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Chapter Ten: Siege of the Blackrocks
The next morning on the outskirts of the Blackrock Clan village, the undead marched. Though what had been called a village was more five large towns. Each one separated into a different faction with its strengths and weaknesses. In truth, it was more of a different Horde. There were also several smaller settlements in outlying regions. Despite himself, Arthas was somewhat dreading the coming conflict.
On a rocky outcropping overlooking his base, he and Kel'thuzad spoke in private. 'Isn't it time you told me about the second phase of the plan, Lich?'
'Certainly,' said Kel'thuzad, 'the first phase of the plan was to eliminate any group which might resist the Legions arrival.'
'Like the forces of Lordaeron,' noted Arthas, 'and the High Elves.' Well, this was going to be an awkward meeting. Tichondrius probably should have been more specific in his instructions.
'Precisely,' said Kel'thuzad, 'the second phase of the plan was to actually summon the Demon Lord who will spark the invasion.' He turned and began making his way down the path to the base. Arthas followed him, leading Invincible behind him.
'So where are we going now?' asked Arthas, feeling he had already guessed.
'There is a nearby functional Demon Gate, guarded by a group of Blackrock Orcs.' explained Kel'thuzad. 'I must use the gate to commune with the Demon Lord and receive his instructions.' That was all Arthas needed to hear.
Oddly enough, Arthas felt a terrible rage growing within him. And something else too. Regret? Shame? Despair? Grief? Pity? There were a myriad of emotions bubbling beneath the surface within Frostmourne. He could not feel them, but he could tell they were there. He had kept them alive, he realized, as he kept his enemies alive. The flame of light within his soul had not been snuffed out. Yet his soul was not his own.
Arthas might have been very powerful now, yet he realized now that he had almost no free will. After he had taken up Frostmourne he had not questioned the instructions he'd been given. It went against his nature. He obeyed them and interpreted them. What did he want? What, if anything, at this point would Arthas desire if he could have anything?
On the one side, he had the Alliance, who wanted his head more than anything else. On the other he had the Legion, pressing him to annihilate all life. Yet there was no choice between them. There had never been. He'd taken up Frostmourne meaning to save his people, and now he was on the council of their enemies. The exact moment of transition escaped him. Little by little, he had stopped caring about anything. Then he had killed Mal'ganis and then turned on his Father. And for what?
More than anything, he wanted an alternative to what was happening now. He had no choice, of course. All he could do at the moment was to follow his instructions. His will was still bound to the Lich King, and he believed that if he were to defy him, he would lose. Even if he didn't, the undead would turn on him, and he would be hunted down, whether by the alliance, or the undead. No, he had no option but to follow orders to their letter right now. They were well past the point where he had a choice.
'These orcs should be natural allies.' he said. 'They had the chance to stop worshipping demons when the others did, and they turned it down. By all rights, they should want to work side by side with us.' He tried to keep the revulsion out of his voice.
'The end times which these creatures have awaited are nigh,' stated Kel'thuzad in a musing tone. 'they were correct after a fashion.'
The idea filled the young death knight with revulsion. 'Uther dismissed their prophecies as the delusions of a dying breed.' reflected Arthas as he looked back to where the corpses of countless innocents lay. 'It would seem he was wrong.' His mind turned back to Strahnbrad. The horrifying slaughter which had occurred there still haunted him. 'Whatever the case, the orcs will not live long enough to see their hopes realized.'
'That is a wise plan.' said Kel'thuzad. 'If they survive, they will declare their allegiance to the Burning Legion. It is to our benefit to remain indispensable.'
Whispers from his runeblade filled Arthas' thoughts. Oddly enough, the voices from Frostmourne were suggesting restraint. As if the Lich King would prefer the orcs be spared. He could wipe out the Blackrock Warlocks and their guards, and the rest would disperse. Arthas brushed it off, and for the first time, embraced Frostmourne itself. The Blackrock Clan would not benefit from Arthas' actions.
They traveled onward through the snows, making their way past an icy cold lake. Then there was a beating of wings that could only belong to one entity. Arthas looked up, scanning the skies for a dragon. He saw one, but not quite a dragon. The beast had tattered wings and was more a skeleton than any creature of flesh and blood. It was undead, an undead dragon that radiated cold. Arthas stood in awe as the massive beast flew into the camp. It was magnificent!
