Chương 13: Chapter 12

Sapphiron idly bounced the bone-white object in his hand while he gazed emptily towards the other side of the wall they'd erected. The morning sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, and the smell of dew was heavy in the air. The air remained temperate as always in Quel'thalas, though the Thalassian Pass was on the very edge of their climate control magic.

"A copper for your thoughts." A voice interrupted him.

"You should know even my idle thoughts are worth much more than that, Korialstrasz." Sapphiron joked back with a slight tug of his lips.

"Not to mention thoughts I put real effort into."

"Bah! I should get paid for listening to your drivel." Korialstrasz shot back.

"What's that?" He gestured towards the white object and asked mostly just to make conversation.

"This?" He was holding a small ball of what looked like bone, but somehow it felt alive.

"This is something my daughter created. The second thing she ever conjured." Korialstrasz laughed.

"Should've guessed. You've been inordinately proud of your daughter for years."

"Inordinately? My pride in her is fully warranted. For the record, this material is one of the best conductors of magic I've seen. Not quite the best, but up there with the best. And the best part is that it can store mana for later use. Lots of mana. More than thirty of my most powerful mana stones-level of mana. And it's perfectly efficient." He explained with true pride. The little nugget was one of his greatest treasures.

He hadn't told anyone else, but couldn't help bragging to Korialstrasz, as the two were both friends and friendly rivals.

"That sounds useful." Korialstrasz suddenly paid a lot more attention. It sounded a lot more than just useful.

"Any way to get myself one of those?" He didn't know if the little thing worked with the power of Life, but it would be useful to try.

"Don't know. As far as I can tell, this was the only one she created. A failed creation, according to her. I would've really liked to have seen the real thing if this was a failed product. I can ask when I see her." He offered.

"I'm surprised you didn't make more yourself." Korialstrasz pointed out. Sapphiron scoffed.

"You think I didn't try? Whatever this is, I've never seen anything quite like it. Conjuration is based on understanding; you know this. I don't have the foggiest idea what this is." He looked at the other dragon.

"You're a Red. You can sense it, don't you? This thing isn't quite alive, yet at the same time it is."

"You're not…wrong." Korialstrasz wasn't sure what he was sensing, though as a Red Dragon, his connection to the power of Life was the strongest, and there was some Life in the object.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Korialstrasz asked.

"Waiting for the rest of you lazy bastards to wake up. Word came down from King Anasterian. Since the pass is quiet, every magister is being recalled to Zul'Aman. The siege is going better than expected, and the king wants us all there to give an overwhelming final blow. Bring the full might of Quel'dorei's Arcane might to seal the deal quickly." Sapphiron explained.

He'd just gotten the word from the Ranger-General, who in turn had already sent out three times as many scouts to get advance warning in case the Amani tried something while the magisters were gone.

"Sounds risky." Korialstrasz pointed out.

"Not really. We'll only be gone a day, and it takes a lot longer for the Amani to get a force through the pass and up to the wall. Even if we don't succeed, the magisters will be returned." Sapphiron countered. Korialstrasz gave a sigh.

"I'll go rouse the others. Some of them would sleep until midday if given the opportunity."

"The protections around the temple city are quite powerful." One of the twelve High Magisters standing on the large flying carpet said while squinting at the city below.

"They're empowered by the temples. Maybe even the Loa."

"Bringing the defenses down will require quite a bit of effort. It's a good thing the Amani elite are not present to make things even more difficult." Another one added.

"The four temples work in conjunction as the supporting pillars of the defenses." Ron'vith Salonar stated calmly.

"They work together, but they will also fall together if you destabilize one."

"The temples also aren't equal in their power. The rumors of some of the Loa abandoning the city seem true." Sapphiron added, his blue eyes practically glowing as he observed the flow of power below.

"I think I can strike a decisive blow at the temple on Akil'zon if we can strain the protections with the siege weapons. That one is significantly weaker than the other three. The rest of you can unleash your power at the temple city when the protections fall."

"Will you be able to do it alone when we're so far from the Sunwell?" Ron'vith asked, concerned. They were all working with less power than usual as the Sunwell was distant enough to make drawing on the font of power extremely difficult.

"I have something…well, not comparable but good enough to work with," Sapphiron assured the man while playing with the small bone object in his pocket.

"Let us return. You'll lead the rest of the magisters. The King had some kind of announcement to make." The magical flying carpet swerved down towards the warcamp now located in the cleared area in front of the city. A single large red and gold tent had been set up for the meeting, and the magisters were the last to arrive. Anasterian nodded at them and stood up to draw everyone's attention. Relatively difficult when almost everyone's attention was drawn towards the woman standing next to him.

Sapphiron's eyebrows shot up as he only recognized his daughter due to her eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen. As you know, we've gathered here today to strike the final blow against Zul'Aman. If everything goes to plan, the troll city will never again mar our beautiful kingdom, cleansed by the purifying flame of our most distinguished magisters. We also all know that the war will not end there. The elites of the Amani are not here, and our ambition doesn't end at the borders of Quel'thalas either. We have an opportunity. An opportunity to become something greater.

Something that will in time eclipse the old Kaldorei Empire, and for that, we need to deal with the trolls, once and for all." Sapphiron could sense the mood in the tent shifting. Every Quel'dorei got some steel in their spine. He knew the elves were a smug and arrogant race, though not completely without reason, and this was exactly the type of thing they all secretly desired. Egos of the elves always demanded more.

