The Light's Crusade Page Three

Post by Hellborne

((Page Three: Reunion))

“I still can’t believe we killed a demon! A dread lord at that!” Quinton exclaimed as he took a bite out of his haunch of rabbit. He and Daellin had set up camp well away from Stratholme. They spent all day after their escapade into the burning, dead city. The next day they found a pleasant, as pleasant as the Plaguelands could be, clearing to set up camp. It was a relief to escape the city and Scourge, however the revelations that were learned yesterday still weighed heavily on both paladins. Daellin in particular was still in dismay and confusion.

“Yeah, neither can I,” Daellin muttered. He had not taken a bite from his meal. It was clear that his mind was not on eating, no, it was elsewhere far away.

“So, what do you make of-of what happened?” Quinton asked between eating. He knew that the recent events were shocking to Daellin, so he found it hard to find the right words to say.

Daellin slightly shook his head and looked far off into the night sky. “I do not know. Everything doesn’t make sense. Yet, at the same time, it does.” He answered cryptically.

Quinton raised an eyebrow and asked, “Care to explain that to me?”

With a nod, Daellin answered, “The Scarlet Crusade fell into zealotry, swayed from our noble roots, and lost most of our remaining just men all because of Saidan. If Saidan was a-a demon all this time, it would make much more sense. It explains everything really. He corrupted Renault and indirectly killed Mograine. The death of Mograine is without doubt the catalyst for the fall of the Crusade,”

Quinton nodded understandingly, “Go on.”

“The demon controlled the entire Crusade. If he really did manipulate Isillien, it would explain the High Inquisitor’s behavior. With the demon at the head of it all, the corrupted members of the Crusade led their armies down a similar path. A path away from our roots, the Silver Hand. Only Brigitte Abbendis and I stayed true to the original course.” Daellin exhaled, tired from this long out explanation. It was all clear to him now. When Balnazzar, in the guise of Saidan, betrayed Daellin at Tyr’s Hand, it wasn’t the Crusade doing the betraying, but it was the corruption of a demon. Damn that…thing! Without it, who knows what the Crusade could still be?

“So, really, if that demon wasn’t in play, could the Crusade still have been as noble as its original glory?” Quinton asked after he finished his meal and cleaned his face. He winced in pain as he laid down on the ground, looking up into the sky. There was an unusual amount of stars out; a nice break from the bleakness of the dead night of the Plaguelands.

“It very well could have. If Mograine was still alive and Abbendis still his true self, then definitely. The Argent Dawn may well never have been formed due to the corruption in the Crusade never happening.” Daellin speculated. He may never truly know the real answer to that question. Deep down, he felt pity for the Crusade, yet at the same, extreme hatred. Is my anger clouding my vision? Just like Ally…

“Another thing Daellin, what the hell happened in the King’s Square? I mean, you could have killed me there, old man,” Quinton continued with the bombardment of questions, which was quickly testing Daellin’s patience.

It is like he is reading my mind… Daellin thought, then answered truthfully, “All I felt was revenge. This blinded me. I know very well this was a terrible folly on my part. Never let that happen to you, boy. I know you very well you can be like that,” Daellin sat down, just like Quinton across the fire, and looked up. The stars above were beautiful as they defied the land with their light.

Quinton mustered up some strength to ask his next question. “Okay old man, one last question for you. I know you more than you think I do. I was, after all, assigned to find you by the Dawn alongside my allies. I read a lot about you. As evident, you were a founding member of the Crusade. However, you left after Saidan, or whatever that thing was, attempted to kill you. After the incident in the Western Plaguelands and the death of Ally Avermill, you left the Dawn and went into hiding. However, you joined the Crusade once more, which only complicated my mission more. You hate the Crusade so much, as we both know, yet you returned to them. Why?”

This question was a very interesting question. It rendered Daellin speechless for a few seconds as he tried to find the words to explain his complicated emotions. Even though he was growing tired of his apprentice’s questions, this one, himself, he would like to know the answer.

