War-God Jalak
"Are we sure being here is the right move?" Cyndia asked, looking over to her Queen who was napping on Snow. "I still don't think she is fully recovered."
"She's not, but she was insistent on coming here in place of her father." Sera shrugged her shoulders and looked over to Victoria too. "The best we can do is keep her in the back of the army, protecting the rear as we push our way through."
"How long do you think she will endure that?" Cyndia now asked. "You know she doesn't like to take orders."
"I know." Sera said with a smile. "I can only imagine she will enjoy giving orders a lot more once we return to Stormwind."
Cyndia laughed and nodded her head in agreement. "Perhaps that's why she wants to be Queen."
"I wouldn't put it past her." Sera said, watching the Queen sleep peacefully on Snow. "She will have to wake up soon, I can't imagine the fighting will be going on for much longer."
"Victoria?" Vareesa called, entering the area they were all waiting in.
"Speak of the devil." Sera said, looking over to the Ranger-General. "Ready to move on?" She asked the moment Vareesa looked over to her.
"Yes, the courtyard is clear, we are moving down a series of bridges next." Vareesa looked back to Victoria who remained asleep. "Wake her up?"
"Sure." Sera crouched down beside Victoria and began to shake her lightly, hearing her moan and groan at being woken up earlier than she wanted. "Come on, my Lady. It's time to move out."
Victoria groaned, sat up and stretched her arms above her head, looking over to her aunt who was grinning at her. "Is it over?"
"Far from it, little one." Vareesa told her. "We cleared the courtyard and the huge troll that stood watch over that area. He took out a few of our rangers, but Jaina and her mages managed to slow him down enough to be dealt with."
Victoria picked up her bow and slung it over her shoulder, looking down to Snow who stretched beside her and letting out a huge yawn before shaking his body awake. "I think we're ready to go. All was quiet on our end."
"I can see that." Vareesa said with a smirk, stroking some of her niece's hair back into her hood. "Perhaps I should give you something to do if you have time to sleep."
"Hah." Victoria rubbed the back of her neck. "I was just closing my eyes, that's all."
"Uh huh." Vareesa muttered, shaking her head. "Come on, let's go."
With Victoria and her group bringing up the rear once more, the army of elves and humans, now partnered with the Dark Iron who arrived just as they were crossing the two bridges leading them to their next fight, were outside what sounded like an arena. Sounds of cheering and taunting ringing out around them as they got closer to the doors that were shut but not locked.
"This doesn't sound too good." Jaina said, looking over to Vareesa who nodded her head in agreement. "We may need everyone for this fight if we are to step into an arena, surrounded by the enemy."
The Ranger-General looked back to her niece who was talking to Sera about the arena in front of them. "She is still too injured for a proper fight." Vareesa whispered before letting out a small sigh. "But if it's needed, I'll talk to her."
"How many do you think are in there?" Victoria asked her Captain.
"I couldn't say." Sera replied, looking down at her Queen who stood closely by her side. "Enough to make so much sound that we heard them before we even got across the second bridge."
"Do you think we will have to stay back again? Or do you think we will be able to fight this time?" The young Queen asked, looking up at her Captain.
"You are going to be needed. All of you are." Vareesa told them when she was close enough to hear their conversation. "We don't know what we are going to face, or how many, so we all have to be inside, watching each other's backs."
"Okay, lead the way."
Sera watched her Queen follow Vareesa into the arena once the doors were pushed open, interrupting the fight between two Zandalari Trolls and quickly shooting them full of arrows when they began to charge towards them. "My Lady, are you sure about this?" The Night Elf asked once they were all stood in the middle of the arena, having one of the Zandalari yell out their new challenger. "I still think you're too injured to -"
"Enough, Sera." Victoria said with a stern tone. "I am here to help, if that means I have to get my hands dirty, then so be it." She nocked an arrow in place on her bow and scanned the area. "Now either help me or return to Stormwind."
