"Please! Mercy!"
It was such a pity when someone's last words were those. She made a face of contempt, and placed the tip of her spear at her victim's neck.
"Really? You know I won't spare your life. Why don't you say something else? I don't know, something more... inspiring."
"You are insane! You will never break the cult!"
"Oh, a challenge! That's way better", she approved while pushing her weapon through the cultist's throat. She saw how the night elve's eyes swelled, how he gurgled with blood, how his life escaped his body.
"Sarah, they are fleeing further into the crater!", one of her followers said to her back.
"Let them run, Laya. Nothing good awaits for them in the jungle", the woman responded with a triumphant smirk.
Her allies approached her while executing the wounded, securing every kill. No member of the Twilight's Hammer could be spared, for their mission was to cover Azeroth under a veil of darkness. And Sarah Titanlight couldn't allow such a horror. She had trained at Northshire Abbey, following the Church of the Holy Light teachings, reading the preachings of the glorious Alonsus Faol, learning the ways of Uther the Lightbringer. She had listened to what every notable Paladin and Priest had to say, from those at Stormwind to those at Stratholme. But eventually, she had found her own way: she had discovered the Light of the Titans, and she had become one with it. Thus, she had trained to harness this power and share it with others... but few had really listened to her.
Laya Sunlight was one of them. She worshiped her beloved Sunwell, be she wasn't quite fond of the Naaru. Unlike others, she didn't think those mysterious creatures were peaceful entities nor embodiments of the Light. They could become twisted servants of the Void; the Light was pure and miraculous, none of its true followers could even think of diverting from its pious path. Laya had actively hunted Shadow Priests as a clandestine activity, until Sarah found her and put an end to such crimes. The human agreed with the blood elf, but Titanlight convinced her new friend that killing the servants wouldn't stop the Void. They would have to find a way to finish the shadows once and for all.
Among the night elves, Sarah had found another strong ally, a Priestess called Elendi Moonlight. She believed her people were heading the wrong way, focused on druidism and the primal gods. Elendi was only willing to listen to Elune, the moon goddess, who shined bright with the Light and guided the mortal races through the darkest nights. Sarah met her while searching for every available knowledge of the Light, and they quickly understood each other.
The last one to join them was Milla Starlight, a nightborne who was thrilled to finally leave Suramar. She was amazed by the power of the Light, how quick and effective it was when it came to vanquish the demons. She spent hours watching Priests and Paladins, studying their moves, learning their ways, and eventually became convinced that the Light could replace and heal her mana addiction. It was Sarah who caught Milla's interest, and the nightborne was finally able to harness the Light in a way her people could only dream of.
They became really close to each other. With Sarah showing them the Light of the Titans ways, they created a sisterhood dedicated to discover the strongest and greatest secrets of this path. They had set aside any faction differences, united under the Light, spending hours discussing their future.
Eventually, it was Milla's curious and keen mind what had given them the ultimate quest. Altogether with Elendi, they came upon an interesting theory. During the Legion invasion, a Titan relic known as The Tears of Elune was found, and it was supposed to be one of the ancient Pillars of Creation. Curiously enough, the other Pillars bore Titan names: the Tidestone of Golganneth, the Hammer of Khaz'goroth, the Aegis of Aggramar and the Eye of Aman'Thul. And Elune herself wasn't supposed to be a Titan... unless, of course, she actually was. None of the Pantheon members represented the mighty force that was the Light, while the Arcane, the Elements and Nature had their own Titans. There was even a Fel Titan, the unholy Sargeras.
Because of this, the Light Sisters started studying the Tears of Elune with great zeal, searching for clues and answers. They didn't know how to contact the moon goddess, and all they wanted to do was to reach her. If she was indeed the Light Titan, then she would be the true Guardian of Azeroth. All those centuries, it was no other than Elune who had kept the world safe, and the Sisters were utterly convinced of this.
They even found a few studies belonging to the very same Khadgar, one of the most powerful Mages to ever exist. He speculated that Elune created the first naaru, and only a Titan would be powerful enough to forge such powerful entities. Yes, they proved to be flawed and prone to fall into the shadows, but no one could blame Elune for her children's weakness.