"The office of Ranger-General was meant to defend our kingdom from external threats, and it's an office that will serve until perpetuity. However, to create an empire and to prosecute an aggressive campaign on this scale, defense is not enough. We need a position with more power and broader authority, as well as a remit to prosecute this war as required to react to quickly changing situations. Something that doesn't need to keep seeking approval from the Convocation or me for every little decision.

However, this office has a great risk of turning into a threat if held too long, so it will be a temporary office. By royal decree, I've created the office of an Autarch. Someone who has complete command over all military forces but will only serve until the end of the war, after which their office shall be removed until required again." Anasterian could really hold everyone's attention in the palm of his hand, pausing his words just at the right times to let it all sink in.

"To further pre-empt any misuse of the position, and due to her tactical superiority so far in the war, the position is granted to the Saint and Princess Selessa Sunstrider!" Anasterian declared and started clapping, many others joining him right away, clearly having known about this beforehand and approving. Sapphiron noted that there was a decent portion who had not known but genuinely approved of the nomination, mostly those who had already converted to the Light.

The rest quickly joined in, even if they weren't fully convinced. They all became deathly quiet as the woman besides Anasterian stepped forward, and it suddenly felt as if the whole tent had been doused in freezing water as a presence seemed to emanate from her. Even with her face covered by a veil, everyone present could tell this woman was dangerous. Even with the veil, her presence screamed dark, awe-evoking beauty that allowed you to exist, just by her grace and limited patience.

Another side of the "Saint", but one that the people in the tent didn't seem to mind. This was appropriate for the position, and suddenly, everyone swallowed all their complaints about her age. The aura of authority was palpable, and Sapphiron was reminded of Lord Malygos or Queen Alexstrasza. The aura was obviously not as strong as with the Aspects, but the feeling was quite similar, and Sapphiron suspected Selessa would still improve in that respect. He was eager to see how far she was able to go.

"Instead of holding pompous speeches, I'll let actions and results speak for me," Selessa spoke with a voice that felt almost like a blade sliding across everyone's neck. Even Sapphiron swallowed a bit, especially when those eyes locked on him.

"Grand Magister, how was your reconnaissance?"

"We can bring the defenses down, Autarch." He replied using the new title, testing it out.

"If the siege weapons can strain the defenses for a time, I can strike at one of the temples that is weaker due to the missing Loa and bring them down. The rest of the magisters can then annihilate the enemy."

"Good. We have already set up our siege and our field fortifications outside the city. Inside it, we would be squeezed into small spaces by the terrain and the ruins of their outer city, which would make us vulnerable to any nasty surprises they might have planned." She revealed. Sapphiron had wondered about that.

"What of the Loa?" Ron'vith asked something Sapphiron had not considered.

"They will try to defend the temple city or strike at the magisters."

"Good. I'm counting on that." Selessa reassured the old magister.

"I have a plan for the Loa. You worry about the temple city. For efficient defense, we'll position the magisters close to the siege weapons. You'll note that we have split them up just in case. I advise you to do the same, assuming you can operate like that?"

"That can be arranged." Ron'vith nodded.

"Good. This is the moment to show the Amani why you don't pick a fight with the Quel'dorei. I have no doubt they have prepared all sorts of nasty surprises inside the temple city. That's why we're not going to give them the satisfaction and opportunity to use any of them. We shall burn the city around them, and them inside it. We will scatter the ashes of their plans into the wind along with their remains." She looked at the magisters directly.

"This is your time to shine. The turn of the soldiers will come later in this war, but now it's the time of the magisters. A moment you've no doubt waited for. Remove Zul'Aman from the map. This will be the closing chapter on the kingdom known as Quel'thalas, and the prologue on the Empire of Quel'thalas. It is only fitting that our magisters write the opening lines." Sapphiron could feel how the magisters were suddenly filled with pride and determination. They would not dare to disappoint.

So much for not making speeches.

Projecting an aura of authority and command was nothing new to Selessa. She'd done the same in her old life, with and without psionics. Of course, the effect had been much more pronounced with psionics. Now she was doing the same through her stupendously high Charisma. She had been given information on how to project auras, be it authority, awe-inspiring, alluring, or anything in between, when she'd gained full access to the System, though it took some time and practice to parse through all that information.

Her presence was still far from full effectiveness, but it was enough for her current purposes. Her 'war mask' had been a rather effective tool even before the System opened, and her ability to project such auras had multiplied a hundredfold. Not that she wanted to blast the magisters and the commanders with the full power of her aura. She only needed a bit for effect. She, of course, wasn't the only one who could do something like this. Anasterian had an aura of command and even geniality.

Her mother had the ability to project desire and seduction, although she never really used it in Selessa's presence. Sapphiron had an aura of power, although he hid it quite well. Talanas had this heroic aura that had partially helped him land the role of the Ranger-General. These people didn't have the experience she had, nor the support of the System, but they had the ability. Most of her abilities reflected what other people could do, just more.

She watched as the magisters and siege weapons were split into three groups. She'd ordered this for the eventuality that the trolls had some ability to strike at them. At least all their proverbial eggs would not be in the same basket. No plan ever went perfectly. That was why she had contingencies. The rest of their forces spread out in front to shield these important assets from any approach. The trebuchets gave the opening salvo.

Due to her decision to stay out of the outer city, the machines were firing at their maximum range, even with the support of the acceleration spells of the less powerful magisters. The truly powerful magisters were all joining their magic together for massive spells in preparation for the protective magic around the temple city to fall. The stones from the trebuchets didn't reach the walls as they impacted on a magical field of dark energy protecting the heart of the Amani capital city.

