Read upto 10 extra chapters worth of extra content; Simply go to my Patreon and become a Patron.
Patreon Challenge: If I get 100 Paid Patrons then I will officially make writing a job of mine.
Allowing for more consistent updates as well as more Extra Chapter availability on my Patreon.
Current number: 23/100 (We're almost 1/4th the way there!)
Patreon: Patreon.com/ArkNova
Max Brown, mr chicken, colbster303 Thank you so much for becoming fellow Patrons, you're support means a lot, Happy Daemon hunting!
If anyone else want extra chapters, to support the story and myself as well as contributing to the Patreon challenge than just go to my Patreon and become a fellow Patron.
-------------------------------------------------
(A/N: Another extra long chapter! Seriously I feel like I'm overdoing it at the rate I'm going.)
With a mighty swing of his hammer infused with Holy Light Arthas shattered the physical form of the summoned Daemon while the Holy Light obliterated any lingering corruption or similar Fel power.
"In the name of Light I sentence you to Oblivion!"
With one hand Arthas conjured a lance made of Holy light and with expert accuracy threw it at the Black mage.
The lance tore through the mage's corrupted protective spells and impaled him as the Holy light in the spear started wrecking havoc in his body and destroying any trace of evil magic.
The Black mage fell back on the ground dead before he hit it.
Arthas looked around as his forces were also finished clearing out the coven as a officer and a Paladin approached him and saluted him.
"Mission accomplished my prince, the coven has been completely cleared out"
"Good work" Arthas gave a proud nod at the officer and then looked at the Paladin.
"What's the status of the corruption?"
"Do not worry brother, we have almost completely purified the area one more sweep and you won't even think this place used to be the location of a coven"
The location he and his forces were in was a small town that acted as the secret base of the now destroyed coven of Black mages, sadly the town's population was killed by the same mages who used their blood and souls to summon Daemons to help them fight against Arthas and his forces that had soon arrived.
Not that it mattered much since Arthas and his accompanying soldiers, knights, priests and Paladins had wiped them out and purified the place.
Arthas nodded again as he dismissed the two of them but he couldn't help but sigh.
It has been months since he started his hunt for this so called Malak yet aside from destroying and purifying coven of Black mages and encountering members of the actual Black cults he hadn't had much luck.
If it was only that then it wouldn't be much but the situation in the north of the continent has also been deteriorating again.
There was now a strange unknown plague hitting multiple areas, while it was identified to be the product of Black magic, efforts to find a cure have been hard.
At first it was isolated incidents in some villages at the borders but it had quickly increased to the point it was now targeting larger settlements starting from towns.
Worse after death the victims would rise again as undead abominations that needed the help of the light to pass on, this had stretched the Church of the Holy Light thin.
It did not help that the Holy light had proven ineffective on people affected by the Plague, it was only when they died and rose again as undead could they be destroyed by the Holy light and their souls freed.
Measures were being made to contain the plague but sadly results weren't as good as expected.
Not to mention Beastkin activity had surged as well with Warherds coming down south from Silvermoon forest at Lordaeron despite the fact most of the Beastkin up north had their attention on Quel'thalas.
High General Alexandros had sent one of his most capable commanders General Abbendis to defend the northern part of Lordaeron with an army.
But from what was last heard, the garrisons in the north had been suffering repeated causalities due to the growing Beastkin presence there.
Abbendis had called for reinforcements but was denied by Terenas himself in favour of keeping the capital and surrounding area fortified.
Alexandros would have sent additional help but he was given strict orders by Terenas to guard and reinforce the southern border with his army.
Due to his paranoia of a possible surprise attack from the southern Alliance despite many arguing against it.
This caused the situation in the north of Lordaeron to deteriorate as well since Abbendis was forced to hold his position with limited number of soldiers.
Arthas was sure that the sudden Beastkin aggitation had something to due with the Black mages but unless he found and captured one of their leaders to get information from them even he could not change his father's decision when he was being this stubborn.
"Looking for me Prince Arthas?"
A voice called out to me as Arthas's pupil's dilated in shock at how he did not sense him as he immediately hefted his hammer and turned to the direction of the voice.
Standing a few meters away from him was a man who looked to be in his mid 30's with black hair, pale skin and the amber eyes that almost seemed to glow with unnatural wisdom.
It took only a moment for Arthas to recognize the one in front of him as a Black mage due to the Holy Light effect on his senses.
Those same senses told him that the Black mage in front of him was FAR worse than even the strongest ones he had killed, this man's mere presence seemed to poison and distort the air around him.
"Heretic! you actually dared to appear in front of me, name yourself fool before I send you to oblivion" Arthas tightened his grip on his hammer as it started glowing with the aura of the Holy Light.
"You have been searching for me quite some time now that I finally appear you don't recognize me?" Malak gave him a slightly mocking smile as if looking at a naive child.
Arthas froze at what he heard, since it all but confirmed this man was Malak, the leader of the Black mages or at least one of them. It also explained the sense of oppression he felt from him.
Arthas immediately shot him with his most powerful blast of Holy light while simultaneously charging his hammer as he also rushed in at high speeds.
But Malak looked almost bored as with a simple chaos spell he shattered the incoming column of Holy light shocking Arthas for a only a split second but that was all Malak needed to teleport himself beside him.
With a quick touch on the breastplate of his light blessed armour Malak unleashed a massive amount of Chaotic warp energy that blasted Arthas away like a bullet as he slammed and broke dozens of trees before slamming onto a hill and cracking it.
Arthas coughed out blood as he felt his internal organs and skeleton churn all the while the Holy light in him tried it's best to get rid of the invading corrupted energies.
'Ho....how!? he shouldn't have been able to breakthrough the Holy Light!'
