Glory and Dry Bones

Only after Ranger Lord Lor'themar Theron returned to Sunwell Citadel did Tyrel learn why the High Elf rangers at Pathfinder Camp had failed to hold back Zul'jin, the others, and the main Forest Troll force.

King of Rangers Hoxbyr had been severely wounded by Forest Troll General Dakara, and the High Elves on the western side of Pathfinder Camp had failed to withstand the Forest Troll troops attacking from the Amani Crypt.

Once Dakara's forces appeared on the western side of Pathfinder Camp, the main Forest Troll force attacking the camp head-on would surely be greatly encouraged, while Pathfinder Camp would be caught in a pincer attack.

To prevent this from happening, Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner had no choice but to send Ranger Lord Lor'themar Theron and Hadrun Mingyi to deal with Dakara. Anyone capable of defeating Hoxbyr could not be underestimated.

Without Lor'themar and Hadrun, Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner alone definitely could not stop Zul'jin, Naralakh, and Haralaz.

Yet Ranger-General Sylvanas did not shift the blame onto Hoxbyr. Instead, she took responsibility herself.

Hearing this, Tyrel felt somewhat guilty as well. He had originally believed that so long as King of Rangers Hoxbyr led the Dawnblade Archers alongside the Sun Village garrison, they would certainly be able to withstand Dakara's Forest Troll troops.

King of Rangers Hoxbyr had certainly possessed the ability to stop the Forest Troll troops led by Dakara. But Hoxbyr's pride had made him abandon ambushes and delaying tactics in favor of confronting Dakara head-on, resulting in defeat.

More than half of the Dawnblade Archers and Sun Village garrison had been lost.

Another piece of bad news soon arrived. Driven by greed for merit, Magister Dalkhan had led the magisters in pursuit without scouting after Warlock Lord Malakas and the Forest Trolls of Torvasa pretended to retreat.

Without the defenses of Morningstar Tower or the protection of the Arcane Guardians, one thousand Dawnblade Magisters had fallen into Warlock Lord Malakas's ambush. The fragile magisters had been exposed to Forest Troll spears, and more than three hundred had been slain outright.

Every High Elf magister had been cultivated by the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas at enormous expense over hundreds of years.

Tyrel did not blame King of Rangers Hoxbyr or Magister Dalkhan. This lesson had made him understand that a commander's own flaws of character often led to defeat.

Everyone had flaws in their character, and Tyrel was no exception. He was too young, too hot-blooded, believing everything had already been planned out. Yet the battlefield was always filled with uncertainty and change. Because of his youthful impetuosity, nearly three thousand of the ten thousand High Elf Paladins had died, while the numbers of lightly and severely wounded were countless.

Of the fifteen-thousand-strong Dawnblade Legion, nearly one-third had become casualties. This was only the first battle, yet such a painful price made Tyrel understand the battlefield even more deeply.

At Sunwell Citadel, Tyrel held a funeral for all the High Elf warriors who had fallen in the Dawnblade Legion. The severely wounded High Elf Paladins also went, supported by their surviving comrades, to see their fallen comrades one last time.

Every High Elf Paladin in the Dawnblade Legion was young, all under five hundred years old. For High Elves, this age was merely the rising sun, the dawn of morning.

"Brothers, I was the one who brought you into the Dawnblade Legion, and I was the one who led you into this battle. Every one of your deaths was caused by me. I will remember every one of you. The brothers still alive will inherit your will and continue protecting the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas and our people. We die so that more of our people may live. In the name of sunlight!" Standing before the corpses of three thousand High Elf Paladins, now utterly cold and devoid of life, Tyrel spoke softly.

"In the name of sunlight!" Mylah Dawncaller shouted after him.

"In the name of sunlight!"

Every member of the Dawnblade Legion—Paladins, archers, and magisters alike—joined in the cry, using their battle slogan to honor their brothers.

The young Tyrel still could not quickly accept such heavy losses. But as he grieved, a piece of good news soon reached Sunwell Citadel.

Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner had pursued the Forest Trolls all the way to Zul'Aman. In the end, she had no choice but to withdraw because of Zul'Aman's sturdy walls, but on the way back, she had wiped out several Forest Troll villages. Even so, this was an achievement the High Elves had not attained again in over a thousand years.

Of the thirty thousand Ranger-Expeditionaries at Pathfinder Camp, nearly ten thousand had died. Combined with the Dawnblade Legion's losses, fourteen thousand High Elves had perished in the battle for Pathfinder Camp.

As for the Forest Trolls, of their army of one hundred thousand, fewer than forty thousand had returned to Torvasa or fled back to Zul'Aman as reinforcements. Counting the Darkpine Clan and Amani Clan Forest Troll villages destroyed by the Dawnblade Legion and Pathfinder Legion, no fewer than one hundred thousand Forest Trolls had died.

This campaign, launched by the Forest Trolls themselves, had ended in their crushing defeat.

The loss of one hundred thousand Forest Trolls had dealt a grievous blow to the Amani Empire, whose population had already dwindled to only several hundred thousand. To prevent the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas from launching a punitive campaign after its great victory, Zul'jin relocated all the Forest Trolls from the villages outside Zul'Aman into Zul'Aman itself.

Tyrel had already foreseen that once this news of victory reached Silvermoon City, both his father, King Anastarian, and the Silvermoon Council would agree to hold a grand celebration to commend the Pathfinder Legion and Dawnblade Legion.

Those enjoying the glory were the elves who had survived, but their fallen brothers would never again be able to receive that glory with them.

Still, Tyrel adjusted his state of mind as best he could and prepared to lead the Dawnblade Legion to Silvermoon City to receive this honor, because they deserved it.

Only in this way could the worth of the Dawnblade Legion's High Elf Paladins be proven. Then the Dawnblade Legion would receive greater recognition, and High Elf Paladins would be formally established throughout the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas.

Before that, Tyrel and the Dawnblade Legion still had to return to Dalsom, so Dalsom's sons and daughters could return to their parents. Their bodies would also be buried in Dalsom.

Upon hearing of the Dawnblade Legion's return, the High Elf residents of Dalsom called for their heroes to return, even as they mourned the loss of Dalsom's sons and daughters.

Tyrel deliberately arranged for the coffins of the fallen High Elf Paladins to lead the procession, returning home in glory...

"Prince Tyrel, the memorial monument for the fallen heroes will soon be completed. Rest assured, Dalsom will never forget them." Countess Liadrin reported the news. To commemorate every fallen hero, Tyrel had decided to erect a monument to heroes bearing the names of every fallen High Elf Paladin, so that all High Elves of Dalsom would never forget them.