Chapter 35 - Forging alliances

The next few days were like a dream for Felrus. Not because it was the most amazing thing to ever happen, but because it felt absolutely surreal to the young warrior, as if at any moment he'd wake up and realize there really was no way any of that was actually happening.

Together, both the Human Expedition forces and the Horde left the caves with the help of that strange prophet. When the dark denizens of those caverns attacked them again, humans and orcs, elves and trolls, dwarves and tauren, all fought side by side to repel their attackers. Not a single life was lost on their way out, and when they emerged from the caves, Thrall and Jaina made the formal announcement for the rest of their troops that they had agreed not only upon a cease-fire, but also on an alliance between them.

There was surprisingly little resistance. No in-fighting had risen from this. No loud voices of dissent. Perhaps, after being chased off in this harsh land for so long, everyone was simply relieved that strife would end. Or maybe, they were too exhausted to question the decisions of their leaders.

Or, perhaps, the gravity of the situation they were in had finally, truly dawned upon them.

Ever since arriving on Kalimdor, their first battle had been against the land itself; fighting against the harsh environment, seeking resources and repelling the hostile wild life. When the horde arrived, it rekindled an old hatred deep within them, and all their focus went to fighting against the orcs and their new allies. For a moment, everyone had forgotten what they were even fighting for. Why they had even come to Kalimdor in the first place.

But as Thrall and Jaina explained the situations to their troops, it finally dawned upon them that the demons were coming. They were already here, spreading death and corruption. A greater threat than either faction was to one another, for, both the Alliance and the Horde, one could say, had their own reasons to fight. Survival, revenge, to protect something that was precious to them... Like how Felrus himself fought for the safety of his homeland, as well as his family, he knew that the orcs, too, had something they desired to see safe. Even they were capable of loving something.

But not the demons. Not the undead. Those creatures were purely, inherently evil, down to their cold, twisted hearts. They didn't desire to simply live their lives peacefully; all they wanted, all they existed for, was to spread death and pain. They were true incarnations of malice that could never be reasoned with, because it was simply in their nature. It was like the prophet said... They were like a wild fire, consuming everything in their path.

This truth became apparent to them as the two armies marched through the wastelands of Kalimdor, northwards to Ashenvale forest. They had been told that the Warsong clan of orcs had laid down their camp on a ridge close to the edges of the forest. And the closer they came, the more... Different the land appeared.

It was still a harsh, arid desert, but... There was something else in it. At least before, the ground was soily and... Well, it had a natural look to it. But as they advanced, they began to see what could only be described as scorched earth. The ground itself appeared to be burned and cracked, completely devoid of all life. It was one thing to see a harshnatural environment; at least such a place was still part of this earth, where it's own fauna and flora could prosper. But this place, where the demons had clearly walked over... The very earth itself was dead and defiled. No living creature could possibly stay in such a place.

The closer they came to the place the prophet had told them the Warsong, corrupted and controlled by the demons, were, the more devastated the earth appeared to be. Dead, corrupted, salted to the point even the most resilient of plants couldn't hope to grow.

'This is what the Legion and their minions do.' Felrus thought to himself. 'They are not even terraforming this world for their own uses... They simply wish to see all things die. To end all life. How could anything be so vile?'

During those days of marching, Felrus did his share to mantain good relations with their new allies. He did his best avoid conflict, and politely offered himself to help wherever he could be of use; to carry supply, to guard the caravans, and a couple of times he even attempted to converse with members of the horde - both which ended in failure as his only responses had been a harsh look and a gutural grunt. His brother, on the other hand, was surprisingly busy.

First off, Dalrus had laid down a full report, before both faction's leaders, about all he had been through since that fateful day when he was captured by the Warsong. How his life was spared thanks to Thrall, his conversation with the Warchief that same night, and his daring escape afterwards. How he had passed out in the wilds and remained hidden until he was recovered, before hiding among the orc caravans as Hellscream lead his troops north.

