"Relinquish the staff to me!" Sally demanded, reaching for Light's Wrath.
Harry used his significantly greater size to keep it out of her hands. The staff itself was wrapped up in restrictive runecloth that sealed its powers. "See, this kind of behavior is exactly why I don't think it's a good idea."
"Light's Wrath was made by the Scarlet Crusade. It is my destiny to wield it!" Sally argued.
"You say 'destiny', but what I'm hearing is 'desire'." Harry was unmoved. "Show me that you have some self-control and I'll consider letting you have it."
"It is unconscionable to keep such a weapon from being used against the Undead Scourge." She insisted. "How many noble warriors of the Light will fall that could survive?"
"I suppose it is the prerogative of the young to assume they will succeed in all endeavors." He philosophized mockingly. "But consider what happens if you fail to control the staff's power?"
"I will not." Sally asserted. "I must not."
"Indeed?" He raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "Let me pose a situation to you, then. You are in combat, using Light's Wrath to obliterate scores of undead. Suddenly, they begin to retreat. What do you do?"
"I would chase them down and purge them from existence!" Sally said zealously.
"All by yourself?" Harry's sarcasm only grew. "You don't consider if it's a trap? You don't check on your allies? You don't listen to orders? You just charge in and start blasting?"
"Of course I do!" She said unconvincingly. "But the undead should be destroyed wherever they are found!"
"You got excluded from strategy meetings a lot, didn't you?"
"My duty was to inflame the spirits of the faithful." Sally stuck her nose up in the air and crossed her arms.
"Uh huh, I'll bet it was." Harry chuckled, amused by her aggravated expression. "Listen here, Sally. I happen to agree with you that the Undead Scourge needs to be utterly destroyed, but leave the berserking to the orcs, alright? If I gave you the staff right now, it would wield you instead of the other way around."
Sally took a deep breath before standing up straight and giving him a hard stare. It was a vast improvement over the near psychotic hatred she had showed to everyone and everything that disagreed with her in the early days.
"What will convince you to give it to me?"
"I just need you to understand that revenge is best acquired all at once, in a single fell swoop, instead of piecemeal. Wouldn't you prefer to annihilate the Scourge in a single blow, instead of chasing after every skeleton and zombie?" He cajoled, lowering his voice persuasively.
"Of course I would!" Sally shouted back almost indignantly. "If I could, I would scour all of Azeroth clean of filth, even if it costs me my life!"
"What if I told you that I can make that happen?" Harry lowered his pitch further, leaning over the white-haired woman a bit. "The destruction of the entire Undead Scourge in a single action. All you have to do is be patient and cooperate with me until the time is right."
She stared at him suspiciously, but her hatred made the proposition sound too tempting. "Tell me more."
He told her, and knew by the fire in her eyes that she would dedicate everything to this goal.
XXXXX
The Guardian Tower had a significant amount of space set aside for the purposes of training. Obstacle courses, rooms reinforced to resist magic, gymnasiums, meditation rooms and so on were all there. And due to Harry's insistence they saw frequent use. Azeroth was a dangerous world and dying because you had bad cardio would be just embarrassing.
"And stop!" He bellowed, slowing down.
Behind him, Arko, Jessir and Sally all pretty much stumbled to a stop and laid flat on their backs, sucking in air. Garona was better off, refusing to show such obvious exhaustion, but her brown skin was shiny with sweat.
In contrast, he, Luna and Colette were in much better shape.
"You're improving." He complimented the tired women.
"I hate you." Arko growled.
"Aw, don't be like that, this is for your own good." Luna pouted. "And it's a fun family activity."
"Easy for you to say with your cheat bodies." Jessir groused.
Harry didn't repeat his offer to upgrade them. They knew the option was always there. "You would probably still have trouble even with artificial bodies. Night elves, orcs and draenei just aren't built for endurance the way humans are."
"How is this supposed to help me master Light's Wrath?" Sally interjected sweatily.
"It's going to teach you discipline, the mental quality of staying on task even when you've got that little voice in your brain telling you that you can take the easy way out." He told her.
Arko suddenly chuckled. "You know, when you said that you were going to teach her, I expected that you would make her do long meditation sessions to let go of her hate."
"Haha, no. If she hasn't gotten tired of it by now, then she's not going to. The only option is to teach her how to focus it." He snorted.
"He taught you the same way when it comes to satyrs, didn't he?" Colette pointed out amusedly.
Arko had no rebuttal to that. It was true that Harry had let her indulge in her hatred for satyrs instead of trying to take the edge off it. Although he had only started training her to focus it after that incident in Karazhan when she charged right into a trap.
"Alright, ladies, enough resting." Luna suddenly clapped authoritatively. "Go get cleaned up and dressed. We have to be at Tyrande's soon."
Arko and Jessir both groaned.
"No complaining, you know we need to learn Highborne manners for our visit to Azshara." Harry smirked, amused.
"To think that I am once again forced to act the noble lady despite living in debauchery…" Colette sighed dramatically.
"You should simply purge that abomination from the face of Azeroth." Sally opined.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the crazy zealot." Arko grumbled.
Sally made an angry noise, only refraining from speaking because Harry put a hand on her shoulder. "If it was that easy to get rid of her, then Azeroth would be a very different place." He said wrily.
"I should come with you, just in case." Garona suggested with a frown.
He knew what she was really suggesting – that she hide somewhere with a blade poised at Azshara's back. Alas, it wasn't going to be that easy either.
"She'd definitely spot you." Harry shook his head. "No, I'm afraid we have no choice but to play along with her games."
"But why?" Arko asked plaintively. "Wouldn't it be better to dispense with the charades and just be enemies?"
"Absolutely not." Harry retorted sternly. "We find ourselves in a peculiar situation with Azshara. She made the first move when she forcibly made me her guest. We made the second with the infiltration and extraction plan. Then we worked together to kill N'zoth. We could have simply left immediately and abandoned Azshara to face N'zoth alone. Out loud, she will not admit to any chance of defeat, but my cooperation with her plan and the aid we gave her forces her to acknowledge that we did her a good turn. This severely limits what kind of actions her pride will allow her to take. If we insult her, then we free her from that limitation, which is why we will be perfectly polite and courteous."
