Chapter 37: The Black Temple

The village was already under attack when Kelrian and his men arrived. He had expected them to arrive in time to catch the orcs before they would reach the village but these brutes had been faster than he had expected. The fel orcs were already fighting the inhabitants of the village. Both sides had suffered losses already. Dead orcs and defenders were scattered all over the ground that was covered in blood.

The inhabitants were tall creatures which were standing on two hooves. Their skin colour was either light purple, pale blue or grey. Their eyes were either glowing bluish or fel greenish. They had tails and four tendrils that came out of the chins of the males. The tendrils of the horned females came out spots behind their ears. They were pretty ugly creatures which looked like they had been twisted by something. The defenders were fighting fiercely but they were inferior in number, meaning that they would lose in the end if no one would aid them.

Fortunately for them, the naga and elves were there to help them. Nearly two hundred orcs were there and fought fiercely but more than three-quarters of them died in the first few hours. Lots of defenders, naga and elves died in return.

Some orcs managed to get in the village. They rushed through the streets and broke in the houses. Most houses were empty but some of them were not. Old creatures, women and children were hiding there. The defenders weren't able to stop everyone. A few innocents died but most of them survived.

Kelrian followed one of these orcs who sprinted into the village. The female orc ran to a small house and kicked the door open, entering the house quickly. Kelrian heard high-pitched screams as he entered the house. He came into the living room, noticing that the orc was standing in front of a female that was holding a little baby in her arms. Not far away from her stood a small child which was barely taller than two feet and six inches. They were scared and afraid of dying. The mother screamed something which Kelrian couldn't understand as the orc lifted her axe to strike down the mother and her child.

Kelrian reacted quickly and created a sharp, thick and long ice lance and threw it at the orc. The lance pierced through her back, missed her heart and came out of her chest. A loud, deafening scream escaped the orc's lips as she stopped in her movement, giving Kelrian the opportunity to freeze her hands. He pulled his sword from his belt and jumped over to her, cutting off the hand that held the axe. Another painful scream escaped the orc's lips. Kelrian hit her with an arcane blast, causing her to land hard on the floor and remain there. The pain stunned her, preventing her from getting up immediately.

Kelrian sat on her torso and pinned her down, putting his hands on her face. He could feel the fel running through her veins. It was strong. He felt a desire. The desire to absorb more fel energy. The desire was strong. Too strong. He couldn't resist the desire. He put his hands on the orcs chin, forced her mouth open and brought his face close to hers. He didn't know what happened until it was too late. He had no control over himself, his body was acting on its own. The fel left her body and was absorbed by his. He was sucking the fel out of her body until nothing was left.

He stood up as soon as he was done, regarding the orc in front of him. Her body was much smaller than before and withered. The orc's skin was shrivelled and grey, her gaze was blank. She was not moving nor was she breathing. He doubted that she was still alive. Kelrian had just wanted to absorb the fel in her body but he accidentally had drained her lifeforce too. She was dead but that didn't matter. He would have killed her anyway. There was no way he would have spared her. Not after she had tried to kill a mother and her children.

He had been pretty exhausted when he had followed the orc but now he no longer was. He felt refreshed and was ready to fight again. He felt better than before, much stronger. He wanted more but no orcs were in his near. He had to return to the battlefield if he wanted to absorb more fel but the battle had almost been over when he had left the battlefield to follow the orc. It was very likely that the defenders and his men had defeated the remaining orcs in the meantime. He would be able to absorb more fel when they would return to the base, but first, they had to complete their mission.

Kelrian averted his gaze and looked at the mother and her children, noticing that they were still scared. He offered the mother a hand to help her up but she shook her head and increased the distance between them. Kelrian frowned. He assumed that she was still in shock and had no idea who was friend and foe. He couldn't hold that against her.