Then, with Thrall's permission, he explained how the Warsong began to chop down the forest to build outposts when suddenly they were attacked by the natives; the Night Elves. Dalrus explained how he attempted to save one of their people from being killed by the orcs, and his meeting with an ancient deity known as Cenarius. Next he told them about the corruption of the magical fountain by the demons, and, to Thrall's great sorrow, about the fall of the Warsong clan, who took the demon's blood and slaughtered the rest of the elves, along with their demigod protector. Lastly, Dalrus spoke about how the demon Mannoroth came forward to enslave the orcs once more, and, to everyone's surprise, his meeting with the prophet, who had transported the boy to the caves where he was finally reunited with the rest of his group.

When his tale was finally over, the sun had already set in the sky, but he was not excused from action. His brother had been dragged off to meet with the members of the Intelligence division, which was meant to merge with the Horde's own espionage group. He could only imagine Captain Lyafra's reaction to his deeds. Regardless, there was much to be done.

At last, both forces arrived at the edges of the beautiful green woods of Silverpine, with a wide ridge spreading before them. They could quite clearly see the scorched earth there, and on top of that... There was just something in the air. A terrible, synister presence that did nothing to hide itself.

The Horde and the Human Expedition mounted a camp each on opposite sides. As they did, the leaders of the factions gathered to discuss their next plans. Felrus and his brother had both been summoned - Felrus to act as one of Lady Jaina's guards, and Dalrus as a diplomat of sorts, since for the longest time he appeared to be the bridge between the factions. Lady Jaina and Halford Wyrmbane were there, as were Thrall and the hulking old Tauren Chieftain, whom they had learned was named Cairne Bloodhoof. He was the one speaking now, while the guards stood at a safe, diplomatic distance behind their leaders: "If the prophet was correct, then the warsong encampment lies just over the ridge. We should ready ourselves for battle."

Thrall had a sad, distant look on his face as he peered over the ridge. "I know, Cairne. It's just that I never thought I'd live to see the day... when I had to fight my own people."

Jaina then stepped forward, a bright, round gem held in her hand and being offered to the orc Warchief. It was slightly bigger than her fist. "Just remember, Thrall, with this soul gem you can capture your friend Hellscream's spirit without hurting him. But you need to bring it back to my base immediately, so we can free Grom from the demons' control."

For a moment, it looked as if the orc was going to say something, but couldn't find the words. His face went to the gem, then to the young mage's face, and, with a nod, he took the goul gem from her hand. "I... appreciate your help, Miss Proudmoore. Yet another day I thought I'd never live to see."

And for the first time in a long while, the sorceress actually broke a smile. A weak, nervous, exhausted one... But a smile nonetheless. "That makes two of us. I'll return to my base and aid you as best I can. Good luck... gentlemen." And with that, she turned around, with Wyrmbane, Felrus and the rest of the guards silently following her while looking at the orc and the tauren over their shoulders.

Felrus knew they were regarding their potential enemy, gauging whatever threat he could pose, readying themselves for an unexpected attack. But when Felrus looked into the orc's eyes, all he could see there was anguish... Pain... Sorrow.

"How shall we proceed, my lady?" Wyrmbane was saying. "I can feel a synister presence over this ridge, but we shouldn't let our guard down near these orcs either. Who knows how long it will take before they turn on us?"

"Right now, we have no choice but to trust Thrall, commander." Lady Jaina replied, leading the group back to the center of their base. "I must make the preparations for when he returns to me with the soul gem. Thrall shall take care of the offensive, so for the time being we must focus solely on our defenses until the conflict is over."

Wyrmbane nodded. "As you wish. I shall fortify our northern side at once." And with that, the mage and the paladin went their separate ways, with Felrus going after the commander. He could see the orc warchief and the tauren chieftain discussing something before the Horde camp. It was still a strange experience for him, to be so close to the people who were once his enemies, now working together to help them. They could see the horde troops mobilizing, gathering their forces to launch their first attack.

