Chapter 6: Hearthglen's Fall
It had been a long time since Jaina had been involved in a battle against legions of the Undead. She couldn't say it was an experience she enjoyed, and unfortunately one she had never forgotten. The moans and cries of the damned assaulted one's ears. The stench of rotting and/or burning flesh assaulted one's nose. The disfigurement of each hapless undead slave, some missing limbs, covered in blood and ooze, some naked, some with their skin missing, and more assaulted one's eyes. Dark Magic, claws, and weapons assaulted one's body. And finally, the horror of it all assaulted one's mind.
None of it truly affected her anymore.
She couldn't quite recall when she had stopped feeling when fighting against the Undead. When she had been able to just turn herself off, and kill them without hesitation, without pity, nor remorse. The initial Scourging of Lordaeran? The Legion's Invasion? Northrend? After Arthas had died? She didn't honestly know.
She supposed she didn't care either.
Fireballs erupted from her hands, surging into groups of Undead and scattering them.
Lightning cackled along her fingertips, chaining from one Undead to another.
Sheets of ice materialized and rained down from above, piercing and pinning undead to the ground.
Yet... it was always the same with the Undead. They simply kept on coming. Droves and droves crashed into the shields of the footmen, rending and tearing and biting and chewing. Abominations acting like heavy battering rams to break and shatter the defensive line. From the air by gargoyles. From the ground by Crypt Fiends. More were reanimated from the corpses of the defenders or were corpses re-raised by Necromancers who just wouldn't let the dead find release. Undead loaded into Meat Wagons and thrown at the defenders, or behind their lines as a back-attack.
Jaina hadn't realized the first true battle against the Undead had been so hectic and brutal. What really caught her offguard was the Lich, she never knew there had been any active before Kel'Thuzzad was reborn out of the Sunwell, then they had seemed to crawl out of the woodworks. She hadn't realized the danger until a nova of frost cast aside the defenders and the rattle of chains filled the air. Jaina only had a split second to spot the Lich throwing a spear of ice at her before Arthas took her to the ground, knocking her out of the way.
"Light, what is that thing?" cried out someone.
Jaina surged to her a feet, a quick 'thanks', escaping her lips to her prince, and tunnel visioned on the Lich. She threw a bolt of lightning, arcing overhead of the fighting troops at the floating undead mage. The Lich formed an armor of frost and blocked it, waving a hand and returning the effort with a blast of cold energy. Jaina waved her staff, dispersing the spell before it crossed the distance. There was a brief pause from the Lich, appearing surprised, before it resumed the battle of spells. They continued to trade spells, testing one another. It was Jaina's first test against a real threat in her younger body...
...and then Arthas rushed the Lich, cloaked in a shield of light, leaped into the air, and caved in it's skull with a mighty smash of his warhammer.
"Hey! That was mine!" called out Jaina.
Arthas shot her a grim, if but cheeky grin, before returning to the fight. Jaina smiled briefly, before she refocused. The cleared up the current wave of Scourge and took a breather.
Arthas wiped the sweat from his brow before calling out, "Take a few minutes to rest and prepare for the next attack!"
Footmen collapsed against nearby walls, rifelmen leaned wearily on their guns, what few Priests and other Sorceresses they had sat down, giving themselves time to recharge their energy. Arthas merely stood at the middle entrance to Hearthglen, awaiting the next assault.
"Prince Arthas! One of the scouts managed to report back!" came a cry from the northern gate.
The news wasn't good. "We've spotted an Undead Caravan carrying a large load of plagued grain."
"That Caravan must be stopped before it reaches the outer villages," said Arthas harshly, "We hardly have the numbers to hold back their current attacks. If they take the outer villages, we will be overwhelmed."
Another thing Jaina hadn't known about. There had hardly been any time originally to get details of this battle from Arthas the first time around.
This was, however, something she could do. "I can take out the Caravan and teleport back."
Arthas frowned, and for a moment she though he might try to hold her back, again, but he merely nodded and motioned to his two captains. "Marwyn, Falric, go with her."
