"I have traveled from bottom to top of this continent and now that I am here, you will tell me what you know! About three months ago, there was a paladin here. Where has he gone?" Kaonus yelled into the face of the necromancer. "Speak quickly!"
The necromancer snickered and then choked on his own blood. "Your precious friend was a fool. Not only did he run into our most fortified stronghold, he did it alone." The ugly man spat in Kaonus's face and laughed hoarsely. Kaonus took him by the throat, lifted him up and slammed him against a tree.
"Solwein," Kaonus called out. A positively scary looking paladin rounded the tree he was leaning against and approached the two. He stopped to the left of Kaonus and stood still and silent.
"This one requires a little persuasion. You were always better at this sort of thing." Kaonus said. Solwein nodded and immediately jabbed his knuckles into the necromancers sternum. It wasn't so much a punch as it was a piercing blow. His hand slowly sunk through the skin into the necromancers gut and took hold of something.
"With this hand of mine and the power of the holy light, I can send you straight to hell at this very moment and leave your rotting corpse for the rest of the Scourge. You will tell us what you know, if I have to wrench the memories from your torn soul."
"Hah! A paladin toying with ones soul? You won't do anything of the sort. It's against your code, is it not?" Solwein twisted his hand and the necromancer screamed in agony.
"Release him," Said Solwein. Kaonus let the necromancer fall and Solwein caught him by whatever he was holding on to inside his body. The Necromancer convulsed from the pain. Solwein let him down to the ground.
The smirk that he had worn earlier was now a hateful grimace. "The fool is one of the Scourge now." Solwein narrowed his eyes at the necromancer's words. "Elaborate before I do something unthinkable to you." Solwein snarled. "The fool stormed Stratholme, our most fortified stronghold, alone! What do you think happened to him?" Laughed the necromancer.
"If you are lying, I will exhaust every spec of magic in my body on you. I will slowly tear away at your very existence until you are nothing but a broken husk, much like the ghouls of your army. So help me if you are lying, I will take you apart." Solwein yelled.
"Go and ask 'him' for yourself. He waits for you in Stratholme. He watches you always and has been anticipating your arrival ever since you crossed into these plaguelands," Said the necromancer.
"Who?" Solwein demanded. "Hadeshorn," breathed the necromancer as he died. Solwein threw the limp body on the ground and walked quickly past Kaonus, who followed right behind him.
"We seek the one called Hadeshorn." Solwein said to his brother. Not another word was spoken for a long time as the two and their legion marched for Stratholme. The state of the land was worse than either of them had imagined. The stench of the plague was in the air, and the taint of the Scourge was all over the ground. Both of them were very angry about the state of the northern kingdoms and their men had been especially obedient as of late for no one who knew them would dare defy them when they were pissed off.
And so on they marched to the east, following the road and then veering south to avoid a conflict at Corin's Crossing. They then rounded north and found the road again to the north east of the crossing. On they marched for the rest of the day until the darkened sky grew even darker, signaling that night had fallen.
Solwein gave the signal to halt in front of an archway. That arch was the entry way to Stratholm's domain. The haze still blocked their view, but Solwein's gift of magic allowed him to see farther than the haze. Up ahead was a winding path through a number of Scourge entrenchments. Solwein motioned for Kaonus to step aside with him.
"The road ahead is the one leading to Stratholm's gates. As we both expected, they have dug in and prepared for our arrival and I think it's safe to say that we can't just charge in," Solwein said.
"At the very least, I think we should camp for the night and attack when we're a little fresher. We've been marching for days with little rest and the troops can't be tired when we storm the city," Kaonus replied.
"I agree we should camp for the night. Since the Scourge doesn't sleep, we won't gain any advantage by attacking at night, but I don't think we will have to assault the gates. We may be able to bypass them altogether."
Kaonus cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. "Do tell, brother."
"I haven't been to Stratholme since my first days as an adept, so correct me if ever I'm wrong. Being a death knight and a commander among the Scourge, Hadeshorn is bound to be as far from the entrance as possible as to make best use of his undead minions, putting him either at Crusaders' Square or the keep sector. I heard from the messenger that there were survivors holding out from within the city and I'm almost certain that they are in Crusaders' Square."