'Behold, the frostwyrm!' said Kel'thuzad, voice proud. 'These undead dragons are the Lich King's favored pets. This one shall serve us well.'
Arthas put out one hand and called the dragon to him. The creature landed before him, and he messaged its nose experimentally. Its breath was icy cold, and he looked in awe at the beast. It was far larger than Searinox had been, he knew that much.
At that moment, there came a war cry. Orcs rushed over the hill on wolf back. They were followed by warlocks who hurled fiery spells into the midsts of the undead's ranks. Several ghouls were burned and cut down. Arthas mounted Invincible and rallied his forces into a charge as he met a raider in battle.
He cleaved through the orc's sword and beheaded him, as Invincible caved his mounts skull in with one hoof. The frostwyrm took to flight and breathed ice down upon their enemies. A cluster of orcs was frozen to death in moments. Then the frostwyrm descended and snatched up a warlock in its maw and devouring it. Fresh blood coursed from its ribcage as the orc's body was reduced to a skeleton in moments.
Even so, the orcs fought on with reckless abandon. The warriors and warlocks roared fury unending. They had not abandoned the Demons for the spirits like the others. They had stayed true to their heritage. And they would be rewarded!
'The Legion has sent the dead to test us!' cried a Warlock as he threw a fireball at a ghoul, consuming it. 'Victory to the Blackrock Clan!' Arthas sent a death coil that slew him and several others.
Then an orc wielding a great katana entered the fray. He split into many mirror images and split the skulls of many ghouls who stood in his way.
'We Orcs are the true servants of the Burning Legions!' proclaimed the Blademaster as the undead searched in vain for his real self, and died around him. 'These mindless undead are weak!' One of the mirror images beheaded a ghoul. 'Impure!'
A ghoul was carved down by the same image, and Arthas knew it to be the real one. He charged to meet the Blademaster in battle. Yet Kel'thuzad was faster.
The Lich waved a hand, and ice consumed the Blademaster, crawling slowly up his legs until he was frozen in place. His chest bared.
'Your people failed their task, savage.' said Kel'thuzad as he approached, the ghouls turning the tide against the orcs. 'You too must be scourged from the world.' And with that, Kel'thuzad drove one clawed hand through the Blademaster's chest.
It came out the other side. Blood dripped from the claw-like fingers, as the blade master gasped in pain. Kel'thuzad drew out his hand, and the ice shattered, and he fell upon the ground dead. The orcs were swept away, and in the fray, Arthas saw a book fall from the blademaster's pack.
Stooping low in his saddle, he snatched it up and turned round to approach Kel'thuzad. The book was had a red binding. Arthas could sense something special about it.
'He dropped a large tome.' noted Arthas 'Is it magical?'
The Lich took the book in hand and began to examine it. Flipping through the pages, he scanned through its letters. Finally, he closed it again. He handed it back to Arthas. 'It is a tome of Demon Lore.' replied Kel'thuzad. 'No doubt his comrades carry it as well.'
'I've encountered these demon worshipping orcs before.' said Arthas, remembering his time with Uther. 'How do they fit into all this?'
'That, young one,' Said Kel'thuzad with a touch of amusement 'is a very complicated matter. Suffice to say they no longer hold any favor with the Legion.'
Soon the scourge faced threats from the north. A force of orange-clad orcs charged down out of the hills and assaulted the fortress. Yet the newly erected spirit towers held and the defenses held until he and his forces could come to the rescue. These orcs did not fight like the elves. The elves would assault, only to withdraw when things became hopeless. The orcs fought with everything they had until every one of them was dead.
Once they had been defeated, Arthas turned his attention to the corpses. And there were plenty of them. The Blackrock Clan had left a swath of destruction behind them and set out their bodies for all to see.
'Begin resurrecting the corpses of those the Blackrock Clan has slain.' said Arthas to Tamas. 'We'll bury them with the sins of their own past. Then we'll bring them back.'
'Yes, master.' said Tamas.
The number of skilled necromancers had been depleted during the assault upon Quel'thalas. Arthas was unwilling to use those that remained more than necessary in combat. He needed them to train up the new recruits who were coming in.
