(10) Endgame

The grip of the dreadlord was choking away what remained of Rhia's life. In a few moments, she would be dead and most likely reanimated. And so her story would end, were it not for the intervention of Harafen, who either filled with bravery or stupidity, lunged forward with a blade and shield to fend away the dreadlord.

Roaring out in frustration more than pain as the elf's blade scratched at his leg, the dreadlord threw Rhia with some power at the warrior, knocking him down on to his back while he could then teleport away, leaving the undead to finish the remaining stragglers off. Rhia was dead to the world at this point, her eyes rolling as she slipped in to unconsciousness on the floor. Meanwhile her co-captain Harafen was quick to rise, sling the girl over his shoulder like a sack of meat before fleeing the slaughter, fending off various clumsy lunges from the living dead.

Eventually they found themselves outside of the circle, yet still Harafen did not wait to rest, fleeing for half an hour before finally, lost in the shrouded woods, tired and drained, he sunk to his knees. Tenderly, as if carrying a child, he laid down his unconscious captain before going to pinch her cheet to wake her.

The pain brought Rhia around, though slowly. And slow she remained, groaning as she rose and was half helped in to a sitting position, propped up against a nearby tree. Harafen's restless eyes scanned the surroundings countless times, his fear glinting slightly through his mask of bravery. For a few moments, the pair said and did nothing, one dazed and sitting, the other watchful and crouching, before Rhia groggily spoke.

"Where are we?" She asked, hazily glancing over her surroundings. Breathing and speaking were difficult, while her head felt as if war drums were being played right next to her ears. Concentrating to merely stay awake was proving to be a challenge enough, and Rhia could feel that, slowly, he vision was going black and she would pass out again soon.

Harafen replied, moving away to sit by his own tree opposite Rhia. "I don't know, somewhere near Suramar I'd expect. Within enemy lines, either way. We'll need to try and get back."

Rhia slowly nodded, before stating another query. "What of the others...Those under our command..."

Harafen shook his head. "They're all dead by now. It was a slaughter Rhia, there was nothing that we could have done." He sighed quietly, looking down towards the floor in regret and shame. Meanwhile Rhia's face paled at the thought and through pain, and she quickly turned away to retch and vomit in to the ground. It was not long after until she passed out again, or would have done were it not for harafen slapping her around the face to get her to focus.

"Rhia, we need to get out of here, we can't stop to rest. We're stuck behind enemy lines, demons could come and attack us at any moment. Come on, get up, now!" He almost shouted, hauling Rhia on to her feet and handing her a flask of water. Greedily she drank, savoring the taste and being rejuvenated by the water. And with some more energy, the pair continued moving, Rhia now stumbling her way through the undergrowth, hanging from Harafens arm. For more time they continued walking, dazed, until by a miracle chance they fell outside of the forest.

However, outside a battle raged. It was a wonder how they had not heard it, perhaps the spell over the woodlands had made them drowsy and weak, but only when becoming free of it's grasp that they were rejuvinated, and they could see and partake in what history would call the final battle of the War of the Ancients. During the battle, Malfurion and Illidan would close the portal, the dragon aspects would be on the field again, and Jarod Shadowsong would engage in a powerful duel with the legendary Archimonde. But neither Rhia nor Harafen would see any of this.

Rhia, still weak yet with more energy than before, charged in to the fray with Harafen close behind. Her hunting blade plunged in between the eyes of a felhound before the animal could attack first, while her blade met with that of a felguard. For a moment she struggled against her target's brute strength and calculated strikes, until Harafen's blade cleanly sliced off his hand, allowing the pair of them to hack him to pieces.

By the time that their target was dead, they had rejoined up with the ground infantry of the Kaldorei resistance. For a timeless amount of time, they fought with vigor unseen in a thousand years, and would not be seen for another thousand. All life on Azeroth was at stake; if they lost, there was no coming back. Rhia's blades were afire, hacking and slicing with untamed fury in contrast to the attacks of Harafen; controlled yet deadly. During all of this, the battle for the skies raged, as terrorfiends, eredar and bat riders fought against the dragons wrath. Ancients fought, slew hundreds of demons, before falling and later being immortalized in legend.

Finally, after so much time, when Rhia, Harafen, the rest of the soldiers could barely raise their weapons for another strike; when the archers and mages were out of arrows and mana, and the ancients and dragons were weak and struggling, the onslaught stopped. No more demons came through the portal, and the demons all froze as if time had completely stopped. Some struggled against this, but they and the rest were cut down.

Slowly at first, the demons began to be dragged back to the well, as if a giant hand begun to scrape along the floor, raking back the demons. Yet they began to move back quicker than the elven advance could run and attack, flying through the air towards the portal. A loud cheer began to cry out throughout the group as everyone understood what was happening; the portal was collapsing, and the war was being won at the very moment. For a moment, the veil of hatred and anger raised from Rhia's eyes, as she was ecstatic and exited as the girl that she had been and she turned to pull Harafen in to a hug.

That was until they all saw what was occurring to the land around them.

The very land was being torn apart. Trees were uprooted from the ground which split and cracked under their very feet. The sky crackled and thundered, while the waters of the well of eternity and other small lakes swelled, shrunk, then swelled again. The world cried out in agony during that moment, as the Azeroth that everyone knew was remade. Paralyzed in fear, Rhia could only watch as the world was unmade. She watched as the ranks of elves broke apart, scattering like the wind. Even Harafen was lost to her now, going elsewhere. From her spot, somewhere on an open yet bare stretch of land scattered with corpses and those who cried out in their final moments, she saw the worlds unmaking with her very eyes.

The last thing that she saw, was a great torrent of water rushing towards her before everything went black.