Post by Troen
For the sake of clarity, this is the end of the Justice of the Faithful series. Hope you enjoy it! As always, feedback is immensely appreciated.We’ll never get out of this alive if they keep coming this fast, thought Troen.
A young soldier ran up to him, panting, “Sir, the giant lord at the south end of the village is decimating our forces. Even our strongest mages are nearly powerless against him.”
“Thank you, lad. I will deal with this giant.”
Troen let out a sharp whistle and Resolute, his noble horse, bounded up beside him. As horse and rider made their way to the southern end of the village, the destruction that the Scourge forces had wreaked on the small village was clear. The Alliance forces were barely holding their lines and this giant threatened to ruin the entire defense. A group of particularly haggard looking soldiers took heart at seeing the Paladin ride by in his splendor. Feeling the tug of the Holy Light on his ever-faithful heart, Troen stopped to bestow the Light’s blessing on the soldiers. As he rode away, he could sense that the fight in those men was renewed. Their vigor had been restored.
The sound of horrific battle grew ever louder as Resolute neared the defensive line. That was when Troen saw him - Kreug Oathbreaker. The Paladin was familiar with this particular monstrosity. He had seen it terrorize the village day in and day out as he watched from Wintergarde’s infirmary. Watching the putrid construct decimate his troops brought a shadow over Troen’s very soul. Despair and hopelessness filled him. Dismounting Resolute, Troen sent him away, farther from the actual fighting.
“Who is the commanding officer here?” he asked.
A soft – and familiar – voice replied, “Troen, it’s me. I was put in charge of this company.”
“Kalira, you shouldn’t be in combat. You must return to the Keep at on-“
“Stop. You forget I am not a frail flower to be protected. I have centuries of combat experience defending the forests of Teldrassil. Do not pretend I am anything but worthy of a position of command. In fact, out here, I outrank you.” she replied with a wink and a smile.
As Troen returned her playful gestures, the dreadful wail of a horn of retreat sounded.
Yells of fear came from the petrified men that were sprinting away from a new wave of skeletons. They weren’t running from the mindless undead though – all the soldiers of Wintergarde Keep were accustomed to that. However, the charging undead giant was what had them all on the run. This newest push by the Scourge forces would surely break the 7th Legion’s defense and subsequently overrun the Keep.
Troen’s mind immediately sorted through the possible outcomes of the forthcoming battle. He grimly realized that there was only one way to push back this newest assault and save the soldier’s – and, more importantly, Kalira’s – lives.
Kalira turned to begin issuing commands but Troen’s strong hand on her arm turned her towards him. He met her amber gaze with his deep green eyes. No words needed to be said. She now understood his once secret feelings.
“Kal, I have to do this. Don’t try to stop me.”
Before she could issue any kind of retort, he bounded straight towards the rushing undead. Each swing of his hammer cut down a swath of undead as he steadily made his way to their commander, Kreug Oathbreaker.
Upon coming within range, he raised a
hand towards the giant, using holy power to gain its attention.
“Who dares challenge me?” spoke the giant.
“Troen Faithhammer, Paladin of Stormwind and champion of the Alliance forces at Wintergarde Keep. Your reign of terror has gone on long enough, giant. Your end comes.”
At that, Troen sprinted forward, his eyes glowing with
righteous fury. His hammer glowed with such an
intense light that the undead in the area around him were instantly slain. Even the giant was taken aback at the sheer ferocity of the attack.
Troen’s first two swings brought Kreug into a completely defensive stance, trying not to lose its footing or a leg to the vicious blows. Upon seeing the giant take a defensive posture, Troen cast a spell of
exorcism that brought the giant to its knees.
Sensing that victory was near, the troops fighting the undead minions cheered Troen on. And, thinking that the battle was soon over, Troen took a moment to
heal himself. However, Kreug had faked the fall. The giant reached out and took the paladin by his waist, lifting him far into the air.
“Now, servant of the despicable Light, you DIE!”
Troen gasped for air as the giant’s vice-like grip squeezed the oxygen from his lungs. Knowing that his death meant the end of his beloved Kalira, the paladin drew up all the strength he could and
flung his hammer at the giant lord’s hideous head.
A sickening crunch resounded across the battlefield as Kreug Oathbreaker’s head literally exploded from the force of the impact. The monsters grip immediately loosened and Troen fell to the ground, landing with a thick thud.
Kalira Moonshadow finished off the three skeletons she was fighting and sprinted to the Paladin’s still body.
As she knelt beside him, his head in her arms, Troen Faithhammer said, “Do not torture yourself with thoughts of what might have been. Know that this sacrifice was for you, and for our countrymen.”
A soft sigh escaped the man’s lips as his spirit passed. A tear, fallen from his beloved’s eye, landed on his cheek.
Edited for a link formatting error and added a bit of an intro.Edited a second time for some grammatical errors. D'oh!