Chương 14: Chapter 13

Talanas released the arrow infused with magical energy, catching a charging troll berserker in the eye, killing it instantly. He rolled out of the way as two other trolls threw spears at him, the projectiles sinking into the ground behind him, before he nocked another arrow. Two other spectral arrows appeared next to the one he was holding, and all three found their targets as he released them. A quick look around him showed the battle was winding down, his fellow Farstriders faring as well as he had.

The only reason these trolls had gotten close enough to threaten them was because there had been a lot of them, and they were attacking during the day.

"All enemies down. Some of the scouts managed to flee and are escaping towards the main host." His brother Lirath reported.

"Good. They might already know we're here. It's enough for our purposes if they can't keep track of how many and they don't have the ability to track us. In fact, it might be better if they know what happened to their caravans. They'll make useless efforts to protect them, which we can exploit. Take everything you can carry and burn the rest." He ordered.

The Farstriders grabbed bags of supplies from the wagons, mostly things that were easy to carry, like dried foods and medicines, while the rest of the supply caravan got put to the torch.

"This is the third caravan we hit today. Everyone is pretty loaded with supplies. We should return to base to drop them off." Lirath suggested.

"I know." Talanas sighed.

"I just feel pressure to hit every caravan we can, and there's so many." Feeding an army like the Amani had took a lot of effort.

"A lot fewer now. It doesn't matter if one or two get through when twenty others get intercepted by us and the others." Lirath reassured him.

Queen Elessine stood in what had been darkness only moments before, now illuminated by the burning storehouses of Zul'Mashar. Even the light of the enormous pyres was not enough to reveal her form, hidden by the shadows and her fully black leather skin-tight suit. Even her face was obscured by the heavy hood and the mask on her face. The fires had caused alarms to be rung all over the city, but it was too late.

As she observed, three other fires ignited on all sides of the city, and she knew countless villages with their fields and storehouses were facing the same problem all over the area controlled by the Mossflayer tribe. The tribe was going to go from abundance to absolute famine in a single night in an operation that was at the same time the most complicated Elessine had ever seen, yet at the same time one of the simplest. The storehouses hadn't even really been guarded. Who would want to target food stores?

What was the point? Selessa would, and hunger was the point. Something had clicked in Elessine's head when Selessa had stated that force of arms won battles while logistics won wars. The others didn't understand yet, she knew. They would. With time. She realized that the girl, a young woman now, waged war in a way unlike anyone else before had done since their recorded history. The others couldn't see it yet, but to Elessine it was clear as day. She could already see what would happen in her mind's eye.

With Talanas and others intercepting the supplies meant for the Amani army, the army would be marching on nothing but revenge by the time they got here. They would not be in a happy or understanding mood, driven by nothing but hate against the Quel'dorei. They would request, or even demand, supplies from the Mossflayer, and the Mossflayer tribe would have nothing to give. Their own people would be going hungry.

The Amani would not be understanding, and it was doubtful that the hate-filled trolls would even believe the Mossflayer claims about having their food stores destroyed. After all, who burnt good food? The two tribes would come to blows, and the Amani were likely to even destroy the city in their desperate need for supplies. She grinned under the mask. This was the kind of war she could get behind. One where it wasn't about banging weapons and flashy spells, but a blade and a spark in the night.

"Ma'am." One of her agents appeared from the shadows, obviously with news. She didn't say anything, just nodded for the man to continue.

"We found someone. He claims to have the information you seek." The masked man dressed very similarly to her gave the salient points.

"What does he want?" She asked.

"Revenge. He used to be the leading shaman of the city. He wants the new one killed." The man said curtly. Elessine laughed.

"Tell him yes. Even if the Amani won't do it for us, we'll wipe out the whole city eventually." The man simply nodded and disappeared. It was great to have efficient agents. She was sure Selessa could make some suggestions for improvement as well. The Autarch seemed to be a fountain of such ideas. And she'd be happy that they got the information she wanted…

Sapphiron tilted his wings, causing his large draconic frame to bank, bringing him slowly into a looping spiral downwards towards the snowy ground. Large floating circular islands marked his destination, one of the most sacred sites of the Blue Dragonflight, the Nexus. The magical fortress was located on the island of Coldarra, in the westernmost area of the frozen continent of Northrend.

Caves and tunnels were dug into the stone beneath the island, housing the almost empty hatcheries and creches of the nigh extinct Blue Dragons. It was also the resting place of Malygos, the leader of the Blue Dragonflight and the Aspect of Magic. Long ago, during the War of the Ancients, a combination of treachery and mistaken judgement had led to the deaths of almost their entire flight, and Malygos had never been the same.

Blaming himself for the rotten situation of all dragons and feeling guilt for losing his flight in the attempt to stop the treacherous Neltharion had driven the Aspect into a perpetual depression. The Blues had done their best to rouse their almost catatonic sire, but so far, they hadn't had much luck. As he landed, Sapphiron noted that the area was woefully void of life.