He turned his head as he heard footsteps. He saw one of the defenders entering the small house. His armour was covered in blood so was his hammer. He was uninjured but worried. He rushed to the room Kelrian and the family were in. The worry vanished and was reflected by happiness as he saw that the mother and her two children were still alive. He went to the mother and got on his knees, hugging her and then the small child. At last, he took the baby in his arms and regarded it. Kelrian assumed that he was the father of the two children.

Kelrian was about to leave the room as the man got up and walked to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you," he said. His accent was strong but Kelrian was still able to understand him. Kelrian's common had gotten a lot better in the past year. When the sin'dorei had begun to work with the humans, he had practised it every day. Marcus had been a great teacher to him.

"You saved my family," the man added. "I am deeply in your debt."

"I just did what everyone would have done in this situation. You don't owe me anything."

"I don't take no as an answer. I will pay my debts one day. Promised."

"What's your name?" Kelrian asked.

"Iren."

"Iren, if you want to pay your debts then help us against the orcs and their master. My men and I want to end Magtheridon's reign and free Outland from the influence of the Burning Legion."

Iren nodded. "I will bring you to our leader, I'm sure your men are already talking to him. We fight the fel orcs for years now, I'm sure our people will join you. I doubt our leader refuses to work with you. You saved us. Without you and your men's support, many of us would have died. Too many."

Kelrian smiled. "You are welcome. I'm Ranger-Captain Sunsinger but you can call me Kelrian if you want."

Iren offered him his hand. "Nice to meet you, Kelrian."

Kelrian shook his hand. "The same counts for me, Iren."

Iren's grey lips formed a smile. It was not a pretty smile because he had sharp, ugly teeth but it was still a friendly gesture.

"May I know what the name of your race is? I have never seen people like you before."

"We call ourselves Krokul. That's the draenei word for broken. We are the Broken."

Kelrian raised an eyebrow. "Broken?"

"We were once draenei but the fel energies changed us. Orc warlocks used fel magic to torture us and our bodies absorbed the fel and changed that way."

"Are there other villages in which more of your kind live?"

Iren nodded. "There are. Our leader can tell you where they are. There are also villages and cities on Outland in which our former brethren live."

"The draenei?"

Iren nodded, sadness could be seen in his eyes. "They exiled us and threaten to kill us if we return. Since then we live in this area and do anything necessary to survive."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Iren shrugged. "We accepted our fate. I understand that they don't trust us after they saw what the fel magic did to the orcs."

"It changed them," said Kelrian.

"Totally changed them. They became brutal beasts after they drank demon blood. The fel is a mighty but dangerous source of power. You have to be careful with that. If you consume too much of it then..."

"Something bad happens to you," completed Kelrian.

Iren nodded and walked over to a cupboard, opening one of the drawers. He took something out and handed it over to Kelrian. It was a small, old painting. "That was me before the fel changed me," Iren explained.

The painted person looked much healthier than Iren. His past self had light bluish skin, sky-blue eyes and his face reflected his youth perfectly. He looked handsome. His hair was brown and he had a nose. His present self had grey hair and instead of a nose, he had small slits. His eyes were fel green. The fel changed him for the worse. Kelrian knew he had to be careful if he didn't want the same to happen to him.

"I held you up enough. Come follow me, I will bring you to our leader."

Kelrian nodded and followed Iren. They walked through the village, which had been largely spared. Only some houses had been damaged, none of them had been destroyed. They came to the middle of the village where the fallen had been put next to each other. Thirty Broken, twenty naga, seventeen sin'dorei and twelve kaldorei had fallen. No orc had survived the battle.

Iren guided Kelrian to a Broken who was kneeling in front of his fallen brethren and regarding them silently. The old male turned around and regarded Kelrian curiously. Iren spoke first. "Elder Sage Akama, this is Ranger-Captain Sunsinger. Captain, this is our leader Elder Sage Akama."

"You can call me Akama," the Broken said.

