"You have chosen wisely, Outsider." Gul'dan's sinister laugh echoed throughout the chamber as he manipulated a fel-fire ember within his hand.

Crippled he may have been, but the orc warlock was still enormous; his bulk added to by the horrific deformation of cortical protrusions from his shoulders and gnarled spine. His hands, huge and calloused were capable of delivering insurmountable pain; be it through the dark magic he bent to his will, or the torn and ragged nails which could easily gouge troughs in your flesh - or remove an eye. His face, aged and weathered was made all the more monstrous by the yellowed tusks. Set in gums blackened and poisoned from the fel, they jutted dangerously out from his jaw.

But most terrifying of all were the eyes. Red piercing orbs animated by the power he'd absorbed and nurtured over the years. They looked out upon the world with unadulterated hate and a burning need to tyrannize all who opposed him.

Sarah stared at the fel-casing in the centre of the room. The Betrayer remained suspended, silent, motionless in his crystalline prison while his misguided disciple lay crumpled at his feet. Even Sarah had to admit Arcaena had been a fool to think the warlock would honour his word and even more foolish to think she could have bested him in a fight. Honour was not in Gul'dan's vocabulary nor was loyalty or devotion. Only hate and death.

The telltale whoosh and pop of a nearby portal announced the arrival of Gul'dan's nemesis. Sarah had suspected it wouldn't take long for Khadgar to appear, but still, the suddenness with which he arrived took her by surprise. Then again, she should have known, time is of the essence with the Archmage.

He moved quickly to her side, shielding her from the warlock who already had his fel-fire primed. Khadgar put a protective wall of ice between them. "Run, Sarah! I will deal with Gul'dan. Get to safety."

"No! Come with me!" She pulled at his sleeve.

The Archmage shook his head. The seriousness of their predicament was clearly stated in the fierce glow of his steel eyes. "Sarah! I need you to find your way out of here. Now, do as I say!"

His authoritative tone left no room for argument. Loathed though she was to leave him, she stepped back, turned and started to run.

An ear-splitting roar of agony halted her in her tracks. She spun around. Her eyes filled with horror. The ice wall was disintegrating, lying in shards, splinters and pools. Crouched before Gul'dan, Khadgar was engulfed by the luminescent green of the warlock's fel energy.

Sarah screamed. "No!" It was the Broken Shore all over again, but now, it was real and the victim this time was the man she had come to love.

Gul'dan stood over the Archmage weaving the fel, guiding the poison through its victim. The orc's cracked, dry lips curled in a snarl of delicious victory.

Khadgar, desperately trying to withstand the fel, turned slowly towards Sarah. "Run!" he cried, his face contorted in pain as the foul ether seeped into his very skin; distorting him; altering him.

Sarah stumbled back as she witnessed demonic growths, gouging, bursting their way through his forehead. She could hear his skull splitting, cracking over his desperate screams as it was violently forged to bear the weight of gigantic horns which twisted and pushed their way out of his cranium.

His steel orbs bulged then popped and slithered down his cheeks. They dangled for a few seconds on their optic nerves then dropped to the ground in small gelatinous pools of mush. A mixture of blood and fel streamed from his empty sockets, dripping onto his collar guard. Like acid, it carved its way through the toughened leather and the protective armour was shed from his frame.

Continuing its voracious journey the poison poured down over his robes. His tunic was flayed from his body, his flesh ripped and mutilated as the fel burned deep into his torso, shoulders and arms.

The smell of burning flesh permeated the air, violating Sarah's nostrils and tearing her eyes.

Khadgar roared again, the sound reverberating around the chamber. Such agony was deeper than just physical pain, it had reached his soul, tearing it apart also.

Sarah clasped her hands over her ears, all to no avail. What have I done! She folded. The sharp impact of her knees on cold, unforgiving stone was not even acknowledged in light of the terrifying transformation before her. Tears sprang, blurring her vision.

Try as she might, she could not tear her eyes from Khadgar's ravaged body. It was being warped, marked and contorted beyond recognition. His screams escalated, making his torture clearly visible in her mind's eye. There was no escape. No sanctuary from this hideous ordeal.

"Khadgar!" she wailed.

The mutation continued. Merciless, relentless. Snapping of muscle, bone and tissue was heard clearly over the continuing cries of agony from the man she loved. The thunderous roar of the fel reached its climax, weaving its poison to the extremities of the Archmage's body; twisting his fingers into razor-sharp talons, his legs and feet into the cloven-hoofed attributes of a satyr.

