A Savage Nature (Warcraft)

Truth be told, part of Rognak is more curious than anything else. Waking up to Maiev Shadowsong of all people standing over him and holding him at blade-curve was one thing. Fortunately, Rognak had been able to utilize the nature of Warsong Grove to revitalize himself as they’d talked, because initially he’d been too exhausted to do much of anything at all.
 
Still, eventually he’d been able to put their conversation on more even footing. At which point, he would have been well within his rights to take her down or even summon the other orcs in the grove to help him capture her. But he hadn’t… because part of him DID feel a little guilty still over Illidan’s death. And also… as previously stated, he was curious.
 
With Illidan gone, what did Maiev Shadowsong’s future even look like? He barely knew the woman in this life to be fair. She wasn’t anyone to him. But his second set of memories painted quite a grim picture. Her obsession with Illidan would have consumed her for a long, long time. It would have brought her to the brink, and it would have caused her no small amount of heartache and loss along the way.
 
Now though… that possible future was dust in the wind. All that Illidan Stormrage would have done was up in the air, and Rognak didn’t know what would come next. The Demon Hunter had been a pivotal figure in quite a few events both on Azeroth and off of it. But now not only would he not be around for those events, neither would the Illidari he would have gone onto create. The very concept of ‘Demon Hunter’ had not really managed to get off the ground.
 
Would another arise to take his place? Would Illidan himself be brought back at some point down the line by the forces that considered him the ‘Chosen One’? Seeing as he never consumed the Skull of Gul’dan to become more demon than Night Elf, Rognak wasn’t sure that Illidan would be so easy to resurrect as he remembered happening in his other life. But then again, who was to say what lengths certain beings would go to, in the end? What did Rognak really know besides just how much he simply did not know?
 
One thing is certain, however. He’s not going to let his so-called foreknowledge stop him from doing what he feels must be done. And he’s not ever going to treat this world like a video game. This is a real world he’s living in, and as a druid he feels that more keenly than most. The heartbeat of Azeroth is all around him in every aspect of Nature that he touches.
 
Still, it’s curiosity and guilt that have seen him come all the way out here, following Maiev away from the newly settled Orgrimmar after sending word via the Warsong Clan to the Warchief that he would be away for a few days. Whatever hunt Maiev had in mind for the two of them, he figured it wouldn’t take too long. Working together, they should be able to handle almost any baddie that landed on the Warden’s radar.
 
That said… he probably SHOULD ask for more information, since they were well on their way to their ultimate destination now, having left Orgrimmar behind and headed north into region known as Azshara.
 
“Warden Shadowsong.”
 
For a moment, Maiev doesn’t respond. Whether she’s being petty or just lost in her own thoughts, Rognak doesn’t know. But her head does twitch, so he waits patiently until at long last she fully looks in his direction, though she keeps her Nightsaber moving.
 
“Yes?”
 
Sitting astride his own mount, a Gray Wolf he’d procured from Kennel Master Ogunaro Wolfrunner on their way out of the city, Rognak inclines his head.
 
“I wished to inquire exactly who or what we’re hunting. Seems like if I’m going to be helping you with this, I should know some details.”
 
Maiev grunts noncommittally at first and silence reigns between them for another handful of moments before finally, she speaks. Rognak can’t help but be a little amused by her clipped tone and no-nonsense attitude.
 
“The seaport town of Nendis sent out a call for aid a moon back. Apparently, they’re finding themselves beset by serpentine creatures coming from the water that are attacking their fishing boats and kidnapping their fishermen. It is said that these creatures are controlled by a Sea Witch. SHE is our target. Deal with her and the rest will likely scatter. Nendis will be saved.”
 
Rognak grunts at that. Then he actually turns Maiev’s words over in his head. Nendis alone had sounded familiar, but when he pairs it with the talk of serpentine sea creatures and a Sea Witch… is Maiev talking about the Naga? But… that doesn’t make any sense. Baroness Vashj and her Naga only showed up because they were answering Illidan’s call, right? With the Demon Hunter dead, why would they be attacking dry land now? And wasn’t it far too early for all of that anyways?
 
