Let the War for Northrend begin
"READY!" Kal's voice shouted over the sounds of the clanking of armour and the unfortunately familiar roar of an undead horde. They were in line of sight now and on either side of the Kal, many of the saved Death Knights were waiting to fire with their weapons raised. They shouldn't fire just yet, while in range, the weapons wouldn't do enough damage to matter.
Not because they couldn't, but because at his order, the plasma weapons were on their lowest setting so from this range they wouldn't do much against the armour the enemy wore but it was rapid fire. This was the point, they needed a way to quickly eliminate those who couldn't be saved and those who could, their weapons could do that. At a lower power setting, the plasma would be rapid fire and more than strong enough to rip flesh from bone and shatter the bone as well. But the heavier armour that the Death Knights wore would be able to save them from a couple of hits and thus allow them to see who the Death Knights are compared to those who are not.
The problem with this plan is that the enemy would need to be much closer to them in order for this to work, not the best thing when most of their weapons are best used at a distance. But they didn't question him when he gave the order, something Kal took comfort in. Knowing that those with him are so determined to save the rest that they would risk their lives trying.
"AIM!" he shouted as the horde got closer to them, only a couple of seconds now. They would need to be a dozen or so metres away from them for this to work properly. Kal started to float in the air as they got closer, getting a better look at the enemy. He couldn't see anything that shocked him, only that this force seemed just as weak as the one they fought when they first arrived. It made Kal think that this force was made to reinforce the one that came before since Kal doubted that the Lich King was made aware of their arrival so soon.
Which was good, it meant they had the upper hand "FIRE!" he shouted with his enhanced voice. Waves of blue plasma began to flow over the ground like the tide in the ocean, and many of the undead fell quickly, Kal stayed where he was and watched closely. Trying to keep an eye on their targets, after all this his job. When a Death Knight was found.
There.
He saw a round of plasma bounce off the black armour of a Death Knight, he quickly flew down and grabbed the Death Knight by the back of the neck and lifted him into the air. Ignoring how the lesser of the undead tried to attack him as he did, he was gone before they could connect with him. Now hovering back in the air, the Death Knight was quick to summon his magic to try and kill him, before he could Kal tossed him slightly higher into the air, and before he could fall back to the ground, Kal grabbed the lasso and threw it. With an aim that still wasn't as good as Diana's but good enough. The golden rope wrapped around the torso of the Knight, and it glowed a bright gold "Who are you?" he asked, looking down to the ground and seeing that a couple of others had been sighted.
It looked like those on the ground knew he was busy with another, so they came up with a plan. Since they didn't want to kill the Death Knights, when one was found. A member of his own force would back up and bring the enemy into a melee while the rest fired, of course, his forces would win due to the better armour and blades. So, they should be able to keep their opponent busy until he was ready to free them. He just hoped it didn't take so long.
Tyrande walked calmly around the camp that had been set up on Darkshore, two dozen tents had been completed and she worked closely with others as they provided first aid to those who were injured during the Scourge attack. She had to admit, while she was more than happy to provide aid to the Tuskarr who were forced to leave their home. A part of her was annoyed that Kal arrived with them so quickly. He couldn't give them a little warning in advance? She mentally sighed at the thought, it was too late to complain about that now.
Hearing a small sniffle near her, the high priestess turned to the other side of the tent and saw that one of the young children was quietly crying to herself as she held her bandaged arm "Hello there little one" she said as she walked over towards her, kneeling in front of the child to make sure she wouldn't be too intimidated "What is it?" she asked with a gentle voice.
"It... it hurts" she whined slightly as tears started to fall from her eyes.
Tryande smiled at her before reaching out with her hand "Let me see" She didn't reach out and take the hand, just presented it and waited.
She was patient while the child looked down at her arm before shuffling closer towards her and slowly placing her arm in her hand "You've been very brave, but I promise you're safe here" Raising her other hand, she placed it on top of her arm. With two hands on either side of the bandage, a bright white light started to shine within them. The child looked on in wonder as the pain started to fade away and the high priestess used her magic to help.
"How's that?" she asked as she moved her hands and looked at the limb.
