sarahwolflin's story
The sounds of weapons clashing, arrows piercing skin, calls for aid, and screams of death rung in Khadgar’s ears as he fired off an arcane bolt. The felbat fell from the sky with a screech, knocking down another in the process. The Legionfall were doing what they could to establish another foothold deeper into the Broken Shore. With the loss of many to get to where they were, some were beginning to question if this would succeed.
“Khadgar, behind you!” Readying another arcane blast, the Archmage whipped around and shot down the Arasani. Giving a nod to Maiev, he eyed a group of demons charging in from their flanks. Slicing off the heads of a fel beast, Illidan alerted the Legionfall forces of a Comman Ship arriving above. A strong gust of wind came from behind the Legionfall forces. Arrows were thrown off-course and many soldiers stumbled. Even the demons were effected, some that were in flight were thrown back and those on the ground were knocked off their feet. The gust of wind had brough forth more casualties to their side than the demons.
The being that caused the strong wind spoke, “I’ve got it!” her voice rumbled with a growl as another beat of wind formed in the air from her wings, throwing more air-borne demons to the ground. Khadgar looked up just in time to see the black drake, Kalistrasza, slam into the Command Ship, causing the deadly beam to hit its own demons. Their screeches filled the air as Khadgar turned to face the demons coming from their left side.
He gathered the arcane into his hands, “Demons on our flanks! They’ve called in for reinforcment!” He hollered, firing off arcane misslies to take out as many demons as he could in one go. His attack did not have an effect on the Legion forces barreling towards them.
“Khadgar!” Velen called to the Archmage as he shielded the Legionfall soldiers from falling debris coming from the Command Ship, “We’re going to be over run!” Khadgar felt his heart clench as he looked around the battle field. There were more casualties against the Campaign than there were of demons. Not even the fall of a Command Ship lessened their forces and more soldiers were falling every minute. Turning back to Velen, ready to agree to a retreat, Khadgar was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of terror as his eyes locked with an Eye of Torment from an Inquister. He could feel the energies flow through his body, clinging to his bones and clawing at his mind as it infiltrated his being. Although a powerful Archmage, Khadgar was still a mortal human. There was only so much he could do as he felt his body collapse to the ground and darkness overtook his mind.
“Khadgar!”
In Stormwind, a soft breeze blew through the Keep from the open garden. The faint smell of smoke from the Dwarven Disctrict was noticable under the scents of flowers and dew from the early morning. It relaxed the two mortals walking around the garden, carefully being watched by the Royal Guards in case anything was to happen to them. The King of Stormwind was grateful for their service, but has always felt a bit awkward under their gaze. However, his focus was entirely on Peregrïn at the moment, distracting him for a short time.
Khadgar had approched King Varian and Prince Anduin before he set off for the Broken Isles, asking if his wife could stay at the Keep until his return. Varian did not hesitate to accept and before long, Peregrïn was comfortably settled into the Keep with her own room and some belongings from their home. She had of course refused to leave their home, but had eventually given in to Khadgar’s pleadings. He only wanted to make sure she was safe while he was gone fighting the Burning Legion.
Now she was intently listening to King Anduin recount a tale from one of his adventures in Pandaria with the Black Prince Wrathion and Kalistrasza. “With a burst of rage, he transformed into a whelpling, ready to fight Kalistrasza in their true forms. He didn’t take into account that his older sister was already much bigger than him. You should’ve seen his face when Kalistrasza transformed into a drake.” Anduin spoke with a grin, looking to Peregrïn as she giggled. She wasn’t the only one enjoying his stories, the Royal Guards in the gardens were smiling under their helms as they listened also.
“Those two really must’ve disliked each other.” Peregrïn commented. Anduin gave a grunt,
“Disliked is an understatement. They couldn’t stand to be around one another. If they were, it was constant jabs at each other.” He corrected, “They are much better now… or were.” Peregrïn noticed how he suddenly become sad and his gaze lowered to his feet. Her brows furrowed in concern as she reached up to rest her hand on his shoulder,
“Are you alright?” she asked. Anduin gave a small sigh, he had remembered Wrathion’s betrayal at Garrosh’s trail in Pandaria. Had he not sent the orc back in time to Draenor, the Legion would not have arrived.
“I would say yes, but then I would be lying.” Anduin informed, resting his hand on the hilt of his father’s sword. It sat comfortably on his hip, “I worry for the heroes on the Broken Isles, but I fear for Kalistrasza.”