Kelrian regarded him closely. His skin was grey, his eyes were blue and his teeth were sharp. Most of his muscular upper body was exposed, his lower body, his left shoulder and his forearms were covered by golden armour. His belt was decorated by a huge golden disc and a necklace of skulls hung around his neck. He looked fearsome and powerful.

"You can call me Kelrian then."

"Are you the leader of this... mixed group?"

Kelrian nodded. "I am but I serve Lord Illidan Stormrage. He wants to get rid of the demon Magtheridon and his fel orcs. Our spies detected the orc army that was marching towards your village, so we decided to help you."

"I want Magtheridon dead too but I don't have the men to pose a threat to him. Perhaps we can defeat him if we work together."

"If you wish to join us then you have to speak to Lord Illidan. He set off to close the second of the four dimensional gates through which orcs are coming every day. I can bring you to our base where we have to wait for Lord Illidan's return."

"You saved the lives of many of my people today. I'm sure they orcs would have overwhelmed us in the long run. So many innocents would have died if you wouldn't have shown up. I have to thank you for your aid. I will follow you to your base. It will be an honour for us to serve this Illidan and help him defeat the demon and his degenerated orcs."

"Our base is not far away from your village. I'll leave most of my soldiers here in case the orcs attack again," said Kelrian.

"That's great, Kelrian. Let me gather my advisors and then we can go."

"You don't need to hurry, Akama. Lord Illidan may be away for a few days. There is no need to hurry."

"Alright, Kelrian. Allow me to speak to my people first and then I will join you."

"Take all time you need, Akama."

---

A few weeks had passed since Kelrian and the others had defended Akama's village. They had done the same with other villages and killed hundreds of orcs while Illidan and his followers had closed the three remaining dimensional gates. Akama had spoken to Illidan and pledged his support in overthrowing Magtheridon.

Akama and his brethren had managed to sneak in Magtheridon's outposts and deactivate the defensive mechanisms there so that the naga and elves had been able to storm the outposts without getting blown up by the big fel cannons. They had been able to take over the outposts and kill every orc and demon there without losing too many soldiers. Magtheridon's territory had been reduced in size by eighty percent in the past weeks. Only his main base and the area around it still belonged to him.

The Black Temple was a huge stronghold which was heavily guarded by demons and orcs. The walls were thick and huge, making it impossible for anyone to climb them without getting noticed by the defenders. It was clear that Illidan's forces wouldn't be able to conquer the temple without initiating a huge battle which will cost many lives.

"So this is the Black Temple," Kelrian said as he regarded it closely.

Akama stepped to him. "The temple once belonged to my people before the orcs drank demon blood and went on a rampage. The orcs and demons defile it with their presence and the use of fel magic. The temple has to be cleansed of these foul creatures."

Illidan looked at the Broken. "We will get rid of every single foul creature, Akama. Don't worry about that."

"And then my people can live in the temple like in the good old times. The temple is much safer than our villages. In case that the Legion will send more demons to Outland once they will hear of Magtheridon's defeat, my people have better chances to survive," replied Akama.

"We should defeat Magtheridon first and then speak about the future. We will have enough time to talk about everything once we got rid of this miserable creature," said Tyrande.

Illidan nodded. "She is right. We have to get rid of that tyrant first." He pointed at the entrance which was guarded by hundreds of creatures. Fel orcs, satyrs, succubi, wrathguards and other demon races were waiting there. "Let the battle begin."

Kelrian followed Illidan and his army to the temple's entrance. He didn't hesitate to cast a spell once he was in range. The large fel pyroblast hit two wrathguards, tearing them apart. He cast the next spell, killing more demons. He had cast another powerful spell that would normally have cost him a large portion of his mana, but he was anything but exhausted. He felt fresher and more powerful than ever.

Like his father, he cast spell after spell without getting exhausted, killing several demons at once with each of his spells. After the seventh powerful spell, he noticed the first signs of exhaustion. But he had enough felstones in his backpack to sustain himself.

