Beyond the Gates

They were in big trouble. Andithiel’s experience with battle told him that much at a quick glance. The Sin’dorei scouts he had been leading had stumbled into more trouble than they had expected to run into and now he had to quickly find a way to extract them from the situation.

The original plan had been to sneak through the outer regions of Tanaan in order to approach Ashran from a direction that would be least observed by alliance forces. His team would scout out the coastline of the island for a suitable landing site and then there would be a mission planned to rescue the orc general Morgaath Bloodmoon. Kyliska would join him with her own forces once he signaled her with the rest of the equipment, the two groups moving separately so as not to attract attention.

The issue had come when they’d had to delve further into the jungles than he’d cared for in order to avoid Iron Horde patrols. The orcs had become increasingly aggressive as they dabbled in fel powers and it was all he and his scouts could do to avoid detection. They’d come too close in to Hellfire Citadel where battles raged between the forces of the Horde, the Alliance, and the fel orcs that sought to push them back, and his team had run into an encampment of fel-weavers that had been busy opening portals into the nether.

Smoke obscured his vision as he brought his bow up, an arrow flying true and striking a wrathguard in the eye. The diffused sunlight of the clearing caused the gold and green armor covering Andithiel’s rock-hard form to glitter dimly as he moved, another arrow appearing on the bowstring as easily as he drew breath. Unfortunately, the way things were going right now it was likely he would not be drawing too many more. He let loose with another arrow, many of the fifteen-man company he had with him also releasing their own shafts. Demons fell all around them, but there were ever more pouring through the rifts that the warlocks had opened; too many to cut through to reach the spellcasters.

If they fell back, the demons would fall on them enmasse from the rear. If they advanced, they would be surrounded and butchered. House Sunfire couldn’t afford to lose this many scouts, and he certainly was not going to allow his position to be tarnished with a failure. And so he and his men were in a stalemate, endlessly firing their weapons until they ran out of arrows or the rifts ran out of demons. He was fairly certain he knew which would happen first and a grimace crossed his features beneath his helm. He heaved on the bow again, drawing it back and letting an arrow loose with enough force to pierce the heart of an armored demon that had almost reached their lines; time was running short and the creatures were starting to scatter into the jungle around them in order to encircle the small band of scouts.

One of his men fell, a spell slamming into the green and gold armor that the ranger wore as camouflage and to protect himself. Andithiel cursed aloud as the Sin’dorei fell to the ground; every death was his fault for leading his men into this trap. He quickly dashed forward to stand over the fallen elf, putting himself at the front of his men and firing repeatedly to drive the demons back.

They surged forward towards him, talons and blades dripping with dark magics, ready to tear him asunder. Even as he fought on, he prepared to sell his life dearly for his men and for Quel’Thalas; it was what his sisters would expect of him, what he expected of himself, especially after all that had transpired in the past few months. He would die a hero of the Sin’dorei, standing his ground for his fellow rangers.

A commotion erupted along the outskirts of the demonic line and to Andithiel’s left. A wrathguard reeled into the edge of the clearing, half of its armor crushed in on one side. A second demon followed it, this one utterly lifeless and bouncing to the ground beside it. Several of the attackers facing Andithiel turned to face what could only be a new threat and he quickly took advantage of the situation, rapidly firing his bow and felling three more of the creatures in quick succession before he quickly cast a glance in the direction of the clearing’s edge.

To his surprise, a figure wearing dark black armor with red trim had appeared, an almost black shortsword in its hand driving into the bowels of another of the demons and causing it to howl as it was thrown down. A second demon lunged only to be bodily slammed against the surface of a black and red shield, the creature tumbling dazed to the ground where a heavy armored boot stamped on its neck. In his quick glance Andithiel could see the flowing black and red tabard of a blood knight, flashes of light so bright coming from the figure’s hands that it almost made his eyes water.

