Arius's POV
We started our journey on the break of dawn, riding through the paved roads. According to the locals in Southshore, it would take about a full day's ride to reach Dalaran. At this point we should be arriving within the hour. Maybe even less.
The more we rode closer to Dalaran, the less I find myself trusting this hooded priest who introduced himself as Ursus Atherton. He was a calculating looking man who scarcely said a word in our journey, responding to our questions only with short, polite but curt replies.
Rendal was only slightly better company, he talked and discussed about our plan once we arrive in Dalaran. We agreed that once we arrive, we would spend several days gathering volunteers and supplies along with any reinforcements who the Kirin Tor could be sent.
"Why are you going to Dalaran anyway brother?" I ask, leaning over to the priest and offer him a friendly smile.
Although his face was hidden under the thick red hood of his robes, I notice it turn to me. "I plan to meet up with other priests and warriors who mean to fight against the undead. When I saw another Paladin coming I was hoping you could join me there?"
Another? That particular word got my attention. I stiffened and turned to the priest who seemed to have gone back to staring at the open roads. "Brother what do you mean about another Paladin? Aren't they all dead or gone into hiding?"
I feel his eyes turning to regard me, his posture seems to relax and even with his hood I feel him smiling. "A common misconception my friend, but what many don't know is that there are still a few Paladins still fighting, and now they have issued a call to those who are hiding to call them back to take up the banner against their undead. They have assembled an army in Tyr's Hand. But I was sent here to gather warriors in Dalaran to support them."
Rendal turned to me, his brows rise in surprise. I feel like I wanted to do a dance at our good fortune. An army in Dalaran. "Well sir, I think I might have another idea that you and your friends would find interesting."
"Save it for later then. I am planning to meet up with my fellow leaders tonight. I'm sure they would listen to what a fellow Paladin would have to say, especially one who has already fought the undead."
"Are you sure that's a good idea sir?" Rendal whispers quietly to my ear. The priest rode ahead of us and was out of earshot. "Something seems off about that priest."
I find myself shaking my head in agreement. Throughout our journey there was something unsettling about him, but they way I saw it he was our best chance in getting help for a relief army. "I'm not sure how good of an idea this is." I admit. "But I also know he has an army, an army we could use in Silverpine. Surely you agree that we will need more soldiers."
"I suppose." He mutters uncertainty, turning his attention forward. "But I'd still prefer we try to get help from the Kirin Tor first." He glances upwards and sighs with relief. "Well at least it seems we would not need to wait long."
The hunter points forward as we reach the crest of the hill, to reveal the city of magic in plain view and only a short ride away. The sight was a welcoming sight for us all. I shift around on my saddle, feeling the sores on my lower body ache as I move around. It would be nice to stay in a comfortable bed and maybe get a hot meal.
Those thoughts were enough to get to me spur my horse forward.
Dalaran was in a state of chaos by the time we arrived. Dozens of magic who normally remained cooped up in their apartments are now hurrying around the city, placing wards per the instruction of archmages.
I grab one of the young adepts who with a number of colleagues were finishing up placing a glowing blue rune on a tower wall. "Where is the archmage Antonidas? I must speak with him immediately."
The young man stumbles, nearly tripping on his flowing blue robes and points to one of the largest towers. "He's planning with the Grand Marshall in the Violet Citadel about their defense plan."
"Defense plan?" I question curiously. "Whats going on here?"
The mage gave me a look of exasperation. "Didn't you hear Paladin? Arthas has turned his army back from Quel'thalas and now is marching here through Alterac mountains."
An army! Through Alterac? That was impossible that he could bring his army here so quickly. Only weeks ago he was in Andorhal, slaughtering the remaining Paladins there, and after was marching towards the Elven lands. How was he able to turn here so quickly.
I growl and let loose a string of curses. There was no way he could get help from Garithos now. He barely agree to give me troops for my first expedition. "So what are you doing with all those runes now?"
He grins savagely at me. "Well we may not boast the elfs impressive military, but us magi still have a few tricks up our sleeves. The Archmages have a spell planned that could give Arthas a good thrashing."
I didn't ask any further questions as somebody began pushing his way through the crowds. It was Ursus. He waves his staff back and forth, shouting at workers and magi who got in their way, many giving him dirty looks in return. If he saw it then he gave no indication of it.
"Greetings Arius." He bows and extends one arm. "I am about to meet my comrades right now. Would you care to join me?"
I think about it for a second, glancing towards the Violet Citadel. But then back at Ursus who backs away and still had his arm extended towards a small tavern down the street with a wooden sign hanging from the roof that said, Jeweled Staff.
