Alright mates?  Hows it going? 

In Todays Video... Chapter Eighteen of Arthas: Rise of the Lich King. The fallen prince gets real mean in this one.  It's uncalled for, to be honest. So Let's goooo!

It took six days to reach the High Elven lands.  And during that journey, Arthas had a few chats with the shade of Kel'thuzad and gained quite a lot of extra followers.  From Andorhal, they'd head eastward.  And there had been undead everywhere.  So all it took was a quick mental command and all of them joined Arthas' ranks.  But it wasn't just plague victims, abominations and ghosts that had joined his growing army... there was another ally that they met on the way as well.  One that was kinda gross.

A- "Ewwww... Spiders!?"
K- "These are the new warriors the Lich King sends to his favored one.  The dreadlords cannot be trusted.  They are the Lich King's jailors.  I will tell you more... once i'm resurrected and stuff"

Arthas was pretty sure the only reason Kel'thuzad was dangling this information ahead of him was to make sure he completed the task at hand.  But... he was still trying to come to terms with the nasty spider creatures that were scurrying towards them.  They were freaking him out.

A- "The lich king sent these things?  What are they?"
K- "They once were nerubians.  Descendants of an ancient and proud race called the Aqir.  In life, they were extremely intelligent.  Dedicated to wiping out any who were not like themselves."
A- "Lovely.  And now?"
K- "Now... these are the ones that fell battling the one we serve.  He raised them and their leader, Anub'arak into undeath and now they come to aid you.  To serve his glory and yours"
A- "Undead spiders... to fight the elves of quel'thalas... fantastic."

This Lich King, whoever he was... seemed to have a bit of a flair for the dramatic.

Anywho... Arthas' approach had been spotted.  There was no doubt about that.  Elves breed notoriously fine scouts but also it was hard to miss the giant, smelly, gross army.  However, Arthas didn't really give a shit.  He was still confident that he'd be able to gain entry to the High Elf lands and reach the sunwell.  Mainly because they'd captured two prisoners on their way there.  Firstly, a priest who, in their defiance, had accidentally revealed an important bit of intel that Arthas could use.  And Secondly, a mage who... almost immediately turned on his own people for the promise of power.

Meanwhile...

K- "It is true... all of it"

Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger General of Silvermoon knew better than to question this particular scout's information.  Kelmarin was always accurate and detailed.  He wouldn't lie.  Plus they'd all heard the rumors.  Some plague that had been creeping across human lands.  But the Quel'dorei had thought themselves safe in their homeland.  It had withstood attacks from dragons, orcs and trolls for hundreds and hundreds of years.  They'd be fiiiine...

Except, they weren't gonna be fine.

S- "You sure it's Arthas Menethil?  The Prince?"
K- "Aye my lady.  I heard him called so by those that serve him.  You know those rumors about him killing his dad and most of the people of Lordaeron?  Yeah i don't think those are exaggerations.  

Sylvanas then listened as Kelmarin spun a tale that sounded like complete bullshit.  Risen corpses.  enormous abominations, strange gargoyle-like beasts, spider-like beings...  and the smell... eurgh... 

K- "My lady... if he breaks through... i do not think we have the numbers to defeat him"
S- "We are Quel'dorei.  Our land is impregnable.  He will not enter.  He'd have to know how to break the enchantments that protect our kingdom.  Better and wiser foes have tried to take our realm before.  Have faith, my friend.  In the Sunwells strength... and in the strength and will of our people"

Kelmarin was then led off so he could have a drink and some food and a bit of a lie down.  And Sylvanas turned to her rangers.  

S- "I would see this human prince for myself.  Summon the first battle units.  We should prepare for a pre-emptive strike."

And so they did.

Sylvanas, Sheldaris and Vor'athil stared, aghast... as they smelled the smell Kelmarin had mentioned.  And witnessed the decaying army approaching.  Prince Arthas himself rode atop a skeletal horse.  Carrying a huge sword that Sylvanas recognised as a Runeblade immediately.  And she threw up a little bit in her mouth as she looked over the collecion of various rotting corpses marching with him.  

The Ranger General silently signalled her plan to the other scouts by waving her fingers about and stuff.  And they nodded and slipped back into the shadows.  Sylvanas then turned her eyes back towards Arthas.  He hadn't seemed to have noticed them yet.  So that was cool.  But how the bloody hell could a human stand amongst all this.  Being surrounded by the dead... with their horrific stench. 

*Focus, Sylvanas.  What do you see?*  The undead were mindless.  Simply stood awaiting orders to obey.  And the other humans... the necromancers... were too busy creating new monstrosities.  They weren't prepared for an attack.  Their arrogance will be their undoing...

Sylvanas then waited until her archers were in position.  Thanks to Kelmarin's warning, she had two thirds of her Rangers accompanying her.  She then looked over at Sheldaris and Vor'athil... who nodded to indicate that they were ready.  Although it would have made sense to simply strike and take the enemy unawares... there was no honor in that.  The rangers of Quel'thalas would not defend their homeland using underhanded tactics...