Instantly the demons turned as a group towards this source of Light, their attention shifting from the rangers in a heartbeat. Andithiel felt his pulse race as he realized that his men had a chance to escape, but something inside him stirred as he watched that armored form brace itself against the coming tide of demonic filth. In that moment, he knew that his months of moping, of being lost in himself had come to an end. He brought his bow up and shouted, signaling the attack even as he let loose.

Arrows flew past him, and demons tumbled to their deaths even as they charged the blood knight. 

The armored figure met the first wrathguard with a shield to its face, the blood knight’s body not giving an inch from the impact as an explosion of Light hurled the creature aside. Silently, with no warcry or other utterance the black-armored figure advanced, black sword coming down on another demon’s skull and shield deflecting what would have been a fatal blow.

Andithiel’s rangers continued to fire, picking off demons that had their backs turned as they charged the blood knight, causing the attack to become scattered and disorganized. Quickly Andithiel darted forward, his arrows lashing out as he made his way towards the other end of the clearing where the orc spellcasters continued their summoning. He was almost close enough to pick them off, and would have too if not for a new tide of demons that surged from the edge of the clearing, washing over his men where they’d been preparing an ambush at his flank. Andithiel cursed again as two more of his rangers fell and then was forced to duck as a black spell flew over his head.

As he righted himself a huge demon loomed over him, the beast’s hands clutching a giant, fel-runed ax. It swung the weapon and Andithiel was forced to leap to the side to avoid the blow, but even that did not fully save him as magic flared from the weapon’s head when it contacted the ground, his body buffeted by raging fel energies that hurled him onto his back and knocked the bow from his hand.

For a moment the world spun around him, the fel-tainted sky far above and the branches of the jungle’s trees looming over him. A shadow fell over him as he looked up into the face of the demon, its weapon raised high above it and about to come down in the death blow. He closed his eyes, not wishing to see it descend and too dazed to rise.

A moment later a clash of metal on metal startled him. His eyes darted open to see the etched red emblem of the Blood Knights above him, a shield held over his head having caught the ax and deflected it away. The armored figure stood over him, his…no her body positioned to protect his prone form from the demon. He watched in dazed amazement as the elf’s sword plunged forward, the short blade perfect for stabbing beneath the edge of the shield and glowing with holy energies. The demon howled as it tore deep into its flesh, the Blood Knight twisting it with lethal efficiency that Andithiel would expect from a seasoned warrior.

As the creature fell back and away, the Blood Knight shifted, her body moving forward. Andithiel caught the brief sight of paper prayers affixed to her armor with blood red wax fluttering as she advanced, always silent beneath the coif, efficiently deadly as she summoned more Light than Andithiel had seen other knights like Kyliska use. Demons died around her, falling in piles that she had to step over, but there were always more, and Andithiel knew that this was their one and only chance to win the battle.

He forced himself to rise, his hands reaching out and snatching up his bow as he crouched down, aiming just past the black armored form of his unlikely rescuer, his arrows lashing out and striking down demons so she could move forward more quickly, towards the source of the attack; the demonic rifts.

His heart rose as she got closer, but his hopes were dashed again as spells lashed out from the orcs, black magics slamming into the armored form and hurling her back, despite her shield. She fell amidst the dead demons she’d been slaughtering, her body clattering as it met the sundered metal that littered the ground. Above them winged demons dived down, intent on finishing the rangers and the lone Blood Knight, and Andithiel’s bow rose, arrows flying up and picking them out of the sky despite the fact that they were utterly surrounded and he knew they were likely doomed.

He glanced back down, reaching back to find his quiver nearly empty. He placed one of his last arrows on his bowstring, prepared to make it count as a wrathguard charged over the fallen towards him. Even as he was about to release a sword came up from amongst the dead and impale it.

She rose from the dead like an avenging spirit, Light so bright that it slanted down from the sky surrounding her as she cut the demon down. Her coif had been knocked free, and Andithiel could see what he would consider a plain looking Sin’dorei with auburn hair. A bloody gash covered her face, and strange black and red ribbons held her hair in place as she bent and retrieved her shield, the emblem of her order glimmering now with the blood of her foes.