"I still think this is a bad idea." Arko sighed in defeat. "There's no way that Jessir and I will be able to act like Highborne."
"You'd be amazed what people are capable of when properly trained." Harry said ominously.
XXXXX
Archbishop Benedictus considered himself a patient man. He had once come dangerously close to losing his faith, before a conversation with the Lady Luna had helped him gain perspective. Indeed, it was folly to expect the Light to protect people. The Light instead offered the tools to find one's own salvation.
He had come to believe that it was much like that with the faith of Elune as well. Recent events were making him question if that was really true.
As he had become used to doing when he wanted to travel without drawing attention, the archbishop draped himself in a nondescript brown cloak and made his way towards Stormwind's Temple of Elune. The older part of the city, which had always been full of character but had admittedly been poor, had seen a noticeably increase in status since the temple's construction. Financial investment, charity and simple upliftment of spirit had seen the people living there take more pride in it, and thus worked to make it better.
Benedictus had nothing against any of this. Indeed, he would be the first to say that the Temple of Elune was a boon to Stormwind, despite certain ambitious priests not liking the competition. If their followers were being drawn to the faith of Elune instead of keeping to the Light, then clearly the Church of Holy Light was doing something wrong.
Or so he would like to say. Recently, their steady loss of followers had little enough to do with faith. Notably, most of the followers they were losing seemed to be young men.
"Archbishop Benedictus." Sacrolash greeted.
"Have you come to receive the blessings of Elune?" Alythess finished.
"No, I am simply visiting." Benedictus managed a smile. "I see that you now wear the garb of the Sisterhood of Elune. Has something changed?"
Calling it 'garb' might be a bit generous. The two former eredar demons were still barely wearing anything, only straps across their breasts and stylized loincloths. The only thing they had added were delicate silver tiaras with the moon symbol of Elune.
"Oh yes." Sacrolash smiled widely.
Her sister, as always, mirrored her perfectly. "Harry was at last able to craft proper bodies for us."
"We are no longer merely spirits clinging to the mortal plane by Elune's grace."
"Mother Moon has entrusted us with the responsibilities of priestesses."
Benedictus still couldn't quite wrap his head around the idea of demons of the Burning Legion being reformed. The nature of demons and why such a thing was possible had been somewhat explained to him when he'd asked, but it still sounded quite outlandish and, frankly, dangerous. To know that it had been done at all simply because Lady Luna made a bet with these two while they were still demonic warlocks just made it more ridiculous.
"I see." Was all he could say. "Now that you have such responsibilities to your goddess, have you considered employing more… wholesome means of stoking the faith of your followers?"
"Whatever do you mean, Archbishop?" They chorused.
Benedictus was not fooled by their innocent act.
"Surely you have noticed that you attract almost exclusively young men?" He managed to keep his sarcasm down to a minimum.
"Do we?" They pouted, ramping up the innocence and doing one of their ridiculous poses. "Our words must resonate with them especially strongly."
Yes, their words.
"You do your goddess a disservice with such antics." Benedictus shook his head.
"Elune is a free spirit, unashamed of her body." Sacrolash countered.
"We strive to emulate her and the lady we swore to follow." Alythess backed her up.
"The Lady Luna dresses more modestly." Not that it was much of an achievement to dress more modestly than these two.
"That is just her way of showing pride in her body." Sacrolash chuckled.
"Did you not hear of the rituals she leads to purify Northrend?" Alythess also chuckled.
Benedictus had, in fact, heard of them. The naked dancing around a bonfire seemed unnecessary to him, but he was hardly an expert on rituals.
He sighed. "You must realize that you are causing tension by effectively seducing men to your faith? Do you have any idea how many women have been coming to the cathedral, complaining about their husbands or sons being bewitched by you and asking us to do something about it? The issue is not yet dire, but if this continues then it may even force the king to intercede."
"We are not doing it on purpose." They gave up the act.
"It cannot be helped if the rituals of Elune are less stodgy than those of your church."
"Perhaps Stormwind's women should take better care of their men."
"How miserable must they be, if a kind word from a beautiful priestess is all it takes to convert them."
"And is it not better that they come to us instead of cults like the Twilight's Hammer?"
"You thought those men would have come to you if it were not for us?"
"You fool."
"You absolute buffoon."
"These are the same men whose hearts would be taken by the Burning Legion in advance of our invasion."
"Misery and depravity."
"Confusion and hate."
"Mistrust and chaos."
"These we once sowed, now we seek to pluck them before they bloom."
"Happiness and virtue."
"Enlightenment and love."
"Belief and order."
"In the name of the moon, we will banish the darkness!"
Benedictus simply had no words for the spectacle he had just witnessed. As soon as they had really gotten into it, they had started posing and speaking in such incredibly dramatic tones that it would be impossible to take them seriously. He couldn't even feel insulted at being called a fool and a buffoon.
But after the actual words penetrated through the near-daze their act had put him in, the archbishop had to concede that it was indeed better if those who could not put their faith in the Light to be drawn to Elune, even if by such subversive tactics, than to seek meaning with demons and Void abominations.
"You have… given me much to consider." Benedictus sighed, feeling suddenly exhausted.
The eredar priestesses, who had been holding their last pose for nearly half a minute now with no sign of shame, retook a more dignified stance as they replied. "Of course, Archbishop. Come again anytime."
Benedictus shuffled back to his cathedral deep in thought. Perhaps the Church of Holy Light needed to… try harder to reach out to the most vulnerable of their people.
XXXXX
"Norgannon really should have considered making a 'what's new' section." Harry mused.
"Norgannon's designs are beyond our understanding." Archaedas rebuffed.