"Hey Fel. What's the word?"

Felrus almost screamed when he felt that unexpected touch upon his shoulder and spun around violently, his hand immediately going for his sword and almost backslapping his brother across the face. The rogue, however, ducked under harm's way and grinned up at his older brother. "Bloody hell, Dalrus, I told you not to do that!" He snapped, his brows bent in anger as he felt his heart racing within his chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Just checking to see if you're alert at all times, brother!" Dalrus replied with a dismissive shrug. "Gotta stay sharp when we are so close to another battle, eh?"

"Right..." With a huff, Felrus let go of his sword and straightened himself. "So, I take it your report to captain Lyafra is over?"

He saw a peculiar expression run through his brother's face, who then glanced quickly over his shoulder before looked back up at Felrus. "Of course! As you can imagine, she was beside herself with joy to hear that I was still alive and well, and simply could not wait to hear my heroic exploits first-hand." There was a pause, and Dalrus sighed. "In... Explicit... Minucious detail. Multiple times."

"Naturally. I mean, from your report, you made contact with an entirely new type of people here. Not to mention all the spying on the Warsong, so I'd assume you have quite a lot of relevant information for this mission." Felrus looked around. Commander Wyrmbane was now assigning people to the proper stations over their defensive line. "And it looks like, this time, it's the real deal... We are really going to face the Legion's minions. You saw some of them before, like? What were they like?"

Once again, his brother sighed, but this time he rubbed his eyes in clear annoyance. "Well, Felrus, since this is the first time I have ever been asked this question, I shall now, exclusively to you, tell something I have never told anyone else even once since we left that mountain." Dalrus then lifted his face and recited in a monotous, robotic tone: "They were big, they were powerful, they were frightening, they were more powerful than I can put into words, they made the very air feel rough and coarse and hard to breathe. One had four legs, a flaming skull for a head and was called Mannoroth. The other had wings, horns and claws and was called a Dreadlord. Other than enslaving the orcs, they didn't say what their plans were."

Felrus furrowed his brows. "Can you take this more seriously? We are about to dive head-first into this fight, and the more we know the less likely we are to get killed."

Dalrus threw his arms in the air and shook his head. "I know that better than anyone else, but repeating the same things I've already told everyone a million times is really starting to bother me. This whole thing would be much easier if they'd just let me sneak into the enemy camp and help take out Grom myself."

"No way, that's just too reckless." Felrus immediately replied. "It's a miracle they didn't catch you last time, but now they have demons in their midst, and who knows what kind of profane magics they have up their sleeves. I also think we should help with the attack, but we all have our own roles to play in this battle. The Horde will handle the offensive, so all we have to do is hold out until they bring down Hellscream."

"OK, I get that, but isn't it just... I don't know..." Dalrus pushed his hands into his pockets and let out a long, deep exhale. "Boring?"

Felrus' jaw hung slightly open for a moment as he waited for his brother to deliver the punchline of this terribly tasted joke. When he realized the boy was actually serious, he placed one hand on his hip, the other jabbing an armored finger at Dalrus' chest. "Have you lost your bloody marbles? We didn't come here to have fun. This is war, Dalrus. People are putting their lives on the line. This isn't fun for anyone. Every 'boring' moment we have is a moment where we are not busy risking our lives in battle, so I give my deepest thanks for this 'boredom.' If you can't even understand something like that, you really have no place in a battlefield, much less the frontlines."

He saw his brother look down at the finger poking his chest through his leather jacket, then up Felrus' face while he spoke. There was surprise in his brother's eyes, but soon it was replaced by irritation. "Don't you talk to me like I'm a child, I've been through just as much as you have!" He snapped back, pushing Felrus' hand away. "I know damn well people are dead, and most likely a lot more are still going to die from here on out. What am I supposed to do until then? Waste my time with boring speeches and politics and roll my thumbs when I know there are more important things I could be doing to end this stupid conflict all the sooner?"