“I know how it feels.” Peregrïn relates, but before she can continue a guard horn is blown from one of the Keep’s guard towers.
“Dragon Inbound!” a guard shouts, alerting everyone else. Anduin grabs for his father’s sword as he looks out into the sky to see the dragon transform midair and slide into the gardens with ease. Their cloak fluttered around them as they righted their stance, curly red hair catching the sun in just the right angle to make it glow.
“Sorry I didn’t send a letter first.” they joked, briskly walking up to Anduin and Peregrïn. The night elf became confused when the guards relaxed and Anduin’s face lit up in happiness. A black drake had just transformed into a blood elf female and bursted into the garden with ease!
“Kalistrasza!” Anduin greeted with open arms, the female did not hesitate to hug him back, “What are you doing here?” he asked as they pulled away.
‘So this is Kalistrasza!’ Peregrïn thought in excitement. She had heard some stories about the black dragon from Khadgar and around town, but had never actually met her. Kalistrasza’s expression changed to one of unease,
“It’s Khadgar.” she informed, snapping Peregrïn out of her excited trance. “Three days ago we were fighting to achieve another foot hold on the Broken Shore when we became overrun. A couple Inquisters had managed to infiltrate our ranks and released a few Eyes of Torment upon us. They had trapped some soldiers into a comatose state, Khadgar was one of them.”
“By the Light..!” Anduin breathed in shock, “How many casualties?” he asked, looking into Kalistrasza’s glowing green eyes.
“Out of a hundred and fifty soldiers, only twenty made it back to to Deliverance Point. Seven of them being trapped in a nightmarish dream.” she reported, “When Khadgar had fallen, Velen called for a retreat. One of Azeroth’s Champions had grabbed Khadgar and led the retreat while I held back the forces for as long as I could before joining them back at base.” Peregrïn was horrified, her thoughts going wild. She could feel tension in her stomach and chest, growing tighter and tighter every passing second. It pained her deeply to know her beloved was suffering out at the Broken Shore and there was nothing she could do about it. She knew something bad had happened when she got this same feeling around the time the black drake had reported. She couldn’t lose her husband…
“And what about Khadgar?” she asked, her eyes wide. Kalistrasza turned to her, noticing how the short night elf’s ears hung low. The drake rested her hand on Peregrïn’s shoulder.
“Nothing we have done has worked to pull him out. We have managed to free a few others trapped, but Khadgar’s mind is shut off from reality. We believe you might be able to bring Khadgar back to us.” she spoke. Peregrïn was taken back by Kalistrasza’s words. Maybe there was something she could do to save her husband. Determination filled her mind as she grabbed Kalistrasza’s hand with a firm grip,
“I’ll do whatever I can to save my husband.” She declared, eyes glowing fiercly. Kalistrasza grinned at her,
“Then you better hurry and get changed, I don’t think you want to be out on a battlefield in your nightgown.” Peregrïn’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked down at herself, remembering that while Anduin was ready for his busy day, she was not. She looked back up gave a nervous giggle before rushing off to get changed. Kalistrasza gave a grunt of amusement as she and Anduin watched her rush off.
It didn’t take long for Peregrïn to get ready and meet Kalistrasza at the steps of Stormwind Keep. Upon her arrival, she saw Kalistrasza speaking hushedly to Anduin before her depature. Peregrïn smiled at the young couple, not wanting to interrupt their moment. However an annoyed palace guard had announced her arrival before she could stop him. Kalistrasza pulled away from Anduin before turning to the small night elf and giving her a nod.
“Are you ready Peregrïn?” Kalistrasza asked as Anduin moved back. Peregrïn nodded with a determined smile,
“I’m ready.” she informed, approaching Kalistrasza as she transformed. Peregrïn eagerly hopped on the drake’s neck and grasped the lower spike on the back of her head. Kalistrasza took flight and began their speedy fight to the Broken Shore.
“So, what’s the plan?” Peregrïn asked over the wind that rung in her ears. While Peregrïn had difficulty hearing, Kalistrasza could hear perfectly fine.
“I had sent a Champion out to retrieve Alinagosa from Azurewing Repose as I set out to retrieve you. She should be able to help us gain access to Khadgar’s mind so we can free him and the others.” Kalistrasza spoke, her strong voice easily being heard over the wind. Beginning their descent below the clouds, the two females were caught off guard by a blast of fel fire soaring right over their heads. The drake quickened her dive passed the glowing green clouds, revealing the demon-infested Broken Shore.
