Ancient Enemies

*Ashenvale, minor Legion incursion point*

The portal tore a hole in space, fel magics flickering around its exterior circumference as it disgorged the Eredar sorcerer that had opened it. The creature, known as Kornaar, stepped across the charred ground that his magic had devastated and took in his surroundings. He was standing in a small clearing within the mighty forests of Ashenvale, the scene almost disgustingly serene if not for the damage the fel powers unleashed in the region had caused. Kornaar was no fool, and had sent many demons ahead of him prior to his arrival to secure the area. There would be no living thing within a quarter mile of his location, giving him ample time to complete his objective.

He tilted his head, his fel-flame eyes closing as he used other senses to feel out his surroundings. A faint pulse of magic immediately drew his attention, and he began walking eastward away from where his portal had opened. The source of the magic was less than one hundred feet ahead of him, its siren call having caught his attention from another point on Azeroth as the Legion made its advances across all the lands. It had almost been calling his name, the magic within it almost as strong as a summoning spell.

It was a power he'd not felt in many thousands of years; ancient magic employed by those who were once known as the Highborne. His eyes scanned over the surroundings, noting a few broken bits of stone beneath the fallen leaves of the forest. With a grin he knelt down, brushing away centuries of brush and undergrowth to expose the source of the magic. Before him was a perfect stone carving of a rose, the petals glowing slightly with the power that pulsed within. Used by the Highborne as a communication network, he'd long ago figured out the inner workings of such devices and stolen their power. They had also been useful in rooting out those elves who had not so willingly followed their Queen's orders during the Legion's first invasion into Azeroth.

He had not felt one of the artifacts activated in thousands of years. It was curious as to why this one would be active now, particularly when the Legion was rampaging across Azeroth. Perhaps it had activated as a result of the latent magic within it and the sudden influx of demonic energy, but regardless of the reason, it would be his to claim and use to root out even more elves in the present day and age.

As he reached out and was about to touch the object, he heard a shuffling sound in the forest behind him. He rose quickly, whirling towards the source of the sound in alarm; there should be no living thing anywhere near this location! His minions had failed him!

A night elf gracefully slipped from the edge of the forest, her long silver hair almost sparkling in the dim moonlight, her beauty marred only by a scar beneath her right eye. She walked with confidence into the clearing, her gait that of a person taking their time. When she was fully in the clearing she stopped, her hands held out at her sides and her gaze meeting Kornaar's. Her long purple robes fluttered slightly in the breeze passing through the forest, magical sigils flickering on the fabric. For a long moment, demon and Highborne simply stared at one another, no sound passing between them.

"You've come a long way to die, elf!" Kornaar growled finally, unable to remain quiet any longer. "Your soul will be a sweet prize in addition to the artifact."

Biara Spellfury smiled, the wicked look exposing her fangs. When she replied, her tone was filled with malice that set even the demon on edge, her words chilling, "I'm glad you heard the call of my trap. Let us begin then."

Kornaar opened his mouth to respond, but Biara was faster, her hands coming up and magics crackling across her fingertips. The earth around Kornaar exploded as arcane energies were unleashed upon him. Being an Eredar, he was not exactly unprepared although the suddenness of the assault left him reeling and the shockwave of the blast caused him to stumble. Biara immediately followed up with a second attack, her magic coming from her not in chants, but in a dirge that sung of deadly power. Another explosion rocked the ground, and Kornaar found himself struggling to retain his defensive wards.

The demon acted swiftly, his own magic coming to bear and a bolt of felflame hurtling across the space between him and the Highborne. Biara's magic met it mid-way, arcane missiles slamming into felfire and causing a massive explosion that charred the clearing clean of vegetation between them, leaving both staggering and blinking their eyes from the brightness.

Biara's face was set in grim concentration, her magic coming to her hands again. She began another spell, singing the words in the way she used to cast magic long ago, empowering her spell with energies only a Highborne would know how to conjure. Kornaar realized he had finally met a foe that might be actually dangerous enough to kill him, and he resolved to end the fight quickly. He spoke a word of power, his body appearing to burn to ash in mid stride before Biara's startled gaze.

