Scarlet Crusade

Scarlet Crusade

"Here is intelligence from Hillsbrad, its authenticity confirmed by the hunter Leopold. Light's Hope Chapel next door has also received similar news." Abbendis tried to make her voice sound imposing, but the delicate softness of a young girl's voice made her efforts seem ineffective.

"What is there to care about from those cowardly southerners? Compared to this place, that place is practically paradise." A radical Scarlet Crusade officer mocked them loudly. Though he was probably right, it would once have been unimaginable for a low-ranking officer to interrupt the Scarlet High General.

Without warning, the smug young knight was knocked straight to the ground by another female officer. A Crusader Strike, accompanied by the splintering of a wooden chair, left the arrogant young man sprawled helplessly on the floor. He immediately realized he had committed a grave offense.

Marlene, the Scarlet commander clad in golden armor, rose and rebuked him. "Knight Balk, your head has grown too hot. I hope you have sobered up now. This is the cathedral of Tyr's Hand. You have no right to interrupt!"

Marlene then lowered her head toward High General Abbendis and Grand Inquisitor Isillien, who sat at the head of the meeting. "I took it upon myself to attack a fellow officer and violated military discipline. I ask my lords to punish me."

Abbendis knew Marlene was helping her resolve the problem. As a Scarlet High General who had only recently taken office, she had not yet established sufficient authority. Looking gratefully at Marlene, who had stepped in so loyally, she said, "Commander Marlene was maintaining the necessary order of the meeting. Though her actions were somewhat excessive, they do not constitute a serious offense. As for Knight Balk, who violated discipline and disrupted the meeting, let Grand Inquisitor Isillien pass judgment."

"Knight Balk disrupted the meeting without authorization and showed contempt for military discipline. Guards, take Balk away. Give him fifty lashes, then assign him to the Scarlet Vanguard in the Plaguelands as a warning to others." Grand Inquisitor Isillien's tone was grim enough to chill the room.

This was Tyr's Hand, the Scarlet Crusade's headquarters. Paladins as powerful as Commander Marlene had never particularly agreed with his views. Now she had openly attacked a knight he had brought with him, showing no mercy whatsoever, while joining Abbendis in a coordinated performance that nearly left Isillien unable to save face.

If he did not punish Balk severely, Marlene would likely turn on him next. Isillien shot Marlene a vicious glare, but the Scarlet commander merely smiled with an expression that said, What can you do about it? That only made Isillien more frustrated.

After that incident, no one dared casually challenge Abbendis's authority again. Her clear voice continued, "Knight Roderick, captain of the Southshore militia and a former member of the Order of the Silver Hand. Several dozen days ago, he led the Southshore militia in an attack on the Undead stronghold at Tarren Mill, and..."

High General Abbendis noticed that everyone's attention was fixed on her. It seemed they were all eager to know the battle's outcome. She continued, "...they broke Tarren Mill's garrison defenses, with only the Undead commander escaping. They then set Tarren Mill ablaze and reduced it to ashes before returning victoriously to Watchtower Village."

"Is that true, General Abbendis?" someone asked impatiently.

"It is absolutely true. I guarantee it in the name of the Crusade."

There were actually human forces in the south willing to take the initiative and attack the Undead army? Though it had only been a local militia, annihilating Tarren Mill's defenders and burning their stronghold to the ground was unquestionably a great victory.

The military victory against the Undead made those below forget the prohibition, and they began whispering among themselves. No matter what, since they had taken the initiative to attack the Undead, they were undoubtedly a force that shared the Scarlet Crusade's ideals. Seeing such an allied force emerge in the south made these warriors fighting fiercely in Northrend very happy.

"Next is some follow-up intelligence on this matter. After capturing several Undead prisoners, Roderick confined them in cages and displayed them publicly in Southshore. He also used them at the training grounds to teach recruits how to effectively kill Undead soldiers, greatly relieving the recruits' fear of the Undead. Our intelligence agents believe this method is worth promoting in Northrend."

"I personally strongly agree with this training method. Many loyal young warriors, when they first encounter these difficult-to-kill Undead in battle, become so frightened that they cannot fight properly. Some even die because of it. Only after seeing the Undead and learning how to kill them can they overcome that fear."