The girl looked at her hands in wonder as she flexed her hand and arm "Woah" she whispered as she started to move it closer. She looked up at Tyrande like she was Elune herself "How did you do that?" she asked her in an amazed tone.
The high priestess smiled at her "With the Mother Moon to aid us, all pain and suffering can be taken away" She leaned in a poked the girl's nose with her finger, making her giggle.
"Tyrande" a voice called her.
Turning away from the child, she looked to see Shandris standing behind her "What is it?" she asked, not knowing why she would be needed at the moment.
Shandris looked around uneasy for a moment before looking back "It's Malfurion, he's doing... the thing" she said.
Upon hearing the name of her husband, Tyrande's guard came up immediately, but she was confused at what she heard "The thing?" she asked back.
"Yeah" the Ranger General came back "That look... thing he does" she said again. She looked back at the younger woman even more confused than she was before, really not knowing what she was talking about "He's on the shore, you'll know what I mean when you see it" With that said she turned and left the tent.
Tyrande stayed where she was for a moment before accepting that nothing was wrong at least, she turned to the young Tuskann, giving her one last smile before turning to leave herself and making her way out of the camp.
Admittedly, she wasn't too happy that Malfurion had left Teldrassil. Ever since he was recused from Staghelm he has been in and out of consciousness as the passive magics of their great tree helped heal him, only really waking up properly a few days ago. Tyrande herself did not leave his side for long and after waking up she left his side even less. While neither of them was ever the most hormonal of Night Elves, they did have a lot of... catching up to do. A small blush appeared on her face as she thought about their time together after he woke up.
It only took her ten or so minutes to make it through the camp and it was easy to see the returned Arch Druid standing at the edge of the camp borders looking at them all with an intense look 'Oh, that look' she thought to herself as she realized what Shandris had meant. She'd seen that look before a couple of times and she knew what it would mean "You should be resting" she said with a small scowl, though there wasn't much heat in it.
Her husband gave her a gentle smile as he approached "Has it truly gotten so bad?" he asked as he turned from her and back to the camp.
She decided to not scold him for leaving the tree just yet and answer his question "Every day the Scourge grows in strength, the more they kill the larger their army becomes. I wish we could do more but with the opening of the Dark Portal, we must prioritize stopping the Legion from getting a foothold" she reasoned, she didn't like it. The undead were an affront to everything she believed but the Legion must be their first priority.
The druid crossed his arms as he looked at all the people who left their homes "This... Kal-El" he started as he turned his head to look at his wife "Do you trust him?" he asked.
Tyrande didn't fail to notice that for a moment Malfurion looked up and saw one of the drones that was patrolling overhead "I didn't at first" she admitted "but with every chance I gave him to earn my trust he did. He's mature, and friendly and he carries more pain than I've seen anyone carry. His technology is incredible and the power he wields is unimaginable" he moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his large biceps and leaning into him "And most of all, he brought you back to me"
"That I am grateful for" he admitted as he leaned down and kissed her head "If he is our ally, then he should not be fighting alone"
Closing her eyes she let go of his arm and sighed. That was the look Shandris was talking about, it was the 'I can't stand and do nothing' look "I don't like this, you've only just recovered"
"I know" was all he said back.
She opened her mouth to try and convince him otherwise but before she could, she was stopped by another "Arch Druid, High Priestess" The two turned to see a Sentinel captain approach them "There's been a situation with the network" he told them.
The two leaders turned to face each other as they heard that, of course they were present when the watch station for the satellite network was set up, while not too happy Kal was not there himself to help them understand how it worked but it was understandable as to why considering how many watch stations he had to give out. Of course, they were both amazed by what the machines provided for them "What is it?" Tyrande asked.
"You asked us to keep a close eye on both the Dark Portal and Northrend" he said to Malfurion "There's been a development, from what we could see a large gathering of ships are setting off from the Eastern Kingdoms, they're marked as Forsaken. They're going to Northrend" he reported to them.
The two leaders looked at each other for a moment "It seems I wasn't the only one who couldn't sit back" he said.