Instantly he reappeared across the clearing, his trick having put him behind Biara. Realizing that he'd moved, she whirled around, but Kornaar was faster, one of his powerful arms coming up and backhanding her across the face, setting her flying away from him. He growled in delight as she was hurtled away, blinking once as some strange magical energy flickered across her body before she hit the ground. He stalked her across the clearing, watching in amusement as she attempted to back away from him from her position on the ground.

"For thousands of years your kind has had the chance to learn enough about our power and this is the best you can do? This is your great struggle?" Kornaar grinned as he leaned over the cowering Highborne. He drew a dagger from his belt, bending down to stare her in the face as he spoke the last words she would ever hear, "How pathetic you are. Maybe when I tear your soul from your body it will be of more use than your current form, elf. Weakness is to be punished."

With that he jammed his dagger down, the magic in it thirsty to drink in the soul of the elf that was foolish enough to challenge him. The blade plunged down into her belly, and then through her belly and into the ground beneath her. For a moment in time, the elf looked up at him, a smiling playing across her lips as she faded away into nothingness, the illusion having been snapped by the blade now buried in the ground.

Kornaar jerked upright as white hot pain crashed through his back, a spellblade plunging out of his chest and sparkling with magic. He felt the bearer haul him upright with the force of the blade, the real Biara having allowed her invisibility spell to fade. She leaned close to him, whispering in his ear as she twisted the knife, magic flooding into his body, "There will most certainly be punishment meted out this day."

Kornaar attempted to summon felflames, intent on killing the treacherous creature that had tricked him. Flames burned in his hands and he growled, prepared to burn them both. Unfortunately he was dealing with someone who had learned of the demons for countless centuries, and who did know what she was doing. A massive blast of arcane energy slammed into his lower body, burning away his legs and hurtling him across the clearing. The force of his landing snapped one of his arms and arcane missiles burned through the second arm, leaving him as a charred torso with the life quickly seeping from it.

Kornaar coughed, fel-tainted blood on his lips as a shadow loomed over him, Biara looking down at him with cold malice in her eyes. Her own lip was bloodied, the deep purple blood a counterpoint to the glow of her eyes. He sneered up at her even as he felt his life fading, his voice weak now, "You cannot stop us. We are the Legion. W-we cannot die. I will return, and when I do, I'll kill you and everyone you've ever loved."

"You've already done that, demon scum. You've taken my Eli from me, and now we're going to talk about your Master for a time," Biara said coldly.

Kornaar laughed, spitting more blood and coughing. He was choking on his own fluids, his demonic essence at its weakest point now, "I hope she suffered in agony, bitch...even now I fade...when next we meet, I'll....rip out....your heart...."

Biara spoke a word and a small portal opened beside her, a staff landing in her outstretched palm. It crackled with magic as she brought it up over her head. Kornaar merely smirked, his voice almost a whisper, "Goodbye, Highborne..."

Biara twisted her hands, and the end of the staff popped open, a dagger-like tip protruding from it. She plunged it down into the demon's chest, magic crackling and howling around him as it found his heart. His eyes widened and an unearthly howl came from his mouth as a crystal on top of the staff began to glow with fel magic. Biara's gaze remained firmly locked on his, her voice filled with hatred as she spoke the last words he would hear, "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

Power flared brighter and the demon's soul was sucked from his fading form, entrapped in the crystal on the tip of Biara's staff. The magic within it was very commonplace amongst the Sin'dorei; it was the type they frequently had used to trap demonic essences for later siphoning. It was the simplest of spells for Biara after her long years spent disguised in Quel'Thalas, and Kornaar didn't have a chance as the crystal sealed him within its green embrace permanently.

The body before Biara instantly burst into ash, the magics of the demon fading from the clearing completely. For a moment, all was still and quiet, ashes raining down around Biara like falling snow. She brought the staff before her, gazing into the crystal and seeing dimly the outline of Kornaar, screaming silently within it. She smiled wickedly, walking across the clearing and scooping up the stone rose artifact she had left in the clearing for just this purpose.

Into the lifeless clearing she whispered, her words a promise carried for centuries, "Soon Eli, soon. It will just be a little while longer before all of those responsible for what happened to you pay for what they've done, and then you can rest in peace. And so can I."

She spoke a word of magic and a portal tore open in the space before her. As she stepped through it, her mind was already planning the next stages of her plan. It was time to find someone to help her question a demon in the most unpleasant of ways. She grinned as several names came to mind, disappearing a moment later and leaving the devastated clearing to its silence once more.