"You've got that right. No ranking for importance or how wide-reaching an event is, no context or link to previous events, it isn't even categorized by region. Ten out of ten for the project itself, one out of ten for execution, because the events are at least listed chronologically. If he was one of my apprentices, I would praise his intelligence and tell him to work on his wisdom."
Archaedas had to stop going through the records in the Discs of Norgannon at that and stared at the archmage. "Are you truly arrogant enough to contemplate the notion of having the titan Norgannon, the Dreamweaver, Keeper of Celestial Magics and Lore, as your apprentice?"
"Us mortals are good at imagining things, even impossible things." Harry shrugged. "Which is why I am able to imagine a version of the Discs with proper indexing and a search function."
"The Discs were made for the use of the Pantheon, not for mortals. They have no need of such things."
Yes, because they might very well be able to brute force their way through the confusing mass of information contained within. The hammer and nails problem.
"I'm sure." Harry sighed and settled back to wait for the Keeper to finish reviewing information.
Several hours passed and he'd drifted off into a light doze before another word was spoken.
"I have the information you asked for." Archaedas declared.
"Alright, let's hear it." Harry focused his attention. "Azshara first. Did she do anything noteworthy?"
"No." Archaedas denied. "Merely continued to rule her underwater kingdom."
That unfortunately didn't mean she wasn't planning to do something. The Discs didn't record people's thought and intentions, only their actions.
"As expected." He nodded. "How about the Lich King?"
"His alchemists continue to labor to find a counter to your weapons."
Yes, the Undead Scourge was having some trouble fighting against weapons designed to kill en masse. The sanctified artillery and blessed mist was particularly effective. The more powerful undead could endure, protect themselves or otherwise escape being turned into collateral damage, but the true danger of the Scourge had always been in its numbers. The warriors of the living had plenty of champions to counter the Lich King's.
"They also continue to refine the Plague."
The original Plague was a clever tactic when Lordaeron hadn't yet known they had an enemy to fight. In open war, spreading plagued grain became markedly harder to do. Harry couldn't really do anything to stop the Scourge alchemists from trying to emulate his own work. All he could do was be prepared to counter whatever they cooked up.
"Champions of the Horde have invaded the halls of Naxxramas and slain its denizens."
Kel'thuzad seemed to really like that name, because he named his new necropolis exactly the same as the old one. Wait, what was that?
"Wait, what?" He said, eyes flying open in surprise. "They've already taken Naxxramas?"
"Yes." Archaedas confirmed without a hint of emotion.
"Wow, okay. I thought I'd have to join in on that, but they just went in and handled it by themselves." He muttered, not sure how to feel about that. "Precocious brats."
"Sylvanas Winrunner led the assault." The Keeper revealed helpfully.
"Of course she did." The former Banshee Queen had been on a tear ever since the war began. Frankly, she was almost as bad as Sally, but with her hatred focused more narrowly. She'd probably keep it together until it was time for the final showdown.
"The Lich King is attempting to bolster his forces by killing and raising the ice trolls of Zul'Drak."
"Risky." Harry sucked on his teeth thoughtfully. "The Drakkari aren't the power they used to be, but that move could still cost him more then he would gain."
"Subverted agents whispered the idea of sacrificing the loa to gain the power to fend off the Scourge as well as the advancing Horde and Alliance forces. They were driven insane as a result."
He could only close his eyes and rub his forehead in consternation. "Fucking trolls…"
Honestly, the species was its own worst enemy. They could have tried talking to the living, breathing people that were also fighting the undead. Instead, they decided that some crazy blood ritual would be a better idea. At least they had some excuse in desperation this time, unlike their Gurubashi cousins who decided that empowering a creature called Hakkar the Soulflayer would be a good idea, just because.
Harry nearly had a conniption when he learned about that incident, mostly because he'd had no idea anything was going on until it was already over. Azeroth had way too many apocalypse level threats going on.
"What about the Storm Peaks? Are they getting close to Ulduar?" That was his true concern, the ancient titan complex and the Old God imprisoned within.
"Progress is slow." Archaedas rumbled. "The terrain of the Storm Peaks is difficult, and the creatures living in them strong. The forces of the mortals struggle to advance."
"Hmmm, maybe I need to think of more ways of helping them?" Harry mused to himself. "Anything on Grand Magus Telestra? She escaped after that mess with Malygos and I don't want it biting us in the ass."
"One moment." Archaedas said and returned his attention to the discs. One moment turned to one hour as he searched for any mention of her. "She crossed the Dark Portal into Outland three days ago."
"Huh, alright then." Harry shrugged. If she was on Outland, then she wasn't his problem anymore. For now.
"That is all, Speaker." The Keeper said dismissively. "For the protection of Azeroth and the will of the Pantheon."
XXXXX
Luna did not stop making unannounced visits to Jaina and Tyrande. In her opinion, those two were workaholics and needed someone to drag them off for some relaxation every so often. Today, it was Jaina's turn.
"Jainaaaa, it's time for a girl's daaa… Kalecgos?" Luna cut herself off after barging into Jaina's study. "What are you doing here?"
For indeed, the new Aspect of Magic was in Jaina's study.
"I was talking to Jaina about deepening bonds between the Kirin Tor and the Blue Dragonflight." The currently blue-haired half-elf said.
"Y-yes." Jaina confirmed, stuttering a bit.
And blushing.
Actually, now that Luna looked closer, her friend looked oddly tense and spooked.
Luna might be bad at certain subtleties of social interaction, but Jaina had an absolutely terrible poker face. It was what made her so fun to tease. Right now, everything about the younger blonde's demeanor screamed that she'd been caught in the middle of something embarrassing.
And now just any kind of embarrassing. Luna had seen this exact type of embarrassing on many of the children she'd raised or helped raise. This was the embarrassment of and interrupted Moment.
"Were you two flirting?" She asked with a wide smile.
"N-no!" Jaina lied, badly. Her face might as well be a flashing neon sign proclaiming her dishonesty. "Like Kalec said, we were just discussing some diplomatic issues."
