"A sound idea, Master Sandro. You are right—the dream of every human right now is to reclaim their capital. In that case, let them deal with the Dreadlords; there's no need for us to waste time here." Sylvanas nodded in firm agreement.
"Then let us set out! The sooner we conquer a city for the undead, the sooner we have a place to call our own," Rhodes said, nodding back.
It was time to swap back with the real Sandro. As for the future dealings with Kel'Thuzad, he would leave that to the duo of Straker and the true Sandro. He was confident they wouldn't let him down. Regarding Baron Rivendare in Stratholme—frankly, if a lineup like this couldn't take him down, his two undead heroes might as well retire.
"Master Sandro, before we reach Stratholme, I hope to have a deeper exchange with you regarding the future of the undead... and how to better enhance our strength. Your earlier concepts about the essence and reinforcement of the undead interested me greatly," Sylvanas said.
She was eager to consult with Sandro. His knowledge of undead modification clearly surpassed Kel'Thuzad's and would be a massive asset to her. Furthermore, coming from a magical kingdom, the former High Elf Ranger knew the immense value of a powerful spellcaster and hoped to pull Sandro to her side.
Rhodes felt a surge of secret delight. Sylvanas was now thoroughly intrigued by and reliant on "Sandro's" knowledge. This paved the way for his future plan to "convert Wood Elves into Dark Rangers." He would eventually have Sandro present some Wood Elves and let Sylvanas handle the transformation herself.
"It would be my pleasure, Banshee Queen. I believe our cooperation will bring... unexpected changes to this world," Rhodes (as Sandro) replied with a smile.
As the coalition began clearing the battlefield and absorbing scattered undead units, the real Sandro was back at Shadowfane Bastion, greedily analyzing magical knowledge from this new world. The Death Knight runes, Abominations, Skeletal Mages, and Banshees of Azeroth fascinated the master necromancer.
"Hahaha, what a marvelous world. My necromantic arts will reach new heights here. But first, I must fulfill my master's goals. It's my turn to step onto the stage and play with this Banshee Queen. An undead hero from another world... how fascinating. Thank you, Master, for bringing me here." Upon receiving Rhodes' notification, Sandro set down his grimoire and cast the same teleportation spell Rhodes used.
He arrived at the camp and swapped identities with Rhodes. His journey with the Forsaken concluded for now, Rhodes used teleportation magic to return to his own military camp near Dalaran.
Four days had passed since Rhodes left, and much had happened. First, Archmage Rhonin had arrived at Rhodes's camp with the surviving magi of Dalaran. They were received by Jaina and had officially rejoined the Alliance. These mages immediately requested an audience with Rhodes, claiming they had urgent matters to discuss. Jaina had been fretting over how to handle them, but Rhodes's return solved everything.
"Oh my, dear, you're finally back! If you'd stayed away any longer, I wouldn't have known what to do with the mess you left behind. Aside from the Dalaran mages, the two veteran knights from the Silver Hand—Alexandros and Dathrohan—are expected to arrive soon. They are top-tier Paladins; in terms of seniority, they are peers of Uther," Jaina said, looking immensely relieved as she approached him.
"Don't worry, my business is finished. I'm back now, aren't I? So, what do these Dalaran mages want to discuss?" Rhodes asked, giving Jaina a brief hug.
"I spoke with Rhonin earlier. The mages are researching a new type of magic. They plan to rebuild the Dalaran destroyed by Archimonde and use a special spell to make the city fly—turning it into a floating fortress," Jaina explained.
Dalaran had originally been a major magical city of 100,000, but now, aside from roughly 100 Kirin Tor magi, only about 3,000 civilians remained.
"These survivors intend to lift the magical districts into the sky and create a barrier to protect the city. They'll likely need help from the High Elves, and they want to recall the mages who supported our expedition to Kalimdor," Jaina added. Dalaran was currently in a state of total reconstruction. The hundreds of mages who had left with Rhodes and Jaina would be a massive boost to their strength.
"So, they've come to ask for their people back, right?" Rhodes rubbed his chin and nodded.
"Exactly. But those mages are still in Kalimdor. Getting them back will take at least one or two months. They'll likely ask for your help as the Grand Marshal. You should consider how to handle this," Jaina said.
Though Rhodes and Uther had previously had some friction with Antonidas, Dalaran had sent mages to help during the expedition to Kalimdor.
"In principle, Dalaran is a member of the Alliance. As such, they are entitled to help when in need," Rhodes said. This time, he wouldn't let Dalaran become a neutral city. Both the Blood Elves and Dalaran would stay within the Alliance. If the Forsaken weren't so difficult for the Alliance citizenry to accept, he'd have brought them back too.
"So you intend to let the mages return? Should we discuss this with Princess Calia?" Jaina asked.
"I will write to the Princess personally. However, now is not the time for those mages to return. We'll settle it once we reclaim the Capital and bring back the expeditionary forces," Rhodes replied.
After a brief discussion, Jaina brought the representative of Dalaran, Archmage Rhonin, into Rhodes's command tent. Rhodes had a good impression of Rhonin; the future leader of the Kirin Tor was a legendary figure who had been a protagonist in the early days of the lore before his untimely end during the Cataclysm.
"Grand Marshal Rhodes, thank you for seeing me," Rhonin said, bowing slightly in a formal mage's salute.
"Master Rhonin, please, take a seat. The tragedy of Dalaran is a loss for the entire Alliance. I am deeply saddened by the passing of Master Antonidas," Rhodes said sincerely, gesturing for him to sit. "Jaina has briefed me on the situation. Dalaran needs help, and the Alliance will not stand idly by."
Rhonin sighed in relief. He had worried that Antonidas's previous disagreements with Rhodes and Uther might affect their plea for aid. "Thank you for your understanding, Grand Marshal.
As Jaina told you, our survivors have a bold plan—to lift the core of Dalaran into the sky under a magical shield. This will keep us safe from ground threats and protect our people. But this requires immense magical energy and barrier experts. We hope for the aid of the High Elves... or rather, the Blood Elves. Additionally, the mages who followed you to Kalimdor are the core of our reconstruction. We need them back as soon as possible."
"Master Rhonin, I understand your urgency. Rebuilding Dalaran is vital for the Alliance's magical strength and morale. I fully support it. The Alliance will provide necessary supplies and facilitate contact with Silvermoon City. As for the mages in Kalimdor... they are currently stabilizing the region around Theramore against demonic remnants. Recalling them all at once would destabilize the theater. Furthermore, the sea voyage is long; you may have to wait a while."
"Grand Marshal, as the Regent of Lordaeron, I hope you can explain the gravity of the situation to Princess Calia. We must recall those mages," Rhonin said firmly. They were desperate; they had only about a hundred mages left in total.
"I have a proposal that might solve Dalaran's manpower shortage faster and more effectively," Rhodes said with a smile.
"Please, go on, Lord Rhodes."
"Soon, we will launch an expedition to Outland to bring back the forces that followed General Turalyon. Among those expeditionary veterans are many members of Dalaran—high-ranking mages, in fact, and quite a few of them."