However, it was rather obvious from the first salvo that the protective field would not be able to take the bombardment for very long. As she expected, a large bear made entirely of magical energy manifested in front of the protective field, using its enormous and sturdy body to withstand the barrage. Nalorakk, the Amani Bear Loa, rivaled the size of small starships from her previous life.

It had a mane of almost feather-like energy fanning out from what looked like a stone headdress, with two massive tusks jutting forward from the headdress. Its body was covered in plates that looked like carved bone, and its claws and eyes glowed with malevolent teal power. It also had a presence that was hard to describe. A feeling of being in the presence of something greater. To Selessa, it seemed the Loa resembled Daemons from her previous life in certain ways.

They were the embodiment of a concept, an emotion or two, belief and faith made manifest. The bear's presence reminded her of the Greater Daemons, only much, much weaker. A Greater Daemon could drive an entire world insane with just their presence, even the strongest minds collapsing under their existence, armies falling to their knees rather than come face to face with the existence towering over them, their very existence fraying the fabric of space. The Bear Loa projected a presence of fortitude and ferocity.

It was enough to stun the elven army, but that was it. Barely covering the battlefield. It wasn't even at the level of a Daemon Prince. She had expected something like this. She could've tried to fight the Loa's presence with her own, but she had a better solution, provided to her by Anasterian. This wasn't the first time elves came into contact with beings like this, and they had come up with solutions in the past war against Burning Legion.

She pulled out a magical horn that the king had handed her, took in a deep breath, brought it to her lips, and blew a single powerful bass note that seemed to echo off the surrounding mountains. The sound suffused the battlefield, breaking the spell and emboldening the Quel'dorei. Fortifying them against such effects. The Quel'dorei had built countless artifacts over the years, their magical ingenuity channeled into various useful projects, and the horn was just one such example.

With the spell broken, the bombardment continued. The magically reinforced stones fell on the thick hide of the Bear Loa, the spirit clearly not enjoying the process. However, the Bear Loa was the embodiment of fortitude, and its body was clearly not built like a normal one. Instead of broken bones and wounds, the impacts only drained the power used to manifest the Bear spirit. This too was within her calculations.

The benefit of fighting an enemy you had neighbored for thousands of years was the abundance of information. It was not hard to find out the identity and nature of the Amani Loa. And thus, it was not hard to make plans against them, even if their full capabilities were not clear. They even knew which of the Loa were still here, as two of them had apparently fled already. Ironically, it was the remaining two that were the easiest to deal with.

If she would've had to plan against the Dragonhawk and Eagle spirits, things would've been much harder. A bear, though? That was not difficult. The catapults that had so far remained inert suddenly unleashed their payloads. These were aimed at the obstinate bear spirit, and instead of heavy impacts, the bear was coated in thick, viscous liquid, which was set alight right away.

A sturdy being the spirit might have been, but being set on fire was an unsettling experience for any creature, and judging by the roars, quite unpleasant as well. Instead of resolutely standing in front of the bombardment, the spirit started rolling on the ground, attempting to put the fire out, with no success, and further salvos from the catapults only added to the suffering, the fires a constant drain on the bear's power.

Rushing to aid its fellow spirit, Halazzi, the Spirit of the Lynx dashed across the field of battle towards the closest catapults. This was the pivotal moment of the battle, as the speedy spirit was too quick for any of their siege weapons to target, and too powerful for simple bows to deal with. Unlike the Bear Loa, the Lynx Loa looked like a fairly normal feline predator, only larger and more dangerous, its claws glowing with deadly power.

The spirit's advance was suddenly halted as every Spellbreaker in the army slammed their anti-magic powers right at the power sustaining the spirit. As a higher-level being, even having the mana sustaining its being suddenly ignited and get torn apart was not enough to seriously harm the Loa, but it did stop it for a brief moment. And a lot could happen in a moment.

So far unused and magically hidden ballistae fired their magical bolts right at the Loa, and unlike the bear, Halazzi did not have the benefits of an almost impervious hide. The ballista bolts turned the spirit into a pincushion, while Farstriders, like Lirath and Dath'ron, used the magically enhanced bows to add to the damage, their arcane shots ripping into wounds and soft spots like eyes and ears. With a great roar, the form of the lynx spirit collapsed, unable to sustain under the deadly assault.

The spirit was not a mortal being. It wasn't dead. Just the power used for manifesting it dispersing, wasted. The Loa were powerful beings, but only under the right circumstances. Halazzi could easily take down an adult dragon if it caught the wyrm on the ground and by surprise, but if that same dragon managed to turn the tables and bombard the Loa from the sky, the situation would be very different.

A Loa like the Eagle Spirit Akil'zon, on the other hand, ruled the skies with its speed and power over the wind, but it was even more fragile than Halazzi when caught and trapped. These were also only partial manifestations of the Loa, with only a part of their power. Had they been facing all four of the Loa glutted with countless sacrifices before the war, things would've been much harder. That's why the trolls had tried capturing prisoners.

Now, the Loa were almost starved, as every sacrifice made to them would've been one less troll for their armies. They had already lost quite a few of their servants and their city was under siege. The Loa were at their weakest. Nalorakk, seeing its fellow Loa go down, decided to put up a final fight before suffering the same fate. The bear stood up before being surrounded by a teal light that seemed to put out all the fires and momentarily repel all the attacks sent at the spirit.

It dashed across the battlefield with speed unfit for something its size, clearly wanting to at least take some of the Quel'dorei out as revenge before losing its form. This was not part of Selessa's plan, but she had prepared for something like it. She had expected the great spirits to struggle, and while she was disappointed somewhat, Nalorakk made an effort at least. A clarion cry heralded the arrival of a great bird of fire, a phoenix, personally ridden into battle by Anasterian.