"Kalec? You already have a pet name for him?" Luna's smile became brighter.
"Kalec is the name I use in this form." Kalecgos was much better at obfuscating the truth.
"Is that so?" Luna wasn't buying it for a moment. "Well anyway, I came to take Jaina away from her work so she can relax for a few hours."
"Luna, I can't just take a break whenever you show up." The ruler of Theramore protested.
"The world won't end if you take a little time for yourself. We checked, there's no apocalypse scheduled."
"There is an apocalypse schedule?" Kalecgos asked, bemused.
"The Bronze Dragonflight has one, Chromie said so."
"Huh. That… actually explains a lot."
"So, relaxation!" Luna left the new Aspect of Magic to ponder the knowledge he had just gained and turned back to Jaina. "Harry found a natural hot spring in the Stonetalon Mountains. We might have to deal with a few steam elementals, but other than that it's a perfect spot to prune up. I want to hear all about what Kalecgos' dragon penis is like."
Said dragon made a noise that was somewhere between a sputter and a wheeze.
"I haven't seen his penis!" Jaina protested.
"That's okay, I'm sure you will soon." Luna reassured and turned to Kalecgos with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, I'd invite you to join us, but then it wouldn't be a girl's day anymore. You could go to Harry and ask him for advice on how to seduce Jaina. He's been gathering information for a while now."
"Luna, please stop!" Jaina begged. "I'll go with you, just stop talking!"
"There's no need to be embarrassed, you're a princess and he's a dragon. It's the most natural pairing ever."
XXXXX
Tyrande Whisperwind always had the same look on her face when delivering news about Illidan Stormrage. That confused mix between affection, guilt and sadness.
"Maiev Shadowsong and a team of her Wardens have infiltrated the Black Temple and successfully assassinated Illidan." She said. "They took his body and every nearby item of interest and sealed it in the Vault of the Wardens in Azsuna."
"Well, so much for the plan of using the Illidari to spearhead the invasion of Argus." Harry grumped. He normally wouldn't have bet on someone like Maiev Shadowsong to win against Illidan Stormrage, but she was an assassin by inclination. If she caught him at a bad time… yeah, he could see it. More importantly, the obsessive night elf was completely irrational in her pursuit of her escaped prisoner. "Wait, his body? It didn't disintegrate?"
"It did not." Tyrande confirmed. "Is that important?"
"It means that Illidan isn't a full demon. I could probably revive him with little effort." Harry's mind was already thinking of ways to get his hands on it.
This could actually be a blessing in disguise. Illidan had been a loose cannon that played by his own rules and did things at his own pace without regard for the plans of others. It was the reason why he caused so many problems. But if he could get a hold of the body, then he could be revived when he was needed and hopefully pointed at Argus at the head of an invading army. If his soul was currently being tortured by demons in the Twisting Nether, then he'd have all the more motivation to do it.
"Is that wise?" Tyrande's question was conflicted and reluctant, as if she felt compelled to ask. "He has done great harm."
"He has." Harry admitted easily. "But he is a being of power and his antagonism towards the Burning Legion is the real deal. If we point him at the heart of their power, I doubt he'll turn down the chance to strike at it. Does Maiev know what the Sargerite Keystone does?"
"I do not believe so. Most likely she simply assumed that it was a dangerous demonic artifact and locked it away." Tyrande answered.
"Well, she's not wrong. Could you order her to release it to you?"
The High Priestess of Elune momentarily had a sour look on her face. "The Wardens are an independent organization. I have limited influence over them and Maiev still hates me for releasing Illidan."
"… We're going to have to rob the place, aren't we?"
"I cannot say."
Which was political speak for yes.
"I suppose it has been a while since I last played the thief." Harry said with exasperated humor.
"How goes your gardening project?" Tyrande pointedly changed the subject.
"Quite well, actually."
XXXXX
Meanwhile, on Argus.
Xenora, succubus and warlock of the Burning Legion, popped a small chunk of golden Warpstone crystal into her mouth and rolled it around with her tongue. Her eyes fluttered closed with pleasure as the energies contained within slowly suffused her body and soul.
"Mistress, may I have some as well?" A simpering voice asked from nearby.
Xenora opened her eyes and looked upon her fellow succubi, Glysixia she thought her name was. There were a half dozen of them sprawled across lavish demonic furniture in drugged out hazes. The one who spoke, however, was standing before her in a meek and submissive posture with her head bowed. Her hands trembled from unsated addiction.
"Do you have my soulstones?" Xenora asked.
"Not yet, but I can get them!" Glysixia rushed to say in a begging tone. "I just need a little Warpstone…"
"No soulstones, no Warpstone." Xenora said, picking up another Warpstone crystal and holding it over to a yet another succubus that was sitting on the ground next to her throne. That one eagerly gobbled it down and licked her fingers like an obedient little slave. "If the others can pay their dues, then so can you."
"Yes, Mistress Xenora." Glysixia bowed her head again and sulked off, desperation in every movement.
Xenora smiled lazily and looked upon her court. Clever succubi and brutish mo'arg, all eagerly serving for another taste of Warpstone.
Truly, that deal she had made with the Azerothian sorcerer was the best thing to ever happen to her. While she was no weakling, Xenora also knew that she was no great power, so she would never have much of a following.
Until Warpstone. The wondrous substance that made demons slaves to their desires. As soon as they had their first taste, they wanted more and would do anything to get it. With Warpstone, she had no need to be personally powerful. All she needed was to have enough Warpstone to give and they would gladly serve.
Xenora was well aware that she, too, was a slave to the Warpstone, but she didn't care. The Azerothian sorcerer who had contacted her promised to keep supplying her with Warpstone for as long as she kept supplying him with soulstones.
He had even said that, as their operations grew, he would entrust her with the secrets of its creation. Together, they would spread a network of Warpstone addicts throughout Argus.
Xenora bit down on another crystal, dreaming of the day when she would be the queen of Argus and its drug-addled inhabitants.