Some Dragonkin were maintaining the place, and some treants and wild animals wandered the snowy fields, but only a single dragon stood a lonely vigil over the place. Malygos' prime consort was the tireless guardian to her mate and the nominal leader of the flight in Malygos' absence. The female wyrm lifted her head as he landed, noting his arrival.

"Sapphiron. It has been some time since you last visited." He sighed melancholically.

"Saragosa. It's been too long. I must admit, this place gives me all sorts of negative feelings every time I visit. It is not pleasant. I hope things are well?"

"As well as they can be." Saragosa, one of the oldest of their kind, released a deep breath from her nostrils, causing a puff of snow to be thrown around.

"The Lord is…as he is usually. What brings you here?"

"I have some news, some business, and something that might arouse our Lord's interest, even if only briefly." He explained.

"For news and business, you should know our lord is not in any condition to deal with them. Though things are a little different nowadays." She said mysteriously, not really letting her emotions show on the topic.

"Different how?" He asked.

"I believe Lady Saragosa is referring to my presence." Another voice interrupted. A soft but authoritative male voice. Sapphiron turned to spot the speaker. A tall and broad-shouldered Quel'dorei man with yellowish-brown hair tied into a high ponytail and still cascading all the way down his back, wearing bronze-brown leg- and shoulder-armor, leaving him bare-chested. Anyone with a modicum of magical sense could tell this being was something very different from an elf though.

"Lord Nozdormu?" Sapphiron asked, shocked to see the leader of the Bronze Dragonflight and the Aspect of Time in the sanctum of the Blue Dragonflight. Nozdormu smiled softly.

"I understand your confusion at my presence. I only arrived a year ago. I don't know if you've heard, but the timeways have crumbled, time-travel is impossible, and our knowledge of the sacred timeline is almost entirely wiped from our minds. We still maintain a sharp eye to make sure there are no changes or attempts at time-travel, but even so, we, the Bronze Dragonflight, have somewhat lost our purpose. On the other hand, the Blues are severely lacking in numbers, so we've come to help where we can."

He glanced towards where Malygos rested.

"With my brother indisposed, it was decided my talents would best be used here. We might not have your innate understanding of magic, but we can still help." While true, his words were also modest. While he was not the Aspect of Magic, time was still an aspect of the Arcane, and Nozdormu was only second to Malygos in his abilities with the Arcane.

"Well, personally, I'm not going to turn away help," Sapphiron stated, not entirely sure what else to say as he was digesting the news. Nozdormu seemed to understand his dilemma and smiled again kindly.

"Perhaps you could share the news and business you mentioned?" He considered for a brief moment, but decided to go for it. The Reds already knew, so it was only a matter of time before the Bronze would.

"I have sired a child." Saragosa seemed to perk up slightly.

"Congratulations. It's always great to see an increase in our numbers." Nozdormu shook his head slightly, while the smile didn't leave his face.

"It's not quite that simple, is it?"

"No, no, it's not," Sapphiron replied.

"I did so while in my Visage form, and with one of the Quel'dorei." Saragosa seemed confused.

"That…should not be possible."

"And yet, here we are," Nozdormu stated calmly.

"Indeed." Sapphiron blew out air from his nostrils.

"The interesting part is that this child, while outwardly Quel'dorei, is showing many draconic qualities. In some ways, especially her mind, she's more of a dragon than some of the old Wyrms I know." Nozdormu lifted an eyebrow at that.

"You're going to have to elaborate on that."

"Aside from developing magic sight as a child, and developing skills in Arcane that should be only possible for someone decades older than her, her thinking is unlike anything I've ever seen. Just to give an example, she's only eighteen, but she's already the commander of the armies of Quel'thalas, currently rather successfully prosecuting a war against the Amani trolls. She has already driven the trolls out of Quel'thalas, and I have no doubt she'll be able to win the war completely with time. Her tactics are…

almost artistic, even if the results and sometimes methods can be gruesome." He touched on some of the main points.

"Yet, she is an elf, is she not?" Saragosa asked.

"For now." Sapphiron nodded.

"But I have a theory. We have the Visage Day. Maybe she will as well. Only in the opposite direction." Nozdormu looked very interested.

"That's an interesting thought. And I can already see why you've brought this up. If it can happen once, why not more often?"

"Exactly. And here's the important part. She's showing none of the signs of being diminished, like the rest of us." This was his main point. The Dragonflights were all suffering from having their Aspects drained of a significant part of their power. Every dragon was weaker for it, and their offspring most of the time didn't survive because they lacked the power to even hatch properly.

"That…does offer some possibilities," Saragosa admitted.

"We'll have to monitor how she develops in the future. If nothing else, it brings the possibility of adding some new blood to our broods." Nozdormu nodded.

"Agreed. This does offer certain possibilities should it become necessary. Was this news or business?"

