LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 123: Chapter 123
Whilst the Elven forces were under siege, Varrus was a little more than a quarter of the way done, slotting the Mana Stones into their proper positions.
He was about to place the 189th crystal where the system ui indicated it should go, when he felt the ground shake, and a scorching bright orange light on the horizon.
Vast waves of ambient mana spilled from the south, and sonic booms constantly interrupted the serene atmosphere of this holy site.
Stumbling slightly forward due to the disturbances, Varrus wanted to gloat to his wife, and others who had doubted him, and labeled him paranoid. Damned smug Elves just wanted to party, and pat themselves on the back for a job well done.
But Varrus couldn't find the will to mock his friends for their optimistic outlook. He was just thankful that pretty much every Hero and Elite had gathered for this event, and that they were taking the defense of the Sunwell seriously this time.
Shaking his head, he wished he was wrong, but it was better to be over prepared than caught with your pants down and enemies banging on your door.
Varrus sighed one last time, then turned to Rho'dan, who was standing nearby.
"Rho'dan, status report. Who is attacking us? How did they arrive without our scouts knowing? From the sound of it, it is a two pronged attack?" Varrus questioned whilst he continued to place Mana Stones within their designated positions.
"A few thousand Orcs, Trolls, and a race of cow men bearing the Horde insignia are advancing from the north. They are led by Orgrim Doomhammer, Grom Hellscream, and the newest Warchief, Thrall. As for how they arrived, scouting reports suggest portals opened up just outside of the Rune Stones canceling field. So far, we hold the numerical advantage, and are holding them in place."
"Doomhammer! Shouldn't he be dead?!" Varrus exclaimed in confused aggravation.
'What's with this timeline?! Did Doomhammer never die? But then why would Thrall be Warchief? And Hellscream, shouldn't he have fought Mannoroth by now? Why in the Hell are the Horde attacking us in the first place?'
This entire situation stank. His instincts were screaming Someone was plotting against them, but who?
Varrus stroked his chin in thought, then looked to Rho'dan with an expression that demanded answers.
"Doomhammer was reported dead. He was slain freeing Orcs from one of the concentration camps." Rho'dan said while reading some information off his scrying orb. "It is, however, possible that he survived, and the Humans were premature in celebrating his demise." Rho'dan shrugged his shoulders in a 'what-can-you-do' pose.
"And the people from the south, don't tell me it's the Alliance?" Varrus voiced his suspicion.
"An accurate guess, Highlord." Rho'dan lightly bowed.
"One of their leaders is Jaina Proudmoore, right? Then going off the prior logic, the Alliance forces should be led by two other Heroes. Hmm, perhaps Anduin Lothar, and Uther Lightbringer?" Varrus tapped the side of his face as he speculated.
"One for three, a very good guess." Rho'dan politely clapped his hands. "The other two Alliance Heroes are King Terenas of Lordaeron, and the former Guardian of Tirisfal, Aegwynn."
Varrus's eyebrows twitched, this was beginning to sound like a raid. As if he was some big boss, or threat to 'the universe' to be stopped.
What the hell?
Varrus began to feel a smidgen of panic at the thought, as anyone who made themselves an enemy of the Alliance and Horde at the same time met an unfortunate end.
Clenching his fist, Varrus clamped down on that emotion, and continued with his task of placing down Mana Stones.
Clearly whatever entity was against him, they were trying to halt the restoration of the Sunwell. What he should be doing right now, is moving as fast as possible to disrupt their plans.
Locking the 200th crystal in place, Varrus started to pick up the pace.
After a minute of silent thought and introspection, Varrus raised another question.
"The Alliance and Horde forces, do they have an oddly dressed unit, one composed of a mish mash of armor types?" Varrus pressed.
"Right again, Highlord. There are a group of 40 Horde, and 40 Alliance members matching such a description. Your insight into this matter is on point this morning." Rho'dan praised.
"Enough with the flattery, Rho'dan. I want our forces to prioritize these units. Pay special attention to if, after death, any of the members in this unit return from the grave." Varrus slashed his hand down vertically, and spoke in a harsh tone to get his point across.
"As you wish, my Lord." Rho'dan nodded, and didn't even question Varrus's strange request. The stalwart redheaded guard then began to send out orders via his scrying orb.