What was Sargeras compared to this feeling?
XXXXX
"You are demanding payment in soulstones?" Tyrande asked with a bit of incredulity and censure. She knew him well enough by now to give him the benefit of the doubt, but this was not something she could allow to go unexplained. "What do you even need them for?"
"Nothing." Harry shrugged. "I break them and release the souls held within as soon as I get my hands on them, but I couldn't very well just give the Warpstone out for free. That would have been suspicious. Besides, this way I get to liberate a few souls in the process."
"Do you really think that this succubus pawn of yours can successfully create a shadow empire underneath the notice of the Burning Legion's leadership?" Tyrande questioned further.
"It's not very likely." He admitted. "But she doesn't need to succeed. She just has to spread the Warpstone around. With how impulsive demons in general are, they probably won't care about the consequences of nibbling on it even after they realize what it was doing to them."
Thankfully, despite the name, this wasn't Warhammer Warpstone. Harry had been leery of even using that particular name, but it was apt.
Bioengineering a plant that would absorb raw fel and alchemically process it into a stable crystal had been a bitch and a half, especially since Malfurion kept having second thoughts about the project. Still, they had eventually succeeded, creating Warptone. When it came into contact with felblood, it would break down and release a sense of euphoric happiness into the ingesting demon's soul. But that was where the trap lay. The Warpstone would eventually be drained of the Light composing it and darken in much the same way a naaru heart darkened, leaving behind crippling depression and misery.
If left alone, it would eventually be pushed out of their bodies by the circulating fel, but until then they would desperately crave another hit, which would restart the cycle.
Sufficiently masterful demons would be able to do this manually, unfortunately, but the average grunt would not. The other issue was that the Warp Bloom couldn't reproduce… yet. Each individual plant had to be created separately, which would make covering demon worlds in drug-producing plants a slow process, to say the least.
But it worked and he would continue to improve upon the design. Even if he never figured out how to get them to reproduce as well and it turned into yet another project that kept him confined to his lab, it would be worth it to eventually cripple the demonic armies of the Burning Legion.
XXXXX
"Should we do something?" Arko asked one day during breakfast. "He's been in his workshop ever since Luna told him about Jaina and Kalecgos."
Which, to be fair, was less than a full day. But when taking into account the time dilation in play…
"Would he truly be so upset about not getting to claim Jaina Proudmoore as a mate?" Aurastrasza asked dubiously.
"He did seem pretty set on having her." Jessir was unconvinced of her own words.
"To me it just looked like he was having fun chasing her." Colette shrugged.
They all looked towards Luna, who was sitting on the couch and cleaning out Sacrolash's hooves with a brush. The eredar's blissed out expression clearly showed her feelings. Nearby, Alythess was sitting and impatiently waiting for her turn.
"Hmm?" Luna questioned when she noticed them all staring at her. "What is it?"
"Do you think we should go get Harry out of his workshop?" Arko repeated herself "He's been in there for a long time."
"I suppose that he might have gotten caught up in his head again." the priestess of Elune allowed.
Before she could even consider getting up, Alythess plopped her hooves into her lap and pouted at her.
"Right, you're busy." The paladin sighed. "Come on, girls, let's go see what our man is up to."
They all stood up and walked through the tower, towards Harry's workshop. The door was more of a massive, rune-covered stone vault that in most circumstances none of them would dare touch, but they had been taught how to disable the temporal dilation.
It just wasn't something they would usually do because Harry got cranky if they interrupted his work for trivial reasons. The only reason they were doing so now was because he had looked distracted going in and had stayed inside a good bit longer than normal. At a guess, it must have been at least a month for him.
"Harry?" Arko called out once the vault door slid aside.
"In the Theory Room!" He called back.
They exchanged looks. The Theory Room was, as the name indicated, for contemplating new ideas and making calculations, which was not something he should have needed right now.
"Did you get a new ideaaaa – what in Elune's name is this?!" Jessir had started her question just as they turned to enter the Theory Room, only to trail off into incredulity once they actually entered and saw what was inside.
"Vengeance." Harry said darkly, glaring at the life-sized illusions of Jaina Proudmoore and Kalecgos. "I underestimated Jaina's cunning. I thought she would either give in or keep being fun to tease, but she turned the tables on me. By getting romantically entangled with a guy I actually get along with, I can't keep messing with her like I did before."
"This is extremely creepy, I hope you realize this." Colette commented drily, looking at some of the notes written on the whiteboard next to the illusions.
"It's only creepy if Jaina sees it." Harry dismissed. "Can I help you ladies with somethng?"
"We were getting concerned about how long you've been in here." Jessir deadpanned, looking at the whiteboard. "Apparently for good reason."
"Don't look at me like I've spent the whole month on this. Most of my time was spent making another batch of war materials."
"That you spent any time at all on this is disturbing." Arko backed up her friend.
"Nonsense. Jaina put me in the friendzone and as a friend it is my solemn duty to be the biggest pain in the ass I can possibly be. That will nicely contrast with my willingness to risk my life and kill people on her behalf." Harry reasoned.
"Is that really how friendships between humans work?" Aurastrasza asked dubiously.
"Only the good ones." Harry answered before Colette could. "You see, a friend will take you into his home or loan you money when you need it. A good friend, however, will find you already there after you took his money without asking and just shrug."
"In other words, good friends will steal from you and trespass in your home?" Colette's voice was very, very dry.
"There are three things a man must be able to trust another man with in order to be considered a truly good friend." Harry turned to face her, his eyes deadly serious. "His women, his money and his pride. If I can't trust a man with even one of these, then I can't trust him with anything of real importance."
"That is all quite fascinating, but what does it have to do with whatever you are plotting here?" Arko's voice held a sarcastic edge.
"Isn't it obvious? Kalecgos moved in on a woman that I was going to make mine. That makes him either a good friend or an enemy."
