Disclaimer: World of Warcraft and League of Legends are properties of Blizzard Entertainment and Riots Games respectively. I own nothing here aside from the few OCs that I created.


First Blood

Later that night Aeterna found herself inside her tent seated behind a table, having just finished her evening meal and was now reading a piece of parchment. This one contained a report regarding the current state of their logistics, and at the moment Aeterna could find no immediate problems. When the orders from High Command first came that she and her company were to be deployed to Ashenvale to aid their Night Elf allies, she knew that there was the possibility that they would be here for an extended amount of time and that there was little chance of them receiving anything in the way of reinforcements. For they were the reinforcements and none other. So she made a conscious effort to ensure that her men would be adequately supplied for this deployment.

At the moment they had roughly twelve and a half tons worth of remaining field rations; that was close to four months worth of food for a company of one hundred and fifty men, including herself. She had originally requested for nearly double that amount, but the decrepit old fools in High Command held a tight grip on their purse strings and would not give her more. Their food supply was sufficient for now, enough that the men will have their bellies filled each day. Fresh water was also not an issue for it was easily replenished due to how there were many sources of fresh clean drinking water in Ashenvale. Aeterna will not allow her men to go hungry or thirsty, nor will she allow them to forage the surrounding lands for food, lest they earn the ire of their Night Elf allies. She will have to thank the Sentinel Captain again later for sharing some of their provisions with them.

Protective clothing was also not an issue. Every man in her company wore a full helm and suits of plate armor and thick padded gambesons beneath it. Every soldier had a pair of steel plated gauntlets and a pair of thick steel plated boots. And of course, every man in her company had extra outwear and linen underwear as well as thick woolen jackets. Many would call her a mother hen for being so attentive, but she simply refused to allow her men to go into the field unprotected and inadequately clothed, not when it was near the end of autumn and winter was just around the corner. And especially when they have to march out to meet the enemy in battle. Not unless her superiors expected her and her men to do so in their small clothes.

Matters regarding the supply of weapons was also without issue. Mostly. Every man in her command had a proper sword or a spear to go along with their shields, and there were several crates containing additional arms should their weapons break or become lost in the field. And she had personally inspected each one for any signs of damage or poor craftsmanship, and thankfully she had found none. After all, she will not allow her men to do battle with the enemy using only sticks and stones or, Light forbid, only their bare hands.

She had tried to requisition gunpowder weapons for her men. She wanted to arm every man with a pistol and several cartridges, to be used in addition to their standard close combat weapons. Thus allowing them to fire off a volley or two at approaching enemy forces before switching to their swords to cut them down. Alas, it was not to be. High Command denied her request citing supply shortages for gunpowder and the lack of manpower to craft more guns and to transport them. And so she will have to do without. Although she suspected it was more about her superiors' penny pinching than actual supply shortages, but that was probably just her being a little cynical.

Other than this small issue, Aeterna was satisfied with the current state of their logistics. And if things went smoothly, she and her men will be finished here and be on the first ship back to Theramore, in the comfort of a soft bed and a warm hearth. Though that was seriously in doubt. The most likely outcome would be that she and her company would be deployed to another beleaguered Night Elf town or city in Kalimdor. That was alright when put into proper perspective. Certainly better than being called to take part in the ongoing war against the Lich King and his Undead Scourge, all the while battling the bone chilling cold of the frozen wastes of Northrend. There were few fates worse than being surrounded by a vast horde of walking corpses hell bent on parting your head from your neck while slowly freezing to death.

Setting aside the logistics report for now, Aeterna grabbed her tankard of cold beer and downed it's contents to the bottom before setting it on the table. She let out a sigh as she leaned back on her chair and allowed her thoughts to wander.

That was actually the third time she read the report, and before that Aeterna had made a few rounds all over the camp; personally checking if all men were accounted for, that an adequate number of guards were on watch, her horse properly fed, their equipment secured and that there were no spies from either the Horde or other enemies of the Alliance masquerading as one of her men. Now that she thought about it that last part might have been overmuch, as it earned her quite a few bemused looks from her soldiers and a not so subtle laugh from her First Sergeant who told her to quit worrying her pretty little head off. But she just had to be sure! After all, a competent commander never left things to chance.

She knew that she shouldn't be so worried, acting like a mother doting over her children. The majority of her soldiers were battle hardened veterans and all of them were well trained professionals. They knew what they signed up for, they know the risks entailed when they swore an oath to fight for the Alliance and defend it's peoples. Their battle against the Shadow Council tomorrow is not their first, and if the Light is willing, it won't be their last.

She knew that as a commanding officer there will be times when she would have to order men to their deaths. As a soldier of the Alliance, she knew that sometimes sacrifices had to be made, including the ultimate sacrifice if need be. If she were to be perfectly honest with her self, her constant worrying was born out of her desire not to lose those she cared about. She knew that was childish of her, but that was the truth. And the other reason would be due to the fact that this was her first time being in a position where she was responsible for the lives of so many men. Though she has served the Alliance for some time now, she had done so mostly as a lone agent. And even during the times when she was part of a small party she was not in a position of leadership. Until now.

Aeterna shook her head and gave her self a bit of a slap to the cheek. All these idle thoughts and pointless worrying was not gonna bring her victory! In fact she should be getting some sleep right now because tomorrow she and her company would be leaving hours before dawn. But try as she might, she still did not feel the need for sleep. So instead she decided to do something more productive. Idle hands and minds were the playgrounds for dark forces as her old teacher used to say.