Daellin finally answered, “I did hate the Crusade. The Eclipse incident was, I suppose, different. The members of the Eclipse wanted to return to the former glory, which appealed to me,” Daellin nodded as he was nearing the answer he was expecting, “I guess I hated where the Crusade was going. I now know it the corruption of the dread lord. With a promise of honor that rivaled the Silver Hand and the beginning of the Crusade, I agreed to become Scarlet once more. But it is too late now; the seeds of lies and manipulation have grown within the Crusade. Even if the heads of the beast were severed, the beast itself would remain. As much as I want to kill Renault and Isillien, it wouldn’t do anything.”

With the ending of the long dialogue, Quinton nodded once again. It made sense to him. He was with a man who longed for the glory days. He may have killed his betrayer, but his anger remains. Does he feel used? Does he desire more blood? Old age? The silence that ensued was fitting for the scene. Both looked up into the eternal sky above in the territory they both once called home, now only fight to see it return to normal.

“Anymore questions, boy?” Daellin chuckled, not letting his sight move away from the sky.

Quinton laughed briefly and asked, “Yeah, do you like me yet?”

“It is too early too tell. I will answer that one later,” Daellin laughed.

For the remainder of the night, the two were silent, only keeping their gaze on the sky above. Well needed sleep would envelope them both, eventually. For once in a very long time, serenity was upon the two paladins.

…

“And then the parrot tells the bartender, “Durotar, their all over the place!” Quinton joked as the two paladins walked down a well used road in the Eastern Plaguelands. They planned to reach Light’s Hope Chapel and see what the situation in Azeroth was like and see if anyone had spotted Seth recently.

Daellin was laughing when he noticed several figures looming on the horizon. There were a few, though their numbers was not easily known. Daellin placed his hand over Quinton’s mouth, nodded over to the figures and took the apprentice to the side of the road in a ditch. It was well known that the Scourge used this road as well to ambush any living traveling.

“Okay, here is the plan, we wait, they come, and we attack. Questions?” Daellin asked.

“I am really starting to question your plans…” Quinton muttered. Both kept their voices hushed. The seconds passed like minutes. The anticipation was killing Quinton and Daellin. They grasped their swords, prepared for their surprise attack.

“Now!” Daellin ordered as the two paladins jumped from their hiding place and jumped onto the road already attacking the nearest targets.

“Why, Quinton, I see you did found Daellin Lightheart!” An all too familiar, and very living, voice exclaimed. Daellin and Quinton noticed that, instead of the previously thought Scourge patrol, they just got the jump on a handful of Argent Dawn members. The voice that spoke to Quinton was none other than Kate Longlight, the human commander of the Dawn that sent Quinton, alongside Kreel and Tefri, to find Daellin before the Eclipse Incident.

A rush of happiness swelled in Quinton as he recognized his commander. True, during his first few months in the Dawn, the commander was rough on the boy, but now as Quinton began to embrace the Light, he felt different to his commander. “Sir Kate Longlight! I apologize sir,” Quinton said as he sheathed his sword.

But before his commander could reply, two other voices, in unison, called out, “Quinton!” Quinton turned to see two females, a high elf and a dwarf lunging at him. The force of the blow almost brought Quinton down to the ground, but he managed.

“Kreel! Tefri!” Quinton exclaimed as he recognized his former teammates. He had no idea what happened to them during or after their capture at the Scarlet Monastery. The two Dawn members backed off Quinton so that he could regain his composure. First, it was Tefri that spoke first.

“I am so glad to see ye‘, lad!” The heavily dwarven accent shrieked in joy.

“Good to see you, too, Tefri,” Quinton laughed.

“Why, ye’ seem mo’ happy ye’ do!”

“Oh I suppose,”

Then, Kreel walked up to Quinton with a joyous look on her face. Then, the petite elf gave a good smack across Quinton’s face. “Why did you do that to us! We thought you were dead! We were so worried! I bet you didn’t want us around you. Arrogant as usual!” Kreel cried.

After a few ooh and ahh’s of pain, Quinton answered, “Of course not! I just never got around to telling you guys. I have been through a lot!” Kreel, after a few seconds, grinned and embraced Quinton with a hug.

“So lad,” Kate began, “care to introduce me to Sir Lightheart? Or do we have to arrest him for treason?” It was clear that Kate’s question was in jest.

