Warcraft 1. Chapter 1

Kargath Bladefist

Written to My Songs Know What You Did Last Night (Light 'em Up) by Fall Out Boy

"Whoa..."

There were similar whispers of amazement, even a few select expletives, but they all described what the large group of Horde was feeling as the elevator brought them up into a giant arena. When the elevator locked, they slowly stepped off the elevator into the rear of the arena, staring up at the stands filled with orcs and ogres.

"This is so cool!" Jaycie clapped her hands together, grinning up at the towering stands above the sands.

Digitz eyed her with a small smile of his own. "You realize we're here to fight, not to visit."

"Whatever."

Around the two, others moved. Xallion rose to his full height and peered up at the two ogres that stood in an announcer's box above the arena, studying them for a moment before the troll shaman looked away at the area they were now locked in. He studied the four skulls set into the ground, then looked up at the far gate and studied that too. He crouched down and ran his fingers over the sand, noticing blood stains under the fresh layer of sand that had been laid down to cover the blood. He dusted off his hands and rose, looking over at the people who had joined him in this crazy endeavor.

Standing around him was a team that he'd fought with for a long time. They had gone through so much together, had created their own little family within the wide world of Azeroth, and now Draenor. They had even gained new friends through the long months of trying to outsmart and outmaneuver the Iron Horde, and now those friends stood with them all, adding their strength and power to the already incredible arsenal the guild of Illuminatus boasted.

Another troll broke from the group he'd been standing with, moving over to Xallion. This troll was a druid, and the way he moved proved he engaged in the feral side of the druid training. Instead of the lanky way trolls usually moved, his movements were more graceful, more fluid, like the cat whose shape he would assume when they finally went into battle.

"Cos," Xallion greeted.

"Xal," Cosmodru nodded back at him. "See anytin' interestin'?"

"Besides sand an' more sand? No, not really."

"Ya got a plan as how we gonna do dis?"

"Yeah. In theory." Xallion rose and was about to call the group to gather when the gate at the opposite end of the arena screeched open. From it came a saberon and two ogres, all three staring at the group across from them with bloodlust in their eyes. "Well. Shit."

"Weren't expectin' that were ya?" Cos asked with a grin.

Xallion looked at Cos for a long minute. He shook his head and looked over his shoulder at Greymoon, who stood discussing something with his tanking companion, Xandyr. The blood elf paladin was nodding to something the Tauren was saying, replied softly, then drew his sword and shield. Greymoon took a step back and assumed his bear form. He looked at Xallion, who nodded, and the bear let out a warning roar before he charged in at the saberon and ogres. Behind him was Xandyr, followed by a string of melee, pets, and demons as the ranged followed the unspoken order.

The fighting went on for a handful of minutes. The clamor was so loud that they could barely hear the words the two ogres in the announcer's box, but the words really didn't matter. When the saberon finally fell, they regrouped in their original position at the other end of the arena. They all knew that the trial wasn't over yet. After all, the saberon and his ogre flunkies had been too easy to deal with. Thanatoss wandered over to Schio and noticed she was staring up into the stands, her green eyes focused on the shadows of the highest tier of the arena. He nudged her shoulder with a gauntleted fist to get her attention.

"Sup?" he asked.

"Ah, not much." Schio replied. She turned and raised her hands skyward, her eyes closing a bit as she concentrated on her spell. A second later, a glowing soul-well appeared before her. "We're just gonna have so much fun today."

"Really?"

"Kargath is up there. Pretty sure he's gonna come down here and try to wipe the floor with us."

Thanatoss looked up toward the stands and the orc warrior smirked. "Bring it." He grabbed a handful of health stones and returned to his original position even as Kargath leaped into the arena.

The group only half-listened to what was being said as they prepared themselves for the first fight that would determine the rest of their time in Highmaul. If they would survive to continue on. If they would be forced to retreat and regroup, or if they would be able to bull ahead. When Xallion confirmed that everyone was ready to go - or as ready as they would ever be in a life or death situation - he looked at Greymoon and Xandyr.

"On ya two." the shaman said softly.

Greymoon's ears twitched forward and back. His claws dug furrows in the sand. Beside him, Xandyr tensed and prepared to charge, waiting for his cue from the Guardian druid.

With a roar, Greymoon charged in, leaping upon Kargath and sinking his fangs into the meaty part of Kargath Bladefist's shoulder. At that point, the fight was on in full, spells and arrows whistling through the air, swords and daggers drawing blood, dust kicked up from dancing feet as the circle of melee fighters dodged Kargath's attacks and watched each other and the two tanks to avoid getting into each other's way.

"Look out!" yelled Schio, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the fighting. "Pillar's coming up!"

Jaycie yelped as the skull she was standing near suddenly popped up, flinging her high into the air. She landed hard on her feet, let her knees buckle, and she turned her fall into a roll. She came back to her feet and shook herself, staring at the ring of fire whose heat she could feel even at the distance she stood away from it. Then Julip was beside her, her expression concerned. Jaycie only nodded, returning the huntress' expression with a grin of her own. The two separated again as the tide of battle forced them away, and Jaycie let loose a flurry of spells, trying to heal up Helpfuldeath as the orc death knight stumbled out of the pack of melee in the center.

Xallion joined Mooses and Kalahandra in healing the group, as Nph focused his spells on those closest to Kargath and therefore taking the brunt of the hits. They were all watching Xandyr do his best to get Kargath's attention as Greymoon was impaled on the orc's bladed arm. It was incredibly chaotic there in the melee circle, with everyone working on trying to stay out of each other's way as they danced around their enemy.

"Guys! Find fire!" Schio yelled, already moving toward a circle of flame that came from the pillar closest to her. She was joined by Knaak and Brofessional, the three of them sliding as close to the arena wall as possible before Kargath focused on Webehuntin, who stood across the room behind his own pillar. Kargath let out a terrible bellow and launched himself toward Webehuntin in a reckless charge, not caring about anyone else who happened to be in his way.

"Holy shit," breathed Griddlecake as he picked himself up off the ground. He'd narrowly escaped being shorn in half by Kargath's bladed arm, a bright line of red the only sign of how close he'd actually come to death. The goblin rogue shook himself as he felt his skin stitching back together, then joined his comrades in the continuing fight. When Kargath hit a pillar, he let out another terrible bellow and turned his wrath on the fire pillar, striking it down with a powerful blow that would cut a fully plate armored warrior in two.

Kargath returned to the center of the ring as he focused on Greymoon once more. There were choked cries from several people, making the healers focus on them in fear that someone was dying. Instead, chains had wrapped around them and Xandyr, and Kargath lifted them up to spin them over his head. And then at the end of the final rotation, Kargath released them, flinging them into the stands above the arena. Cries joined the jeers and cheers that had been coming from the stands, sounds that were suddenly silenced. Down below, the remaining fighters focused on dodging fire and Kargath's berserker rush, all the while trying not to slip in blood-soaked sand and end up in the way of the wrong end of a blade.

"Xallion!" a number of voices shouted.