S- "You are not welcome here!  I am Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger General of Silvermoon.  I advise you to turn back now"
A- "It's you who should turn back, Sylvanas.  Death itself has come to your land"
S- "Do your worst.  The Elfgate to the inner kingdom is protected by our most powerful enchantments.  You shall not pass"

Sylvanas then nocked her bow.  A signal to the others to attack.  And within seconds, the air was filled with dozens of arrows.  The Ranger General herself had aimed for Arthas' face.  And her aim was true.  But... just before it struck... there was a flash of blue-white.

Somehow... this 'human' prince had brought up his sword... and sliced the arrow in two.  Making speedy gonzales look like regular gonzales.  And Arthas just grinned at her... and winked.

A- "Slay them all"

So much for diplomacy.  The archers had their instructions.  Cut down the living first.  Then dispatch the dead with fire arrows.  The first set of arrows took out nearly every single one of the cultists.  The second dropped dozens of the walking corpses.  But... there were just too many of them.  The dead were somehow managing to scale up the vertical walls of the gate. So it was time for the rangers to start using swords instead of bows.  And although they were all trained warriors... they'd never fought against a foe like this.

Sylvanas felt deep pain as she watched Sheldaris fall from her perch into the masses of dead below.  But all the Ranger General could do was continue to draw and fire and draw and fire... and focus on her duties.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the gargoyle things swoop down and snatch up Vor'athil.  Sylvanas tried to shoot an arrow at it's neck but it just bounced off.  And then she watched in horror as the creature swiped it's claw across Vor'athil's throat and drop him.  Things were not going well.  And then they got worse.

Vor'athils' body landed amongst the dead cultists.  And Sylvanas realised that killing those cultists had been the only real victory the High Elves had achieved during this entire battle.  So imagine how she felt when she saw those cultists get back up again.  Her attack had cost Arthas nothing.  Any who fell would just be raised by his dark magic.

And Arthas was looking right at her.  Laughing.

A- "I did try to tell you.  And still you provide me with new recruits..."

Arthas then gestured and another body twitched and got up.  Vor'athil.  Oh shitballs.  Sylvanas then felt the gate beneath her shudder.  She'd been so distracted by the slaughter and the horror that she'd failed to notice Arthas' siege engines had maneuvred into position.  And the spiderlike creatures were attacking the gate as well.  Also some things that were wet and soft were hitting the wall and splattering all over her.  And for a second, Sylvanas refused to accept the truth of what that was.  

Arthas wasn't just raising the corpses of fallen elves.  He was hurling their bodies... or pieces of them... back at Sylvanas as ammunition.  And all of this combined was enough to make Sylvanas issue an order that... up until a few moments ago... she never thought she'd ever give...

S- "Shindu Fallah na!  Fall back to the second gate!  Fall back!"

She didn't need to say that twice.  Those that were still alive obeyed immediately.  Gathered up the wounded and just outright cheesed it.  This was not a dignified retreat.  They bloody cheesed it.  And as Sylvanas herself ran for her life... she heard the once-inconceivable sound of the gate behind her being breached.  

Arthas had done it.  But how?  How?!

Sylvanas then grabbed the sleeve of a young man racing beside here...

S- "Tel'kor... make for the Sunwell Plateau... tell them what we have seen here... tell them to be prepared.  Tell them... we've been betrayed"

Tel'kor was a bit taken aback by that but he nodded and raced away.  And after a while of cheesing it Northward... Sylvanas and her troops started to cross a bridge when she suddenly stopped, turned on her heel and looked back.  And gasped...

She'd expected to see Arthas was still coming.  With his dark army.  But what she didn't expect to see was what they were leaving in their wake.  They were leaving a trail... like a slug.  Except it wasn't a gooey trail.  The land itself was blackened... and barren.  As if the dark energies used to propel the dead forward were killing the very earth upon which they marched.  And it had to be stopped.

S- "Hold!  We will make our stand here!"

So she barked her orders... and although the rest of the Rangers were puzzled at first... they soon realised the importance of stopping this Dead Scar from spreading any further.

A- "Goodness... This can't be one of the oh-so-imposing elfgates i've heard so much about"
S- "No.  Not quite.  But you'll still find it a challenge"
A- "It's a f*ckin' bridge, my lady.  But then again... the elves have always been very fond of putting paper manes on cats and calling them lions"
S- "You've won through the first gate, butcher... but you wont get through the second.  The inner gate to Silvermoon can only be opened with a special key... and it shall never be yours"
A- "You waste your time, woman.  You cannot outrun the inevitable.  Though i admit it is pretty funny to watch you try"
S- "You think i'm running from you?  Apparently you've never fought elves before"

Sylvanas then raised her hand... and threw a grenade.  (Ah... the old, classic Elven tactic of throwing a grenade.)  And then the bridge exploded.  And as she and her rangers took to the trees and disappeared... she heard something that made her smile for the first time in a while...

A- "That Ranger woman is starting to vex me greatly"

And we're leaving it there!  

You don't know the half of it, Arthas.  That Ranger woman is gonna vex us all greatly eventually.  Anywho in the next video... Arthas takes care of that pesky ranger woman... as well as about 90% of High Elven society.  

As usual, link in the description, if you're interested in buying this book.  Also theres links to my discord server and my patreon page too.  

If you enjoyed this video... Like, Subscribe, all of that bollocks.  And all thats left to say is... Thanks for watching and See ya!