Warcraft story - Chapter 9

A/N: Just finished writing chapter 13. Some of my best work in my humble opinion, although not everyone will agree. I hope you'll enjoy this one.

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Sapphiron watched the landscape pass by from the deck of the elven destroyer. The river they were sailing along was wide enough for three ships to sail side-by-side, and the bridges crossing the river were easily tall enough to allow the ships to pass under. They were just about to reach Lake Elrendar. 'This is a wild idea. No wonder Anasterian seeks my daughter's counsel if she regularly comes up with ideas like this.' He thought to himself.

“I have to admit, I didn’t expect one of the Blues to get involved like this.” A deep male voice came from behind him. Sapphiron had sensed his approach, though he was a little surprised by the man’s presence.

“Korialstrasz. I’m even more surprised by your presence. The Reds aren’t exactly known for liking it when people die. And plenty of mortals are going to die in the next couple of days.” He shot back. He wasn’t entirely sure what one of Queen Alexstrasza’s consorts was doing here.

“We believe it’ll spare a much larger loss of life in the long run. The trolls have become a problem, and they were going to launch a large war soon anyway. They’d happily wipe out both the elves and the humans. What about you? It’s not really like the Blues to lend their power to mortals in general, but your magical participation? That’s almost unheard of.” The red dragon in disguise had a genuinely curious tone. “Has Lord Malygos decided to weigh in for some reason?”

Ah. There it was. The real reason why the Red was so curious. “No. Our Lord remains as he has been for a long time. No, I got bullied into this by my daughter.”

Korialstrasz had the temerity to laugh at that. “Your daughter? I’ve heard some whispers. If she’s involved, then I’m less surprised you’re here. If even half of what I’m hearing is right, she’s a real force of nature.”

He grimaced good-naturedly. "Yes. She made rather good points. I took the position of the Grand Magister to keep a better eye on the elven use of magic. She pointed out that if I’m going to be taking the job from an elf, then I should be doing the job and not just holding it for my own benefit. According to her, the other magisters are going to look to me for an example. If the Grand Magister is going to sit out the war, then the other magisters will not be enthusiastic to take part either. But if I take an active part right from the beginning…”

Korialstrasz hummed. “She’s not wrong.”

“I know. She usually isn’t.” Sapphiron nodded. “That’s why I’m here.”

The two were quiet for a moment, a somewhat companionable silence between them. "Did you know this whole plan was her idea?" Sapphiron suddenly asked with a proud voice. "As are the contraptions on board the vessels?" He pointed at the catapults installed on the prows of three of the ships.

Korialstrasz seemed genuinely shocked. “I did not. It seems she has a gift for coming up with ideas. You sound proud. I have to admit I was shocked when I learned of her existence.”

“You think you were shocked? How do you think I felt?” Sapphiron asked with a playful smile. “I haven’t sired any whelps for centuries.”

“This is insensitive, but are you sure she is yours?” Korialstrasz asked carefully. “I’m only asking because this shouldn’t be possible.”

“I understand. And I was skeptical at first as well. But one look into her eyes, and you’ll realize she has more dragon inside her than most of the ancient wyrms that have been around since the Legion invasion. Plus, she has our magic sight. According to Prince Nallorath, she cast her first spells a day after starting her lessons.” He shrugged. “On that note, I’m holding my judgement about her sibling. I don’t like to think the worst, but I wouldn’t put it past my wife to have made some ill choices.” Dragons had a different conception of infidelity than humanoid races. Even the dragon queen had several consorts, and no one held that against her.

“Sounds complicated. If she continues as she has, Alexstrasza might want to check up on her, just to see if it’s possible for other flights. Heck, if it’s possible for anyone other than you. One time is an anomaly, but if it can be replicated, then…” Korialstrasz left the idea up in the air.

The dragons had been having difficulties reproducing ever since the Aspects gave a part of their power to the Dragon Soul. The flights were inherently tied to their Aspects, and with them diminished, the flights also suffered. Most of their eggs never hatched, and of those that did, many whelps died young. If there were another way to procreate, even with mortals, that produced results, then there would be plenty of dragons willing to go for it. For the survival of their species, if for no other reason.

