They turned a corner and ran straight into the defenders battling with three enormous terror guards. The demon nearest them slashed and sliced at its attackers with the enormous keen swords it wielded. Bravely they counter-attacked every swing of its blades.

Drawing his sword, Drew roared and joined the fight, against Sarah's screaming protests. She watched with her heart in her mouth as he dodged and parried just as well as the battle-experienced Azerothians and drove his blade into the beast's thigh, causing it to stagger. Seeing it as an opening, a worgen warrior brought his axe along the terror guard's hamstring. The demon crumpled and the warrior spun, swinging the deadly axe up and under the armoured helm, decapitating the beast. Blood spewed from the stump spattering Drew and the warrior. They exchanged congratulatory nods before they proceeded to the next.

Sarah stood at the edge of the room, inhaling the fusion of sulphurous fel and coppery blood. She was impotent, feeling for the first time like a spare appendage. She tried to remain at a safe distance so none of the fighters needed to concern themselves with her and could just concentrate on the demons blocking their way. 

She cursed under her breath for she was still helpless to do anything other than offer hunches and oft scathing words. Hardly anything that could do real damage except perhaps to an ego - and that wasn't something one took time to find out if a hulking demon was in possession of. Acknowledging she was utterly ineffectual - even compared to her faithful puppy who was going at it all gung-ho with astounding success, she resigned herself to doing as Khadgar bade and stayed at the back, out of the way.

From her left, a menacing growl caught her attention. A felhound was sloping around the edge of the room, heading towards her. She was unable to move, seeing the slavering jaws snapping as it tasted her scent in the air. Its long quill-like mane flickering and bristling as it lowered itself ready to pounce. It sprang forward just as three arrows took it in its left flank. The beast was jarred to the left wall and hit the floor, howling with pain. 

A gigantic ravager wolf sprang at the beast, its jaws clamping down on its throat. Sarah winced as she heard the sound of toughened skin being punctured and the accompanying squelch as the wolf's enormous canines were embedded within the soft inner tissue. The felhound stopped moving and the wolf stepped back shaking its head as it did so, flicking blood and green puss over wall and floor. 

"Ye a'right lass?" Sarah looked up in the direction of the voice. Eric gave her a little wave and a broad smile. She nodded and mouthed a thank you before he shot off to attack more of the demons. A sharp whistle and his wolf followed him into the fray.

The second terror guard was despatched to her right, now only one remained. Drew was still lunging and attacking alongside the worgen and once more they delivered the fatal blows. The clatter and crystal ting of steel punctuated the roars and shouts of allies and enemies alike. She had only bore witness to the aftermath of battle which had been brutal enough on her emotions but this, with the added sounds of dying and pain along with weapons clashing and firing was a hundred times worse.

Sarah was suddenly and quite brutally pulled forward by an invisible force. She stopped bluntly in front of the priest who had performed a leap of faith on her. She nodded her gratitude and followed as the fighters continued through the chambers.

A myriad of demons met them at every turn. Felguards, imps, felhounds and stalkers which were similar but worked in packs, and succubus were but a few that stood against them. The defenders fought hard and bravely, not without injury, but they did not fall, unlike their prey.

As the company progressed through the Vault and deeper by means of the stone lift, one thing became very obvious. The further they journeyed in, the more powerful the demons were. The fighters were becoming weary, but still they fought fiercely.

The sheer numbers of demons suggested there had to be a prize at the end of this and Khadgar was now starting to think along the lines of what Sarah had all along. Illidan was indeed back in the Vault.

After the last of the demons were slain in the area they occupied, Maiev informed the company that they were nearing the chamber where Illidan had originally been kept. She expected there to be some strong resistance in there. A few eyes rolled. Had she thought it easy so far?

With caution the warden led the way. There was a bridge of crumbling stone which they crossed. The route was dimly lit, the only light being afforded was from spells and flares from the defenders. The bridge opened onto yet another chamber. Maiev halted. Sarah could have sworn she heard the warden catch her breath.