"Looks like I am helping you, my Lady." Sera whispered, holding onto her glaive tightly and pointing in front of her to hopefully ward off anyone thinking of attacking her.
"Dese intrudah's come here to stop da Tundah King's plans! Kill dem where dey stand!" The lead Zandalari yelled, smashing the chain beside him with his axe and dropping a gate containing a giant, four legged, three horned beast that began to charge towards the elves, Dark Iron Dwarves and humans in the middle of the arena. "Good luck wid da great warbeast of da Zandalari!"
"That's not good." Sera said, dragging Victoria aside and being swarmed by her rangers. "How are we going to kill that?"
"With a lot of arrows." Lor'themar told her, letting loose an arrow towards the warbeast.
"It's a direhorn!" Jaina yelled, casting an ice spell towards the warbeast to slow it down. "They're native to the Zandalari and have very tough hide. Piercing it with arrows will be difficult."
"Well.. It's not like that majority of us have arrows or anything." Victoria muttered, glancing over to Sera who watched several Zandalari climb down from the stands around the arena, hitting the stoned floor and unsheathing their axes and throwing their spears, taking out a few unaware mages and rangers.
Jaina was being aided by a few of her mages, slowing down the warbeast some more so it wasn't as big of a threat as it first posed. "Take out the trolls!" The Archmage yelled, trying to concentrate entirely on the Direhorn.
"Da Farraki Tribe!" The main Troll yelled. "Show da intrudah's what it means to face da followahs of da Tundah King!"
"I'll show that annoying bastard what it means to face an elf." Cyndia spat, nocking an arrow in place, drawing it back and letting it loose in one of the Farraki trolls, repeating the process for every one she could see enter the arena. "He's too much of a coward to come down and face us himself."
"Hah!" The troll laughed out loud after overhearing Cyndia. "I am War-God Jalak! I am afraid of notting!" He yelled, climbing down and mounting the warbeast, breaking the ice spell that was slowing it down. "Gurubashi, come. Join da fight!"
"Shit..." Cyndia muttered, ducking under a swinging axe and slicing her blade across the troll's stomach. "This is not what I wanted."
"No, thanks for that." Sera muttered, shaking her head. "I suppose we best double down our efforts."
Victoria watched Snow pounce at a nearby Gurubashi Troll, letting loose an arrow into a second and running to her Nightsaber's side as he ripped a hole in the Troll's chest with his claws. "Good boy, now don't overwork yourself. We still have this entire fortress to fight through."
Snow let out a lowl growl, climbing off the Troll and standing beside his mother who let loose another arrow, licking one of his paws that had blood on it. "If he lasts the entire fight through the fortress." Vareesa reminded her, finding herself beside the new Queen of Stormwind after War-God Jalak mounted the warbeast and split their group. "You can't push him into fighting if he is exhausted."
"I won't." Victoria told her, moving out the way of a charging Troll who became impaled by Sera who stuck him with her glaive. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, my Lady." Sera said, pulling out the glaive and sticking by her Queen's side as she began to move towards the opposite side of the arena. "How are we going to get out of this?" She now asked once several of her rangers surrounded the Queen. "They still have a sizeable amount of Trolls in the stands, waiting to attack us."
"I think we may have to clear them all out before moving on." Victoria told her, looking down at Snow who was keeping low behind her. "And it may have to be sooner rather than later. Like my aunt said, I can't afford to have Snow fight for too long."
Sera looked over to the Dark Iron Dwarves who were accompanying them, watching them form a shield wall and block most, if not all of the spears. "The Dwarves might draw most of their attention. If we focus on taking out the War-God, we may just survive this."
"My Drakkari and Amani cousins, join ya Zandalari bruddah's with taking out dese intrudahs!" War-God Jalak laughed atop the warbeast, turning it around so he was facing Victoria and her rangers. "Dis little one be mine."
Lor'themar and Halduron were letting loose arrows into the Amani and Drakkari Trolls that climbed down into the arena near them, the Ranger-General of Silvermoon slowly smilnig as he fought side by side with his friend. "This brings me back to when we were just mere rangers, fighting the Amani together."