"Now, the entrance to the gates is a long bridge over the mote and one portcullis on each side of the entry way and then the gates which lead into King's Square. Ironically, this works to our advantage even though the city is lost. This long narrow straightaway bottlenecks them into a group that you and I should be able to manage, long enough to get to the gates anyway."
"But say we get to the portcullises, somehow ram them down with rams we don't have, and charge head first into the square. What then? We would have to advance through half the city just to get to the objective that we don't know the location of, never mind getting out. That's not only a huge gamble, but we don't have the equipment or man power for it."
"If we end up finding the survivors in Crusaders' Square, then we'll know that the death knight is in the keep sector. If Hadeshorn is in Crusaders' Square, then we have just saved a whole lot of time. In the event of the former, we need to enlist the help of the survivors in order to gain the man power needed to assault the death knight. On the matter of the gates, I didn't say we would ram them. I said we would bypass them," Solwein explained.
Luckily for us, there is another way in; the service entrance. If we can create a diversion at the gates, it would give our legion time to get through the service entrance and create a pincer attack. The Scourge is a mindless mass and will pile up at the entrances, thus making it impossible to close the portcullis's. That is how we will bypass them. Once pincer meets in the middle, we can start shifting towards Crusaders' Square and meet with the survivors to bolster our forces and then make preparations to push all the way to the keep," Solwein exclaimed.
"That's still a lot of assumptions," Kaonus said. "Can we even be sure the survivors are still there? What happens if we find them dead? Then we become the survivors and it is likely that we will meet the same fate."
"I agree that this is a big risk, but we must remember why we came here, to find out what Arkhel's task was and to bring retribution to his killer. We and our soldiers have come this far. It would almost be dishonorable to turn back."
Kaonus paused and pondered for a moment and then spoke bluntly. "I don't like the situation, but I agree with what you say. We must not fail here. Let's do it."
Solwein nodded slowly. "Let's inform the legion and make camp then."
That night, Solwein didn't sleep again. He was sitting outside his tent, sword in hand, staring at the black sky. I wish I could see the stars. Kaonus, unable to sleep either, exited his tent and sat beside Kaonus on the ground and looked to the sky as well. Neither of them said a word for a long time. Solwein's mind wandered as he stared into the black oblivion.
Why did you come here master? Why couldn't you tell us and why did you go alone? Are we not trustworthy enough; or perhaps we aren't good enough? Are we going to die tomorrow? Questions continued to run through Solwein's mind as his stomach lurched again from the plagued air.
"Solwein," Kaonus said. Solwein looked over at his brother who was struggling to speak. "Do you... do you think we'll make it through this?" Kaonus said quietly.
"Come now, Kaonus. How many times have we defied death in battle. Unless you know something I don't, in which case you had better speak up, this is only a little different than what we've been doing for years. Why so apprehensive?"
"This is so different. We've never faced anything like this. We've never faced a match for Arkhel. I would gladly die in the service of the light, but I don't think I could handle losing you," Kaonus uttered.
Solwein lowered his own head, humbled by his brothers consideration. All this time he had been thinking of how to prevent Arthas from accomplishing his goals, but never once had he thought of losing his brother. Solwein's thoughts sobered him. He reached for Kaonus's shoulder.
"Watch my back then and make sure nothing gets the jump on me. I'll do the same for you. Together we will beat this death knight and bring the light back to Stratholme." Solwein said in a deceptively proud and confident voice. This seemed to console Kaonus a little and Solwein felt better. I just hope I'm right about the survivors. I just hope I'm right.
The two sat there for some time before returning inside and resting in their bed rolls. When morning came, they dressed in their armor in silence. When they were both ready, they left the tent and found the legion waiting for them outside, ready to go.
Not a word was spoken, as was commonly the case when the 20th marched to battle. For Kaonus, it was the anticipation of battle and his thoughts that he often lost himself in that kept him quiet. For Solwein, it was a deep meditation in which he focused his power and prepared to bring ruin to whatever enemy stood before him.
On they marched up the road until they came to the split up point. Solwein turned to the soldier he had chosen, Bartleby Toombs. "You know the way, First Sergeant Toombs," Solwein asked. "Aye sir. See you in King's square," Toombs replied.
Solwein handed him a key and the legion trailed off to the east along the hills to enter the service entrance. Once they were out of sight, the two paladins looked at each other, then forward, and then drew their swords. The stagnant air around them started to move and the undead just out of sight up ahead started to shuffle.
