Magic possessed unfathomable power. A simple incantation could summon the Arcane Elements between heaven and earth. It also held an irresistible allure; even knowing it would bring disaster, people still plunged into it, one after another, in an endless stream. That was magic.
Among the Arcane Elements, the Fire Elemental might not have been the most destructive, but it certainly ranked among the foremost. As an Archmage, and especially as one of the long-lived High Elves, Kael'thas was not versed in fire magic alone. He had studied frost magic as well, but fire remained his greatest specialty.
For the magic array they needed to set up in Southshore, fire had to be ruled out first. Frost was the best choice.
Even setting aside the dark clouds looming overhead and the torrential rain about to fall, the crucial factor was Southshore's location, with the sea at its back. Fire Elementals were far less abundant here than elsewhere, which would greatly diminish the effectiveness of fire magic.
As he watched Kael'thas bustle about, Rex did not remain idle either. The most basic supplies needed to defend a town were timber rams. These were made by cutting large pieces of timber into cylinders 1.25 meters long and 20 centimeters in diameter, then driving barbed nails into them to increase their killing power when dropped. Using them was even simpler: all they had to do was throw them down from the walls. Southshore's defenses were still inadequate, with no cannons at all. Had there been cannons, the coming battle would have been much easier.
Southshore was now a hive of activity. No one was idle, and every available resource had been put to use, with people felling trees to make timber rams. Rex had just finished inspecting their production, which was proceeding fairly smoothly. Iron was not scarce in Southshore; there was a mine to the west of town. Although the town had few barbed nails, it did have iron strips. With a little work, these could be embedded in the timber. As long as the wood was shaped into a prism, it would serve as a timber ram. No one had laid down a strict rule that barbed nails had to be used.
Looking at the height of Southshore's walls, Rex frowned deeply. They stood one zhang and two chi tall. With three meters to a zhang, that worked out to almost four meters. In Rex's previous life, that would have been quite respectable; an ordinary city certainly would not have had walls that high. In Azeroth, however, that height was nowhere near enough. He addressed the Southshore Guard Captain beside him. "These walls need to be raised further. Assign plenty of workers to the task. This is our highest priority; everything else can be set aside for now."
"We've already raised them a meter with earth and sand. Is that still not enough?" The Southshore Guard Captain said nothing, but a young man spoke up instead.
The young man's distinguishing features were obvious: a head of brilliant blond hair and, though he was not particularly handsome, an air of resolve. Because he was still young, his face retained a boyishness and held little charm. Men like him, however, often became most attractive in middle age. A mature, resolute face was just what young women liked best. Paired with that brilliant blond hair, it would be absolutely irresistible.
"They're too low." As he spoke, Rex leaped down from the wall and landed firmly on the ground. Looking up at the people above, he jumped again without even taking a running start and landed atop the wall. A four-meter wall was a joke in Azeroth. Rex was not the only one who could leap up so easily; anyone with a talent for agility could do the same.
"Prince Rex, with your strength, naturally these walls couldn't stop you, could they?" The young blond man's expression did not change when he saw Rex's actions. That was only to be expected. If a Ninth Rank powerhouse could not even jump onto a wall less than four meters high, people would instead have reason to doubt whether he truly deserved his rank.
Rex glanced at the blond youth. Everyone called him Little John, and where there was a Little John, there was naturally an Old John. Old John was Southshore's mayor. Though Little John was not very old, he was quite knowledgeable. After chatting with him for a while, Rex had been thoroughly pleased. Little John was clever, and with a little training, he would become a capable man.
Talented people were valued in every world. While Southshore prepared for battle, Rex had insisted on bringing Little John along, and Old John had agreed. At Prince Rex's side, his son would be in the safest possible place, with no need to fear for his life. Southshore was not an inland city that would be trapped once an army surrounded it. It had a harbor, which could be used to evacuate if the defenses failed. As the Heir Apparent of Gilneas, Prince Rex certainly would not live or die with Southshore. Thus, Old John not only had no objection to Rex taking Little John along, but was delighted to see it.
"It's not just me. Others can do it too." How could Rex have missed what Little John was implying?
"Rona, go pick out a few people," Rex told Rona beside him.
Two years had passed, and much of the childishness had faded from Rona's face. When Rex first met her, she had been young enough to be called only a girl. Her body had not yet developed, and she had looked as thin and frail as a bamboo pole. Over these two years, however, she had changed more than anyone else, proving the saying that a girl transformed as she grew into a woman. Compared with two years ago, she looked so different that, had Rex not seen her regularly, he would never have recognized her upon meeting her again. Jaina was one such example.
When Jaina suddenly saw Rona again, she had been visibly hesitant. She had known Rona when they first went to Dalaran, and the two had gotten along quite well back then. Yet upon meeting her again now, Jaina had failed to recognize her.
Rona wore a longbow slung across her body, resting just across her chest and accentuating the pair of lethal weapons there. She nodded, turned, and left. As Rex watched her go, he marveled at how quickly people in Azeroth developed. In just two years, a sparrow had become a phoenix.
"We can raise the walls further, but they'll collapse easily. Like this—they'll fall apart with a push," said the Southshore Guard Captain, who had remained silent until now.
"Don't worry about that. It's time those mages from Dalaran made themselves useful. They only need to freeze the added earth with frost magic, and it'll be sturdy."
"It isn't winter now. Even if they freeze it, it'll melt easily." The Southshore Guard Captain shook his head, clearly unconvinced by Rex's plan.
"Don't worry. I can solve that."
(End of chapter)
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