“No need,” Daellin said as he shook hands with Kate, “Kate Longlight, I know you very well. A military genius in the Dawn. You and Seth Lighthammer are considered some of the best commanders on the battle field,” Daellin complimented the young commander.

“Speaking of Seth,” Kate stated, the mood of his voice drastically different than earlier during the reunion, “Don’t suppose you two have spotted him recently?”

Both paladins shook their head. “Sort of hoping the Dawn knew where he was,” Quinton told Kate. Kate his head, as if he knew they would say that.

“Look here,” Kate held out a piece of paper with writing on it, “Came to the Chapel not too long ago. Go on, read it,” He gave the parchment to Daellin. He read the letter so that Quinton knew what it was.

Dear Dawn,

So things here in the Blackrock area are really, really, really, really, really bad. Those bad guys, the Scourge, have arrived here and there are a lot of battles going on. Sadly, I can not use my beloved technology like my wonderful Scourge-Be-Gone Cannon and Explodee-Bomb Explosion. Oh, look, the bad walking dead are getting close. Oh, that’s right. The flying city thing, “Naxxramas,” as they call it, is here with the Scourge’s leader. Seth and I need lots and lots and lots and lots of help!

G

Once Daellin was finished reciting the letter, he and Quinton knew very well what it meant. “The citadel in the sky from earlier,” Daellin muttered.

“And Seth,” Quinton added.

Kate Longlight looked at Quinton and Daellin and stated, “The Scourge has invaded the Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes territories. The Scourge leader in Naxxramas is known as Kel’Thuzad. If this letter to be believed, Seth is near Blackrock.”

“Sir Longlight, Seth is far more important than the Dawn thinks,” Quinton told his once commanding officer. “We are supposed to find him so he can guide us.”

“And how do you know this?” Kate asked.

“It is a very, very long story, sir,”

“Well then, you can tell us on the way to Blackrock,” Kreel suggested.

“Aye, like da rest of da Dawn.” Tefri added.

Post by Hellborne

((Part Two: The Calm before the Storm))

The journey down south from the Eastern Plaguelands to the Burning Steppes took several days by gryphon and simple walking. Daellin and Quinton joined up with Commander Kate Longlight, Tefri and Kreel to reach their common destination. As Tefri said earlier, the entire Argent Dawn was making the trek down south to meet the alleged Scourge. It was a marvelous sight to see scores upon scores, possibly in the thousands, of warriors of the Light of various races flying, walking, and sailing their way to the Burning Steppes. The leaders of the Dawn took no expense in sending everyone to bring the undead Scourge to its knees.

The letter that the group read earlier was kept a secret, only revealed to Maxwell Tyrous, the highest authority in the Dawn. Maxwell agreed with the group in keeping the location of Seth Lighthammer a secret to the rest of the Dawn as to keep the men and women of the Light focused on their mission; eradicating the Scourge and bringing the necropolis Naxxramas to the ground. It was in the hopes of the people in the know that Seth was still holding his own, perhaps fighting alongside other living warriors holding off the Scourge.

Everyone in the group had mixed feelings about their mission they had. Daellin was dead-set on finding Seth, as he believed in what Quinton told him regarding Seth and what his father told him. Quinton, meanwhile, felt bittersweet on leaving Lordaeron for the first time. He was born and grew up in the northern human nation, never leaving it once in his young life. While the prospect of much undead slaying appealed to him, he still felt unprepared for this. His mentor, Daellin, tried his best to convince him that he was, though. Tefri and Kreel both were feeling anxious and even scared a bit. Neither of them, especially the timid and obnoxious Kreel, had been in combat they expected.

Dozens of gryphons were in flight, each holding up an Argent Dawn member. The leaders of the Holy organization alongside the main group were in the front. The first thing that let them know they were close was the heat. It was nothing that any of them felt before. If the reports were true that the Burning Steppes was a hell on Azeroth was true, then it was of little doubt that it would hot. “Damn this heat!” Daellin called out to his subordinates.

“Burning Steppes ahead, boys and girls!” Kate Longlight yelled as he stared at the ground below him. “The first waves have secured a LZ for us to land, about ten miles away from Blackrock itself!”

