As the armies of Lordaeron decisively dealt with the threat of Naxxramas, the expeditionary force heading to Northrend finally reached its destination.
The supreme commander of the Northrend Expedition was Admiral Daelin Proudmoore. In the previous Battle of Gilneas, Prince Liam's betrayal had severely damaged the Kul Tiras navy. However, this time, he still managed to scrape together a hundred warships, along with eighty from the Kingdom of Lordaeron, fifty from the Kingdom of Stromgarde, sixty from the Kingdom of Stormwind, fifty from the Valoran Federation, fifty from the High Elves, and others from various countries and factions, piecing together nearly five hundred warships to transport 120,000 elite Alliance troops to Northrend.
This was the largest transoceanic expedition in human history, and arguably the largest naval operation in the history of Azeroth. Chieftain Grom Hellscream of the Warsong Clan, also serving as a high-ranking Horde overseer, was ordered by Warchief Thrall to lead ten thousand Orcish warriors to join the Alliance in this campaign.
The expeditionary force departed from the North Sea docks of Lordaeron and, after nearly twenty days of sailing, finally reached its destination. If they had taken the old route through the Howling Fjord to land at Fort Valor in the Borean Tundra, the voyage would have taken at least another ten days. However, after reconnaissance of Northrend by the Silver Covenant and Orcish vanguard squads, they discovered that the voyage from Lordaeron to the Howling Fjord was nearly half the distance to the Borean Tundra. Nevertheless, considering that the Howling Fjord lacked suitable ports and docks, Daelin ultimately chose to land at the port in the Grizzly Hills, expanded by the Tuskarr and Miss Fortune.
When the fleet arrived at the port, Daelin was pleasantly surprised to find that his flagship, the 'Courage,' and two other warships that Liam had seized were also docked there. They were well-maintained and looked the same as before. This discovery immediately lifted his spirits.
A group of Kalu'ak Tuskarr guided them to the shore.
"Where are Vereesa and Rhonin?" Varok Saurfang asked a wizened Tuskarr after landing, cutting straight to the point. He noticed that only the elderly, weak, women, and children remained at the port, with hardly any strong warriors to be seen.
"General Windrunner led the warriors to raid a Vrykul fortress today!" The Tuskarr were both pleased and shocked by the arrival of such a large navy—all the forces and ships of the Tuskarr combined probably amounted to less than a tenth of this great fleet. Although they had never been to the Alliance, they now felt full of confidence in it.
When Daelin learned of this operation, he immediately made a decision: "They may need support. The northern front of the Grizzly Hills cannot be abandoned either; this will be our bridgehead for attack. Arthas, I entrust you with the task of supporting the northern line of the Grizzly Hills. Can you handle it?" He looked at the Prince of Lordaeron.
After the Alliance Conference, the young prince had become unusually silent and unusually diligent. He seemed to want to prove to everyone that he would never go down that path. Just like Kael'thas, they both began to actively express themselves, striving for any opportunity to confront the Scourge.
Thus, Kael'thas participated in the forces attacking Naxxramas, while Arthas joined the expeditionary force to confront the Lich King's army head-on!
"I can," Arthas said, his firm voice cold and resolute.
"Listen to the advice of Generals Garithos and Walden, and do not act rashly," Daelin instructed, thinking for a moment that he still needed someone with enough prestige to remind Arthas when he was being unreasonable—"Uther, my old friend, you go to the northern front too! I hope your experience will help Arthas grow faster."
"As you command, Commander!" Uther saluted him.
"The rest of you follow me." Daelin looked at Aishia, the commander of the Valoran Allied Forces, and Halduron Brightwing of the High Elves, both of whom indicated their agreement. He finally looked at Grom, his eyes full of scrutiny, "Orc, do you need to rest?"
This should have been a concerned question. But because of Daelin's distrust of the Orcs, he was unwilling to cooperate with these green-skinned beasts and wanted to leave them aside. Grom, however, was an extremely proud person, and he immediately stood up and roared, "We Orcs are braver and more resilient than you! We don't need to rest, human!"