"Just the three of us m'lord?" asked Falric cautiously.
He nodded. "Jaina's capable of taking it out herself, she just needs someone to watch her back while she does her work."
Finally, a bit of trust in her capabilities. "We will be back before you know it."
They got directions from the scout before taking off out the northern gate, hiding briefly behind a few trees as another wave of Scourge passed, and then continued north. Jaina's stomach fluttered anxiously a bit about leaving Arthas to face it alone, but he had survived this before, and she wouldn't be long. The came to the first village, and Jaina pulled them to a halt.
She looked at the meager and scarred defenders, at villagers cowing fearfully, eyeing the treeline for threats. Forget the caravan, a single wave of undead would topple the defenders and wipe the entire village out.
"By order of Prince Arthas, you are to all evacuate to Hearthglen," she lied before continuing, "The Prince is holding off the main Undead force while we await reinforcements from the capital. Take shelter there or risk your deaths here."
She didn't bother to wait to see what they would do before taking off again.
"Order of the prince, M'lady?" came a comment from Falric, a nervous chuckle from his lips.
"It's for their own good, besides, he'd have agreed with me," she said.
They reached the second village just as the Undead Caravan did and all hell broke lose. Civilians ran screaming into the woods, defenders rushed at the Undead, the wagons, green misty taint roiling off them, rolled towards a cowering group of villagers...
Jaina growled, aiming a hand and calling fire down from the skies. A massive firebomb rained down and landed square in the middle of the caravan, obliterating it in one go. The defenders cried out and raised their arms defensively at the shockwave and brief gust of fire before it settled. Jaina huffed and puffed a bit, feeling the drain out of that spell. How in the world had that little spell cost her that much energy? She shook her head and strode to the center of the village.
"Everyone to me!" she called out, "I'm teleporting to Hearthglen, it's not safe to remain here!"
There was no hesitation from the villagers, they all rushed towards her, relief and hope on their faces, and formed a circle. It felt... good... to see that look aimed at her again, rather than the disgust and suspicion she had grown used to. She gave an encouraging smile before focusing on Arthas's presence off in the distance. She aimed her staff, channeled her power, and teleported them away...
...reappearing at the center of Hearthglen mid-attack from the Scourge. The civilians ran to join the others while the new defenders rushed to the front line. Jaina took one step before a massive dizzy spell hit her. She fell to a knee, clutching her head. It took her a moment to realize just how much energy it had taken to teleport clusters of people. She was briefly flabbergasted, since when had teleporting... oh right, Light damn it! She had grown used to it later on, developed reserves of mana that would make any archmage jealous.
But that wasn't today, this body was to young and to untested.
She was burning through to much mana to fast. Carelessly casting spells as fast as she could from the moment the battle had begun. If she kept it up, she'd be useless within the next ten minutes, if not sooner. She forced herself to sit out the current fight, finding a crate to sit on and catch her breath. Arthas joined her after he was finished repelling the attack. He looked as strained and tired as she felt.
"You alright Jaina?" he asked.
"Just... need to put the theory of managing my mana into practice," she said, an embarrassed smile crossing her face.
Arthas laughed wearily. "Yeah, I'm about spent to. How much longer do you think the reinforcements will be?"
It had taken roughly half an hour for Uther to gather enough troops to be sent into the fray the first time around. It had been roughly... fifteen, maybe twenty minutes already if she counted right. Though, in hindsight, it would take a familiar longer to fly than it had taken her to just teleport...
"Hopefully no more than half an hour," she estimated.
Arthas looked grim. "If they keep coming at the pace they have been, I don't know if we can hold that long Jaina. Especially if that damn floating skeleton mage keeps coming back every other attack."
"It's called a Lich," explained Jaina, "They're probably reviving it without pause using it's Phylactery."
"A lich?" murmured Arthas, giving her a curious look, "What is a Phylactery? What else do you know of these things?"
Jaina paused briefly, realizing she shouldn't know what they are yet. She really needed to think before she said anything. "I..."