"A simpler time?" Lor'themar asked him, getting a laugh in response. "Indeed it was."
"A time where you could see with both eyes." Halduron then joked, dodging under a Troll's axe and coming face to face with another, seconds before it fell to the floor as Lor'themar had stuck it with an arrow. "Though I can see having one eye hasn't slowed you down."
"Even with just the one, I am saving your ass." The Regent Lord looked over to Victoria who's group was being pinned down by the War-God, his Direhorn and the Zandalari Trolls who were helping him take out the Queen. "We should help Victoria, she is taking the full force of the Zandalari."
Halduron looked over to the Queen and nodded in agreement, moving forward with a group of his rangers whilst the rest helped Grand Magister Rommath and his mages deal with the Amani. "We've got your back, my Lady." He said, cutting down two Zandalari.
"Thank you." Victoria replied, helping up some of her Rangers whilst the War-God backed away from them. "We were being overrun quicker than I thought possible."
"It's good we helped when we did." The Regent-Lord said, looking over the Queen to check her or injuries. "Your mother would have killed us if we left you to fend for yourself."
Victoria watched Moira and her Dark Iron Dwarves break their shield wall and charge towards the War-God and his Direhorn, scaring the beast and knocking Jalak off the saddle. "Slay teh beast and kill thah Troll!" Moira commanded, casting a holy spell towards a group of Trolls charging her and her guard and burning a few of them before smacking them with her hammer. "Ah! Tis good teh be fightin' again!"
Standing up, War-God Jalak held up his spear and parried a strike from one of the dwarves charging after him, sticking his weapon into their chest and stumbling backwards as he had twisted his ankle upon falling off his Direhorn. "Kill dem!" He yelled, using the butt of the spear to keep him standing. "Dey cannot interrupt da Tundah King!"
As Jaina and her mages, partnered with the Grand Magister and his mages, slowed down the Direhorn enough to make it an easy target for Vareesa and her rangers, Lor'themar, Halduron and Victoria engaged with the remaining Trolls with the Regent Lord fighting against the War-God in personal combat. "The beast is down." Sera told her Queen once the Direhorn was killed, deflecting a spear with her glaive and thrusting it into the troll who threw the projectile. "Their numbers are dwindling."
"Then let's not sit back and allow them to regroup." Lor'themar said, pushing forward with his rangers, followed by Halduron and then Victoria, all three groups pushing back the Trolls and surrounding the War-God alongside the Dark Iron Dwarves. "It's over, Jalak." The Regent Lord said, pointing his sword at the Troll. "Lay down your weapons and we will spare your life."
"I will nevah surrendah!" War-God Jalak yelled, lifting up his axe to swing it down at the Regent Lord and being stuck by several arrows from the rangers behind Lor'themar.
"Good." Victoria muttered, sitting down beside Snow shortly after and looking around the arena, trying to count the dead on their side. "I suppose it's a good thing they lost a lot more than we did. Though I still don't like that we lost some."
"It's a part of war." Sera told her, sitting down beside her Queen. "Just be happy they did lose more. A lot more. Coming down into the arena in groups like that was for show more than for a tactical play. They lost the second they began to climb down."
Victoria stroked Snow on top of his head, leaning back against the side of the arena whilst the mages began to open portals to the camp in Kun-Lai Summit for the injured and the slain. "I don't know how many more Generals, or War-God's we have to face in here, but we're two down and I feel like we've just scraped the surface."
"If the rest of the fights are like this, I don't think we have to worry, my Lady." Sera told her, moving an arm around her Queen when she rested her head on the Night Elf's shoulder. "And besides this one, we are taking up the rear. So we don't have to worry about that fighting as much as they do."
Victoria sighed and nodded her head slowly. "I know, but I feel like I am not pulling my weight if I have to stay behind all the time."