He needs more information, but before he can get it, Maiev suddenly stiffens in her saddle.
 
“Smoke on the horizon. And… sounds of battle.”

Twisting in the direction her long ears are twitching towards, Rognak sees the smoke she’s talking about coming over a nearby ridge of the notoriously hilly and mountainous Azshara. Then, listening carefully to the wind, he hears the same sounds of battle that Maiev had mentioned.
 
Gritting her teeth, the Warden grabs hold of her reins.
 
“We must make haste. I sent some of my Watchers ahead to secure the town before our arrival, but it would seem that their presence might have provoked a full scale attack!”
 
And with that, the Warden is off, her Nightsaber darting through the trees. Rognak grunts and grabs his Wolf’s reins as well, and they’re soon moving just as fast after her and her mount. He probably could have kept pace in one of his own animal forms, but that would be an insult to the Kennel Master and the mount he’d entrusted him with.
 
Still, once they actually make it down a small path from the ridge to the shore, finding the town of Nendis under significant attack from the very Naga that Rognak had been wondering about, he wastes no time in dismounting from the back of his Wolf and drawing his axe. As Maiev leaps from her saddle as well, it’s only a moment later that another Warden runs up to them.
 
“Maiev!”
 
“Naisha, what is the situation here?!”
 
“We arrived in force, intending to secure the town as you ordered… but no sooner had we come then they attacked! They call themselves Naga and I have managed to identify the Sea Witch that the reports spoke of. But she’s not our biggest problem, Maiev. There’s a Demon Lord among them. Fat and grotesque, he’s commanding the lot like they’re his slaves. We believe he has them under some form of mind control.”
 
Maiev rears back at that information.
 
“A demon? Then the situation is more dire than I thought! Come, we must put an end to this madness at once. This is the orc I spoke to you about. He will assist us in the coming battle, to atone for his role in freeing the Betrayer.”
 
Naisha’s head swivels to look in Rognak’s direction, but truth be told he’s not in the mood for introductions at the moment. All he can manage is a faint nod as he struggles to wrap his head around what she just told Maiev. The Naga WERE here, and it sounded like they might even be commanded by Baroness Vashj. But… what was this talk of a Demon Lord?! That shouldn’t be possible, all the major players from the Burning Legion’s invasion of Kalimdor had been killed at this point, Rognak was pretty sure!
 
As Maiev and Naisha rush into town, Rognak is close on their heels, desperate for answers. Of course, you know what they say. Be careful what you wish for. He gets his answers rapidly enough as the demon in question comes into view. The citizenry of Nendis is trying to run, even as the small force of Watchers that Maiev had sent to the seaport town struggle to fight off the Naga Invaders. Meanwhile, the so-called Demon Lord laughs from where he stands in the back, a distinctive Naga Sea Witch by his side, her hands raised over her head to channel a lightning storm that is further harassing and harrying the outnumbered Watchers.
 
“Bahahaha! Yes! Take as many alive for questioning as you can! Kill the rest! Bahaha! Flee mortals! Flee if you can! For I, Detheroc, have come to your shores! Bahahaha!”
 
The Demon Lord in question is actually a dreadlord… the fattest, most grotesque dreadlord that Rognak has ever laid eyes on, as a matter of fact. Seriously, how does a Nathrezim even get that fat? And yet… his name is familiar. But it doesn’t make sense.
 
Detheroc should have been on the other side of the world, back in Lordaeron with his brothers, Balnazzar and Varimathras. He shouldn’t have even known about Archimonde’s defeat yet, so why the hell was he here, in this place?
 
Unfortunately, answers would have to wait. There was a battle going on, and the Night Elf Defenders were in great need of some relief. With that thought, Rognak steps forward and thrusts out his weapon-free hand. From the ground, pulling themselves out of the beach in a tangle of driftwood and roots located deep beneath the gray sand come a dozen treants, their mouths stretching open and their branches like claws as they assail the Naga Attackers and support the Watchers trying to defend the people of Nendis.
 