"Another attack is coming!" cried out a defender.
Arthas immediately broke off, and Jaina silently praised the timing. She didn't know how she would have been able to explain it. She made to join Arthas before a cry of an attack from another entrance sounded. She broke off and ran to the second attack, arriving as the Undead washed over the defenders. Jaina waved a hand and sent out a burst of arcane energy, sending the Scourge flying back, giving Hearthglen's defenders time to regroup.
Wave after wave of Scourge came at Hearthglen, and wave after wave was struck down. Jaina got her turn, several of them in fact, to face off against the Lich and destroy it. Each encounter burned her reserves of mana, and mana potions to restore it.
This time, rather than attack, the Lich hung back, watching her obliterate it's Undead Slaves and then guzzle down her last mana potion. "Impressive for one so young."
Jaina narrowed her eyes at it and grew scornful. "Don't you ever get tired of getting blown to bits?"
The Lich cackled. "The gift of immortality knows no bounds! I can never be permanently killed! Your efforts are for naught, you will all die!"
Nearby footmen and riflemen backed away in fear, Jaina merely rolled her eyes, "Death and doom speeches bore me."
The Lich tilted it's skeletal head. "You do not fear death, little archmage?"
"Not from the likes of you," she said, scrutinizing it, "You got a name, little Lich? Considering how you're used like cannon fodder I almost doubt it"
The Lich seemed affronted. "I am Ordin Frostbane! One of the greatest champions of the Scourge!"
"Yeah, never heard of you," said Jaina; and she meant it. She could not honestly recall having encountered, read about, or being warned of this Lich. It's Phylactery had probably been destroyed by Uther or his men when they had come originally.
The Lich pointed a bony finger at her. "Oh, but you will, all will know my name and tremble!"
What an arrogant piece of work this one was. "Someone's got a superiority complex."
If it was capable of facial movements, she imagined it would be glaring at her. "In light of your power and promise, I was going to offer you the gift of necromancy, and eventual lichdom, but perhaps being a mindless slave would suit you better."
Jaina scoffed. "You must be out of your mind if you think I would have accepted that offer."
The Lich grew incredulous. "You would deny yourself immortality? The power to transcend death itself?"
Jaina's response was to point her staff at it and release a blast of fire. Ordin met the attack and batted it aside with it's frost-engulfed hand. "If that does not tempt you, then perhaps a trade? My... benefactor... would take your service, in exchange for allowing the villagers to flee with their lives."
"Do. I. Look. Stupid?" she asked, temper starting to flare at its audacity, "If I was turned into an Undead, a necromancer or a Lich, I'd kill far more than what people are gathered here. I will never join the Scourge! So take your offer back to the Lich King and shove it up his ass!"
The Lich froze, and then it's voice grew harsh. "What did you say?"
A chill ran down Jaina's spine as she felt a powerful and dark presence within the Lich peer out at her. It took her a moment to recognize that she had, once again, put her foot in her mouth. She had just revealed to the Scourge she knew of the Lich King, and if that presence was who and what she thought it was, she had drawn Ner'zhul's personal attention in doing so. Oh dammit...
The Lich growled. "You, little Archmage, will be brought before the Lich King you would scorn. He has questions that is he is very interested in you answering."
A dark blue aura engulfed the Lich, and Jaina couldn't help but step back, afraid. She could sense what was going on, the Lich King was directly empowering the Lich...
The Lich waved a hand and blew away the defenders with a massive blast of frost, killing most, scattering the rest. "Arise minions of the cold dark!"
Previously struck down Undead and fallen defenders shambled to their feet as the Lich's power washed over them. "Bring me the girl!"
Reserves be damned! Jaina pulled out everything she had as she back peddled, casting one spell after another to down one Undead after the other...
She screamed in agony as a nova of frost hit her head on, sending her crashing to the ground. She winced painfully as she hit and struggled to rise to her feet, yelping as decaying hands of Ghouls grabbed her arms and started to drag her forward, bringing her to the Lich. Ordin reached a glowing bony-hand towards her head, a dark chuckle escaping his lips.
