A Real Drengr 7 (Patreon)

In the end, my team consisted of myself, Salandria, Xiulan, Aryema, and Kehka. Seela and Mellia were the only members of our group to partake in the attack on the liches, while the rest of the Blood Knights confessed that they were so used to fighting together that splitting them up would do more harm than good. That didn't stop me from giving them a stern talking to about not letting their guard down during the mission.

We took our time making our way across the hills to Darrowshire, following the hunting paths and hidden trails I remembered from growing up here. Soon we were at the base of the hills that the back of Darrowshire butted up against. We'd seen the horde of undead shambling about the town, and spotted where the two liches were raising more bodies from piles of corpses that were being brought in on wagons, but no sign of Redpath.

“Come on, if he’s not here, then he’ll be in the town hall,” I whispered, leading my squad on as the other group split off.

They made their way to the liches, while I led my group to the back doors. As I pushed the doors open, the stench of death and decay hit us full force. The inside of the town hall was filled with the same grotesque sight as outside. The floor was littered with bones and debris, and the walls were covered in dark stains. The smell was worse inside than it was outside.

"This is the place," I said softly, looking around. "Let's find him."

I walked through the hall slowly, inspecting every room and corner. In each room, there was always some form of necromancy taking place. Some of the rooms had already been cleared out, though there was little evidence of anything useful. There were tables covered with tools and powders, vials containing different concoctions, and the remains of skeletons, zombies, and the occasional skeleton cat.

I shuddered at the sight and quickly moved on to the next room. Finally, I reached the last room at the end of the hall. It was the largest room and, judging by the faint scent of magic in the air, Redpath was in there.

I motioned for Salandria to position herself by the door, while the rest of us spread out around the room. I drew Truth, ready for whatever lay ahead, and pushed open the door. The room was massive and the ceiling was so high it seemed to stretch on forever. The walls were lined with weapons and armor of every kind, and in the center of the room stood Redpath.

He looked different than I remembered — even ignoring the decay that undeath hadn't prevented, his once kind eyes were now cold and calculating. He turned to me, but his expression didn't change. "Ah, you've finally arrived, Peter. I've been waiting for you, my boy."

He was clad in the black, grim plate armor favored by the death knights of the Scourge, a long, massive runeblade in his hands, the runes glowing with a sickly, unholy light. He'd been bad enough to fight when he was alive, now he was undead and a lot more powerful.

"Hello, Uncle Joseph," I said flatly.

Redpath laughed, a cold, joyless sound. "Ah, so formal now, are we? I suppose it's only fitting, given our current situation. You and your little band of misfits have come a long way, Peter, but you're still just a child playing at war."

I gritted my teeth, my grip on Truth tightening. "I'm not a child anymore, and I'm not playing at anything. You've been using the dead of Darrowshire as your own personal army. You've caused nothing but pain and suffering. It's time for it to end."

Redpath sneered. "You were always so naive, Peter. You still think you can make a difference. But you're wrong. The Scourge will never be defeated. You're wasting your time, boy."

I took a step forward, my eyes locked onto his. "I'm not wasting anything. I'm putting you to rest once again. This time, I'll make sure you're not raised to serve the Scourge again."

Redpath chuckled darkly. "You think you can stop me, boy? I am a death knight, a servant of the Lich Queen. You are nothing compared to me."

I didn't flinch. "I'm not alone anymore. I have my team, and we'll stop you together."

Redpath shook his head, his eyes glinting with madness. "Your team? What do they know of true power? They are nothing but mere mortals, weak and fragile. They will fall before me, just like the rest."

He raised his runeblade, the glow intensifying. "Now, come to me, my nephew. Let me show you the true meaning of power."

I didn't hesitate. I charged forward, wielding Truth with all my might. Redpath swung his runeblade, but I dodged to the side and delivered a fierce blow to his side. He grunted in pain, but recovered quickly, swinging his blade again. I parried the blow, even as spellfire and elemental fire flew from Xiulan and Kehka respectively. Salandia raised her sword and shield, glowing with the power of the Light, as she raced in to join me. Aryema was right behind her, the demon huntress fighting with a pair of bladed tonfa that glowed with fel energies.

It was enough, even with the five of us fighting in unison, he was keeping pace with us. Redpath fought with a fury that came with being undead, his strength and agility enhanced by his new form. His blade sliced through the air with deadly precision, forcing us to constantly move and dodge. It was clear that he wasn't going to make this easy for us.

But we weren't going to give up. We fought with all our might, combining our skills and abilities to take him down. Kehka summoned a powerful earth elemental and rained down boulders upon him. Xiulan unleashed a barrage of arcane bolts that exploded upon impact, throwing him off balance. Salandia smote him with the power of the Light, blinding him temporarily. Aryema used her agility and speed to dart around him, striking him from multiple angles.

Redpath fought with a ferocity that was only enhanced by his newfound strength. He cast necromantic magics, summoned wraiths and cursed us with dark words. But despite his best efforts, we pushed forward, driven by righteous fury.

Xiulan and Kehka kept Redpath busy with their spells, while Salandia used her Light-imbued sword to keep him stunned and blinded. Aryema moved in and out of the fight with her tonfas, delivering powerful blows from multiple angles. And I fought with all my willpower, my blade flashing in a blur as I parried and struck at Redpath's runeblade whenever he attacked me directly. Gradually, he began to weaken under our combined assault.

Finally, after what felt like hours of battle, Redpath finally fell. His runeblade clattered to the ground as he slumped against the wall of the chamber, eyes closed in defeat.

I stepped forward cautiously and placed Truth's blade against his throat. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at me with pain-filled eyes. "Do it," he said weakly. "It is time for me to face justice for my crimes."