Another deafening roar of pain as the skin on his back tore like a wet canvas being rent by a dull blade. The skeletal conformation of wings pushed up and outward. Their emergence was slow and deliberate, tearing his flesh even further. Demon hide rippled between the newly-formed limbs, its surface glistening, slick with blood and oozing fel as the wing membrane developed.

Suddenly, they snapped open. They pulsed and fleshed out as capillaries and veins carried the noxious green substance throughout the appendages.

Exhaustion was taking its toll on the man who was once Archmage Khadgar. His cries gradually quietened. Finally, his chest settled into the deep, rhythmic breathing of one who had just undergone a truly monstrous transformation.

Sarah wept into her hands, her sobs echoing around the cavern, mingling with the triumphant laughter of the orc wizard.

Her eyes lifted to the crouching form a few feet in front of her. Her love was gone. Obliterated. Erased. The handsome features of the silver-haired Archmage had been replaced by... No!!

...Illidan!

With a grunt, the mighty Demon Hunter, Lord of Outland, Leader of the Illidari rose to his full height. He flexed his muscles as the enormous leathery wings unfurled, opening to their impressive twenty-foot wingspan. "Free!" he roared. "At last."

Sarah fell to the side, shocked to her core. A strangled sound escaped her throat.

Illidan looked askance. Frozen to the spot, Sarah watched as he slowly turned his enormous physique towards her. The purple skin rippling over an insanely muscular frame, was beaded with perspiration and the residue from the mutation of human to demon elf.

His knuckles cracked as he flexed his taloned hands. The luminescent tattoos flared over the massive planes of his chest as they came into view.

Something else, however, caught her eye. The felblood crystal at the centre of the chamber was still intact. It was not however, vacant. She gasped.

Inside. A body.

Khadgar! She stared in disbelief at the figure of the man she thought dead. His entire body, fully clothed, unmarked, perfect, resided within the crystal. Frozen. Suspended. But whole.

She scrambled to her feet, keeping a close eye on the leader of the Illidari. His attention was now tuned in to Gul'dan who stood to his right, laughing quietly as he marvelled at his masterpiece.

With her heart pounding, Sarah skirted around the Betrayer, keeping low and made her way towards the crystal. She was almost past Illidan when a taloned hand caught her arm.

Her head snapped up and she stared into the runecloth bindings that covered the once beautiful amber eyes which had beheld a very different world. The fel-infused mephitis snaked its way up from the blindfold, vanishing in wisps over his black mane and gigantic horns.

She glanced over her shoulder. Khadgar was still housed within the crystal. She had to reach him.

Illidan's baritone boomed through the cavern. "You are mine now, Outsider."

"No! No!" She fought against his grip, trying to peel his fingers off her arm. He was too strong. She looked again at the Archmage, panic building in her heart.

Without warning a searing pain crossed her chest. Her eyes looked down. A glow from under her shirt started to pulse. She felt her skin blistering, something was carving its way across her breasts. She screamed. Over and over.

Illidan raised his other hand and struck her. Still, she screeched. He hit her again. She could feel the talons rake her cheek. Again...

"Wake up!" Slap. "Sarah! Wake up!"

Her eyes sprang open. Arcaena crouched over her, one hand raised ready to strike. It took a good few moments for her mind to adjust.

"No! No!" She flailed her hands at the Demon Hunter and propelled herself back until she slammed against the jagged rock. The impact winded her. Her breathing was ragged; her face wet with tears.

Wild-eyed and still disorientated, Sarah glanced around to gauge where she was. She clawed at the stone beneath her, her nails raking the hardened surface. Jerking her head left, right, up and down she registered the cavern. They were still in the chambers where Gul'dan had led them, but there was no sign of the warlock anymore.

She glanced down at her chest – the memory of something burning her skin flooded her mind. She clasped her breasts then pulled at her t-shirt looking down to see what damage there was. Nothing! Her skin was unblemished.

Another thought - more powerful still. Khadgar! She had left him in the fel-blood prison. She whimpered, clawing the ground again checking all around her.

"You were dreaming," Arcaena whispered, creeping nearer.

Sarah's eyes fixed on the Demon Hunter. For a few moment, she just stared at her, her mind still trying to compute what had happened. "Khadgar!" She breathed. "He is trapped."

"No," Arcaena said softly. "Sarah, you have been dreaming. Khadgar is not here."