She stood up from her place at her table walked over to a workbench adjacent to her bed where all her equipment were placed. Deciding that it was time to perform some proper maintenance on her implements, starting with her firearm.

The weapon in question was a single barreled, matchlock pistol that was about sixteen inches long. It was almost similar in appearance to the other flintlock pistols created by Dwarven gunsmiths and used by Alliance soldiers and adventurers, but there were also key differences. The most obvious one being that her pistol had four touch holes and had a sliding lock. The reason for this was that it uses a superimposed charge instead of the typical single charge. This allowed her to load her pistol with four sets of powder and lead balls, stacked on top of the other, thus allowing her to fire four shots before having to reload instead of just one.

Another difference was that the barrel itself was made of hardened steel instead of wood and it was slightly thicker, making it rather heavy and a bit cumbersome but there was a good reason for this. The powder used as a propellant for this particular firearm was not the old typical black powder that a vast majority of guns used, but a special smokeless variety. Aeterna did not know the actual name of the substance nor was she knowledgeable in it's creation, only that this smokeless powder produced a smaller flash and a lot less smoke but was much more powerful than traditional black powder. And so she only uses a tiny bit when loading her pistol because too much might break or even outright destroy her favorite piece. And that was more than enough, as she had been able to slay an enemy twice or even thrice her size with just one shot on many occasions.

The last difference in design with her pistol was much less overt and rather simple but was nonetheless crucial to the efficacy of her weapon and it is what separated her pistol from all the rest. The inside of the barrel had an arrangement of spiral grooves running it's entire length, and whenever she fires a shot the lead ball would spin at a rapid rate as it passed through the barrel. And thus it made her shots far more accurate. In fact she could easily hit a moving target almost a hundred yards away, or even a hundred and ten yards if she aimed carefully enough.

All in all this pistol was a fantastic piece of technology and a very potent weapon, at least in her humble opinion. One might wonder, why is it that a knight such as her was using such a weapon when warriors like her usually fought their enemies with either a lance on horseback or with a sword in hand.

Or as one of her enemies had so eloquently put it, "Why fight from afar like a spineless cowered and with a gun no less?! There is no honor and no glory in it you craven Alliance whore!"

One simple answer is that she was a very practical woman. Honor and glory were all good but does you know favors when you were lying on the ground dead or dying. That was one harsh lesson that her enemies learned, just before they met their untimely demised at the muzzle of her gun.

The second reason was that this pistol was a gift to her by an old friend in return for saving his life. And she was very grateful for this gift for it saved her life countless times. Aeterna remembered the first time she fired this weapon. She had not been prepared for how powerful it was and it knocked her back and very nearly broke her wrist. That crazy old dwarf had laughed at her unfortunate state before being kind enough to help her get back up. She sent a quick prayer to the Light, asking to keep the elderly dwarf safe.

After thoroughly cleaning and oiling her gun she turned her attention to her other weapon, her longsword. She took one of the phials on the table containing oil, removed the tap and began pouring it's contents on the surface of the blade. She then took a clean piece of cloth and began polishing the blade with great care.

It was a rather plain and unassuming weapon actually. Nearly four and a half feet in length from tip to pommel, weighing just four pounds and with a simple cruciform hilt. There were no elaborate designs, no fancy engravings or mysterious looking scripts. It had no name either. The type of weapon you would normally find at a blacksmith's shop. Some might even say it was ugly in it's simplicity. But for Aeterna, the sword's beauty lay not in it's appearance but in it's function in battle. Whenever she wielded this sword against her foes one of the things she noticed was how easily she could cut through their armor and weapons. She had once fought against a Tauren warrior armored in thick thorium plate and she nearly sliced the beastman in half from shoulder to hip, with his armor offering very little resistance.

In the hands of a skilled warrior, this longsword could be considered the ultimate weapon. For Aeterna at least, because this sword had served her well for years along with her pistol. She knew not what sort of metal it's blade was forged from, nor did she particularly cared. As long as it allowed her to bisect her enemies with ease she was content. Where this sword came from or who made it she knew not, nor did she know who the previous owner was. Only that this sword has been in her possession since she was just a small child.

And that was the other peculiar thing she noticed about this weapon. Where ever she would go the sword would always find it's way to her side. One time when she was on a mission to hunt down and suppress pirates of the notorious Southsea Freebooters in the Merchant Coast, she accidentally lost grip of her sword when one of the pirates tackled her. Her sword fell over the bulwark and plunged into the waters bellow. But just when she thought she had lost it forever and would be forced to fight the pirates unarmed, she was pleasantly surprised to see her sword once again. Lying almost innocently on the deck floor still wet. Sufficed to say this mysterious ability of her weapon had proven itself most convenient on many occasions.

Minutes passed by until she was finally done in cleaning her sword before she placed it back in it's sheath. Next she made an account of all her other personal equipment. She only had thirty cartridges left inside her cartridge box, and twelve more in a small pouch in reserve that she normally kept hidden underneath her armor, totaling at forty two cartridges remaining. Enough for tomorrow's work but she had to remind herself not to waste her ammunition. She did not know when she would be able to purchase more cartridges nor was her supplier easily accessible for that crazy old dwarf was always traveling. The lead balls were not an issue, they could be purchased at any gunsmith's store and if the situation demands she could just melt some pieces of steel or iron into simple balls. It was the powder that was the problem. The smokeless powder that her pistol uses was very rare. Only a select few alchemists knew how to make it and even fewer were willing to sell it, and only at an exorbitant price.