"I know!" snapped the troll shaman, his eyes narrowing as he unleashed a healing rain spell. Seconds after, he activated his bloodlust ability, and the wild power filled the group, strengthening them to allow them to move faster, to hit harder, to see everything with a clarity that they wouldn't have under normal circumstances. Kargath began to falter under the assault of blade and spell, bright red meat visible against ochre skin, blood pooling at his feet and soaking his clothes.

Globs of blood-caked sand flew into the air as Kargath spun to try and follow Xandyr as the paladin dodged around behind him. It was the last move Kargath Bladefist made. His boots slid on the sands, a rogue's dagger having severed his achilles tendon in his left ankle. He hit the ground on his knees, then crumpled forward, landing hard into the sand. Sabaak pulled his sword from Kargath's spine and shook the blood and gore from the blade.

"Is it over?" asked Kalahandra.

Digitz swiped a hand over his face and shook his hand free of the globs of blood that had smeared over his mask. "You know, I'm sure there's a rule somewhere that says to never ask that, because it usually isn't over."

As if to accentuate the blood elf rogue's words, the sky suddenly darkened, throwing them all into shadow. They gripped their weapons, putting their backs to each other so nothing could get between them and take them by surprise. What came from the darkness wasn't interested in the warriors of Illuminatus, though. Instead, the pale that leaped out of the shadows beelined for the ogres that had surrounded the group, bearing them down with a viciousness that made even the hardened fighters wince. Then Cho'gall appeared, laughing, eyeing Imperator Mar'gok. Those of Illuminatus backed away slowly, though they knew they were considered insignificant in the eyes of Cho'gall.

At least that hadn't changed.

"Ready to move on?" Greymoon asked. He looked around at the group, noting their determined expressions even if there was that tiny bit of uncertainty in their eyes. The bear nodded, then led the way from the arena, and deeper into Highmaul.


	2. Chapter 2

The Butcher

Written to Turn Down For What by DJ Snake and Lil John

After fighting their way through a gaggle of pale and then jumping down the edge of another arena, the fighters of Illuminatus slogged their way through ankle-deep water as Greymoon and Xandyr caught the attention of twin boars.

"Bringing home the bacon takes a whole new meaning, doesn't it?" Sabaak asked, nudging Schio with his elbow.

"Goddammit, Sab." She put a palm over her face and shook her head, then Schio gave him a playful shove forward. The paladin laughed and joined the group trying to bring down the boars.

It didn't take long for the two boars to die, their giant bodies swaying from side to side for about five minutes before they finally fell to the ground. Then they turned their attention to the single ogre standing in the center of a bloody arena, not paying attention to them in favor of the pale that had attacked him.

Julip wrinkled her nose. "It smells terrible."

"Try not to think about it." Helpfuldeath said. "We'll kill him and be out of here soon enough."

"Right. Well, at least the name of the butcher is accurate," Julip said as she followed the orc death knight around to where the group was standing in loose clusters.

Xallion was trying to organize them into groups, talking with each group individually so they knew where to stand and what to do when the fight finally started. When he reached the ranged group, he looked toward the Butcher. The ogre still hadn't noticed them, or if he did, he simply didn't care that they were standing behind him, weapons held at the ready and spells powered up and ready to be cast.

"So ya stand here," Xallion said, indicating the ranged group, "and ya wait til he jumps towards ya. He gonna jump back to de middle after, and ya stack back up."

"So we basically act as a landing pad for an ogre who's feet are twice as big as we are?" Badlanguage asked. Her brow rose and a look of skepticism appeared on her face. "And we become pancakes?"

Xallion sighed. "Well, I'd expect ya'd be smart enough ta get out of de way of him 'fore he lands on ya."

"Yeah, but, what if we aren't?"

"Den I guess ya become a pancake."

Before Badlanguage could continue making comments, Xallion turned his back on her and raised a three-fingered hand to signal Greymoon. The bear nodded and edged around the circular arena, getting in position in front of the Butcher. The other groups began to edge up toward their assigned positions, careful not to get too close because those giant cleavers looked really dangerous. Even more so because those cleavers were taller than most of the fighters slowly taking up their positions.

The moment Greymoon charged at the Butcher, there was a heartbeat of silence before the melee charged in. Over their heads flew arrows and spells, while wolves, serpents, and demons joined the fray, nipping and biting at the Butcher's ankles.

Even as far back as they were, those in the ranged group could see the Butcher turning toward those in the two melee groups and striking at them with those huge cleavers. Thanatoss ducked under one swipe, only to be cracked across the chest with a second. His plate armor dented inward, but the soothing feel of healing magic kept his bones from breaking under the force of the blow. He dug in his heels to stop his backwards momentum, then charged in to rejoin his group. On the other side, Azmodax let out a long string of curses and hopped to the side of a strike, feeling the wind of it as it soared too close for the enhancement shaman's liking.

Too suddenly, the Butcher turned toward the ranged group. Schio sucked in a breath and activated her Unending Resolve spell. "Here he comes!" she cried, trying to warn the others around her. Then the Butcher was leaping toward them, landing hard amid the ranged group. Schio was launched into the air, flying backwards toward the wall, along with the others in her group. Her shadowy shield saved her from more permanent damage, and she landed hard enough to drive the breath from her lungs. Gritting her teeth, she got to her feet and unleashed a trinity of chaos bolts toward the Butcher, who had returned to meet Greymoon and Xandyr in the center of the room.

Now that they knew what to look for, the ranged group was better prepared for the Butcher's next leap. Personal shields went up as the Butcher landed again amongst them, and they were quicker to regroup after they landed. Each time the Butcher turned to them, ready to leap at them, the ranged group knew they needed to quickly fire off their arrows or spells, and prepare to be knocked backwards.

There was a desperate moment when the Butcher swung hard toward one of the melee groups, and several bodies went flying to hit the ground where they lay unmoving. Xallion grit his teeth as he looked at the bodies of his comrades, armor dented, blood pooling around them in murky puddles. Their deaths weighed heavily on his mind, and the restoration shaman started forward to try and save the survivors of the group. A hand grabbed his shoulder and he looked back into Kyel's eyes. The warlock shook his head and pointed.

A purple glow surrounded two of the dead, and as it suffused into their bodies, they shakily got to their feet. The third casualty slowly got to her feet as well, gripping her head as though it pained her. Then they were back in the fray, and fighting as hard as they had been fighting before they had been killed. Xallion let out the breath he'd been holding and stepped back into the group, directing his healing spells toward his friends to try and keep them alive as the battle wore on.

The Butcher shifted, his swings becoming faster, more desperate. Before Xallion could activate it, Derkka snapped out a command. The time warp surrounded the fighters of Illuminatus, and they used the time given to them to put everything they had behind their blows. The Butcher didn't seem to know where to turn to strike next, his attacks becoming wild and furious as he fought to kill the smaller creatures that were taking him down, piece by piece. When he fell to his knees, Xandyr threw his shield as hard as he could toward the Butcher's head, watching as the steel slammed into the Butcher's eye, snapping his head back. A cat, sleek and swift as a raging wind, leaped from the ground to the Butcher's knee, then launched itself at the Butcher's throat. Cosmodru sank his fangs into the soft meat of the Butcher's throat, letting the weight of his body drag the ogre down to the ground.