The frontal part of his blessed armour was already deformed as he shakily got up back on his feet, if not due to the armour's shock absorbers and the enhancement it had due to the Light's blessing he wouldn't even be able to get up.
"For someone hailed as a genius Paladin and learning under the Lightbringer himself you're Holy light is surprising.....brittle"
Malak reappeared in front of him a few meters away.
"W...What!" Arthas choked out in outrage while trying his best to purge himself of the power of Chaos and heal himself with the Holy Light.
"Are you offended? it's the truth you know, if it was your master or any of the other Great Paladins than I would have been forced to take it seriously lest I end up dying."
"I expected the same from you considering how people tend to see you as the one to succeed Uther but now...I wonder if it was all a lie"
Arthas having purged his body of Chaos reached for his hammer only to see it gone.
"Looking for this" Malak floated Arthas hammer beside him. "Please do not try anything foolish it would be a real shame if the Prince of Lordaeron died"
Unwilling but knowing he was out of options Arthas growled but didn't attack.
"What do you want heretic"
"Not necessarily just what I want but you want as well Arthas, I'm proposing a deal"
"Hah! then you really have gone mad like the rest of your filth if you think I will ever willingly make a deal with a consort of Daemons!"
Arthas sneered at Malak at the thought of making a deal with a Black mage.
"Even if it means surpassing the Miracle Prince"
Arthas froze for a split second but Malak caught it with ease.
"I have no enmity with Alastor"
"Is that what you tell yourself before going to sleep every night? Others might not see it but I can quite literally taste the envy, unwillingness and anger within you behind that Holy veneer of yours"
Malak's smile widened. "My deal is simple I wish for you to join us in our goal in bringing enlightenment to Azeroth"
"My brethren and I wish to see Azeroth enlightened and the world itself uplifted to a higher level without being bound by fear or weakness"
"In return I will give you the way to obtain great power and surpass the Demigod and after all is said and done you may rule over the new world as it's sole king"
"And you will oh so graciously give me such a prize on a silver platter won't you" Arthas sarcastically said.
"Indeed since I have no need for kingship, I consider myself more of a shepherd than ruler" Malak turned and with a wave of his hand opened a small warp portal.
"I know you won't accept for now but you will soon when you have been pushed to your wit's end in that time keep what I said in mind and call my name, Farewell for now Prince Arthas."
And with that Malak entered the portal which dissipated soon after as Arthas approached and picked his hammer up with a conflicted look.
He knew very well the actual reason his Holy light did nothing to Malak, wielders of the Light mainly get their strength and proficiency not only from the Light and their skills but also their will.
If a priest or Paladin has firm belief in their actions and a powerful will driven by virtue, justice, honour, kindness and the like then their Holy light would exert even greater power and purity.
But for Arthas someone who grew up rarely knowing defeat or inferiority?
Ever since he met Alastor the first time in Dalaran he had harboured a secret envy seeing Alastor's genius and charisma.
How easily he could excel in the things he did beyond human limits or how easily he could have people of all types gravitate towards him without trying.
But even in that time Arthas was able to suppress his envy easily enough and try to transfer it to admiration while he put even more effort on his duties as a prince and Paladin, so nothing had changed for him.
But then the Winter Veil festival happened and Alastor shortly after entering the Chapel of light had been recognized and made a Saint by the Light itself.
An Honour that currently only Alonsus Faol and Uther had, who also expressed admiration for Alastor after meeting him.
If seeing his friend being given a vaunted position in the order he had spent so much time in wasn't bad enough the issuing gathering at his family's castle ended up worse.
A simple joke had ended up with his elder sister, Calia developing a romantic liking towards him, his own attempts to get closer to Jaina were always met with polite denials.
Despite it being a celebration hosted his family most people had flocked to the Wrynn family.
And finally.....he saw the woman he loved dancing with Alastor giving him a look of such tenderness and care that he had wanted directed to himself.
That moment finally broke the camel's back of Arthas restrained emotions that had begun polluting his will and thus weakening the power of his vaunted Holy Light not to point of making him unable to fight but no longer being a danger to High level Black mages and similar evils.
Now those emotions were almost always at the back of his mind creeping in at times when he was vulnerable if not in his very dreams.
It was only his pride and remaining will that had held them back mostly.
Running footsteps were heard as Arthas saw his men exit the treeline completely armed as they looked around at the destruction.
The leading officer gave him a worried look especially as he saw the deformed chest plate of his.
"My prince are you alright!?"
Arthas quickly thought that most likely Malak had conjured a barrier to isolate their little "meeting" so his men had not noticed the conflict otherwise they would have immediately noticed the fighting.
He found himself glad they didn't otherwise they would have been slaughtered by that monster of a Black Mage.
"It's okay I ambushed by a particularly powerful Black Mage thinking he could kill me, I already vanquished him so no worries"
His men signed in relief as a Priest approached him.
"Be as it may Lord Arthas you're armour has sustained damage Lord Muradin will be meeting up with us soon in Rivent City, he would be able to easily repair it in the meantime also allow me to check for other injuries"
Arthas chuckled as he followed his men hiding his inner turmoil expertly. "Then I shall trouble you"
Unknown to Arthas the seed had been planted and was quickly taking root in him and the best part for those that had marked him?
Malak or Chaos wouldn't even need to be the ones to give him the final push.
-------------------------------------------------------
Author Note: Please remember to Vote, comment, Add to library and give the story a 5 star review to help it get the coverage it needs.
Read upto 10 Chapters worth of content ahead by going to my Patreon and becoming a fellow Patron. As well as supporting both the story and myself as well.
By a 100 Paid Patrons I will officially make story writing a job of mine. Guaranteeing more consistent releases as well as more extra Chapters on Patreon.
Patreon: Patreon.com/ArkNova