Arthas mentally reached out and sent his gargoyles to scout to the west. He knew that to the north, and likely the east he was facing Orc encampments. To the south, there were only bodies. However, there remained one direction he had not yet checked. Not to his great surprise, Arthas found that the Orcs had a village there. It was guarded by Towers, where peons waited with bows for any to come within range. Several groups of grunts stood guard as well.
'Tell me, Kel'thuzad,' said Arthas, 'why did you build in a place where the orcs can attack us from every direction?'
'Simple enough,' said Kel'thuzad, 'every pass save one has been snowed in with winter. We can withdraw, should the battle prove too much for us. Yet, there will be no escaping us.'
'To surmise your defense,' said Arthas in amusement. 'we're not trapped in here with them. They're trapped in here with us.'
'Of course,' replied the Lich.
Arthas did not respond. Instead, he summoned the frostwyrm and the totality of his current forces. They traveled west, passing two bridges on the way until they came to the town. Here Arthas halted his troops out of bowshot and brought up his meat wagons. The bombardment of the defenses began.
The first tower fell beneath the barrage. At that moment, a warning was sounded throughout the village, and the orcs rushed out to meet them.
There was a pitched battle before the remaining tower. The occupants fired arrows into the fray as the meat wagons shelled it. More orcs came from the rear, and Arthas was forced to draw back. Lest the meat wagons be destroyed.
As the corpses piled up, Arthas smiled. He raised Frostmourne and channeled the darkness. The bodies of the dead arose throughout the battlefield. The tide turned again, and the orcs were swept away.
There was a delicious irony in using the corpses of the orcs victims against them. Arthas relished it as he ordered a charge to finish the last tower. Once more, they were met by resistance from a blademaster and his warriors. The combat raged, and after lengthy combat, Arthas met the blademaster sword to sword.
Their swords clashed in three strokes. Then Arthas turned the orc's blade and cut his throat. The orc collapsed to the ground spewing blood. Another blow removed his head.
Ice trolls came out, hurling spears at the undead and spearing several ghouls to death. In return, the frostwyrm claimed many of them. Then a lucky or skilled shot caught the beast through the eye as it passed low. It roared and fell dead near the ground.
Arthas snarled. Motioning with Frostmourne, he led the charge into the village. Destroying it was challenging, for many warriors had taken shelter within. They put out the blazes Arthas lit, as trolls hurled spears through arrow slits. When doors were smashed down, they found barricades waiting. Finally, the undead started a flame which could not be quenched.
The undead tried to move on, to destroy the hovels where peons were hiding. At that moment, he remembered the battle with the Blackrock Clan in Strahnbrad. He had to act.
Arthas raised his sword. 'Stay your hand, creatures!' he cried. 'Leave the peons in peace! They are but slaves to the Blackrock Orcs!' There was no point in punishing them for their leader's sins.
The great hall where the chieftain dwelled was consumed in flames.
One village down, four to go.
He made his way back to the fortress. There he was greeted by Tamas. The necromancer bowed. 'Death Knight,' he said 'our scouts have discovered numbers of nests of the red dragon flight in the hills above. If we were to slay them, their corpses would make excellent Frostwyrms.'
Arthas looked at the crypt fiend, and Frostmourne was urging him to do as suggested. 'Lead me to them.'
A small party of undead made their way north and came within sight of a cave leading into the side of the hill. From the cave was rising a constant fume of smoke, and Arthas halted there.
He looked to Tamas. 'Stay here,' he commanded, 'I will go on alone.' Dismounting from Invincible, he made his way to the mouth of the cave. It was more than large enough to admit a large creature with wings . Though not one as large as some adult dragons Arthas had seen.
He crept down into the caves, ignoring the fumes and came to a corner. Looking around the corner, he saw a Mother Red Dragon, nursing a group of hatchlings. Some of the older hatchlings were flying about. He could hear them speaking in their own language. Had he seen it when he was a Paladin, it might have been almost heartwarming.
This was nothing like the den which he had journeyed into to slay Searinox, all those years ago. Before the scourge. That had been filled with half-eaten corpses and a smell of blood.
No. No, he would not kill them.
He made his way out of the cave and reached his crypt fiends. 'We will leave the red dragon flight in peace. So long as they do not assault us, we will not assault them.'