The legendary blade Felo'melorn shone in his hand like a bright star, as he made a slashing gesture towards Nalorakk, sending a scything blade of blue flames to shatter the protective barrier surrounding the bear spirit. The phoenix, moving much faster than the bear, didn't miss the opportunity, and a veritable rain of fire fell on Nalorakk before the Phoenix's claws sank into the bear's face. Not being able to stand the punishment, Nalorakk disappeared with a roar and a burst of energy as well.

This was the exact moment when Sapphiron struck. The protective barrier, already disturbed by the two Loa disappearing, was struck from above by a pillar of Arcane energy. For a moment, it looked like the barrier would hold, but the already suffering magical protections finally shattered with the sound of breaking glass, and Selessa could see that the temple of Akil'zon was devastated by the attack, shattering the formation holding up the temple city's defenses.

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"Burn it all down. No survivors. I don't want there to be anything for the Amani to return to and rebuild." She commanded, and Ron'vith Salonar, the leader of the closest group of magisters grinned viciously in response, releasing the spells he was holding, as the Arcane might of Quel'thalas was unleashed on the now unprotected Zul'Aman. Selessa knew the Loa would be back. These were not the only temples dedicated to them, and beings like that could be banished but not killed by the methods they had employed.

Actually killing them would require something more powerful. And if this battle had not deterred them, they would likely be back for vengeance. Their manifested bodies being destroyed was likely a blow, but not one that would stop them for too long. Ironically, if she wanted to truly kill a Loa, she'd need to ask a troll how to do it. Maybe seeking out some heretic traitor would be useful? Another thing she noted was that the Quel'dorei had a gaping hole in their armies at the moment.

They lacked entities that could be considered heavy hitters. They had a lot of aggregate magical power, but they lacked people capable of facing something like the Loa in direct combat, even in their weakened form. Sapphiron was a dragon and didn't count. That left Anasterian and maybe Talanas? Even Talanas was a bit of a stretch. This was something she would need to fix with time. Meanwhile, she had asked the magisters to bring her destruction, and they delivered fire.

What remained of the temple city was ashes and scorched, half-melted stone. The fires had burned hot and high, leaving nothing flammable in their wake. Even some of the ziggurat temples had been wiped out, as the magisters had not relied solely on their favorite element. There was no sign of any of the trolls that had been fortified inside the city, even their bones having been burnt in the inferno. This had been about pure destruction and death, not spoils of war.

There would not be any spoils aside from the removal of the trolls from their land, which was enough. As Selessa walked the ashes of what remained of Zul'Aman, her senses pulled her in a very particular direction. Despite the cleansing fire, a strong feeling of wrongness and corruption could be sensed from a certain location inside the temple city ruins. She finally found the source, a simple fountain, now dry and cracked, built over something much darker, located deep underground.

"I see you got pulled this way as well," Sapphiron commented, landing next to her with a flying carpet.

"Something dark is buried here. Very dark. Something of the Void." She analyzed what she was feeling. Her power in the Light made her even more sensitive to the presence of its antithesis. Something she would have to teach to the paladins. Sapphiron nodded.

"We only know bits and pieces, as it was even before our time, but there used to exist a Black Empire of the Void on this world. It was defeated by the Titans, though its remains still persist. The trolls fought wars against the servants of the Void in the past. I'm assuming one of the more powerful servants of the Void is buried under this place. Still radiating the malicious power it wielded in life."

"Are we certain it's truly dead?" She asked in blunt confirmation. Sapphiron shrugged.

"Impossible to say for sure without excavating the corpse, and even then, I doubt you could be certain. Not that I recommend doing that. Some servants of the Void are harder to kill than others. And this is only what I've learned through studies, not personal experience." Her experience was limited enough that she required answers from a more experienced source. This was not a question they could just allow to linger. With a frown, she knelt on the ground to meditate and commune with the Light.

Through her, it seemed the Light could sense the Void in her vicinity, and one of the Naaru reached out to her with a message. She was still too weak to deal with this darkness, but it could be contained. She turned to one of the paladins always following her around.

"Summon all the paladins and priests we have in the area. This is priority order." The paladin didn't argue and took off at a run.

"You figured out something," Sapphiron stated, his words not a question.

"Containment for now. Purification when I'm stronger. Much stronger." She briefly explained. Sapphiron noted the choice of words. When, not if.

"I guess we found the source of the troll's dark magic."

"One of them at least. We should not underestimate any being's capacity for darkness all on their own. This may have been just a way to empower their spells." She sighed and set out to wait for those she called to arrive.

"While we're waiting, I received a request." Sapphiron suddenly said.

"Remember this?" He pulled out the piece of faux-Wraithbone she'd created. She lifted a perfect eyebrow.

"Sure. It was the second thing I ever conjured. What about it?"

"Well, as it turns out, this material is very good for storing mana. One of my Red cousins requested to have one for his own purposes." He explained.

"That's not a problem, but you do remember that was a failed product, right? And this might not be the most optimal time for me to do grand conjuration, considering I'm going to need my powers to seal this darkness beneath us." She pointed out.

"I will cover for any lost power with my own. I've been storing power in this object since you gave it to me, and I discovered its uses. I used a good chunk in the attack, but there's a good third still remaining. Should cover any power you spend. Come now, daughter. I want to see my old rival's face when I gift him something as valuable and useful as this." Sapphiron gently coaxed her.