Searching through Khadgar's studies, Sarah had found Archmage Wilas, who had the utmost interest in their theories about the moon goddess. The man told them he actually believed in what they had to say; he also thought that Elune was the responsible for Azeroth's safety, and after what Sargeras had done to other world-souls, it made sense that a Titan would be designated to protect a younger, vulnerable one.
Eventually, the Light Sisters were invited into the secretive Titanguard. Especially because they had told Wilas that the powers of Elune, as a Light Titan, were directly opposed to the Void and the Old Gods. For this, her blessing could prove to be vital in reverting the Curse of Flesh, one of the Archmage's main purposes. But first, Sarah and her allies would have to prove all their theories.
Their research had led them to Un'goro Crater, one of the Titan's cradles of life, where they had spotted several posts of the infamous Twilight's Hammer. The cult served the Old Gods, and the Light Sisters nor the Titanguard could allow them to thrive. It seemed some of the cultists had managed to escape from Silithus right before Sargeras impaled the world, but Sarah wasn't willing to let them live any longer.
"Let's rest for now. See if you find something useful in this camp", Titanlight commanded. "With any luck, we will get some useful supplies."
"And, what? Eat the cultists' food? Are you serious?", Elendi asked with disgust in her voice. "I say we burn everything. It's tainted with the stench of these void-lovers."
"I have to say I agree with her, Sarah", Laya uttered, while Milla nodded behind her.
"Fine. It's highly impractical, but let's do it", the human accepted. "Just don't burn everything at once. Search for clues, information, anything that seems useful."
Even though she knew that the cultists weren't fond of the Legion, she suspected they may have some knowledge about the Dark Titan's sword. The Twilight's Hammer had used Silithus as a hiding place for years, constantly at war with the Cenarion Circle. Affiliated with the Qiraji, servants of the Old Gods, they made the region one of the most dangerous places in all of Azeroth. Without one of their main strongholds, Sarah suspected that the Cult had began to move around, searching ways for regain their strength. And even though the great Dark Sword was drained of its power, it was still the greatest titanforged object in the world. Not even the Twilight's Hammer could ignore such artifact.
Not to mention the azerite. Horde and Alliance were already at each other's throats, trying to control the mineral supply lines. But it was obvious they wouldn't be the only ones interested in the magnificent Blood of the Planet. Sarah knew that, if the Cult learned how to master the azerite, they would try to corrupt it. And if the mineral was Azeroth's blood, corrupting it would only mean a faster way to turn the world-soul into a servant of the Void Lords. She couldn't allow it.
She entered a small tent and saw a wooden chest. Nothing fancy, just a medium box with no decorations. It was locked, but Sarah didn't have the patience to look for a key. She infused a dagger in Light and melted the lock, forcing the coffer open. It seemed it was just for personal belongings: a handful of linen drapes, some tools, a bone necklace, and a couple of pieces of papers, written in...
"Orcish!", she whispered, and immediately torn the letters in half.
Of all the things Wilas was used to saying, orcs being an illness in the world was one the truest. Polluters was the most correct word to describe them. Just like those draenei, who worshiped the weak naaru and were shameful enough to suggest that Elune was in fact a naaru. Sacrilege! Sarah felt outraged every time she remembered such insolence.
Fortunately for the Titanguard, many of the Stormwind nobility secretly agreed with Wilas. The Archmage had managed to gather influence and coin to fund his research among the nobles. Although, who wouldn't agree with the Mage?
Those who were bound by honor and cared for the draenei should be helping them to get back home. Argus had been freed from the Legion's control, right? And, what about Alternate Draenor? Wasn't good enough for the orcs to return to where they came from? However, in spite of all the logical arguments, convincing the azerothians to vanish orcs and draenei from the world would take time, and Wilas was well aware of this.
The problem was, of course, politics. The Alliance couldn't expel the draenei too soon without risking those naaru lovers to join the Horde. And, of course, the Horde was nothing without the orcs, so the only way of getting rid of the greenskins would be by actually dismantling said faction. The Titanguard had a few thoughts towards the solution of the conflict.
