Chapter Seven: The Cult of the Damned

More than soldiers ventured with them into Anderhol. There was only one city in Anderhol and much of the surrounding region had long been a wild and untamed. Scattered clans of forest trolls and gnolls could be found within the region. The dark leaved trees had grown over fertile ground.

So it was that peasants who had lost their homes and fields to blight had followed Arthas and Jaina. They had taken with them everything they could carry. Others had gone the opposite direction, heading to Strahnbrad. For their part, Arthas and Jaina led the militia ahead of the main column. Soon they came across a large clearing by a serene lake which glittered in the moonlight.

It was also marred by the sound of chanting voices. There was a circle a group of black-robed men performing a ritual. Their hands were raised in supplication to some unknown force. An abandoned gold mine stood before them, and dark magic was in the air, Arthas could smell it.

'Look,' said Jaina, 'it's those cultists who were with the necromancer. What are they doing to that mine?'

'Let's not wait to find out.' said Arthas, hefting his hammer. 'Attack!'

Rushing forward, he brought round his hammer and struck the nearest cultist. The man reeled beneath the force of the blow as the maul crushed his skull. The others abandoned their work and fled into the shadows, pursued by the footmen. Most escaped.

'Damn these intruders,' said a cultist, 'they must not interfere with the master's plan.'

As the forces of Lordaeron filled the glade, Arthas turned to Jaina. 'Let's wait for Falric here. With those cultists creeping around I'd rather not head in there without backup.'

'I couldn't agree more.' said Jaina, looking to the remnants of the darkness.

Even as they spoke, the population of the village moved forward. They began setting up shelters and the beginnings of a new home. They worked swiftly. They felled trees and erected buildings with remarkable vigor.

'How is it that you have such finesse at this?' he asked.

'The Horde came through here and forced us to start again once before.' said a peasant. 'The undead have done it again. We've prepared for something like this for a long time.'

The knowledge that these simple folk refused to give up heartened him. It filled Arthas with determination. He resolved to wipe away all traces of the undead from this region.

'Sergeant,' he said, 'I'm going out scouting. Keep a close eye on the direction those cultists went. I don't want the undead hurting these people anymore.'

'Yes sir.' said the soldier.

Arthas kept his hammer close as he crossed the woods. As he walked, he eventually came within sight of a little farmstead. It was a skeleton of a building now, the beams were blackened with fire, and the roof had caved in. A woman was standing by the exit, and she made for him. Even as he opened his mouth to call out to her, however, two ghouls leaped from the wreckage. They slashed her down mid-stride. She was dead before she hit the ground.

In a rage, Arthas rushed at the ghouls and smashed one of their spines with a swing of his hammer. The second leaped through the air at him, yet he raised his weapon and summoned the light to his age. The ghoul was consumed in light and fell to pieces in moments.

Arthas remained silent for a long moment, looking at the body before him. Then he moved on, feeling very grim. If he had only been a few days earlier, these people might still be alive. He moved further north and stopped short. The blighted ground stretched before him, the scent of carrion filled the air. Nightmarish buildings towered before him. They were almost unreal in their appearance. It was as if they had been summoned from a place which did not obey the same rules as Azeroth. Nany monstrous skeletal creatures walked to and fro. The moans of the dead were audible. He had come to the edge of an undead bastion. Turning east, he was relieved to see that the blight did not extend across the river.

It seemed that he had arrived just in time. Then he remembered the woman who had died minutes before. Not soon enough.

He made his way back. As he passed through the close woods, he came to a camp. Taking cover behind a tree, he looked in to see a great number of rough and ready men, with axes and shields speaking.

'So about these undead,' said one, 'what do we do about em?'

'Heh,' said the leader, 'that's the beauty of our plan. We don't have to do anything. We'll let them knights in shining armor deal with it. And while the Alliance is busy fighting the undead, the villages will be easy pickings.'

A fury came over Arthas then. The cowards didn't care if all of humanity died so long as they could continue to raid and plunder. He remembered the village of Strahnbrad. Those whom he had saved from the Syndicate quite by accident. Then he recalled the village he had saved from bandits with Jaina, bandits who would have killed them all. He resolved that he would not let these bandits continue their trade.

He made his way back to camp, and not a moment too soon. For even as he came within sight of his forces, a vast host of undead rushed out of the trees! The footmen rushed to meet them, and the battle was joined!

