Vigorous VanCleef Vindicator.
Arthas and Alleria appeared in the trade centre of Stormwind to find it, once again, aflame; though there were no dragons in the sky or fireballs reigning down death from above this time.
"This must have been the bang we heard, or one of them at least," Alleria noted, as they watched the people fleeing their burning homes, and the Stormwind Guard doing their best to put out the flames. "What could have done this?"
"They call themselves the Defias Brotherhood," a gruff voice said from a nearby shadow, and a figure in black leather armour stepped out to greet them. "Sorry for not announcing myself, Prince Arthas, but I've been trying to watch the situation from the shadows."
"Who are you?" Alleria asked, as Arthas shook the younger man's hand.
"Mathias Shaw, leader of Stormwind Intelligence, or SI: 7 for short," Mathias gave her a curt bow. "We're supposed to stop such things from happening, but this riot caught us completely off-guard."
"Who are the Defias Brotherhood?" Arthas asked quickly, aware that time was of the essence.
"They were just normal citizens; stone masons, carpenters and the like, they were the ones who rebuilt Stormwind after the war, and the dragon's assault," he explained, gesturing for them to follow him toward the Valley of Heroes. "Last I heard they had reached a peaceable agreement with the boy king regarding their reward for their efforts, and then this... What could have sparked such an uprising?"
"The Legion's invasion," Alleria said flatly, which made Mathias pale.
"They're here?"
"The master of spies is blind to the Legion's invasion?" Alleria chuckled.
"The Dark Portal is open, and an army of mechanical constructs is currently attempting to hold them back, but we need the Alliance's armies to push them back." Arthas expounded.
"Well we were ready, but now there's rioting in the city and Westfall has been taken over by the Brotherhood, the king was forced to send the army to recapture Westfall."
"It's a distraction, concocted by an advanced agent of the Legion," Alleria said through gritted teeth. "Where are the Brotherhood based?"
"Somewhere in Westfall, if their numbers are anything to go by," Mathias pondered. "We've scoured the city and found no trace of any of their leadership here."
"Who is their leader?"
"We have reason to believe it's a man named Edwin VanCleef, Head of the Stonemason's Guild." Mathias replied. "Though why he's ordered an attack on Stormwind with his wife still in the city is perplexing."
"Does he have ties to Westfall?" Alleria asked.
"I believe so," Mathias tried to remember the file on VanCleef. "Yes! He was born and raised in Moonbrook, a small mining town in south-west Westfall. Do you think that's where their base of operations is?"
"This Brotherhood are not an army or an organised insurrection," Arthas chuckled. "Like you said, they're just stonemasons and carpenters, of course Edwin would think his hometown an ideal base for his uprising. Are there still Gryphons at the roost?"
"Unless the Brotherhood slaughtered them, but I doubt they'd fare against those beasts or their handler," the leader of SI: 7 chuckled. "Do you want back-up?"
"We're not seeking further bloodshed," Arthas cautioned. "The Legion are the real threat, once VanCleef realises this, he should call off this uprising and aid the war effort."
"What are your orders?" Mathias stood at attention briefly.
"Keep the royal family safe, and rally the army for the war to come," Alleria said, though Mathias seemed slightly insulted at taking orders from her not the prince.
"If I might ask, who the hell are you?" he asked bluntly.
"Alleria Windrunner, former Ranger-General of Silvermoon, and an expert on the Legion," she said in an equally blunt manner. "It might also help to put these fires out before the Stonemasons have to rebuild the city a third time."
"Best do as she says, Shaw, she's not one to cross," Arthas chuckled. "She earnt those scars from foes far greater than you've ever faced."
"Aye my liege... and Yes ma'am, I'll inform the royal court of your orders, and see that they are carried out at once." Mathias stammered initially, before regaining his composure. "Good luck persuading VanCleef, hope it doesn't come to violence. He was a respected man before... this."
Alleria and Arthas hurried to the Gryphon roost, and found the doors barricaded.
"I'm not letting any bugger in! Two fools tried to steal my birds and paid the price!" a tough female voice said from the other side of the doors. "The smell of their eviscirated corpses is makin' me gag!"
"Open up in the name of Lordaeron!" Arthas commanded.
"Who the bloody hell you think you are invoking that distant kingdom?" the voice laughed.
"Prince Arthas Menethil, son of King Terenas III."
"Ah, the Mad Prince," the voice chuckled. "What are doing all the way down here?"
"Trying to save the city, I and my associate need to fly to Westfall with due haste to end this Defias uprising." Arthas stated, maintaining his authoritative tone.
"Right... And I'm just going to believe that twaddle," the voice said sarcastically. "I'm not letting anyone in till the King's men end this riot."
"We don't have time for this," Alleria said quietly. "Let's just find some horses and ride to Westfall."
"Are ya daft? You buggers blew up the Valley of Heroes bridge when this riot started!" the voice laughed again.
"So how could we be part of the riot if we didn't know that?" Arthas asked slyly.