"They wouldn't attack Kal" Tyrande added "They're eager for vengeance but they're not stupid. No doubt the Banshee is concerned that Kal will end the Lich King before she can get her chance to do it herself"
"Even if they work together every step, they'll be outnumbered from every angle" he said calmly before closing his eyes and nodding to himself "I'll send out a request for volunteers. I sail for Northrend" he stated.
She let out a loud sigh as she heard that, though not before nodding "Be careful, I only just got you back" she said before turning and making her way back into camp, knowing that it wasn't her place to argue that he stays here.
"The chains of slavery and domination hold you no longer" Kal said as he stood behind the front line of the fighting, on his knees in front of him was another of the Death Knights "What is your name?" he asked him again.
"I am WOODWARD COMBS!" the former slave shouted as the black tendrils of necromantic magic left the man's body. Normally Kal would prefer to spend some time helping the man get back on his feet but now he didn't have time. Turning around he saw a line of the freed Knights in a line of two, in between each of them was another Death knight on their knees waiting their turn. Though fighting them every step of the way, Kal made a note in his mind that he would need to think of a name for this force, it was starting to get confusing.
They lost none of their own from the fight, while the enemy numbers were greater than their own, this force was only meant to reinforce the others so they lacked anything that would prove a real challenge to them, even the Death Knights seemed to be of low rank and not very skilled.
The battle itself took twenty minutes to finish and the freeing of the Death Knights took ten more. Windsong had returned from taking out the flanking maneuverer with more Death Knights to free, as of the moment Kal was standing in the chieftain's hut of the harbour with the rest of the Horsemen, the captains of his force were setting up a parameter, making inductions with the newly freed Knights and looking for scouts to send forward for their assault.
"We cannot attack directly" Mograine said with a shake of his head as they all looked down at the map on the table in between them "Even if we can take every Death Knight that the lich has, the numbers would just be too much. Without the dragons we lack the firepower needed to take out the bulk of the enemy force" which really was a kick in the teeth. Kal didn't think that the dragons could win this war for them but if they could keep the enemy distracted for a moment then waves of dragons could fly over the enemy lines and wipe them out in waves of fire.
While Kal didn't doubt, he could just wipe them all out with his heat vision. He wouldn't be able to save the Death Knights from those attacks, they'd die with the rest which is something Kal just couldn't allow "Ah, ya gave it ya best shot lad" Korth'azz with a small shrug "It seems that the war of attrition is what we're gonna need ta do" he added.
Blaumeux nodded in agreement, while this was her original plan. She didn't seem happy with it, no doubt hoping they would have been able to get aid and end this quicker "Maybe not" she said more to herself than the others and she brought up a hand and stroked her chin.
"What do you mean?" Kal asked as they all looked at her.
She was quiet for a moment longer before answering "I didn't want to suggest it before, I didn't know how well we would do in a fight but seeing that" she nodded her head to the exit of the tent, indicating the fight they just did "I think we can do it" she said with a slightly determined voice.
"Do what?" Mograine asked as he crossed his arms.
"We can't attack from the front, as Mograine said, so we can't head north towards the Black Gate. We don't need to wipe out the army to win, we just need to cut the head off the snake. I think that instead of going to the Borean Tundra and setting up and base. We move along the coast, being as quiet as possible and move to Wintergrasp" She pointed to a section of the map that was between Dragonblight and Sholazar "It would put us right behind the Citadel. We could scale the mountains and sneak in through back"
As she spoke all the others took a closer look at the map "You propose that instead of war we attempt an assassination" Sir Zeliek spoke "How would we get in?" he asked.
As he asked that, Kal lifted his hands over the map, brought them together and then spread them out. The holographic blue 3D map on the continent got smaller and provided a good image of the mountain range between the Wintergrasp and Icecrown. It was large, jagged, steep and covered in ice. But the Citadel was practically built into the other side of them "That's not impossible" Kal said as they all looked "It would take hours of climbing but it would give us access to the Citadel proper without going through his army" he added.
