Chapter Ten: A Moderate Inconvenience
The fleet was gathering. Arthas peered from the deck of a vessel at a snowy shore. Lana'thal's men stood ready on the shore, with shields and bows at the ready. Towers had been erected, and barricades were between them.
What was notable was the number of pale and unhealthy looking elves. They were clad in leather at best and didn't have nearly the same weapons. He'd seen similar armaments among peasants used as shock troops. Arthas had never expected the elves to share that particular failing among humanity.
"It appears Lana'thal is waiting for us on the shore," said Arthas. He lowered his spyglass and looking back to Anub'arak.
"What is it?" asked Anub'arak.
"There appear to be a great many of those elves from before," said Arthas. "They aren't nearly so well-armored as the others."
"Shock troops, perhaps?" mused Anub'arak.
"It hardly matters." scoffed Arthas before reaching out with his mind to the undead crewman. "Bring the fleet around to just out of range. The rest of our ships will have arrived, and when they do, we'll launch our assault."
And so they began to assemble. Soon, the fleet meant to meet with them neared, and Arthas looked at it coming round the island. He smiled, ready for the bombardment. "There they are now, we'd best-"
And then there was a feral roar. The water around them shuddered as a silent shockwave went through. Then, out of the seas by the incoming fleet emerged a massive serpent. Its head rose higher than the masts of the ships, higher than the tallest cliffs of Northrend. Its maw was large enough to devour an entire kodo beast whole and filled with razor-sharp teeth.
Out of its mouth poured numerous shards of ice that obliterated three vessels in a single turn of its head. Arthas quickly directed the vessels to sail away. Then two more heads emerged beside it, and then came the body. It was a hydra, and the upper part of its body was as tall as the knees of the mountains.
"What the hell is that?!" said Arthas, scattering his fleet.
"That is Gahz'zilla, a favored pet of the Old Gods," said Anub'arak. What the hell were the Old Gods? "In ages past, it was said to devour whole fleets of merchant ships for a light snack. This may be a moderate inconvenience.
"Cut one head off, and two more will grow from the stump."
"Begin the bombardment!" said Arthas. "We must make landfall soon!"
At once, the undead vessels complied. Their canons unleashed a withering barrage of spheres on the shore. The towers shuddered beneath their attacks, as many of the elves nearly broke at the sound. Arthas took little pleasure from it as Gahz'zilla began to pursue individual ships. It's every movement sent immense waves that shook their vessels as though there was a storm. "Our ships will do no good against that! I'll call for a Frostwyrm, if I can ride it near, I might be able to kill the damn thing."
"It won't do you any good." said a familiar voice.
Arthas looked up and saw familiar, blue-haired elven women appearing. She'd saved him once before during the Third War when he'd confronted Archimonde. Or at least she appeared as an elf. "Tyrygosa. What are you doing here?"
"Lord Malygos did send me to speak with you," said Tyrygosa. "At the moment, it seems you need my help. There aren't any Frostwyrms left in this area of Northrend, we've already put them all to rest.
"If that thing reaches the shore, it could devour entire villages."
"How kind of you to fix the problem you created," said Arthas.
"I might say the same to you," said Tyrygosa.
Then she rushed to the edge of the ship and leaped off. As she did, she shifted and transformed fully into the form of a huge blue dragon. Glancing back, she spoke with open thought. "Atop my back, quickly. I don't fancy my chances alone."
Arthas nodded, he moved forward, leaping on. He nearly missed the mark and fell off as she raised into the air. Behind him, he saw Anub'arak giving orders, and the vessel began to head toward the hydra. Why?
It hardly mattered.
Tyrygosa was rapidly outpacing the vessel. "Any advice on how to kill this beast?"
"The traditional way to kill a hydra is to cut off the head and cauterize it with a torch or fire magic," said Tyrygosa. "However, that seems all the moot point at its size. We'll go for the eyes. Once it is blinded, we can gradually weaken it through blood loss."
Arthas followed her lead, and as they neared the creature, one of its heads looked up. Opening its mouth, it sent forth a wave of freezing air. Tyrygosa flew to one side, but Arthas felt part of his hair freeze as they circled overhead. Drawing his sword, he realized he was nearing the eye. Seeing another head snapping at Tyrygosa, Arthas leaped off, even as she dodged.
Descending toward the hydra-head, he landed atop it and plunged Frostmourne down. The blade was driven down to the hilt, and Arthas then pulled back as it writhed. Using gravity as his force, he slid downwards. As he did, the blade cleaved a vast gulf within its scaly flesh.
The screams of the beast made his armor shudder. Even so, he slid to a halt by the base of its body. One of the heads snapped at him, but Arthas smote it with Frostmourne, and it reeled back bleeding. Arthas then sent a death coil forward, and the unholy magic struck it head-on. The head spewed blue blood as it fell backward. As the beast thrashed, vast waves splashed against the shore, and stones fell from cliffs above.
The last head was not looking at him.
Then the body shook visibly as the prow of a ship impaled the beast in the chest. Keeping his feet, Arthas looked up to see Anub'arak standing alone on the deck. The crew had fled on lifeboats, and now the vessel was splintering.
The last hydra-head screamed in rage and shot down toward Anub'arak. "Anub'arak, look out!" said Arthas.