“She’s not physically a dragon though.” The red dragon pointed out the obvious.

Sapphiron scoffed. “Obviously. However, I have certain theories, and I’m eagerly awaiting her Visage Day.”

“You think…” Korialstrasz realized what he might be suggesting.

"It's a distinct possibility. And if not, then I'll at least have a quirky daughter that, for some reason, is stuck in a mortal form." He shrugged. "I think her other attributes will compensate for that minor issue. I’ve certainly had worse offspring.”

Korialstrasz chuckled at that. "A healthy, if a little odd, attitude. And it's not like we don't have other kinds of servants in the form of Dragonkin." Dragonkin were beings of mortal descent given a partially draconic form by the dragons. “Have you heard about the Bronze?” He asked suddenly.

“No. Why? What kind of temporal issues have they cooked up now?” Sapphiron wasn’t surprised that the Bronze were in trouble again. Messing with timelines was not a good idea.

“Well, they were being very cagey at first, but Alexstrasza managed to get them to talk. Apparently, the timeways have collapsed. All of them. Simple time magic is still possible, but traveling through time? Not possible. At all. They've lost the ability completely, and it would seem to be impossible for others as well. They can't see the future or the past anymore either. Just vague hints, and their memories of the timeline have faded away almost entirely. Lord Nozdormu is keeping an eye on the timeline still, just in case there are changes, but the rest of the Bronze are just…feeling aimless at the moment.” Korialstrasz sounded sympathetic, and he truly was. He could sympathize with a lack of purpose.

"Hah! Serves them right. Never liked their all-knowing attitude!" Sapphiron was less sympathetic though. "Maybe now they can do something actually useful. Do the Black's job, for instance, now that Deathwing has driven his whole flight insane.”

“Don’t know if we need a second Dragonflight falling to corruption," Korialstrasz muttered darkly. “The Blacks were enough. Even if you’re not fond of the Bronze, seeing them become enemies would be much worse.”

"On that, we can agree." Sapphiron nodded and sent a casual fireball at the shore where a troll scout had been hiding. "We should get ready. We're going to need to do our job as magisters, or my daughter will have words for us, and neither of us wants that.”

------

Admiral Goldleaf could admit when he was wrong. He’d been skeptical at first. Sailing a dozen ships up the river through the width of Quel’thalas all the way to Lake Elrendar to assail the trolls had seemed a bit of an odd idea. They weren’t really assaulting the trolls though. They were a diversion. A very visible and blatant diversion.

“Admiral, the catapults are ready.” The first officer reported.

“Good. I want them to fire as soon as we round that island and come in range of the troll coastal settlement. Tell the archers they’re free to shoot at any trolls they spot. The more they kill, the better. If it’s green, it dies.” The admiral ordered coldly.

They didn’t have to wait long. Their fleet came across a handful of war canoes as they rounded the island covering the coastal part of Tor’Watha. Unlike the trolls, they had been prepared and expecting such an encounter, and several ballistae sang their deadly song, sinking the surprised canoes, while the archers made sure to kill any trolls that fell into the water. Their enchanted arrows prevented meaningful regeneration.

The admiral could tell the front vessels were about to enter catapult range. “For Noonstar! For Quel’thalas!” He shouted with a voice used to giving commands over large areas.

“For Noonstar! For Quel’thalas!” The crews of the ships followed his example, crying out loudly, and the catapults flung their payload forward.

The catapults were not loaded with stones. They were not attempting to siege Tor'Watha from the ships. Instead, the catapults were loaded with clay pots filled with a thick, viscous liquid. As the pots crashed among the coastal huts and docks, the pots shattered and sprayed their contents everywhere. A magical flamestrike was cast by the Grand Magister, igniting the liquid, turning the whole settlement into an inferno. The fires burned hot and spread quickly. In a few minutes, the entire coastal area was in flames, and to the horror of the trolls, these flames were not susceptible to being put out by water.