As soon as Cosmodru's paws touched the ground, he thrashed his head from side to side, his front paws clawing at the flesh his fangs were sunk into. The Butcher's eyes rolled around in their sockets, his mouth open and his tongue lolling out, signs of his impending defeat even as he struggled to regain his feet. Cosmodru released the Butcher and leaped clear as the ogre crashed down completely to the earth. The Butcher's breath wheezed in and out, slower and slower, until he finally sucked in a breath and seemed to completely deflate as he let it out.

Those piggish eyes finally stopped rolling, staring blankly at the fighters still standing around him as if he couldn't quite believe he'd been taken down by creatures the size of his big toe.

"Man, Jules, if you thought that shit smelled bad, don't get close to this guy." Helpfuldeath said, taking a few quick steps back from the Butcher's corpse. He waved his hand in front of his face like he was trying to get rid of a bad odor.

Julip pinched her nose shut and edged around the corpse toward the stairs. "I will be so happy when we get out of this place."

"Then let's keep goin'." Xallion looked up at the sky, judging the path of the sun. "We get up d'ose stairs, we see what we up against. We go from dere."


	3. Chapter 3

Brackenspore

Written to Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

It was a testament to how desensitized they'd become to the Iron Horde when the fighters of Illuminatus did nothing more than leap directly into battle with the Iron Horde forces guarding the trail that led down into a spacious area filled with sand, water, and giant mushrooms. Seeing the Iron Horde was just another day at work, so to speak, for them, so they paid little mind to the orcs that did their best to bar their way. There was the usual joking amongst the companions, which only seemed to anger their enemies since the jokes were mostly about someone's mother and who had the dirtiest story or joke that made some laugh and others whimper in embarrassment.

When they had reached the end of the trail, Mooses let out a soft whistle as the rest of the Iron Horde forces fled the area, leaving behind only a pair of flamethrowers and the giant fungal monster Brackenspore. The Tauren priest pointed at Brackenspore and said, "Are you serious?"

Xallion tilted his head to one side, eyeing his friend. "Ya scared?"

"No, I'm not scared. Why would I be scared?"

"Because he's bigger than you." Sabaak said, grinning as he passed between Mooses and Xallion, taking up a position in the loose gathering before the two healers.

"The hell, man! I don't care if he's bigger than me. He's bigger than all of us!" Mooses moved after Sabaak, hooves kicking up sand.

Xallion shook his head and followed them into the arena, taking a moment to explain the healing priority while Greymoon and Xandyr talked in low tones with each other. While that was going on, Badlanguage slipped over to the flamethrowers and casually poked one. The orc huntress jumped back as if the flamethrower had bitten her, then approached it again. She picked it up this time and held it almost cradled in her arms.

"Thank ya for volunteerin'." Xallion said, grinning widely at the huntress.

"Huh? What?"

"Ya get to take that flamethrower and go burn stuff." Xallion said. "You gonna need to burn de moss, or we run outta room."

"Why do I gotta do it?" asked Badlanguage, holding the flamethrower away from her now like it was poisonous.

"Because you touched it, dumbass." Mooses called.

Badlanguage frowned like she didn't quite understand. She studied the flamethrower, then nudged the trigger. A great gout of flame spat from the mouth of the thrower, and her eyes went wide in obvious delight. She grinned. "I can do this."

Xallion turned to the rest of the group. "We need one more. Anyone else wanna take care o' da flamethrower duty?"

It was kind of funny to realize that most of the group was avoiding Xallion's gaze, the once-boisterous group now suddenly deathly silent. The troll shaman frowned at his friends, his hands on his hips like taking the stern, matronly approach would make someone volunteer faster.

"Ya don't make a decision, I pick one o' ya." Xallion said, his voice low so there was no mistaking his intent. Everyone squirmed a little under his gaze.

"I'll do it." Brofessional said. The troll hunter picked up the second flamethrower, holding it low in his hands. He checked the weapon and looked at Xallion. "You don't have to get all scary on us, you know."

"Me, scary? Hah." Xallion grinned and returned to the group.

There seemed to be an odd tenseness in the air, a strange energy humming around them all. Brackenspore was watching them, studying the creatures that dared to stand against it. There was no mistaking the fact that this fight was going to be a little more dangerous and a little more unpredictable than the two that they had faced before this. There seemed to be a little more riding on this fight than before, too, even though they all knew death was death, no matter who or what caused it.

"Are you ready?" Greymoon asked, looking over his furry shoulder at the small army behind him.

"As ready as we're ever gonna be." replied Kyel. "So let's get on with it."

Greymoon nodded and focused his attention on the monster before him. He flexed his claws, then let out a roar as he charged Brackenspore.

The monster seemed surprised that the bear was charging it, and turned to Greymoon immediately. Alongside Grey, Xandyr helped take the brunt of the blows, doing what he could to give Greymoon a breather when the bear needed one. Behind Brackenspore, the melee and ranged stood, trying to take chunks out of the fungal monster as fast as they could.

"So about this mushroom that just popped up," Nph started, pausing in his healing to point at the brown mushroom that was undulating back and forth, giving off pulsing spores in a wide circle around it, "can someone take care of it?"

In answer to his question, a chaos bolt came howling in, and a rain of green fire began falling from the sky. That action was followed by a hunter's barrage. It didn't take long for the mushroom to shrivel, but in its place another one appeared. This one was taller, and green.

"Heal it!" Xallion called, directing his own energies toward the green mushroom. "Get close ta it!"

Little by little, the group shifted enough so that they were close to the green mushroom. Grey and Xandyr pulled Brackenspore back, too, taunting the monster into following them over to the group.

"Spore shooters!" Schio yelled. "Switch!"

It took a moment for the group to obey her call, reluctant to break off Brackenspore for even a second. The moment the shooters withered away, they returned their attention to Brackenspore again, along with the fungal giant that had appeared, aiding Brackenspore in beating on Greymoon and Xandyr. Brackenspore reared back, raising its tendril-like arms to the sky. A pulse rippled through the group, making them stagger backwards in surprise. The first was quickly followed by a second, and a third, and the air filled with tiny green spores. Xallion grit his teeth and threw down a healing rain, adding his power to the rest of the healers as they fought through the onslaught. It was over in a matter of minutes, but to their dismay, the green mushroom slowly withered and died.

In its place, a blue mushroom grew, glowing with a teal light.

"Move to de blue 'shroom!" Xallion called, edging his way over to the mushroom as everyone else began to shift. "Keep dat mushroom up!"

The moment everyone was in the light of the blue mushroom, Xallion activated bloodlust, filling them with all with extra power. Along with the blue mushroom's power, their spells and swings came faster and faster to the point swords and claws were blurs to the eye. Pieces of Brackenspore flew into the air, but the fungal giant still wouldn't fall.

