Betrayal of Kin

"Ennura?" Umnii asks again, her voice cracking slightly as she stumbles over and wraps the woman into a hug. "I thought you were dead..."

"There, there. I'm perfectly fine... I'm happy that you managed to make it through all of that."

Umnii shakes her head, "If you hadn't sent out the Vigilants, we wouldn't have survived."

Ennura smiles and grips the girl's shoulders, "But you're alive, and that's all that matters..." she says but her expression falters slightly, "Even if we likely won't survive for much longer."

"What do you mean?" Irarus asks.

"I mean, the invaders will destroy the Vigilants eventually, once they fully breach the Great Library, they'll stop the magic protecting it and burn it to the ground." she states, causing Khaam to almost drop to his knees in despair. Lyham had already been torn apart, and Khaam had been right there, watching it up close and personal... He'd hoped that Ennura could help them join with whatever survivors were left, but it seems that Michael was their only chance for survival.

"Er, sorry but why don't you just make more Vigilants? They're robots or magical constructs, right? Surely you have more hidden in a bunker somewhere? Maybe even a factory?" Michael asks, not really knowing the state of the Draenei military.

"You're not from around here, are you stranger?" Ennura remarks while pulling away from Umnii, "Otherwise you'd know that each Vigilant holds the soul of a fallen Eredar warrior... It's far more ceremonial than practical, the fact that we have any Vigilants guarding the Great Library at all is a miracle."

"Ah... So like, they give permission to have their souls shoved into armour? Or do you just do it regardless?" Michael asks as this was sounding more and more like soul trapping and necromancy than anything.

Irarus shakes his head, "Permission is not required, it's an honour to be tasked with protecting our people even after death." states absolutely.

'That's pretty fucked up' Michael inwardly remarks, thinking on how he'd feel if such a thing happened to him.

Regardless, there were other matters that required imminent attention, "So, Ennura... How about you show me the Library?" he asks, causing everyone from his original group to freeze. Was it impolite to immediately get to the point or...?

...

"That depends... Why would you need access to them while a catastrophe is occurring? As the Chief Librarian and the one overseeing this entire place, it is my job to protect what knowledge remains..." she looks to Irarus, "Who is this?"

Irarus wets his lips, "He's a being not from this world who's come to fight the invading demons, supposedly. He offers us sanctuary away from this world, which we intend to accept unless you have word of our leaders?"

Ennura crooks a brow in curiosity but shakes her head at his question, "I have word, whether or not you wish to hear it is another matter entirely." she ominously says.

Irarus, Umnii, and Khaam look at one another before coming to a consensus and nodding, "I think any news is beneficial right now, even bad news."

Ennura lets out a sigh and runs a hand along one of her horns, being it down to trace it through the tentacles hanging from under her ear, gold jewellery adorning each individual one. "The Prophet Velen has been gathering survivors to a random location, but it's too far to even think about reaching... Especially with the timer he'd given us to get there... We'd have to travel thirty miles in thirty minutes through the mass of demons..."

Irarus nods, "An impossible venture... But what about the other two, Kil'jaeden and Archimonde? Surely they'd be with the protectors fending off the invaders?"

...

Ennura looks up from the ground, her glowing eyes dim with sadness and betrayal, "Kil'jaeden and Archimone have joined the enemy."

...

"W-what...? No... You must be mistaken!" Irarus instantly retorts once he'd processed the information, "They are the very best of the Eredar! They wouldn't betray their own kin like this!" he exclaims, voice sounding more erratic the longer he spoke.

Ennura shakes her head, "It's true... Kil'jaeden and Archimonde allowed the invaders to target our military structures and personally conduct surprise attacks on any that hadn't immediately surrendered or fallen. I-it's not just that. They've been... Corrupted. I saw it on the Scuring Gems... Kil'jaeden, his skin is crimson, and both of their eyes glow green with that sickly magic... Our leaders have abandoned us."

Irarus almost drops to the ground in despair were it not for his war hammer that he was resting all of his weight on. His eyes were tightly closed, but that didn't prevent the sorrowful tears from pouring out, dripping down his face and off of his chin to the floor.

Khaam and Umnii had been affected similarly, the latter hugging Ennura tightly as if the woman was the last source of warmth left in the world.

...

"So..... About that Library?" Michael awkwardly asks, his voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard as it echoes throughout the room. He receives a glare from Irarus and Khaam but it quickly fades as Ennura steps forwards.

"Allow me to guess. Our knowledge for sanctuary?"

Michael nods, "Exactly. Plus, I only want to look at it, you can take care of the books once we're out of this hell hole."

...

Ennura thinks for a long moment before reluctantly agreeing, "I am tasked with protecting the knowledge of this place, not the Great Library itself. I suspect what you're suggesting wouldn't breach that-... Too much..."

"Come, I'll show you to what's left of the library and the other survivors." she says while gesturing for them to follow as she steps into a narrow hallway that was just big enough for a Vigilant to fit through sideways...