Kor'vas Bloodthorn walked along the lower halls of the Fel Hammer. It was eerily quiet down here, nothing but the dull hum of fel energies coursing through the Legion ship. Her fellow brothers and sisters were all called upstairs, but she volunteered to stay behind to finish the interrogation of a tenacious inquisitor.
It has been months since the Slayer left Mardum and abdicated command to Kayn and Altruis. Then a week later they decided to leave her in charge and departed elsewhere. It seemed the leadership of the Fel Hammer changed hands rather quickly of late. First Lord Illidan, then the Slayer, and now the two boneheads.
Perhaps this was the inevitability of their sacrifice. When the last of the Burning Legion was finally wiped from both Azeroth and Argus, what then? What purpose was there left for those who knew only to hunt demons?
She grabbed the blindfold that concealed her scorched eyes, a gift to expedite the Legion's end. If not to see demons… then perhaps, home? Home. The word replayed in Kor'vas' mind, a word that had no image attached to it. Perhaps, she too, would leave. It would be nice to see Darnassus again.
As Kor'vas ascended to the upper deck, it was not the sound of demonic prisoners being tortured but the shouts of her fellow demon hunters. A divide never before seen in her time aboard the ship split down the deck between kaldorei and sin'dorei.
They were shouting obscenities, pointing fingers, some of them had their warglaives drawn. Lady S'theno and Matron Mother Malevolence watched from the side, their demeanors seemed unwilling to come between the mob. A doomguard that was chained to the far wall cackled at the unfolding chaos.
Kor'vas approached the naga and Shivarra leader. "Where is Akama? What in the name of Lord Illidan is going on?"
"Bickering over petty greivancessss." Lady S'theno said, holding her trident close as if expecting a fight to break out.
"Akama has not been seen aboard the Fel Hammer in a number of days." Malevolence explained with all six of her arms on her hips.
"Why is everyone just leaving?" Kor'vas turned to the shouting match and howled, "Cease your squabblings at once, or I'll do it for you!"
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For a moment, it worked. She successfully pulled their attention away from each other's throats. Many of the night elves glared at her, while the blood elves couldn't even meet her eyes.
One of the younger night elven demon hunters stepped forward. She recognized her as Demissya Gladestrider, their repair vendor. She hailed from Darkshore, and was one of the few Illidari who survived the Faronaar Front in Azsuna. "Champion Kor'vas, perhaps you haven't heard the news. Teldrassil has burned.
The words pierced her heart deeper than any blade could. For a World Tree to burn was unthinkable— no. It was possible. It has happened before and it wasn't the first, but she did hope Hyjal was the last.
"By who? Demons?" She demanded, her voice suddenly filled with a vengeance she had not felt since she lost her parents.
"Not demons. By them." Demissya pointed at the other half of the room populated with blood elves. "Sylvanas, their Warchief, has declared war upon the Alliance and set Teldrassil afire."
Kor'vas looked at her blood elven counterparts for answers, but they shied away from her gaze. Belath and Allari stepped forward from the other side.
"We had nothing to do with Sylvanas' actions." Belath implored.
Allari joined him, "We only remain loyal to Quel'thalas and the Regent Lord."
"Lor'themar sides with Sylvanas! Or has years slaying demons dulled your Sunwell-parched brains?"
"Do not think we have forgotten. It was the Alliance who first abandoned the Quel'dorei in our time of need. They reap what they sow."
"Brothers, sisters! Please, our true enemies are the demons. Not each other!" Kor'vas raised her voice again, but it did nothing to abate the quarrelling. Did she even believe her own words? Teldrassil was gone. Darnassus was gone. She truly had nothing left.
"They are no brother or sister of mine!"
"As far as we're concerned, the blood elves are no different from the demons!"
"We saved Azeroth. And for what? To let another demon destroy it?"
The night elves were in a frenzy, throwing insults and blame wherever they could. Allari was trying in vain to stop her own kind from fighting back. The fire had already been stoked and each time someone yelled, another screamed louder.
"Kor'vas, please help us!" Allari pleaded.
"The traitors must be punished!" A voice, louder than the rest, called out just as a flash of green light filled the room. Kor'vas pulled her hand away in time to see Belath jump in between Allari and a night elf demon hunter's eye beam.
Allari barely caught Belath falling to the ground as he clutched his chest… or where his chest should have been. His abdomen began to disintegrate, and Allari was hopelessly clinging to the ashes of her blood elf friend.
Silence fell upon the Fel Hammer, and just when Kor'vas thought the silence couldn't be anymore deafening… chaos.