Finally I make up my mind. "Right. Let's go." I say, turning and following after him. Ursus lets out a small nod of approval as he leads the way down the street. As we walk, a soft grunt causes me to turn to a nearby alley where Rendal is waiting. The young Trapper had somehow found a new set of clothes and a long coat.
His lips press together in a thin line as he joins me. "Are we really doing this?" He whispers irritably.
"We have no choice. There's an army advancing onto Dalaran. Do you honestly think the Grand Marshall would allow me to pull out even more of his soldiers for a second expedition to Silverpine?"
"No." He admits. "That man has no sense of honor. Still, is getting an underground group of warriors the answer?"
I turn around and regard him coldly. "These, underground group of warriors were once men of the Light." I remind him curtly as the priest had begun to open the door. Despite the afternoon sun, the inn was practically dark save for a couple of torches hanging from the wall.
There was barely anyone here, most sitting alone or in small groups scattered around the tavern. As the three of us enter, the bartender's eyes widens when he sees Ursus. Quickly he gets his best vintages and hides them under the bar before vanishing into the back room.
"That doesn't bode well." Rendal mutters to no one in particular. He reaches for his coat and from one of its pockets inside he reveals to me a dagger. "Just in case this doesn't go well." He explains before dropping it back in.
Before I could tell him that a dagger wouldn't be the best weapon against Paladins, the priest points to a table with two people each with a thick cloak over their heads. "There. Those are my associates."
"Oh wonderful, more people in dark cloaks. What could possibly go wrong."
The two of us give Rendal withering looks before approaching the table. "Greetings friends." Ursus says, nodding his head towards them. The two of them return the gesture and he takes his seat beside the bigger one. The smaller figure turns to the two of us and squares her shoulders. "Who are these people?" She asks, the suspicion plain in her voice.
Ursus gestures to me. "This is Arius my lady. He is another lost brother I found, though he has been fighting the undead like the rest of us."
"Oh really now?" The larger of the two pipes in, leaning forward to face me. "Where have you been fighting young one?"
"Silverpine." I reply, standing up a bit straighter and stepping forward. "I was tasked with leading an army to the villages there and evacuating them."
The two of them look at each other and remove their hoods. I freeze feeling my spine straighten as I instantly recognized both of them, heroes of the Silverhand. The woman was slightly older than me with a mane of black hair and fierce amber eyes.
Lady Elise Harrington, slayer of the three Blademasters. Even when she just an adept she took the task of going after a rogue band of orcs. But rather and bringing back a few grunts and peons that had escaped, she came back with the swords of three blademasters. Afterwards she practically became a legend, and a famed orc hunter.
The other was a barrel chested man in his middle years whose hair was now streaked with grey and a with a salt and pepper mustache. But that did little to his muscles which still were quite visible from under his armor. He reached out and grasped my shoulder tightly. "Good man. You've helped a lot of people. But what brings you here instead of being out in front with the rest of your troops?"
I stutter to reply as I get a good look at him. Ser Garthside. He was one of the orders most senior members, having served for more than thirty years under the banner of the Light. Some even said that he was a candidate to replace the Lightbringer after his death, but he vanished shortly afterwards.
"I came here originally to help escort the survivors we found, but I also thought about gathering reinforcements to assist my army." I explain quickly. Ursus having already heard his situation signaled for a bar wench to bring some drinks for the rest of them.
She came back with a tray full of mugs plus a flagon of beer. Ursus had to go first before Rendal reluctantly took a sip from the mug. Did he honestly expect it to be poisoned? I shoot him an annoyed glance before picking up a mug of my one and taking a drink, letting the beer trickle down my lips onto my chest.
"I see, you find yourself in a perilous situation." Garthside says suddenly, snapping me out of my musings. "I would like to help you Arius. You are good man and one who the Order of the Silverhand needs for its future."
"Thank you milord." I say humbly, standing up and bowing my head low. "How many men will you be able to send?"
Elise shook her head unhappily and grunts. "I admit this now to you young one, we do not have a large army here in Dalaran. I reckon we have only about a hundred soldiers within the city, though most of them are Paladins or warriors who worked closely with our order."
"We also have a number of priest in that force." Ursus pipes in.
Rendal choked on his beer and spat it all out. He wipes his face with a napkin and swallows before looking at all of them, incredulous. "One hundred men?" He says.
"Yes is there a problem with that?" The older knight turns to him, his voice deadly calm.