"For the Saint Princess." He whispered quietly. The screams of the burning trolls were music to his ears. He'd had family in Noonstar. Not everyone had made it, although most of his family had either been unharmed or had been healed by the princess. He'd attended her sermons in Silvermoon and secretly hoped he might be blessed with the power of the Light. He was more than happy to use all his abilities for the betterment of his people.

If he was to be a distraction, then he’d be the best damn distraction ever created.

-----

"It's started," Talanas commented, seeing the smoke from the shore. Even in the fading light of the sunset, the black acrid smoke was not hard to miss.

“So it has.” Selessa nodded and turned to the gathered soldiers, Farstriders, Spellbreakers, and magisters. They’d focused on quality over quantity to make this happen quickly. Her voice rose a bit. Just enough to be heard by the couple thousand people gathered and no farther. “You know the plan. The brutes came to our lands to slay and enslave our people. It is time to show how wrong they were to do that. We’re going to be the first hammer blow of this war. May the Light and the Sunwell be with you.” Her speech was short and simple, but it was received with serious eyes filled with conviction. Especially as she followed up by blessing all of them with improved strength and gifting them with improved fortitude.

Buffing so many people twice was taxing even on her mana, which was just one of the reasons she would not be in the front line of this battle. Another reason being that Anasterian would not allow it. She was here as a strategist and a supporter.

Without a word, the Farstriders slipped through the trees towards the walls of Tor'Watha. They had managed to approach the settlement unseen, as their sharp-eyed rangers had shot all Amany scouts and hunters, and she'd taken care of the invisible sentry totems with her magic sight and Spellbreaker abilities. Now, with all of the trolls distracted by the naval strike, the Farstriders could get close without being noticed. Their magical bows and shots took down the few distracted troll guards still present on the walls, as most of the Amani had rushed to the shore, either to fight the ships or to put out the fires.

With agility only elves could display, the Farstrider scaled the walls in a few easy leaps before opening the gates for the rest. The remaining warhost rushed in with eerie silence, not making a single sound as they took out any trolls they came across, their forms quietly slipping through the now quiet stronghold of the trolls. Talanas personally took out the troll chieftain, who was still holed up in a large hut built on stilts.

By the time the trolls noticed something was wrong, it was too late. The numerically larger troll warband was now caught between their own fortifications and the ships on the lake. To make things worse, their position was untenable as they were standing amongst raging fires, not helped by the ships lobbing more pots of flammable liquid on top of them.

The elven rangers happily started shooting at the disordered trolls from the walls, most of the soldiers joining them as the Quel’dorei soldiers also carried bows. Even if their skill didn't quite match the Farstriders, it didn't much matter, as it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Some of the most skilled Farstriders had semi-magical abilities, like when Talanas charged an arrow with power before shooting it high in the air, ending up with a rain of hundreds of magical arrows falling among the trolls.

The magisters were not about to be left behind and added their own to the misery of the trolls. Flame strikes created tornadoes of fire, while fire and ice rained from above. The Spellbreakers made sure any magical resistance was quickly undone. The trolls might have managed to form proper resistance if they had not been caught completely unprepared, but now chaos reigned among their number, stymying any attempts at organization. It didn’t take long for the trolls to break and start running southward in a disordered mess.

Selessa used her weapon to give the cavalry behind her the signal. The hawkstriders jumped forward, carrying a group of five hundred cavalry towards the fleeing trolls. “Time to make the trolls remember this day for years to come.” She whispered to herself. Hunting down fleeing enemies was not glorious, but it was necessary. Any troll they killed now would be a troll less to fight later.

The hawkstriders made for excellent light cavalry, and if there was one thing such cavalry excelled at, it was cutting down fleeing enemies. “For Noonstar!” came the bloodthirsty cry of the riders as their blades struck down as many of the fleeing trolls as possible, before the terrain became impossible and the trolls became too scattered to chase. At the same time, the naval component of this attack also followed along, the magisters on board dispersing any attempts from the trolls to fight back in an organized manner.