"A bit of both. I should also add that while she is gifted in the Arcane, that is not the only talent my daughter possesses. She has made contact with the Light, and the Naaru have gifted her with their tutelage and power." As the stewards of all magic, and not just Arcane, the Blue were aware of the other fundamental forces of the universe. They knew of the Light and the Naaru, although their knowledge was far from extensive.

"Another rather intriguing avenue of study." Nozdormu nodded.

"Your daughter seems full of surprises."

"On that note." He pulled out the piece of Wraithbone Selessa had created. The one she'd created in Zul'Aman. He'd given his old piece to Korialstrasz.

"She also created this. I thought it might be interesting enough to potentially even rouse Lord Malygos." He handed the orb to Nozdormu. The Aspect of Time seemed stunned as soon as he came into contact with the piece. He could straightaway tell he was holding something extraordinary. He could feel his magic slowly sinking into the object, like a stone sinking into the sea that didn't seem to have a bottom.

"This…what is this?" He asked, almost breathlessly.

"She called it Wraithbone, though I should point out that she considered that a failed product. I saw her create a successful piece as well. And she controlled the conjuration magic by singing." There was a definite note of pride in his voice.

"Singing?" Saragosa seemed baffled.

"That's not how spellcasting works."

"And yet, here we are," Nozdormu repeated his earlier words, a tone of wonder in his voice.

"This…feels almost like a solidified essence of the Twisting Nether."

"Almost?" Saragosa asked, her senses already studying the piece in Nozdormu's hand.

"I suspect that is why she called it a failed product." Nozdormu considered for a moment.

"We know the Burning Legion controls their ships that sail the Twisting Nether with rituals of profane magic. Perhaps your daughter's singing is also a certain kind of ritual. A ritual of creation instead of destruction or befoulment. We know the Light is a creative force, although this piece doesn't seem to be of the Light per se."

"I can confirm there was nothing profane about her magic, and I was standing right next to her when she cast her magic." Sapphiron's voice was defensive. Nozdormu waved his concern away.

"I'm not saying there was. As I said, this seems creative in nature, and not all rituals are bad. This material though, the possibilities are endless. Fascinating."

"It seems to absorb a lot of magic. I assume it conducts magic excellently as well?" Saragosa asked.

"It does." Sapphiron nodded.

"The best I've seen. Amplifies as well. The best part is, it returns any mana you store inside with perfect efficiency."

"Sounds like the perfect power source for many spells and magical constructs." Saragosa speculated. Nozdormu laughed.

"I'm afraid the two of you are missing something very obvious. Something even more important."

"What?" Saragosa snapped a bit, not happy to be outwitted by a Bronze, even the Aspect.

"What is the biggest limitation when it comes to enchanting objects?" Nozdormu asked in a playful voice.

"The material's ability to withstand ma-, OHHH!" Sapphiron had an epiphany.

"Exactly." Nozdormu nodded.

"And this material seems to be able to absorb mana and magic like no other. I believe the greatest use of this material is as the holder of enchantments. The possibilities are almost limitless." His face turned serious.

"Perhaps you could even rival the power of the Dragon Soul in that regard." Dragon Soul, or Demon Soul as it was also called, was the artifact that had caused the current strife of the dragons. It was something crafted by Neltharion, and contained a large portion of the power of the Aspects and the dragons of the time it was created, gifted freely to combat the Burning Legion during the War of the Ancients. The ultimate weapons to defeat the demons.

Before Neltharion turned its power against the dragons and slayed almost the entire Blue Dragonflight.

"Sounds dangerous." Saragosa pointed out, her negative reaction obvious.

"Only if misused." Nozdormu pacified her.

"And I doubt we'll make the same mistake by empowering another such object even if this material could contain the power." The female dragon scoffed.

"Hardly. Still, you might want to tell your daughter to keep this material to limited quantities. Wouldn't want tons of it loose in the world."

"I was planning to. Not that she seemed in any hurry to make more." Sapphiron confirmed.

"…and here we see the basic formula for a fireball." Nallorath gestured towards a diagram illustrated on a large piece of paper.

"The center holds the core of the spell that determines the basic concept of the spell. This is usually relatively static, as large changes will fundamentally alter the spell itself. A fireball is a fireball, because we use the core of a fireball. Around the core is where things get interesting. This is where the changes happen, and where one person's fireball is weak, while another person's is extremely powerful." One of the human magic users raised a hand and called out.

"I've never used any of those glyphs, as you call them, and I can still cast a fireball. Most of us can." He pointed out. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. He highlighted some of the glyphs around the core.

"The form of these glyphs is not important. What's key is that they mean something to you. Magic is intelligent in that way. It can interpret the meaning from your mind. This is why some of you can cast certain spells without actually forming a proper spell formula. It's because you hold the necessary pieces of the formula in your mind, and the magic can interpret your intent.