Badlanguage leaped away from the group, landing in the middle of a patch of green moss. Her finger squeezed the trigger of her flamethrower as she spun in a circle. The heat of the fire made beads of sweat appear on her forehead, and the moss she stood on even as it burned still sapped her energy. She leaped clear as soon as she released the trigger, hurrying toward the next patch of moss as the rest of the team regrouped once the blue mushroom had withered away. She spun, swinging the flamethrower behind her as she brought up her bow to unleash a salvo of arrows toward Brackenspore. When her last arrow flew from her bow, the flamethrower was coming back around, and she caught it gently in both hands. The hunter sprinted toward the next patch of moss and repeated her task.

The battle was slowly turning in favor of the fighters, but it was clear that if they didn't finish the fight soon, then the flamethrowers wouldn't be able to keep up with the growth of moss. Brackenspore took a step forward, and stepped on a patch of moss that had been missed somehow. Xandyr cursed and backed up, forcing Brackenspore off the patch and after him. The piece of the monster that he'd shorn off seconds before was already regrowing, and the protection paladin grinding his teeth as all his efforts seemed to be for nothing.

Brackenspore took another step, then another. Its knee suddenly crumpled and the shockwave from its hard landing lifted everyone up from the ground for a split second. They landed hard on their feet, seized on the monster's weakness, and began another assault that took everything they had. Every ounce of energy, every drop of mana, everything they had went into a final burst. Brackenspore wobbled again as it tried to stand, but it couldn't quite get up and balanced. It stumbled forward and hit the ground with thunderous force, and the fighters paused, swords held in tight grips, spells glowing at the tips of fingers, and they waited.

And waited.

Brackenspore didn't move.

Mooses let out a long breath. "Finally. The hell. When they know they're dying, why won't they just give up?"

"Because there wouldn't be any fun if they just gave up and died?" Nph replied, rubbing the back of his hand against his forehead.

"Fuck that! They're wasting our time."

"Let's just move on." Xallion said, pushing Mooses' shoulder to make the Tauren priest start walking.

Jaycie held up a hand. "I have a question."

"What is it?" Digitz asked, eyeing the blood elf priestess with an expression of confusion.

"If we had flamethrowers and warlocks who throw fire and hunters with fire traps, why didn't Brackenspore catch on fire and burn away? You know, if he's made of plants, and stuff like that?" Jaycie smiled as everyone stared at her, and looks of thoughtfulness appeared in their eyes.

Schio threw an arm around Jaycie's shoulders and smiled. "Because the laws of physics and nature don't always apply to us."

"And reasons." Helpfuldeath added.

"Oh." Jaycie said, sounding disappointed.


	4. Chapter 4

Tectus

Written to Come With Me Now by KONGOS

They took a break to eat and replenish their flasks after breaking through the small blockade of ogres that tried their best (and failed) to hold back the fighters of Illuminatus. They now stood in a small amphitheater, watching three rock monsters waddle back and forth. The monsters weren't paying any attention to the small group, instead going about their business without any concern that in a few short minutes they would join the numbers of the fallen.

Before they moved, Xallion took a moment to make sure everyone was ready to begin the next assault. A few people took a few extra seconds to swallow their last bite of food or the last draught of water, then stood and stretched. When they signaled they were ready, Xallion looked at Greymoon and Xandyr.

The bear and paladin charged forward at the three monsters, and behind them came the melee, pets, and demons, along with a volley of spells. One monster fell, then the second, then the third. In a matter of minutes it was all over.

"Is that it?" asked Azmodax. The shaman looked over at Helpfuldeath, who shrugged.

"When has our life ever been that easy?"

"All of never."

As if to validate those words, the ground began to rumble. Out of the ground crawled something, but the dust and dirt it was kicking up created too much of a cloud to really see clearly. As the dust finally settled an elemental of stone stood with its back to them, so tall that they actually had to crane their heads back to be able to see its face.

"Tectus, de Living Mountain, huh?" Totez rubbed her nose with a smirk. The troll enhancement shaman cracked her neck and bounced a little. "Doesn't seem so tough."

"Yeah, you say that now." Thanatoss said. The orc warrior checked the edge of his blade and sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was to chip his blade on rocks. Still, he looked at Tectus and knew a chipped sword would be the least of his worries if Tectus managed to defeat them.

Xallion snapped closed his dungeon journal and tucked it back into his pack. "Ai'ght. So dis is how de fight goes. We gonna attack 'im, an' he's gonna be usin' different attacks on us. Most important be de red cloud he gonna fart out at us. You see it comin' for ya, ya run ta de right. He also gonna use a pillar attack. We gonna run ta de left for dat. Melee, ya gotta stay outta de cloud."

"Doesn't seem so hard." said Azmodax with a grin, nudging Helpfuldeath with his elbow. Helpful only rolled his eyes at the shaman.

Xallion shook his head. "We ready?"

As soon as the signal was given to Greymoon, the ranged gathered around Xallion while the melee prepared themselves for the sprint to get into position and align themselves just right to avoid the red cloud. Greymoon flexed his claws into the cracked ground of the amphitheater, then charged forward with a bellow.

Tectus immediately turned toward the bear, a massive fist raising to squash Greymoon beneath it. For all his bulk, the Tauren druid was incredibly agile, avoiding the fist and digging his teeth and claws into the rock before it could pull back, taking chips off Tectus' fist. More stone chips flew, cut free by swords and daggers and spells.

There was a loud shout, a shout that, for a moment, startled Xallion into thinking one of his team was hurt. Then he realized that Julip and Schio were turning, a chaos bolt and an arrow howling in toward a pale that had leaped down from above. Before he could even say anything, Greymoon was already there, sinking his teeth into the pale's throat. A bigger pale was already attacking melee, but it too was going down fast.

"Julip!" Schio yelled suddenly. "Go right!"

Julip let out a gasp and quickly strafed right, running as fast as she could toward the right of the ranged group. At the same time, the group sprinted left as the ground beneath their feet began to rumble and shake. A heartbeat later, a giant spire erupted from the ground. Julip almost stumbled in surprise, staring at the spire for a second. Then she whirled, firing another salvo at Tectus, her black arrow slamming into the rock its body was made of and spraying chips everywhere. She rejoined the ranged group just as Jaycie had to sprint right.

The ground suddenly began to shake as Tectus' deep voice boomed in their ears, and Mooses threw his hands toward the sky, praying to the Light to heal his friends as the upheaval threatened them with serious harm. As the Light filled the Tauren priest, and those around him, he watched as Tectus slowly began to break apart and sift back into the earth, leaving behind only a pile of sand.

"Did we get him?" asked Badlanguage.

Schio sighed. "Man, don't you know the rule about asking that?"

"What's that?"

"If you have to ask 'did we get him' chances are no, you didn't get him."

The ground exploded outward in a shower of rock and dirt. Instead of one giant monster, there were now two medium sized monsters. Greymoon and Xandyr grabbed one each, making the smaller version of Tectus focus on them instead of running rampant and trying to kill someone.