Her main role in this battle had been planning, and now it was healing. As the action started to peter out, wounded began flowing towards her position. Despite the plan working perfectly, there were always wounded. The trolls, despite being surprised and caught in a horrible situation, were not wholly incapable of fighting back. Spear throwers could still chuck their weapons, even if the elves had the protection of the walls. Inevitably, some of the fleeing trolls would also manage to fight back instead of being helplessly cut down.

As the situation allowed it, Talanas finally made his way towards her, just as she was healing someone who’d taken a spear through their guts. “What’s the butcher’s bill?” He asked simply. Her hands glowed as that glow spread over the soldier she was healing, before all the wounds he’d suffered closed right before their eyes.

“On our side so far? A couple hundred wounded. All of whom I’ll be able to heal if they stay alive long enough. Two dead by the time they were brought to me, and I’m guessing there will be at least one or two more before the night is done. The people we sent to chase the trolls will have more losses.” She replied, waving her hand for the two soldiers carrying the stretcher to take this one away, and for the next wounded to be brought forward.

As she healed people, staving off death and even giving back limbs that they’d thought lost forever, Talanas could see the faith and reverence appear in their eyes. Healing potions were something the Quel'dorei were somewhat accustomed to. Potions could close wounds and bring someone back from the brink of death, but only in very specific kinds of cases. And they certainly didn't restore limbs. Seeing what they considered to be miracles happen right before their eyes was very effective in fostering belief.

“There were about 8000 trolls here, and I can confirm we devastated them. At most, 20% of them will make it back to Zul’Aman.” He had a slightly sickly expression. The Quel’dorei had the right mentality when setting off, but they were still unused to such brutality. And losses of 80% were almost unheard of.

“Two dead versus six and a half thousand. I’d say that’s about as good as battles get.” She pointed out.

“Is it always like this?” Talanas asked after a moment. He was used to small skirmishes, not slaughters like this.

She shook her head. “No. This was an easy battle with almost no losses on our side. It was more of an execution than a battle. Most of the time, it's much, much worse. This was just a tiny taste of what's coming. You haven’t tasted real battle until you see mud and rain mix with the blood and guts of your friends into a soup that taints the land.”

-------

[Your Discipline attribute has increased from 3 to 4! Discipline Perk point gained.]

[Your Commander skill has increased from 3 to 4! Commander Perk point gained.]

[Your Light skill has increased from 2 to 3!]

She'd gone to bed very late last night, partially because it took quite long for the cavalry to return with their wounded. As she'd spent so much mana, she'd crashed quite hard when she'd finally gotten the chance to rest, and it seemed Talanas had allowed her to rest for a full eight hours, thus allowing the System to update her skills and attributes.

The knowledge granted by Discipline and Commander mostly reinforced her knowledge of the tactics of this time. It seemed she'd reached a threshold of some kind, as the skill was also giving her information on tactics that the trolls and the Mon’keigh of this world favored. Notably, she knew there would be other races in this world, but she would not get information on them before she met them. She wasn’t suddenly an expert on troll tactics, but she got the basics at least. She’d worry about the Perks later.

The information provided by the Light was also interesting, as it took things in a new direction. So far, she’d gotten mostly knowledge and techniques on the priestly and support side of things. Now she got her first hints on the more militant side. Not in very much detail, but basics like how to project magical auras, and basic techniques to protect herself and smite the enemy. Something she’d have to delve into better later on. The quick improvement in her Light skill also showed her suitability for its use. She'd spent years leveling Arcane to a point that had taken the Light a few months. On the other hand, some of that was also due to the nature of the powers, as Arcane was knowledge and learning based. Despite her advantages in that field, learning took time.

As she stepped out of the tent, she noted two soldiers guarding the entrance, one of whom spoke to her right away. "Your Excellency. Ranger-General Windrunner wanted to meet you once you got up. He’s near the gates of the troll fortifications.”

‘Your Excellency?’ She thought to herself. That was more of a religious address, and usually she would’ve been addressed as Your Highness if such honors were on offer. "I'll go there then. Do we have any estimate on when we can leave?"

