was understandable since it was still dark and cold. She walked around for a few minutes, trying to find the stablemaster. Eventually she did, and approached the bearded man with a warm smile plastered to her face. "Hi!" she chirped. "My name's Sara, I'm with the expedition to Ahn'Qiraj." She placed one foot behind the other and looked down awkwardly. "Well, actually I'm leading it. Are you Leoren Mal'derath?" she asked the green haired elf.
He returned her smile. "That I am, young lady." His voice was smooth and so deep she could feel it vibrating in her stomach. "Just bring everyone here and I'll get you all saddled up. My squire will lead you all to the outpost before returning. Just be safe while you're in the city, alright?"
She pulled her foot out from behind the other. "I'll make sure of it, thanks. I'll go wake everyone up!" She turned around on one foot and speed walked away from him. On the horizon, the sky was starting to go from black to blue and the stars had begun to fade away into the darkness. Sara was originally intent on returning to the inn, but a figure out of the corner of her eye drew her attention.
Changing her course, Sara returned to the fence where she'd been just minutes before to find Higris there, staring hungrily at Ahn'Qiraj in the distance.
"We're almost there," he said as she approached. She jumped a little; he knew she was there? Had he heard her approaching?
Sara forced down a yawn. "It's about time too," she said gruffly. "If everything goes to plan, we should be in C'Thun's chamber by tonight."
"And then," he said hungrily, clenching his fists. "The Old One will return, and - "
She stopped him with a pluck at his mind, forcing him to lock up in fear. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I strongly doubt you'll be able to do anything to C'Thun. You'll just have to get whatever you want off its body and go find another Old God to pester."
"We'll see, Sara," he said slyly. "We'll never know unless we try. And then this world will bleed, and we the faithful shall be - "
She cut him off. "Rewarded for our faith, granted immortality, yeah yeah. We've got places to be. Come make yourself useful and help me wake everyone up."
He huffed, but followed her away from the fence and to the inn. Though Sara couldn't help but feel he was glaring at her.
Ten minutes later, everyone was awake, eating snacks and stocking up on water. Fardol changed into his plate armor, which was a dazzling display of golden inscriptions and cooling enchantments and made the already stocky dwarf look like a miniature siege engine. Twenty minutes later, they were on the road to Ahn'Qiraj. Sara set up another telepathy link with Leira, and a young looking kaldorei woman had taken a horse and began to lead them - on roughly a dozen horses, two on each - down the packed path that led to the Qiraji city.
The path was the same dusty color that dominated all of Silithus, made of hardened stone. To add to its coloring, much of the surrounding sand dunes had blown onto it. Sara couldn't imagine how much effort the Cenarion Circle put into maintaining the road. Far, far to her right was another dust devil towering into the air. She rode with one of the warlocks behind her, the man tentatively clutching the reins from behind her as he tried and failed not to be awkward from being so close to her.
The trip was long and they stopped for water often. The sun beat down overhead, but there was no real power behind its glare. The ground still seemed to vibrate beneath Sara's feet and the horse's hooves, filling her with a sort of excited energy. She wanted to just open the floodgates to her mana and blast cra
ters into the desert, to let the magic flow until there was no more left. But overshadowing that was the knowledge that the answers she sought were nearly at hand. If there was any place to discover why she had a magical signature practically identical to that of the faceless ones, the corpse of an Old God was the place. She didn't know what she was looking for, but Sara was confident she'd know it when she saw it.
'I don't like this,' Leira sent to her as the sun passed its zenith and began to seek the horizon like a torpedo. 'Everything about this place feels... wrong.'
'Wrong how?'
'I feel... nauseous. Like I'm going to throw up.'
'I'm not surprised to be honest. You're walking on the grave of an Old God, Leira. Odds are we've been above C'Thun's body for days now. If you didn't feel uneasy, I'd be worried about you. Just try and keep your breakfast down, I don't think the horse would appreciate it.'
'Heh, I guess. Never knew C'Thun was so big. And hey, what about you? How're you feeling?'