Daelin said contemptuously, "Then prove it to me."
Grom tightly gripped the handle of Gorehowl with one hand, his eyes flashing with dangerous light. This action made the others in the Alliance nervous; they even suspected that the Orcs might cause trouble and start a fight here—who knew what an Orc was thinking?
"Lead the way!" Grom left his seat and strode out of the conference room.
—
For this raid, the Silver Covenant spared no effort, drawing all its forces to form an army of over ten thousand. Vereesa, Rhonin, Sejuani, Volibear, Lissandra, Miss Fortune, and Nazgrelin each led their troops to storm Utgarde Keep, the Vrykul fortress, catching the enemy off guard.
The Vrykul were generally around nine feet tall, possessing the blood of giants. They were strong and barbaric. Most humans and orcs were only about six feet tall. In terms of physique and strength, the Vrykul had an absolute advantage.
These primitive Vrykul were extremely warlike and extremely cruel. Initially, the Silver Covenant's raid achieved good results, but when the enemy rallied from the chaos, they began to struggle. Waves of Vrykul warriors, wielding weapons, rushed out from all directions inside the castle, desperately fighting the raiders.
Vereesa shot an arrow through a Vrykul's head, saving a Frostborn Dwarf warrior who was in danger. Not far away, Rhonin finished his incantation and unleashed an arcane spell that split in two in the air, then into four, then into eight, hitting a target each. The exploding arcane energy killed all the Vrykul in a small area.
However, his spell attracted the enemy's attention. A Vrykul warrior not far away aimed at him and forcefully threw the javelin in his hand. The javelin, augmented by the Vrykul's giant strength, tore through the air with a terrifying shriek. Vereesa's pointed ears allowed her to capture the trajectory of the javelin in the first instant. In desperation, she shot an arrow at the fastest speed in her life. The arrow did hit the javelin in mid-air, but it was immediately broken after the impact. The weak force after the collision only slightly deflected the javelin.
As a top ranger, Vereesa had excellent eyesight. She immediately judged that the javelin could still pierce Rhonin's right chest.
"Rhonin!" Vereesa shouted. Even if Rhonin saw this scene, he didn't have time to complete a protective spell, and only slightly tilted to the left, trying to avoid the vital point.
"Clang!" Just as the javelin was about to hit, a lasso suddenly flew out from the side, accurately hitting the shaft of the javelin, wrapping around it and pulling it to the other side. Rhonin, still in shock, turned his head and saw Sejuani reeling in the rope.
The proud matriarch didn't even look at him, riding Bristle and charging into the enemy ranks.
"…Thank you," Rhonin still said.
Vereesa ran over, grabbed him, and asked anxiously, "Are you Alright, Rhonin?"
"I'm fine, I'm not hurt," Rhonin shrugged, pretending to be relaxed. But it was really a thrilling scene just now; a slight mistake and his life might have been in danger. Now he was surprised to find himself covered in cold sweat.
He would take his anger out on these enemies! Especially the Vrykul who had just attacked him!
However, from this moment on, the Silver Covenant's attack encountered obvious resistance. More and more Vrykul were killed, but fewer and fewer warriors were around them. Most warriors could not contend with the Vrykul alone; only when they formed a formation could they gain an advantage in numbers. But now they were losing their greatest advantage.
At this time, a spider person ran over from the side where Lissandra, Miss Fortune, and Nazgrelin were attacking, and hurriedly said to Vereesa, "General Windrunner, we have Vrykul dragon riders appearing on our side!"
"Dragon riders?" Vereesa was shocked, and she saw the same expression in Rhonin's eyes.
"Proto-dragons, they are riding proto-dragons."
"It seems… we should retreat."