"Fine. Let's get this done." She quickly created the conjuration formula she'd used last time, although improved thanks to her Conjuration Mastery Perk. Her own magical skills and power had improved a lot since then, and this was no longer the first time she was conjuring something, so the process took a lot less power and time. Magic also seemed to take the process in stride, unlike last time, as this was not entirely new anymore. A perfectly smooth bone-white orb fell into her hand. She looked at it critically.

She could tell it was closer to what she was trying to do, much closer, but still not what she wanted. It was not real Wraithbone. Not even this universe's version of it.

"You've improved it." Sapphiron, on the other hand, seemed much more pleased once she handed it over.

"I can tell it can hold even more mana than before, and is even more conductive to magic." He was grinning happily.

"And yet, you don't seem pleased."

"It's still not what I was trying to create." She pursed her lips. Perhaps her approach was wrong. Perhaps she had to go back to how things would be done back where she came from. She decided to attempt again, but this time, instead of pushing mana through the magical formation floating in front of her, she started singing. The way to create Wraithbone was through the process of bonesinging after all. She had no idea if it would work, but she allowed her voice to carry mana through the formation.

As she did, the magic around her suddenly seemed to pay attention, just like last time she'd done something entirely new. She could tell her voice was pulling on what passed as the Warp in this universe.

"Ul-saha, ul-sahai Lirisse, yrrith, thrylith kael-vyal Ul-saha, ul-sahai Daelith vyal yiss creath-lira." Her voice echoed over the devastated city in the language of the Aeldari, singing the words of creation. Sapphiron had no idea what language he was hearing, but it was like listening to three languages at the same time, all three magical and musical by nature. He felt that even attempting to speak this language without knowing the cultural significance of every word would have been considered heresy.

One language sounded rash, active, and aggressive. The second sounded calm, passive, as if waiting for something. The third sounded wise, but also negative and somehow non-productive. He could also feel something new was being created. For a second, it felt like the entire area hummed with energy, before Selessa saw something she was very familiar with. Real, true Wraithbone slowly appearing from the magical formation, guided by her song and intent. Both were important.

Song gave the direction, while intent gave the form. She couldn't help the moment of glee inside her as she both felt and saw the white material take shape. Not having really expected it to work, she quickly directed the new material to form an ornate armlet she could either wear on bare skin or over clothes. As it finally took form, she noted that it wasn't entirely identical to the Wraithbone she knew.

Instead of being pure white, it had purple and gold patterns running along the entire length, and she could feel the presence of both Arcane and Light in those patterns. She could also feel as if magic was somehow satisfied by what had been created this day. [You have created a new Skill under the Crafting Attribute! The Skill has been named Bonesinging. Your level at the Skill has been set at 2 for now. Perks are pending and will be available later, after the System has had time to evaluate the new Skill.] Well.

That was interesting.

"…what…?" Sapphiron asked, clearly speechless. He touched the armlet in Selessa's hand with a single finger, sending a probing sliver of magic through it.

"Now I can call it a success." She stated with a small, satisfied smile.

"Remember how I mentioned that this was one of the most magically conductive materials, even if not the most magically conductive? Scratch that. It is now officially the most conductive material I've ever seen, and not by a slight margin. I have no idea how much mana you could store inside it. I have no idea what else you could achieve with it either." He was almost babbling.

"It certainly seems to be able to amplify any magic channeled through it."

"Well, I suppose I'll find out," Selessa said happily and slipped the armlet on her left hand. As she was right-handed, she was used to primarily wielding a sword in that hand while using her psionic powers from the other. While she didn't have psionic powers here, she could do the same with magic. She looked towards Sapphiron.

"Well, you got what you wanted, and I got a nice bonus as well. I'll consider this a success."

"Hold up! We need to discuss the implications! You sang magic! Arcane magic! That alone is something worth exploring further." Sapphiron hastened to say.

"Perhaps, but not now. I have a sealing ritual to perform, after which I need to have a strongly worded discussion with my uncle. We can explore new magic later." She shooed her father away with a dismissive gesture. She was right as the priests and paladins were arriving in a large group. A surprisingly large group. There were almost fifty paladins, and more than three times that many priests and priestesses.

Some had remained at Silvermoon to heal the people at the capital, even if the majority had moved to support the army. Sapphiron, seeing that she was not going to change her mind, pulled to the side to observe things.

"Brothers. Sisters. I'm sure some of you have already sensed it." She began, many of those present nodding.

"The taint of the enemy. The foul stench of the Void. The energy we are meant to combat. If you ever sense this energy from a person, it is your solemn duty to see them dead, their corpse destroyed by purifying flames. Here we stand on ground fouled by the enemy. Just in case some of you still wondered why the trolls don't deserve to live. Here we have further undeniable proof!" She was dramatizing things, but she wasn't going to let a good chance go to waste.

The gathered servants of Light didn't need much to have their passions and convictions roused to a righteous flame.

"What can we do, your excellency?" The young paladin woman, Seraphina, asked eagerly.

"Unfortunately, we are still too weak to purge this taint as we are. We must grow and improve until we can accomplish such a monumental task. What we can do is to contain this danger, preventing anyone from falling prey to the insidious whispers of the Void. Everyone, channel as much of the Light as you can. Do not do anything with it, just channel it and hold it, while I will draw upon it to form the seal.

Follow what I'm doing if you're able, as you might be called upon to perform a similar service in the future." She explained. Those gathered were more than eager to comply and gave their power willingly when she pulled on the gathered force of the Light. The process itself was not complicated. She simply needed to form the power into a suitable symbol. The form of the symbol wasn't even that important, as long as it had meaning to her.