The holy energy coming from both of them was unsettling to the corrupted environment. They closed their eyes and prepared their unparalleled power for the big push to Stratholme. Then, they opened their eyes, and charged into the Scourge's gauntlet.
Immediately they were confronted by banshees who screamed a horrible scream. This was the best move the Scourge could make. Even a paladin of the light will be affected by the banshees wail. Stunned, they slowed their pace and the banshees dispersed to make way for ghouls and skeletons, escorted by several stitched flesh golems. Each of the abominations dual wielded cleavers and a third hand on their backs held a large hook, eliminating the possibility of getting behind them. The brothers regained some of their composure and braced for contact.
As the front closed in on the paladins, Solwein struck the ground hard with his boot and summoned holy fire from the dirt, searing the Scourge as it had in Hilsbrad. The banshee's screamed again and Solwein barely evaded a ghouls attack. Instinctively, he punched the ghoul in the chest, breaking the ribs, and then spun around for a quick and powerful counter-attack.
Next was one of the golems, but the banshee's wail was taking its toll on Solwein. He wasn't ready. The golem slammed the cleaver in its right hand into the ground beside Solwein. We're lucky they are so clumsy, but we can't rely on that for long. "Kaonus!" he yelled. "Fight right beside me and let's clear a path to the banshees in the back." Kaonus barged through a few skeletons to get to Solwein's side and the two of them leaped at the abomination. The horror blocked with its great cleaver and threw them back to the ground. They rolled in opposite directions in an attempt to divide the thing's attention. It went after Solwein.
Kaonus got to his feet quickly and cut down a skeletal mage as it prepared a frost bolt. He then came at the golems side and plunged his sword into where its kidney should have been. The lumbering undead staggered and relented a little on Solwein. Solwein then got to his feet and sliced the things throat, ending it for good.
Once again the banshee's hoarse cry pierced their ears and slowed them. Back on the defensive, they prepared an explosive burst of holy magic and then blasted it on all directions, buying them a crucial moment to advance forward.
The banshees fell further back behind the horde of Scourge in front of the paladins and screeched again. "We cannot allow the banshees to affect us this way or we won't make it through," Solwein cried over the chaos. "Worry not little brother. I brought a trump card!" Kaonus shouted back. From the pouch on his right hip, he pulled a vial of water.
Holy water! Excellent Kaonus! Kaonus smashed the vial on his hand and whispered briefly into his palms before closing his fist. Just as the Scourge prepared to smash into them from the front, Kaonus opened his hand with his palm to the front. The result was holy light that dispersed into different colors through the water. The Scourge stopped in place and cowered from the holy prism and Solwein took advantage.
He furiously plowed the road with sword and magic and all his righteous fury. Two at a time his enemies fell and then in clusters from his holy explosions and consecration. Solwein gutted a hulking flesh golem and then beheaded a ghoul. Ghosts encircled the two paladins, attempting to restrain them. Solwein closed his eyes momentarily and focused for an exorcism. "Back to the nether, fiends!" he shouted and the ghosts dissipated into nothingness. The paladins were at last coming closer to the banshees, rushing through scores of Scourge in true paladin style. Hordes became groups and groups became pairs, until a truly chilling voice split the battle.
"Make way, warriors of the Scourge. I will handle these insects." Insects? Solwein thought. "Clear the way damn you; I want to see my prey." The Scourge backed away from a befuddled and offended Solwein and a livid Kaonus. "Insects?" the brothers said together in outrage.
Before them floated a being so ghastly that even Solwein would have flinched, were it not for his burning desire to annihilate who ever had called him an insect.
The bone lich wore fine purple robes that had been slashed to tatters and jeweled at the waist and chest with rubies. On its shoulders was a mantle befitting a lord, were it not supporting a skull with razor sharp teeth, horns and glowing red eyes. To complete the terrifying visage, a helix of magical chains encircled the lich, presumably binding it to its master.
"You've nerve calling us insects, lich!" Kaonus growled, staring the lich down. "Damn it all Kaonus, don't look at his face!" Solwein bellowed, but it was too late. Kaonus fell to the ground, paralyzed and helpless. "Curse you, lich," Solwein snarled.
"I know you don't really care, but I do have a name. It's Sak'Muatz. I would have you call me by name as I steal your soul." Sak'Muatz lunged for Solwein, taking hold of him by the throat. He was instantly blasted back by a spark of holy energy.