"Nothing my lord." Rendal raises his hands up defensively. "It's just that one hundred men hardly seem like it would be enough to help our forces in Silverpine."
The three of them exchange glances with each other, their faces a mix of confusion and amusement. Finally Garthside turns to him. "It may seem like a small number." He admits. "But I can assure me that these are no ordinary soldiers. This is the vanguard of the Scarlet Crusade."
The rest of the night was spent discussing battle plans and logistics. It was already the hours of midnight by the time that Garthside had decided to call it a night and go to bed. Arius rubs his eyes and staggers up the stairs to his room.
His vision swam as nearly trips on the last step. At the last second I reach forward and stop myself from falling. I pick myself up and shake my head. How much beer did I drink?
My shaking fingers reach for my key at my belt and drop it twice before I sucessfully unlock the door and crash onto my bed, stopping only to remove my armor. It seems that as soon as I shut my eyes I drift away to sleep.
A golden light explodes in front of my eyes then nothing.
I wake up to the sound of battle. The familiar sound of steel hitting steel, battle cries and grunts of pain. My eyes creep open, wincing as they were immediately greeted by the harsh sunlight.
Wait, what am I doing outside? That though rings in my head as I struggle to stand, my limbs felt numb like they were made of iron. For several minutes I lay on the ground, forcing myself to keep quiet lest I risk alerting anyone of where I am.
Slowly the feeling returned to the rest of my body. I got to my feet, shakily as they were still weak. I saw the source of the battle sounds, though massacre seemed like a more appropriate way to describe it.
The largest undead host that he's ever seen was fighting its way through a beleaguered orcish army. The orcs fought with all the savagery and strength that he'd seen before, yet they were outnumbered ten to one and fought creatures that did not slow down when the loop off limbs and at times could even match their strength.
At the head of the undead I saw the face of evil. Arthas himself walks forward at a casual pace, that jagged runeblade tightly in his grasp. In a way he looks just like the boy who I grew up with, yet his hair was now stark white and his eyes cruel.
Every time an orc foolishly tries to attack him, he cuts them down with a single blow. Axes and lesser swords shatter on impact.
The orcish leader, a fierce looking blademaster stood behind a his army, raising his own blade, a single edged sword covered in demonic runs. He waves it around and shouts encouragement to his warriors.
In front of him was a line of warlocks hidden in their dark cowls, murmuring in unison as they prepare their spell. Around them grew a dark aura, radiating outwards to the rest of his army. As the final words were said, an explosion of demonic powers rushes forwards. The nearest undead were destroyed in an instant, giving the orc warriors a chance to catch their breath.
A lance of dark energy shoots forward, forking apart with each undead it strikes. Dozens fall and before it approaches Arthas. It looks ready to spear him through, yet he simply raises his sword and swats it away like it was a fly.
Arthas smirks and stops walking. He lets out a long whistle and raises his sword up defensively. The warlocks growl at this challenge and prepare to cast another spell. A green sphere of energy forms around them, at first only the size of my head. But it grows rapidly to the size of a boulder.
They grit their teeth with the effort, sweat trickling for their face as they each channel their magic onto it. Just as they were about to launch it, a primeval roar rips through the air. It knocks several undead to the ground and a flurry of ice hits home, freezing every warlock. I look and feel my body freeze. A dragon, or what had once been a dragon soars above the battlefield, its flesh and muscle was long gone and left only a skeletal being, at its chest was a glowing heart that radiates an icy aura.
Ice explodes everywhere, leaving the battlefield covered in a thick mist. The orcs stumble and cough as their foes continue to advance, marching through the fog almost like spirits.
Once the fog clears, I saw the full extent of the damage from the dragon's breath. Nearly every warlock was frozen in place, their bodies suspended in blocks of ice. Those unfortunate enough not to be moan out softly in pain as their limbs succumbed to frostbite, blackened and ready to fall off.
These were easy prey to the advancing undead horde. The dragon swoops in the air, roaring triumphantly. Orcs fire arrow at it, yet these didn't even seem to hurt her. Those Warlocks were the only thing that could do any real damage to it.
The orc blademaster roars in frustration as he watches the dragon circle around for another attack. He growl and shoves his guards aside before racing forward to Arthas. He slashes his sword expertly cutting down any undead who stood in his way.
His sword rose and fell as he reaches Arthas. Yet Frostmourne came up and parries his attack. Though to his credit, the orc and his blade didn't shatter and he pulls back, thrusting the sword low at Arthas's belly. The sword bounces off harmlessly against his armor. Arthas grins and smacks the orc aside with the flat of his blade.