Jaina summoned a water elemental and rained frozen hail down upon the ghouls. Dozens died beneath her spells. Yet the necromancers raised their staffs. The bodies arose as skeletons which rushed to meet the footmen. Priests healed the footmen behind the lines. The echo of mortars and gunfire went through the encampment. Smoke from dwarven blunderbuss's filled the air. Blood spilled across the grass.

Arthas waded into the fray, laying about him with his hammer to smash aside skeletons and ghouls. Raising his hammer, he burned a group of necromancers with the light. They screamed and fell dead, falling to ashes moments later. The undead tide was turned back and wiped away. And without a single casualty.

'Well done men,' said Arthas, 'now follow me quickly. There is a group of bandits we must destroy!'

'Bandits?' asked Jaina. 'I'm not sure that now is the best time for bandit hunting.'

'They will move on soon!' snapped Arthas. 'I won't let my Kingdom be raided while I'm fighting with the undead! Now follow me!'

Perhaps reluctantly, his forces accompanied him through the forests. Soon they burst out of the trees and fell upon the bandits even as they were packing up to leave. The fight was short and brutal. The Alliance Soldiers surrounded the thugs and hacked them to pieces. Jaina cast fireboats which burned a man alive, while Arthas caved in a skull.

Finally, it was over. Arthas turned to his men, who were breathing from exertion. 'We have no time to rest!' snapped Arthas. 'We must return to the defense of the refugees!'

There were grumbles amongst the men about this. Even so, they obeyed and returned to the refugees by sunset. Yet they needn't have bothered. No sign was heard from the undead for several days. During that time the beginnings of a town were constructed. New farms were planted. A barracks had been made to house the soldiers.

Then, to Arthas' delight, Falric arrived. He came with a large force of footmen, riflemen, and mortars at that!

'Impeccable timing Falric, what news from Lord Uther?' asked Jaina.

'I've enlightened him regarding our progress in the region so far.' said Falric. 'And he has new orders from King Terenas. It seems that there is another task the King wishes achieved while we're here.' He passed the Prince a scroll, and Arthas took it up and unrolled it.

'…It says here my Father wants me to increase Lordaeron's income. He wants us to establish mining operations in the nearby highlands.' said Arthas, taken aback. The orders must have seemed quite reasonable in a throne room. But they were utterly detached from reality. A life and death struggle was underway between the undead and the Alliance. And Father wanted him to go out of his way to establish a mining town.

Granted it was less unreasonable than going over the sea but…

'We don't have time for this.' he said bluntly.

'Actually,' said Jaina, 'it may behoove us to make time. We have several villages worth of refugees coming in, and that will take a lot of land. Establishing a secondary location for a settlement may well be for the best.'

At that moment an alarm sounded, and the undead rushed at them out of the trees once more. The force this time was larger than it had been, but likewise, the Alliance had increased its numbers. Arthas and Falric led the charge into the enemy ranks, while Jaina cast spells from behind. Riflemen gunned down necromancers. Mortars launched barrages that destroyed great swaths of ghouls as they advanced.

Then the lines met, and the bloodletting began. It was like all the other ones which had come before it. The combat blurred in Arthas' mind as he killed ghoul after ghoul.

After a few terrible hours of fighting, the undead lay defeated.

'This is absurd!' snapped Arthas. 'I will not busy myself with colonization while the undead destroy us all!' He turned to his soldiers. 'Men, follow me! We strike at the undead bastion north of here! We will put it to the sword, and annihilate it! Only when its ashes are thrown to the wind will we concern ourselves with colonization!'

They marched north in great force and came to stand before the opening in the trees, leading to the Bastion. Arthas motioned to Falric. 'Falric, have the mortars launch their shots at the enemy buildings. When the enemy is forced to rush forward for battle, we will defend the mortars while they finish the work.'

'As you wish milord.' said Falric.

The mortars readied themselves and began launching a barrage at the unholy structures. An onslaught of undead charged from the bastion. Once again the Alliance met them in combat. Jaina unleashed a flurry of ice spells upon them. Her firebolts reduced many ghouls to ashes. Arthas smashed one abomination after another. He wielded the light to heal his warriors and slay necromancers.

Yet it was difficult. For among the structures were huge ziggurats, topped with dark crystals. These fired bolts of magic at all who came within range. Often times during the fray a footman would stray too close and be the victim of a barrage. Several brave men died in the ensuing battle, slain before they could withdraw.