"I do not believe Kalecgos would simply 'take' the Lady Proudmoore." Aurastrasza pointed out. "He was always a very polite dragon and would defer to human courtship customs if he is truly interested in her. Since the lady in question was not yet claimed by you, your entire premise is flawed. We don't even know for a fact if he is courting her – that was just Luna's assumption."
"That is all the more reason for my plans." Harry countered. "First, I'm going to get Magni and Rhonin and we're going to get Kalecgos drunk out of his gourd."
Jessir suddenly grinned. "You're going to get the new Aspect of Magic drunk? Tell me more."
"I'm glad you asked! While that's happening, you girls are going to take Jaina and go do girl stuff while teasing her about her new man."
"What even is 'girl stuff' to you?" Arko interjected, frowning.
"Get pampered. Go to a spa, get your hair and nails done, get massages. The kind of stuff that lowers inhibitions. And don't forget the alcohol of course, that also lowers inhibitions."
"What is a spa?"Aurastrasza asked curiously
Harry turned his eyes skyward and took a deep breath. "I was so busy planning that I forgot which planet I'm on. I'm going to need to build an entire goddamn spa resort to pull this off or Jaina will never relax enough to actually have sex with someone."
"Wait, all of this was just to get Jaina in bed with someone?" Colette was very amused. "I thought you wanted her for yourself?"
"I mean, yeah, that would have been nice." He shrugged. "But have you seen how high strung that woman is? She needs to get laid yesterday and that silly dragon man is too careful about it. They need help."
Arko just stared at him for a long time before grabbing his hand. "Come on, you've clearly spent too much time in here already. You need a break."
"You think you can stop me? I used to be a sex god in a very literal fashion. It is my divine mandate to facilitate coitus."
"I'm not saying you should stop, just that you need some fresh air."
"Yeah, okay, fair enough."
XXXXX
Xal'atath was a dangerous weapon, a wriggly dagger that seemed to shift between organic and metallic and play tricks on the eyes of all who looked at it.
And that was nothing compared to what it did to any who dared try to wield it.
"Hello there." The spirit within whispered seductively.
"Huh, I did not expect that talking to you would feel like having a beautiful woman stick her tongue in my ear." Harry commented.
The dark spirit within the dagger chuckled. "If you give me a body to possess, I would gladly do so truly, instead of merely metaphorically."
"Oh, you know about that, do you?"
"I may be confined to this dagger, but I see much."
That was ominous.
"Unfortunately, I did promise Azshara that I would return you to her. That was a promise I made in good faith."
"Are you sure you want that? There are all sorts of secrets I might whisper in the dark. " She whispered huskily. "From the moment you first held me, I saw you. I saw all of you."
Uh oh. Harry did not at all like the sound of that. "Please don't tell me that means what I think it means."
"That is exactly what it means, my dear. Your soul was long ago touched by the Void. It speaks to me of your deeds… of your knowledge. What wonders you have seen beyond the edges of reality."
"Blackmail, is it?" Harry sighed. "It has been a long, long time since someone tried to blackmail me."
He'd known that touching Xal'atath would be a risk, which is why he'd put it off for so long. If it wasn't the only reliable way to actually kill the Old Gods without causing devastating harm to the planet, he wouldn't have touched it at all.
"It doesn't have to be anything so crude as blackmail." Xal'atath projected a nightmare grin into his thoughts, the face of an elven woman stretching literally from ear to ear. "I will happily aid you against your enemies."
"Not even trying to hide what kind of Devil's deal this is, huh?"
"You seemed to take such amusement in presenting people with bargains they couldn't refuse. I thought I would try it for myself. I must say that it is rather amusing."
"Just my luck that one of you Voidspawn would absorb enough mortal essence to develop true cunning." Harry grumbled.
"Seeing my kin fail repeatedly because they do not understand their enemies has certainly been a mix of frustrating and satisfying." Xal'atath chuckled. "So what do you say? Partners?"
"No, I don't trust you to keep your tentacles off me and mine." Harry denied. "Even if you can ape mortal intelligence, cunning and mannerisms, you are still beholden to your nature."
"True, I would try to penetrate any openings with my tentacles."
"You dare use my own innuendoes against me?"
"But you fed me such a straight line, how could I resist?"
"Indeed, how could you?" He sighed rhetorically. "Any association between us must be temporaaaaaawait a minute!" He suddenly exclaimed. "Is this one of Azshara's plots to get her hands on my knowledge of dimensional travel? She loaned you to me, knowing that you'd steal those secrets right out of my soul as soon as I touched you?"
"Indeed it is." Xal'atath sounded amused.
"That clever bitch, and she made me pay for the privilege, too." Harry cursed. He didn't think that Azshara would have expected him to make the request to borrow the Blade of the Black Empire, which meant that she had probably cooked up that plot on the spot. What a terrifying woman.
"Well, at least you realized it before it was too late." Xal'atath pointed out.
"Don't patronize me, I only realized it because you hinted at it with all the subtlety of a thrown brick." Harry grumbled. "You obviously want something else, or you would have just pretended not to know anything. Out with it, what do you want?"
"You already know. I want everything, all of Creation swallowed in darkness eternal."
"I respect your ambition, but that one is a bit beyond me."
"Come now, don't be obtuse just because you are upset at being had. The multiverse is vast and you will not live forever. Set me loose in a corner of it you do not care about. You will be long gone before I return." She chided.
Harry rubbed at his chin. It was true that, despite his forays into divinity, he was not immortal and did not wish to be. Xal'atath, for all her power, was not a fast actor. Even in the theoretical situation where she succeeded – and that was by no means a guarantee – it would take billions, if not trillions of years. Perhaps it would even take all of eternity. Their sense of time was very different.
And he very much did not care about what happened in places beyond his sight. Xal'atath could swallow uncountable civilization and innumerable souls, as long as it was someone else's problem.
"Say… if you learned all of my secrets, does that mean you also learned all of Azshara's?"
"Naturally. The arrogant queen does not think it will help you match her. After all, she is Azshara."
