Blades of Light

With sleep, the memories surged back up, forgotten moments playing out like frozen fragments of time.

Snow blew almost vertically as the storm raged around them, cutting down visibility to almost nothing. The flakes stung the eyes, and forced Tobies to keep his head down as his greaves crunched in the tightly packed snow. White particles stuck in his black beard and hair, clinging to his armor and presenting the threat that his sword would stick in its sheath if he hadn't already drawn it.

None of this mattered to him though as he pressed on into the wind, practically running as quickly as the snow, weather, and his armor would allow. Behind him the squad of men he was leading pushed on in the path he carved in the snow, losing ground on him constantly. He turned, looking over his shoulder as he pressed on.

"LIGHT CURSE YOU, GET YOUR ASSES MOVING!" he shouted, his voice bellowing above the howling wind.

He turned, trudging on and shaking his head in irritation. They had to hurry! The rear guard had been missing for hours now, ever since the scourge ambushed their work camp. His brother and Ilhedith had managed to evacuate the workers and civilians to safety, but the cost had been high; someone had had to stay behind to keep the scourge busy at the watchtower construction site.

Why did it have to be Ady? And why on the one day when we were field training new recruits?

The results of their tactical maneuver were obvious now in the snow all around them; the dead, still forms of Argent Crusaders and the scourge they had died fighting. Here and there movement could be seen in the blowing snow as a geist dined on the fallen. Tobies scowled, gripping his sword tighter and bringing his shield up; they had to hurry, they WOULD get there in time.

Ahead the paladin saw the stooped form of a woman leaning over the dead, her mouth chanting something and black magic curling in the air around her fingertips. It was a scourge necromancer, already arrived amongst the fallen of the battlefield to begin raising the dead and adding them to the Lich King's army. Without even making a sound Tobies altered his course, moving to intercept the woman. Before she could hear his plate armor crunching in the snow his shield had come up, bashing the side of her head in. Her body snapped to the side, teeth and blood flying through the air as she fell amongst the still forms around her, her magic ended before it could corrupt another innocent victim.

"LET'S GET MOVING LADIES! THEY'RE JUST AHEAD! READY YOUR BLADES!" Tobies shouted.

The wind died down slightly as he made his way up a rise, and finally he saw and heard what he was looking for; the remaining rear guard. There, fighting in the snow and surrounded by the fallen corpses of a dozen scourge stood three figures, Light flashing around them as they fought desperately. Upon seeing them, Tobies's heart raced and he picked up his pace, quickly outpacing his men behind him.

She was there, amongst the three. He could tell as he got closer; he could tell by the amount of Light flaring in the air around her. She spun gracefully, her mace coming down on the skull of a ghoul as her free hand flared with holy power, obliterating another of the undead. Behind her one of her last two men cried out as claws disemboweled him, knocking him to the ground where his life blood flowed out. The other survivor, wide-eyed with terror, took up a position behind Adyta, back to back against the foe.

Tobies wasted no time, his shield crushing two of the undead creatures between him and his sword coming down on another, Light flashing brightly along its edge as it cleaved the creature in two. His warcry echoed over the clashing of steel and howls of the undead, and Adyta turned for a moment, her eyes sparkling beneath her helm as she saw him and his men pushing up the rise to her aid.

And then it happened.

In less than a second chains flew through the air, wrapping around the crusader standing behind Adyta. He cried out once, briefly, before his whole body was hurled through the air and away. His trailing scream echoed mournfully in the wind as the sounds of his body being torn to shreds could be heard.

"ADY! ABOMINATION! WATCH OUT!" Tobies yelled.

She had only a moment to bring her mace up as the chains flashed through the air again. Her weapon stopped them from wrapping around her but she stumbled backwards from the force of the impact. The chains were whipped back and the mace was torn from her grasp as the ground shook from the weight of the creature that was driving itself up the rise through the blowing snow. A huge abomination appeared, the undead construct towering over the battlefield and giving an unholy roar of triumph as it bore down on Adyta.

"FOR LORDAERON! FOR THE LIGHT!"

His warcry drown out the sound of the abomination as he plowed his way through the scourge between him and the creature. Out of the corner of his eye, Tobies saw Adyta roll and doge a blow from the creature, her hands snatching up a fallen sword as she went. He smiled once, knowing she would survive and then his entire world became the impact of his shield and then his body colliding with the front of the abomination's gut.

The creature shuddered, roaring in anger as he slammed against it. Tobies grunted, his legs digging into the snow beneath him and his arms bulging as he applied all his force to pressing against the creature. He knew that it would buy the others time to act. With a final heave he shoved with all his might, and the abomination lurched backwards, its head tilting back as Tobies fell to one knee before it.

As he knelt, he felt a weight impact his back and then leave and he looked up in time to see something he would never forget in all his years. Time seemed to stand still for a brief moment as Adyta flew into the air over him, having used his back as a stepping stone to propel herself higher than she could possibly have jumped without aid. Her black hair trailed out behind her like ebony waves as she seemed to float there. In her hand, the sword she'd picked up from one of the fallen crusaders glittered with holy Light, her faith and might represented by the glow. Her face had an expression of the purest serenity, the absolute knowledge that the Light would prevail, and that she was its weapon.

The moment came to an end and Adyta's flight came to its climax as she began her downward descent. The abomination tried to windmill its huge arms to block her, but it was far too late, far too slow. The blade, held in both of her hands, slashed downwards as she fell past the creature, and its head followed her in her descent towards the ground behind it.

With a cry of triumph Tobies rolled out of the way as the huge creature fell, spinning and hurling his shield. It slammed into three of the geists coming up behind him, its weighted edges crushing the leading creature and bowling the others over. He surged to his feet, his sword coming down to behead one of the scourge and his boot crushing the skull of the other. He turned to look, seeing Adyta standing beyond the fallen abomination as she flicked blood from her blade. Her eyes met his and she nodded once, turning to face the remaining ghouls beyond them.

Tobies returned the nod, smiling as his men rushed up to join the battle. They exchanged no words but there was no need to. They were paladins of the Light, and this was the life they'd pledged themselves to. For the Light, for the fallen of Lordaeron, they would do this again and again, until no more undead walked the face of their world.

And they were damn good at it.

******************************************

Tobies jerked awake, his shaking hands coming up to rub his eyes. He'd fallen asleep while leaning against some crates he was moving, and the memories had returned. He smiled as the dream left him, shaking his head. All of it was so long ago now, so far behind them. He and Adyta and Ilhedith had survived what so many others had failed to survive, and now they had to make a new future for themselves.

He sighed, heaving his aching body to his feet. The white tabard he wore glimmered in the sunlight coming in through the open door of the building they'd rented. It would be the new chapter house of their Order, their new beginning. Perhaps they would just patrol the streets of Stormwind, or maybe they would again be called to battle for a higher purpose, their aged but experienced bodies perpetually prepared to do what needed to be done in the name of the Light.

Time would tell, but Tobies was certain of one thing; he was damn glad that at least a few of his friends had lived through it all. After all, who else could he share his stories with? Certainly not the green recruits they were currently training. No, it would be a long time before they understood just what it meant to make sacrifices for their country and for the Light.

Tobies paused, his hand coming up to his neck and clutching the small bell that hung there. Each of them wore one, to remind them of the fallen, to ward them against corruption, to announce the presence of the living to the undead, so that the undead would know that their end was near at long last.

Tobies smiled, leaning down to pick up a crate of supplies. "Damn it's good to be here. This is just the beginning Ady, just the beginning."