Even so, the mortars barrage took huge chunks out of the ziggurats. Before long the buildings exploded in a flash of green. It was then that the mortars turned their attention to blasting other buildings. Yet still more undead rushed forward to meet them. So it went, with the Alliance advancing little by little without end. The combat lasted more than half a day, with exhaustion creeping up on everyone involved. On and on it went. Jaina's powerful magics were used in tandem with dwarven technology.

And at the end of the day, the fortress lay in ruins.

The enemy was utterly defeated. The cultists were slain, and the blighted ground made free of the taint. Yet the trees were blackened and twisted. The land itself was marred by the unholy energies which had seeped into it. Arthas rested on his hammer, breathing heavily, before hearing footfalls behind him.

Turning around he pulled back his hammer-

'Jaina!' he said. 'Don't… don't sneak up on people like that.'

'Sorry,' she said, 'look I think it's safe to say that we've dealt with the threat. Now we have to attend to the refugees.'

'Yes,' said Arthas, 'you are right of course.' He turned to Falric. 'Captain I want you and the majority of the forces to remain here and ensure no further undead arrive. Jaina and I will scout out the eastern side of the river, and make preparations for the founding of a new town.'

Arthas and Jaina made their way south, then east to cross the river. As soon as they reached the other side, however, they were greeted with axes hurled from the trees. Arthas and Jaina pulled back.

'Forest Trolls,' said Arthas, 'they leave us no choice. We'll have to fight them.'

The two of them rushed over the hill to meet the forest trolls. Arthas summoned the light around him to shield himself from all harm. Jaina summoned a water elemental. Axes bounced off of Arthas' shield as he met the troll leader head-on and struck his head off with his hammer. The next one fell to Jaina's firebolts. The third was crushed by waves of water. The rest fled before their might.

Moving a bit south, Arthas saw a camp of gnolls. They made no outright hostile action, and so Arthas and Jaina passed them by. Heading north, they found themselves by a river, and there they saw many rock golems walking too and fro. Jaina and Arthas slipped by them, and up the hilltop towards a plateau. There Jaina halted, and set her staff into the ground, as she looked at a great mound of white rock.

Here Jaina cast a spell and focused. She rose into the air; her hair flew in the wind as she put forth her will. Her arms were put to either side of her. Her shapely legs were clenched together. Finally, it was done, and she landed.

'I'm sensing a lot of natural metals, ore and gold and silver, it's all here.' said Jaina. 'This would make an excellent place for a mining town.'

'We'll head back to base and make the arrangements then.' decided Arthas.

They crossed back without event. When they returned, they found that the blackened landscape had begun to heal. The trees remained tainted, but it seemed that in time grass would return to the place. An outpost had been set up there, and Falric greeted him.

'Milord, I was just about to send out someone to look for you.' he stated. 'What news?'

'We've found a location to the east of here,' said Arthas, 'it should serve as an ideal spot for a new fortified town. Get together some men, and have them escort the refugees there to begin creating a new settlement. Tell them to avoid confrontations with the gnolls and golems if they can. I want it to have some farms as well, and a barracks for defense.'

'Actually, if you could establish a dialogue with the gnolls it would be good.' put in Jaina. 'We might use the undead as justification for a truce.'

'Of course milady.' said Falric. 'What will you do?'

'I'm going to lead a force to the north of here, and search the nearby towns.' said Arthas. 'Though I don't expect I'll be able to find anyone still alive, I have to make the attempt. You stay here and ensure nothing threatens the new villages.'

'As you wish milord.' said Falric.

Arthas and Jaina took a large contingent of soldiers and made their way northeast across a river. Over the bridge, they reached a town which had been reduced to a blackened ruin. Flames could be seen on the watchtowers, still burning. The buildings had been ransacked. An aura of death was everywhere as they walked through the streets.

'As I suspected,' said Arthas, feeling sick.

'Where are all the bodies?' asked Jaina as they made their way onward. 'There should be some around here, but I can't see any. What do you think Arthas?' She sounded curious, and not in the least bit disturbed.

'I don't know,' said Arthas.

They reached the village square, which stood in the shadow of three granaries above them. In front of the storehouses stood vast mounds of corpses, piled high. A group of ghouls stood before the bodies, feasting upon flesh and bone with relish. Blood dripped down their gums. Watching over them was a man, wearing a horned helm, and holding a staff. He turned around to reveal a black beard and sunken features.

It was the necromancer from before. 'Hello again children,' he said in a fatherly tone. 'I am Kel'thuzad, and I've come to deliver a warning. Leave well enough alone. Your curiosity will be the death of you.'

'Kel'thuzad?' asked Jaina. 'You were exiled from the Kirin Tor for unholy experiments!'