"Well, well, if it isn't my sister-in-arms," cooed an unfamiliar voice.

"Cordana!" Maiev spat. "You treacherous viper!" Maiev stood at the ready.

Sources of light burst into being from the company, flooding out from their standpoint to the centre of the chamber.

There stood the same watcher who had served as Khadgar's bodyguard in Draenor until, corrupted by Gul'dan's influence, she changed allegiance.

Slowly, Khadgar stepped forward from the shadows and stood next to Maiev. Cordana flinched slightly at the sight of the Archmage.

It had been known her betrayal had affected him quite significantly, which had led to rumours of something more than just work linking the two. Although it had never been proven, her miniscule reaction to seeing him again, could easily be construed that she had, at one time, harboured something more than merely a sense of duty for the man.

Sarah found the situation ... bizarre. She had not even considered this encounter as a possibility. There seemed to be something between Khadgar and his ex bodyguard certainly. Accusation perhaps? Condescension? Reprisal? At that precise moment, it mattered not to her.

The traitorous watcher had been the one who helped Gul'dan steal Illidan's body in the first place. How ironic that the orc had entrusted her to stand guard over him now. Sarah was going to enjoy watching this one fall. Very calmly, she spoke, not knowing if her order would even be acted upon. "Kill her."

"Sarah!" Khadgar whispered, turning to look at her, astonishment clearly written on his face at her cold command.

The defenders stood poised, looking towards the Archmage, Ocel and Sarah, unsure whether to follow the order. "You want to just ask her to kindly step out of the way?" Sarah replied incredulously. "What say you, Maiev?"

Cordana, it appeared, had already made her decision, and she brought forth warglaives ready for battle. A few seconds passed, then Maiev shot one glance around the waiting defenders. "Attack!"

The engagement began. It should have been a relatively quick defeat but Cordana had been gifted with shield spells, no doubt from her new master.

Spewing spinning glaives and cleverly shadow stepping her attackers she was brutal, and cleaved severe injuries to some of the defenders. Blood sprayed freely as they took the wrath of the one-time warden. Badly injured, four fighters were removed from the area of danger by a priest and shaman who tended to their wounds.

Warlocks and mages, Khadgar included, fired their frost, arcane and fire bolts at Cordana. They had little impact as they were deflected by the wards she had protecting her. Her movements were but a blur. She fired a glaive at Khadgar, aiming at his head, but Drew with a swift riposte averted the attack and the glaive spun harmlessly past the Archmage.

Ocel thundered at the warden, his mace coming round at full throttle, but in a split second she had vanished and appeared at the other side of the chamber. Ocel's strike had simply spliced the air and caused him to spin a hundred and eighty degrees. He charged at her again, but once more she sidestepped, this time bringing down her glaive and slicing his calf open. The paladin folded. Another priest quickly came to his aid and combined with Ocel's own healing ability they managed to stem the bleeding and heal the wound sufficiently for him to continue fighting.

Sarah, crouched on the bridge, watching helplessly once more, willing the defenders to pull Cordana down. It was inconceivable that one woman could prove so difficult against a myriad of fighters who were bestowed with powerful skills and abilities.

A strange sensation started to prickle at the base of Sarah's hairline. She raised a hand and tried to soothe the unearthly chill that was spreading down her neck. The black space behind her beckoned. Slowly she turned. Her eyes strained against the dark from where the company had advanced from.

Two, three, four eyes, with feline pupils manifested from the gloom. Embedded in a gelatinous form, writhing with aquatic tentacles a gaping maw with a double row of four inch long serrated teeth hovered about five feet from her. The abomination was an Observer. Closing in, Sarah could almost see through its eyes and into another place, a dark cavern. Kayn suddenly swooped down beside her. In a blur his glaives cut the beast down. It lay, pulsating in a pool of green slime.

