Karp
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Chapter 114
🕑 Added 2024-11-26 21:27:21 +0000 UTCTravelling through fog filled passageways, Varrus and Syra followed Tess, eventually coming across a pair of paladins standing guard in front of a wrought iron gate.
“Halt!” One of the guards commanded.
The other drew his weapon, and pointed it at them with the intent to harm.
Tess looked back at Varrus and Syra, seemingly searching for guidance on the matter.
Varrus understood that she had been locked up most of her life, and just lost many of her companions, but she was still the daughter of the King. She should show some confidence!
Stepping forward, Varrus spoke down to the guards, and projected his voice with all his various perks and skills.
“Stand aside or be slain as traitors. You stand in the presence of Her Majesty, Princess Tess Greymane!”
The pair of paladins faltered, and recoiled in shock from the magnetic-almost magical-voice Varrus had commanded them with.
“We shouldn't.” One guard muttered.
“But we must.” The other finished, and turned to unlock the gate.
“How did you do that? A spell of some sort?” Tess rapidly blinked her eyes, her mouth agape in surprise.
“My husband is the greatest man to walk all of Azeroth.” Syra patiently explained as if she was schooling a five year old.
“Big sister?”
“Know your place, and should any of you speak of this, I will know, and I shall come for you.” Varrus paused in his stride, and glanced at the pair of guards, causing them to gulp, and fervently nod their heads.
“Good, come along then, Your Majesty, we have a traitor to capture.” Varrus spoke loudly, and glanced meaningfully at the guards one last time before he resumed their trek.
“I didn't know you were so charismatic, b-big brother.” Tess spoke in embarrassment, and hid her blushing face behind Syra.
“Heh, as long as you only see us as older siblings, then there is no harm. I forgive you for your earlier rude behavior.” Varrus smirked, and winked at Syra.
“Rude behavior?!”
“It's okay, you're just a little girl, you have time to learn.” Varrus chuckled, and kept moving forward, his eyes scanned every nook and cranny on the lookout for threats.
Detect Life and Mana Sight were activated too, in preparation for an upcoming conflict.
Tess was going to say something more in protest, when Syra put her hand over the teen girl's mouth.
The sound of armored boots marching upon cobblestone echoed in the halls coming from behind.
Varrus pointed at the ceiling, and both he and Syra climbed up a nearby pillar, and entered stealth.
It wasn't a moment too soon, as over a thousand Gilnean troops appeared, and were grimly moving forward with purpose.
At the very back of the column, Godfrey, along with a Heroic priest, mage, and paladin were following, and discussing something loudly.
“The guards were awfully suspicious, abbot, are you certain they are not compromised?” Godfrey asked in a friendly-yet threatening-tone of voice.
“It was difficult enough to gather this many men without alerting the heretics that have infiltrated our ranks. Do not bring paranoia and unfounded claims into the expedition now, lest we turn on one another in fear and suspicion!” A man dressed in cream robes replied.
“Gentleman, please. We are gathered here today to slay the Wolf Cult once and for all. Their leader, Alpha Prime has desecrated our most sacred land, and made his lair beneath our temple! We brothers and sisters under the Light cannot remain divided on this issue.” The Heroic paladin raised his hands in calm.
“Hmph, I am faithful, but that doesn't mean I am blindly so! I can see the miracle of the Light with mine own two eyes, and these same senses can spot someone with something to hide.” Godfrey continued, unwilling to back down.
“Then let us dispatch a pair of brothers to hold the guards under arrest. Once this holy mission is finished, then we shall interrogate them, and learn the truth.” The abbot said in compromise.
“I second such a notion.” The paladin was quick to agree.
“Bah, you are too soft, abbot, it is such leadership that saw the Wolf Cult penetrate your ranks in the first place.” Godfrey said.
Varrus wanted to keep eavesdropping, but the group had made their way out of his hearing range.
When he saw a squad of warriors running back to carry out the order to detain and question the gate guards, Varrus cast Paralyze on all of them. The warriors stood no chance, and all fell to the ground one after another.
He then dropped down from his perch, and slowly followed after the column of soldiers.
While he didn't fear them, remaining hidden had been the right call. Fighting four versus two, Varrus was confident he could win, but the army might contain Elites, and using big magic in such a narrow underground location was just asking for a cave in.
Plus, he had learned a lot from their conversation.
“Godfrey is going to get the credit for killing the Worgen leader? Bleh, with this achievement, maybe my father would really marry me off to that creepy old man.” Tess shivered in place.
“You are betrothed to that guy?” Varrus raised his eyebrows in surprise. He knew that beneath the veneer of adventure, Warcraft was a backwards medieval fantasy, but Tess couldn't be older than 16.
“No, but he has been asking my father for my hand in marriage since I was first capable of bearing heirs.”
“Unacceptable.” Syra muttered from the side, a murderous glint in her eye.
“My love?” Varrus questioned.
“To play with love like that is a sick joke. You and I complete one another, but this girl? She does not deserve this. That Godfrey character must die.” Syra stared towards the direction of the Gilnean army, and looked like she would run over to confront them any second.
“Woah-hoh, we can take care of business during the fight against the Worgen. Trust me, it will work out better for everyone involved if we exhibit a little patience.” Varrus tightly gripped onto his wife, and gave Tess a tip of the hat.
“Thank you so much. I know we met not too long ago, but I can't thank you enough!” Tess wiped away some tears, and smiled weakly at them.
Varrus sighed as the raven-haired girl opened up to them. Part of him felt guilty for using such a young girl to further his political gains, but at the very least, he would be solving her problems, and help make her a stronger woman along the way.