She could just use traditional black powder, but she very much prefer the smokeless ones for obvious reasons. So until she could contact her old friend once again and purchase more ammunition from him she would have to economize her shots. The thought made Aeterna pout in disappointment. She very much would like to shoot all her foes until her heart's content. Oh what else can a girl do.

Next she counted her grenades. She had two types of grenades: an incendiary one and a fragmentation one. The incendiary grenades were a small round container made of ceramic and filled with a special chemical mixture that was highly flammable and would ignite the moment it came into contact with air. She only had three of those remaining. The fragmentation grenades on the other hand were simple round cast-iron containers the size of her fist and filled with a mixture of gunpowder and small pieces of jagged metal shards and fitted with a slow burning wick as an igniter. Only two of those remained. She made a mental note to herself to also purchase more from the old dwarf when the opportunity presented itself.

She still had several bottles of healing potions and a few purification potions along with a few rolls of bandages. Her flints were still in good supply as was her cleaning oils. Her suit of plate armor was still in good condition, so there was no problems there.

"What else…?" the young Knight-Captain thought to herself as she examined the state of her equipment. "I believe all this would suffice for now. I'll just have to buy more after our mission is done"

Believing that she had everything she needed, Aeterna decided that it was time for her to get some sleep. She began stripping off her boots and unbuckled her gambeson before taking it off as well, hanging it on the armor stand. That was when she finally noticed something hard and rather cool on her chest. Looking down she saw that it was the medallion, still hanging from her neck by a small metal chain and lying rather snugly in between her bosom.

"Oh, you." she said to the object in a rather bored tone as she glared at it. The medallion was still unknown to her. She had thought about that mysterious woman's words many times already, and although she was not very good when it came to cryptic rhetoric, she believed she had a good idea as to what she meant. She wanted her to use this medallion, to call upon him, as she said. And Aeterna already had a pretty good idea who she meant. Images of that hulking man in armor came into mind once again.

The problem is she had no knowledge how to do so! That woman did not teach her the inner workings of this medallion or even what the incantations were. And before Aeterna could ask her she had already disappeared, gone with no sign of her whatsoever. She had been rather annoyed with that. That blind hag could have at least given her a hint or even a simple goodbye. And besides, even if she knew how to use this offending trinket she did not want to summon that big metal thing, not if she could help it. In fact, she didn't even want to have anything to do with that man, let alone ask for his help. She had always managed to survive on her own, achieved victory using her own strength and wits and shall do so again tomorrow. She did not need the aid of some giant armored warlord hailing from who knows where!

Letting out a frustrated sigh Aeterna all but ripped off the medallion from her neck and tossed it away, making it hit the ground in a dull thud. And then she finally climbed onto her bed and laid at her side, pulling the blanket up to her waist. She closed her eyes and waited for gentle sleep to take her.

"Maybe after this mission is over I will pawn off that stupid trinket to some travelling merchant" were her last thoughts. If she had looked over towards where the medallion lay she might have caught a glimpse of the soft light emanating from it.


She opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar corridor with high ceilings and stone walls. Light shone through a series of small windows on one side, granting her vision. She walked slowly through the long hallway until finally she found a door. Upon opening the door she found herself inside a large room.

Looking around she saw a large four posted bed on one side covered with fresh linen sheets and had several soft fluffy pillows, with a stuffed toy in the form of an adorable looking creature she did not know the name of. On the other side she saw a couple of shelves, one filled with all manner of dolls and toy trinkets and the other was filled with many different books. Just a short ways away near the tall window there was a low table with a small wooden chair. She walked towards the table and found a couple pieces of parchment. One was filled with writing and figures but she could not understand the meaning as it was written in some unknown language. The other contained a rather poorly drawn image of what seemed to be a dragon. And riding on top of the dragon was a figure clad in armor, a knight she believed, and right next to him was the image of a small child, a girl.

That was when she heard the sound of soft laughter. She turned around and was greeted with the sight of a young girl. The child was sitting on the carpeted floor, playing with what seemed to be a toy knight riding on top of a horse and a doll with wings. She walked closer towards the child and knelt down beside her. She tried talking to the girl but she did not seem to hear her, nor could she see her when she waved at her, so she decided to simply watch the girl play while she studied her.

The child was probably only five or six summers old but she was already very pretty, with long auburn hair tied in a ponytail with a blue ribbon, framing a face with soft angelic features, a fair and healthy complexion and a pair of emerald green eyes the same as her own. The girl was wearing a beautiful green dress that matched her eyes and a pair of soft cloth shoes.

As she continued to watch the child play she could not help but think that she looked familiar somehow. Before she could think on it further she saw the child suddenly turn her attention towards the door, her toys forgotten, as if she just heard something or someone. Then the girl stood up from her spot and quickly ran towards the door, opening it before running outside.

Standing up, she made to follow the girl, curious as to where she was going. She passed through the same corridor once again as she followed the girl who was now running excitedly. The child stopped outside another door to her left and opened it, passing through in a hurry. She quickly made to follow, hoping she would not lose her.

She walked down several stone stairways illuminated by small torches fixed to the walls on either side. Upon reaching the bottom of the last set of stairs she was greeted by the sight of a grand hall, with vaulted ceilings nearly three dozen feet high and supported by a series of thick marble pillars. Banners hung from the pillars and the high walls on either side while several tall colored glass windows filled the grand hall with light.

And to her right not far from her was a mighty golden throne standing atop a high dais, decorated with ornate looking engravings and studded with beautiful gemstones. The throne was flanked on either side by a pair of dragon statues made of pure marble. The statues were of such fine craftsmanship that for a moment she thought they were real. It was only after she saw the throne that she realized that she was in fact in a throne room. And by the looks of it, it belonged to a great and powerful monarch if the throne itself was any indication.