"Focus on Grey's target!" Xallion yelled above the cacophony of steel striking stone and the roars of beasts. There was a heartbeat of silence as those who had focused on Xandyr's target switched to Grey's, and then the cacophony resumed with an even louder tempo. Xallion cursed softly as he heard Schio cry his name along with another, and he assumed his ghost wolf form and sprinted to the right, narrowly avoiding another pillar.

When he rejoined the group, he threw down his totem to help the group get through another upheaval as Grey's target began to break apart into dust. As it crumbled, they quickly switched to Xandyr's target, whittling it down as much as they could before the ground beneath their feet began to rumble again. Now there were four tiny versions of Tectus to deal with, besides the one Xandyr still grappled with.

"Focus on one!" Xallion yelled over the noise. "Bring 'em down, one at a time!" He activated blood lust, just before he sprinted right to avoid the cloud that was chasing him again, throwing heals as fast as he could toward those who needed them. The first of the small ones fell, then the second. The third and fourth fell seconds before the blood lust wore off, giving them a few moments to breathe.

Then they turned to the remaining piece of Tectus, and focused on bringing it down. Xandyr leaped away as it fell, hefting up his shield as Greymoon joined him. The ground rumbled, dirt and rock and sand kicking up into the air as four more bits of Tectus appeared. This time it was far easier to deal with those four copies of Tectus, even without the blood lust. Xandyr raised his shield to deflect a fist aimed his way, the blow glancing off with a high-pitched screech as stone scraped against metal. Xandyr spun and thrust his sword into a gap between two pieces of stone in Tectus' arm and tried to break a chunk of rock off. He had to retreat, though, to avoid the monster's other fist coming in for him.

The paladin was joined by Sabaak and Martyrdom, the other two paladins hammering away at the mote of Tectus that was trying to squash their tank. They were soon joined by the rest of the melee, then the hunter pets and a demon. Under that relentless assault the final mote of Tectus fell into the ground, dissipating into bits of rock and dirt.

"Now did we get him?" Badlanguage asked, panting quietly as she nocked another arrow just in case.

The ground rumbled again and from the debris rose Tectus, the elemental rising up from the earth. A moment later, its deep voice rumbled through them all, and it fell forward, crashing to the ground hard enough to make the fighters nearly lose their balance and fall.

Badlanguage grinned widely. "Yeah. We got him."

There was a collection of curses directed in Badlanguage's direction and a number of sighs and prayers to deities, but after a few moments, the group retreated back through the amphitheater doorway they had come in from, and took a sharp left. Before them was a portal that would take them into the deeper parts of Highmaul, and one by one, they stepped through.


	5. Chapter 5

Twin Ogron

Written to Geronimo by Sheppard

The portal deposited them in a long, open air hall that led up to an enclosed building. Before them stood more ogres and ogron, which they fought through without giving much effort over to the fight. Most of the ogres died before some could even get a hit in. They entered the building and paused just in the doorway, staring wide-eyed at a pair of giant ogron that stood behind a undulating wall of magic.

"Go away!" one yelled. "Da Emperor don't wanna see nobody!"

"Yeah, well, he's gonna see us." growled Thanatoss, stalking into the room after Greymoon and Xandyr. He launched into his attack, his blade tearing through ogre flesh as he fought to put down the enemy in front of him.

They took on each group of ogres lingering in the room and brought them down one by one. As they gathered toward the back left side of the room, near the entrance, they shook blood from their weapons and did their best to clean their armor of gore so they wouldn't accidentally slip on it and end up hurt or dead because of it. In the meantime, the two giant ogron had leaped into the room, and were now preparing to attack the group.

"So," Xallion started, "dis is gonna be dangerous."

"And the rest of the fights weren't?" Helpfuldeath asked with a smirk.

Xallion glowered at him. "De most important part be ta avoid de fire. No matter what, avoid de fire."

"Wait." Badlanguage started. "The fire doesn't give you a buff?"

A number of groans met the hunter's grin. "You know what?" Kyel said, putting a hand on Badlanguage's shoulder. "Why don't _you_ stand in the fire and tell us if it gives you a buff."

"Uh, maybe I'll pass."

"Right."

"Guys, focus." Xallion said. "We have ta get t'rough dese guys if we wanna move on."

They gripped their weapons tighter and readied their spells. Fingers twitched on bowstrings, tightened on the hilts of swords or daggers. Claws were sharpened on the stone floor, and tails twitched back and forth, waiting for the signal to pounce. Then Greymoon charged in and grabbed one of them, Xandyr the other, and spells and arrows flew as the melee charged in, hacking at ogron flesh that was thicker than they had expected.

It wasn't long before one of the ogron turned and threw his weapons. They collided into the floor, and began to spark. In mere seconds the floor erupted into flames, great lines of flame that began to track across the room. As the rolling lines of fire came closer to the fighters, they were forced to retreat and avoid the fire. Some weren't as lucky as others, and ended up singed or worse, forcing the healers to give everything they had to try and keep those individuals alive.

"That's the worst of what we have to deal with, right?" asked Julip as she moved closer to Brofessional, aiding her fellow hunter in sending a volley of arrows toward their target.

"Yeah," he replied, rapidly firing arrow after arrow. "Hopefully."

"Hopefully?"

He grinned at her, then focused his attention back on his target.

The ranged had a better vantage point from where they stood, as far back as they could stand from their enemy. The melee had it rougher, being right under the ogron and behind him, where they could stare up at the ogron's ass - or in others' cases, some unmentionable bits - and so had a harder time of seeing things coming at them. Mostly it was fire, though they were able to dodge the worst of it, though fur was a little crispy and plate armor seemed to stick in unfortunate places because of sweat. Still, footing was a thing to pay the most attention to as the floor began to become slick with blood.

Both ogron seemed to sway at one point, then rallied themselves and began raining harder blows on Greymoon and Xandyr, trying to squash the bear and paladin under their fists and weapons. Both proved too agile to really squash, though they were clipped here and there. Those wounds were quickly healed by Light, nature, or water, becoming a thing of the past as those bruises and cuts vanished from their bodies. The wounds on the ogron, though, didn't vanish, instead growing more numerous as the warriors of Illuminatus continued to hack away at their flesh. Blood flowed freely, pooling at their feet and splattering across the floor as the ogron stamped their feet or someone flung a blade back in order to strike again.

When blood lust filled him, Sabaak swung his sword as hard as he could, tearing away chunks of flesh and meat until he was able to see sinew and bone. Even as he swung toward that exposed bone, he glanced up to see the ogron's back coming crashing down on him. He leaped away with seconds to spare, narrowly missing being crushed beneath the ogron's incredible weight. He spun around, crouching low to keep his balance even as his boots slid in blood. Sabaak managed not to fall flat on his face and accepted the hand Thanatoss gave him to haul him back to his feet.

Both ogron had fallen to the ground, their jaws slack in death even as their eyes stared at the group that had brought them down. The sight of the giant bodies seemed to give the group a fresh breath of air, to renew their fighting spirits. With this latest defeat of their enemies, they were that much closer to their goal, to the inner sanctum of Highmaul and the final fight they would have to fight. The stairs on the north side of the room led up into a shadowed hall, masking what lay ahead.