When Arthas returned he found Kel'thuzad returning at the same moment. The Lich was looking obscenely pleased with himself and was carrying a book.
'You look glad.' said Arthas. 'What happened?'
'I've destroyed an orcish village.' said Kel'thuzad. 'And found yet another tome of demon lore. These were all written by Gul'dan. Things are going well for us.'
Then there was an earthshaking bang. An ungodly appeared on the spirit towers. The eastern section of the base was consumed in flames and utterly wrecked. Orcs streamed down from the highlands in greater numbers than ever before.
Battle was joined!
From the north came another assault. Catapults were launching projectiles from the hilltops, smashing the spirit towers from afar. Arthas rushed into the fray while Kel'thuzad commanded the east.
Even as he hacked and slashed the remaining spirit towers were blown to pieces. Yet no sooner had he accomplished that, he found that all but one of the spirit towers had been destroyed. The base was now virtually undefended.
Kel'thuzads icy magic flashed across the orcish ranks. Arthas sent one death coil after another. On came the orcs, slaying one ghoul after another. Nothing they could do could hold back the tide.
Then came the undead. Thousands and thousands of walking corpses flowed out of the pass in a tide. Tamas was at their lead, and they washed into the orcs. Once again the tide began to turn.
The combat waged back and forth, with many deaths on both sides and no clear superior. More and more orcs came, having been drawn from the outlying villages. For a full day, the armies battled. At last, the assault subsided. The Blackrock Orcs pulled back their hand. Victory was theirs.
But the army was left depleted and exhausted.
Arthas picked his way through the corpses before stumbling. He only kept his feet by resting on Frostmourne's blade. Then he saw him. Tamas lay upon the ground, dead.
The necromancer had been hewn to pieces. What remained of his body had been burned and charred. There would be no returning him from death.
'Remember me in the darkness, Tamas.' said Arthas.
Kel'thuzad appeared. 'Death Knight, the orcs have withdrawn. I do not think they will make another attempt against us.'
'Very well.' said Arthas. 'We'll have to do better in the morning.'

Description
Chapter Ten: Siege of the Blackrocks
The next morning on the outskirts of the Blackrock Clan village, the undead marched. Though what had been called a village was more five large towns. Each one separated into a different faction with its strengths and weaknesses. In truth, it was more of a different Horde. There were also several smaller settlements in outlying regions. Despite himself, Arthas was somewhat dreading the coming conflict.
On a rocky outcropping overlooking his base, he and Kel'thuzad spoke in private. 'Isn't it time you told me about the second phase of the plan, Lich?'
'Certainly,' said Kel'thuzad, 'the first phase of the plan was to eliminate any group which might resist the Legions arrival.'
'Like the forces of Lordaeron,' noted Arthas, 'and the High Elves.' Well, this was going to be an awkward meeting. Tichondrius probably should have been more specific in his instructions.
'Precisely,' said Kel'thuzad, 'the second phase of the plan was to actually summon the Demon Lord who will spark the invasion.' He turned and began making his way down the path to the base. Arthas followed him, leading Invincible behind him.
'So where are we going now?' asked Arthas, feeling he had already guessed.
'There is a nearby functional Demon Gate, guarded by a group of Blackrock Orcs.' explained Kel'thuzad. 'I must use the gate to commune with the Demon Lord and receive his instructions.' That was all Arthas needed to hear.
Oddly enough, Arthas felt a terrible rage growing within him. And something else too. Regret? Shame? Despair? Grief? Pity? There were a myriad of emotions bubbling beneath the surface within Frostmourne. He could not feel them, but he could tell they were there. He had kept them alive, he realized, as he kept his enemies alive. The flame of light within his soul had not been snuffed out. Yet his soul was not his own.
Arthas might have been very powerful now, yet he realized now that he had almost no free will. After he had taken up Frostmourne he had not questioned the instructions he'd been given. It went against his nature. He obeyed them and interpreted them. What did he want? What, if anything, at this point would Arthas desire if he could have anything?