The sound of happy and excited laughter tore her attention away from the throne as she quickly turned around. See saw the child she was following earlier, running down the vast hall towards a figure in the distance. She walked towards them to get a closer look. She saw a man of impressive stature, wearing ornate clothes with gold and blue trim and clad in a magnificent suit of armor with the color of the sun. And hanging from behind his back was a long golden colored cape lined with snow white fur, completing his majestic appearance. The bright light shining through the widely opened doors behind him seem to cast a shadow over his face so she could not get a proper look at his visage. But she could tell that the man was smiling widely at the young girl as she ran towards him.

He knelt down on one knee and spread his arms wide to catch the girl who all but jumped into the waiting man's arms, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck as she gave him a tight hug, of which the man enveloped the girl's delicate form in a loving embrace. She could see the girl speaking something to the man, though she could not hear her words the man nodded to her and spoke something as well much to the girl's delight. And then the man, who she presumed to be the girl's father, lifted her up as he stood on his full height and placed the child on top of one of his large pauldrons, with the girl letting out a very happy cry as she waved her wands triumphantly, eliciting fond laughter from the girl's father.

It was a truly heartwarming sight, one that almost brought a tear to her eye. And a small part of her envied that girl, wishing that she could be in a similar position. That was when she saw the man turn her attention towards her. And while his face was still hidden in shadow, his eyes began to glow with an eerie crimson light as his gaze bore straight into her own, staring deep into her soul as ominous booming laughter reached her ears.


Aeterna gasped loudly as she finally awoke, sitting straight on her bed, eyes wide as she frantically looked around. She noticed that it was still dark outside, probably only an hour or two before dawn. When she noticed that nothing seemed amiss and that she was alone she laid back down on her bed, placing a hand over her loudly beating heart as she took deep calming breaths.

She had never had a dream like that before. So vivid, similar to the one she had days before but this one was different. It was much more pleasant. At least, until near the end. Oh why did that… that, thing have to ruin it?!

And then there was that girl. Aeterna did not know why, but she felt like she knew that girl. She wished she could find out more about her.

That was when she finally noticed something at the corner of her vision. She looked to her side and there it was, sitting on top of her chair was that annoying trinket, glinting softly under the light from her lamp. This might just be her imagination but she swore that she had not put it there last night. Maybe someone was toying with her. Or maybe this medallion had a mind of it's own. Next thing she knew she would start seeing ghostly apparitions. She shook her head at that. Silly thoughts, begone! There were far more important matters right now.

No longer feeling the need for sleep Aeterna rose from her bed and began preparing herself.

Several minutes later she was now in her full gear, armor properly worn, her pistol holstered on her right hip and longsword slung behind her back. Her cartridge box securely fastened on her left side and her satchel containing all of her other items now strapped firmly behind her. She tied her hair in a tight ponytail with a ribbon before finally putting her helmet on.

Feeling that she was now ready for whatever it is to come she made to exit her tent..

Take it

But then halted mid stride.

She slowly turned around and went to her chair where the medallion still lay. For a moment she looked at the object, eyeing it with suspicion. It might just be her mind toying with her but she felt as if something or perhaps someone just spoke to her just now. It could have been just the wind or maybe she just misheard one of her men outside who were already beginning to break camp.

She considered just letting the matter drop for now and head on out.

Please, take it with you!

But try as she might she could not, because there was something right now urging her, almost begging her to take the damned medallion with her. Letting out a frustrated growl Aeterna finally relented and swiped the trinket off the chair and placed it inside her satchel before quickly exiting her tent, all the while muttering something along the lines of stupid tin men and annoying blind women.

Aeterna was now riding atop her horse watching as her men filed into proper formation, a simple column with three rows having a gap in between rows for easier maneuverability. Seeing that her men were all in good order Aeterna turned her horse around.

"Move out!" she barked the command and began to urge her mount forward in a steady trot.

"MOVE OUT!" First Sergeant Lande who was standing at the end of the column echoed his commander's orders, and as one the entire column of Alliance Footman marched forward, spears held firmly in their right and shields held tightly in their left, the sound of their combined footsteps making a steady cadence, their Knight-Captain leading them into the forests of Ashenvale and in the direction of Fire Scar Shrine.

As the company of Footman cleared the treeline and were now marching inside the forest, Aeterna spotted movement within the trees. She raised her fist and the entire column immediately ground to a halt. A moment later two dozen hooded figures landed gracefully on the ground in front of the column. Aeterna was greeted by the familiar sight of Night Elf Sentinels, each one clearly armed and ready for battle; their quivers full of arrows, their knives sheathed at their hips and their powerful longbows strung and gripped firmly in their hands.

The Sentinels were a welcome sight, but Aeterna was somewhat surprised to see the one at the front of the gathered group.

"I see you have elected to join us, Captain Lightspear" Aeterna addressed the cloaked figure standing at the front, a knowing smile forming on her lips.

Thalin Lightspear pulled down the hood of her dark blue cloak, revealing her elegant face to her Human allies as she fixed her stoic gaze on Aeterna.

