"The enemies are under the water. Have part of the druids dive, and the rest fly above to guide the archers and glaive throwers!"
Both Tyrande and Shandris were seasoned in war. When they saw the ripples striking toward their ships from below the waves, they immediately understood the enemy's position and acted without hesitation.
If this had been a human kingdom's army, they would have been helpless. In this kind of world, underwater foes were nearly impossible to spot, much less target. That was one of the main reasons the Naga could rule the seas.
But for the Night Elves, the problem was not unsolvable. Their strongest class, the druids, could both dive below and soar above. Although Tyrande's host was mostly Sentinels, there was still a large number of druids among them.
Once the order was given, they swiftly shifted into their favored forms—some became sea lions and plunged into the depths, while others turned into storm crows and took to the skies, sharp eyes searching for traces of the enemy.
But the druids who went below soon discovered the truth with horror. Waiting for them underwater was a swarm of Qiraji, countless in number—and mixed among them were Naga as well.
Behind those creatures lurked massive, unknown leviathans, each more than a hundred meters long, launching long, dark projectiles at the Night Elf fleet above. Every hit meant a blast of destruction.
Why could the swarm fight beneath the waves? And what were those colossal beasts?
Many of the druids present were veterans of the War of the Shifting Sands. They had lived long enough to see ages pass, but never had they known the Qiraji to fight underwater, let alone with such deadly grace. And those massive monsters—none of them had seen the like before.
Of course, there was no way they could have known. These new aquatic horrors had been shaped by C'Thun itself, under the Ancient One's command. Using its own power and a stock of unhatched Qiraji eggs, it had created a new army based on the water nymphs of Earth: dragonfly larvae, called naiads.
To most, dragonflies were only remembered as mosquito hunters or playful creatures caught in childhood. Few knew that their larvae, the naiads, were ferocious hunters, far deadlier than their adult forms. Almost everything smaller than them—or even their size, and sometimes larger insects or fish—fell prey to them.
Luckily, real naiads grew only a few centimeters, far too small to harm humans. But C'Thun's creations were different. Each of these monstrous naiads was larger than a lion or tiger.
And so, when the druids dove recklessly into the deep, they were like rabbits falling into a pack of wolves. In moments, the massive naiads tore them apart, limb from limb.
The druids above, flying as hawks and crows, and the Sentinels on the shore, could only watch as the waves churned red. The sea frothed with blood and fragments of flesh.
At first, many Night Elves thought little of it. After all, blood might well belong to the enemy.
But soon, specks of starlight began to drift across the waves. Every Night Elf's face changed at once—for they all knew this sight. It meant that many of their kin had died, their souls scattering into the night.
As they were still wondering what had happened beneath the sea, a seal suddenly burst from the surf, scrambling desperately toward the shore. The next moment, a monstrous insect lunged out of the water and dragged it back down in an instant.
But there were no seals in these waters. That was no beast of the sea—it was a druid.
More figures burst from the waves after him, fleeing toward land. They had to escape. The swarm below was too vast, victory utterly impossible.
"It's the swarm! Sisters, fire!" Shandris Feathermoon wasted no time, ordering the archers to loose.
Showers of arrows rained down like black storms, striking the savage bugs chasing the fleeing druids. Each Sentinel had trained her aim for centuries, even millennia. There was almost no chance of hitting their allies, and indeed, many of the monsters were struck down, giving several druids the chance to live.
But before the Night Elves could feel relief, they sensed the earth tremble beneath their feet.
"Careful! Something's underground!" Tyrande's instincts screamed at her. Her face hardened as she shouted the warning.
Many heard her words, but what could they do? How could one be careful of the unseen below? The answer came with two deafening explosions. Two massive monsters burst through the earth, tearing open the land and swallowing several soldiers too slow to dodge.
The Night Elves froze. The newcomers were none other than the dread beasts once found in Ahn'Qiraj—the colossal sand worm Kurinnaxx, and Ouro the burrowing terror, even more infamous than C'Thun itself.
Their sudden arrival shattered the Sentinels' ranks. Worse still, the huge craters they left behind now served as tunnels, and swarms of Qiraji soldiers poured out, flooding into the Night Elf army alongside the two titans.
"Damn it! Honor Guard, with me!" Shandris seized her glaive and charged, her personal guard rushing with her straight toward the beasts. If they didn't kill those two monsters and seal the holes, everyone here would die.
Behind her, Tyrande fell to one knee, whispering a prayer. But it was more than prayer.
A soft glow spread across her body, while the once-clear sky darkened. The twin moons overhead suddenly blazed with an unnatural brilliance.