"Let's go." Xallion said, already moving toward the stairs.

They gave both bodies a wide berth even though they had to slog through the blood toward the stairs that led up to the next room. Their steps became stronger as they took each staircase, until they were finally standing at the top.


	6. Chapter 6

Ko'ragh

Written to Can't Touch This by M.C. Hammer

At the top of the stairs stood more ogres, though these were different from the ones they had encountered before. For a moment, the group of Illuminatus watched the ogres ringed around the large ogre in the center of the room, the one in the middle of a beam of light. It seemed as though the ogres on the outside of the ring were trying to keep the large one inside the ring, or they were performing some strange ritual. Either way, whatever they were doing was soon interrupted, as Greymoon charged in to gather their enemy to him and Xandyr while everyone else sprinted in behind him to help bring down the ogres.

It was a little hard to position themselves sometimes, as some of the fighters were afflicted by ice, which slowed their movements, or fire, which burst out in wide circles around them, forcing others to move away. It was a strange dance they had to perform in order to keep from taking unneeded damage, but in a handful of minutes, the ogres lay dead on the floor. The beam of light in the center also vanished, leaving clear the giant ogre in the center.

"Ko'ragh," Xallion said lowly, snapping closed his dungeon journal. He grinned slightly, though it wasn't amused. "Dis gonna be a fight."

"Like the last one wasn't?" Xandyr asked, moving over to Xallion's side. Xallion frowned at the protection paladin, who only grinned in response.

Xallion sighed. "It's gonna be difficult, 'cause magic don' work well on him."

"Wait. What?" Schio looked at her fellow spellcasters, seeing similar expressions of surprise on their face. "So we're pretty much useless?"

Xallion grimaced and shook his head. "No, not useless. I mean, only for de most part. He got a shield that stops magic from hurtin' him. But we got a chance when his shield drops. Den your spells can hurt 'im."

"And that's supposed to make us feel better how?"

"Because we beat him and we got one fight left?"

Schio blew out a sigh and shook her head. Her pigtails bounced from side to side. "Fine."

Xallion let out a breath of his own and moved into position. He nodded to Greymoon and Xandyr. "On ya two."

Greymoon nodded and looked at Xandyr. The blood elf paladin nodded, rolled his shoulders, and hefted his shield and sword. Greymoon charged forward at Ko'ragh, roaring to get the ogre's attention. Ko'ragh's deep laugh echoed in their ears, and it was a laugh that let them know how he felt about their futile attempt to defeat him. The magic spells that were flung at him barely did any damage to him because of the immunity he seemed to have, but where the magic failed, the swords and daggers and claws and arrows of the others succeeded.

Suddenly, Ko'ragh turned toward Kalahandra. The Tauren druid stared wide-eyed as Ko'ragh came straight for her. With a yelp she dodged to the side, quickly getting out of range as Ko'ragh brought his weapon down on where she had been standing seconds before. In that space a ripple appeared, forming a wide circle. The other fighters standing nearby gave it a wide berth, careful not to step inside it. They had to adjust themselves, though, as Ko'ragh went toward Xandyr as Greymoon ran away from him toward the back of the room. It was clear the two of them had some sort of plan of their own, and everyone steered clear of their two tanks to give them as much room as possible.

Ko'ragh targeted two more people for his smashing attack before he let out a cry of pain. He rushed to the center of the room, and as soon as he took the last step, a pillar of light surrounded him. But he wasn't alone in the circle. Mooses was in there with him, and he was the target of most of the heals because it was clear that being in there was sapping his strength rather quickly. The Tauren priest was barely standing on his feet before the healing spells, and the blood lust, filled him with strength and vitality.

Ko'ragh let out a bellow as he once more stood upright, and again the spells flung at him no longer worked against him. Greymoon once more took control of Ko'ragh as Xandyr dragged a bunch of ghostlike fiends into one of the void zones, where he and a salvo of area of effect damage took out the fiends before they could cause any more damage to him. Then he ran to Greymoon's side, working to help him deal with the blows that threatened to crush the bear beneath them.

With each blow, Ko'ragh seemed to weaken just a little more. Blood smeared the stones that made up the floor of the room, theirs and Ko'ragh's, though the healers of Illuminatus quickly did what they could to heal the wounds Ko'ragh's attacks opened on the flesh of their teammates. Again Ko'ragh went to the center, allowing the spellcasters to attack with all their might. This time in the center was Badlanguage, the hunter staggering under the weight of the power that was flowing through the circle of light. When she managed to escape, she disengaged quickly to the outer rim of the room, landing lightly and bringing her bow up to attack. She strafed left quickly to stand in a ring of yellow light, and grunted as an orb struck her. Across the room, Mooses had done the same, and neither seemed worse for the wear for what they had done.

It wasn't long before Julip joined them, the troll huntress gritting her teeth as she felt immense pain, the soothing chill of healing magic chasing that pain away, and the pain returning just minutes after the last healing spell rolled through her system. She didn't have to wait much longer; the pillar of light came down and Julip scrambled to get away, breathing hard. Ko'ragh focused on Greymoon again, his teeth bared as he tried to crush Grey under the weight of his weapon. But like before, Grey proved to be too agile, leaping out of the way as Ko'ragh brought his weapon down where the druid had once been standing. The next time, though, the weapon clipped Greymoon's hip, sending the bear crashing to the ground.

Xandyr sprinted in, his sword deflecting what would've been a killing blow to Grey. As Greymoon struggled to his paws, Jaycie called upon the Light and sent it toward him, letting the soothing power knit the splintered bones of his hip and leg back together, along with sealing up the great rent in his side that spilled blood. Greymoon snarled and launched himself at Ko'ragh again, beating back the giant ogre as the others assaulted their enemy from all sides.

Ko'ragh stumbled backwards, his knees buckling beneath him. But even as he fought gravity from pulling him down, swords and claws, spells and daggers, tore into his flesh, taking out the last bit of physical resistance that he could give. Xandyr threw his shield toward Ko'ragh's forehead. The metal hit the ogre's skull with a resounding clang, snapping back Ko'ragh's head with enough force that the ogre crashed into the ground almost face first. That left his throat vulnerable to the daggers that came howling in for it, Griddlecake and Digitz using their agility to their advantage. The two rogues came down on either side of Ko'ragh's throat, their daggers biting into his flesh and tearing a great rent as they came down. When their feet touched the ground, they jumped backwards, away from Ko'ragh as he twitched violently. Blood spurted in arcs across the floor, causing a few to step further back to avoid the growing puddle of blood.

After a few minutes, Ko'ragh finally stopped moving.

"I hate fights where one side is pretty much gimped the entire time." complained Mooses as he followed the others up the right hand hallway. "It takes too damn long."

"Look on the bright side," Thanatoss said as he passed the Tauren priest, "no one died."

"You know what... whatever."