Harry snorted at the mocking tone. That sounded like Azshara alright, although she was probably right in thinking that he wouldn't be able to match her mastery over water.
"Then you will instruct me in the secrets of her spellcraft." He said.
"And how will you pay for this instruction?" Xal'atath asked 'innocently'.
"The same way I'm sure you would have made Azshara pay for my own secrets." Harry retorted snidely. "Stop playing coy and tell me what you want."
"I want a body of my own. This dagger is a quaint tool, but too limited. You can make something better."
"You think I would trust an abomination from the depths of the Void with that kind of free hand? How wonderfully mad of you."
"I would be willing to remain your weapon even in a new form." She offered casually.
"Except I already promised to return you to Azshara." Harry pointed out sarcastically, spotting the obvious loophole. "As soon as I did that, you would be free."
A disturbing, multi-tonal giggle echoed through his mind. "And you can't change your mind once you make such a decision. Poor Harry, so limited by his nature."
Yes, that was a weakness he never let anyone know about. He could either make a promise in good faith or in bad faith, but he couldn't change his mind after the fact. Divinity was annoyingly absolute like that. Luna had probably not even noticed, true to herself as she was, but he had.
"Breaking faith with Azshara would probably be a bad idea anyway." He grumbled.
"Perhaps." Xal'atath allowed, projecting the image of a demon's grin into his thoughts. "So, about that Devil's Deal…?"
"I would be more willing to contemplate it if I could be sure that you would hold up your end."
As a creature of the Void, oaths would not hold her.
"Would you accept a pinky swear?" She giggled again, projecting a pout.
"Hmmm…" Harry hummed, narrowing his eyes.
"Your thoughts begin to take an unpleasant shape…"
"That makes sense, this is an unpleasant situation."
"Hmph. I do not want the touch of that so-called 'goddess' upon me."
"Well tough cookies, because it's the only way I can think of to put some restrictions on you. Elune can be relied upon to keep her word. You, not so much."
In the infinite darkness of the Void, truth and lies were the same thing. Xal'atath could swear any oath and make any promise, but it would mean nothing. And he was inconveniently no longer capable of binding her himself.
"Then I will have you swear unto me an oath upon the Principle of Freedom that you will help send me to a world of my choosing, far from her reach." Xal'atath countered.
Harry grimaced. If he swore such an oath, then he would be thrice-bound to uphold it. One of his minor domains back on Planetos had been in oaths, and it was the cause of his inability to change his mind when he gave his word, whether in good faith or bad. To swear an oath upon the Principle of Freedom, however, was complete overkill. An oath like that would bind him with his own domain.
"Where the hell do you want to go that you'd ask for something like that?"
"This world of Necromunda that I see in your mind looks like a place of such wonderfully abundant misery."
"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Harry exploded incredulously. "I am not touching that universe!"
"Come now, it's not as dangerous as all that." She cajoled. "With the two of us working together, I could cocoon myself in a shell of shadow, and you could launch me through the primordial chaos. I would quietly slip into that universe with no sign of my origin. It would be completely safe."
"I knew you wanted me to act unwise the second you offered eldritch pussy, but this is on a whole other level." Harry mocked.
"I know you want to see what would happen if you sent me there."
"Yes, you see there's this thing us fleshbags have that gives us urges to do silly things like lick frozen metal poles and similar dumb shit. Fortunately, we also have the restraint to realize it's not a good idea, which I'm assuming you're having trouble reading from my soul."
"I'm going there with or without your help. Guess which is safer for both of us?"
"Unbelievable, I'm being blackmailed into helping an idiotic Voidspawn with no self-preservation instinct rush into almost guaranteed obliteration because she wants to get high on human misery."
"If I'm going to devour the multiverse then I'll have to go there eventually and I will get more out of it at the beginning." She argued reasonably. "You should be happy to send me there, since itincreases the odds of my destruction."
"I hate that you're making sense."
XXXXX
The Battle Harem was gathered, for Harry had called them together for an announcement.
"Ladies, I have a confession to make." Harry began solemnly. "I have been had. I was deceived, duped, bamboozled. Had the wool pulled over my eyes."
"By who… and when?" Jessir asked in confusion. "You've barely left the tower in a while."
That was true. For all that he was among the most powerful mages on Azeroth, he was far more useful churning out war materials for the Alliance and Horde to use against the Undead Scourge. And it got other people to do the work, that was also a plus.
"Azshara, who else?" He replied with a mocking tone aimed at himself. "I would never have trusted a gift from her, but I should have been more suspicious of loans as well."
"This is about that creepy dagger?" Arko instantly guessed. "I knew that thing was bad news."
"But we do still need it to kill the Yogg-Saron and C'thun." Colette said reasonably. "So, what is the issue with it?"
"Well, it turns out that the dagger is rather more alive than a dagger should be." He sighed. "Come on out."
What sauntered from the doorway made the girls freeze in shock.
Easily ten feet tall, the 'woman' was indisputably a monster. Lithe, athletic, curvaceous and sensual, her movements were naturally sinful. Her skin was pale, contrasted by slicked back hair as red as freshly spilled blood. The sclera of her eyes also glowed red, living visible trails of light whenever she moved, with the iris and pupil utterly black. Covering her form was a very minimalist shadowy leather corset that bled into red at the edges and supported a pair of huge breasts, but left a massive plunging 'neckline' that actually went down all the way to her waist. It left most of her back bare, but expanded across her shoulders into a shadowy mantle reminiscent of spider legs, again bleeding into red at the tips. Her arms and legs were likewise wrapped in the same shadowy skintight leather with red claws at the ends. The final touch was a half-skirt flaring around the back, made of living shadow.
At her waist, a familiar dagger was sheathed.
"Greetings." Xal'atath smiled, showing a perfect smile made menacing by a pair of long fangs. Her voice echoed supernaturally, sounding both through the air and within their minds.
There was a long moment of silence as the women processed the newcomer.
"Ooooh! That's why you wanted more moonsteel!" Luna exclaimed, leaning forward with bright eyes. "You made her bones out of it, right?"