“By the light of Elune…” Peregrïn gasped taking in the battlefield. The land was stained fel green by the corruption and the terrifying light emitting from the Tomb of Sargeras. Fel bats swarmed around its peak as a Command Ship hovered near it. Demons crawled around the ground like ants, fighting against Champions and soldiers from both Horde and Alliance.
“Even on the shores of Hell, the forces of Azeroth fight vialiantly to save our world.” Kalistrasza whispered, landing by the demolished Mage Tower. Peregrïn hopped off her neck and was immediatly approached by Velen.
“Greetings Peregrïn, I apologize for bringing you here against Khadgar’s request. I trust Kalistrasza has explained everything?” the Prophet spoke. Peregrïn nodded as she followed the him and Kalistrasza to her husband, “She did.” she confirmed. Velen gave a sigh of relief as they approached the infirmary. There, Peregrïn laid her eyes upon a human woman clad in blue casting magic upon one of the comatose soldiers. Velen stopped with Kalistrasza as they waited for the woman to finish. Peregrïn watched as the magic dimmed down and the soldier began to wake,
“Easy now.” the woman spoke, stopping them from sitting up in panic. “You’re safe now. What you saw in your sleep was nothing more than a nightmare.” the soldier relaxed as a priest began to tend to them, giving the woman the chance to leave.
“I see you’ve found a way to pull them from their torment, Alinagosa.” Kalistrasza spoke to the human. The human jumped in surprise and whipped around to see the trio,
“Kalistrasza! It’s good to see you again!” she beamed, hurriedly approaching and hugging her friend. Kalistrasza laughed, returning the hug before pulling away. “It’s good to see you too, but this isn’t the time to get caught up. I’ve brought Peregrïn to help us free Khadgar.” Kalistrasza informed, introducing the small night elf. Alinagosa smiled and stuck her hand out for a handshake. Peregrïn did not hesitate to shake her hand with a smile,
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Peregrïn. Now to the matter at hand!” she spoke, leading them to Khadgar’s cot.
Khadgar’s body was numb, his sight gone and his taste nonexistant; but he could hear everything. The sounds of destruction and the screams of terror. The lightning crackling in the sky and breaking of the very ground below him. The distant hum of fel magic being channeled in the far reaches of his hearing. Around him he could perceive soldiers calling out for help and commanders barking orders.
“Huntmaster Mlissa! Help me!”
“Don’t worry Naomi! I got you!”
“AHHH!!”
“Maiev! Retreat while you can!”
“And leave you alone with these demons?! Over my fel-burned corpse, Illidan.”
‘Illidan? Maiev? What is going on?’ Khadgar thought as his senses slowly began to come back to him. He could feel the tremors of the ground shaking and breaking beneath the surface, traveling deep into the heart of the world. He could feel that he was leaning against something, maybe it was the Flight Master’s post. He couldn’t tell. He could tell that the taste in his mouth was blood mixed with dirt, causing agony to his throat and lungs. Just like the rest of his body and mind was screaming in pain. His sight was the last to fully come to him, but he wished it never had returned at all.
Before him, the Broken Isles was in utter choas. Demons overran Deliverance Point as they slaughtered what little was left of the Legionfall soldiers. Corpses littered the ground and many were chained and held prisoner by Jailers. Amongst those imprisoned he saw the leaders of different Order Halls ready to be fuel for a Soul Engine. Their bodies battered and broken, hardly able to function. Khadgar watched as both Highlord and Deathlord fought back-to-back, doing whatever they could to survive, only to fail. While the Highlord’s soul had been ripped from their body and locked away by a Jailer, the soulless Deathlord had been torn in two and thrown to the fel hounds and others. The Huntmaster had fought viciously beside her beasts, letting the true beast inside her take over only to been cut down with her animals by Shivarra. The High Priest was being dragged away to join the other Order Hall leaders to have their soul sacrificed as well.
Illidan was fighting beside Maiev, the two enemies fighting together to save their lives and protect the world. “Illidan, move!” Maiev shouted, throwing the demon hunter out of the way of a fel blast, taking the hit herself. Her screams of agony filled the air as her body burned from the fel fire. Khadgar could see her whispering to Illidan who crouched beside her fallen body, fueling his demonic rage once she had truly perished. He fought in a blind rage, slaughtering demons left and right, taking hundreds down with him before he was finally struck down himself. Impaled on the weapons of demons.
Khadgar struggled to his feet, his body hissing at him to just lay down and accept his fate. Holding his damaged ribs, he took a step forward, struggling to breathe. He could do nothing but watch the destruction unfold before his very eyes.