She used the symbol of Asuryan, the ruler and the most powerful deity of the Aeldari pantheon. A phoenix rising from the flames, which she thought suited the Quel'dorei as well, considering their king also rode a phoenix into battle the same day and happened to be one of the symbols of the Sunstrider family.

"By the eternal flame, let this evil be contained!" She declared loudly, as the last glowing lines locked into place, carving into the singed stone of the fountain. Everyone present could tell that the feeling of darkness was no longer there. Not gone but suppressed.

"Success. Let us pray this evil stays that way until we can deal with it more permanently."

"Uncle Anasterian." She greeted tersely as she stepped into his tent.

"Autarch Selessa." He returned the greeting with an amused smile and playful tone.

"Yes, that." Her tone had bite to it.

"That was not the plan." She was supposed to assume a leadership position among the elven armies, but unofficially. Anasterian would still be the figurehead, while she commanded in secret. It was Anasterian's turn to grimace.

"We had some complications. More specifically, with the negotiations with the humans." Her frown deepened.

"Go on then. What did the Mon'keigh do this time?" Her tone was not pleasant.

"The representative from House Luminaris went ahead and planted an idea in their heads. An idea of sealing our alliance by marrying one of theirs with an elven princess. Considering the fact that the new ruler of their empire, Thoradin, had used marriages in unifying some of the disparate human tribes, this idea was well received. Especially since our people tend to be quite beautiful by their standards. The rest of us shot the idea down as soon as we found out, but it had taken root by that time."

He explained with a deep frown.

"Both their representative and House Luminaris as a whole have already been severely punished for their mistake."

"So, my official appointment is a political ploy to make it impossible for me to be considered." She realized.

"Correct. It's diplomatically much easier to deflect the idea of marriage when the princess in question also happens to be the head of all our military." Anasterian confirmed.

"We quite literally couldn't force you into a marriage now even if we wanted to."

"Right. Just so we're clear, I will lead a coup and overthrow the Convocation, and if necessary, you as well, if you try to marry me off to the Mon'keigh." The pressure she was exerting made it clear she wasn't joking.

"I suspected that to be the case." Anasterian wiped a bit of sweat from his brow.

"Luckily, that shouldn't be necessary, as the ploy seems to have worked, even though the idea has not been entirely forgotten. The fact that you managed to take Zul'Aman has also effectively legitimized your new position, even to the Convocation. I just got a report that we've reached an initial agreement for an alliance. We will train one hundred of their would-be conjurers in the arts of the Arcane.

They are already moving their forces to the north, and they're constructing fortifications in the area they call Alterac, which is the place where they will wage their war from while we push from the north."

"Do remind our new allies that if we're going to wage war the way I plan to, this war will not be a short one. I have no intention of throwing our numerically inferior armies into a meatgrinder. Just like we dealt with the forces surrounding Zul'Aman, death by a thousand cuts, until they reveal a weakness we can exploit." She was going to conduct this war the Aeldari way.

"It has been explained, though I'm not sure how much they understood." He responded, relieved the topic had shifted off potential coups.

"I'll need a way to contact the queen. If I'm going to lead the army, I need a direct line with the head of the intelligence." She demanded.

"Already done." He tossed her a communication crystal.

"Good. After we've taken apart what remains of Zul'Aman, we'll make our way to the Thalassian Pass. I'll need to contact Admiral Goldleaf as well. Aside from making sure no trolls try to sail to the ruins of Zul'Aman, I need him to sail to the west coast of the continent and locate the ships the Zandalari emissaries arrived in." She gave another order.

"Let me guess, you don't want them making home?" Anasterian ventured a guess.

"Exactly. They decided to meddle in this war, so let them suffer the consequences." She confirmed. She wasted no time contacting Queen Elessine after her meeting with Anasterian had come to a conclusion.

"Autarch." The queen greeted.

"That was quick. Anasterian told me he would be giving you a communication crystal only twenty minutes ago. My apologies about the mix-up with House Luminaris, by the way. I should've kept a better eye on them."

"Yes, you should've, but I already chewed Anasterian out on it. No need to repeat myself. I need up-to-date information on the trolls, and I need it right away." She was not the type to dwell on blame, especially if the errors were corrected.

"To summarize, the trolls have just chosen a new warlord. The Amani were pushing hard for one of their own called Jintha, but the loss of Zul'Aman was a large blow to their reputation and authority. Now, a chieftain of the Vilebranch tribe, a priestess named Hexxer, was chosen instead. The Vilebranch were the main rival of the Amani the entire time, mostly because the civilians of the Amani have emigrated south to the Vilebranch lands in preparation for the war." Elessine summarized.

"Well, that explains why we found none during our attack on Zul'Aman or preceding it, though I'm still disturbed they knew we were coming, and yet didn't prepare better defenses." She speculated.

"As to that, we managed to capture and question one of their witch doctors. It appears they managed to get enough of a look at the future to know staying in Zul'Aman was very unhealthy, but the military leadership didn't believe them." Elessine revealed.

"So how did the word of Zul'Aman's fall reach the trolls this quickly? They didn't get word of the siege." Selessa asked.

"The Loa. Apparently, after being defeated and having their temples destroyed, the two remaining Loa reached out to their disciples among the leadership negotiations. Why they didn't do so before, I don't know. Maybe they were not able to, as they were tied to the temples? Either way, we got insight into their negotiations the same way we got word of the civilians. That witch doctor was present during the negotiations and sang like a bird under our tender ministrations." Elessine explained.