He stumbles to the side, crashing into one of his comrade but this orc was made of sterner stuff and he caught himself again and swung his place in a smooth arc. Arthas however was prepared and brought Frostmourne down and shatters the orcish sword.
The blademaster grips the remaining stump that was once his blade and makes a jab at the fallen prince, but again he dances to the side and loops the orcs arm off. He scream in pain, clutching the useless stump as he fell. A ghoul rushed forward and prepares to claw the orc down but his master raises a hand. "No. Leave him here, we have work to do."
I woke up with a start, clutching the side of my head and looking around. I was back in my inn room. There was a loud knock at my door. "Is everything alright there?" I hear Ursus's voice come from the outside.
I swing my legs from the side of the bed and nearly crash into the wall, stumbling as I approach the door. With a trembling hand I turn the knob to see the priest standing outside. His hood was still on but I could still see his lips which were pursed into a frown. "Trouble sleeping?"
I consider what to tell him, there was something unsettling about this man, but however he still was a priest and maybe he could help interpret my dreams. "In a way. I think I saw something in my dreams."
"Oh?" He says, though something about his voice told me that this was something he was not surprised with. "What do you mean by that?" He says, taking that as an invitation to come in and sit down on the side of my bed.
Quickly, I run down everything that happened in my dream. By the time I finish he was scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Well I will not say that I have not heard of such things before. Yes I have heard of times when someone would receive visions from the Light, warning them of impending danger."
"Y-you think that the Light came to me in order to warn me?" I ask, not bothering to hide my shock. Why me of all people and not the other paladins here. Surely Ser Garthside would have been worthy, or Lady Elise.
"The Light works in mysterious ways my friend. They clearly believe you are worthy and sent you here. But we must tell the others." Ursus says, already getting up and leaving. I nod in agreement and head to Lady Elise's room.
"My lady. I must speak to you at once." I knock on her door, shouting through the door. The doorknob slides open to reveal the woman who was dressed in a light nightgown. She rub her eyes and glares angrily at him. She opens her mouth to berate him angrily only to be cut off by me. "I've received a vision from the Light. The undead will be upon us."
She nods wordlessly and disappears into her room, coming out in a few heartbeats fully dressed. I didn't question how she dresses so quickly and follow her down. Garthside was already jogging down the stairs by the time we arrive. "I've already sent Ursus out to gather the rest of the Crusaders. He will warn Antonidas."
The older knight grabs my arm and pulls me towards him. "Arius. Tell me everything you saw."
Elise orders a bartender to send over some water to us and comes over with a vase of water and some goblets. I pour myself down a glass and take a deep swig. "I saw Arthas and his army. They were already in Alterac mountains and smashing any orc that were there. Now they are making their way here."
"By the Light, it took us years to drive the orcs back yet he does it in a single afternoon." Elisa mutters under her breath,
"That's why we must stop him." Ser Garthside says defiantly.
"This plan of yours Archamge, its seems bold, and risky." I say evenly, trying to keep pace with the Archmages horse who even in a trot still moves with an urgent pace. My eyes look around to the various magi gathering around in their designated spots. Each one had carefully rehearsed this plan and could do it blindfolded.
Or at least that's what Antonidas promised.
It had been about three days since I gave the warning to my fellow Paladins and the Kirin Tor. All groups had thankfully heeded the warning and quickly began planning and preparing, stockpiling goods and summoning nearby soldiers.
He turns back from his horse and gives a loud humph of annoyance, almost as if upset that I would question him. "These days boy, the best plans are those that take risk. But I can assure you that every undead that would dare set fut into Dalaran will face a nasty surprise."
"Anyone who will not be fighting has been ordered to retreat with my apprentice and get out of here." He says, pointing as a group of magi helping several civilians with their belongings and opening a portal.
We walk along the outskirts of the city, and at the distance I can see the smoke of the undead army in the distance, looking more like a ghostly shadow ready to consume us all. Each time I saw them I feel goosebumps on my arms.
They were a few hours away, but at this point I wasn't sure if that would be enough. Garthside divided within the city, defending the magi who would maintain the spell and fight the undead in the streets. Unfortunately this means that all my reinforcements will be delayed until the fighting would be finished here.
I had to bite my tongue and count to ten to avoid speaking out against the very irritable Archmages and Crusaders less I get blasted to a puddle. It was a tough pill to leave Felwyn and Nori behind, but for now it time to focus on Arthas.
"Come, let's get this spell started." Antonidas says, turning back and galloping away to the city.