Meanwhile, Varrus was internally seething. It seemed that this truly was a raid. He hoped that the adventurers didn't have infinite respawns like the player characters did.
While he was busily slotting the crystals in place, Nightsong and Syra were also nearby, watching over his back.
Curiously, he saw the signs of battle hunger on his wife's face. Her fingers constantly twitches, and reached for the handle of her buster sword, only to go back to resting at her side. Her eyes were focused on the northern front, and a look of incredible focus manifested in her eyes.
"Syra, my Star, if you want to go, then go." Varrus suggested.
Syra rapidly blinked her eyes, then silently stared at Varrus intensely.
"Ah ha ha. Forget I asked." Varrus let out a hollow chuckle, and resumed his duties.
While he kept working, he noticed Nightsong was keeping up with her hobby, and was drawing the scene of Varrus dropping the stones into their correct position.
It was a little weird to him, but her artistry was pretty good, and the style was reminiscent of a manga. If there ever came a time for him when he had the luxury of peace, he may just ask her to draw for fun. After all, life wasn't all about war and making babies, right?
Varrus chuckled to himself as he imagined a world where Elves conquered the world through their super model physiques, and won a cultural victory through music, plays, and manga.
It was during this brief moment of relaxation, that Rho'dan came up to him with a serious expression on his face.
"I have good news and bad news. Reports have just come in, the enemies you were concerned about cannot return from beyond the grave." Rho'dan saluted, and shared a brief clip of a squad of Highborn being overrun by the 40 man raid group.
Mages, warriors, and rogues engaged in mortal combat against one another, and while the Elven Elites put up a good fight, they were ultimately slain. However, a pair of adventurers had dropped dead.
To Varrus's POV, none of the Alliance adventurers stopped to resurrect their compatriot.
"That is technically good news. Can't say I'm happy we lost a squad to verify that information though. As for the bad news?" Varrus cocked an ear to the side, preparing himself for the worst.
"Lady Liadrin has been defeated by Grom Hellscream. When he was about to deliver the killing blow, a Dragon swooped in, and put her in stasis. In the south, Thaladred was last seen dueling Terenas, but his whereabouts have gone dark. No one knows where he is. Between these two developing scenes, the Horde and Alliance have punctured a hole in our defenses. We are still holding the majority of their armies back, and in fact, are slowly crushing them due to our numerical advantage. However, Hellscream is leading 40 adventurers from the north, whilst Terenas is leading 40 from the south." Rho'dan succinctly reported.
"Blast! Dragons?! What color were their scales? No, wait, the enemy is coming here?" Varrus exclaimed in shocked surprise.
"Bronze, Highlord. They are the Dragons associated with time. And yes, by my estimates, they should arrive at the edge of the crater within 5 to 20 minutes."
'Fuck!' Varrus internally swore.
He had placed 250 Mana Stones down, half of the required 500. It would take him about half an hour to finish the rest!
"I will take on Hellscream." Syra spoke up.
"I suppose me and the Crossguard will defend the south, then." Rho'dan added on.
Varrus ignored Rho'dan, and focused on Syra.
His beautiful blonde wife was brimming with murderous intent. The way she spoke the Orc's name, it sounded like there was a history there.
Blinking his eyes, Varrus slapped his forehead. He totally forgot that Syra fought in the Orc War. That she, along with the Illidari Council had battled enemy Heroes, including Grom Hellscream.
That legendary Orc had slain two demigods in his lifetime. He was just a regular ass warrior wielding a big axe. Yet he accomplished a feat that few Heroes could dream of accomplishing.
Grom Hellscream was truly a Hero of legend. In this universe, he was a mythical figure, like Hercules, or Kratos. Fueled by his hatred and a cup full of Demon blood, he was that guy.
And his wife wanted to take Hellscream on backed by 40 adventurers?!
As much as he trusted in, and believed in his wife, sending her off to do battle with Hellscream felt like he was pushing her towards an early grave!
"Absolutely no-" Varrus got out, but was interrupted.
"I must do this. When we first fought, I was young and inexperienced. Nothing but a mindless tool crafted meticulously by my mother. I was sharp, but brittle. Now that I have you, my resolve has been reforged in the fires of love. I have something to fight for, something worth coming home for." Syra spoke with a heat and passion that Varrus rarely heard from the girl.