"As if it were that easy you fool! Even by touching me you evoke my holy wrath. You will lose, wicked wretch," Solwein shouted through gritted teeth.
"Insolent bastard!" roared Sak'Muatz as he hurled shadow magic at Solwein. The indistinct shadow coiled around Solwein, constricting him. Solwein began using his power to heal himself and each canceled the other out. Solwein stared at the Sak'Muatz hands and dodged the next coil.
Solwein made a quick move to get closer to the lich, but Sak'Muatz anticipated him and threw a shadow bolt at him, knocking him back and corrupting his skin. Solwein attacked the corruption with cleansing magic and again the effect was mitigated. Now Solwein was still, waiting to react to whatever Sak'Muatz would do next.
"Become one of us," Sak'Muatz muttered with a grin. A cloud of what looked like dust flew into Solwein's face, but seemed to have no effect. Sak'Muatz only smiled. "What was that, lich? Hoping I'll sneeze myself to death?" Solwein laughed. Sak'Muatz just smiled.
Solwein leapt forward with a mighty blow. Sak'Muatz dodged and swiped with his bony claws and connected only with plate armor. As fast as he landed, Solwein's sword flew into Sak'Muatz's lower half, slicing the already torn robes, but hitting no bones. Solwein quickly swung his sword at Sak'Muatz's torso, only to have his sword caught and wrenched away.
Blast! How did he do that? Solwein thought. Sak'Muatz sniggered. Solwein focused his energy into a hammer shape in his right hand and hurled it at the lich. This time he connected, and the damage was done. The smart grin on Sak'Muatz's face had gone and his left arm had been crushed.
Seeing opportunity, Solwein made a dash for his sword. Upon retrieving it, he prepared to finish the fight, but stopped. All of a sudden, his heart began to beat very hard and very fast. Excruciating pain shot through his body from head to toe. The feeling in his limbs began to retreat to his torso and then to one central point in his chest.
"What sorcery is this?" Solwein gasped as he fell to one knee. Sak'Muatz grinned evilly as he magically rebuilt his arm. "That is the feeling of undeath setting in. As we speak, your soul is being imprisoned within you and soon, it will be made to fight for us." No... "Ah, you've figured it out. The look on your face says it all. But worry not; you won't be one of these mindless ones. I have bigger plans for you," Sak'Muatz said.
"How? What have you done to me?" Solwein said a little more desperately than he would have liked. "Remember that wise little comment about sneezing yourself to death?" Sak'Muatz said. "That dust was actually plague spores. Not this pollen in the air you breathe, but the living taint that will soon swallow this world." Sak'Muatz smiled wide. "Starting with you, Solwein of Lordaer..." Sak'Muatz stopped mid-sentence as his head was severed by a golden glowing blade.
"How 'dare' you address Solwein of Lordaeron?!" Kaonus said in a troubled voice. "Kaonus! Exorcise him quickly before he reforms his body!" Solwein yelled. Kaonus's fist glowed golden like his sword and he punched the stirring lich, decimating the remains into dust. Sak'Muatz was no more.
With the immediate threat defeated, Solwein then realized just how bad the situation still was. "Make it stop Kaonus. My body is numb so you must do the cleansing. Hurry up!" Solwein screamed in a panic. Kaonus rushed to Solwein and began the cleansing process.
Feeling started to return to Solwein's lower torso and then to his limbs. "It won't go away. The cleansing magic isn't working," Kaonus said. "It's the nature of the plague. The fel energy won't allow it to simply be cleaned, so I will need an experienced alchemist to kill the plague that is in my blood right now."
Kaonus looked worried. "Oh not to worry my dear brother," Said Solwein cheerfully. "Until we get back to civilization, I can keep it at bay myself. I only need an alchemist to kill it once and for all." Kaonus's face didn't change.
"Look, we don't have time for this right now. We need to hurry to the gates to meet up with the legion. Quickly, let's go." Solwein jumped to his feet and sprinted down the path with Kaonus close behind. Shortly thereafter, the gates of Stratholme came into view.
The army was gargantuan. Ghosts, ghouls, corpses, banshees, zombies, flesh golems, and even dragons stared them in the face. The bulk of the northern Scourge forces were formed and completely focused on those two paladins. The odds were preposterous.