"What are the trolls going to do next?" Selessa asked the obvious question.

"Well, there's some good news on that front. The Amani as a tribe did not like it when the other tribes decided to support the Vilebranch, and separated from the rest of the troll host. They're matching north, ostensibly planning on retaking Zul'Aman. The Vilebranch had to accede to the pressure of the western troll tribes to get their vote, which means the other trolls are planning on marching against the humans, as the western tribes are feuding with them instead.

They're effectively splitting their forces in two." Elessine couldn't keep the note of satisfaction from her tone.

"That should make things a lot easier. We'll have to make sure the Amani never get the chance to see the error of their ways." The Amani tribe was the most powerful tribe among the trolls by a wide margin. They carried the name of the whole empire after all. They didn't have quite half of the power, but more than a third, as they were also the elite forces in combat.

"I have a job for you and your agents. Consider it your penance for letting House Luminaris get out of hand. I need you to find out how to properly kill a Loa."

"That's not going to be a simple job." Elessine sounded hesitant, and for a reason.

"I seriously doubt that information is widely known. That would require someone high-up in their religious circles."

"Or someone low, like an outcast." Selessa offered another possibility.

"I know this isn't something you can just snap your fingers and do. It's a longer-term project, though if you can get the information sooner, all the better. There's going to be openings that you can exploit once things get underway. Important witch doctors exposed. Their home left lightly defended due to all the warriors being on the frontlines. That sort of thing."

"Alright. I'll see what I can get done." Elessine promised.

"Good. Keep me updated while I go and prepare a warm welcome for our Amani friends. On the positive side, maybe the Mon'keigh will be less uppity with over half of the trolls marching on them instead of us."

[Your Magic attribute has increased from 5 to 6! Magic Perk point gained.] [Your Arcane skill has increased from 5 to 6! Arcane Perk point gained.] [Your Light skill has increased from 5 to 6! Light Perk point gained.] [Your Discipline attribute has increased from 4 to 5!] [Your Commander skill has increased from 4 to 5!] Well, she had just won a major victory on the field of battle, sealed an ancient evil, and conjured up something that prompted a whole new crafting skill to be created, so none of those announcements came as a huge shock. The dump of information from both Light and Arcane was rather massive, as it appeared this level came with a large number of rather powerful spells.

A few that might have large implications on the war, like Angelic Feather, where the caster could create a feather out of pure Light that radiated an aura that increased the speed of everyone in the affected area. The more power used, the larger the area and the bigger the effect. If she could teach this to the paladins, that would increase the speed of their cavalry significantly.

She also immediately placed the Light Perk point into Baptism of Light II, which further increased her resistance to dark and corruptive spells, but importantly forged her body with the power of Light, improving her strength, speed, and fortitude. As soon as she placed the Perk point, she was assailed with the power of Light that seemed to scour through her entire body, before settling in her cells, just like the power from the Sunwell had done to all Quel'dorei.

The flood of power disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared, leaving her panting lightly on her cot. The improvement in the Commander skill further improved her understanding of the tactics of the other races, and she now had a pretty solid understanding of how trolls, among other races, would react in any given situation. Not a perfect understanding, but a very solid one.

She also understood the existence of those blessed by the Loa, such as the Disciples of Halazzi, who could suddenly turn into large lynxes that had great speed over short and medium distances. A potential risk for the Quel'dorei cavalry while harassing. Or the sturdy Disciples of Nalorakk, trolls who could turn into powerful and durable bears that could be ridden by other trolls, a very formidable shock cavalry capable of punching through the elven lines if given the opportunity to do so.

And those were just some of the examples. Wiping some sweat off her brow, she made her way towards the small chest with her clothes and dressed in gold and red robes of the church that covered her from head to toe, before making her way towards the command tent. A set of four paladins, who had been guarding her tent, surrounded her and kept watch for any sort of danger. Her tent was located in the shadow of the wall now crossing over the Thalassian Pass.

Several buildings had already been erected a safe distance away from the wall, and that area would likely expand into a proper city. If they won this war, the pass and this wall would become major trade hubs, and the guards manning the walls would need homes and services. She had been offered a room in one of the newly built white and red stone buildings, but she had refused. She'd said she didn't want to get too comfortable while the war was going on, and that wasn't entirely untrue.

She made her way to the command tent, a large canvas structure able to hold dozens of people at once, with almost thirty guards surrounding it on all sides. Two of the paladins stayed outside, while two followed her inside, and she noted she was not the only one with guards inside. She had apparently been the last to arrive, with a large circular table at the center of the tent surrounded by comfy-looking chairs. Her seat had been left open at the center of the more military-minded section of the table.

It was easy to see where the power in Quel'thalas currently lay, as only three people had been allowed guards inside the tent. She had her two paladins, and she was leading both the religious faction and the military as the Autarch and the Saint. Her faction also included both Thelion and Talanas as the Commander of the Spellbreakers and the Ranger-General, respectively. There was also Anasterian with his ever-present silent guards, in his role as the king and the leader of the political faction.

He was flanked on both sides by the Convocation, though only four of them. House Luminaris was not having a good time, and Ron'vith Salonar was part of the third group, working as Sapphiron's unofficial bodyguard. The third faction consisted of the magisters, of course.

"Everyone's early, I see." She commented with slight humor as she took her seat.

"Just waiting on you, Autarch," Anasterian replied with a smile.

"Let's get this conversation underway."

"Of course." Selessa took the lead as the supposed leader of this war.