Vereesa had the spider person simultaneously convey the retreat order to the other troops, while she herself, along with Rhonin and Sejuani, led the most elite warriors to cover the rear at the forefront. The situation reversed instantly. They became the attacked party, and the Vrykul became the attacking party. However, thanks to the complex environment inside Utgarde Keep, which had previously caused great difficulties for their attack, it now provided convenience for their retreat.
However, just as they were about to retreat from the castle, even worse news than the appearance of the dragon knight reached Vereesa from the rear: they were surrounded—by the Scourge. A Scourge flying fortress had appeared on the only way out of the castle.
Why would a Scourge flying fortress appear today?
After recent observations, Vereesa's scouts had concluded that the Scourge only came every four or five days. Just yesterday, the Scourge fortress had taken away a new batch of Vrykul warriors to Icecrown Glacier to be transformed into undead warriors. But why would a flying fortress appear today, and appear so timely and so deadly?
Could it be that... the Lich King had foreseen all of this again?
In fact, the Lich King had not foreseen any of this. Although Ner'zhul had become more powerful after merging with Dar'Khan, his mental strength had not increased as a result, but had instead decreased somewhat. The Helm of Domination could only amplify Ner'zhul's spirit countless times when frozen in that eternally unmelting ice. When Dar'Khan wore the helmet, this characteristic was greatly reduced. Moreover, because Arthas was wearing another Helm of Domination, both being artifacts that dominated all the Scourge, interference between the two was inevitable.
Fortunately, due to Archimonde's orders, Arthas was still obeying Dar'Khan's commands. If Arthas had disobeyed, Dar'Khan would have had no way to stop him from taking away a portion of the Scourge soldiers loyal to him.
What's more, after the battle at Icecrown Glacier, Nozdormu was severely injured, and he no longer had the ability to restore the future that Aiden had obscured. Naturally, powerful figures like Ner'zhul and Medivh could no longer glean secrets of the future from it.
The one that came to Utgarde Keep to transport the Vrykul warriors before was Thal'ramas, the flying fortress of the Cult of the Damned. It had only left yesterday. The one that suddenly descended today was Acherus: The Ebon Hold, the flying fortress of the death knights. It was now Broxigar the Warbringer's flagship.
Its appearance here was entirely due to the operation against Naxxramas on the continent of Lordaeron. The Scourge discovered that their largest flying fortress had been lost, and immediately realized that it had crashed. Gilneas guessed that the Alliance, with its hands freed up, would inevitably send more troops to attack them. Perhaps they would join forces to wipe out the Scourge in Gilneas, or perhaps they would cross the sea to Northrend. In either case, the Scourge would face a more severe test.
Therefore, Arthas proposed speeding up the transformation of the Vrykul. That's why he sent the Ebon Hold to transport more Vrykul to Icecrown Glacier.
The Silver Covenant's raid happened to coincide with this scene, which could only be described as the will of fate.
The warriors of the Silver Covenant were crowded on the bridge outside the castle. Ahead were the elite Scourge soldiers emerging from the Ebon Hold, and behind them were the savage Vrykul constantly emerging from Utgarde Keep. Around them were cliffs and waterfalls hundreds of feet high, with no way to escape. With such a high waterfall, jumping into the water was almost no different from jumping off a cliff.
As the supreme commander of the Silver Covenant, Vereesa was filled with despair in this situation. The surrounding warriors were looking at her, as well as the heroes beside her, waiting for orders.
She saw expectation and fear in their eyes, saw hope and despair. The warriors must have hoped that she could point out a way to survive, but she had no idea where the path of survival was.
Vereesa knew she should say something to bring a little hope to these warriors. But she opened her mouth and found that she didn't know what to say to boost morale.
At this moment, a pair of gentle hands held hers, and that unique warmth calmed her down. She saw Rhonin's gentle but encouraging gaze, Volibear's fearless eyes, Jaina's ever-calm expression, Sylvanas's indifferent arrogance, Miss Fortune carefully checking her dual pistols, and Nazgrel, the orc warrior who was still full of fighting spirit in the face of despair.