Perfect. And then gunfire erupted from behind the Scourge and the sounds of battle could be heard from the city. Absolutely perfect! "Well big brother, are we going to let the troops have all the fun today?" Solwein mused. But Kaonus had already charged.
With all his power, Solwein followed suit and blasted his way into the front lines with his divine empowered blade. Scores of Scourge fell at once to his onslaught and then came the golems. There were many of them this time, but ironically, their size and numbers made them clumsy and in their attempts to get at Solwein and Kaonus all at once, they crowded around one another. Solwein took advantage and slashed one across the belly and then another at the knees. He leapt high in the air and stabbed a drake in the chest. Using his hilt as a hand hold, with the grace of the gods he flipped himself up and onto the rotten dragon's wing and stabbed a decayed spot in its neck to avoid the tough scales before leaping towards the next golem and decapitating it on his way back down to the ground.
The brick floor beneath him cracked upon impact as he consecrated it, setting two more golems and a handful of smaller Scourge ablaze. A golem took a swing at him with its cleaver, which he easily dodged. He spun around and sliced a ghoul and a skeleton in half with one strike and then rolled behind the golem. His hand glowed blue and he punched through its rotting flesh and took hold of the spine, which Solwein swiftly ripped from the construct. Another drake swooped in low and breathed fire at the brothers. I can't get to the jugular on this one so its scales will protect it. This calls for a different weapon. Solwein sprinted to the side to avoid the blaze and formed a hammer of holy magic in his left hand. Wielding both the hammer and the sword he continued to fend off the Scourge as he waited for the dragon to fly in again. When it did, Solwein hurled his hammer at the drakes face, completely sundering the rotting flesh and scales.
"Keep it up brother! I can see the legion in the back and they are doing well. We have a solid chance to win this thing," Kaonus yelled over the chaos.
Suddenly, the city lit up with a golden glow in the direction of Crusaders' Square. "Brilliant! The forces holding out here have entered the fray," Solwein said to Kaonus. "The Scourge doesn't stand a chance now that they fight a battle on three fronts."
The battle raged for hours. Slowly but surely the Scourge forces dwindled and at the other end of the square, Solwein could see that his legion had met up with the resistance. "Let's finish this, Kaonus!" Solwein cried out.
With eyes of gold and the strength of titans, the brothers furiously slaughtered the undead Scourge. Slowly at first, then faster and faster, they plowed the road towards their allies. But when they finally got there, the outcome was not at all what they expected.
The three on one battle had suddenly become a battle royal. The forces of Stratholme, garbed in tabards and chain of scarlet, were fighting both the Scourge and the 20th legion.
"What are you doing? We're on your side!" Kaonus screamed at the top of his lungs while dodging a skeletal mage-lord's fire ball.
"You carry the taint of the undead. The Scarlet Crusade will purge you from our city and then the rest of the world. All who oppose the crusade will die!" came a voice from the scarlet mob.
"This is madness! We have come to aid you. Destroy the Scourge!" Solwein cried. But it was no use. The Scarlet Crusade continued to cut down the men of the 20th legion, each blow bringing pain to Solwein's heart.
"Fall back, 20th! Get out of the city! Fall back!" Solwein shouted as loud as he could. The men began their retreat only to meet more Scourge from behind.
Damn. The Scourge must have been counting on the fact that we knew nothing about the Scarlet Crusade. This is bad. "Hurry brother. We must break through to aid our men," Solwein called to Kaonus. "Aye. Let's make short work of these peons and get to them.
The brothers stomped their feet together and consecrated a large area to buy a few precious moments to charge their holy energy. With a deafening shout, they charged forward, battering anything they came into contact with. Shortly after, they found themselves reunited with their men, and now fighting two enemies.
"Sir," called out Bartleby. "They just started shouting about how we carry the taint of undeath. I don't know what they are talking about, but at this rate, we won't survive."
"We have no choice; we must withdraw," Solwein called back. "The service entrance has been cut off. We have no way out. This was a trap from the start!" Bartleby shouted.
"If the service entrance is routed, we must make out way back out the front," Kaonus yelled. As he said it, the portcullises on both sides of the tunnel slammed shut. "Damn it!" Kaonus cried.
The situation is getting hopeless. Think Solwein. Think! As Solwein fought off scores of Scourge and tried to come up with a plan, a bright light flashed behind them, sending upwards of forty Scourge flying in all directions.