Soon enough, the Dawn members flew over the mountains that encircled the area, and were welcomed with heat, the smell of ash, and a dull and red scenery. This isn’t like home… Quinton noticed as he followed his comrades. Like a flock of birds landing upon its prey, the gryphons flanked right and downwards. Just as quickly they arrived in the Steppes, they witnessed the war zone below them.

Hundreds of various living races, surely part of the Argent Dawn, were holding off wave after wave of undead Scourge. Though harshly outnumbered, the living were holding their own against the various beasts of the Scourge’s legion. How long that would last was uncertain. For many flying above, the sight below was a curious one. They were all used to fighting the living dead on equally dead ground in the far north, not in a boiling cauldron. After a few minutes of flying, the gryphons made their way to the Argent Dawn’s designated headquarters. It was a clearing amongst the northern mountains, a fair place for setting up a command center for battle.

As the group jumped off their gryphons, they were greeted by a paladin of the Dawn. He was a blonde and young human. “Welcome to the Burning Steppes, also known as hell on Azeroth. Here you will notice countless undead Scourge advancing from Blackrock Mountain. You may notice that the dread necropolis Naxxramas is stationed above the pinnacle of the mountain itself where we believe that the Scourge’s leader Kel’Thuzad is located. Though clearly outnumbered, we have the Light and yadda-yadda. Any questions?” Before a second could pass for an answer, the paladin continued, “Good, now I understand that Maxwell intends to have a council you with gentlemen and ladies. Please head to the tents. You can’t miss his, it’s the biggest one.”

In compliance, the group walked through the staging grounds to the rear. They noticed several emergency medical camps were set up with rows upon rows of injured. Though, it was the rows of bodies covered with drapes that sent a chill down all of their spines. The headquarters was in complete disarray, with people running back and forth. Cries, yells, and murmurs in every dialect and language imaginable were heard. Ahead of the group stood a fairly sized tent, the kind reserved for high ranking officers.

“Kreel, Tefri, see if you can assist the wounded in any ways,” Kate ordered. The two girls hesitated, but complied and jugged over to the medical tents. This left Quinton, Daellin, and Kate. The trio walked through the tent’s closed flaps and walked into even more chaos. Maps were hung on the sides of the tent and were laid down on tables. Men and women were arguing, looking over the maps and reports, and giving orders. Quinton could easily identify a few, including Maxwell Tyrous in the back, behind a podium.

The trio walked up to the high commander and Daellin spoke first, “Lord Maxwell, we are here, ready for combat.”

Maxwell looked up and noticed the trio. A faint grin grew on his face, but disappeared quickly. “About goddamn time you all got here. Let us save pleasantries for later, as we have things to do. This is the rundown,” Maxwell inhaled after speeding through his sentences, “Thousands of undead are protecting all entrances into Blackrock. We have forces in the Searing Gorge trying their best to get in the rear, but with little success. Intelligence says that Kel’Thuzad himself is in the mountain, keeping Naxxramas hanging above. Also,” He lowered his voice, “The VIP is believed to be inside Blackrock.”

Quinton raised a quizzical eyebrow and asked to the commander, “And how do we know all of this? This doesn’t seem like information that is easily gathered.

“Because he told us,” Maxwell pointed to the ground between him and the trio. The trio, all confused, looked down. There, just in front of them, a plated gnome stood, beaming from ear to ear. This startled Quinton for a second, which only embarrassed Daellin.

“Hi guys! Yes, I was the one that gathered all of this information because I was there with Seth when he was, sadly, captured by those bad guys. I tried my best, really, but there were too many so I had to hide. By the time I sent that letter- oh the letter! I hope you guys got it! You see I wrote it in my haste when Seth and I were fighting off the bad guys. Oh, yeah, by the time I sent that letter the Dawn was already flooding in.” The gnome went on, but then suddenly stopped himself and held out a hand, “My name is Gnizzlebub!”

Not to upset the gnome, Daellin bent down and shook the gnome’s hand. “Daellin. Daellin Lightheart. And this is Quinton and Kate Longlight,” He introduced himself and his companions.

