Ripples of Shadow
Chapter 4 - The Light Shines

The wind surrounding Aerie Peak grew cold and dusk was settling on this corner of Azeroth. South and west it blew, through the narrow passage into the Hinterlands. Rash wrinkled his nose and pressed on. Almost there. He was only moments away from reaching the Wildhammer, and he surmised their fate could be ugly. As he broke through the end of the passage he quickly discerned the direction of the Peak. His brown eyes scanning the trees of any possible threat he ran on. I will reach her, I must.

Up ahead the Fortress home of the dwarves came into view. An insurmountable force of undead pressed on a dismal line of dwarves whom were hopelessly out numbered. The claymore on Rash’s back jostled as he sped towards the line of dwarves as fast as his legs would carry him. There must still be time. He was almost there... Bolts fired from crossbows pierced the Scourge army like so many needles, riddling their front line. Ghouls dropped by the dozens, but dozens more only rushed forward to take their place.

Rash was within range now to hear a dwarf with a solid orange beard shouting orders over the foray. His two-handed axe cleaved any and all undead who managed to reach him. It seemed that at any moment the tide of walking corpses would annihilate the resilient dwarves, but their line did not break. It would not break. Rash would see to that. His legs barreled him out past the last of the trees, and he charged into the onslaught with a battle cry to rival that of any seasoned orc warrior.

.....

From atop Aralis, Baelof scanned the skies above Aerie Peak. He had his snow-white gryphon circling the mountaintop slowly so he could view the horizon. What he saw saddened his heart, yet strengthened his resolve. The fortress-mountainside was completely surrounded by the undead. The handful of remaining dwarven soldiers were now pressed with their backs to the walls, desperately fending off the never ending tide of death that threatened to consume them.

The Lich King’s army had effectively removed the Wildhammer’s ability to fight in the air; Baelof was the only one still aloft. The rest of his wing was taken out of commission by disgustingly effective beasts on the ground that resembled massive spiders. They had launched some kind of mucus webbing at the gryphons, essentially snaring their wings, making them incapable of flight.

Baelof unconsciously adjusted the gleaming twin hammers at his waist. He had torn the plagued bats asunder, but he kept Aralis reigned in from the battle now. He could not risk being taken out of commission as well. His vantage point this high in the sky showed him no breaks or vulnerabilities in the undead army. Their commander was extremely tactful. Not to mention his immense advantage of numbers, add to that the element of surprise and it was an inevitable victory. That thought worried Baelof the most. How could an entire army of undead travel so far into the Hinterlands, reaching Aerie Peak with almost no warning? Now, however, was not the time for pondering.

Baelof had seen all he needed to, it was time for him to join the battle again, this time on the ground. Yes, he would repay these undead a thousand fold for every dwarf slain today. As he heeled Aralis into a steep dive toward the aviary, he noticed a lone human warrior that burst through the line of trees to the south. His vigorous battle cry reached even to Baelof’s ears. The warrior tore into the undead, and as Aralis descended, Baelof could see him sundering them with his bare hands! Ghouls flew apart in his flurry as he bolted from group to group, wrenching limbs off and kicking others into oblivion. The dwarves behind him cheered and rushed forward, actually pressing the undead back!

“Well girl, it may not be much. But it do seem reinforcements ‘ave arrived!” Aralis chirped and they soared closer to the ground. Baelof slipped his twin war hammers from the loops in his belt in anticipation. “It is time. Aye, they will answer for this dark day.”

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