"And what became of those Undead prisoners in the end?" Grand Inquisitor Isillien asked as well.

"According to the intelligence, all the Undead prisoners had their limbs bound and were tied to posts. Then a large number of recruits hacked them to death as target practice. Their bodies were burned to ashes. It was handled very cleanly."

Hearing Abbendis's account, not only the officers below but even Isillien was impressed by Roderick's brutal methods. He was definitely one of the Scarlet Crusade's own.

"We can send someone to contact him. Knight Roderick will be a friend of the Scarlet Crusade. I wonder whether he would be willing to join our righteous cause." Isillien thought highly of the Southshore knight. As a former member of the Order of the Silver Hand, there were no issues with either his credentials or his faith.

"He will be our friend, but he may not necessarily be willing to join our cause. According to our information, Roderick has established his own territory and knightly order in Southshore. Our intelligence agents have also joined them."

Abbendis casually took out a metal badge. It had a crimson background and a white raven. After showing it to everyone, she explained, "The Dark Raven Knights. Though this badge does not look particularly dark, their motto is on the reverse." Everyone saw a clear line of small writing engraved on the back: Never forget, never forgive.

"According to them, the Dark Raven Knights' objective is not merely to destroy the Undead, but also to drive out the Orcs. A saying of Knight Roderick's circulates throughout Dark Raven territory: only dead Orcs and Orcs who have rolled back to their homeland are humanity's friends."

Those present, already somewhat excited by Roderick, were shocked again by his even more radical policy. In the eyes of many knights, the Orc Horde was not much better than the Undead.

"He really dares to say it. I doubt he has even faced the Scourge in the Plaguelands head-on." Scarlet Commander Marlene felt that the other's slogan was too extreme. Even the Scarlet Crusade, regarded by the world as the embodiment of extremism, found it hard to stomach.

But most of the other Crusader knights felt the slogan suited their tastes perfectly. Such a passionate knight was absolutely a force the Scarlet Crusade needed to recruit.

Grand Inquisitor Isillien discovered that compared with this man, he was practically a gentle priest. The other had already proposed driving out the Orcs after defeating the Undead. With an unexpected figure appearing and a victorious battle raising morale, the meeting ultimately ended in a highly harmonious atmosphere.

High General Abbendis was also somewhat grateful to the subject of that intelligence report, Knight Roderick. This was the first time she had presided over such an important Crusade meeting. That it had achieved such an excellent outcome was largely because this knight had lifted everyone's spirits and kept them from arguing over trivial matters.

"What are you thinking about, our High General?" Marlene liked this strong young girl very much. After her father died in battle, Abbendis had resolutely taken on the High General's duties, and Marlene was willing to use her own strength to support her.

"Oh, nothing. Thank you for your help earlier, Commander Marlene." Abbendis sincerely expressed her gratitude to the Scarlet commander.

"If it hadn't been for the Grand Inquisitor's sake, I would have made sure he never left Tyr's Hand. Any kind of trash dares to cause trouble here." Marlene, who had fought the Undead on the front lines for a long time, was not as elegant as she looked. At heart, she was a powerful warrior accustomed to speaking with fists and strength.

Abbendis understood the warning in Marlene's words, but she merely smiled and nodded. "Had you ever heard Roderick's name when you were in the Order of the Silver Hand?"

"Never. If the intelligence were not reliable, I would suspect him of falsely using the Silver Hand's name. What, are you interested in him?" Marlene teased.

"I am just curious about how he suddenly appeared in the south. According to the intelligence, his combat ability is that of a genuine high-ranking paladin."

"Intelligence cannot always be fully trusted. Only by meeting someone in person can you know their true strength." Marlene naturally had her own judgment.

The Grand Inquisitor had once suggested sending someone to contact him. If possible, having Roderick join the Crusade would be the best outcome, Abbendis thought to herself. Though she had never met him, a single intelligence report and their shared goals had made her feel favorably toward Roderick, whom she had never seen. It could only be called the arrangement of fate.