"But then what" Mograine asked as he looked as well "We could get to the Citadel but it's not like we can just climb it all the way to the frozen throne, the walls are a smooth and strong black metal, they're not something you can just climb. We'd have to make our way through..." he stopped as he brought his hand forward and copied Kal's actions moving the map away from the mountains and to the Citadel itself "Here" he pointed to a large balcony that seemed to go from the castle and into a large cave into the mountains "about halfway up" he confirmed as the others looked on closely.
"I hold a great deal of respect for everyone out that door" Zeliek added as he pointed to the entrance of the tent "but with a force this large, I don't think it's possible to sneak up to the frozen throne without being seen, even with this armour" he added as he held a hand to his chest "not to mention what happens if we can do it, if by some miracle of the light that we can get through the Citadel without being seen and kill the Lich King before he can alert his army. What happens to the army if he is killed?" he asked the group.
"Chaos" Blaumeux said before the others could "Without their master to command them, the lesser undead would enter a frenzy and attack everything that moves. The Death Knights should have enough will and strength of mind to not lose their minds, with their armour and weapons. I would wager that they would be the last ones standing when everything calms down"
"Nah" Korth'azz shook her head "then we can't do it, we need ta save our brothers and sisters. Not let them die in chaos" It was hard to argue against that.
"We were never going to leave this war without losses" said back quickly, placing both hands on the table and leaning forward "At least this way we can save some"
"The needs of the many do not outweigh the needs of the few" Kal said as he looked at her "Every life matters and we need to save every single one of them" he didn't hold the stare down and looked back at the map "we just need to find out how we'll do it. The answer is there, we just can't see it yet. We're missing something" he added.
Everyone was quiet for a moment longer as they each started to think about what to do, all of them being careful with the plans they came up with. Some were mentioned but then shot down for one reason or another "What if we take it over" Kal muttered to himself but it was loud enough for the others to hear, and they all turned to look at him.
"What do you mean take them over?" Mograine asked.
Kal ignored the question and turned to look at Blaumeux "What do you know about the Helm of Domination?" he asked her.
The question caused the woman's eyebrows to raise slightly before answering "Only what I heard from Kel'thuzad, while Frostmourne was the means he had to take the souls and raise the dead. The Helm was the true force behind the Lich King's power, it's how he maintains control over the dead and how he commands them. Why?" she asked.
"What if the Lich King isn't what we think he is?" he asked them as he stepped forward closer to the table "What if the Lich King is nothing more than a helmet that takes over a body for its own use" he reached for his waist and pulled out the Lasso "What if Arthas is just as much a prisoner as the rest of you where?" he asked the group.
This was the first time he's seen them all lose their composure so quickly "Ya havin a fuckin laugh lad?!" Korth'azz shouted "Is he fuckin talking about saving the fucker that did this to us?" he asked the group.
"No" Blaumeux shook her head "Surely he's not that stupid" She frowned at him.
"Before we started to attack, I spoke with a couple of different people. Witness, people who knew him before. Everyone I could think of, I don't think Arthas is making these choices, I think that he can freed from slavery just like the rest of you were" he started to explain.
"No" Mograine shook his head and scowled at him "I would allow much and follow you to many different places but you are speaking about... what? Saving the one who started this all in the first place? No, I refuse" he turned his body completely to face Kal "the only way this end is with his head separated from his body, that man is evil incarnate. He must die!" he shouted that last part.
Kal didn't so much as bat an eye and the anger coming from the man "I'm sure many thought the same as you" he said calmly "How many horrid acts did you commit when you weren't in control? How many cried to you begging for mercy? How many cursed your name?" with every word he said Mograine's head dropped to the ground in shame "but I still brought you back and gave you a chance at redemption. No one is beyond saving, not even him"
The silence that came from the tent now was defining as they all thought about what was being spoken "What was the rest of your plan?" Zeliek asked before anything else could be said "You said take them over. What do you mean?" he asked.