“Not yet, Your Excellency.” The other guard answered without hesitation. “It seems unlikely that it would be today though.”

“Right. Let’s keep the tent up then.” She commented. The two guards stepped up behind her as she started walking towards the gate. She knew Anasterian had insisted on her being guarded, largely on the instructions of Queen Elessine, who thought House Luminaris might try something in the chaos of battle.

Talanas was shouting instructions at the gate, mainly to the magisters who were busy tearing the whole thing down. Even Sapphiron was lazily leveling the walls with a wave of his hands. “Ah, you’re up.” The Ranger-General seemed to have perked up from last night. “Good. We have plenty of things for you and your father to look over, as it seems you two are the ones with the best eye for identifying magic.”

“Loot?” She asked, somewhat surprised.

“Wouldn’t call it that necessarily. Spoils of war, perhaps? Apparently, Tor'Watha was something of a resource-gathering hub for the Amani. The trolls are capable of enchanting things, and they have plenty of raw materials of all kinds. There’s a mine at the back of the settlement as well. Their stores were quite full when we attacked.” He explained.

“We’re obviously not keeping the place.” She pointed out.

“Oh, by the Sunwell, no! We’re leveling the whole thing. We don’t want to give the trolls any reason to return. We’ll place a decent garrison and some watchtowers on this side of the lake, just to keep an eye out. But no, we’re certainly not going to be using the troll fortifications.” He almost spat out the last part, his disdain for the trolls clear. “Who knows what they’ve done to curse this place. We’ll even collapse the mine. That’s part of why we need you to go over the spoils, to avoid any nasty surprises.”

She shrugged. “Fine by me, just asking. Now show me this loot.”

Talanas led her to a clearing outside the fortifications, where large numbers of different materials were spread out. There were generally four large groupings and a couple of smaller ones. The larger groupings consisted mainly of ore, herbs, hides, and weapons. The smaller ones consisted of general valuables like gold and gems, and enchanting materials, mainly some magical dust, shards, and essences.

She decided to work her way up. The smallest pile, the enchanting materials, were inherently magical, but they were also the easiest to check. You couldn't really cast spells on them without spoiling them, as they were reagents for magic and would've reacted badly to any curses. They were all quickly cleared, placed into large caskets, and carried off to the waiting ships.

The valuables were a little more complicated. Most of the pile was completely non-magical, which included all of the gold, but some of the items and trinkets were enchanted, and she had to figure out, at least in general terms, what the magic in the items was for. Luckily, she'd been practicing with Sapphiron, who soon followed her and started working his way through the biggest pile, the weapons. With a gesture from her, the trinkets were cleared and carried off by the waiting elves.

The only magic on the hides was the inherent magic of the beasts they were taken from, which got them cleared almost right away, aside from a particular hide seeped in some dark magic that she would have to have Sapphiron take a look at.

The issues really came with the herbs and the ores. Most of the ores were non-magical and easy to clear, but a portion of them had been treated with something that eluded her magical senses. The same with some of the herbs. "Having trouble there?" Her father asked, wandering over.

“Somewhat. I know these ores and herbs have been soaked in something magical, but…” She gave her thoughts.

“Mmh. Understandable.” He nodded. “They’ve been soaking them in magical substance the trolls call mojo. It’s something they use to prepare sacrifices for the Loa, as well as enchant their items. Some drink the liquid form to empower themselves, though that’s rather dangerous. It’s raw and primal magic in physical form, before taking on the nature of the Loa it’s dedicated to. In theory, the Loa are spirits of Life, so Mojo should be a good thing, but as usual, things with the trolls aren’t that simple. Some of their Loa are quite dark and dangerous in nature, and so is the mojo they're aligned with. It's not inherently evil, but it would need to be cleansed if we wanted to use any of the materials. It's easier to just burn the herbs tainted with mojo and dump the ore, especially since only a small portion of the materials are contaminated."