I hesitated for a moment before whispering to him, "I am sorry that this is not the happy ending you deserve. That I'm not the paladin you wanted me to be."

With that, I took his head from his body. Kneeling down, I uttered an old prayer. One that my mother in this life had taught me when her sister, Joseph Redpath’s wife, died giving birth to little Pamela. After a moment, I felt Salandria’s hand on my shoulder.

“We should go, we can’t stay,” she said, guiding me to my feet. I nodded in agreement, the emotions still too much to work through to speak.

The five of us left the town hall, carving our way through the undead we came across as we made our way to join up with the others. Either to escape with them, or assist them in taking down the liches.

As we exited the town hall, we were met with an army of undead, their eyes glowing pale blue in the darkness. But we were not afraid. We had just taken down one of the strongest death knights the Scourge had to offer, and we were ready for whatever came next.

Xiulan conjured a massive shield of arcane energy, while Kehka called forth a raging inferno to incinerate the undead. Salandria stood her ground, a beacon of Light amidst the darkness, as she chanted prayers that blasted the undead into oblivion. Aryema danced around them, her tonfas striking with deadly precision, felling the undead one by one.

I stood tall, my blade still in hand, ready for whatever came next. The undead kept coming, seemingly endless, but we fought on, our powers and abilities combining to hold them off.

And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a movement. It was a group of people, running towards the back of the undead we were facing. A shining, golden hammer flew through the group, slamming into the ranks of the undead. Moments later, a lithe form leapt forwards, vaulting into the midst of the dead and swinging out with a staff.

"Took you long enough!" Salandria shouted with a laugh as our two groups slammed into the undead like a hammer and an anvil.

Together, we were a well-oiled machine, each of us honing our skills and abilities to the fullest. The undead horde was no match for us, even as they swarmed in a never-ending wave.

I watched as the lithe form that had just arrived darted in and out of the fray, fighting with grace and precision. She was a blur of motion, her staff striking out at the undead with deadly force. She moved with a fluidity that was both mesmerizing and deadly, and I was surprised at just how effective Mellia was proving to be against the undead.

Seela with her maul and prowess as a paladin were to be expected, and Salandria's fellows had been fighting against the Scourge for years at this point. But monks from my admittedly limited knowledge were best suited against living opponents. I, apparently, had underestimated just how effective a weapon the humble staff was.

As the last of the undead fell, Mellia turned to face us, a smile on her face. "Looks like you could use a little help," she said, twirling her staff.

I grinned in response. "Glad you could make it. We could use all the help we can get."

Mellia nodded. "Both liches are smashed, it'll take a little bit before the Scourge sends anyone back. How'd you do?"

"We managed to take down Redpath. That's what's important," I said, sheathing Truth.

Seela walked over to us, her maul still glowing with holy energy. "We need to move. The liches are down, but we didn't see any signs of their phylacteries, so they'll be back sooner or later."

I nodded in agreement. "Let's move out. We have to get out of here before they send their army after us."

We started moving quickly, making our way through the streets of the city. The undead had been cleared out, giving us a clear shot back to the cottage. The wards there were still strong, letting us collapse and rest. Despite barely being midday, it felt far, far longer.

"It'll take Lady Proudmoore and the rest of the forces time to reach the Monastery, right?" Mellia asked as we all collapsed into various chairs. "We can rest for the rest of the day then head out in the morning?"

"All those in favor, say aye," I said with a groan.

There were a chorus of agreements, and after a few minutes of everyone relaxing and decompressing, Xiulan stood up and made her way to the kitchen. Given her passion for the culinary and arcane arts, to say nothing of the fact that she was pandaren, and it wasn't surprising that she'd cook as a means to wind down.

As the smells of cooking wafted through the cottage, I found myself lost in thought. Redpath's final moments kept replaying in my mind, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt. Despite all of the evil deeds he had committed, I couldn't shake the feeling that we could have saved him from the darkness. But it was too late now.

Seela noticed my troubled expression and walked over to me. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I sighed. "I don't know. Part of me feels like we could have done more for him. He was a victim of Arthana, and he was also family. But at the same time, he made his choices. He chose to follow the path of darkness."

Seela nodded in understanding. "It's a tough line to walk. But remember, we all have a choice. And Redpath made his. We did what we had to do.”

“Thanks,” I said putting my hand over hers. Things were quiet between us, and I found my gaze wandering over to where Salandria was talking to her fellow Blood Knights, her motions vigorous and animated.

“They spoke well of her,” Seela said, drawing my attention back to the draenei as she continued. “She is naturally gifted, but they told me that they were not expecting her to return with them to Quel’thalas once they saw how she behaves around you.”

I frowned, “She shouldn’t throw away a good thing like that…”

“Perhaps, it may very well be a poor decision on her part. But it is still her decision to make. Enough of such matters. When the siege of Undercity is complete, will you be returning to Northrend with us?”

A deep breath filled my lungs as I considered whether or not to tell her. In the end, I decided to trust her, “No. I’ll be heading South to Alterac. My mother was a minor noblewoman there, before the Second War. I’ve been drifting through life for too long, it’s time I did something with my gifts. So I’m going to rebuild the Kingdom of Alterac.”

“Oh? Will you seek aid from the Alliance?”

“Not to the extent you’re thinking,” I said. “Trade and nonaggression agreements, for sure. But I also plan on making those same agreements with the Horde. There’s been too many world threatening dangers in the last ten years, and I have a feeling that it’s only going to get worse. So I want my people safe, protected, and prepared.”

Seela smiled, patting my shoulder and said, “From the sounds of it, you will make a fine king.”

“He sure is, there’s just a little something that I need his help with first,” a high pitched voice said from behind Seela and I, making both of us jump.