"It is only fitting that I should join you Human. You said you needed only my finest, then I tell you now that you shall find none better than me within my company" Lightspear proudly proclaimed, before a cool predatory smile graced her lips. "And besides, I cannot allow you Humans to take all the glory from this hunt"

Her words brought an excited grin to Aeterna's face as she nodded to Lightspear in agreement. "Very well then. I look forward to fight by your side in the coming battle"

"And I as well. My sisters and I shall scout the area ahead of you as you move forward. We shall inform of you if anything is amiss"

"Agreed" Aeterna nodded in confirmation. And with that, as quickly as they had arrived, all two dozen Sentinels including Lightspear surged ahead of the column with inhuman speed and grace. Some continued on ground while others climbed up the trees and leaped from one sturdy branch to another, doing so with the ease born from thousands of years of experience.

"Hmph! Show offs" Aeterna said with a deadpanned expression before signaling her men to march forward once again, all the while hearing some of her soldiers conversing with one another.

"Now that was a sight you don't see often" one of the men spoke, clearly impressed.

"Yes, a rare sight indeed" another one said, his voice tinged with obvious desire. "Sad that they had to go ahead of us though, would have loved it if they stuck with us instead"

"Our own personal Night Elf 'escorts'? I'd give my whole years wages for that!" and another chimed in, chuckling lecherously.

"Hear hear!" and another one said eagerly in agreement eliciting laughter from several others.

"Cut the bloody chatter you louts!" First Sergeant Lande's deep voice boomed over the men, effectively silencing them.

Aeterna merely sighed and smiled wryly as she shook her head at her soldiers' antics. Men will always be men. "This won't be a boring mission at least" were her thoughts. She would later regret that sentiment.


For several hours the soldiers of the Alliance 41st Footman company marched forward at a steady pace, passing through the many tall and ancient trees that covered the great forests of Ashenvale. Their heavy plated boots crunching fallen leaves and dirt as they traversed rough and uneven terrain. Only once did they stop, and that was only for a quick bite, a bit of a drink and a little breather. And all the while the Sentinels either scouted about one or two hundred yards ahead of their current path or shadowed the Human column, guarding their flanks.

For most of their march they had no contact with the enemy, nor was there any signs of traps or ambush waiting for them. It was only at around past noon however, when they started seeing a change within the terrain. While earlier there was only lush greenery around them with the sounds of wildlife accompanying their footsteps, now there was only deathly silence matching a dead and desolate landscape.

As they continued their march, all around them they saw only the desiccated husks of trees and the decaying corpses of dead fauna. Even the very ground they thread upon was devoid of life, as if some malign decease had sapped the earth of all it's strength, leaving behind only a lifeless shell. The feeling of utter wrongness that pervaded the Alliance column only increased as they continued onward. Especially when they were greeted by the sight of Fel.

"Halt!" Aeterna barked as she raised her fist, making the entire column stop. Aeterna though urged her steed forward in a slow trot as she signaled at First Sergeant Lande to follow her. The two Humans stopped just several feet away from the large form of a dead tree, unwilling to go any closer, for the tree itself was heavily corrupted by energies of the Fel. A large jagged gash had formed on the middle of the tree's trunk and within it was a viscous goop like substance that was glowing an eerie green light, radiating malevolent energies as it slowly oozed from within the gash of the tree like puss from a festering wound, pooling on the ground and seeping into the earth, further corrupting it.

That was not all. Aeterna looked around her and many of the other trees were in similar states, and in some areas there were large cracks forming on the earth and from within the eerie green glow of the Fel shined through.

"This entire place is tainted" First Sergeant Lande hissed as he looked over the corruption happening all around them. Aeterna silently agreed. The demonic taint had already spread far and deep it seemed. Their mission had just become more perilous. She must make sure that she steer her column a good distance away from these tainted areas, lest she and her men become corrupted as well.

She saw one of the Sentinels approach, the Kaldorei's steps ever quiet. Though the Night Elf's face was somewhat hidden beneath her hood, Aeterna could tell that the Sentinel was deeply disturbed by the signs of demonic taint all around them though she kept it mostly hidden.

"Human, Captain Lightspear asks for you, there is something that you need to see" said the Sentinel to Aeterna. The young Knight-Captain gestured at Lande to bring the men forward before following the Night Elf.

About a hundred paces ahead of the column Aeterna saw Lightspear crouched on the ground, joined by several other Sentinels examining something.

"What news, Captain" she spoke to the Lightspear as she halted a few feet from them before stepping down from her mount and walked closer.

Lightspear stood up and stepped slightly to the side to show the Knight-Captain what they were looking at. "Here"

"Now that is one ugly mutt" muttered Aeterna under her breath. She was greeted by the sight of the remains of a dire wolf. At least, what seemed to be a dire wolf. The canine creature lying on the ground was nearly as large as a horse, as was typical of dire wolves. But this one was horribly different, for it had been twisted by the foul taint of the Fel. Where there was once thick fur only exposed flesh remained, reddish in color and bulging with mutated muscle and thick veins. The claws on both it's forward and hind legs were longer, slightly thicker and sharper. The creature's jaws had also been similarly affected, being wider and more muscular and filled with rows of razor-sharp fangs that were as long as hunting knives. The creatures eyes were a rusty red in color with slit pupils and a pair of long sharp horns sprouted from the top of it's skull and curved forward.

All in all, this corrupted version of a dire wolf looked like it had been spat out from some dark corner of the Twisting Nether, and Aeterna was glad that this thing was already dead, sporting several arrows buried deeply into it's thick hide and one more buried into it's left eye socket, all the wounds oozing thick, dark-red blood tinged with the sickly green color of the Fel. She did not relish the chance to fight anymore of these things, although something told her they will not be so fortunate.