Some of these glyphs and the variables they represent are absolutely necessary for the spell to work, while others simply make the spell stronger or more versatile." He'd given a very similar lecture to Selessa abouta decade ago.

"Understanding natural phenomena allows you to understand which parts are necessary. For example, we use fire every day, in campfires, lanterns, fireplaces, stoves, torches, and a hundred other things. We instinctively know what fire needs to burn. Heat, air, fuel. Add the intent to throw the fire at someone to protect ourselves, giving the spell a direction and speed, and you've got the basics of the spell. There's a reason why almost every practitioner of the Arcane starts with the fireball.

We know fire on a very fundamental level." He pointed at a particular part of mages from the south-western coast of the human lands. The area was called Gilneas if he remembered correctly.

"Your people are used to working with the ocean, and understand the workings of the weather, hence why you have weather and water-related spells." A man dressed in thick furs nodded.

"The man be right. We be working with the ice and snow. We understand ice. We know ice magic." The man and his companions were from the north-western reaches, an area heavily infested by the trolls.

"Exactly." Nallorath nodded.

"What makes our magic fundamentally different from yours is that we've systematized everything. Arcane is the power of understanding and order. Study and well-understood systems go hand in hand with mastering Arcane magic. If you understand ice and frost like our friends here," He gestured towards the fur-clad man.

"and you have a systemic understanding of magic, you can create spells controlling ice even if you didn't know any before. The systems also help those who don't have such a generational experience with the element to control such spells with relative ease. This, more than anything, is what we can and will teach you. Not dozens of spells, or even the glyphs themselves, but how to create spell formulas from scratch and develop your understanding of the world and the Arcane. Mastery comes after decades of study."

He chuckled.

"Well, for most."

"For most?" One of the better magic users from the central areas of the continent asked curiously.

"Well, there are always prodigies. I started teaching my cousin when she was around four. She's now eighteen, and she would trounce each and every one of you in magic, and she could become a legally recognized magister any time she wanted."

"She could, but doesn't?" The same man asked, still curious.

"Well, she's a tad bit busy," Nallorath replied with a slight smirk.

"Now, back to the formula. If you see this rune here…"

"Yeah, that's a trap," Dath'ron muttered, looking through a telescope created jointly by engineers and magisters. They'd been spreading among the officers leading the attacks.

"Obviously. They're acting way too confident for the number of guards they have." Lirath snorted.

"They are moving so blatantly across the plains, with a cargo that's obviously brimming with supplies. Just the type of thing we like to hit. They're out to screw us over, but how?" Dath'ron kept his eyes on the caravan but couldn't spot anything odd with it, no matter how he tried, so he expanded his view a bit to the surroundings. At first, he didn't notice anything odd that way either, but finally, he noted the grass moving oddly. And once he did notice, it was impossible to miss.

The grass was moving oddly all around the caravan.

"Stealthed protectors. A lot of them, and judging by the gaps they leave in the grass, moving on four legs. I think we found the Disciples of Halazzi."

"Makes sense. Lynxes are known for their ability to stalk prey, and not just their speed. This does complicate things though. We can't let that caravan go unmolested, or it'll diminish all our efforts." The caravan was large enough to feed the army for days. An army that was currently already struggling with their supplies, thanks to all the attacks on the earlier caravans and burnt down fields.

"We'll go with operation 'De-clawing the Kitty' but we'll need to call in other groups to deal with the caravan while we deal with the lynxes," Dath'ron said.

"I'll send the messages while you get the group ready." Lirath agreed and pulled out a communication crystal. The crystal glowed when he channelled mana into it, revealing the image of his brother.

"Lirath. What's wrong?"

"We found a large supply caravan escorted by stealthed Disciples of Halazzi. Or that's at least what we assume them to be. We'll proceed with the plan, but you'll need to send another group or three to handle the caravan.

"Where are you exactly?" He could see Talanas leaning forward, most likely looking over a map.

"Just west of the southern lake near the southern mountains. The main Amani army is currently just north of us, going around the central mountain range." He replied, giving some more precise landmarks. Eastweald was cut roughly in two by a group of mountains extending from the western edge of the area, the large Thondroril River marking the border between it and Westweald, to roughly the center, giving the entire zone a roughly horseshoe-shaped geography.

The central mountains had plenty of navigable passes, but it was hard to get a whole army through without trouble, which was why the Amani were going around the mountains.

"That makes things easier. We have plenty of groups in the area. I'm just north of the lake with my group, so I could help as well." Talanas speculated, estimating the distances.

"Oh? We have a ranger group set up just as instructed, but I must admit that I would feel better if you were to reinforce the ambush. Due to their stealth, we can't estimate the number of Halazzi Disciples and don't want the ambushing group to get overrun." Lirath had been concerned they were asking too much of their rangers.