He consumed the abnormal amount of energy stored in one of the felstones, feeling refreshed when he was done. He cast more and more spells, killing more demons and orcs. He stayed in the backline and fired his spells from afar while Illidan and all the melees were in the middle of the battle and kept the demons and orcs busy. They prevented them from reaching the spellcasters and archers.

The orcs and demons also had spellcasters which were able to kill lots of Illidan's men with fire, shadow and fel magic. Mages and priests gave their best to protect everyone through shields and barriers but that was not always possible in every case. Allies died but more foes fell in return. The battle in front of the entrance was bloody. Corpses were raised by demon necromancers but Illidan's men quickly took care of them and their masters.

Kelrian shot spells at any necromancer as soon as they came in his range. Time passed quickly. Minutes turned to hours and hours turned to days. Kelrian didn't know how many days had passed when they finally managed to get in the temple's forecourt. More demons were awaiting them there. Infernals but also nathrezim and shivarra joined the demon forces. Shivarra were tall female demons with six arms. They carried a weapon in each of their hands. They were very deadly but the attackers found a way to deal with them. Kelrian and other mages froze their feet to the ground and bombarded them with spells until they died.

Lots of blood flowed, armour and weapons broke, limbs were separated and lots of creatures died before Illidan and his army finally arrived in front of the main entrance of the temple. Kelrian had no idea how many demons and orcs they had killed so far nor did he know how many comrades they had lost.

He had no idea which day it was or how many felstones he had consumed. He was sure he had consumed at least five of them and he didn't feel a difference. He still felt more powerful than ever. He was not exhausted. On the contrary, he was ready to kill more orcs and demons.

The attackers fought their way through the temple, killing any foe that got in their way until they came to the main room where a demon was already awaiting them. It was not an ordinary demon. It was a pit lord, a massive demon on four legs. It had a long tail and huge wings. Its belly, shoulders and wrists were covered by armour. Its skin appeared to be pretty thick, protecting it well. Its eyes were glowing greenish and the top of its head was burning.

It was an were known in the common language as pit lords. It was no other than Magtheridon, the current ruler of the Black Temple and Outland. The annihilan's gaze rested on Illidan. "I do not know you, stranger, but your power is vast. Are you an agent of the Legion? Have you been sent to test me?" His voice was deep and reflected scorn.

Illidan laughed. "I have come to replace you. You're a relic, Magtheridon, a ghost of a past age. The future is mine. From this moment on, Outland and all of its denizens will follow my lead. The Legion will no longer have any claim on this world."

Magtheridon's eyes narrowed, he raised his spear and pointed its tip at Illidan. "Only over my cold dead body, hunter."

The corners of Illidan's lips formed a provocative smile. "So be it." He gave the command to attack. Magtheridon was not alone, dozens of demons and orcs surrounded him but they fell within the first hour.

Magtheridon cast spells and executed swings, killing elves, naga but also Broken and demons Illidan had enslaved. He was alone against an entire army lead by powerful heroes. Kael'thas, Lady Vashj and Kelrian combined their magic to create a very powerful spell which heavily injured the annihilan. Dozens of arrows hit him, lots of weapons pierced his flesh and wounded him even further.

Whenever Magtheridon cast a spell, the mages worked together to counter it. They succeeded most of the times. Magtheridon wounded and killed some of his enemies with his spear but he couldn't stop everyone from attacking him. He got more and more wounded until he couldn't take it anymore.

He collapsed on the floor eventually. He tried to reach his spear but it was too far away from him. He was too weak to get up and move to it. Green blood flowed out of several dozen places. It was difficult to find a spot where he wasn't wounded. His entire body was covered in blood, so was the floor beneath him.

Illidan walked over to Magtheridon and raised his twin blades. He looked at Tyrande, receiving a nod from her. "Finish him, Illidan. You don't have to let him suffer any longer than necessary. He pays for his crimes with his death."

Illidan nodded and looked back at the pit lord. "Any last words, Magtheridon?"

"Fuck you, bastard."