The most popular idea was to support the Alliance for a while, long enough to turn the tides of battle and speed up the destruction of the Horde. After that, the only concern would be the draenei, and Wilas knew it would be simple to plant the seeds of hatred towards the intruders.
Another solution was to undermine the bonds the orcs had with their allies; the tauren, trolls, goblins and blood elves would have to be convinced that supporting the polluters was only harming them. The goblins were the easier to convince: all they needed to understand is that aiding the Horde was a waste of money.
Of course, the best plan was to do both. It was harder, but Sarah was determined to try. She honestly thought blood elves should return to the Alliance, and bring the Nightborne with them. Titanlight hated the newly formed Void Elves, though, and she thought they had to be eliminated as much as orcs and draenei. Wilas didn't agree with her, but she only saw more polluters and cursed in them. Who would be insane enough to willingly accept the Void? Oh, yes, the mad men of the Twilight's Hammer. Sarah would never trust the Void Elves.
"Girls! Take a look at this!", Milla yelled. "Sarah was right!"
"What is it?", the human asked when she got near her friend.
"See by yourself", the nightborne answered with excitement.
"Research notes...", Titanlight mumbled. "About the Sword!"
"Read them!", Elendi asked, sharing Milla's joy.
"Let's see... It seems to be anonymous... I was shocked when I saw the Dark Titan in the sky. I didn't only think it was our end, but I also thought that our masters would suffer a huge defeat if Azeroth was destroyed. Fortunately, something stopped Sargeras just in time, and his blow only managed to wound the world. Oh, blah blah blah, more nonsense about what happened", Sarah rolled her eyes.
"Keep going. There's something about the sword itself that it may be of your interest", the Starlight explained.
"Fine... err... here. I have managed to elude Horde and Alliance to get a sample of the Sword. I didn't have time to get some azerite, but I suspect we'll be seeing more of this wonderful mineral around the world. I ran some tests on the Sword shard, and its made of an unknown metal. The goblins haven't realized they could mine it and create new weapons; they all think that the Sword has been drained of its power, but the material is incredibly strong. It managed to store the power of Sargeras himself! I have been able to store several spells and enchantments within the small shard. It's wonderful! The Cult must win back its former stronghold. If we could harvest the Sword AND the Azerite, we would be unstoppable. Not to mention that removing the Dark Titan's weapon would open a direct way to the World's core, an access we could use to fasten Azeroth's corruption. I hope that sharing my discoveries with Taldurin and Beort wasn't a bad decision... but these are difficult times, and the Cult has no place for ego and vanity. I'm certainly not telling Margelyn... that pesky goblin would sell all the information to either the Horde or the Alliance if she had the chance!"
"So? What do you think!", Milla questioned with her beautiful perfect smile.
"There was no goblin among those we killed...", Sarah answered with a pensive look. "What I think, is that we must find pesky Margelyn to have a nice talk with her."
* * * * *
Laya was really skilful when it came to hunting people down. She was the best fighter in the sisterhood, surpassing even Sarah herself. The blood elf returned with a triumphant face, with a small creature moving desperately inside a linen sack. Elendi and Milla were already burning the third camp they had assaulted, while Sarah was securing the prisoners they had captured at the second one. Sunlight tossed the sack at the human's feet, and a loud ouch followed.
"Here she is", she announced with a chant. The cloth bag stirred constantly, with screams and moans coming out of it.
"Perfect. Let us see if the birds sing now."
Sarah opened the bag with a swift cut. The first thing the frightened goblin encountered when she got out was the tip of Titanlight's spear.
"Hello, Margelyn, we have much to talk about."
"How... how do you know my name?"
"Oh, a lucky guess I think. Please, join your friends", Sarah added while pointing at the gagged and tied prisoners, an old man and a rotting forsaken woman. "Do you know them?"
"I don't know! I don't know every member of the cult!"
"Calm down, Marge. We think you aren't like them. You seem like a person we could make business with", Titanlight said with a friendly tone.
"What do you take me for? Do you think because I'm a goblin you can toss money in my face and I'll help you? I am not a simple mercenary!"
"Oh, no! I would never try to bribe you, dear. I just believe that goblins have a natural talent to understand how a deal works", then she nodded, without losing eye contact with Margelyn.