"Sleep."
Jaina's eyes went wide with terror as she felt the spell begin to cast...
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Arthas barreled into the Lich, startling it out of it's spell and knocking it to the ground. His eyes were almost feral in anger and fear, raising a shining warhammer up into the air and bringing it down on the Lich's chest. Light erupted on impact, making the Lich screech in pain, and nearby Undead scattered away. Arthas kept on swinging again and again, looking like he was possessed as he beat the Lich into a pulp. He moved, as if he was at full strength and hadn't been fighting an exhausting battle, his warhammer bashing the Undead into submission. Jaina watched, awed, as he took apart the Lich's entire attack wave single-handedly before rushing to her.
There was so much panic and fear in his eyes it made her tremble. "Jaina! Speak to me! Are you okay?"
"I...," she whispered raggedly, "I think I pissed it off."
He stared at her, incredulous, before laughing, and not the good kind of laugh. "Jaina, I swear you are going to be the death of me."
Jaina flinched and forced herself to look at the ground, trying not to show how deeply those words scared her.
"The Undead are attacking from the north entrance!" came a cry.
Arthas swore and grabbed her arm, helping her to her feet, only for her to collapse against him, exhausting making her legs tremble. He briefly knelt down to pick her up and rushed back into central Hearthglen, setting her down with an order to 'rest', before dashing off towards the battle. Jaina closed her eyes briefly, breathing raggedly. She forced herself to watch wearily as Arthas shifted the defenders to cover the now empty south entrance. They were spread to thin, she could see it, and judging by how grim Arthas looked, he knew it as well. Attack by attack, the defenders began to dwindle, until Arthas called them to fallback from the entrances of Hearthglen and defend the central square.
"Damn it! Where the hell Uther? It's been over an hour!" swore Arthas loudly, exhausting bleeding into his voice.
Over an hour!?
Jaina struggled to rise to her feet. Something was wrong. It shouldn't have taken that long to get reinforcements. It couldn't have taken her familiar that long to...
The moment she thought of it, and stretched her senses for it, she gasped. "Arthas!"
He glanced towards her, alarmed, searching for a threat.
"I can't... I can't feel my familiar," she exclaimed, shocked, then terrified, "It... it must have been intercepted and killed. There's no help coming..."
Arthas froze, all the defenders froze, looking at her in horror. But the Undead would not wait. They poured in from all entrances, Ordin Frostbane leading the charge yet again.
"To arms!" cried out Arthas, "Every man, woman, and child, to arms!"
It was a complete and utter slaughter. Some civilians obeyed, but most panicked, trying to run and flee around the battle. Only to get picked and torn apart. What defenders remained start dying in droves, buildings were put to the torch, the Scourge even started summoning their buildings into Hearthglen, forcing them back and into a corner.
"We will not fall!" roared Arthas in defiance, "We are the chosen of the Light!"
As the Scourge surged around them one final time, Jaina closed her eyes, sucked in her breath, and drew out everything she had, tapping into her own lifeforce to fuel the spell. She latched onto every surviving person in Hearthglen, then stretched out her senses, searching for her old Master's presence, and began to cast her spell. They would die if they stayed, she had to teleport them out of here.
"There is no escape!" came the voice of the Lich.
Pain.
Horrific chilling pain erupted through Jaina's chest. She opened her eyes to see a spear of ice pierced through her midsection.
"JAINA!" screamed Arthas.
She shakily stared at the triumphant lich, smiled a bloody smile, and finished her spell.
What few defenders of Hearthglen vanished in a flash of arcane magic, leaving the Lich behind as it howled in rage as Jaina's world turned dark...
Uther the Lightbringer was getting to old for this.
One day, sometime soon, he wanted to retire. Perhaps start a farm and live out the rest of his days in peace.