On the one side, he had the Alliance, who wanted his head more than anything else. On the other he had the Legion, pressing him to annihilate all life. Yet there was no choice between them. There had never been. He'd taken up Frostmourne meaning to save his people, and now he was on the council of their enemies. The exact moment of transition escaped him. Little by little, he had stopped caring about anything. Then he had killed Mal'ganis and then turned on his Father. And for what?
More than anything, he wanted an alternative to what was happening now. He had no choice, of course. All he could do at the moment was to follow his instructions. His will was still bound to the Lich King, and he believed that if he were to defy him, he would lose. Even if he didn't, the undead would turn on him, and he would be hunted down, whether by the alliance, or the undead. No, he had no option but to follow orders to their letter right now. They were well past the point where he had a choice.
'These orcs should be natural allies.' he said. 'They had the chance to stop worshipping demons when the others did, and they turned it down. By all rights, they should want to work side by side with us.' He tried to keep the revulsion out of his voice.
'The end times which these creatures have awaited are nigh,' stated Kel'thuzad in a musing tone. 'they were correct after a fashion.'
The idea filled the young death knight with revulsion. 'Uther dismissed their prophecies as the delusions of a dying breed.' reflected Arthas as he looked back to where the corpses of countless innocents lay. 'It would seem he was wrong.' His mind turned back to Strahnbrad. The horrifying slaughter which had occurred there still haunted him. 'Whatever the case, the orcs will not live long enough to see their hopes realized.'
'That is a wise plan.' said Kel'thuzad. 'If they survive, they will declare their allegiance to the Burning Legion. It is to our benefit to remain indispensable.'
Whispers from his runeblade filled Arthas' thoughts. Oddly enough, the voices from Frostmourne were suggesting restraint. As if the Lich King would prefer the orcs be spared. He could wipe out the Blackrock Warlocks and their guards, and the rest would disperse. Arthas brushed it off, and for the first time, embraced Frostmourne itself. The Blackrock Clan would not benefit from Arthas' actions.
They traveled onward through the snows, making their way past an icy cold lake. Then there was a beating of wings that could only belong to one entity. Arthas looked up, scanning the skies for a dragon. He saw one, but not quite a dragon. The beast had tattered wings and was more a skeleton than any creature of flesh and blood. It was undead, an undead dragon that radiated cold. Arthas stood in awe as the massive beast flew into the camp. It was magnificent!
'Behold, the frostwyrm!' said Kel'thuzad, voice proud. 'These undead dragons are the Lich King's favored pets. This one shall serve us well.'
Arthas put out one hand and called the dragon to him. The creature landed before him, and he messaged its nose experimentally. Its breath was icy cold, and he looked in awe at the beast. It was far larger than Searinox had been, he knew that much.
At that moment, there came a war cry. Orcs rushed over the hill on wolf back. They were followed by warlocks who hurled fiery spells into the midsts of the undead's ranks. Several ghouls were burned and cut down. Arthas mounted Invincible and rallied his forces into a charge as he met a raider in battle.
He cleaved through the orc's sword and beheaded him, as Invincible caved his mounts skull in with one hoof. The frostwyrm took to flight and breathed ice down upon their enemies. A cluster of orcs was frozen to death in moments. Then the frostwyrm descended and snatched up a warlock in its maw and devouring it. Fresh blood coursed from its ribcage as the orc's body was reduced to a skeleton in moments.
Even so, the orcs fought on with reckless abandon. The warriors and warlocks roared fury unending. They had not abandoned the Demons for the spirits like the others. They had stayed true to their heritage. And they would be rewarded!
'The Legion has sent the dead to test us!' cried a Warlock as he threw a fireball at a ghoul, consuming it. 'Victory to the Blackrock Clan!' Arthas sent a death coil that slew him and several others.
Then an orc wielding a great katana entered the fray. He split into many mirror images and split the skulls of many ghouls who stood in his way.
'We Orcs are the true servants of the Burning Legions!' proclaimed the Blademaster as the undead searched in vain for his real self, and died around him. 'These mindless undead are weak!' One of the mirror images beheaded a ghoul. 'Impure!'
A ghoul was carved down by the same image, and Arthas knew it to be the real one. He charged to meet the Blademaster in battle. Yet Kel'thuzad was faster.
The Lich waved a hand, and ice consumed the Blademaster, crawling slowly up his legs until he was frozen in place. His chest bared.
