Icecrown Citadel (II)

I never thought I would see her, never thought I would. I thought I would see Uther, or King Terenas, but she... I'm so sorry.

Nathanos stood patiently at the entrance to the Soul Forge. Beside him, the Dark Ranger Cynthia lay prostrate, her eyes fixed on the entrance, while the Dark Ranger Calila kept a close watch on what was happening inside. Only the Witherer leaned against a corner, eyes closed in meditation. Veronalara had promised to recruit a team of at least ten people today. Without them, he would have to travel alone, which would greatly slow his progress.

"Owner?"

Cynthia's shout carried a hint of excitement, and not only her, but the other two huddled in the corner also heard the uneven footsteps.

"A little earlier than expected." Nathanos smiled slightly, then stared at the approaching crowd at the entrance. The leader of the group also noticed him. It was an Elf, his sky-blue robes indicating he was a member of the Silver Covenant.

"Greetings, Lord of the Forsaken. I am Lansber of the Silver Covenant." The Elf saluted. "We have all met Veronalara, who said you needed help and promised a great reward."

"That's true." Nathanos looked at the group of people. They were all from the Alliance, which wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that there were a lot of them, almost twenty.

Veronalara did a great job on her mission.

The Witherer coughed and said in a voice barely audible to everyone, "It's a pleasure to meet you, but we have no time for small talk. There's much to be done to destroy the Lich King. To put it simply, the Argent Crusade and the Knights of the Ebon Blade will soon launch a fierce attack on the gates of Icecrown Citadel. To ensure their victory, we must delve into the Lich King's evil halls, uncover his secrets, and thwart any evil attacks he may be hiding."

"The Lich King recently launched a surprise attack on the Silver Arena. Reconstruction is still underway, but that's just a smokescreen. Once the Lich King's attention is diverted, we can infiltrate from the flank and gather valuable intelligence." Nathanos paused briefly before continuing, "My intelligence network says the Lich King's private chambers are hidden in a place called the Hall of Reflection. We need to quickly and swiftly carve a bloody path to it. Any further questions?"

Nathanos glanced around and noticed that these people had nothing to say, nor did they show any doubt or fear on their faces, as if they knew what was going to happen, or that they were obeying someone's orders. This made the Witherer begin to suspect the origins of this group.

"Since there are no further questions, let's set off."

The raging Blizzard obscured Darion Mograine's vision; his helmet and armor were soaked white and covered in a thick layer of frost. The Gryphon carrying him had been stuck in this terrible environment for hours, its Undead Gryphon flapping its wings repeatedly. The Death Knight had flown from Shadow Vault to Icecrown Citadel, and he had flown very high, making every effort to avoid the Lich King's sight.

All we can do now is wait and see what happens on Nathanos' side.

He let himself be battered by the wind and snow, certain that the Lich King couldn't sense him, and that he had confirmed his direction. In retrospect, the meticulous plan he and Nathanos devised in the Shadow Vault was far too audacious; there was nearly a 90% chance they would fail.

Sylvanas calculated that the time was almost up; Lansber should have already met with Nathanos, and the rest was up to them. But the Female Elf had a nagging anxiety that she couldn't shake off, no matter how she tried to reassure her. Her intuition told Sylvanas this wasn't a good sign.

"Could you tell me Nathanos's plan again?"

Veronalara looked somewhat helpless. She had already said it six times, each time in more detail. "General, I think even if Nathanos's plan has some parts he hasn't told me, it must be the parts he hasn't told me. I've already told you everything I know."

"Didn't he tell you how he was going to retreat? That's the Lich King's stronghold; he has to find a way to get out."

"He thought about it, but didn't tell me." Veronalara emphasized again that she didn't know, then took a sip of tea. After staying with Sylvanas for a few days, she had begun to relax a bit.

"He will definitely send someone to meet us!" Sylvanas said decisively, her hesitant gaze almost making Veronalara mistake her for the one who had ventured deep into Icecrown Citadel. "Has there been any recent troop movements among the Forsaken?"

"No, that's not true. Besides, Nathanos said he was going deep into enemy territory alone."

Sylvanas grunted, stopping in her tracks and clenching her fists. "Too dangerous! Whether he has a way out or not, I must be prepared." She took the cloak from the hanger and put it on, seemingly preparing to leave.

"Are you going to find him?" Veronalara asked, getting up.

"No, I said I wouldn't see him for now. I'm just going to seek help and make sure he comes back safe and sound."

After a moment, Veronalara suddenly smiled. "You are just like the Twelve Withered Swords under the Witherer's command, General. Always worried about your master's safety."

"I'm different from those people, Veronalara." Sylvanas skillfully put on her gloves, strapped on her leggings, and tidied her hair. She already knew what the Dark Ranger had said: a group of people powerful enough to rival dragons had become Nathanos's guard. "I'm not doing this unconditionally; Nathanos will repay me double in the future."

"The best way to repay him is for him personally, isn't it?" Veronalara said with a smile.

Sylvanas smiled back. She pulled up the hood of her cloak, covering her long, pale golden hair. "Take care, Veronalara. I'm so glad to have had these few days with you."

A battle had just ended in the deepest hall of the Soul Forge. The one-eyed monster, its tongue lolling out, lay limp on the ground, completely dead.

"Take a short rest," Nathanos commanded. There were no dead soldiers, only wounded soldiers still bandaging their wounds and healing themselves with the Holy Light.

They did need a rest, but after hearing Nathanos's words, they all wore indescribable expressions. Only Lansber spoke up, "The Witherer, how long is 'a little while'?"

"A few minutes." Nathanos's undisguised answer elicited a murmur, and he added, "Those few minutes are the time it will take me to open this portal to Saronite Mines." As he spoke, he began to chant a spell.

Lansber and the others then discovered a closed portal on the platform behind the one-eyed monster.

"You don't seem to have mentioned the Saronite Mines."

"To get to the Hall of Reflection, we must pass through the Saronite Mines." Cynthia answered Lansber, the Dark Ranger's voice chillingly cold. "The commotion we've caused here has surely been noticed by the Scourge in the Saronite Mines, so a great battle is about to begin."