"Hmm, I think the Light could be used to cleanse the taint, and I'm somewhat tempted to try, but I suppose it would be a bit of a waste for now," She finally decided.

------

Anasterian put down the report he’d been given by Elessine. “Seems like a great victory.” He looked at the woman in question with slight confusion. “I’m not seeing the problem.”

The queen grimaced. "They defeated a force over three times their size, on attack, with practically no losses, and while devastating the enemy. All the wounded were healed to perfect condition, so the only casualties came from those who died before they got to your niece. That's not a great victory; that's a bloody miracle. Or at least, that's how it's being interpreted. And it's being accredited to your niece."

He frowned a bit. “Her involvement as the leader of the whole thing was supposed to be a secret." He knew these things didn't always make sense, but he tried anyway.

"Yes, well, apparently, a certain Grand Magister was caught bragging. Even if he hadn't, it was still a miraculous victory, and she was there, doing all the healing. She would've gotten most of the credit anyway." She explained.

He chuckled a bit. “Of course he did. He tries to hide behind being grumpy, but can’t help being proud of her.” He leaned back on his throne-like chair. They weren’t in the throne room, but in a secure side office, but the chair was shaped like a throne anyway. “And she’s doing a good job being a religious icon, whether she’s trying to or not.”

“House Luminaris is not going to like this. They’re already losing their position, and Selessa’s little students are continuing her preaching in the park even in her absence. And they tend to be even more ardent than her. More people get touched by this power every week. The whole thing is taking a life of its own, especially outside the city." She outlined, a clear tone of worry in her voice. "House Luminaris is not taking it well. This is only going to make things worse.”

“They’ve already lost. The soldiers especially love him, because they can figure out she was at least involved in our new preparedness to fight the trolls. Noonstar changed everything in our people’s minds. Even if House Luminaris were to kill her now, it would only make her a martyr. And if it could be traced back to them, they’d all be lynched. The question is, do they realize it?” He shook his head. “I’m having difficulty mustering much sympathy for them. It’s hardly Selessa’s fault they’ve done a poor job of handling the spiritual life of the Quel’dorei for thousands of years. They purposefully took a backseat. Now that someone has brought a real and tangible spiritual movement to the people, they aren’t really in a position to complain.”

Elessine nodded eagerly. “I agree, and I can certainly appreciate everything this Light is seemingly bringing to the table. However, that’s not to say House Luminaris can’t do damage in its final moments. The stupid part is that they don’t realize that they have the wealth, power, and influence to either support your niece or pivot to something else. They don’t need to worry about losing the Convocation seat for a while, unless they do something monumentally stupid. There’s plenty of time to find other reasons to exist.”

"Maybe we need to remind them." Anasterian decided after a moment of consideration. "We've taken a relatively passive approach so far. Maybe it's time we warn them directly. Tell them that it would be in their best interest if Selessa had a long and uncomplicated life."

“They’re not going to take it well.” Elessine pointed out.

"No, but they're going to take it even worse if we have to wipe the entire house out. And in time, they'll get over it. Maybe we can encourage them to seek glory during the war against the trolls. Turn them from a clerical house into a military one." He pondered.

“I think your friend Windrunner already occupies that lane.”

“As a Ranger-General, yes. But our new military posture is only going to grow. I know Selessa has plans. There’s plenty of room for other houses to become generals and master warriors.” He suggested.

“The issue with that is, as you said, Selessa having plans. I don’t think the Luminaris are willing to play second fiddle to her on that as well.” She smiled wryly at that.

“Fair enough. We still need to give the warning.” He rang a bell to summon a runner. A young elven page entered the room with a deep bow. “Send a word to House Luminaris. I’d like to talk with their patriarch.”

------

Anasterian looked down from his throne as the Patriarch of the Luminaris family walked in, heavily leaning on a staff that was topped off with a stylized sun. The man was the oldest living Quel’dorei he was aware of, which was a respectable achievement. They were meeting in the throne room, as Anasterian was making a statement with that choice, although the only other people present were the Spellbreakers working as royal guards and the two ever-present bodyguards.