'Your people failed their task, savage.' said Kel'thuzad as he approached, the ghouls turning the tide against the orcs. 'You too must be scourged from the world.' And with that, Kel'thuzad drove one clawed hand through the Blademaster's chest.
It came out the other side. Blood dripped from the claw-like fingers, as the blade master gasped in pain. Kel'thuzad drew out his hand, and the ice shattered, and he fell upon the ground dead. The orcs were swept away, and in the fray, Arthas saw a book fall from the blademaster's pack.
Stooping low in his saddle, he snatched it up and turned round to approach Kel'thuzad. The book was had a red binding. Arthas could sense something special about it.
'He dropped a large tome.' noted Arthas 'Is it magical?'
The Lich took the book in hand and began to examine it. Flipping through the pages, he scanned through its letters. Finally, he closed it again. He handed it back to Arthas. 'It is a tome of Demon Lore.' replied Kel'thuzad. 'No doubt his comrades carry it as well.'
'I've encountered these demon worshipping orcs before.' said Arthas, remembering his time with Uther. 'How do they fit into all this?'
'That, young one,' Said Kel'thuzad with a touch of amusement 'is a very complicated matter. Suffice to say they no longer hold any favor with the Legion.'
Soon the scourge faced threats from the north. A force of orange-clad orcs charged down out of the hills and assaulted the fortress. Yet the newly erected spirit towers held and the defenses held until he and his forces could come to the rescue. These orcs did not fight like the elves. The elves would assault, only to withdraw when things became hopeless. The orcs fought with everything they had until every one of them was dead.
Once they had been defeated, Arthas turned his attention to the corpses. And there were plenty of them. The Blackrock Clan had left a swath of destruction behind them and set out their bodies for all to see.
'Begin resurrecting the corpses of those the Blackrock Clan has slain.' said Arthas to Tamas. 'We'll bury them with the sins of their own past. Then we'll bring them back.'
'Yes, master.' said Tamas.
The number of skilled necromancers had been depleted during the assault upon Quel'thalas. Arthas was unwilling to use those that remained more than necessary in combat. He needed them to train up the new recruits who were coming in.
Arthas mentally reached out and sent his gargoyles to scout to the west. He knew that to the north, and likely the east he was facing Orc encampments. To the south, there were only bodies. However, there remained one direction he had not yet checked. Not to his great surprise, Arthas found that the Orcs had a village there. It was guarded by Towers, where peons waited with bows for any to come within range. Several groups of grunts stood guard as well.
'Tell me, Kel'thuzad,' said Arthas, 'why did you build in a place where the orcs can attack us from every direction?'
'Simple enough,' said Kel'thuzad, 'every pass save one has been snowed in with winter. We can withdraw, should the battle prove too much for us. Yet, there will be no escaping us.'
'To surmise your defense,' said Arthas in amusement. 'we're not trapped in here with them. They're trapped in here with us.'
'Of course,' replied the Lich.
Arthas did not respond. Instead, he summoned the frostwyrm and the totality of his current forces. They traveled west, passing two bridges on the way until they came to the town. Here Arthas halted his troops out of bowshot and brought up his meat wagons. The bombardment of the defenses began.
The first tower fell beneath the barrage. At that moment, a warning was sounded throughout the village, and the orcs rushed out to meet them.
There was a pitched battle before the remaining tower. The occupants fired arrows into the fray as the meat wagons shelled it. More orcs came from the rear, and Arthas was forced to draw back. Lest the meat wagons be destroyed.
As the corpses piled up, Arthas smiled. He raised Frostmourne and channeled the darkness. The bodies of the dead arose throughout the battlefield. The tide turned again, and the orcs were swept away.
There was a delicious irony in using the corpses of the orcs victims against them. Arthas relished it as he ordered a charge to finish the last tower. Once more, they were met by resistance from a blademaster and his warriors. The combat raged, and after lengthy combat, Arthas met the blademaster sword to sword.
Their swords clashed in three strokes. Then Arthas turned the orc's blade and cut his throat. The orc collapsed to the ground spewing blood. Another blow removed his head.
Ice trolls came out, hurling spears at the undead and spearing several ghouls to death. In return, the frostwyrm claimed many of them. Then a lucky or skilled shot caught the beast through the eye as it passed low. It roared and fell dead near the ground.