"It was the only way I could think of to properly restrain her." Harry nodded.
"Why would you even make her... it… a body?!" Arko demanded in frustration, standing up and pacing.
"Oh, don't be mad at Harry." Xal'atath soothed, knowing full well that she was making it worse. "I blackmailed him into it."
"Yes, this bitch knew everything I knew as soon as I touched the dagger." Harry elaborated sourly. "Including my knowledge of fleshcrafting and dimensional travel. And if I didn't give her what she wanted, then she'd have bargained for it from Azshara. Granted, it might have taken Azshara years of work to master all the required disciplines, but she's got plenty of time."
"And this is somehow better?" Jessir raised an eyebrow.
"For you? Most assuredly." Xal'atath smiled. "This way, Harry was still able to leverage his knowledge for several agreements and conditions, things that would be out of his hands if I were to bargain with Azshara."
The two night elves had to concede that point.
"I must ask… what is with that outfit?" Colette inquired amusedly.
"Don't even get me started." Harry growled in aggravation. "Who'd figure that a Voidspawned abomination could be such a fucking diva? We spent almost more time getting her look right than on the actual contract and creation of her body. She liked what she saw from my memories of Adrastia and mixed it together with the story of Ungoliant."
"Ungoliant?" The three Azeroth natives questioned.
"I'll tell you later."
"In any case, it is a pleasure to meet you all." Xal'atath grinned again. "From this day onwards, I shall be your tutor in naga courtly etiquette. You may refer to me as 'Mistress'."
"WHAT?!"
"Yes, that's the carrot part of her negotiating strategy." Harry explained. "Just as she knows all of my secrets, she also knows all of Azshara's. We will be taking full advantage of this, naturally."
"I hate that it makes sense." Arko growled.
"I know, right?"
XXXXX
Sally Whitemane let out an exultant yell as Holy Light scoured the last mechagnome. It was a foe she was poorly matched against, but it was one of the enemies that the Bronzebeard Expedition was faced with.
The Argent Crusade had been baffled by her choice to join Brann Bronzebeard's archaeological pursuits. They all knew her hatred of the undead and expected her to be at the frontlines of the push against Icecrown.
Truth be told, that was exactly where she wanted to be, burning scored of undead to ashes. However, Harry had insisted that the exploration of the Storm Peaks was more immediately important. Grudgingly, she had lent her powers to the task. With Light's Wrath in hand, those powers were considerable indeed.
She still thought that he was a heretic and needed to be killed before he brought ruin upon Azeroth, but she could at least concede that he was an enemy of the Undead Scourge and the Burning Legion. He could be killed after they were dealt with.
Mostly, that was because of the plan he had told her about. The plan to destroy most of the remaining undead on Azeroth in a single fell swoop. The plan that she was to play a key role in… as long as she could master the furious power of Light's Wrath.
It had been all the motivation she needed, and eventually he had seen sense and given her the staff. The day when it could be used to fulfill its ultimate purpose drew ever closer.
"The path is clear!" The leader of the expedition, Brann Bronzebeard himself, said eagerly. "Let us press on!"
The dwarf was a formidable warrior and eminently likeable. That was why his expedition had members of both the Horde and Alliance in it, all working to uncover Azeroth's ancient secrets. Sally found it hard to resist the urge to burn the orcs in holy fire and knew that Light's Wrath would gleefully aid her in doing so, but she resisted.
Patience. Discipline. Dispensing righteous justice now would only aid the Scourge, and that was something she would never do. The Horde was a lower priority for the moment, even if they were the ones to blame for much of Azeroth's recent ills. Attacking them directly wouldn't help and harry was already plotting their demise.
Until it was time, she would heal them and use them as meat shields against the enemies of the Light.
The explorers and adventurers that Brann Bronzebeard had gathered around himself marched on through half-buried buildings bearing the distinctive style of the titans. They were all awed and excited, but none of it meant anything to Sally. She already knew what they would find on the other side of the vast chasm at the northernmost tip of Northrend.
All she felt was relief that this detour was over and she could go back to smiting undead in Icecrown. From here on out, this place would be Harry's problem. Still, she accepted a gryphon mount and joined Brann as he braved the frigid winds howling at them as if they were a living thing. At last they broke through and beheld a nearly pristine complex of buildings, covered in ice but still resplendent in the style of the titans.
"Ulduar…" The archaeologist breathed in awe.
"We should establish a forward base." Sally shouted at him over the winds. As soon as that was done, she was sending Harry a message and getting herself reassigned to Icecrown.
XXXXX
Word of Sally's success reached them in the middle of one of Xal'atath's lessons, so the whole family that was going to be having the dubious pleasure of being hosted by Azshara was present at the table, going over every possible faux pas they might make.
Harry unrolled the parchment and smiled. "It was about time."
"I guess that means our time together is drawing to a close?" The Void abomination pouted. "But I have so much more to teach you."
"Don't worry about it, I still plan to make full use of you." He replied.
He had already spent the equivalent of several years with her in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, learning as much of Azshara's spellcraft as he could. By the time the visit to Nazjatar came around, it would be years more.
"I'm just glad I get a chance to hit something again." Arko grumbled, picking at her high quality mooncloth dress. "If I ever had any doubt about where I belong in life, all these Elune damned 'practice dinners' have made it clear."
"You said it." Jessir was similarly disgruntled. "All this seafood is making me rethink Della's suggestion to go hunt down a deer and eat it raw."
"Truly, the ingratitude of the lower classes is boundless." Colette deliberately played up a noble lady's snobbishness.
"I wonder if we'll see anything cool in Ulduar?" Luna gushed excitedly, clearly having pushed aside all thought of table manners.
"We might." Harry allowed. "Archaedas couldn't tell me much, with Yogg-Saron and some of the titan's protections being otherworldly the Discs of Norgannon don't record them. There's bound to be some cool stuff there."
And he was going to plunder it blind.