"Vareesa has explained to them why you're guarding the rear the whole time." Sera whispered to her Queen, kissing the top of her head. "And you know why too. You're not fully fit and it's the safest place for you since you want to be here."
"Then I suppose I best get comfortable with looking at the back of everyone." Victoria muttered, closing her eyes as her head remained rested against her Captain's shoulder. "Clean up will take some time, so wake me up when we're moving."
"Will do, my Lady." Sera whispered, kissing the top of her head once more.
"What have your scouts reported?"
Vareesa shifted her gaze from her lead scout to Lor'themar who asked the question. "We are facing more Trolls once we leave this arena. There looks to be four of them waiting outside the inner sanctum of this fortress. The same trolls we had here, Drakkari, Farraki, Amani and Gurubashi."
"Just those four?" Jaina asked.
"They have followers, but they seem to be the next obstacle in the way." Vareesa told them all. "I've been told to not expect much resistance, so getting to them should be easy. I just don't know how it will go if four of them are standing in our way."
"They will posses strength." Grand Magister Rommath said. "Four Trolls against an army? I don't think this will be as easy as the numbers suggest."
"Then we go in thinking we will get a fight." Halduron suggested. "It's better to be over prepared than under. That way we can deal with whatever they throw at us instead of thinking it will be a cake walk and getting slain in the process."
"And what about her?" Jaina asked, looking over to Victoria who had drifted off to sleep shortly after the fighting was done. "If what you say is true, she is in no condition to fight the whole way through."
Vareesa sighed. "I will talk to her. Tell her to return to Stormwind where she will be needed a lot more than she is here." She looked over to Victoria and frowned. "This is the second time I've caught her sleeping whilst we've been here. Perhaps this is no place for her."
Sera nudged her Queen lightly to wake her up, hearing Victoria groan and feeling her lift her head up off her shoulder. "Your aunt is comign this way."
Victoria yawned and rubbed her eyes, looking up at Vareesa. "What's up? Are we moving on."
"We are, yes. You're going back to Stormwind."
Victoria frowned at her aunt. "I'm sorry? No, I'm staying here. I have to take over for my father."
"And you can, just not here." Vareesa crouched down and placed a hand on her arm. "Stormwind needs their Queen now, since your mother and father have left. You can keep your rangers here if you and they so wish. Though don't feel you have to."
"Why are you talking like I have agreed to this? I'm not leaving, Vareesa." Victoria said, standing up and looking down at her aunt who remained crouched, though not for much longer. "My place is here with all of you until we have cleared this fortress."
Vareesa sighed. "It's not, Victoria. I wasn't asking, I was telling you. Jaina and her mages will set a portal up for you to return to Stormwind when you're ready." The Ranger-General began to walk away, glancing back at her niece. "You have ten minutes to get ready however before they teleport you there themselves."
"Wait." Victoria sighed and looked down at Snow. "Fine... Tell her to ready the portal, we will leave now."
"My Lady." Sera said, standing up beside her. "Are you sure?"
"Didn't you hear her? I have no choice." Victoria looked to her aunt and shook her head. "I am not happy with this, but since I have no other choice, I might as well go now."
Vareesa smiled a little at her, though she knew she wasn't at all pleased with any of them. "I will send a messenger to Liadrin that you have returned to Stormwind. She will undoubtably see you within the hour to check up on you."
Victoria woke Snow up and began speaking to her rangers, telling them of the situation and having the majority of them choose to follow her to Stormwind. "I won't have any bad blood for those who are staying. Just survive, fight hard and return to me with your lives. And hopefully a story or two of how this all went."
Cyandia nodded her head, opting to lead those that were staying. "We will, my Lady. I promise to return as many of your rangers as possible to you."
Victoria hugged her new Captain, looking over to Sera who was waiting with Snow beside the portals that had opened up to Stormwind. "Take care of yourself Cyndia. There will be a new uniform and office waiting for you in Stormwind when you return."
"Thank you, my Lady." Cyndia said, watching her Queen walk through the portal into Stormwind before it closed behind her.