	7. Chapter 7

Imperator Mar'gok

Written to Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Lorde

Together they followed the others up the hallway, and stared out into a courtyard full of ogres and pale. The group paused in the doorway and watched a pale rush in, only to stop a few feet from them before it exploded into pieces without actually doing anything to them.

"Well." started Jaycie.

"That was anti-climatic, huh?" said Digitz.

"Yeah."

"Come on." Xallion moved through the doorway, slipping around the corner. "We can make it t'rough wit'out catchin' dere attention."

In an almost single-file line, the group managed to slip around the corner into the giant courtyard and hurried toward the leftmost tower. Inside was another ogre, but other than him the small room was completely empty. There was no where else to go inside the tower, save for heading back the way they had come. Which was counter-productive to what they actually wanted to do, which was to go forward.

"Derkka, Lowko, ya spam polymorph on dat bastard, got it?" Xallion said, gesturing to the ogre standing before them. The two mages nodded and as soon as the ogre turned his attention to Greymoon and Xandyr, he suddenly became a pig, then an ogre, then a pig again. It went on in this pattern for a few minutes before the ogre finally lay dead on the floor. With his death, a portal slowly swirled into existence, no doubt leading deeper into Highmaul.

Sabaak went through the portal laughing. "Come on, guys!" he said when others gave him strange looks. "You can't say that listening to that guy squeal every time we hit him wasn't funny."

"I worry about you sometimes, Sabaak." Kalahandra said after a minute. Sabaak just grinned at her.

The room they had appeared in was guarded by a handful of ogres that seemed not to notice the smaller creatures, or if they did, didn't consider them threats right away. The only way out of the room was a long hallway that led to what had to be the royal chambers, where they would find Imperator Mar'gok. Killing him would end their time in Highmaul, and bring them closer to their real goal of defeating the Iron Horde. It was a thought that was in the back of everyone's mind, along with the thought that once they were finished here, they were going to head back to their garrisons and have a long, hot bath and down a few pints of beer, perhaps not exactly in that order.

It took only a handful of minutes to defeat the ogres standing guard in the room they were in, especially when some had been polymorphed into pigs or sheep or hexed into frogs or frozen by hunter traps. The enemies standing guard at the end of the hall were a little tougher - two ogres and two ogron that caused Xallion to use blood lust in order to take the four enemies down a little faster.

With their deaths, the door to the central, and final, chamber opened. Standing there were five ogres, all facing the north wall, and kneeling in deference. On the north wall was a throne, set high off the floor and recessed a little into the wall. Sitting on it was Imperator Mar'gok, a massive ogre who looked at the intruding team without much feeling. It was a look they were used to getting from their enemies, especially ones who decided the warriors of Illuminatus weren't much to sniff at because of some over-inflated sense of ego, or something of that nature.

The advisors, the five ogres standing in a semi-circle around the throne, finally turned to regard the warriors of Illuminatus, their expressions a mix of contempt, hatred, even fear.

Greymoon charged at one, followed by the melee. The casters and hunters hung back a little bit, adding their power to the power of those fighting up close and personal with their enemy. One by one, the advisors fell under the onslaught of sword and spell and arrow, collapsing in heaps on the floor. When the last advisor fell, the group gathered in the center of the room, looking up at Mar'gok, who continued to stare at them contemptuously from on high.

"So how is this going to go?" Nph asked.

"Melee is gonna stand here, in de middle, wit de tanks." Xallion said. "Everyone else, we gonna stack up over dere, left o' de t'rone. Julip, Badlanguage, you guys gonna stand behind us a little bit. Dere's a spell we gonna get, it need ta be given ta one o' ya an' taken away. Deterrence will keep ya safe. Dere's also gonna be a trap dat comes out. We gotta move or we die."

"Sounds simple enough." Helpfuldeath said, scratching at his chin.

"Everything sounds simple until we actually do it." Mooses said lowly.

"This is a positive thinking zone." Jaycie grinned when the Tauren priest looked at her. "Negativity is not allowed."

"Guys, focus." With a sigh, Xallion continued, "It's gonna repeat like dis, and t'ings are gonna only gonna get rougher as he gets weaker. He also gonna activate d'ose stones we see above us. We won't be able ta attack 'im while he's up dere, so we gotta deal wit de help he calls."

"Anything else we need to know?" asked Helpfuldeath.

Xallion nodded. "We gonna wait til he calls out for de second round o' help ta use blood lust. We focus down de big guy, den de mages he calls. Dey gotta come down fast."

"Doesn't sound so hard."

"Right? So let's do dis."

They split up, heading to their assigned places. They stood loosely stacked, well out of range of each other's weaponry but close enough not to have things go awry. Greymoon waited until everyone gave the signal to show they were ready to get started on the last battle they would have in Highmaul.

Mar'gok came down fast. The sorcerer king laughed as he simply appeared in front of Greymoon and the others, shouting, "I will show you why _I_ am king, and you are nothing more than peasants!"

It was a flurry of chaos in the center of the room as the melee had to stay aware of each other and of where Mar'gok was. Those at range seemed to have it slightly easier, since they were casters or hunters or healers, whose spells and arrows were less hazardous to their health and more hazardous to Mar'gok. The hunters' pets, the warlocks' demons, and the mages' elementals gathered behind the Imperator, biting at his heels or cutting at his legs, adding their power to their masters' own and aiding the melee fighters in trying to bring down their enemy.

"Move!" yelled Schio, quickly stepping left as a glowing circle formed around her group of ranged fighters. Webehuntin was the last to escape the circle before it activated, and the troll hunter let out a soft string of curses as he felt the slight sting of magic against his skin, almost like an electrical shock had run through him. The circle, though, remained unbroken.

"Gotta be faster, man." Badlanguage called, her bowstring twanging as she unleashed arrow after arrow in quick succession. Webehuntin flipped her off in response and raised his own bow again. The next time he heard Schio's cry, he was quicker in his footwork, keeping up with the ranged group.

"Add!" Schio cried out, a chaos bolt springing from her hand, only to split in two as it soared in for the Imperator and the aberration he had summoned. The aberration didn't last long under the sudden onslaught from the melee, and soon Schio called for the ranged group to move once again. Their next obstacle was the sudden appearance of a white ring of energy that radiated out from the Imperator in an ever-increasing circle. Some ran through it, others jumped over it. Compared to the heaviness of Mar'gok's other attacks, the ring seemed inconsequential.

Suddenly, Mar'gok was no longer in the center of the room. He appeared before the ranged group, rising into the air where it was harder for the melee to reach him. The sorcerer king hurriedly activated the first of the stones, taking for himself the power contained inside it. When he hit the ground, there was something decidedly different about him.

"He's gonna have a knock-back this time!" Schio yelled, near screaming to make sure the melee heard her. "Watch out for the ring and the traps!"

The second round was much like the first, with the ranged scooting to the left in order to avoid traps that now grew in size when they activated. The melee were forced to adjust their position as well, as the aberration that spawned this time threw them all backwards when it expired. The ring of energy too pushed back anyone who touched it, and the druids of the group used their stampeding roar to get the group through the ring as quickly as possible. The constant spell Mar'gok threw onto the ranged became a little more difficult to manage as well, though those who had it were able to get close enough to those assigned to take it away from the main group. Of course, that wasn't without some trial and error, as those who had the damaging spell quickly learned a ring formed around them, whose boundary, if crossed, teleported them back into the group.