"My Sentinels and I spotted this creature earlier, prowling the area. As you can see it is rather sturdy and quite fast so I advise you and your men to be on your guard, I suspect more of these beasts lurking somewhere"

Nearly half an hour had passed as the column continued it's march within the tainted forest. All the soldiers were in high alert as they warily watched their surroundings for any sign of danger. At the moment a seemingly unnatural mist had settled upon the tainted forest, partly obscuring their vision. The eerie mist combined with the tainted landscape served to unnerve some of the Alliance Footman. Even Aeterna was similarly affected though she refused to show it, her hand already resting on the grip of her pistol.

The Sentinels hidden in the trees were much less affected however as their sharp eyes allowed them to see further into the mist, constantly scanning the surrounding area for hidden threats and rightly so. Because Lightspear, who was currently perched on a thick branch slightly ahead of the column, whipped out her bow and quickly loosed an arrow. Her sudden action was rewarded by the agonized sounds of a Satyr who was desperately trying to staunch the blood flowing from it's throat where Lightspear's arrow had skewered it through the neck. The demon died a moment later, it's form growing limp and fell onto the tainted earth.

The Sentinel Captain allowed herself a soft smile in satisfaction. But it quickly vanished when she heard one of her Sentinel's shout in warning.

"Enemies to our right!"

The Alliance column heard the warning and quickly moved into action. With almost mechanical precision the Footman quickly formed two lines in front of their Knight-Captain, turned towards the aforementioned direction, closed ranks and braced themselves for the incoming assault; their shields planted firmly on the ground and their spears at the ready. And not a moment too soon as nearly three dozen satyrs surged out of the mist, charging towards the assembled soldiers.

Aeterna was quick on the draw as she aimed for the largest of the satyrs, one carrying an oversized serrated saber, and squeezed the trigger. The thunderous report of her pistol echoed throughout the surrounding forest as the large satyr was quickly toppled to the ground, missing a decent chunk of it's skull.

Behind by only a heartbeat, the Sentinels fired onto the approaching demons. Two dozen arrows were loosed from atop the trees and each one found their mark as an equal number of satyrs toppled to the ground, sporting an arrow on either their heads or the center of their chests. The remaining satyrs managed to reach the formation, but only to meet their ends as nearly a hundred spears skewered their tainted bodies.

But the Alliance soldiers had no time to relax as many more surged out of the mist. Satyrs howled and cackled maniacally as they rushed towards the formation, blades raised high, eager to spill Human and Night Elf blood. More arrows were loosed onto the approaching horde, felling many of the demons as the largest among them were easily brought down by a well placed shot from the young Knight-Captain's pistol. And those who managed to reach the wall of Footman met similar ends as their brethren before them.

And yet even more kept coming and this time the satyrs were accompanied by a varying number of Orcs, Humans and Trolls, eyes glowing a sickly green while sporting all sorts of gruesome mutations as a result of the Fel's taint. And leading this charge was a Tauren who's body had now lost most of it's fur, revealing only sickly green flesh bulging with thick muscle and veins as it brandished a heavy pole arm. It's face twisted in a mask of mad rage.

A continuous stream of arrows were loosed onto the mad horde by the Sentinels, killing many outright but not all as the Fel had warped the bodies of these people, giving them unholy fervor and strength. Many of them requiring at least three shafts to the chest to bring down or at least two on the head before they were finally slain. Lightspear sent a quiet prayer to Elune as her next arrow was enchanted by arcane energies before loosing it at an enormous Orc who brandished an arm that had been mutated into giant claws. The shot struck the corrupted Orc in the chest, blowing off a sizable chunk of it's torso, killing it.

Aeterna slid the lock on her pistol to ready a third shot and took aim at the charging Tauren. She squeezed the trigger and the thunderous boom of her pistol filled the air once again, delivering a well aimed shot on the tainted Tauren's thickly muscled chest directly where it's heart would be, sending the creature staggering back.

But the young Knight-Captain was surprised to see the Tauren recover from the impact of her shot and continued it's charge despite having a decent sized hole on it's chest that was bleeding profusely with tainted blood. Aeterna bit down a curse as she readied a fourth and final shot and trained her pistol on the Tauren once again, aiming jus a bit higher than before. The loud report from her pistol signaled the end of the corrupted beast's misery as her shot punched a clean hole through it's forehead and blasted out of the back of it's skull in a shower blood and bone fragments.

The Knight-Captain wasted no time and began reloading her pistol as the rest of the charging horde had finally reached their lines.

"HOLD" roared First Sergeant Lande.

A loud crashing sound reverberated throughout the surrounding forest as Fel tainted bodies as smashed against a wall of shields and spears. But despite the momentum of their attackers whose bodies had been fueled by the Fel's vile taint, the wall of shields held firm. Numerous corrupted beings found themselves impaled by thrusting spears. While those who managed to weave through the spears sought to deliver fatal blows on the soldiers standing behind the shields. But these reckless actions proved fruitless as the second line covered their comrades with their shields, protecting them from their foes' heavy attacks, before skewering the attackers nearly a dozen times.

Despite suffering heavy losses and numerous wounds the Fel tainted humanoids kept pushing and kept hammering at the defenders, their corrupted minds not allowing them to feel fear or even pain, only the burning desire for bloodshed and battle. Even so, the Alliance Footmen managed to resist their enemies relentless assault.

"Come on lads! PUSH! PUT SOME SPORT INTO IT!" the veteran First Sergeant's bellowing cry carried over the raging melee, spurring the men as he thrusts his spear at an attacking Orc, impaling him through the neck.