'I'm...' She debated lying to Leira, but she was going to tell the draenei about her magic anyway. Eventually, at least. 'I feel... pretty good actually. Excited.'
'... riiight. Anyway, just a heads up. Higris is planning something. He won't say anything to us though.'
'You don't say? Higris, planning something?'
'I mean it. Just... don't let him behind you, okay?'
'Alright. Thanks.'
Hive'Regal and Hive'Zora drifted by to their left and right respectively. As they got closer and closer the ground no longer seemed to vibrate, but the ball of nervousness in her stomach grew heavier. Maybe it was just her nerves, and not the presence of C'Thun? After all, she was going to need to start firing shadow bolts at the Hammer soon.
Ahn'Qiraj came into sight. Pillars of blackish stone stuck out from the mountains. Some of the rocks had collapsed and formed debris around the landscape, whereas other pillars had a second pillar magically floating on top of them. Hovering, gently humming crystals peppered either side of the road, each one of the amber shards as tall as a dragon. Up ahead were a series of faded purple stairs, half consumed by the sand, impossibly wide and dazzlingly tall that lead into the mountains. Their horses awkwardly took the steps, putting the main body of the desert and the setting sun far beneath them.
They reached the top of the stairs, and Sara beheld a little Cenarion camp. They'd planted trees in magically moistened soil, reaching upwards to the sky. Far to her right was a brown and green tent the size of her childhood home, probably hiding the Scarab Gong from view. Druids of many races meandered back and forth. Some were engaged in deep conversation, while others channeled nature magic into the trees. Still others stood by strategic points with stony faces. But past all of them was a checkpoint consisting of fifteen druids and beyond that a massive gate of dark, engraved stone, forming a wall with a colossal hexagon punched through the middle to function as a door.
Sara had arrived at Ahn'Qiraj.
Their guide lead them into the middle of the camp before having her horse turn around. "Alright everyone, this is as far as I go. Please dismount, I'll lead them back to Cenarion Hold. Please, stay safe."
Sara's riding companion got off first, and then she followed suit. Her legs hurt, but she'd had much worse in the past. She wobbled for a moment but found a place where everyone could see her and raised her voice. "Alright everyone! Eat and drink now while we have the chance. Sun's going down soon so the sooner we get into the caverns the better. Also since we are now literally on C'Thun's doorstep, I want everyone taking safety precautions! This should all be fairly common sense: don't touch anything if you don't know what it is, don't wander off on your own, absolutely do not listen to any voices in your head and announce them if there are any, including what they say! Higris!" The high elf snapped his head towards her. "Once we're through you'll lead the way. I'll be in the middle, Fardol will stay behind and watch for any ambushes. Let's get this done right and we'll all be home before tomorrow."
With her speech done Sara took the lead and everyone fell in behind her, forming four rows of six with Fardol at the back. They got a few looks from the Cenarion druids, but they all knew why they'd come.
Sara stopped to pull the small stack of authorization letters that would allow her into Ahn'Qiraj, and approached the druids. "Hello, I am Sara Smithers leading the expedition to Ahn'Qiraj. Who here is in charge of letting people through?"
"That would be me," said a tauren bull. Sara looked his way and her eyes widened. The tauren before her was built like a brick wall, with both of his ebony horns sticking out proudly from his head. The tough leather armor, colored like a forest, of the Cenarion Circle clung to his powerful muscles. His three fingered left hand clutched a gnarled wooden staff which was as tall as he was. And he certainly wasn't short, standing head and shoulders above Sara. His fur was a rich auburn, and his green eyes narrowed down at her. "Glad to see you. Do you have your papers?" he asked in a gruff but not unkind voice.
"I do," she said, handing the pile of parchment over to the tauren. "I trust everything is in order?" she asked as he took them in his free hand.
His eyes moved back and forth over the lines, stopping now and then to flip to the next page. Within a few minutes he nodded, but didn't give the papers back. "Everything is indeed in order, Miss Smithers. You and your companions are clear to enter Ahn'Qiraj, just be careful."