The old man dressed in white and gold stopped a respectful distance away from the throne and gave a small bow. “King Anasterian. You have called, and I have answered.”

"I think you know why you're here," Anasterian said simply.

“I can make an educated guess.” The old patriarch nodded genially. “You speak of your niece and the new religion she is propagating.”

"Yes. Her, and more specifically your house's less-than-welcoming attitude toward her." He leaned back on the throne in a display of authority and disregard for the patriarch's comfort. "I'm sure you've already heard rumors of Zeb'Watha."

“I have.” The old man nodded in confirmation.

"Then pardon my bluntness, but her utility to the crown is exceeding what House Luminaris is providing, and that's only going to become more blatant as she gets older and more powerful. And that's in addition to the fact that she’s a member of my family. I’m sure you can infer what I mean by that.” His tone was not hostile exactly, but it was far from warm.

“I can. Should something happen to her, it would be detrimental to House Luminaris.” The old man nodded once again. “As it just so happens, I agree with you.” That caught Anasterian by surprise.

“Do elaborate.” He gestured for the old man to continue.

“Grhm.” The man cleared his throat. “I’m old enough to have knowledge, real knowledge and not the semi-propagandist drivel fed to most of our people, of the Priestesses of the Moon of our Kaldorei cousins. They were powerful healers, spiritual leaders, and their martial might was unquestionable. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that we would not have won the war against the Burning Legion without their contributions. In comparison, the powers of my House and the other sun priests pale in comparison. Our situation is the result of trying to sever ties with the Kaldorei, and you could say our dedication to the sun is a direct reversion of their faith. Yet our meager abilities come from the same source.”

Anasterian tapped his lip with a finger in thought. “My niece speculated that both beliefs draw their power from the Light, but only a small aspect of it, hence the limited power on offer.”

The patriarch hummed thoughtfully. “That’s an interesting perspective, one I might wish to explore with her one day. Anyway, I see much of the Priestesses of the Moon in young Selessa, and I’m certain that she can be a real asset to the kingdom. I've been rather sure of that since the moment I heard about her actions in Noonstar. I gladly welcome her actions, and her teachings seem to be pushing us in a better direction. The issue is that the rest of House Luminaris does not share my view. They only see her as competition. They don’t realize the competition is already lost. I’m old. I might be the patriarch, and I hold the seat in the Convocation due to respect, but I do not hold the power in my family. If it were up to me, I’d wish all the best to young Selessa, but it is not up to me.”

“Who is it up to then?” Anasterian asked, not liking what he was hearing. That the patriarch was on his side was good, but the rest of it was not.

“That’s the thing. The power in House Luminaris has become decentralized and fragmented to the point that there is no one leader. That’s part of why I still hold my position. No obvious heir to my seat has managed to gather enough support to unseat me.” The old man spread his hands helplessly. “I can throw my lot behind a candidate, but my word holds less sway every day, and young Selessa’s exploits aren’t making things easier. There’s a good chance that the power struggle will focus on which one of the candidates can hinder her the most.”

Anasterian groaned as he was getting a headache. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you? You do realize that I’ll need to take action soon? And if I do, it won’t be pretty.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers out of frustration.

“I do. You have my blessing, although I would ask for a certain level of mercy. They are still my children and grandchildren. I would rather not see them all thrown to the trolls.”

-----

“Hup!” With great effort, she lifted a rather sizeable stone above her head. Several stones of different sizes littered the ground around her. Her body was covered in a slight golden glow, as well as a sheen of sweat from lifting said stones.

“So?” Thelion asked, obvious curiosity on his face.

“Hard to say exactly. I’d say around thirty percent. Give or take a bit.” She finally said.

“With the blessing or without?” Thelion asked in confirmation.

"Without. With both, I'd say around fifty percent." She replied, stretching her body, which was stiff from all the work.

“Your blessing is a rather powerful empowering effect, especially considering it can be applied to so many people, and you’re telling me that infusing yourself with Light is half again as effective, and the two effects stack? How? They should both be empowering you with the same power.” He asked rather reasonable questions.