"But ... Gul'dan," Sarah wheezed, shaking her head, trying to focus. "And Illidan and ..."

Then it started to flood back. Arcaena's betrayal. Her body smashed on the green crystal. Gul'dan's twisted form. Fel energy in front of her face.

"You!" Sarah lashed out."You deceived me. You sold me to Gul'dan!"

Arcaena lowered her head. Something akin to the sound of weeping escaped the Demon Hunter's lips. "Yes! And I am sorry. Truly! I ... I thought I could save my master. My Lord ... my lo..." She stopped, her breath caught in a sob. Her hands covered her heart and she drew herself into a tight ball.

Sarah took a deep breath. She was stunned at the Illidari's apology. And her confession. Gul'dan's mocking words echoed in her mind, "You creatures and your fluttering hearts."

She tentatively put her hand on Arcaena's shoulder. She said softly. "You are in love with him, aren't you? You did this for the love of Illidan?"

The Illidari sniffed, dragging her arm over her snot filled nose. "Yes." She breathed, tilting her head towards Sarah. "I thought I could bring him back to us. I knew Gul'dan had him and he knew I would do anything to get my Lord back."

Sarah, having gathered herself, allowed Arcaena a few moments to do likewise. "When? How did you...?"

The Illidari continued to rock herself back and forth. She swallowed loudly then continued. "On the Broken Isles. When Gul'dan and that bitch Cordana took his body, he sensed the torment I felt. He cast that vile eye of Kilrogg to locate me once he knew we were in Stormwind."

"But how...?"

Arcaena's head snapped up, her hatred for the warlock making her more like her normal self again – sharp, agile, fast, strong. "He sees all, Sarah. His anger over Khadgar's interference during his bid to open the Tomb of Sargeras was fuelled even more when the Archmage rescued King Varian and helped in our release."

The pieces started to slot together. Arcaena had been but a pawn in Gul'dan's game of chess. "Then you sensed the fel on me?"

Arcaena nodded. "Then the scent of sex on you and ..."

"Okay!" Sarah waved her hand in front of her. There was no need to continue, she got the gist. She shivered. It was cold in the cavern. She wanted to be out of there but she needed to know how they had arrived where they were now. She asked Arcaena to explain.

"I stirred from the base of the crystal and heard the ultimatum Gul'dan gave you. I saw the fel in his hand. You had passed out. He was going to infuse you with it, so I grabbed you and ran."

"You ... grabbed me ...and ran. Just like that. From Gul'dan." Sarah clearly found her escape story a little hard to swallow for all she knew the Illidari were capable of incredible speeds. That was all well and good, but to have been knocked unconscious and then suddenly regain such powers, had to be some achievement even for a Demon Hunter.

"I recover very fast," Arcaena offered in light of Sarah's aporetic expression. The Demon Hunter grabbed Sarah's hands, the sudden gesture taking her by surprise. "I was foolish," she pleaded. "I have dishonoured my Lord and my fellow Illidari. I have failed my love but I could not allow Gul'dan to do that to you too."

Sarah flinched. "Did you think I would serve Khadgar up like a roast dinner?" Her brow furrowed, incensed that anyone would think her capable of such a heinous act.

Arcaena shrunk back in shame. "No! Not intentionally. But if Gul'dan had used the fel..."

The Demon Hunter had made a valid point. Sarah had no idea what properties fel truly contained and especially not in the hands of the infamous warlock. She had only seen its destructive component on a computer screen, the effect of which must have triggered the dream inside the cavern.

The women stilled as the distant mocking laughter of Gul'dan echoed through the underground rooms. Green light flickered deeper in the caverns, painting the walls with its eerie glow and creating disturbing shadows in its wake.

"We must make haste, Sarah. It is not only Azeroth the Legion threatens, but your homeland too. That much I did not deceive you about. The fissure I showed you, is indeed a doorway to your world."

Sarah nodded. "I gathered that. Gul'dan told me as much." Uncertain if the Demon Hunter could really be trusted, she nonetheless decided to give her the chance to redeem herself. Besides, she needed help to get out of wherever they were, and in the dark, it was near impossible for her to navigate on her own through all the fallen stone and rubble.

"Do not let me down Arcaena," she said, looking directly into the bandaged sockets.

"I won't. I promise you."

Together, they made their way back to the portal.

 All comments, advice and suggestions are welcome. Should you like this chapter, please be kind enough to vote, it would be most appreciated.