Illidan rammed his twin blades in the demon's head, ending his life. The demon's body started to glow and then exploded. Illidan had gotten behind the barrier, the mages had created in time, and was left unharmed by the explosion. The barrier was destroyed in the process but no one got injured or died.

Illidan regarded the remains of Magtheridon's armour for a few moments before he turned around and looked at those who followed him. "We've done it, my warriors. We freed Outland from the Legion's grasp. This world is ours."

People started to cheer loudly, lots of them shouted Illidan's name. Kelrian was one of those who cheered for Illidan. The half-demon waited until everyone had calmed down. "Let's return to our base and spread the good news. We have reason enough to celebrate."

A few days later, Kelrian was back in the base, sitting at one of the various tables that had been set up in the middle of the base. Elena sat to his right and Vara to his left. Next to Vara sat Velsana and Vissia who were sharing a meal together. Elena was eating roasted devilsaur flesh and potatoes. Kelrian had already cleared his plate and was currently sipping at his mana wine which tasted much better than he had expected.

His arm was wrapped around Elena but they weren't looking at each other. Elena looked at her plate while Kelrian stared at his father who was sitting between Lady Vashj and Illidan. His father was Illidan's right hand so it only made sense that he sat next to him. It surprised him that Lady Vashj sat next to his father and not next to her master.

He had observed them from time to time over the past days and noticed that they seemed to be very close. Kelrian had no idea what he should think about it. He had no proof that they were an item but it was so obvious that they liked each other. He couldn't imagine a sin'dorei and a naga together. He didn't want to imagine how their love-making would look like. But he knew better than to judge someone because of the person they loved. If his father and Lady Vashj would start dating, he had to accept it. It was none of his business who his father loved. He had the right to be together with anyone he wanted.

Kelrian averted his gaze and looked at Tyrande who was sitting to Illidan's right. They were looking at each other and discussing something. Kelrian was too far away to understand any word, so he couldn't find out what they were talking about. He had the impression that they were also pretty close. He even noticed that Tyrande put a hand on Illidan's upper thigh from time to time. His sixth sense told him that something was going on between them.

Kelrian emptied his goblet and put it on the table, looking at Elena who had just finished her meal. "Did the meal satisfy you?"

"It did."

Kelrian smiled and pulled her closer. They sat there for a while and enjoyed the celebration. They talked to each other but also to others. They eat and drank and did other things. They celebrated the entire night. The first creatures left the celebration and went to their tents when the morning dawned. Elena got up and signalized Kelrian to do the same. He had no other choice than to obey her because she was too drunk to walk alone. He wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to their tent.

Elena was so drunk that it was best for her to get some rest immediately, but she had other plans. She wrapped her arms around Kelrian, stepped on her tiptoes and kissed him. Kelrian returned it at first but pulled away quickly. The smell of alcohol in her breath disturbed him. Elena tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"You are too drunk, Elena. You should get some sleep."

"I don't want to go to bed yet," she snapped.

"What else do you want to do?" he asked, giving her a curious look.

She grinned at him, coming closer. "You know exactly what I want," she said as she put her hands on his chest and started to unbutton his blouse. Kelrian grabbed her wrists and removed her hands from his blouse. "I'm not in the mood to do this now. I'm tired and exhausted. I just want some rest."

Elena's eyes narrowed. "You are denying me? How dare you?"

Kelrian frowned. "I'm not your sex toy or your salve, Elena. I'm your boyfriend. You can't just demand things from me I don't want to do."

"But I can. You are my boyfriend, so you are supposed to do everything I want from you."

Kelrian shook his head, staring into her eyes. She was drunk so she had no control over herself. She didn't realize what nonsense she was talking. It was pointless to argue with her in her condition. He would only waste his time if he would try to convince her that he was not her slave. All he could do was to try to convince her to go to sleep.

"You are drunk, Elena. You need to sleep. You are only making things worse if you are resisting."

"I am not drunk," hissed Elena.