The only thing in response she had to offer was a shrug. “I don’t know. It’s magic. I don’t know how it works. It just does. And unlike with Arcane magic, I don’t need to know how it works for it to do so. I also have a hunch that the self-powering effect of the Light can be improved further. Much further.”

“That sounds kind of ridiculous. Being almost fifty percent stronger than without that power is already a huge advantage.” He pointed out.

She sort of agreed, but as she had access to the Perks, she knew the effects could be much greater. Several of the Perks offered for the Light skill improved spells that empowered the caster and others, though that seemed to be the main benefit of Light. That and healing. It didn’t have some of the more ridiculous effects of Arcane, yet, but what it did do, it did well. It traded some of Arcane's flexibility for specialization. Both had their upsides.

“Sounds like we’re going to have to train some people in the use of Light. They’re likely to form a sort of military elite down the road. We might not be able to do it in time to fight the trolls, but I’m sure there will be other enemies in the future.” She speculated.

“How many people do you already have that’s capable of using the Light?” Thelion asked.

She tapped her chin in thought. “About seventy. The months since Tor’Watha have been pretty useful for getting people involved and into the right mindset. About a dozen of those could likely be trained in the more martial abilities of Light. The rest are more suited as priests and healers. I hear there might be more outside Silvermoon, but they haven’t yet reached out. Working as local healers seems to satisfy them.”

“Local healers will likely always be necessary, though we’ll need frontline healers soon. I heard the trolls are poking around near Tranquilien. Our response has been swift and sharp, which is likely the only reason they haven’t made any further attacks. That, and the very thorough job you did at Tor’Watha.“

“They understand the language of power.” She nodded. “Very common with cultures based on strength and brutality, I understand.”

“You mentioned something about an aura before?” Thelion suddenly changed the subject.

"Right, yes, Aura of Protection. It affects everyone within about thirty meters of me, as well as myself, obviously. It grants a sort of protective effect. Well, it's easier to just show you." She closed her eyes for a moment, and suddenly she seemed to be covered in a glowing sheen of gold. The glow wasn't strong, and the sheen was perfectly transparent and not very thick, but it was there.

“Ok, I can get the idea.” Thelion looked at himself, also covered in the same sheen of gold. “What does it do?”

"As the name implies, it's a protective effect. It's not a replacement for armor or anything, but from my very limited testing, it seems to sap some of the momentum from attacks directed at you. If someone's in a position to cut your throat, it's not going to help, but piercing attacks don't penetrate as deeply, slashing attacks become shallower, and blunt attacks that might have broken bones before might just leave you with heavy bruising instead. It actually seems the most effective against blunt attacks. Of course, if you are wearing armor, then this makes that armor more effective.” She revealed her speculation.

They’d performed some tests while traveling back to Silvermoon with Talanas. Neither of them was willing to risk accidentally injuring each other, so they couldn't say how strong the effect really was, but it wasn't anything mind-blowing. For now, at least. As with most things, this was just the first step, and as her Magic attribute and Light skill improved, so would the effect.

“Useful but not going to change the result of a battle by itself. On the other hand, every little helps. And combined with the blessing, it could make a real difference.” Thelion said thoughtfully. “Now for the real test.”

As was in the skillset of Spellbreakers, Thelion tried to take the spells Selessa had cast on herself. The blessing was easy to remove, but the self-reinforcement through infusing herself with Light didn't seem to be affected, and the Aura just turned off and could be reapplied. "Hmm. I get the sense that even the power you’re infusing yourself with could be stolen, but it would require effort and concentration on the same level as removing the nastiest curses.”

“Good to know.” She mused. “I also assume you tested if you could remove the effects of my healing magic. How did that go?”

“It didn’t. Once the healing has taken effect, there’s no magic to remove.” He reported. They’d tested with simple injuries before trying something more serious.

“Good. I suspected that would be the case, but it’s good to get confirmation. Would be kind of dangerous if you could rip off the leg of someone I’d healed earlier.”