She turned and advanced, her sword lashing out again, light so powerful that burned demons to ash erupting from the tip of her sword and her hands. Andithiel spent his last arrows slaying demons that tried to flank her, his heart in his throat as he quite literally prayed for her.

Like a methodical machine she slaughtered her way through the demons like a farmer scything down his wheat. They screamed, they bled, they burned, and then they began to flee from her. Spells lashed out at her again, but this time she was prepared and a globe of golden Light surrounded her, deflecting the magic into the ground and causing dirt to erupt from the impact. She surged forward the last few feet, her shield lashing out and taking one of the spellcasters in the face.

As he flew lifelessly away from her, the portal he’d opened began to fade, and her sword lashed out, impaling a second and then hacking down a third, the rest of the magical portals erupting with fel energy as her Light clashed too near them, causing them to sputter and die a moment later.

And then it was silent, the demons that had been summoned fleeing from the clearing, leaving Andithiel and his five remaining rangers alone with the lone Blood Knight.

As they gathered around him, he turned and faced the Blood Knight, moving towards her as she inspected the fallen spellcasters. He cleared his throat behind her, “I owe you my thanks.”

“You owe me nothing, I was merely doing what I was trained to do,” the Blood Knight responded, still examining the fallen orcs.

“Even so, without your help my men would not have fought free. You’ve helped us with our mission and you have the thanks of House Sunfire, my Lady,” Andithiel said politely.

The elf turned to look at him, her fel green gaze meeting his. For a moment she studied him silently, giving him time to inspect her more closely. As he’d seen, her hair was indeed tied with ribbons, more of the strange seals in place. She was like a walking prayer book, and based on the amount of Light she’d summoned it was not overly surprising that she’d be covered with holy sigils. And although she was plain, she was still pretty enough, especially given what she’d just done for him. 

Finally, she broke the silence, an amused smile passing briefly across her lips, “I am no ‘lady’. I am Blood Knight Serephae Sunleaf, and it is my duty to serve our people until my dying breath.”

Andithiel offered her a nod and a smile of his own, “That you have, Knight Sunleaf. I will be sure to report your aid to my superiors. Lady Sunfire will reward you handsomely for your aid.”

“I can accept no reward for my services,” Serephae returned quickly, “My vows do not allow for that.”

Andithiel nodded at this and then shrugged, “Well then, when next we are both in Silvermoon perhaps I can repay you with a meal or some such.”

She studied him again for a moment and then looked away, “I cannot accept any form of payment, but thank you. If you will excuse me, I must depart.”

He blinked for a moment as she turned and wiped her blade clean on the nearest dead orc, sheathing it and putting her coif back in place, “Depart? We’re in the middle of now-demon infested jungle. You should come with us. Besides, you were wounded in that scrap.”

Serephae turned, the look she gave him having a wealth of experience that implied the wounds she’d 

suffered were nothing compared to the trials she’d faced before. She moved away from him as she spoke, looking into the jungle beyond, “The demons will come for your men again once they realize there are not many of you left. Depart now and continue on your way and I will ensure they do not follow you. This is my duty, and what I’ve sworn to do. Go now, and do not waste any more time.”

Andithiel stared after her for a moment, shaking his head, “Hey, will I run into you again, Knight Sunleaf?”

She turned, giving him one last glance from beneath her chain coif, “No, nor will you see any demons. Lead your men to safety, and may the gates of Quel’Thalas open for you always.”

Andithiel bowed, giving her a salute before turning to gather up his rangers; he would continue and complete his mission, regardless of the cost. General Bloodmoon would be rescued. As they moved away from the site of the battle he cast one last glance back, knowing as he did so that the clearing would be empty of all but the dead. He smiled to himself as he realized the scattered demons in the jungle beyond had little time to organize themselves before doom came to them. The cycle of life and all that; it was time to complete his mission.