"Where is your ambush located?" Talanas asked. It was now standard to have an ambush point prepared, just in case the trolls were stupid enough to give chase, as they sometimes did. After receiving the location, Talanas did some quick calculations.

"We can be there in four hours."

"Good. We'll try to time our arrival a little later than that, just to give you time to set up." Eastweald was not a very forested area, which is why the troll presence was much lighter aside from Zul'Mashar. That also made setting ambushes more challenging, although that went both ways.

Talanas was hiding low in the grass, watching as his brother's group rode closer on their hawkstriders. The group of elves on their mounts and the lynxes chasing them could be seen from a long distance, as there were very few obstructions on the plains, aside from tall grass like the one he and his companions were hiding in.

Ironically, even the grass wouldn't usually grow this long, but the active hunting by the trolls had severely cut down on the animals that would normally keep the grass shorter was now working against them. Still, ambush spots like this were few and far between. The group of little over a hundred riders was chased by a much larger group of feline predators. Some of the lynxes had turned back into trolls, now chasing on foot and unable to fully keep up.

The lynxes were marginally faster than the hawkstriders over short distances, but that speed reduced over longer distances, leading to the situation they were in now, where the elves kept shooting their bows back at the chasing lynxes, leaving many corpses on the field while the felines couldn't really do anything about it. One of the hawkstriders carried two riders, one injured, and the leading lynx, an especially large and ferocious-looking specimen, had blood on its claws.

Clearly, that particular beast had succeeded at least partially. He noted that either his brother or Dath'ron had been smart enough to approach the ambush spot from upwind, so that the smell of the waiting Quel'dorei would not alert the sharper senses of the lynxes. Lirath rode directly towards them, leading the Disciples of Halazzi directly into the trap.

All the waiting rangers and Farstriders had been trained in seeking out their own targets, and at the exact moment the enemy crossed the designated threshold, they all released the arrows they'd nocked. Many of the lynxes fell under the rain of arrows, but not all of them. Talanas had aimed at the largest lynx at the front, and to his frustration, his target seemed to flicker for a moment as it almost teleported away from the path of the arrow, and straight towards him.

In a fight like this, speed and decisiveness were the key, and he quickly fired another arrow, hitting the large beast in the shoulder, but the strike was too shallow. The next moment, he had to dodge a ferocious swipe from the beast, putting his stellar agility to the test against one of the fastest opponents he'd ever fought. He could barely follow the path of the blow as the claws flashed barely millimeters in front of his face.

As he was pulling out his sword with his left hand, he realized he wasn't going to make it, as the beast's other paw approached just as quickly. With his other hand caught in an awkward position, he only barely managed to interpose Thas'dorah between him and the incoming strike with a single hand. The powerful bow withstood the strike, but the power behind the blow threw him back, sending him rolling in the grass and his bow flying, and he could feel the bones in his arm shattering.

Before he could do anything else, an elven lance speared through the neck of the beast and out of its mouth, leaving the beast very much dead, before Lirath pulled out his weapon and leapt down from his mount.

"Brother! Are you alive?!" He asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Alive, but in need of healing. See to the rest of the battle first!" He commanded from between gritted teeth. Lirath noted his error and turned back to the battle, just in time as another lynx dashed towards him, only to be speared on his waiting lance. As he threw away the corpse that was already turning back into its troll form, Talanas could draw an easier breath, seeing the fight winding down.

Owing to both parties being specialized in hitting hard and fast instead of taking hits and enduring, the fight had been short and brutal. If these had been Disciples of Nalorakk, the nature of this fight would've been very different. Talanas noted that he was not able to move his arm, and could tell most of the bones must be broken, though the shock seemed to be dulling some of the pain. This would hurt quite a lot, quite soon, and it would be a real bitch to heal.

This wasn't likely something any normal paladin could treat. He also noted that while all the other lynxes were turning into trolls in death, the large one he'd tangled with remained. That implied certain things, but they'd need to take the corpse along to confirm things.

"How many did we lose?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Including you, five seriously injured. Two dead instantly." Lirath reported grimly as he got closer to Talanas, checking over the injuries.

"Get my bow before you have me moved, and get me something to knock me out. I'm going to be in so much pain very soon. You and Dath'ron take over here until I get healed." He ordered, just before the pain started hitting.

"There it is." He grimaced.

"Quickly, please."

"And who might you be?" Selessa asked as the communication crystal showed the face of a female ranger instead of Talanas as she'd expected. The woman did look vaguely familiar. The woman smiled lopsidedly.

"I suppose you wouldn't remember, considering I wasn't at my best the last time you saw me. I'm Alleria Windrunner, Talanas' wife. The one you rescued from insanity, which I still have to thank you for." Selessa waved the gratitude away.

"Your husband already thanked me. Tried to name your firstborn after me, in fact, an idea I shot down right away."

"The only thing you have managed to shoot down, if my husband is to be believed." Alleria laughed.

"Oh, we're playing like that, are we?" She shot back in mock outrage.