He stood in the throne room of the Lordaeran palace in private attendance with the King. Calia Menethil stood at her father's side. Archmage Antonidas at Uther's side, as he tried to persuade King Terenas. "It's been to long since we last heard from Prince Arthas your Majesty. The report he sent to me, and the one sent to Master Antonidas by Lady Proudmoore has me deeply concerned. Arthas, while strong, is young and largely untested. This kind of threat these 'undead' represent may be more than he can handle..."
"Uther," interupted the King with a sigh, "My son must step out of our shadow at some point. Unless he requests our aid, I will have faith in his abilities to contain..."
He was interrupted by a ringing sound, a circle of spellwork appearing in the middle of the throne room just in front of Uther.
Teranas stiffened as his guards came to alert. "What is this? The palace is supposed to be shielded from anyone teleporting into it!"
"Not from those trusted by the crown," said Antonidas calmly, "I feel my apprentice's spellwork at hand."
Uther's eyebrows furrowed. Lady Proudmoore was teleporting to the palace? Had something gone wrong?
His worst fears were more than realized as the spell finished, and Arthas, Jaina, an High Elf priest, a few soldiers and civilians appeared in a bloody mess. Arthas was midswing of his warhammer, blood and gore and flesh covering it, slamming it into the palace floor. He was briefly startled, blinking a few times, before his strength seemed to suddenly leave him. He dropped his warhammer and pitched forward, barely managing to catch himself, many others doing the same. He struggled to rise to his feet, fear more deeply etched into his face than Uther had ever seen before.
"J-Jaina!" he cried hoarsely.
Uther followed his gaze in time to see Jaina Proudmoore, a spear of ice pierced right through her chest, pitch forward and collapse to the floor on her side. Antonidas suckered in a breath and rushed forward, kneeling down and touching the spear, dissolving it with a brief flick of his magic. Uther shook off his stupor and closed the distance in a few strides, kneeling down, hands glowing as he called on the light to mend the young girl's grievous wound.
Others began to break out of their shock and surprise, Terenas stood and gave an alarmed 'My son!'; Calia cried out 'Brother!' and stared forward. The Palace guards closed the distance and helped the other survivors to the walls of the throne room to rest against.
Uther finished healing the wound and moved the girl to lay on her back, eyes furrowing when she did not waken.
Antonidas had a worried, if but disapproving look on his face. "Foolish of you my young apprentice. She completely exhausted herself to the point of feeding off her own life to fuel her spellwork. Why did she let it reach this point?"
"She... she sent a... familiar," came Arthas's tired voice, "We thought... help was coming, but she... only just realized it must have been intercepted."
Uther closed his eyes in frustration. "Damn."
"Hearthglen... Hearthglen has fallen to an army of the Undead," said Arthas, his voice tinted with so much anger, frustration, and self-loathing, "They raised everyone... they killed. I couldn't stop them... I failed my people..."
Uther opened his eyes and looked at his student, really taking him in, and noted how shaken he was. He moved to kneel in front of the shaking man. "You did all you could lad."
Arthas weakly slammed a fist into the floor. "It wasn't enough!"
"Arthas, my son," said Terenas, placing a hand on his shoulder, "We will handle this threat. For now, rest and recover your strength. I will send word for a war council to be gathered, when you have had chance to catch your breath, you will detail what happened, and we will respond to this 'undead threat' with the full might of Lordaeran's army."
Arthas sighed wearily, and struggled to rise to his feet with the support of Uther and his family. He looked to Jaina. "Is she going to be alright?"
Antonidas nodded. "She will most likely be out for a few day's time. An archmage does not tap so heavily into their power, their mana, and their life, without consequences."
Terenas glanced at his guards, motioning to Jaina and then to his daughter. "One of you pick her up and follow my daughter to the guest wing of the Palace. Look after Lady Proudmoore my child."
Calia nodded and left. "Yes Father."
Terenas paused briefly, glancing at Antonidas. "It may be prudent to inform the Lord and Lady Proudmoore of their daughter's condition. I doubt they would appreciate being kept in the dark anymore than I would for a child of mine."
Antonidas nodded. "I will leave at once and return within the hour."
