Maiev, as the commander of the Night Elf Watchers, was herself a top assassin, skilled beyond compare in the art of killing.
Her most famous move, Shadow Strike, had already taken the lives of countless powerful beings from many different races.
So when this ambush came, although sudden, Maiev—rich in battle experience—did not panic, nor did she retreat.
She knew well that most assassinations were not decided on the spot. They were planned with layers of backup strategies to make sure nothing went wrong.
If she were to fall back, she would likely only fall deeper into the enemy's trap and lose all initiative.
That was why she chose to move forward.
And she had the power to do so!
Just as the dagger was about to pierce her throat, her figure suddenly blurred into shadow.
When she reappeared, she was already outside the cabin, standing on the deck.
This was another of her famed skills, one of the hardest Watcher techniques to master—Blink.
By channeling powerful shadow energy, she could break through space itself and teleport instantly to any spot her eyes could reach.
In some ways, it was like the high-level rogue ability Shadowstep on Azeroth, but more refined and advanced.
Yet just as Maiev escaped that deadly strike, before she could even take a breath of relief, her body suddenly grew heavy—so heavy she almost collapsed to her knees. On the deck beneath her feet, glowing lines of a magic circle lit up.
Not good… it was still a trap!
Alarms rang in Maiev's mind. She immediately tried to Blink again, but before she could, several black energy chains shot up from the circle, wrapping tightly around her body.
They didn't just bind her limbs, they crushed her power, suppressing all her strength completely.
"Heh… the famous Warden truly lives up to her name. But sadly, we already know all about you. Stop struggling, Maiev Shadowsong—surrender."
As Maiev strained against the chains, a familiar voice reached her ears. She looked up.
It was Abbendis.
By his side stood a long-haired human youth idly playing with a dagger, and a figure in a crimson robe, floating in the air.
The one toying with the dagger was none other than Loki. Though Josh's influence had long ago led Loki to wield greatswords more often, when it came to assassination and dagger work, there was still no one among Josh's people who could match him.
He was also the one who had launched the first dagger strike at Maiev moments ago.
As for the red-robed mage, that was the Shadow Weaver, who had been subdued after the defeat of the He-Man siblings and the Horde Empire.
She was the very same dark archmage Josh had fought when he first arrived in that star system—her power second only to the Ancient One and Ben.
Later, after the Ancient One seized control of C'Thun, she even "lent" the Shadow Weaver a portion of that Old God's strength. For one who wielded dark magic, this power was a perfect match. The circle that trapped Maiev was her work.
"Abbendis! Do you have any idea what you're doing? The wrath of the Night Elf Empire is not something you can bear!" Maiev glared at him, her eyes burning with fury.
"Tsk. Under normal circumstances, you'd be right… but sadly, your Night Elves may not even be able to protect themselves now."
Abbendis met her warning with indifference.
Yes, the Night Elf Empire was powerful. But compared to the Qiraji swarm, they were nothing. If not for the dragonflights joining the War of the Shifting Sands, the Night Elves could never have won. In fact, the dragons had even lost several heirs of their own dragon kings in that battle.
But now, the bloodlines of those dragon kings had already returned to their clans… With them guarding, news of the Qiraji breaking free from their seal would never easily reach the ears of the dragonflights. And with the Ancient One now guiding the Qiraji, they would not be as brainless as during the War of the Shifting Sands, when they only relied on endless numbers.
"Wait… damn it, was the Ahn'Qiraj incident your doing?" Maiev's sharp mind quickly connected the dots. From Abbendis' words about the Night Elves being unable to protect themselves, she instantly thought of the news Tyrande had received—that the Qiraji had broken free.
"Heh, you really are quick-witted. But that doesn't matter. Soon, none of this will have anything to do with you." Though slightly surprised at being exposed, Abbendis didn't seem to care.
Long before Maiev, the rest of the Night Elves aboard the fleet had already been subdued. She was the last one. And on this vast sea, there was no way word could get out. As for the future… these Night Elves had no future left.
"You'll pay for this!" Believing Abbendis was about to silence her for good, Maiev, knowing there was no escape, could only spit out one last threat before closing her eyes, ready for the end.
But instead of death, what came was a wave of shadow magic from the Shadow Weaver. In the next moment, Maiev's mind sank into darkness and she lost all consciousness.
Once she was unconscious, Abbendis calmly stored her into the system's inventory. Kill her? What a joke. Josh had offered an enormous price for Maiev, even higher than what he once paid for Vereesa. Abbendis would never waste her life.
"Next is Val'sharah. I wonder how the Ancient One is doing now…" With Maiev and the entire Night Elf fleet dealt with, Abbendis looked toward the Broken Isles in the distance.
–
At the same time, in Silithus— The Night Elf Sentinel Army had just arrived on the western coast!
Unlike the game, where Silithus was ringed by mountains and only reachable through the long path of Tanaris → Un'goro Crater → Silithus, in the real world, Silithus actually had a landing point on its western shore.
As long as one set sail from Feathermoon Fortress in Feralas and followed the coast downwards, one could reach Silithus. This was why the Night Elves valued Feralas so much. Besides Cenarion Hold, this was their second line of defense against the Qiraji swarm.
After all, compared to the barren lands of Silithus, fertile Feralas was far better suited for raising and supplying troops.
Now, leading this fleet of Sentinels was none other than Tyrande, who had hurriedly left Unfallen City a few days earlier.
"Teacher, all our forces have landed!" A female officer stepped up to her. It was Tyrande's personal student, Shandris Feathermoon—destined to earn great renown across Azeroth.
"Let's move out." Hearing her disciple's report, Tyrande nodded, giving the order to march toward Cenarion Hold.
But just as her words fell, a thunderous roar echoed from the sea behind them. Everyone turned their heads—their warships were under sudden attack! Flames engulfed some vessels, others shattered into drifting wreckage.
Their way back—was cut off.