"You will follow your superior's orders, Dalrus." Felrus' eyes were squinting as he stared straight into his brother's eyes. "This time, I don't care what your moral compass tells you is the right thing. If you've been told to stay right here and do nothing, you better damn well do just that, or so help me, I'll chain you up myself. I won't let you wander off and vanish for weeks again!"

Dalrus had already taken a deep breath and opened his mouth to answer when he suddenly stop. He then closed his eyes, slowly exhaled through his nostrils and shook his head. "I came to this place with you because I wanted to make a difference. To keep our home safe and end this damn conflict as soon as possible. I thought I'd be able to count on you for that. But so far, all you've done is..." As he spoke, Dalrus opened his eyes again and stared back at Felrus. When he did, however, he suddenly stopped talking, and squinted his eyes right back. "Wait, what's wrong with your eyes? Are they... Vertical?"

This made Felrus actually closed his mouth and turn his face to the other side. "No, you're just seeing things."

His brother, however, deftly stepped to the side as well to keep looking at his face. "Fel? Are you hiding something from me?"

Thankfully, that moment, the commander's voice cut through their conversation. "Plaguefang! Go assume your position at the watch tower! And tell your brother that captain Lyafra has requested his immediate presence!"

"Welp, that's my cue! See you later, Fel!" Without even giving him time to reply, Dalrus sprinted off through the Human Expedition's base camp and almost instantly disappeared from sight. Felrus took in a deep breath and released a profound sigh, after which he recomposed himself and marched over where Wyrmbane was calling him. "Yes, sir! Right away!"

For the rest of that day, both camps were very busy with their preparations. The Horde's troops formed ranks and, lead by their Warchief himself, they began to march up towards the ridge to launch their first attack against the fel orcs on the other side. For the Human Expedition's part, everyone was busy preparing themselves for the inevitable attack. Watch towers were built and trenches were dug. Riflemen and sentries were strategically spread out over the perimeter, with some of them even placed near the edges of the Horde camp.

He didn't see his brother again that night, and Felrus wasn't sure if that was an entirely bad thing. Each day, he could feel the symptoms getting... Not quite worse, but they were spreading. Now that white hair was growing on other parts of his body, not just his shoulder and arm. And he was certain his eyebrows were also starting to shift a shade of white.

The leftovers of his medicine were dry now, and he was starting to have... Dreams. Very strange dreams.

In those dreams, Felrus was in a beautiful verdant grove unlike any he had ever seen before. Clear grass, tall trees and small lakes surrounded him, but with such a purity to them, it couldn't be anything belonging to the world he had come from. It was as if that place was... Devoid of any kind of taint. He felt at peace just being in that place.

But then, that peace began to be replaced by something else. Like a primal, bestial instinct. The desire to chase, to find something alive... And to tear it to pieces with his bare hands and teeth.

Each time, he'd just lay down on the ground, clutching at his own body, doing everything he could to suppress those savage impulses... But each time, it felt more difficult. Like, little by little... The beast threatened to consume him.

'It's just a dream.' He'd tell himself. 'That place is not real. It's just a bloody dream. You have a mission to fulfill. Focus.'

At times like these, when he stood watch atop the stone tower overlooking the ridge and both base camps, it was easier. He could concentrate on nothing but the task given to him; to keep everyone safe. To do his part in this war. 'Keep your mind on the task at hand, Felrus. You're stranger than this. You are a man... A human. That's who you are. And nothing else.'

He felt the scar on his face throb, and that brought a smile to his lips. He brought his hand up towards it, the cold metal of his gauntlet caressing the burnt skin. 'That's right... This here is proof. This pain is proof that I am still me... That I am alive, thanks to him. And that I will always do everything I can to keep him and everyone else safe.'

He felt tinge in his heart when he thought about Dalrus. He felt terrible for berating his brother like that, and even worse for lying to him. Despite what he had said, it was undeniable that Dalrus was in fact still very young and immature. He could tell his brother was restless, eager to help to this part. It was his way of dealing with that tension that was steadily building up. He had never been the kind of person to remain still with so much going on.