"By the light! Did you see that?" Kaonus asked as he barely dodged a shadow bolt from a necromancer. "What was that? I've never seen such holy might," Solwein replied. The light flashed again, and this time, Solwein spotted a man he didn't know in the momentary clearing.
"This way!" called the man. "This way to holy ground. This way to safe haven," yelled the man as he stomped his foot and blasted the undeath out of more Scourge. Holy ground. To think that holy ground could exist in a place like this. Who is this man?
At the moment, the tiny list of options was the primary topic on Solwein's mind, so without thinking further into it, Solwein issued the order. "Rally on the fighter at the entrance tunnel to Elders' Square!" he roared over the fight. His troops began the push to the north while the paladins trailed behind, eradicating anything that got close.
The 20th legions numbers were growing thin. The battle had not gone as Solwein had planned and now that they were trapped and dwindling, Solwein felt regretful.
It was foolish to come here. Arkhel didn't intend for this to happen. Why the hell did he come here?
"Solwein. The advance is slow and we are losing many men. I will go to the other side and help with the forward push," said Kaonus. "Good luck brother. See you on holy ground," Solwein yelled back.
As Kaonus disappeared into the troops, a new type of enemy entered the fray. This one was unusually creative for the Scourge. An undead giant's skeleton rounded the western corner from Market Row into King's Square. It wore no armor and wielded a gigantic battle axe.
Before Solwein could prepare himself, the giant leaped high into the air with unnatural agility and cleaved the ground into directly beside Solwein, taking out several Scourge and living troops alike. Bloody hell. That was lucky.
Not a moment after Solwein finished his thought, the skeleton spun around and attacked again, this time in a horizontal slash. Solwein ducked just in time for it to miss him.
Solwein countered with a shock bolt of raw holy mana. The ball of energy lashed into the giants face and it staggered back for a moment before focusing back on Solwein. I hate to sling mana around like that, but this is different. How can something so big move so quickly? Again the giant raised its axe and plunged it down onto Solwein, who barely managed to conjure a shield spell to repel it. I can't perform high level spells like this for much longer or I'll get to tired. I've got to find a weak point right now.
The giant heaved its axe high into the air again in preparation to destroy Solwein. The paladin dove forward, tucking and rolling closer to the giants feet. The blow missed behind Solwein by about two feet. Solwein scrambled up in his heavy armor and sprinted toward the giant in an effort to go between its legs.
Solwein looked up at the huge skeleton to find a bony foot bearing down on him. Solwein swiped at it with his sword to little avail and it crushed Solwein to the ground. He could feel his armor bending and squeezing his mid-section. The skeletal giant backed up one pace and again raised its axe.
Solwein's legs were broken and he was unable to stand. There would be no dodging this blow. The axe began its decent and Solwein, exhausting the better portion of the mana in his bloodstream conjured another shield to block it. The axe crashed on the holy shield and Solwein felt a small prick on his belly. Looking down his body, a small trickle of blood flowed from a cut on his navel. That's all the shield I have in me.
With broken legs and no energy with which to use his sword or magic, Solwein just lied still, waiting for what he was sure to be inevitable. The giant heaved its axe high once more and smashed it down onto the ground. A deafening crash ensued and a nearby building lost its main support from the blow to the city streets. As the building crumbled many Scourge and legion forces were taken by the impact and a small crater formed where it had struck.
When the dust settled, Solwein found a figure standing over him. This man was unfamiliar to him using the same shield spell Solwein had. Solwein had never been happier to see anyone. Another took hold of his arm and attempted to help him up. "Run away, Kaonus. It took me two holy shields and most of my mana in its purest form to get this far. Don't be so reck-". The sting of Kaonus's slap manifested in Solwein's pride as much as it did in the right side of his face.
"How dare you just give up like that. That thing was about to destroy you and you were going to just let it happen. Weakling..." Kaonus spat. Solwein had never seen Kaonus like this before and as his big brother dragged him toward a small chapel in Elders' square. The push for holy ground had been successful. As the Scourge shuffled back away from the chapel's yard, the legion crammed inside the tiny building and Kaonus dragged Solwein inside.
In King's Square, Solwein saw the stranger that had saved him begin sprinting for the chapel. The paladin had somehow caused a great deal of damage to the bone giant and was going to make it back in time. The man crossed the fence line into the chapel grounds, to safety.