“Prophet!” a dragon roared from the skies. Scanning his eyes over everything, Khadgar found the jailed body of Velen being taken away by a demon. Kalecgos flew after him to free him,
“Kalecgos, look out!” Alinagosa roared from further above, but the warning came to late. The great former-Aspect had been struck down with a roar by the deadly beams from Command Ships littering the fel-green skies. His lifeless body crashing to the ground, rattling the very soul of whomever remained. The blue dragon, Alinagosa, flew towards him only to be stopped by Kalistrasza.
She roared in anger as she defended her friend, “He is gone, Alinagosa! There is nothing we can do for him!” she growled, attempting to bring a Command Ship to the ground. Alinagosa looked to her friend only have a fel-beam take off one her her wings. Her screech of pain bringing Kalistrasza to her side. “Alinagosa!!”
“Flee, Kalistrasza! Flee while you can!” Alinagosa roared, her blood seeping over the fel-corrupted ground in waves. Kalistrasza didn’t listen as she did everything she could to defend her friend. “Flee!!”
“Not without–!” Kalistrasza was interrupted by a force knocking her to the ground, her large body crushing most of the Command Center under her. She was dazed and the Legion took advantage of it, brutally slaughtering her where she lay. Khadgar stumbled forward, only to fall down a small slope into a pool of blood. Blood that was not his own.
Gathering his senses, Khadgar sat up but what he saw beside him shattered him completely. What lied beside him was the broken body of his beloved wife, her blood soaking the ground. Her glowing white eyes dark and lifeless. “No, no, no..!” Khadgar whispered as he reached for Peregrïn. Tears swelling in his eyes as he wept for his beloved. The Legion had won and taken everything from him in the process.
Khadgar cupped his wife’s face, only for it phase through her. 'What?’ he wondered looking at his hand before attempting to cup her face again, only to get the same result. 'What is wrong with me!?’ he panicked, looking around him quickly. Doing so, he noticed his body felt as light as a feather and all the sounds were dimming. His throat was tight in grief, preventing him from being able to yell in confusion. 'What is happening!?’
Suddenly, Khadgar felt himself yanked off the ground and out of Azeroth’s atmosphere. Giving him full view of the Legion destorying his world. He was too confused to fully dread the sight when he found himself floating a starry plane. No sound could be heard but his own breaking heart. He would have admired the area around him had it not been shattered by what he saw on the Broken Shore.
“Khadgar?” a sweet, airy voice called out from around him. His eyes widened as he whipped around, his grey hair flowing up and around him as his cloak did the same, looking for the owner of the voice. He saw nothing but the same starry surroundings. Faintly, he could hear other sounds around him also, but he couldn’t make out what they were.
“Khadgar? Can you hear me?” the voice came again, “Khadgar, please, answer me!” Khadgar was panicking, why wouldn’t he be? He had been dragged from Azeroth into the middle of space and was hearing a voice around him. His magic was depleted and he was at the complete mercy of whomever was speaking to him, “Khadgar!” the voice sounded again, more clear and directly behind him. Whipping around, Khadgar found himself face-to-face with the spiritual being of Peregrïn. Her face lit up as she floated towards him, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. “I made it! I reached you just in time!”
Khadgar was confused, backing away from Peregrïn. The small night elf stopped and looked at him in surprise, “Stay away from me…” Khadgar spoke, his voice wavering as he eyed her up and down. Alarm was written all over Peregrïn’s face.
“Khadgar, it is me! Perry!” she spoke, pulling a hand up to her chest. Khadgar only slowly shook his head, his eyes never leaving hers.
“No… you’re not my Peregrïn… She is dead on the Broken Shore. Slaughtered like the others!” his voice grew as he pointed a blaming finger at her, “You’re nothing but a Legion pawn, brought here to cause me more suffering!” Peregrïn sighed, she had been warned by Alinagosa that he would act like this.
“Look into my eyes, Khadgar. I am you’re Perry. You know it deep within you.” She cooed, her eyes never leaving Khadgar’s. The Archmage could feel the pit in his stomach tighten as he looked deep into her glowing eyes. He saw all the unfathomable love that she held for him. All the admiration and countless hours they had spent together. He knew that it was true, he saw it in her eyes everytime he looked into them whenever they were together. His heart clenched and he lowered his hand, his tears falling slower than before,
“Perry…” He whispered as she flowed towards him, cupping his face in her hands and resting her forehead against his. A smile covered her face as she pressed a kiss against his lips, leaving a tingling feeling behind.