'You have a talent for stating the obvious child,' noted Kel'thuzad. 'it does not become you.'

'Are you responsible for this plague, necromancer?' asked Arthas, fury in his tone. 'Is this cult you're doing?'

'Yes,' said Kel'thuzad, 'I ordered the Cult of the Damned to distribute the plagued grain. But the full credit is not mine. I serve the Dreadlord Mal'ganis. He commands the scourge that will cleanse this land, and establish a paradise of eternal darkness.'

'And what exactly is this scourge meant to cleanse?' asked Arthas.

'Why the living of course,' replied Kel'thuzad, 'seek him out at Stratholme if you need further proof.' Then raising his staff, he cast a spell. The corpses arose from the pile, twisting and becoming skeletal monsters. These surged forward to them.

Arthas rushed forward, and his men followed. The battle proved simple. But when it was over Kel'thuzad was nowhere to be found.

Arthas looked around, then moved swiftly to the granary and kicked in the door with one foot. He looked inside, and saw only two undead rats, tearing each other to shreds. Why would the necromancer resurrect rats? What did it mean? Jaina came up behind him, and a sudden anger flashed across her eyes as she raised one hand. A bolt of fire shot out, and they burst into flames before turning to ashes.

'All the granaries are empty.' said Arthas, feeling empty. 'The shipments have already been sent out. We're too late.'

The men looked around and began to murmur among themselves. Arthas knew he had to do something. Otherwise, morale would falter, and all could be lost.

'There is still time,' he said, 'we still have time to stop the caravans. For now, we must slay Kel'thuzad and whatever minions remain to him. He must not be allowed to create any more of these monsters.' He raised his hammer. 'Ready your swords, men, we follow the necromancer! He will die by my hammer!'

There was a roar of approval, filled with enthusiasm. Arthas led his forces away from the blackened town, and into the woods. The stench of decay was here, and he followed it. He tried to prevent himself from vomiting.

Finally, they came across a camp. And then he saw many abominations like the one they had fought before. They numbered nearly a hundred, and they were supported by hundreds of ghouls. Behind them Kel'thuzad stood at the back, leaning upon his staff with a welcoming smile on his face. The men paused, intimidated. Arthas looked to them and raised his hammer.

'For my Father the King!' He roared, and they charged towards their enemies.

They met the abominations in battle. Ice shot from the skies to tear ranks of them apart, as dwarven riflemen shot down others. Arthas smashed one in half with his hammer, as a number of unlucky footmen were cut down. Other footmen were overwhelmed by ghouls and devoured.

Yet Jaina threw fire and ice in such intensity that it consumed everything in her path. Her water elemental tore the beasts apart as they steadily cleaved their way onwards. A footman ran a ghoul through before leaping in front of a priest to protect him with his shield. A rifleman gunned down two more ghouls as they came at him, before retreating behind the footmen.

Even as the advantage was theirs even more undead came out of the trees and joined the fray. On and on the battle waged. Wave after wave of undead rushed to join in. Then, just as Arthas was about to retreat, there came a call, and Falric came over the hill his sword in hand. With him marched a vast host of warriors who joined their brethren in battle.

The defense was washed away. Arthas rushed forward towards Kel'thuzad who remained silent as he approached. He said an did nothing, as Arthas held his hammer aloft and brought it around! A bolt of fire shot through the air and pierced Kel'thuzad through the gut. Arthas smashed him in the chest, piercing his heart. Kel'thuzad stepped back, as Arthas pulled back his hammer for another strike, and fell to one knee.

'…Naive fool,' said Kel'thuzad, 'my death will make little difference in the long run. For now, the scourging of this land… begins…'

He spat out blood and collapsed to the ground, lying dead on the ground. Arthas turned to see his men finishing off the last of their enemies. Thousands of undead had died upon the field of battle these past weeks. And yet Arthas suspected this was far from the end.

Another hopeless victory had been won.


Author's Note:

It annoyed me that Arthas: Rise of the Lich King removed the battle with the undead in this mission. The novel did just about everything it could to undermine Arthas' badassery. And Jaina's badassery. By removing the combat between Arthas and the undead army in the Cult of the Damned, it robbed both Arthas and Jaina of a chance to show just why they are considered so awesome. Jaina was practically a damsel in distress in that book.

Also, it went out of its way to rewrite the story to make Arthas less interesting. It tried to retcon his relationship with Kel'thuzad to not friends at all.

You might as well call it character assassination, the book.