"What a very small team of two sneak around the back and make their way through the Citadel. While they move the rest for a frontal assault, not a full attack but enough to be a large distraction for the enemy forces" he started to explain "If the team of two, which will include myself can make it to the throne and fight the Lich king. We break Frostmourne and free all the souls trapped within it. I imagine that would cause some type of reaction from the Lich King, from there we get the helmet off his head, use the Lasso to free him if it can be done, and use the drones to take him to the fortress in the cell immediately. Then my partner, whoever that may be puts on the helmet and gets control of the Scourge proper. From there we win"
They all looked at him like he was insane, clearly not too happy with the plan but too shocked to say anything "That plan has more risk than any other" Zeliek added back quickly with his arms crossed.
"The entire thing hinges on the idea that one of us could even control the helm" Blaumeux said looking back at Kal "Even with that lasso of yours I find it very unlikely that someone could do it. And your partner? don't want to do it yourself?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"It would be even more of a risk" Kal said back, not getting angry at her implications "As you know I'm far more susceptible to magic than anything else, it would be far safer for one of you to do it" he explained as best he could and it was the truth, Kal didn't like that he couldn't do it himself but he truly could not risk that. If the helm was as powerful as they say, then there would be a good chance that they could take over his body, if they did that then this was over "Besides, if I'm free then I could defend the one wearing the helm from the Scourge forces while they try and get control"
They didn't shout out or scoff at the idea, they were all too mature for that "No" Mograine shook his head "I don't like it, it's too risky" Based on the way the others nodded, they felt the same.
It was clear that he was outvoted on the matter, so Kal nodded, and they all looked back to the map, it went on again for another couple of minutes before Zeliek spoke up "Hang on, what if we combine both plans?" he asked them all.
Naturally, all heads turned to look at him and he continued "The Lady Blaumeux's plan did hold merit; we could sneak in, and we could do a great deal of damage to the forces inside" he started.
"But we wooden be able ta get to tha throne before we get fuckin swarmed by the outside forces" Korth'azz pointed out and all others found themselves nodding in agreement.
"That's where Kal's plan comes in" he countered, leaning in and pointing at the map "If we go over the mountain we can get into the citadel here. About halfway up the fortress proper, this large walkway was going to be used for aircraft. What I propose is that when we get to this point, we split up. Kal takes one of us and moves up to the upper balcony, from there they can move in and with a combination of skill and power, they move through, taking out all the captains, lieutenants and all others of interest. The blood council, the professor Putricide, Sindragosa and the rest. While this is happening, the rest of us move down towards the lady Deathwhisper and Marrowgar. We push forward a couple more feet and hold the line here" he pointed to a corridor just at the base of the central spire of ice "This corridor is narrow, there's no other way through and best of all, it would provide us with a killing field for the undead that approach" he said to them all and they all paid close attention.
"But what about the Death Knights that are outside who want to come in?" Kal asked as he looked at Zeliek with interest.
"They would want to come in, but they won't. If we have a continuous line of fire without stopping, then the only ones that will charge in are the mindless undead who are beyond saving. The Death Knights will take cover and wait for a moment they we won't give them" he finished explaining.
Everyone looked at the map closer for a couple of moments as they thought about it all. It was the best plan they had so far but there was one problem that was still present "It still relies on the gamble that only two people can defeat the Lich King and someone can take control of one of the most powerful magical artefacts on the planet without being taken over by it" Blaumeux said back with an annoyed voice though none of them knew if it was annoyance at the plan not working because it was a bad plan or because it would have been a good one.
"I can do it" That single statement caused them all to look at Mograine as he said that he didn't look at any of them, he just starred at the map with hardened eyes "I'll go with Kal and take the helm" his words and tone brokered no argument.
"Are you sure?" Kal asked anyway.
The Death Knight turned his head to look at the alien "I have lost everything I care about because of that helmet, I've lost the power to truly care about anything again. I will not let this abomination stand a second longer than it needs to. I will not let myself be controlled because I refuse to allow it"
The silence in the tent was palpable for a good long moment before Kal turned and looked at the others "Any objections?" he asked the others.
A moment went by without anyone saying a thing "We'll need to go over the formation of the defence lines" Zeliek started first "Heavy fighters in the front with great swords, stop any undead that get too close"
"But I think we agree on this" Kal said as he looked at them all before nodding "Alright then, spread the word, we're breaking camp and heading for Wintergrasp" he told them all before they turned to leave, he waited a moment longer. Looking at the map and trying to find the best path to get there without being spotted. It only took him a moment before he found one, it was unorthodox, but it would do the job well enough. He waved his hand and the map faded away, walking around the table he made his way out. Not having the dragons was a blow but they would get it done.
"hhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmm hhhhhhhhmmmmmmm" he stopped walking as he heard it again, this humming was starting to grate on his nerves and not in the best way. His desire to know where this was coming from was starting to overcome him, thankfully he was able to push the desire to the side. When the Lich King was dealt with, he would figure out just what the hell this thing was and where it was coming from.
The Wind brushed through her head as she stood on the helm of the lead ship. The cold winds of the North getting more and more prominent as they moved further to their goal. The sun was hugging the Horizen and about to leave for the night, normally she would have thought the sight beautiful but she didn't even know if she was capable of feeling that anymore.
Her squad of seven ships moved in a tight formation over the open ocean. Despite how long they had been working no breaks had been given, and none where needed when their stamina didn't seem to end, one of the very few benefits their state gave them. Despite how quickly she moved her forces Sylvanas wasn't happy that she was being forced to move on her most hated enemy so soon and with so little of a force.
But she didn't have a choice, she would never allow someone else to take the kill that was hers. She wouldn't let Kal-El take this from her, and if he refused to give it to her. The leader of the Forsaken turned her head and looked at the cage that was hanging dangerously over the edge of the ship, ready to be dropped into the ocean.
If Kal got his forces from where she thought he did, then the son of the Ashbringer may be the bargaining tool they need to leverage the chance to kill the Lich King once and for all. It wouldn't be quick though.
A cruel smile came onto her face as she turned her head again and looked at the ship in the middle of their formation, it was to be protected due to it being full of the latest weapons that her apothecary society was able to create, those biological weapons would be enough to wipe out all those who get in their way. She didn't doubt they'd deal with Kal himself if he forced her hand, a small voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her, saying that she couldn't harm him, it was foolish to try and that he said he would do his best to help her and her people. But that voice was smothered by others who cared only for her vengeance.
All around him was a swirling mass of pure magical energy, the very essence of the world was the only comforting thing that he was able to cling to ever since the last war. For the past ten thousand years he was pleased in a state of unending pain with a mind too weak to try and understand how to stop it.
But no more, with his sanity finally returned he was able to understand what had happened since he was reduced to such a sorry state and what he saw was horror to him. The mortals were growing too arrogant, just like before they nearly brought Legion to this world yet again, they claim to be the masters of magic yet failing to understand that magic is not something that will ever have a master, it's an impossibility of its very essence.
He cannot allow this to continue and now he will have all the tools needed to undo this misuse, he will not allow this world to be threatened by the mortals again. The undead, this scourge is just another piece of proof that his breatharian are no longer fit to uphold their duties and they must either fall in line under his rule so they may guide the mortals as they should, instead of just foolishly stand by and let them ruin this world.
Word has reached him that the focusing Iris was found and taken by another such being, he has yet to focus much of his attention on this Kal-El but based on what he's been told he was a creature of logic and reason, he was sure that he could be brought into the fold and convinced to help him in this endeavour, at the very least he would be willing to return the relic that belongs to them.
Which should be happening soon now, he sent a group of his children to the Night Elf mountain the new home of this alien, they would return with the relic and the work to take magic back from these mortals could begin.
For it was the mission and duty of him. Malygos, the Aspect of Magic and leader of the Blue Dragonflight to restore order to this ruined world.
On the platform he stood, all around him, an endless void of stars shined down on him. The large blue dragon raised his wings and let out a roar of power. All around the Blue Dragonflight Nexus, all of his children turned their heads to listen to his proclamation roared in sync with him, he only counted a small handful who didn't.
Not that the first wave has been taken and the dragons appear to be a no show. The plan has to change in order to adapt to the new situation, a stealth attack on Icecrown but what Kal seems to be forgetting is that there are far more parties involved in Northren then the Scourge.
Let me know what you thought in the reviews, and I'll see you in the next chapter.
Next Story update: A New Guardian