"We have two pressing issues to deal with in the short term, while luckily, the main problem is being distracted by the Mon'keigh."

"Mon'keigh?" Ron'vith asked, not recognizing the expression.

"Less polite way of saying humans," Selessa explained briefly.

"We have the Amani tribe making their way towards us. To complicate things, and hampering our ability to effectively strike out from the pass, is the presence of a troll city very close to the pass on the southern side of the pass, Zul'Mashar. The Mossflayer tribe is not coming back with the Amani tribe in their entirety, but I can't imagine their city to be lightly guarded, and they likely keep eyes on the pass.

Eastweald is mostly their territory, even if more sparsely inhabited than other areas due to a lack of forests." Forest trolls, as their name implied, liked to live in heavily forested areas, which the Eastweald was not. Not that they couldn't live elsewhere, they just preferred forests. Talanas nodded.

"We have noticed their scouts and tried to keep our distance while the campaign against Zul'Aman was underway to avoid alerting them to our actions. I can't guarantee that our scouts have all remained undetected. The trolls are not without guile of their own. Now that the secrecy has passed though, we can start picking off those scouts."

"Do we need to deal with Zul'Mashar before the Amani get here? For that matter, are we going to fight them inside the pass?" Sapphiron asked, staring at the maps laid out in front of them.

"We will need to deal with the city sooner rather than later, but I would prefer to avoid another siege until we deal with the bigger problem of the Amani. While we got good practice with Zul'Aman, I don't want to be caught between the city and the Amani if things stall out. No, we'll need to deal with the danger of the Amani first. We'll be practicing the same basic strategy that we used against them while clearing the way to Zul'Aman.

When Talanas gets rid of the Mossflayer scouts, we'll send a large cavalry and ranger force through the pass that will constantly harass the main army. Talanas, I'll need your Farstriders to deal with the Amani scouts. Time to prove our Farstriders and rangers are better than their hunters." Talanas grimaced a bit.

"It won't be easy, and I can't guarantee we can get them all. Their Shadow Hunters are quite skilled with some odd abilities. But we'll get it done." He promised.

"That's all I can ask. Ideally, we could force the Amani warband to disperse before they even reach the pass, but I'm not relying on that. These are the Amani elites, and not the disorganized forces we dealt with before. Which brings me to my second point. The main battle will likely happen right at these walls, while the Amani throw their might against us.

We will not be passively waiting for them, however, as the same forces we've had harassing them the entire time will continue striking at them while they try to siege us. Ideally, we would let them tire themselves against our walls before a force we've slipped out crushes them against the wall." She gestured for the others to wait for a moment, as she could see they had questions.

"Thirdly, wars are won with logistics. Our situation is simple. We're constantly being supplied from Quel'thalas, but the Amani have just lost their main city and their main source of provisions. I'm assuming the other tribes will be helping with supplies, which we'll have to intercept. The main focus of our roaming forces will be to deal with the Amani supply lines and their hunters trying to live off the land. Hopefully, they will already be starving by the time they get here. And oh look!

There's a juicy source of supplies in Zul'Mashar. Assuming they have any to share. If we can burn their stores as well, things will get problematic for the trolls. If we get lucky, the Amani might even deal with Zul'Mashar for us, just to get their hands on any remaining supplies." Plans like these were the bread and butter of Aeldari tactics.

"I have to say, I'm liking this plan. While the troll mages can conjure some food, there's no way they can provision an entire army. Not even close." Sapphiron commented with a nasty grin.

"I concur. I also have to admit that it's pleasant that the major weight of this plan is not on us magisters this time." Ron'vith seemed relieved. He'd likely expected the magisters to once again carry the lion's share of the burden.

"We need to recover from the attack on Zul'Aman."

"No, this time it's our turn to shine." Talanas nodded in grim determination.

"On that note, it would be useful for the roaming forces to be supported by the Spellbreakers. The main Amani force will not be as sparse on magic, so to avoid losses, I suggest we add a Spellbreaker into every group to avoid losses to hostile magic." Anasterian brought up a point. Selessa nodded.

"I was about to request the same. A similar addition to the paladins in each unit."

"It shall be done, Autarch." Thelion promised.

STATUS: 3 Base Points/0 Advanced Points/0 Mastery Points Body: 5/11 (2 Unspent Perk Points) Athletics 5 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Iron Lungs Heavy Weapons 4 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Cleaving Strikes Durability 3 Immovable object Reflexes: 4/12 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Light Weapons 3 Swift Strikes Nervous System 3 Keen Eye for Hidden Subtlety 3 Arcane Shots Charisma: 17/17 (+2 Max due to Eyes) (8 Unspent Perk Points) Politics 17 Competent Underlings Superior Subordinates Shared Vision Intelligent Improvisation Unleased Potential Unlimited Potential Above and Beyond Inspiring Loyalty Social 5 (2 Unspent Perk Points) Pleasure 1 Crafting: 2/12 Magical 1 Creation 1 Nature 2 Eye for Errors Eye for Improvement Bonesinging 2 (NEW) Discipline: 5/12 (+2 Max due to Past Experiences) (+) Commander 5 (+) Battlefield Awareness Ambush Expert Cavalry Tactics Squad Leader 2 Sensei Soldier 3 One With Your Steed One With Your Steed II Magic: 6/13 (+) (2 Unspent Perk Points) Light 6 (+) Severe healing Baptism of Light I Baptism of Light II (NEW) Arcane 6 (+) (1 Unspent Perk Point) Massive Spells Master Conjurer Spellbreaker 4 Magic Sight Anti-Magic Zone Projected AMZ