"I have hit some targets I've aimed at…I think…" Her words were somewhat feeble. Her skill with the bow seemed to be cursed.

"Anyway, what's with your husband. You're a bit too chipper for him to be dead."

"Quite true. He got injured by what we've now confirmed to be a direct offspring of Halazzi when they ambushed a group of the Lynx worshippers. He's fine after getting healed by one of the High Priestesses, but he'll have to recover a bit to get back his full skill with the bow. They healed him a little too well. He was used to performing with slight strain and injuries from training, and now he's off."

"I get that. I'm still off after my change, and that was over two months ago." Selessa nodded to herself in understanding. Some people who spent a lot of time honing their skills would be thrown off even by the slightest change in their bodies.

"Anyway, I'm the acting Ranger-General while he recovers. The good news is, we've been wildly successful in denying the Amani any and all food assets, and they tried putting all their eggs into a single basket with the caravan the child of Halazzi was guarding. Now they've got nothing. The Mossflayer have hunted everything that moves to supplement for all the things they've lost to our sabotage. The Amani are starving, and our skirmishing forces are nipping at their heels day and night.

Every kilometer their army progresses is bought with troll blood. The Amani and Mossflayer hunting parties, those that we haven't killed anyway, have already come to blows as well." Alleria reported.

"The cold calculus of war works." Selessa smiled grimly.

"It doesn't matter how ferocious and powerful the trolls are; they can't regenerate from hunger. In fact, I'm fairly confident that the more powerful their regeneration, the more they need to eat. Now all we need is to be aware of any nasty surprises they might throw our way."

"On that note, I think we've seen the first signs of one of those surprises. I'm fairly certain that the Amani are cannibalizing their dead." Alleria reported. Selessa sighed.

"Not entirely unexpected, but something I wished they wouldn't resort to. Not much we can do about that except add poison to our arrows. Use fire magic to burn their bodies whenever possible after a battle. Not often possible, I know, since our whole tactic is based on quick strikes and retreats."

"We'll do what we can. It's not like they're getting enough provisions that way, just staving off the inevitable. A sign of their desperation, if anything." Alleria added.

"Keep me updated." She said, before cutting the communique, and pulling out a report on supplies. As the Amani had shown, the most important part of the war. The piece of news about troll cannibalism did give her some ideas though.

It had been over three thousand years since she'd last been in the city, but Silvermoon hadn't changed much. More people, even with the war, and more buildings, but largely the same. As she walked through the city, she did notice one difference, and something that caught her by surprise. For people at war with a larger and more numerous enemy, the Quel'dorei didn't seem too grim or desperate. There was a steely determination in their actions, but also something she would describe as hopeful optimism.

For some reason, the people in the city were convinced of their victory. Now, she'd always known the Quel'dorei were a haughty race, but this seemed different. This wasn't just belief in your own superiority, although there was a healthy dose of that as well. This wasn't a people confident that they'd be able to survive just because they couldn't imagine themselves losing to those they considered lesser. No, there was quiet confidence in all their actions.

Confidence borne of some shared knowledge they weren't speaking about. As she stepped into the core of the city, she found something else.

"Well, this is new." She commented quietly to herself, staring at an enormous building being erected opposite the Sunfury Spire, the royal palace, rivaling even the palace in size. There was no mistaking the purpose, as she'd seen buildings erected for the same purpose among the Kaldorei, and even the trolls. This was a place of worship. The Kaldorei had their Temples of Moon, and the trolls had their temples for their Loa.

She could sense the thick, heavy presence of magic practically radiating from the building, and could easily recognize one of the foundational powers of the universe, Light. Thousands of craftsmen were working hand in hand with magisters to erect the building. Interestingly, magic was not used to build the building itself. Every piece of stone was carefully carved and put in place by master artisans, while the magisters only reinforced the construction with their magic.

Every imperfection and rough surface was carefully smoothed by the hands of the artisans, while statues were already being erected inside and outside the building. Several elves in heavy armor or beautiful robes, both filled with the power of Light, were directing the artisans and artists in their work. She noticed a young elven boy running inside and decided to follow him just to make sure he wasn't going to get injured.

The insides, despite being incomplete, were already filled with thousands and thousands of lit candles. She could see why. This was a temple dedicated to the Light, and the act of lighting a candle was the simplest form of service. Ornate stained-glass windows were being lifted into place, the gaping windows covering the circular walls of the temple.

The central chamber dominated the majority of the temple, with rows and rows of pews facing either the central shrine or one of the smaller shrines at the sides of the chamber. Although the shape of the building reminded her of a Temple of the Moon, there was no moonwell dominating the center of the chamber. Instead, there were many altars that could be used to hold the inordinate number of candles and braziers that shone their light inside the unfinished building.