Arthas snarled. Motioning with Frostmourne, he led the charge into the village. Destroying it was challenging, for many warriors had taken shelter within. They put out the blazes Arthas lit, as trolls hurled spears through arrow slits. When doors were smashed down, they found barricades waiting. Finally, the undead started a flame which could not be quenched.
The undead tried to move on, to destroy the hovels where peons were hiding. At that moment, he remembered the battle with the Blackrock Clan in Strahnbrad. He had to act.
Arthas raised his sword. 'Stay your hand, creatures!' he cried. 'Leave the peons in peace! They are but slaves to the Blackrock Orcs!' There was no point in punishing them for their leader's sins.
The great hall where the chieftain dwelled was consumed in flames.
One village down, four to go.
He made his way back to the fortress. There he was greeted by Tamas. The necromancer bowed. 'Death Knight,' he said 'our scouts have discovered numbers of nests of the red dragon flight in the hills above. If we were to slay them, their corpses would make excellent Frostwyrms.'
Arthas looked at the crypt fiend, and Frostmourne was urging him to do as suggested. 'Lead me to them.'
A small party of undead made their way north and came within sight of a cave leading into the side of the hill. From the cave was rising a constant fume of smoke, and Arthas halted there.
He looked to Tamas. 'Stay here,' he commanded, 'I will go on alone.' Dismounting from Invincible, he made his way to the mouth of the cave. It was more than large enough to admit a large creature with wings . Though not one as large as some adult dragons Arthas had seen.
He crept down into the caves, ignoring the fumes and came to a corner. Looking around the corner, he saw a Mother Red Dragon, nursing a group of hatchlings. Some of the older hatchlings were flying about. He could hear them speaking in their own language. Had he seen it when he was a Paladin, it might have been almost heartwarming.
This was nothing like the den which he had journeyed into to slay Searinox, all those years ago. Before the scourge. That had been filled with half-eaten corpses and a smell of blood.
No. No, he would not kill them.
He made his way out of the cave and reached his crypt fiends. 'We will leave the red dragon flight in peace. So long as they do not assault us, we will not assault them.'
When Arthas returned he found Kel'thuzad returning at the same moment. The Lich was looking obscenely pleased with himself and was carrying a book.
'You look glad.' said Arthas. 'What happened?'
'I've destroyed an orcish village.' said Kel'thuzad. 'And found yet another tome of demon lore. These were all written by Gul'dan. Things are going well for us.'
Then there was an earthshaking bang. An ungodly appeared on the spirit towers. The eastern section of the base was consumed in flames and utterly wrecked. Orcs streamed down from the highlands in greater numbers than ever before.
Battle was joined!
From the north came another assault. Catapults were launching projectiles from the hilltops, smashing the spirit towers from afar. Arthas rushed into the fray while Kel'thuzad commanded the east.
Even as he hacked and slashed the remaining spirit towers were blown to pieces. Yet no sooner had he accomplished that, he found that all but one of the spirit towers had been destroyed. The base was now virtually undefended.
Kel'thuzads icy magic flashed across the orcish ranks. Arthas sent one death coil after another. On came the orcs, slaying one ghoul after another. Nothing they could do could hold back the tide.
Then came the undead. Thousands and thousands of walking corpses flowed out of the pass in a tide. Tamas was at their lead, and they washed into the orcs. Once again the tide began to turn.
The combat waged back and forth, with many deaths on both sides and no clear superior. More and more orcs came, having been drawn from the outlying villages. For a full day, the armies battled. At last, the assault subsided. The Blackrock Orcs pulled back their hand. Victory was theirs.
But the army was left depleted and exhausted.
Arthas picked his way through the corpses before stumbling. He only kept his feet by resting on Frostmourne's blade. Then he saw him. Tamas lay upon the ground, dead.
The necromancer had been hewn to pieces. What remained of his body had been burned and charred. There would be no returning him from death.
'Remember me in the darkness, Tamas.' said Arthas.
Kel'thuzad appeared. 'Death Knight, the orcs have withdrawn. I do not think they will make another attempt against us.'
'Very well.' said Arthas. 'We'll have to do better in the morning.'