The ranged group had nearly made it to the very north side of the room before Mar'gok teleported himself away from the melee and to the second of the stones. As he rose into the air, the fighters were able to get a few more attacks in before they finally had to disengage from Mar'gok and sprint across the room to the first of two ogre mages that appeared in the wings. The only ones who remained behind were Greymoon, Xandyr, and Azmodax, as the three of them had to keep control of the small enemies that appeared, and who, upon exploding, dealt a breathtaking amount of damage to the entire group.

"Get out of the group if you get targeted." Nph called, calling upon the Light to heal a few of the more serious wounds on Cosmodru, who'd been unfortunate enough to catch Mar'gok's heavier blows on his side.

The first of the mages fell within a minute or two, lessening the damage the group was taking by half. They focused on the second mage, barely killing him with a few seconds to spare before Mar'gok came down from on high for the second time. This time, the melee raced to group back up with Greymoon and Xandyr while the ranged hurried to gather in the center of the room, close enough to hit Mar'gok with their spells and arrows, but far enough to avoid getting a trap in range of the melee.

"He's gonna do three rings this time!" Schio called out. "Be ready!"

This time, the ranged moved right to avoid the trap, and the melee mirrored them, as Xandyr was forced to pull Mar'gok away from Greymoon. The Tauren guardian druid had grown to twice his normal size, and was trying to get as far away from the others as possible before the spell affecting him engaged. Between dealing with that new aspect of the fight, the traps, the spell, and the three rings of power, things were starting to become a little more hectic. It became a challenge to keep eyes on both Mar'gok and the traps, to watch where one put his or her feet. At the same time, whoever had the focus of Mar'gok, whether it was Greymoon or Xandyr, constantly pulled the Imperator in a circle along the outside of the room as needed.

They were nearly to the southwest corner of the room when Mar'gok teleported himself away from them. He reappeared by the third stone, raising his arms and slowly rising off the ground. Those who were closest to him were able to get a few more shots off before Mar'gok became immune to their attacks and the mages appeared. Just like before, the group turned to the closest of the mages, and began to whittle it down. In the seconds it took to fire an arrow or cast a spell, the doors to the throne room opened, admitting a giant ogre that looked more like a warrior than a mage. That ogre focused on Greymoon and Xandyr, who had once more remained behind with Azmodax to deal with the smaller enemies, and he charged them.

"Focus him down!" yelled Xallion, pointing to the giant ogre.

Thanatoss whipped around at Xallion's yell and charged in, bellowing his own war cry. He felt the power of the blood lust fill him, allowing his blows to become heavier and faster. He was joined by the other melee, and above his head he saw black arrows flying in. Beneath his feet, he saw green flames snaking in, joined by dark bolts and nature spells. The giant ogre lasted only a handful of minutes, his body falling heavily on the floor. Even before it thundered down, everyone was refocusing on the ogre mage they had been attacking before, trying to bring it down before Mar'gok re-engaged them. It fell just as the blood lust wore off, and in the spare seconds, the ranged fighters targeted the second ogre mage even as some of the melee started toward it.

"Mar'gok's down!" Schio cried, once more using her havoc spell to split her chaos bolts in two.

"What do we do?" asked Julip, looking at Xallion for guidance.

"Ignore da mage!" he yelled back. "Focus Mar'gok! Stay spread out, an' if ya get targeted, try an' stay away from others! Keep avoidin' da traps an' de wave! We gotta survive just a little longer!"

If things had been crazy before, it was simply chaotic now. There wasn't much room to "spread out" in the circular, enclosed throne room, but somehow, everyone found a place to stand. Even over the din of the fighting, Schio's voice called for them to watch their feet, allowing them to avoid the traps, and warning them when a wave was coming. Greymoon, too, bellowed out a warning to get away from him as he raced away from Mar'gok to the opposite side of the room. People were forced to move to get clear of him, and it was a good thing they did, and a good thing they stayed separated from others, because balls of pure energy exploded out from the bear's body, flying in all directions.

Personal shielding spells were used as they came off cool-down, everyone throwing all their energy into using their most powerful of attacks and simply trying to stay alive. Those who were unlucky enough to fall were quickly brought back from death by either Schio or Kalahandra, whoever happened to be closer, and they resumed the fight against the Imperator, knowing that if they fell again they weren't going to get back up until the fight was over.

Mar'gok finally stumbled. His knees buckled and though he tried to catch himself, it was too late. The sorcerer king's weakness was seized upon by Cosmodru, and the feline-shaped druid leaped upon the Imperator's shoulder, sinking his teeth into the unprotected flesh of the sorcerer king's neck. The weight of the druid forced Mar'gok to lean to one side, where he was vulnerable to the flashing blades of Thanatoss, Digitz, Sabaak, Griddlecake, Martyrdom, Level, and the other melee who were close enough to land devastating blows to Mar'gok's upper body. Those who weren't took the more obvious targets, such as the Imperator's buckling legs, trying to drive those weakening knees to bend enough that the ogre fell heavily to the floor.

The Imperator's knees finally buckled, sending the ogre crashing to the floor. A quick and heavy blow from Digitz and Griddlecake on either ankle severed Mar'gok's tendons. Sabaak's heavy, two handed blow to the back of the Imperator's left knee ensured the sorcerer king wasn't going to get back up any time soon.

Mar'gok stared up into the eyes of the warriors he called peasants and took his last breath.

Cosmodru released the Imperator's throat and spat out the blood that had filled his mouth as he bit into the back of the Imperator's neck, crushing his spine. The cat-shaped druid leaped to the ground and spent a few minutes pawing at his tongue.

"I'm _not_ doing that again." he said, coughing hard to make sure he had spat out every last droplet. He changed back to his natural form and accepted the waterskin Kalahandra handed him to wash out his mouth.

"Why would you even do that in the first place?" Sabaak asked. "I mean, you know ogres don't bathe. Didn't you learn anything in Outland?"

Cos gave the paladin a sour look and Sabaak just grinned. "You don't look that much better, you know."

"We are all hot, sweaty, mana-deprived, and covered in blood and other unmentionable things." Schio said, gathering up her cloak to brush what looked like bone shavings from it. "But we won."

There were a couple of amused smiles and a few chuckles, but the moment of good humor didn't last long. They all knew what the next step in their journey to defeat the Iron Horde would be, and it was going to be sooner rather than later. With Highmaul all but empty, their focus was now in Gorgrond, the Pit, and the Blackrock Foundry that lay within.

"It's gonna get harder from here," Xallion said quietly. He met their gazes evenly, looking each one of his friends in the eye. "We stick together, we succeed. Ya wanna go?"

One by one, the warriors of Illuminatus nodded.

They had come this far together. They were going to see it through to the end, together.


End file.