"We will, thank you!" Sara walked around him and approached the hexagonal gate to Ahn'Qiraj. Her heart hammered within her chest as she approached, the black stone looming high above he and casting a shadow into itself. Beyond, she could see the beginnings of Ahn'Qiraj. One foot stepped on the hexagon, then the other. She pushed on and within seconds it was behind her, and she was inside Ahn'Qiraj. Her breath was shaky and the earth seemed to sing with power.
The road diverged in two directions. To the left she knew would be the ruins that once held the majority of the Qiraji armies, and to the right was the dilapidated temple where C'Thun's body awaited. They headed to the right, towards another hexagon. Once they were there Sara had them stop.
"Alright, since we're so close to C'Thun we're going to start taking a very large amount of recordings. You all know the drill by now, let's get this done nice and quick. Keep your eyes and ears open. If we get attacked now the Cenarion Circle should still be close enough to help but let's not push our luck." Sara shrugged her pack off - and drank a little because it was still so unbearably dry - and took out the detection wand. Once she was done operating it she went around to everyone else, helping and recording, with Fardol standing far back.
There was definitely Old God magic around. Luckily it was still incredibly sparse and unfocused. It drifted around in the air, but it didn't interact with anything. There was some interesting friction going on with the ley lines beneath them though. Their friction coefficients were unnervingly high, and Sara had to wonder if it was because of C'Thun, or if the eldritch deity was imprisoned there because of the ley line friction.
Within an hour they'd finished up and the first hints of the nighttime chill were making themselves known. They packed up their equipment and began to move again, this time with Higris in front. Sara didn't know what he was planning, but having him in sight helped calm her nerves.
They passed the next hexagonal door, and came face to face with more of the long, purple stairs that she'd seen outside. Higris led them onto the sand-covered steps, one hand in the high elf's right pocket. Sara continued to climb, looking around Ahn'Qiraj. So far there was nothing especially impressive, though from so close she could see that most of the bricks had images of insects carved into them. Then Higris reached the top of the steps and Sara felt her soul suddenly become crushed under some immense magical weight, strangling her magic utterly. The high elf wheeled around and reached under his robes, pulling out an ornate dagger.
"Attack!" he - and at the same time, Fardol - shouted.
Sara
Sara's eyes widened as all at once, everyon
e in the Twilight's Hammer attacked. They whirled around and lashed out at whoever was closest to them and, since there wassomething keeping magic down, almost everyone was overwhelmed at once. Then Fardol stormed by her, no different than usual but still seeming as bright as the sun, and tackled one of the cultists with his full plate armor.
She didn't get to notice anything else, because Higris himself charged at her with a dagger as long as her forearm aimed at her throat. She gasped and jerked herself to the side so hard she swore her spine snapped in half, and punched the high elf in the back as his momentum carried him past her.
He stumbled and fell into the sand, and she took the chance to grimace in pain. Punching him had hurt her hand pretty badly, so she took the chance to shake off the pain and blast him with a shadow bolt -
- except her magic didn't answer her. Couldn't answer her. Panic began to blossom within her chest as she realized that for the first time in her entire life she was without her powers. She stumbled away from the high elf as, quick as a whip, he got up and charged her again. He got to her before she could react and stabbed forward, but luckily Sara's time in the Mage Quarter Dueling Club paid off. She dodged into his guard and grabbed his weapon arm with both hands, struggling to disarm him.
With his free arm, he punched her in the face.
Her nose didn't break, thank goodness, but she fell flat on her ass and brought her hands up to clutch her cheek. She almost didn't realize Higris coming at her with his dagger poised to kill. Still sitting, she brought her legs in and kicked upwards at his hand. He veered around, but it was too late. With a solid thunk her feet made contact and knocked the dagger from his hands and down the long stairs, clittering and clattering as it tumbled down.
"No!" he shouted as he ran after it, hurrying down the steps. Sara got up and grinned wickedly.