“It’s me. Alive and breathing.” she confirmed. Khadgar couldn’t stop himself as he brought his arms up and around his wife, pulling her close to him; not phasing through her body this time. “How..?” he whimpered.
“You’re trapped in your own mind, placed here by an Eye of Torment so you can suffer for all of eternity.” Peregrïn informed, refusing to pull away from her suffering husband.
“Then how are you here?” He asked, his tears slowly drying to his face as they stopped flowing. Peregrïn’s expression shifted, she had heard something that Khadgar couldn’t hear.
“We must hurry. Alinagosa and Kalistrasza are barely managing to give my consiousness access to yours. You must break free! Whatever you saw before, it was all fake.” She spoke, her grip tightening ever so slightly. “We’re all waiting for you back in the consious world, back in reality!” She was slowly beginning to fade out and Khadgar was starting to panic,
“What do you mean?” he asked as Peregrïn began to fade away from him,
“You must wake up, before you’re lost to an eternity of suffering. Everything you saw, everything you felt, everything you heard while on the Broken Shore you saw is nothing but a nightmare!” she spoke hurriedly, “Come back to me, Khadgar! I can’t lose you…” as Peregrïn faded, Khadgar could feel and see everything around him cracking like ice. Growing with each step and the increased pressure. Before he knew it, everything around him shattered and his senses left him. The starry plane remained in the shattered looking glass, falling into the depths of the darkness and plunging him deep within it.
First came his sense of touch, then his sense of smell. The sense of taste and hearing followed soon after. He could taste the dryness of his mouth and throat, he could feel this leather gloves and the worn cloth below him. He could hear the distant sounds of demons and the chitter-chatter of soldiers nearby, but mostly the voices of three people around him.
“…worked… waking… Khadgar?…” the words faded in and out as the Archmage groaned, his body tingling. “Khadgar, can you hear us?”
“I can hear you…” Khadgar grumbled out as he blinked his eyes open. Reaching a hand up to hold his head, he couldn’t remembered what happened. However, his memory was quickly jogged when he heard the familiar groan of his wife at his side. He remembered everything he had saw and how he had been pulled free from his torment. He shot right up only to get a major head rush,
“Easy Khadgar.” Velen spoke, resting a hand on his shoulder. Khadgar squinted an eye open at him as he craddled his head,
“How long..?” he grunted, wincing at how raspy his voice sounded. A hand rested on his other shoulder, the hand clearly being more dainty and strong,
“Three days.” Khadgar looked to his side to see Peregrïn awake and smiling at him. A smile that was highly contagious and quickly spread to everyone around them. Khadgar closed his eyes and looked down, a chuckle escaping his lips as Peregrïn ran her hand up and down his back.
“Three days, huh? I could’ve sworn it was only two minutes.” he joked. Kalistrasza snorted above him, ruffling his dirty grey locks. Khadgar shooed her hand away with a flick of the wrist as he grinned up at her. He turned to Peregrïn and remembered everything he saw in his tormented nightmares, he knew they would haunt him for the years to come; but seeing everyone living and breathing put his mind at rest for now. He quickly embraced his wife with what little strength he had and buried his face into the crook of her neck. Peregrïn responded immediatly, embracing him also and running her fingers through his hair. “I love you… I love you so much…” he whispered to her,
“I love you more than you’ll ever know.” she hummed, holding him close.
What he had saw while trapped in his own mind was something he never wanted to see again. It would haunt him for years, maybe even the rest of his life, but he knew the Legion was fully capable of doing all of that if the Legionfall did not succeed in defeating them. It wasn’t just his life or the life of his wife on the line, it was the very world and the universe itself at risk. Khadgar was beginning to grow too comfortable with where they stood agaist the Legion that it was starting to blind him. But being cast away into a nightmare by an Eye of Torment was scarring, it had given him a renewed sight on how he viewed the Legion, and it made him all the more determined to fight. For now, he would enjoy holding and being near his wife as he recovered.
I did a thing! This short story/one-shot was inspired and revolving around @drew-winchester‘s pairing, Khadgrin! It was amazing to work on and I had a lot of fun doing it, I hope I did Khadgrin justice with it!
Khadgar, Illidan, Maiev, etc. belong to Blizzard Peregrin belongs to @drew-winchester (go check her out, she’s amazing!) Kalistrasza, Alinagosa and Mlissa belong to me
(Also, I purposely left the names of the Champions/Order Hall leaders unmentioned because it’s you the player!)