'At the very least...' Felrus though with a deep, internal sigh. 'I have to make sure he makes it back. He wasn't ready for any of this... It's not right for him to get dragged into this mess.'

Truth be told, however, Dalrus had more than proved himself since. If it weren't for him... Felrus couldn't even imagine how things would be right now. To think his little brother would be able to help bring the orcs and the humans together like that... Along with all the other races allied with the factions. That could be a historic turning point for everyone, the end of a long, tiresome war.

'I guess he's grown, huh? No longer that immature, spoiled boy eager to shirk his duties...' Looking back on all those times his brother would sneak away from his lessons, go to the city or try to run from his master, it was hard to imagine he'd grow into someone so eager to do his part for his beliefs. Felrus wanted nothing more than help protect the world his little brother lived in; one where the greatest worry of his life was how to escape his next dull lesson, and not to fight for his life against monstrosities from other worlds. 'Such a grim fate we have... To fight for our survival like this. I hope one day, we can find true peace... Or, at the very least, leave a peaceful world for our descendants.'

His thoughts were interrupted by the Horde's warm drums. The moon was high in the sky at that time, but finally, it looked like Thrall was about to engage Hellscream's forces in battle. It was very hard to see it in the dark, but Felrus could make things out just fine... One of the upsides from the changes going on with him. He saw the orc raise his mystical hammer high in the air, then scream at his troops: "LOK'THAR OGAR!" Mimicking his words, the Horde warriors charged forward with their leader.

Hellscream's base occupied the entire northern half of that ridge; he had quite a long time to establish himself, not to mention all the additional troops he had gained from his demonic masters. This would be a harsh battle indeed... Even Felrus was reluctant to be the first one to advance. Still, if the decision to send troops from both factions had atually been made... He'd not hesitate to step forward. After all... That's what it meant to be a soldier at this time. To fight... And to die for what he believed in.

'At least...' He thought to himself. 'This time, I know Dalrus is not getting himself in any trouble.'

As Thrall advanced through the ridge and approached the base of the chain of hills and mountains where the first defensive structures built by the Warsong lay - with enormous red-skinned orcs with their burning eyes roaring and waving their weapons in defiance to the attackers from the Horde. They stopped just beyound arrow-shooting distance from their enemies, and Thrall stepped forward, his magically amplified voice carrying over the entire mountain range; "GROM! CEASE THIS MADNESS, AND COME WITH ME!"

A single grunt, completely devoid of any armor above his waist - thus showing off his abnormally muscular build under the skin red as blood - stepped through the front gates of their base and wave his axe towards Thrall, his shout only loud enough that the Horde's troops could hear it; "You are the humans' lapdog! We serve only the Legion now!"

After that, several more of the chaos orcs began to shout their challenges from their base. "Human's lapdog! Traitor of his kind! Weak greenskin! Disgrace of the horde! You are not worthy of being the warchief!"

His head slumped over, and Thrall turned back to return to his troops. Cairne Bloodhoof met him there. "We knew it would come to this, young warchief. There is no choice but to fight."

"I know, Cairne... I wish there was another way... Other than to spill the blood of my own people like this." Squeezing his hammer tightly, Thrall lifted his head. "But I will not waver now." Raising his weapon once more, he addressed his troops. "Warriors! Do not avert your gaze! This is the terrible price for selling your souls to the Legion! Today, we fight against this dark destiny! Today, we fight for our freedom! Freedom from these horrific shackles that have bound us for so long! Today, we fight for our destiny! LOK'TAR!"

With that rallying warcry echoing among their ranks, the horde advanced, running over the battlefield as the chaos orcs began to shower the attackers with arrows and spears.

And as this battle began, Dalrus, who had been calmly laying on his back over one of the orcish catapults that were carried all the way up there, couldn't help but think: 'Oh boy... I sure got in trouble this time.'