"Brave and fearless warriors of the Silver Covenant!" Vereesa jumped onto the bridge pier and looked at the surrounding soldiers from a high vantage point. Her figure immediately attracted everyone's attention. "The Scourge and its minions are raging across the land. They are destroying all the beauty, happiness, and light in the world, and spreading fear, plague, and despair to the world of the living."
"We are all people who are unwilling to succumb to darkness."
"Everyone. Humans, elves, orcs, nerubians, tuskarr, spider people, dwarves, bear people... We have gathered together for the same ideal, gathered together to fight against the Scourge."
"Today, our blood will also gather together. It will cleanse the sins of the Scourge, and our heroic spirits will continue to guard our land!"
"Perhaps we will all die here."
"But we will never give in!"
All the warriors of the Silver Covenant raised their arms and shouted, "Never give in! Never give in! Never give in!"
However, at the other end of the bridge, a strong orc death knight rode out on a skeletal warhorse, and his rough voice loudly mocked, "Your blood will not cleanse any sins. When you die, your heroic spirits will not guard this land. You will be resurrected as Scourge soldiers, dedicating your second lives to the Lich King's great cause!"
"Inspirational words are useless. I can't wait to see you transform into the Scourge and take revenge on the world of the living." Broxigar laughed wildly, "Your morale-boosting measures are useless! Vereesa, Rhonin, Sylvanas, Jaina, you are destined to serve the Scourge!"
"Broxigar!" Nazgrel stood up, his red eyes staring at this orc warrior whom he had once greatly admired. "You are a disgrace to the orcs!"
Broxigar sneered, "Do you think I care about the glory of that ridiculous race? I was born for the Scourge!"
Vereesa pointed in the direction of the Scourge and shouted, "Charge—towards the Scourge!"
"Lok'tar Ogar!" Nazgrel let out a deafening roar, leading more than a hundred orc warriors fearlessly towards the Scourge.
"For the Alliance!" Captain Brad, a Lordaeron officer, also shouted and followed closely behind.
"For the Silver Covenant!"
"For the Freljord!"
The charging Team shout out different slogans, but all faced the same goal—the Scourge!
Miss Fortune followed behind Volibear, wondering what slogan she should shout, but ultimately couldn't think of one. She muttered to herself, "I wonder which bastard will get the dowry I've saved up on my ship all these years?"
Thinking of this, she was extremely annoyed, wishing she could shoot down all the Scourge with one shot. "Hey, I wonder if the Scourge understands how to appreciate my beauty?"
"Break through, Vereesa!" Rhonin tightly embraced Vereesa's soft body, then held her shoulders and earnestly instructed.
"Rhonin, you—"
"Jaina and I have more important things to do. Don't worry. We will succeed!"
Vereesa only felt a pang in her nose. She guessed what the two mages wanted to do. She knew what her lover was thinking, and swallowed back the words of dissuasion, leaving only the final affectionate gaze and that sentence, "Take care."
Rhonin and Vereesa parted ways here. He went against the crowd charging forward and walked towards Jaina.
"The sentimental time is over, little friend." Jaina's emotionless voice came.
Rhonin couldn't help but say, "Are you very old?"
"I was older than you a thousand years ago."
Rhonin was speechless and could only say, "Let's go, I hope our power can destroy this bridge."
"Don't forget there are dragon knights, your situation is not optimistic."
"What about yourself?"
"No one can kill me." Jaina's voice was already extremely calm, as if she was talking about a very ordinary thing. But it was precisely this that made her seem even more powerful and confident.
Rhonin smiled wryly. He had originally thought that this frost witch would fight to the death with them. Now it seemed that she already had a way out. But he also knew that this way out was not a path that could allow everyone to escape.
"I will avenge you." Jaina's calm voice came, and Rhonin didn't know what kind of emotion he should use to respond? Gratitude?
"Let's talk about it when we're dead."