“Right. Let's go, we've spent enough time messing around, I think I can hear the sounds of combat in the distance.” Varrus spoke up, and directed the party to move deeper into the cathedral's undercroft.
Whilst trailing behind the Gilnean army, Varrus noticed many empty alcoves, and scorched mausoleums.
Tess noticed Varrus's curiosity, and offered an explanation.
“Once it was discovered that the Scourge could reanimate the dead, father went on a mass purge campaign. The remains of the Gilnean ancestors had been kept in this cathedral for generations. Now all there is, is ash. I didn't leave the castle much, but I can tell that the Undead have had an effect on everyone. The people are quick to anger, father has become cruel, even my brother, Liam is distant.”
Varrus nodded his head, and remained silent. The sounds of combat, of men dying, and of Worgen's howling grew closer and closer.
He was expecting an ambush, or sudden attack to drop down from the ceiling, yet nothing ever came of it.
After traveling for another 30 minutes, and going down several flights of stairs, the hallway ended, and opened up into a wide, forested cavern.
Many trees dotted the landscape, and the ceiling shone with a dim light akin to stars. It was weird to Varrus that there could be so many trees underground, but he chalked it up to typical fantasy bs.
Within the woods, many Gilnean soldiers and Worgen were engaged in mortal combat.
“Should we join the battle?” Tess asked, and drew her sword.
“Not yet, we must await the opportune time.” Varrus held up a hand.
Godfrey, and his three companions were engaged in a death defying 1v4 fight with a massive Worgen. It seemed like they were in a deadlock, and Varrus was waiting for when one side gained advantage over the other.
Once they were both weakened, then he would swoop in, and finish them both.
Meanwhile, he was more interested in exploring this strange and unique environment.
A calm river ran through the area, and Varrus saw a few statues of beast men lining the area. Curiously, they all seemed to be bowing towards some central figure. It was a statue of an enormous wolf eating the roots of a World Tree.
An inscription on the statue read ‘Hunt or be hunted. Be yee predator or prey, all are equal beneath the Master of Beasts. Sacrifice a thousand lives to Nil'bog, servant to the Lord of the Hunt, and be rewarded.’
“Interesting, if this is a temple dedicated to the Light, then how can so many ancient-looking statues be here? I suspect the cathedral was built over something.” Varrus rubbed his chin in thought.
On Earth, churches and mosques were often constructed atop pagan alters. Perhaps something similar had occurred here?
“An interesting theory, and likely true. The Sunwell was built over a Troll holy sight too.” Syra said, supplying supporting evidence.
“Hmm, perhaps the Worgen have a closer connection to this land than I first thought.” Varrus muttered to himself.
In a fantasy setting, what other reason would there be to build a temple on top of something than to seal it?
Eyes widening. Varrus felt like he was on the cusp of a wild revelation.
Looking up at the statue of Nil'bog, Varrus saw that it was shimmering with a strange light, and the concept of endless hunger, and the thrill of being chased emanated from the eyes of the wolf.
In fact, he noticed through his Mana Sight, a heavy dose of energy was pooling into the statue after every death that occurred in this massive cavernous chamber.
It didn't matter if it was a Worgen or a Gilnean, a death was a death, and it was fueling some dark ritual!
Acting on instinct, Varrus blasted the statue with a spell, but nothing happened.
Laughter spilled from the statue, and a voice echoed all around him.
“Interesting, young Elf, my master has been most interested in your progress. He and his kin have several wagers about you and your wife.” A voice came from the statue, yet its mouth did not move.
“And what master is that?” Varrus questioned. Was this some beast from the Emerald Dream, or perhaps a servant of the Void Lords, or Old Gods?
The Worgen lore was not very well explained, and was mostly a gimmick to include werewolves into World of Warcraft. The fact that there might be something older, more powerful behind them-he would be lying to himself if he said it wasn't a cause for concern-but Varrus would face it head on like any other threat.
While he was mulling over the wolf's words, Varrus had begun to slap down Fire Runes on the ground all around him, and began to cast Raise Wall over and over again.
He also tossed several environmental spells into the air, such as Frozen Orb.
“You will know his name should you survive this trial! Be prepared little wizard, your petty tricks are only worth so much!” The statue taunted once more.
“What's going on? Wait, why is the statue calling you Elves?” Tess questioned in trepidation.
“We are going to slay a great beast.” Syra responded in joy. Her massive buster sword was drawn, and glowing with holy light.
“My love is right. Idiots like this love to monologue before a big fight, they think it makes them look big, powerful and ominous. That it will paralyze their opponents into inaction.” Varrus smirked as he began to lay down even more traps.
He was no DBZ fighter, he refused to wait around while his enemy transformed. Just because he couldn't damage this statue, didn't mean he couldn't supply a welcoming party to the wolf's resurrection!
“Ah! Just like those boring Vandercross plays my brother likes to watch!” Tess exclaimed.
“Boring.” Syra dangerously moved closer to Tess.
“Ah ha ha, yes just like those plays! So please stand back, and don't get in our way. My lovely wife and I will be handling this!” Varrus finger flicked Tess away with an application of Telekinesis.
Syra glared at the Princess as she flew away.
“Forget about her, we have a monster to kill, and I wouldn't do it with anyone else by my side.” Varrus winked at Syra.
“Ah, Varrus, you know just what to say to get a girl on your good side.” Syra smiled beautifully at him.
Varrus sighed in relief, then turned to the glowing statue. It was almost fully lit up now, and his gamer sense was telling him it would be free of its prison within moments.
“Let's do this.”
Comments
Conor McGroarty
MC really going to have to adjust his plans once he realizes other canon forces are smushed in along with himself. He will have to act fast as his knowledge of Warcraft canon is going to become increasingly weaker even without his intervention.
