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(A/N: Chapter 97 will soon be on Patreon!)
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(Now back to the story!)
With the conclusion of the fifteenth day of the siege, Phase One was finally complete.
Now that the enemy's full attention was focused on the Alliance armies besieging the city day after day, the time had come to cut off the serpent's head.
At this very moment, commanders like Belegar, Magni, Alexandros, Varian, Genn, Thoras, and others were leading the day's assaults while fighting on the front lines themselves.
Behind the Alliance lines, however, a small area had been specially warded to remain invisible to both sorcerous detection and ordinary sight.
Inside stood a group that would serve as the decapitation strike team—or at least most of them would.
"You're seriously not bringing me along?" Rhonin asked with a sigh, though it was far from the first time he had asked Alastor this question.
And just like every previous time, Alastor remained completely adamant in his decision.
"Rhonin, I've said it a hundred times, and I'll say it a hundred more: no."
"You have no idea how hard it was for me not to keep you, Jaina, and Alleria close during the previous battles. But I restrained myself and let you all fight as you saw fit."
And it was true. Ever since the war began, Alastor had constantly worried about his close friends and loved ones. More than anything, he wanted to keep them all within his sight so he could protect them.
Suffice it to say, everything that had happened had left him with a lingering fear of losing those closest to him.
Thankfully, however, he had managed to restrain that impulse. They were not children.
They were powerful heroes in their own right, with just as much right as he had to earn glory and achievements—not rot away beneath his shadow.
But this was different. The danger within Alterac City far exceeded what he was comfortable allowing them to face, and so he remained firm in keeping them away from this particular operation.
"Besides, I need you to cover for me when Alleria and Jaina find out I already left."
"Why would—!... You didn't tell them!?"
"I might have... forgotten to mention it," Alastor replied in a perfectly calm tone, though the way his eyes shifted away from Rhonin ruined the act entirely.
Let's just say Alastor feared that, out of concern, they would insist on joining the decapitation team.
Knowing his future wives, he knew the chances of that happening were extremely high—and he would never agree to it.
So he decided on the next best thing.
Namely, having Rhonin fulfill his duty as a friend by covering for him—also known as becoming the scapegoat for their inevitable ire.
Rhonin, knowing Alastor as well as he did, immediately felt a surge of annoyance.
'Oh, I'm definitely telling them the moment you leave... and maybe exaggerating a few things while I'm at it.'
Alastor and Rhonin exchanged an "understanding" nod.
Truly, you weren't best friends unless you occasionally acted petty and "humorously" sabotaged each other.
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After that little interlude, Alastor turned toward the center of the warded area as Rhonin left, where Aegwynn and Antonidas were constructing a massive teleportation circle.
"Is it done, Master?" Alastor asked.
Antonidas heard him but did not look away from the intricate magical formation.
"Almost. We're simply smoothing out the final details and checking for mistakes."
"Spatial magic requires incredibly precise Arithmancy calculations, not to mention exact control during both its construction and application if you don't wish to end up on the other side of the planet at best—or missing several important body parts at worst."
"Which is hardly made easier by the fact that this formation is meant to teleport your group directly into an unstable region of space within the city."
Aegwynn also spoke, looking toward Alastor with a deep frown.
"At most, it will take another twenty minutes. But enough about that—are you absolutely certain you don't want me to accompany you?"
Alastor nodded immediately.
"Yes, I'm sure. Aegwynn, it would already be suspicious enough for me and the rest of the team to be absent from today's battle. At the very least, you and Tyrande need to remain here."
"Not only to eliminate enemy champions and provide support if anything unexpected happens, but also to ensure the fel forces don't grow suspicious too quickly."
Aegwynn's frown did not disappear, though she eventually relented.
And she was far from the only one unhappy with the arrangement. For example, Anduin had been far from pleased when he discovered he would not be part of the decapitation team.
Unfortunately Alastor needed as many powerful heroes to stay behind for this phase.
Alastor then turned toward the strike team and the members who would accompany him into the city to destroy the Warp portal.
They were Malfurion, Brann, Uther, Turalyon, and Mario Auditore.
Alastor had reunited with Turalyon a few days earlier after the latter handed command of his forces over to Alexandros in preparation for the strike mission. During that time, Turalyon had also introduced Mario to him.
Alastor had been genuinely happy to see an old friend alive and well, and he had also quickly come to appreciate Mario Auditore.
Mario had offered his services for the mission, explaining that even if reality within the city had become distorted by fel energies, he still knew Alterac City better than anyone else.
He intended to use that knowledge—alongside his considerable skills as a master rogue—to guide the group through the city, while also helping them identify the safest and most efficient paths to take.
Alastor had no reason to refuse such valuable assistance and gladly accepted Mario's involvement.
"Is everyone ready?"
Malfurion nodded solemnly.
"As ready as we'll ever be."
Brann patted the mana bomb strapped to his back.