Anub'arak caught the creature by the mouth with two pincers. The creature struggled to move forward, then to escape as it thrashed visibly. Then it spat icy breath at Anub'arak in a head-on blast. The boat around him cracked and splintered. His armor was covered in ice and yet he hardly moved. "Your concern is meaningless," said Anub'arak simply. "My might cannot be matched!"
Then he twisted the hydra's neck sharply. There was a sickening, snapping noise, and the head fell limp on the broken deck.
At that moment, Tyrygosa flew down out of the clouds. "Quickly Arthas, get back on my back we'll make... another... pass..." She flew to a halt, flying in place while her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. "How?"
"As I said," said Anub'arak. "A moderate inconvenience."
"... I'm going to consult with Sapphiron now and tell him, uh..." Tyrygosa paused. "Well, we don't have to worry about Gahz'zilla anymore."
Then she turned and flew off.
"Wait, wait, I need you to fly me back!" called Arthas.
But she was already out of sight. In the end, Anub'arak and Arthas had to make their way back to the shore on the lifeboats. There wasn't actually enough space. Several of the ghouls had to swim behind, though Arthas was sure to throw them a rope.
"What are these Old Gods you were speaking of?" asked Arthas.
"Ancient monstrosities imprisoned by the Titans within Azeroth," said Anub'arak. "They are primal forces of reality, incomprehensible to mortal understanding. Or so the stories say. Azjol Nerub often did battle with one of their number before the coming of the Lich King."
"Which one?" asked Arthas.
"A deity by the name of Yogg Saron," said Anub'arak. "When the scourge rose to power, we were caught in a two-front war. That was where I fell in battle."
"Ah," said Arthas. "And where are they now?"
"Rising," said Anub'arak. "After the Lich King broke the Nerubian Empire, he was faced with the unending tides of Yogg Saron's minions. Most of my time has been spent fighting them. And I still would be now, if Falric hadn't expanded into the region."
"Falric?" asked Arthas.
"Yes," said Anub'arak. "Your lieutenant made a series of unlikely alliances with the denizens of Northrend. Using it, he was able to seize significant portions of Northrend from the scourge. One of those alliances was with the Nerubians.
"When they began to pressure my forces, I made the calculated decision to withdraw. My hope was that the faceless ones would keep them occupied, one that has been vindicated."
"What are these faceless?" asked Arthas.
"A seemingly limitless race of strange creatures, bound wholly to the will of the Old Gods," said Anub'arak. "They are among the least of their minions, but they are numerous. During my own reign, I took care to force them back to chokepoints.
"Thus, they are simple enough to contain. Though sooner or later, I expect an earthquake or cave in will see new ways reopen."
"Why not simply cave in the passages entirely?" asked Arthas.
"The faceless, for all their apparent horror, are very stupid creatures," said Anub'arak. "Their strategies are predictable and easily countered. You need only give them an obvious place to attack. Their vaunted gods rarely interfere.
"Were I to collapse the passages, they would try to dig their way in another way and take me off guard. Keeping one or two easily defended regions open means they will continue to attack there. And so waste large parts of their strength."
"Surely these Old Gods could arrange a change of strategy," noted Arthas.
"I am not altogether certain that victory is even their goal," said Anub'arak. "What they would call a victory might be wholly foreign to you or I.
"Perhaps it amuses them to watch the degeneration of this world. Dark Lords usually have petty motives, once you breach the veil of their godhood."
"This is from personal experience?" asked Arthas.
"Yes," said Anub'arak.
As it turned out, attacking the elven fortifications was anticlimactic. Most of the elves had fled, mewling like animals after a prolonged bombardment. The others, not liking their chances, had staged a withdrawal.
Thus the beaches were taken with hardly any effort at all.
Oh, and there was a hydra-thing they had to fight, but that hadn't been all that hard.
"These elves are pathetic," said Arthas. "It's no wonder we humbled their homeland so easily." He had fond memories of outwitting the entire high elf species.
And then Kael' thas appeared. Arthas turned to where he was and narrowed his eyes. "Pity I wasn't there to stop you." said the elf prince. "We met again, Arthas."
"Prince Kael' thas," said Arthas. "I wonder, have the rules of parley changed since I was last in Quel' thalas? How inconsiderate of you not to inform me."
"Fine words from one who murdered his own father," said Kael. "It hardly matters.
"What you faced here is only a scouting force. Defeating my army will be far more difficult."
"Where is Illidan?" asked Arthas.
"Newly employed in my service," said Kael, smiling. "In recognition of his friendship with you, I've agreed to give you a swift death when this is over. Our forces are vast, Arthas. Even now, they are assembled around Icecrown Glacier. Soon I will be able to control the scourge directly."
"And rule the undead, using them to establish your eternal dominion," said Arthas. "How very in the spirit of your race, Kael. Throwing other people's bodies at your problems is your greatest talent, after all."
"I am not you," said Kael. "Once I have broken the will of the Lich King, I will command the scourge to die.
"Every undead in this world, from the smallest ghoul to the most powerful lich, will commit suicide. An efficient solution that took my five minutes brainstorming.
"I'm surprised no one thought of it before now."
"Paladins... aren't very bright," said Arthas. Though he found them better company than elves.
"Well, it hardly matters now," said Kael' thas. "You'll never make it in time to save your precious cultists.
"Once they are destroyed, Quel'thalas will fill the power vacuum left by your absence. Consider this payment for Quel' Thalas... and other insults."
And he was gone.
Arthas sighed. "Well, we have a problem."
He'd gather what forces he could from this reason, then figure out how to get to Icecrown.