Kaonus immediately attacked Solwein's wounds with holy healing spells as did the stranger from before. In mere minutes, Solwein was able to stand up again and heal himself. The other two rushed around healing wounded legion troops.
Once Solwein was satisfied with his condition, he too started healing his troops. In the gaggle of worn out soldiers, Solwein found Bartleby Toombs, who was gravely wounded.
"How many men left First Sergeant?" Solwein asked tenderly. "Forty or so, sir," the battered and beaten man replied. Forty... out of five-hundred. "What is the Scarlet Crusade sir?" Bartleby asked.
"They are living, uninfected paladins of the Silver Hand, driven mad by the airborne plague. At least, that's the theory," replied the stranger from before. He was a strong man of average height. He had slightly longer blonde hair than the two brothers and a thick tramp beard and was clad in iron armor. In one hand he held an old, battle worn great sword. His other hand was balled into a fist, glowing with magical power.
"You... Who are you?" Solwein asked. "I am Aurius. I served the Silver Hand before the Scourge came to power," said Aurius. "Sir Aurius of Stratholme? I have heard your name before sir. What in the world are you doing here?" said Solwein.
Aurius didn't answer right away, but instead turned away and put his hands on his hips. After a few moments of awkward silence, he answered Solwein's question. "After this place was destroyed, I was captured by the scourge and taken to the necropolis known as Naxxramas. There I was tortured with steel and disease for some time. I can't say how long exactly, but it lasted until a few months ago. You see, a paladin had come to this city and the lich, Kel'Thuzad, decided that I was ready to serve him," Aurius explained.
Solwein was quickly growing suspicious of Aurius. Aurius turned to face him and picked up on this. "You don't trust me. I can't say I blame you, for I don't even trust myself anymore. The truth is, I know who you two are and I know why you came."
"The paladin who came here; what was his name?" Solwein demanded interrogatively. Aurius walked back to Solwein and knelt before him as to beg his forgiveness. "He was Sir Arkhel, the Glorious of the Silver Hand, and he was slain by my sword."
With lightning speed, Solwein drew his sword and plunged it into Aurius's back, but connected only with the wooden floor beneath him. Dumbfounded, Solwein attempted an exorcism and then consecrated the floor, sending the nearby legion troops scurrying to the corners of the building. Aurius remained unscathed and then faded into transparency.
"What are you?" Kaonus demanded. "What I meant to say was that I was once the man known as Aurius, and then the death knight known as Hadeshorn, but now I am only a remnant, a spirit that goes on only to make amends. I am bound to the scourge still as a wandering ghost, but I am also bound to the light and therefore am able to resist. However, were it not for your master, you two and I would be fighting as we speak." Aurius replied.
Solwein's expression softened a little. "And what did Arkhel do to you when he was here?" he asked Aurius. "He fought me. The battle was fierce and my minions were many. He cut them down in droves, his holy magic lit up the darkened skies and the aura around him almost spoke for itself. It said to me in my fallen state: 'Retribution'. Yes the battle was fierce indeed and were it not for the way in which death knights cheat death, he would have finished me in short order. Here in Elders' Square, after days of fighting with this unimaginably powerful foe, I struck a grievous blow and he fell to the ground. With a voice that was not my own, I taunted him. He laughed and then with his final breath he did two things. The first thing he did was bless the ground with all the strength left in him. As you know, the scourge may not set foot on holy ground and so I was painfully purified and left here in the form you see now."
Solwein and Kaonus bowed their heads, finally getting closure. Solwein was visibly sad but his anger had subsided at the story of his valiant master. "And the second thing?" he asked.
"He told me that you two would come and he asked me to pass his last message to you. He said to me that when Uther the Light Bringer died, he inherited his title. He also said to tell you two when you arrived that there is a weapon here whom only the Light Bringer may wield and that with it, the Light Bringer could save the world." said Aurius.
"What do you mean he 'inherited the title of Light Bringer? It is only a title and he was Arkhel the Glorious. One does not simply change their surname as it is something chosen for them by superiors in relevance to their deeds," Solwein exclaimed.
Aurius looked up at Solwein. "No my boy. The title of Light Bringer is more than just a surname. It is a duty given to the one who is closest to the light and now we don't know who the new Light Bringer is. He has tasked you, through me, to find the weapon and the Light Bringer. Where he has failed, you must succeed."