"Hooah!" the entire company of Footman shouted as one and began pushing against the attacking horde, driving them back inch by inch and all the while thrusting mercilessly with their spears. Those who's spears were broken by the attackers immediately switched to their broadswords and began hacking and stabbing at their foes.

One of the tainted humanoids, a Troll warrior whose face was sporting a maniacal grin, was running at full sprint towards the Alliance formation. And then he jumped onto the burly shoulders of a corrupted Orc who had just been impaled in the chest and neck, used him as a stable platform and leaped over the embattled lines of Footman before resuming it's mad dash. The young Knight-Captain being his obvious target.

Aeterna was still in the process of reloading her pistol when she saw the corrupted Troll leap over her men and began sprinting towards her, it's wicked looking axe raised in preparation to cleave her in twain. Briefly impressed by her enemy's sheer audacity Aeterna quickly reached for the hilt of her lonsword and in one fluid motion unsheathed her weapon and slashed at the offending Troll, cutting off it's weapon arm by the shoulder. The Troll howled in pain as he tried to staunch his bleeding stump, so Aeterna silenced him by thrusting her blade into the Troll's opened mouth, skewering him through the back of his head. She twisted her blade for good measure before pulling it out of her foes' ruined maw.

She turned her attention back towards her engaged troops and was glad to see that they were still holding the line steady as the enemies trying to break through their formation were mercilessly cut down. And then one of the Sentinels shouted another warning

"Enemies from the rear!"

Aeterna quickly turned her gaze behind them and what she saw made her pale. Hurtling towards the rear of the formation were a large number of wolves. Wolves corrupted by the Fel. Foul saliva dripped from their jaws as their ravenous hunger, further fueled by the Fel's taint, gave strength to their powerful legs, propelling their large fleshy bodies forward. And at the moment, her troops had no time to meet their charge, still occupied by the horde of satyrs and corrupted humanoids attacking them from the front.

"Lightspear cover our rear!" Aeterna shouted almost frantically at the Sentinel Captain as she immediately resumed reloading her pistol.

The Sentinel Captain was already in action as she pulled another arrow from her quiver and aimed at one of the demonic wolves before releasing her shaft. The arrow found it's mark as it punched through the skull of one of the tainted beasts, killing it instantly and sending it tumbling forward due to it's sudden lack of motion. The other Sentinels were already aiming at the charging dogs and loosed their arrows at them. All managed to find their mark though only succeeding in killing several of the demonic hounds as the others continued forward despite having several shafts buried deeply into their hides.

Lightspear was already taking aim with her bow fully drawn before launching three shafts at the rushing dogs. All three of her arrows found their mark, killing two but only slowed down a third. The Sentinel Captain frowned at this and was about to loose another arrow onto the dog when another loud boom assaulted her delicate ears, culminating in death of the demonic canine. She cast a quick glance at the Knight-Captain who was now sliding the lock on her pistol, preparing for another shot.

Aeterna took careful aim at another one of the approaching dogs before squeezing the trigger on her pistol once again. Its loud report was accompanied by the sight of a demonic wolf missing a sizable portion of it's skull. Another careful shot brought down a wolf to a crashing halt as her round punched through it's thick torso. She slid the lock on her pistol a fourth time and was about to line up one final shot when she spotted something at the corner of her vision.

Aeterna instantly thrust her sword to the side, impaling a tainted wolf through it's gaping maw mid-leap. But before she could pull out her blade another one of the wolves leaped at the Knight-Captain and knocked her off her horse. Aeterna let out a pained gasp as she landed on the hard earth, feeling the air forced out of her lungs due to the sudden impact. Her helmet was also knocked off of her head, making her hair spill out from underneath her. But she had no reprieve, no time to catch her breath as she was busy wrestling with a large demonic canine that was trying to tear out her throat.

The beast was even uglier up close as it's foul smelling saliva and rancid breath assaulted Aeterna's senses, as she desperately tried to hold the creature at bay. The hellish hound barked and snarled at her while eagerly trying to snap at the tender flesh of her neck. She looked to the side and saw her pistol lying just a couple of feet away from her, but she could not reach for it because it was taking all of her strength just to hold back the demon wolf on top of her, and the ugly mutt was quite strong. It slowly began to overwhelm Aeterna's might until it's fangs were only a hair's breath away from her flesh.

But then the creature suddenly let out a pained yelp as an arrow buried itself deep into it's exposed flank, courtesy of Lightspear. This caused it's hold on Aeterna to weaken for only a brief moment, but that was all the Knight-Captain needed to recover her pistol and then immediately pushed it's muzzle against the demonic hounds skull before squeezing the trigger. The loud boom signaled the end of the demon's unholy life as a significant portion of it's skull was blasted apart, splattering the young Knight-Captain's face with blood.

With it's head now in ruin the demonic canine's body slackened and fell on top of Aeterna, making her gasp once again in pain as it's full weight nearly crushed her and knocked the wind further out of her lungs. Letting out a frustrated growl, Aeterna slowly pushed the big heavy mutt off of her and went back to her feet.

Aeterna wiped off some of the blood that had gotten into her eyes before checking the current state of her men. Much to her relief the men had just finished slaying the last of the corrupted humanoids as the remaining satyrs fled for their lives. Aeterna turned and went towards the remains of the demonic wolf where her sword was still buried deed into it's flesh. She grasped the hilt of her longsword and pulled it out of the tainted carcass.

She looked around her, checking to make sure there were no more foes to be slain. Only when she found none did Aeterna allowed relief to fill her chest as her men began roaring in celebration, laughing and sharing jests to one another for their victory.