Much of the detail and iconography was still unfinished, though she could already see a lot of gold ornaments and red cloth being brought inside. She'd always enjoyed the Quel'dorei obsession with the color. There was also a giant burning golden phoenix etched into the floor. Nobody paid much attention to her presence, which was an odd experience for her. Despite obviously hiding some of her most obviously non-elven features, she was still mostly in her primary visage form.

The Quel'dorei were gorgeous as a race, and there was a reason why so many of her kind chose that as their mortal visage, but still. She'd drawn a lot of subtle attention when walking through the city, but here she seemed almost invisible. The boy she'd followed in was happily discussing things with a priestess and, by the looks of things, was a frequent visitor at the construction site, happily pointing at some of the work being done.

As she wandered through an arched doorway to a side room, she found a heavily armored woman praying at a shrine. There was a statue placed at the shrine, depicting a young elven woman she'd never seen, but even through the medium of cold marble, the striking beauty of the woman was quite obvious. The armor-clad woman she had been following was praying to the statue, with burning fervor in her eyes. The prayer sounded like a song.

"By Your undying Light, by Your eternal grace, I speak this vow, bound by Your name, Sealed by my love, beneath the living flame. When I was naught but ash and dust, Alone beneath the judging gazes, You gave your hand, unasked, unpriced, And in your grasp I found a home. When all denied me, turned away, You opened doors no others dare; When I was blind and worthless, lost, You taught me how the Light is shared.

So mark me now in searing Light, In faith and steel and whispered creed; I'll shoulder grief that knows your name, And make your suffering mine to heed. By Saint and sigil, by oath and scar, Let my pledge be bound in blood and love, Let Your mercy be the measure of our bond, And courage, mine through you, Be as eternal as the Light above. When I was ash and dust, you gave me your hand, When all denied me, you accepted me. When I was blind, alone I could not stand, Your brought me sight and set my spirit free.

By the undying Light, I am yours."

"That sounds like a rather personal vow, and not the standard creed." She couldn't help but call out loud enough to be heard by the praying paladin. The oath had been rather touching, even for her.

"It is." The woman responded easily, her eyes still closed.

"Mine is a personal vow to the Saint and the Light."

"I would ask why you'd take such steps, but your prayer made it quite obvious." She stated, the words of the vow rather telling.

"She elevated me from the worst gutter trash without any value or hope, not asking any questions, giving me not only power, but a purpose. She gave me a reason to live. For that, I will be eternally grateful." It felt like the young woman would've said more, but their discussion was interrupted by two people. Another paladin called out.

"Sister Seraphina. Your presence at the front has been requested." Before the young woman could rise, a deluge of blinding Light cascaded over her, lasting several seconds. As the light slowly disappeared, the woman's hair had turned from the usual blonde into pure white, and as she stood up and opened her eyes, it had become obvious her eyes had also changed color into a stark blue that seemed to glow with inner golden light. There was something similar in her eyes and those of the statue above her.

There was also power in her slight form that had not been there before, as if it had been baptized by the Light.

"The Light has approved of my vow." The woman grinned with a slightly worrying zeal before marching out without another word, following her fellow paladin.

"Time to bring the fiery judgement to the trolls!" The other new arrival, clad in the robes of a magister, was here for another reason.

"Queen Alexstrasza. We were not expecting your arrival." Korialstrasz, in his Quel'dorei visage, hastily bowed low. He'd sensed her arrival and rushed to greet her as soon as possible without breaking his cover.

"That was sort of the point. I wanted to take a look at the city and its inhabitants in peace. And it allowed me to see something rather interesting." The Queen of Dragons, the Aspect of Life, and the leader of the Red Dragonflight commented.

"Lady Seraphina, yes. One of the more powerful and skilled paladins of the new order. Such events have become more common in the last month. Their faith is unquestionable, though their fanaticism might be slightly worrisome." Korialstrasz shook his head.

"I think many of them would do anything their Saint commanded them to do. Such loyalty is both admirable and potentially unhealthy."

"Yes, their Saint," Alexstrasza repeated with a glance at the statue. She had a feeling this would not be the only statue of its kind if even half of what she'd heard was true. There was text carved at the base of the statue.

"Guide my path with holy flame, A Lantern that burns in Her great Name. Name the guilty, count the sinners, Brand the traitor, with your searing sigil, Spare them none! Pardon none! Let the last of their names be undone, Let Your judgement fall as fire, Let Your gavel speak as thunder, Nulla venia, no repieve. Crown our prayers in their grief. Holy Ruin."

"That's not exactly a comforting message." She pointed at the base.

"Well, to be fair, you are in the Sanctum of Retribution." Korialstrasz pointed out.

"There are sanctums for mending and protection as well. Lady Seraphina, like many of the paladins involved in the war, is simply more interested in the more militant aspect of retribution currently. I would expect peace to temper some of that fire." Alexstrasza released a sigh of relief.

"That does sound more comforting. I was getting slightly worried."