His question was followed by a long silence, before they heard the sounds of heavy objects being moved away from the door. When it swung open, a rather tall, muscular Dwarf with the distinctive tattoos of the Wildhammer clan barred their way until she recognised them.
"Bloody hell! Y'are the Mad Prince," she gasped. "I'm so sorry your highness, I didn't know."
"That's alright, you're on edge so it's natural to be distrustful of others," the prince smiled, ignoring the 'Mad Prince' title. "May we borrow two of your birds?"
"Aye," the dwarf bowed, before ushering them inside the roost, and barricading the doors shut again once they were inside. "Like I said, two fools tried to steal my Gryphons, but they weren't gonna be stolen by two upstart thieves and fought back."
They passed the bloody remains of two human men, their faces masked by red bandanas, which now matched their blood-stained clothes. As the dwarf had stated, the smell brought tears to their eyes as they passed; evidently the two had voided their bowels either before or after the Gryphons attacked them.
"Be careful out there, I heard Westfall's completely overrun by the blighters," the dwarf cautioned, as she led them over to two large Gryphons who were cleaning blood from their talons. "Best follow the river and then the mountains to skirt around the worst of it."
"Thank you, madam," Arthas smiled again, before taking the dwarf's hand and kissing it, the act made the Dwarf blush. "You have been most generous."
"I've never been kissed by a prince a'fore," she said coyly. "Safe travels your highness, and good luck with your mission."
They mounted up and took flight almost immediately afterward, their eyes instantly being drawn to the smoking remains of the grand bridge that had been the focal point of the Valley of Heroes; the statues that had lined it were now in pieces in the lake below. Alleria looked down at her own stone effigy staring back up at her from the lake, the cracked stone making for a rather accurate reflection of her own visage.
"I'm not worthy of such an honour," she sighed, as they left the city and flew over the majestic woodland of Elwynn Forest, and the abandoned encampments that had once held Stormwind's army.
"To the people you were, you ventured bravely into the unknown in defence of the kingdoms, and were believed killed in upholding that task." Arthas said reassuringly. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, there are no grievous mistakes that mar your reputation."
Alleria smiled weakly, her mind stuck on symbolism of the ruined Valley of Heroes; her likeness' head poked out just above the surface of the water, whilst her former companion's likenesses lay beneath the water.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They reached Moonbrook as the sun was beginning to set, landing on the outskirts of the village and dismounting as quietly as they could; their borrowed Gryphons immediately took flight to return to their mistress, leaving them alone.
"Where is everyone?" Arthas asked in a hushed tone, as they cautiously entered the village.
"Either holding the attention of Stormwind's army, causing trouble elsewhere in Westfall, or inside their main base," Alleria listed the possibilities. "I'd prefer the first two over the third option."
"Think that's their base?" Arthas pointed at the largest building in the town, a converted barn from the looks of it.
"It's the only one with lights on inside," she commented, and they moved quickly toward the open doorway.
They stepped inside and moved through the barn until they found the mine entrance.
"Easily fortified, limited number of entrances and exits, possible point to retreat to if threatened," Alleria noted. "This must be it. VanCleef may not be a military man, but even animals know to make their home where it's safest."
"Are you calling the Brotherhood animals?" Arthas asked.
"No, but as we've both noted, this isn't an organised rebellion, it's a mob uprising, so they're banking on more primitive methods to ensure victory," Alleria expounded. "I hunted the Trolls throughout Eversong Forest before the war, I gained a valuable insight into how people think in certain situations."
"Did it help on Draenor?" the prince asked, as they walked through the empty mine tunnels.
"When we had the Horde on the run, yes," she smiled. "I tracked them across that accursed planet until we cornered them at the Black Temple, then all hell broke loose."
They reached a large chamber with tunnels leading off in four directions, and they stopped to work out which way was forward.
"Alleria," Arthas breathed quietly, as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
"What?" she replied in the same hissed tone.
"I don't think we're alone anymore," he said as his hand moved for his mace, but he felt a blade at his neck.
"Don't even think about it pretty boy," a gruff voice said from close behind him, and he turned his head slightly to see figures materialising from the shadows on all sides.
"SI: 7?" Alleria hissed.
"Nope, but some of us were before VanCleef persuaded us to join him," another figure said, as he held a rusty blade to Alleria's throat. "Don't try anything luv, we outnumber you."
"Your numbers are pathetic compared to what I've faced," Alleria smirked.
"As it happens we've come to treat with VanCleef, so violence would only weaken our footing." Arthas said brightly, ignoring the numerous blades pointing at him. "Take us to your leader."
They were led at knife point down the central passage, Alleria and Arthas moved closer to each other as the thugs surrounded them.
"'Take us to your leader'? Seriously?" Alleria hissed, her annoyance now aimed at the Prince.
"You didn't do much better by belittling them," he retorted.
"Quiet!" A thug snapped, giving Arthas a kick in the shin. "No plotting!"