Solwein pensively took it all in. It was visibly a bit much for Kaonus, but Solwein was able to grasp the concept, though it wasn't easy to swallow. "And what exactly is this weapon. As it's keeper, I would guess that you know where it is," said Solwein.
Suddenly the dull roar of the undead outside subsided. "Paladins of Lordaeron, you have come far and I know why you have come. Come out of your hiding place and take it from me, if you dare," came a hollow and raspy voice from the city streets.
Solwein and Kaonus peered out a window to find a fully armored death knight on a skeletal charger. He was garbed in a heavy, ebon suit of armor and wielded a long sword imbued with necro runes. From behind his ghastly helmet, two blood red eyes could be seen and on top of his banner pole was a helmet, a helmet that the brothers instantly recognized as their masters.
A violent aura filled the room as Solwein and Kaonus continued to stare at the gruesome visage challenging them. "That is baron Rivendare and he holds the weapon you seek. Though he cannot wield it, it stays on his person at all times and he binds it there with chains under his breast plate, just as I did," Aurius replied. "How do we defeat him?" Kaonus asked coldly. "The weakness of a death knight is not easy to reach. In order to beat Rivendare, you will need to heal him," Aurius replied.
"Heal? That is too simple," Solwein interrupted. "To think that my master was struck down by a being with such an obvious weakness is beyond my belief."
"You are correct young one, for it is not his body that you must heal, it is his soul. A death knight has been destroyed in body and mind and to repair either is futile. But a soul is not so easily vanquished. Your master understood this and when he sanctified the chapel grounds, he meant to cleanse my tortured soul within my body. But when one is transformed into a death knight, one is paired with a demon steed, like the one you see out the window," Aurius explained.
"I will not wait long paladins. Unlike the traitor Aurius, you and your men can waste away in this place. If you wish to die with honor, step before me," called Rivendare outside. "Quickly Aurius; what is the secret to defeating the baron?" Solwein said.
"I was getting to that. Upon uniting with his steed, a death knights soul is split in two between the demon horse and the original body to better protect it from purifying forces. You must purify both at the same time in order to reunite them and set the soul free, a monumental task."
As Aurius finished his explanation, he gracefully sat down on an empty bench awaiting a reply from Solwein and Kaonus. After a long silence and another outburst from Rivendare, Solwein spoke up.
"Aurius..." Solwein said at last. Aurius said nothing. "I cannot forgive you for the transgression upon me that you have made, but as you are a spirit on holy ground, holy law and my code of honor forbids me from taking vengeance on you." Solwein stopped a moment and thought carefully about how to speak his mind. "Were I not a man of the light and were I not bound by my honor and were I not a bringer of justice, I would ensure that you burn in hell this very day," he said coldly. "But you see, I am a man of the light and I am bound by my honor. This day you have given me the key to finishing what my master started and for that I am grateful."
Aurius closed his eyes as though he had been waiting for such a statement. "I wish that I could help you further, for my sins are of the greatest caliber and I too wish to see the world saved, but Rivendare knows that I have no power outside this holy ground and so you must face this threat alone," said Aurius.
Solwein walked to the door followed by Kaonus and he swung it open to reveal himself to the death knight. "We must purify both halves of the soul at the same time, so this will have to be a defensive battle. It won't be easy so stay on your toes. That thing out there is a new kind of evil and I'm sure you can sense the hunger it has for us," Solwein said darkly.
"Aye, I can feel it. Can't imagine how great men fall so far, but I suppose it doesn't make a great deal of difference at this point," Kaonus replied. "We will do as best we can, and in the end I know the light will prevail, as it always has."
"I'm not so sure brother. The righteous forces of our time are slowly fading away. I don't know if there will be another to replace us," Solwein said.
Kaonus looked at his brother who was staring at the cold and broken man just outside the chapel's yard. With a heavy sigh and a fateful tone, Kaonus uttered a phrase that would stick with Solwein for the remainder of his life. "Then we must not fail, my dear brother."
Solwein blinked slowly, cherishing his brothers voice. He was feeling particularly fond of him at the moment and longed for the moment to last longer. But it didn't last long at all, for the destruction and corruption all around him drove his boots forward toward the streets. Kaonus followed closely behind, cracking his knuckles and neck.
