Uther's Complaints, Arrival at Tyr's Tomb

The next day, after traveling all day, they made camp that afternoon. Uther began teaching Rod combat techniques, and the two first dueled with wooden swords.

This duel left Uther deeply disappointed!

In stark contrast to his powerful talent for the Holy Light, Rod's personal combat abilities were so poor that Uther found them nearly unbearable.

"Cough, cough! Lord Uther, how is my talent for combat?" Rod asked, rolling his slightly sore wrist.

"Rod, your talent for the Holy Light is astonishing, but as for close-quarters martial skill, I can only say that you are about as capable as children in Lordaeron who have just learned to fight with wooden sticks," Uther said with a helpless sigh.

He truly had no words left. He could not find any other description for just how terrible Rod's martial talent was!

Such exceptional talent for the Holy Light, yet he had never undergone even the most basic training. His fighting ability was about on par with seven- or eight-year-old children at the village entrance swinging wooden sticks.

"Pfft!" Jaina, watching from the side, could not hold back her laughter. She had never expected Rod's basic combat talent to be so dreadful.

It was simply too surprising. He had such incredible talent for magic, yet when it came to close-combat swordsmanship, he was a complete idiot.

"Lord Uther, I'll have to trouble you to put more effort into teaching me. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll only be fit to be a spellcaster in the future," Rod said.

Come on, I'm a rookie who only crossed over a month ago!

As a modern person, did I really need to pick up a stick and practice fighting and fencing with people?

Would I only be able to become a long-range mage in the future? It seemed I needed to summon a powerful melee bodyguard!

Otherwise, if someone got close, Rod probably would not even know how he died.

"Do not worry, Rod. I will definitely set you on the path of a paladin. Prolonged use of the Holy Light will strengthen your body.

"Use Holy Light spells more often in the future, and your body will certainly grow stronger. Once your body is strong enough, practicing martial skills will become much easier," Uther said.

Before becoming a paladin, he had been a priest of the Alliance. The Holy Light had played a huge role in transforming him from a frail priest into a knight.

Rod nodded at that. The Holy Light truly was a miraculous power. In fact, just like fel infusion, the Holy Light could also be infused into someone.

It could directly turn one into a Lightforged being, completely shedding the limits of mortality. After Turalyon was Lightforged by Xera, the Mother of Light of the Naaru, he lived for a thousand years without aging in the slightest.

Moreover, if this Mother of Light wished it, she could even Lightforge a dreadlord or even the fully demonized Illidan.

A dreadlord and the fully demonized Illidan were demons through and through, yet even so, the power of the Holy Light could still remake them.

"Now, continue your training, Rod!" Uther tossed the wooden sword to Rod again. At the very least, he had to give the boy some ability to protect himself.

After finishing his martial training with Uther, Rod found the female mage and learned some frost magic from her.

He successfully copied Ice Lance, Blizzard, and Summon Water Elemental as well.

"Rod, if even a tenth of your talent for magic could be transferred to your close-combat ability, you would definitely become a perfect paladin," Jaina said with a smile.

"I think being a mage is fine too. Aren't you the same? You can't fight either," Rod said.

"Oh? Then how about we practice with wooden swords? I'll show you what a princess of Kul Tiras is capable of." A sly smile appeared on Jaina's lips.

She might be a magical genius proficient in all kinds of arcane magic, but that did not mean she had neglected martial training.

As the daughter of a noble family, she had received strict training since childhood. It was a required course for every noble child.

A mage born into nobility could still knock down a well-trained human soldier after picking up a weapon.

Rod was speechless. So all of you were damn plate-armored classes?

No wonder Thrall, a shaman, could wear plate armor, and that future little prince, a priest, could wear plate armor too!

Three days later, deep within the Tirisfal Glades.

Under Rod's precise guidance, the group of several dozen people ventured deep into a valley in the Tirisfal Glades.

They eventually arrived before a lake surrounded by dense forest. The scenery was almost exactly the same as in the game, and Rod could confirm that they had reached the entrance to Tyr's Tomb.

"We're here, Lord Uther. It's right here." Rod stopped and pointed at the silent lake.

"The entrance to Tyr's Tomb lies beneath this lake, but we first need the Keepers' permission. I think they should already be here."

As if to confirm Rod's words, faint metallic scraping and footsteps came from the dense woods on the other side of the lake shore.

Then, more than a dozen figures pushed aside the thick branches and appeared before them. They were Tyr's Guard.

Their equipment was exceptionally fine. Their full suits of plate armor were grayish silver, entirely different in style from the standard armor of Lordaeron or Stormwind.

They were taller and more powerfully built than ordinary humans, averaging over two meters in height. Though not as exaggerated in size as the Vrykul, they were still much stronger than ordinary humans.

The guard at their head stepped forward and blocked the group.

"Outsiders, halt. This is the resting place of a sacred being and must not be desecrated. State your identities and purpose."

Uther stepped forward, placed his right hand over his chest, and gave a standard knight's salute.

The Holy Light around him seemed drawn by the aura of this place, naturally becoming brighter and purer.

"Honored Keepers of Tyr, I am Uther Lightbringer, one of the first paladins of the Knights of the Silver Hand, and a lord of the Kingdom of Lordaeron.

"We have not come with intentions of desecration. The guidance of the Holy Light, along with a revelation from an ancient being, brought us here."

Uther turned slightly and gestured for Rod to step forward. "This is Priest Rod. During a chance encounter, he was fortunate enough to receive guidance from a great Titan Keeper.

"That Keeper told us that the seal on Zakaz, the Faceless One general slumbering here, is loosening, and its shadow will soon threaten this world once again.

"At the same time, the Keeper told us that the artifact left behind by Tyr, the great Keeper of Order—the warhammer Silver Hand—is enshrined deep within this Tomb.

"The Holy Light has revealed to me that Lordaeron, and indeed all of Azeroth, is suffering an unprecedented threat from the Scourge. We need this artifact, which symbolizes light and justice, to fight the darkness and protect the living!"