As midnight approached, Unas sat up in the Cave that Stonebrow had prepared for him. The alcohol had almost made him forget his original intention of staying there for the night, but fortunately, the Dwarves ' loud snoring kept him from falling asleep. It was time to go and accomplish his goal.
He donned a black cloak, tiptoed away from the Dwarf settlement, and made his way toward Holiya's Memorial.
There were two soldiers on night watch outside the wooden house on the hill. Unas waited in the darkness for a while until it was time for their shift to end, and then the two soldiers got up and left.
Unas seized the opportunity to slip into the hut. The replacement watchman would be arriving in a while, and he planned to use this gap to try and resurrect Holiya.
Doing good deeds anonymously, and then doing it like a thief, is sometimes just absurd.
A few candles in the hut provided dim light. Unas gently lifted the black cloth covering Holiya's body, revealing the Paladin's bluish corpse.
He wasted no time and immediately began casting the spell. As his level increased, his energy level rose, and "Redemption" no longer became a burden on his mind.
Golden light swirled around Holiya's body, and the exposed skin of the corpse gradually became soft and vibrant, as if it would open its eyes and wake up at any moment.
Time passed second by second, then suddenly a golden light flashed, and the light on Holiya's body disappeared, finally ending the long spellcasting.
Unas reached out to check the Paladin's pulse, but there was no movement. He then touched his heart, but still no response. The Resurrection had failed for the first time.
Holiya's body was restored very well, like a sleeping person, but his soul was not brought back. Having been dead for so long, it may have dissipated or gone to another world.
It seems that the drawbacks of the Resurrection that Pulhart mentioned also apply to him. It's laughable that Unas still a bit arrogant, thinking that he should be superior to Uther because he has the backing of the system god.
"What are you doing here?!" A stern, interrogative shout suddenly rang out from behind, interrupting Unas's self-pity.
The person on duty returned so quickly? He turned around and met a pair of bright blue eyes. The newcomer was an unfamiliar female High Elf, who, judging from her attire, should be a ranger.
"Offer condolences to my colleague." Unas had already prepared his excuse should he be caught.
"So late? What did you do to his body?" The ranger's eyes were sharp; he noticed the changes to Holiya's body as soon as he entered.
Unas then continued his lie, "It was just a spell to appease the souls of the dead, allowing my friend to rest in peace with more dignity."
"Friends? Do you humans call someone you've only met once a friend?" The Elf looked at him with suspicion. "I've never heard Holiya mention that you're his friend."
It turned out this Elf was quite familiar with Holiya. Sensing his lie was about to be exposed, Unas quickly changed the subject. "You know me?"
"Of course, I've heard several different versions of the story of the famous Holy-favored and the Demon Slayer recently, and someone pointed them out to me when you arrived this afternoon." Despite saying this, there was no trace of admiration in her tone.
Unas belatedly realized how much attention he was attracting and knew he needed to be more careful in the future.
"Elf is...?"
"I am Ranger Captain Perella Swiftarrow, and I am in charge of the Blood Elves in this camp."
She identified herself as Blood Elf, so she should have been part of the army that accompanied Prince Kael'thas to Lordaeron to participate in the Alliance wars, but for some reason she did not go to Outland with Kael'thas.
After examining Holiya's body, the ranger looked up in astonishment. "All his wounds have healed! I never knew Paladin magic could heal corpses?"
"I am Holy-favored, this is a new spell bestowed upon me by the Holy Light," Unas casually rambled on.
This almost shameless reason was unconvincing. Perella's womanly intuition told her that Unas was lying, but she couldn't find any evidence, and Unas certainly had no intention or reason to harm Holiya's body.
What's the Blood Elf ranger captain doing here in the middle of the night? Unas wondered, and asked directly, "Is Miss Perella also here to pay her respects to Holiya?"
"No, I was just on night patrol and happened to be here to take a look."
"What a coincidence! I was also having trouble sleeping, so I came to check on things. It seems we're quite destined for each other."
Perella snorted but didn't answer, and Unas couldn't find anything to say either, so the cabin fell silent for a moment.
The two women and the corpse stood silently facing each other. Perella, still puzzled, didn't want to leave. Unas's Resurrection had failed, and there was no point in staying. He yawned, picked up the black cloth, and covered Holiya's body back up. Then he waved to the female Elf and said, "I'm suddenly so sleepy. I'm going back to sleep. Bye-bye."
This contradicted what he had just said about not being able to sleep, but if he stayed any longer, his embarrassment would flare up, so he had no choice but to leave.
As for what the female Elf thought, he couldn't care less. If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. Besides, he was there to do a great deed, saving a life being more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda.
After he left, Perella examined Holiya's body again carefully, but still found nothing harmful or unusual.
"Could it be that I misunderstood him?" The wandering swordsman muttered to herself, her lips pursed, the deep darkness outside the door swirling around her doubts like a persistent ripple.
The sky was overcast, Unas, sporting dark circles under his eyes, left the Venomspider Gorge. The Dwarves ' snoring had been so loud the night before that he hadn't been able to sleep since returning to his Cave.
As soon as it was light, he left a note for Stonebrow, who was still fast asleep, and eagerly returned to the Monastery.
Everyone in the Monastery was in high spirits; the great victory in the Eastern Plaguelands completely overshadowed the bad news from Venomspider Gorge. Unas returned to Gordon's hut listlessly.
Gordon was not there, of course. When the two parted yesterday, he had said that he would move to the Church District to live in seclusion, and this room would be temporarily given to Unas to live in.
Finally finding some peace and quiet, Unas lay down to catch up on his sleep, but a series of urgent knocks on the door immediately pulled him back from the brink of slumber.
Reluctantly opening the door, Erigor's familiar face appeared before him, his voice filled with excitement. "Brother Unas, you're finally back!"
This guy's enthusiasm, as always, made Unas uncomfortable. He had witnessed this jerk's other side of himself on the training field before, and said with a wry smile, "Where else can I go if I don't come back?"
"How's Venomspider Gorge? You seem quite interested in it. Gordon said you went there yesterday. What's so captivating about the Canyon?" Erigor gave him a knowing look. "You don't look like you slept well last night. I heard you've been getting quite close to a Night Elf girl?"
"I was just catching up with some old friends," Unas said, stepping aside to let the devil instructor into the room. "As for not sleeping well, I spent last night surrounded by Dwarves, which must have disappointed you."
As expected, Erigor looked uninterested. "That's definitely not going to work."
"Have you heard about what happened to Holiya?" Unas thought of the poor Warden.
"Of course, we received the news yesterday at noon. That unlucky fellow is already the third Paladin we've lost in the Canyon," Erigor's tone turned somber. "I wonder who the next unfortunate soul will be sent."
What if it were you?
"If it were me? I wouldn't be stupid enough to lead only a few people deep into the Venomspider Gorge in the middle of the night; that would be suicide."
"Let's not talk about that," Erigor changed the subject. "The reason I rushed here to see you is because I have some good news for you."
"Good news? About me?" Unas asked expectantly.
Erigor didn't keep him in suspense. "Lord Tyrosus has decided to nominate you for the Consecration Ceremony a week from now."