"I've got this baby primed and ready. As soon as we reach the ritual site, I'll only need a short amount of time to arm it before we can get rid of those fel rituals maintaining the portal."
Uther and Turalyon both nodded, tightening their grips on their warhammer and sword respectively.
"That's where we, Alastor, and Malfurion come in. Just focus on making sure the site is destroyed and leave the rest to us."
Mario gave everyone a look of mock offense, though it was ruined by the battle-hungry grin spread across his face.
"Don't forget me, my lords. You'll find that aside from being a guide, I'm also quite good at cutting bastards down."
Alastor smiled at everyone and nodded approvingly at their resolve.
With the final checks complete, the six members of the decapitation team stepped into the center of the magic circle as Antonidas began channeling energy into it.
"We can only teleport you to what used to be the outer-middle section of the city—or whatever now passes for it."
"Do not waste time. Find the fastest and safest route to the city center near the ruins of the royal castle. That is where the corrupted energies are most concentrated."
Everyone nodded, though Turalyon still voiced a question.
"Understood. But what about extraction? How are we supposed to get out?"
"Aye, the paladin's right," Brann added. "Even if we close the portal—which would cut off daemonic reinforcements and weaken their fel magics—we'll still be trapped behind enemy lines at ground zero."
Even with their group's strength, escaping such a concentration of enemies would be extremely difficult—and that wasn't even considering whatever horrors might lurk within the city itself.
Surprisingly, it was Aegwynn who answered, a faintly enigmatic smile crossing her face.
"Do not worry. I already contacted someone regarding that. She will be ready to assist you the moment the portal is closed and help extract you safely."
Alastor and the others looked at her curiously, wondering who exactly she meant by "she." Yet Aegwynn offered no further explanation.
Still, the confidence in her tone made it clear that whoever this person was, she would be reliable.
Besides, none of them were particularly eager to question a millennia-old monster of a mage.
Even if Aegwynn now appeared calmer and more composed than she had before her son's death, many still remembered the temperamental and stubborn Guardian of Azeroth she once was.
No one particularly wanted to test whether that "monster" still remained somewhere beneath the surface.
Aegwynn, for her part, suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to blast everyone present to the other side of the continent.
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The magic circle was finally complete.
Everyone exchanged one last nod before Antonidas spoke.
"Remember to come back safely, my apprentice."
"I have no intention of dying anytime soon, Master. Besides, I'm afraid Jaina would somehow find a way to revive me, only so she and Alleria could kill me themselves before reviving me again."
"Hahaha! And I would help them wholeheartedly."
At last, the ritual activated.
The circle glowed with an azure-blue radiance as space itself distorted within its boundaries. Then, with a brilliant flash of light, the decapitation team vanished from sight.
Antonidas slowly released the breath he had been holding.
"It is done. Now, all we can do is hope."
Aegwynn nodded before dismissing the wards around the area with a wave of her hand. Together, the two archmages began making their way toward the front lines.
"They will succeed one way or another. In the meantime, we must do our best to thin the enemy forces and keep their attention focused on us."
Antonidas' eyes glowed with arcane light as he summoned his staff, prepared to unleash the full weight of his magical might upon the enemy while silently praying to the Light for the safety of his student and the others.
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Alastor and his team reappeared in the middle of a ruined street.
Before anyone could properly react, Mario quickly ushered them into a nearby alleyway.
Alastor immediately cast several spells to conceal them from sight while also suppressing their presence.
Meanwhile, the armor worn by everyone except himself and Malfurion had anti-detection enchantments woven into it to shield them from fel scrying magic aside from offering them protection from potential corruption.
As for Alastor and Malfurion, they possessed their own specialized methods for achieving similar results.
"By the Maker... this is worse than I thought!"
Brann spoke in shock as he stared upward at the sky.
Rather than the usual purple hue caused by the Chaos Grand Ritual, the sky inside the city resembled a shattered kaleidoscope, reality itself appearing fractured and unstable.
Malfurion frowned as he observed the phenomenon and immediately understood its implications.
"The veil between the Aether and reality is on the verge of collapse in this area."
"Your decision was correct, my friend. Even with Azeroth's defenses and its natural laws of reality, if the situation has deteriorated this far, then a decapitation strike was the best option."
"Otherwise, this entire city would either become daemon ground... or be pulled directly into the Aether itself."
"Time is of the essence. We must destroy the ritual quickly so the laws of realspace can reassert themselves, close the portal, and allow this place a chance to recover."
Alastor nodded immediately.
"Then let's not waste time. Mario, can you still recognize where we are despite the changes?"
Mario smirked confidently.
"Can I? We're actually much closer to our planned destination than expected. I can work with this. Follow me—we'll first move through the commerce district and then the market quarter."
"Stick to the shadows and keep the concealment spells active. We have no idea what else might be lurking within the city."
And with that, the group moved out.
Within moments, they disappeared from sight as they followed Mario deeper into the ruined city.
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