Immediately, Detheroc’s belly-laughing cuts off as the overweight demon scowls furiously.
 
“What?! What is this? Druid! There’s a druid! Find the druid and kill it, you incompetent snakes!”
 
The response to Detheroc’s order is telling and Rognak thinks that Naisha might be right. These Naga do not willingly serve the dreadlord. He’s put them under some sort of spell, a compulsion of sorts. Maiev seems to agree, because after she sees his treants bolstering their defenses, she immediately turns to Naisha.
 
“Circle around. Look for an opportunity. You’ll know it when you see it.”
 
“Yes, Maiev. It will be done.”
 
With that, Naisha all but vanishes from view. Sneaky one, that. Rognak doesn’t try to follow just where it is she goes. He’s focused on the battle at hand and so is Maiev as they both begin moving forward, wading into the fight. With Wolfsong held aloft, Rognak has no issue going toe to toe with any Naga Myrmidon who thinks they can take him.
 
Of course, no sooner has he put himself in the midst of the fray when suddenly…
 
“HOLD! That’s not just a druid… that’s an ORC! Him! Bring him to me alive! I must know what he knows! I must know where to find Rognak of the Warsong Clan!”
 
In an instant, all of the focus is on him. Rognak grits his teeth, not at all liking the sound of his name coming from the grotesque demon lord’s mouth. Still, with the mind controlled Naga all turning their attention his way, it does make it much easier for him to go ahead and stomp the beach with all his might, sending up a wave of entangling roots that grasp and constrict the more than a dozen Myrmidons all trying to suddenly reach him at once.
 
This, unfortunately, prompts another response from Detheroc. Suddenly, the dreadlord raises a hand and calls a halt.
 
“Wait!”
 
The battle comes to an abrupt standstill, as the compelled naga pull back, giving the beleaguered Watchers a chance to regroup and further evacuate the civilians of Nendis behind their lines. But it’s not the common Naga that were truly giving them trouble. It was the mind controlled Baroness Vashj and her lightning storm.
 
Now though, the Sea Witch stands there, having stopped her channeling, swaying gently from side to side beside her demonic master. Said demonic master scratches at his jowls as he grins wickedly.
 
“That much power… YOU are the Warsong Chieftain, aren’t you orc?! Tell me! Tell me what I wish to know and perhaps I shall spare you and your allies! Refuse and I will wipe this pathetic town off the map!”
 
Sharing a glance with Maiev, Rognak cautiously steps forward. Honestly, as much as he might want to deny the demon lord… this was too good a chance for him to get some answers of his own.
 
“What do you want to know, exactly?”
 
Detheroc’s wicked grin widens, perceiving this as Rognak all but capitulating to his demands already.
 
“Yesss… you hero types are always so willing to sacrifice for the innocents. Ahahaha…”
 
A minor memory from his previous life comes to mind. Something he’d read once upon a time. Or maybe heard? It was a description of Detheroc by the ‘game designers’ of this world. They’d called him… oafish. Standing before him now, Rognak had to admit, the gluttonous dreadlord was a tad ridiculous. Which was strange, because if he remembered correctly, this was the Nathrezim that eventually went on to infiltrate the human spy organization known as SI:7. Odd, to say the least.
 
Finally getting over his gloating, Detheroc reaches towards Rognak.
 
“Tell me! Tell me where the shards of the Runeblade known as Frostmourne are being kept. I must know their location, immediately!”
 
Rognak rocks back on his heels, once again left reeling by the dreadlord’s request. That was why Detheroc was here? He wanted Frostmourne? But… why? What even was this? No, Rognak knew what this was. This was the consequences of his own actions coming back to bite him in the ass. But he could contemplate what the fuck he’d changed later. For now…
 
“I cannot give you that information. Only one being knows where they are hidden.”
 