They were led through several chambers stocked with armaments and supplies, tunnels rich with mineral deposits, and a vast furnace room, before stopping at a reinforced metal door at the bottom of a downward sloping tunnel. One of the thugs banged on the door, and a towering Ogre opened it.
"Who go there?" it answered in a slow manner.
"We caught two intruders, they want to speak to VanCleef," a thug replied.
"Okay." The Ogre said, before backing out of their way.
On the other side of the reinforced door, Arthas and Alleria beheld a large, armoured warship in the final stages of construction, and beyond a large cavernous cave mouth, they saw a small fleet of pirate ships guarding the cavern from the sea.
"Looks like Kul Tiras didn't eradicate the pirates, just pushed them underground, so to speak." Arthas said quietly, as they were led up the gangplank, past a tall, dark Tauren wielding an equally large meat cleaver.
At the top of the ship they found a man dressed in similar armour to Shaw, though the black-haired man had a red bandana covering his face.
"Vancleef, we caught two intruders in the mines," one of the thugs said, cautiously approaching Edwin, who was hunched over a map table. "They say they've come to speak to you."
"You brought two heavily armed individuals through our base, without relieving them of their weapons, or blindfolding them?" VanCleef said in a low voice, not taking his eyes off the map.
"I... We..." the thug stammered.
"Incompetent lapdogs, all of you!" VanCleef growled.
In the blink of an eye VanCleef unholstered a pistol and shot the thug between the eyes.
"My apologies," VanCleef said, shifting to a more pleasant tone as he looked up to see who had been brought before him. "An unpleasant act, but necessary with these people. Leave us."
"But..."
"Leave us, or join your brother," Vancleef said coldly, nudging the dead thug with his boot.
At this threat, the mass of armed men who had escorted them vanished as quickly as they had appeared.
"So... This is who the young King of Stormwind sends to treat with me," VanCleef said, raking his grey eyes over Alleria and Arthas. "A disgraced, 'mad' Prince, and an Elven ranger. Consider me unimpressed."
"The king did not send us," Arthas corrected him. "We chose to come here to end the rioting."
"Riots? This is the beginning of a revolution!" VanCleef stated hotly. "If the seizure of the Westfall farms and the sacking of Stormwind aren't enough to persuade the King, we're ready to assault the city with a fleet of ships each armed to the teeth with enough firepower to level Stormwind completely."
"Why go to all this trouble? What sparked this 'revolution'?" Alleria asked.
"I received word the King had been advised to not pay us for services rendered, that he was being told to honour us with empty words instead," VanCleef stated, his bitterness rising. "We rebuilt Stormwind twice, and they think that words are enough to repay our hard work?"
"You have been deceived," Arthas sighed. "Agents of the Lich King have fed you lies, tricked you into attacking your own people just as the Legion invades."
"What?" VanCleef exclaimed.
"Mathias Shaw told us the king was ready to pay you when the uprising began," Alleria continued. "I don't know who told you otherwise, but they lied to you. And now your 'men' have the army of Stormwind focused on them and not the Dark Portal, where as we speak hundreds, perhaps thousands, of demons pour on to our world."
VanCleef paced back and forth in front of them, clearly seething at the news he had been used to hurt his own people.
"I thought... I believed..."
"You believed you were justified in your actions, regardless of how unthinkable they were," Arthas stated. "I know a little of what that's like."
"What would you ask of me?" VanCleef asked, pulling the bandana off his face. "My men are fixed in their hatred of the king and the nobles of Stormwind, what do I tell them?"
"The same thing we told you, that you were used and lied to by agents of the true enemy," Alleria said softly. "That the true enemy lies to the east, not the north, and that you will be attacking true demons, not innocent men, women and children who have been demonised."
VanCleef let out a long, regretful sigh.
"What about me? Someone must be held accountable for the crimes we've committed..." he asked. "But if you march me out of here in shackles, my men will kill you without hesitating."
"Tell your men what has happened, tell them to sail around the coast to the Blasted Lands, and attack the demons invading this world, and not Stormwind." Arthas said slowly. "Then walk to the border of Westfall and Elwynn Forest, and hand yourself over to Stormwind's army for the crimes committed by your men."
"I understand, and thank you." VanCleef sighed. "This probably would have ended far worse if you hadn't come to me with the truth."
"You can still redeem yourself for the wrongs committed," Alleria said softly.
"I know, and I'l certainly try." VanCleef gave them a warm smile. "Follow the ramps down that way, you'll go through a short tunnel before emerging on the cliffs overlooking the sea, it's the quickest way out of here."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Arthas and Alleria emerged into the cool night air, to see the full scale of the pirate armada amassed along the coast.
"A force this size should give the demons some grief, even if it is only for a brief time." Alleria commented, as they climbed down toward Moonbrook. "And they could easily provide supplies to the front if they are not all fitted for war."
"Do you think VanCleef will redeem himself?" Arthas asked.
"In time, young Prince, even the worst crimes are forgotten or forgiven," she smiled. "In time."