“Oh, Daellin! Seth spoke highly of you several times! You see-”

“Gnizzlebub!” Maxwell snapped, not in the mood to listen the gnome’s ramblings more. Gnizzlebub chuckled awkwardly and stepped aside. “Anyways, we need to get down to business. When all of our forces arrive, we are making a push out of the mountains straight to Blackrock. We believe once we have secured the southern entrance, the northern one will be taken.

“Sir Longlight, you and I are to command the eastern flank of the mountain while Duke Zverenhoff and Eligor Dawnbringer take the western flank. Once the outside is secured, we intend to flood into the depths of the mountain and find Kel’Thuzad and the VIP. Done and done.”

“Seems easy enough,” Quinton said as he slightly rolled his eyes.

“If there is nothing left to discuss,” Maxwell stated, “then you are dismissed. Tomorrow, we shall be victorious.” With that, the Argent Dawn supreme leader left his podium and joined a group of commanders huddled around a table. The trio quickly left the tent.
“Gentlemen, I think it would be wise if we all get some rest. Tomorrow will be quite the day,” Kate told the other two and went off into the staging grounds. Daellin and Quinton looked at each other for a few seconds.

“Go find your friends, Quinton. You might not get the chance to do so tomorrow,” Daellin told his apprentice. Without hesitation, the younger paladin went off to the medical tents, trying to find his friends. Daellin stood, alone, amidst the chaos of people running around and the shrieks of pain from the wounded.

“So, look who it is,” A voice spoke from the side of Daellin. Daellin turned to meet a paladin he knew very well. His dark skin and battle scars, alongside the deep and gruff voice were a dead giveaway.

“Ashlam Valorfist,” Daellin muttered. Indeed, it was Ashlam who spoke to him. Ashlam, the reigning commander of the Argent Dawn in the Western Plaguelands from Chillwind Camp, was once an ally of Daellin. The two joined forces when Daellin was dead-set on finding and killing Victoria the Mind-Flayer. Just as Daellin lost Ally, his previous apprentice, Ashlam lost his beloved son, Jonas.

“You bastard,” Ashlam grunted as he looked straight into Daellin’s eyes. “The great paladin that ended the reign of the Mind-Flayer who forsaken the Dawn and went into hiding for over a year.” Daellin lowered his head in shame, but Ashlam went on, “You know what I called you? A fool, a coward that left us during our time of need. But, I am glad you are here.”

Daellin raised his head to see Ashlam giving a slight smile, perhaps the first time the tough paladin showed any positive emotion for years. “So, you got wrapped up in this, too?” Daellin asked.

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss the chance to finish the Scourge, once and for all. Come with me, Daellin,” Ashlam told Daellin as he was already walking towards the exit of the compound. The two reached the exit of the base of operations and could see a few battles raging not far away and Blackrock looming in the distance. “You know why I fight, Daellin?” He asked.

Daellin shook his, not knowing why. “For Jonas,” Ashlam began, “I fight so my son didn’t die in vain. He dedicated his life to destroy the Scourge. I fight to fulfill his dream. And I intend to bring that,” He pointed to the flying necropolis in the sky, “down.”

“I still ache for Jonas, Valorfist, you know that,”

“Don’t. It is not healthy to remain in the past, especially if it is a painful one. We keep the memories alive, but we push away the pain. It would do you good if you did the same. We fight so that others don’t have to hide in the shadow of death. Embrace your mortal life now, Daellin. This is, after all, the calm before the storm. Let the Light in, Daellin.” With that, Ashlam left Daellin as he walked back into the compound. Daellin stood there, on the ledge between the Steppes and the base, staring out in the distance.

He is right. I-I shouldn’t remain in the past. Only pain and hate come with it. Ally, I will remember you. For now, though, my mind needs to be clear so I can bring peace to this world. For the world you held so dear.

Just like that, a burden of unimaginable weight lifted off Daellin’s shoulders. It may have taken him this long, but he now had closure. He looked up to the sky above him. Even though portions of it were blocked by volcanic ash, a single spot gave way to the blue sky. He looked up a grinned.

“What are you looking at, old man?” Quinton asked as he placed a hand on his mentor’s shoulder and looked up to where he was looking, squinting.

Daellin grinned and replied, “The calm before the storm, boy.”

The Light's Crusade Page Three

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