"I need to ask, what brings you here, my queen?" Korialstrasz asked carefully.

"I've been hearing many things about the recent events and the war, and decided to come see for myself." She briefly explained.

"Besides, I missed my consort."

"In that case, you might be interested to hear that the Autarch has called for the leaders of the war to gather tomorrow night. Apparently, it has to do with the future of the war. She has something to show us, and it might be enlightening for you to also attend." Korialstrasz explained.

"In the meantime, I could show you around my house…"

The gathered Quel'dorei all jolted in disgust as they observed a group of hulking Dire Trolls crash through the gates and grab the nearest defenders, only to eat them. They could see the enormous berserker monstrosities were driven insane by hunger, and the forces rushing in behind them were not much better. Many of the Mossflayer defenders weren't even dead before one or another Amani monstrosity started gorging on their entrails.

The so-called normal trolls that entered last were not much better, engaging in cannibalism openly. Gagging sounds were heard all around Selessa, and at least two people were retching at the sight. These were people who were unused to the more brutal aspects of war.

"Why are we here?" One of the magisters, Krasus if she remembered correctly, asked with a lot calmer tone than many of the others. That might have been because he and the woman standing next to him were both dragons in disguise. The woman especially radiated power in a way that Selessa hadn't sensed in a long time. She could likely put up a fight against some of the stronger Daemons from her old life. Not a very good fight, but a fight nonetheless.

She had gathered many of the most important people for this little show and tell. Talanas was here with his wife and brother, among a delegation of Farstriders. Sapphiron, with several High Magisters, was in attendance, the two disguised dragons among them. Some of the more important High Priestesses and Paladins, Anasterian and Elessine, members from the most important noble houses, and many more. They were all standing on a mountaintop overlooking Zul'Mashar, hidden by Sapphiron's magic.

The slaughter underway below them was gruesome and swift. The defenders put up a valiant effort, but most of their actual warriors were among the trolls in the west. Some had been among the Amani army and had apparently rushed to their home city to warn their people. Now they were among those being slaughtered.

"I brought you all here to remind you what we are fighting against and why. Look at what's happening below. Just in case any of you harbored any doubts about whether what we are doing and are going to do to the trolls is just or not. The sight below could've easily been Tranquilien instead. This is the barbarism we're fighting to eradicate!" Every paladin in the group slammed their fists to their breastplate to emphasize her words.

"If you required evidence of our superiority as a race to the trolls, there you have it!" She imperiously jabbed a pointed finger at what was happening below them. The paladins repeated their gesture.

"Where are their gods now? Their disciples and offspring are gorging on their fellow troll blood with equal abandon to their other berserker kin."

"What came of all their spineless prayers now?" A paladin called Seraphina echoed in a voice that sounded almost like a song. Selessa could sense she'd experienced her second baptism as well, which didn't catch her by surprise at this point. The young Quel'dorei woman was almost as well-suited to the retributive aspect of the Light as she was.

"Look." The powerful, disguised dragon pointed to the other side of the mountain. Even the elves had to squint their eyes to see what she was pointing at, but thousands of trolls were escaping from a cave on the side of the mountain. Apparently, Zul'Mashar had an escape route prepared. Those escaping seemed to be too old or too infirm to fight, or they were young mothers carrying a number of children that couldn't have been just theirs.

"They're not going to make it." Talanas pointed further away, where a patrol of the Amani would eventually spot and catch the much slower refugees.

"I believe the question is, do we want to do something about it?"

"Women and children." The powerful female dragon pointed out.

"The craven flee, with sobbing sighs. Spare them none! Pardon none! Let the last of their names be undone." Seraphina stated, quoting one of Selessa's own speeches, although slightly short on context. She wasn't aware that it had already been enshrined in Silvermoon. She didn't even know of the new temple. Selessa considered for a moment.

"I'm not feeling very merciful towards the trolls, considering what's going on below us. On the other hand, I wouldn't want the Amani to gain access to easy supplies either. Sister Seraphina. I believe you would not be opposed to leading a party to eradicate the troll patrol in question?"

"Your will be done." Seraphina bowed with a fist over her heart. Selessa looked towards the disguised pair of dragons, aside from Sapphiron.

"As I said, I'm not feeling like helping our enemy, but if the Red Dragonflight wants to waste their efforts in order to relocate the refugees outside the conflict area, then that's not exactly my business, now is it?" The powerful female dragon stared directly into her eyes, possibly looking for something. Whether she found it or not, Selessa didn't know, but finally the dragon nodded.

"I will see it done." She and Krasus silently left the mountaintop. The rest of them turned back to the slaughter below them.

"And so falls one of our enemies, without us having to bloody our blades." Queen Elessine snorted.

"I believe we've been whetting our blades for weeks now." Though her tone had a tinge of humor in it. She more than anyone else knew the whole scenario had been orchestrated by Selessa, even if the results exceeded their expectations.

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