Lightspear gracefully dropped down from her perch and walked towards Aeterna. Seeing he ally's current state she pulled out a clean rag from somewhere beneath her cloak and offered it to her. Aeterna saw the proffered item and cast the Sentinel Captain mildly surprised looks before finally accepting the item

"Thank you" Aeterna said as she wiped off the blood from her face. "I suppose I owe you one"

"Think nothing of it" Lightspear said as she smiled a little at the Human.

Finally looking a bit more presentable Aeterna smiled with satisfaction as she looked around her, taking in the sight of her men cheering as they stood over the bodies of their slain enemies. And other than some scratches and bruises on their faces as well as large dents and gashes on their armor and shields, her soldiers were alright. They all survived.

"Hell of a good start!" the young Knight-Captain proclaimed. But Lightspear and her Sentinels remained passive, did not join in on the minor celebration

"It is not over yet Human. We have yet to reach Fire Scar Shrine itself and I believe we have little time left." that simple statement was like a glass of cold water poured onto a fire, dousing Aeterna's jolly mood. Reminding her that this battle was far from over.


After spending a few minutes to patch up their wounds and quench their thirst, the Alliance column resumed it's march. As before they moved at a steady pace with the Sentinels keeping close watch over their flanks and rear. Though they were still wary of another incoming assault as well as any hidden dangers the Aliiance 41st company was in high spirits, emboldened by their earlier victory.

They met little in the way of resistance for the rest of their journey, only a few scattered groups of satyrs or corrupted humanoids and few demonic hounds here and there, all of which were easily dispatched by precise shots from the Sentinels and Aeterna. It was about half an hour later when the Alliance column finally reached their destination. Not just because they could see the ruined columns in the distance but also because they could hear the sounds of chanting. And as they drew near the chanting grew louder and louder, as if it was sung by hundreds of voices.

In the distance they could see the broken remains of what must once had been a majestic temple. Ruined columns and broken walls flanked a wide path leading towards an ancient ruined structure with a large raised platform. And on top of it, gathered in a circle were several Warlocks. Their figures were covered in thick dark red cloaks and their faces hidden beneath their hoods. Their hands glowed with the same eerie light as the Fel as they chanted the dark words of some unholy language. And in the center of the gathered group was another Warlock, but clad in elaborate robes and holding a gnarled staff with a glowing green orb.

And surrounding this group of Warlocks was a large mass of satyrs, corrupted humanoids and demons. All of them chanting the same words as the Warlocks, their chorus reverberating across the surrounding area as they participated in this profane ritual.

"Quickly Humans, we must stop those Warlocks! We cannot allow them to complete the ritual!" Lightspear shouted towards her allies as she and her Sentinels spread out and began taking better firing positions.

Aeterna looked towards her men, her emerald green eyes burning with her resolve. And she spoke to them, her voice passionate and full of righteous fury.

"The time has come, brave sons of the Alliance! The time has come for you to honor your sacred duty once more! The enemy stands before you, twisted and foul. A rabble of vile heretics and misbegotten demon spawn. Such unworthy foes have no right to show their tainted faces to the light of day! So let us go forth, and send them back to the darkest bowels of the abyss from whence they came! And know that we shall not fail… For we Stand as One!" Aeterna then unsheathed her longsword and raised it high.

"For Theramore"! she shouted

"We Stand as One!" all her men answered in turn

"For King Varian!" she shouted once again.

"We Stand as One!" they answered again, louder than before.

"FOR THE ALLIANCE!" and Aeterna roared out once more, her beautiful voice and impassioned word filling the hearts of her men with fierce courage and pride.

"WE STAND AS ONE!" they soldier all roared out one last time, swords and spears raised high!

And as one, the soldiers of the Alliance 41st Footman company charged onto their enemies with their Knight-Captain leading them from the front.


Author's Notes: I promised my cherished readers action and death, and so I have delivered. And know that this is only a taste of what is to come. Anyway, hello again folks! John here and I am back with another brand new chapter of the Lord of Death. A lot of things happening in this one, as you can already tell. I hope those who continue reading this story will like the way I wrote the battle scenes as well as Aeterna's dream scene. That one was supposed to be part of chapter 2 but I forgot to add them so I decided to include it here in this chapter instead. So now, the fight finally begins, with the Alliance drawing first blood, with Aeterna and Lightspear showing off some moves. Please, let me know what you guys think, write me a review. If somehow you didn't like this chapter, then please let me know and why, so I can improve. And if you like this story, then please HIT that Fav/Follow button to be the first to get the latest content.

Now to answer the questions and concerns of a reviewer of mine. I don't like giving away too much but I can say this: Mordekaiser in my story will mainly be using his default skin. But there will be certain scenes scattered throughout this story where you get to see him in his King of Clubs skin and even his Pentakill skin. And for your concerns about Mordekaiser becoming like MC in other fanfics where he is like, as you put it, a Sentimental Puuuuuh... No, that is not gonna happen. Mordekaiser in my story will stay true to his lore in LoL. So expect to see him commit a lot of mass slaughter and mayhem. But that isn't to say he is just gonna run around killing everyone he sees, oh no. If I just let Morde do that then we won't have a story to tell :D

And I'm glad you brought up the question regarding his Ultimate Ability. That is something that I will eagerly explore as we continue this story and I already have a good idea on how to properly implement his ability without making him look too OP. I already heard that a lot when I play League, so I don't wanna hear it here as well. XD

Anyhow, thank you again for reading. Bye for now!