Sarah thanked him for his quick intervention, but the presence of this particular demon could only mean one thing. It was channelling what it saw back to someone else. That someone could only be Gul'dan.

"We are running out of time, Kayn. Take some of your demon hunters and find Illidan now." Glancing at the continuing battle with the turncoat warden her voice was laced with desperation. "He cannot be far from here." The Illidari leader quickly selected his hunters and they spread out from the chamber.

A warlock quickly conjured her gateways enabling a couple of assassins to flit between two points which Cordana seemed to favour shadow stepping to. Together they managed to infuse her with some of their poisons and vicious slices of their daggers.

Eric and a fellow hunter tried to snare the woman with their traps, but she was too wily and easily avoided their deterrents. Their pets however proved to be more of a problem, and they worked in pack formation snapping, biting and tearing at her with no sign of letting up. Her armour was rent and it enabled other fighters to land effective blows and thrusts of blades to her flesh.

Still she did not concede. Flurries of her glaives were starting to exhaust the allies.

The worgen who had teamed with Drew attempted his hamstring manoeuvre, and thankfully it proved a success once more. Drew saw the opening. He ran forward then dropped to his knees, sliding towards the warden and bringing his blade up just under her ribcage. It was a critical blow. She doubled up, clutching at the gaping wound in her abdomen. 

Maiev stepped forward and in one smooth, slick move, she brought her umbra crescent down and separated Cordana from her head.

"Sarah!! We have found him." Kayn shouted from her left.

Euphoric that her and Drew's hunch had proved fruitful, she quickly moved to the centre of the chamber where Khadgar stood looking down at the body of Cordana. A trickle of sweat slid from his temple down his cheek. Softly, she brushed it away. His hand automatically covered hers and he gently squeezed her fingers. "We have no time to waste," she said. "Gul'dan knows of our plan to take Illidan."

"How?"

She pointed to the dead Observer at the edge of the bridge. Khadgar nodded understanding and organised the warlocks and mages. Swiftly, the company moved to where Kayn and his demon hunters waited in a neighbouring chamber.

There, still encased in his felblood prison, was Illidan Stormrage. Sarah gasped as she saw him. Even distorted by the crystal there was no denying this was once an enormous and powerful being. She smiled as she then knew he would be that again and more. Chains suspended the enormous crystal about two foot from the room floor.

From her left, Arcaena stepped up beside her. The demon hunter placed a taloned hand on Sarah's forearm. "Isn't he magnificent?" she breathed.

Sarah grinned, knowing full well Arcaena's heart would beating hard at the sight of her love in front of them. "He is certainly something to behold," she replied. "Soon Arcaena. Soon you will have him back."

Maiev instructed the mages and warlocks of the best route to take up their positions throughout the corridors and chambers for them to reach the outside of the Vault. Other defenders accompanied them and formed a closer line so they could shout along when the last of the spell weavers were in position.

The echo of voices drew nearer until the warlock just inside the chamber holding Illidan confirmed they were ready.

Khadgar signalled for portals and demonic gateways to be conjured. The simultaneous whirr and drone of multi gateways reverberated through the caverns. Adrenalin was firing through Sarah. This was what she had been waiting for, the moment she saw her and Drew's plan come together. A loud clanking noise then ricocheted off the walls as the paladins broke the chains of the mighty crystal.

Priests lent their levitation spells to steady the crystal as it slowly hovered to the first of the gateways. Sarah stood holding her breath as she watched the Lord and Master of the Illidari leave the chamber. More shouts ran up the corridors as the crystal flowed through the portals and gateways to the outside. The demon hunters were already out waiting for Illidan Stormrage to emerge from the Vault. It took about ten to fifteen minutes in total for them to reach the outside with their cargo where the gunship awaited them. Teleportation to the gunship was a simple task.

As they left the Vault of the Wardens behind, Sarah stood on the deck, silently bracing herself for the next part of the mission.

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