Kelrian raised an eyebrow. "You are not drunk? Are you sure about that?"

Elena nodded. "I am."

Kelrian shook his head. "You can barely walk without my support, Elena. You are drunk. Stop denying that."

Elena's eyes narrowed, a small amount of anger was reflected by them. "I. AM. NOT. DRUNK."

"Stop lying to yourself and to me, Elena. Do both of us a favour and just lie down on our bed and close your eyes. You need to rest."

"Don't tell me what to do. You are not my master."

"Well. Technically, I'm your superior. I'm a captain and you are a lieutenant but I'm not ordering you to do anything. All I'm asking of you is to lay down and get some sleep."

"But I don't want to go to sleep now. I want to have sex and you are supposed to give me what I want."

Kelrian caressed his forehead with his left hand. He was helpless. He had no idea what he should do in this situation. Elena was drunk and a pain in the ass at the moment. He couldn't convince her to get the sleep she needed so badly in her situation. He knew it was very likely that she would go to sleep if he would give her what she demanded but he was not in the mood for that. He had no desire to have sex with her at the moment. He just wanted to get in their bed and fall asleep because he was very tired. But Elena didn't make things easy for him. She didn't give up and continued to act like a bitch.

Elena managed to get free, stepped to him again and put her hands on his chest. She unbuttoned his blouse but she didn't manage to get it off because he pushed her away before she would have been able to do that. "Stop that, Kelrian," she hissed. "Stop denying me."

She went to him again but he put his hands on her shoulders and kept her at distance. Elena got free again and did something Kelrian had never expected her to do. She slapped him hard across the face. Twice.

Kelrian made a step backwards, covering the spot where she had struck him with his hands. His green eyes were widened in shock. His face reflected disbelief as he stared at Elena. Elena's facial expression was a cold one. She didn't seem to regret what she had done. Her green eyes were narrowed and reflected pure anger.

"Don't you dare to deny me again," she pressed through gritted teeth.

Kelrian didn't respond to her. He was still stunned by her slaps. He didn't move nor did he spoke to her. He just stared at her, wondering what she will do next. She walked over to him and removed his blouse and his vest. She still wanted to sleep with him even though she knew he didn't want to sleep with her at this very moment. She knew he didn't want to have sex but that didn't seem to interest her. She was doing that because she wanted to do it and she didn't care about what he wanted.

Kelrian broke out of his state of shock and forcefully pushed Elena away, hoping that brought her to her senses. Elena stumbled and fell, landing on her ass. Unfortunately for him, it didn't bring her to her senses, it just made her angrier than before. She got up and slapped him again. "Stop this," she cried. "Stop denying me."

"Stop this madness, Elena. You are acting like a bitch. A drunk bitch who is mad because she doesn't get what she wants. Stop this, you are ruining everything."

"Don't you dare to call me a bitch."

"Then stop acting like one."

"Stop denying me."

"There are lines which shouldn't be crossed. You have to accept that I don't want to have sex with you. You have to accept that I don't do everything you want from me."

Elena's eyes narrowed. "I can do whatever I want," she cried.

Kelrian shook his head. "No, you can't. I'm going now. This is too much for me. Come to me when you are no longer drunk and have come to your senses."

Kelrian walked towards the tent's exit but Elena stepped in front of him, preventing him from leaving. "Elena... Don't make it more complicated than it already is."

Elena's eyes stared into his. She remained in the exit and prevented him from leaving the tent. Kelrian walked back to his vest and blouse, picked them up and put them on, then he walked back to Elena who didn't move in the meantime. "Are you allowing me to leave?"

"No," hissed Elena.

Kelrian muttered a few words in ancient thalassian. A gust of wind hit Elena and threw her away, making her landing hard on the ground about fifteen feet away from him. Kelrian muttered a few more phrases, freezing Elena's feet and hands to the ground, preventing her from getting up. He didn't say anything to her as he turned his back to her and walked away.