Immediately after, Elendi and Milla executed the prisoners. The goblin widely opened her eyes, screaming with terror.
"Now, I'll pay you with your life, and you'll give me what I want."
"You are monsters! Who are you! What do you want?!"
"Answers", Sarah answered, and she proceeded to explain what they had learned in the journal.
Margelyn listened carefully, clearly upset by Titanlight's words. It seemed it was the first time she ever heard of anything the human was saying. Still, Sarah didn't care about it; she wouldn't spare the goblin's life anyway, so who cared what kind of secrets she spoke about.
"I... don't know what you want me to tell you. You said it yourself, they didn't want to tell me anything", the cultist finally said, halfway concerned for her life, halfway furious for what she had heard.
"Oh, don't worry, you can still be useful. I want to find these Taldurin and Beort."
"Those two... Taldurin is a tight blood elf and Beort is a fat, nasty dwarf. None of them was here so you may still be able to find them. Unless you killed them already."
"We didn't kill any elf", Elendi told Sarah. "We did take a fat dwarf down, though."
"Did he have red hair and a short beard?"
"I honestly don't remember", the night elf answered.
"Well, I don't think it was him anyway. I see what you do with our camps, and you would've found several useful things if it would've been him. He had a chest full of relics and rare reagents", the goblin explained with greed in her look.
"Fine, then we are looking for a fat dwarf with red hair and a taste for weird stuff", Titanlight summed up. "What about the elf?"
"She's a figure of authority. A Mage or a Warlock, I don't really know, but she is a skilled spellcaster. She has long black hair and she carries a flamboyant magic staff... oh, how I hate her...", the goblin made a pause to spit on the ground. "That journal you found, it must have belonged to Reagast, a nasty undead obsessed with Sargeras. He always said we had to prepare for the Dark Titan's arrival, so we could protect our Lords. He's the only one who was crazy enough to infiltrate the mining site and approach the Sword. I'm so glad you killed him."
"You don't seem to like your peers", Sarah laughed.
"How could I? They never respected me! I was the one who spotted Sargeras in the sky in the first place! Most of the cultists survived thanks to me! But, oh no, they only had words to tell Reagast how right he was..."
"Well, he was right indeed", Titanlight taunted Margelyn, taking advantage of her impulsiveness. The cultist was already upset because of the undead's journal, without realizing she was saying too much already.
"Everyone knew Sargeras was coming!"
"Then you didn't save them at all..."
"Oh right, because all Azeroth knew the Dark Titan would pierce Silithus", the goblin said with sarcasm.
"You tell me, Marge, it seems the Twilight's Hammer is fascinated with the Sword... Almost as if you were happy Sargeras attacked this place among all others.
"We aren't stupid, human. We are well aware that the Demon lord's failure is the best thing that could've happened to the Void Lords. In his eagerness to destroy Azeroth, Sargeras has helped the Old Gods by weakening the World!"
"Azeroth is strong, little goblin, and we will save her!", Milla exclaimed, with a hint of annoyance in her voice. Sarah raised a hand to shush her.
"Don't be an idiot, elf! This World is long beyond redemption already. There are so many wounds to close now... the Maelstrom, the Shattering, the Cataclysm, and now this. And your precious Horde and Alliance made sure that every single Titan device to restore Azeroth was destroyed or disabled. Ironic, isn't it? All those efforts to save yourselves from annihilation only brought your doom!"
"Yes, ironic indeed", Titanlight agreed, and run her spear through the cultist heart without warning.
"Sarah! Why?", Elendi reprimanded her.
"She was no longer useful to us. She said everything there was to say. It's clear what we must do now", the human turned to meet her sisters face to face. "Let's find the rest of the cult first. I think we have questions for Taldurin and Beort."
"And then?", Laya asked.
"Then... we gather the Titanguard and head to either Uldum or Ulduar. If we want to save our world, our only choice is to fix the Titan devices that were meant to reset Azeroth. I must say, I fear only a true Titan is capable of fixing them...", she made a pause and looked to the sky, as the nightfall advanced and the moons began to shine. "My sisters, we truly need Elune to be a Titan, and now more than ever we must reach her."