Her long blonde hair swayed in the wind, and the mana in the air swirled around her in a mini vortex. When she spoke of him and their love, the mana in her body spiked, and even surpassed his own!
"I." Varrus began, then halted as he saw the determination, the passion, and the physical need to do this.
"...Just don't die on me. Don't break my heart." Varrus gripped her hand, and stared deeply into her eyes. He felt like he would cry at any moment at the thought of her loss.
Syra was what held his psyche together. She may be a little crazy, a little murder happy, and quick to kill. But so what? It was a crazy world, and that kind of attitude is why he was still alive.
"You are my everything." Varrus clunked his forehead on hers, and whispered.
"Do not cry, my Sun. I have been constantly training in the equipment you provided. I am faster than ever." Syra confidently exclaimed, and wiped away tear off his cheek.
Varrus held a hand up to his face, not even realizing he had done so.
"Haaah. My wife. You are so cute, so adorable, but my heart. Ah. You are one hell of a woman, Syra." Varrus clutched at his chest, and looked at Syra in a mixture of pain and love.
He hated that she was going to go. That they couldn't face this Orc legend together. But he needed to remain here, and finish the Sunwell's restoration.
"Wait for me." Syra kissed Varrus on the lips, then turned away with a flourish.
Following behind her, the four Heroes of the Illidari Council marched with confidence. A few Hundred House Vandercross Elites also set out with her, and were reinforced by four of the levitating Towers of Jenga.
Silently smiling, Varrus took one last look at her backside, and sighed. With the death of so many Heroes over the last couple of months, including Queen Lana'thel, Ranger Captain Ariel, King Genn Greymane, and the Worgen leader, Varrus had gained plenty of Grand Soul Gems. At this point, Syra's entire kit had been fitted with extremely powerful enchantments.
He only hoped her training had paid off.
"Wait. Take this. It will ward against the shifting sands of time." Nightsong called out to Syra, and tossed her an amulet.
Syra caught it, and flashed Nightsong an appreciative smile, then sauntered on her way.
"Good luck, Syra! And if it looks like you can't win, then either stall him until I restore the Sunwell, or retreat. All that matters is that you live, you got that?!" Varrus yelled at her back, hoping his message got through.
Syra flashed him one last smile, then confidently left the crater of the Sunwell, and headed up north.
'That woman.' Varrus sighed morosely to himself.
Nightsong then tossed Varrus, and Rho'dan an amulet as well.
When it landed in Varrus's hands, he quickly placed it in its inventory to see its effects.
[Protects the wearer from time dilation, and time effects.]
Varrus raised an eyebrow, if he disenchanted this, he wondered what kind of effect it would have on a weapon. Typically, Skyrim gear provided a defensive effect, whilst weapon enchantments became offensive. He'd have to play around with this later.
"I didn't know you were skilled at enchanting?" Varrus questioned.
"We have a long time to get to know one another, Varrus. I look forward to sharing more about myself." Nightsong smiled at him.
Varrus was a little touched by her, and felt bad that he had basically been afk for the past month, solving the Gilneas civil war.
Internally, he decided he would have to find some time to spend with her. His experience on Earth had mostly been positive with his parents. They loved one another greatly. He couldn't imagine the kind of trauma this woman was undergoing, what with her sacrificing her life to save him as a child. Now, her son was all grown up, had a family, and an established career. It was quite sad, really.
Varrus was going to say something, but Rho'dan coughed in his hand, and signaled to Varrus.
"I am looking forward to the triumphant return of the Sunwell, Highlord. General Nightsong." Rho'dan nodded, then departed to the south to confront Terenas.
"You have a good House, Varrus." Nightsong smiled.
"Thank you. I would be lost without them." Varrus smiled back.
"Good. Finish the ritual. I shall watch over you." Nightsong comforted, and then began to sing a beautiful, wordless hymn.
Varrus felt his spirits uplifted, and began to work twice as fast. The Sunwell was all that mattered right now. The sooner it came online, the sooner he could support Syra and Rho'dan.
Lifting another Mana Stone in place, Varrus had reached 300 out of 500. He was almost there!
'Just stay safe, Syra, if anything should happen to you…the Horde would become nothing but a memory.'
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AN: Read 25 chapters ahead at: patreon.com/KarpQQ