"If I may," came a voice.
They turned to see the High Elf Priest wearily approach. "The threat this Undead Scourge as it is called represents a danger greater than anything I have seen before, even the Horde during the Second War did not carry the same level of threat these creatures do. I beg a moment of your time to teleport me to Quel'Thalas Archmage Antonidas. Our King must be warned."
Terenas narrowed his eyes. "And would he send aid, considering he was the first to break from the Alliance of Lordaeron?"
The elf pursed his lips, but did not rise to the bait, instead offering a simple, "I do not know, but he must be warned all the same. This taint of undeath plagues the very ground itself, defiling and killing nature as readily it does a living soul. If it consumes Lordaeran, it will come for Quel'Thalas, and I fear it would never be the same again."
"I will take you to your king," said Antonidas, "And may he hopefully see reason."
Antonidas and the Elf disappeared a moment later in a flash of magic. Uther turned to Arthas, who looked practically dead on his feet, "Come on lad, lets get you some food and rest."
Arthas motioned to the rest of those who had been teleported in by Lady Proudmoore, "I can wait, they should be tended to."
Uther smiled softly at that unflinching dedication to his people. "They will be lad, not to worry. Now come on."
Either he agreed (which Uther doubted), or he was to tired to argue. Arthas thankfully let Uther lead him out of the throne room in search of food and a bed to rest in...
Author's Notes:
So yeah.
Strathlome didn't happen in this path.
Hearthglen got game over'd, Jaina got wrecked by a WC3 Randomly Named Lich, and things are going to get steadily worse from here on in. I have a surprise of the scope of the changes planned for next chapter, its going to be dreadfully delightful. :D
Review Responses:
Kelmoria: Mmm... A Tichondrious chapter might be interesting, not quite sure how I'd go about doing it. Might just stick with Jaina, and alternate to other people when she's KO'd like the end of this chapter. It's mostly going to remain in her perspective 99% of the story. As for Tichondrius knowing, I didn't really think about it, but you could theorize that Sargeras would have known since he possessed Mediev, and perhaps given one final mission to the Dreadlord, who knows. Khadgar isn't aware of the spell, and the Bronze Dragonflight would only be aware that Jaina had come back in time if they got near her, not how she did.
Draconic: No purge of Hearthglen, just a crushing defeat, not even a real retreat, just a scramble to TP out and survive. I had to look up affably evil in TV Tropes, and I got a laugh out of it's explanation. Yeah, that is pretty close to Kel'Thuzzad's role in this, though, there is a twist to it that will be revealed much later on.
Ressan: Damn. Was it that easy to figure out? :(. You have to admit, its ingenious for him to have done so, since no one (aside from a select few) would want to destroy the book, desiring for its power and spellwork.
DeliciousCookie: Ressan guessed it first :P. Mediev isn't going to have a major role in the story (as of the moment anyway, may be subject to change, perhaps he might help out Jaina if she gets caught by the Dragons, IDK). Kel'Thuzzad's relationship to Arthas/Jaina is going to be a bit... complicated later on. Not going to spoil it yet.
Chronostorm: Derp. There was no special reason, I actually totally forgot Tirion was dead.
Edboy4926: Arthas would probably go a bit angsty/emo for a bit, then do something incredibly stupid if he went heroic, or just waltz off and join the Scourge early if he kept his LK mindset.
Meilstoer: No Strathlome (Yet), they may eventually reach Strathlome with the army, but it wont be the same as it was in the WC3 campaign.
Storyteller1333: K, he will make an eventual appearence (maybe even next chapter or the one after that) when the Silver Hand is gathered.
Prince of Petersburg: Good guesswork :D. Though, there is going to be a catch to other Kingdom's paying attention that will be revealed next chapter. :D.
TaramisHaddock; Thanks.
Shini Kurogane: Kel is smooth as can be.
Rhivan: Brothazad, many lolz. And yeah, Kel'Thuzad was awesome, in particular I miss his voice actor. The WoW one didn't do him justice at all.