He’s not about to rat Cenarius out though, of course. But unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that he has to.
 
“Ah… the Lord of the Forest is who I must find then, hm? Heh, very well. I suppose I have no use for any of you then, do I? Do you like my Naga Pets? Recognize any of them, perhaps? Maybe you all can reminisce as they slay you for me.”
 
Those last couple sentences are definitely directed at the Night Elves rather than Rognak. But he doesn’t think most of them know what the Naga are or what happened to them at the bottom of the ocean after the Great Sundering. Nor does it seem to matter to someone like Maiev Shadowsong, who steps forward with a scoff, her Umbra Crescent in her grasp.
 
“There’s only one problem with that, Demon.”
 
Detheroc’s eyes narrow and he leans towards her, grinning a truly terrible grin.
 
“Oh? And what’s that?”
 
Rognak can hear the smirk in Maiev’s voice as she rolls her shoulders, preparing for battle.
 
“Your method of compulsion is too heavy-handed. In robbing these monstrous creatures of their free will… you’ve left them all too open.”
 
Before Detheroc can respond, Naisha strikes from the shadows… and relieves Baroness Vashj of her head in one fell swoop. Rognak’s eyes widen right alongside the dreadlord’s as this happens. Vashj was… a major player in both current and future events. Not as major as Illidan, but even still… for her to die here was shocking.
 
And yet, Maiev was right. Under Detheroc’s control, Vashj had been reduced to little more than an automaton. No doubt the oafish dreadlord had not been able to utilize any subtler methods due to the Sea Witch’s power, but in making her into little more than his puppet, he had robbed her of her ability to defend herself from attack. And he’d been so distracted by Rognak and Maiev that he hadn’t noticed Naisha sneaking up until it was much too late.
 
The Warden in question dances back as Detheroc howls in rage, and with her killing of Vashj as the signal, the rest of the Watcher Forces scramble to capitalize, attacking the Naga Sirens and Myrmidons who remain. Without Vashj’s lightning storm overhead providing air support to her forces, the battle is much more even, though still not completely decided.
 
However, as Rognak begins fighting his way towards where Detheroc stands, Wolfsong in his hands and glowing bright with purpose… the over-sized dreadlord takes one look at the situation… and falls back into full retreat. Rognak roars and tries to give chase, but he can’t quite reach the Nathrezim fast enough to stop Detheroc from getting away.
 
After his cowardly departure, the battle becomes more of a formality, though every single Naga has to be slain before it’s finally over. There is no surrender, no capture. The mind controlled creatures fight until they’re dead.
 
Afterwards, Rognak is left panting heavily, splattered with the blood of over a dozen of the serpentine creatures. And yet… it’s not the Naga he’s concerned about. Turning back to find Maiev and Naisha sharing a surprisingly tender moment, with full on hands on each other’s necks and helmets touching helmets, Rognak blinks for a moment… before focusing on the matter at hand.
 
“Warden Shadowsong. News of this dreadlord’s intentions needs to be brought to Cenarius immediately.”
 
Pulling away from Naisha, Maiev takes in the scene around them. Nendis still stands, but barely. And the absence of the dreadlord’s remains puts the situation in stark perspective. After a moment, she nods.
 
“You are correct, orc. Lord Cenarius must be informed. This… Detheroc could strike any time at any moment. The Watchers will accompany you to Moonglade to speak with Lord Cenarius post-haste.”
 
Rognak feels a small sense of relief hit him at Maiev’s easy agreement. That’s one hurdle crossed. Now he just has to make it across the next hundred.
 
He’d known that Arthas’ death and the destruction of Frostmourne would have consequences. How could it not? But Detheroc’s presence was throwing him for a loop. They had to get to the bottom of this or else Rognak didn’t know what might happen. Azeroth was a world constantly beset by apocalypse after all. If it wasn’t one thing, it was always something else.
 
… Hopefully Cenarius would know what to do.

-x-X-x-

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