When Arvis reached the camp, Sylvanas had not yet returned from her latest meeting with the elven commoners. Her task was to convince elves who had been living in the same village for hundreds of years to abandon their home.
A task that would have been impossible for anyone but her, and only because her unheeded warnings about the undead invasion had proved correct in the worst way possible. That gave her the necessary credibility.
It helped that none of the elven nobles interrupted her, likely assuming that Sylvanas was wasting the political chips she had won needlessly. Or another reason … which he didn’t really care one way or another. Now that he was positioned against them rather than waiting for their help, the slow reaction time of the elven nobles was a treasure.
Their reason didn’t matter. When they realized the situation was not something they could control, it would be too late.
Instead of thinking about it, he walked into the camp, which was nothing more than a wide-open area and a few cooking fires. Rangers were rather minimalistic when it came to comfort on the move. A group was at the camp, positioned as a rapid response force.
He settled at the edge of the practice area and watched them compete in archery.
It was instructive. For all his problems with their attitude and arrogance, there was no denying their skill. The elven rangers moved with a quality that even the most skilled humans never possessed, a benefit of their natural agility and long lives.
Having a wild idea, he switched out Momentum, putting Rally in instead. He had a feeling it would come in handy.
Well, all but him, but at this point, he wasn’t sure whether he even counted as human. Not in any way that mattered.
A few of them practiced with their blades, but most of them were shooting arrows at the targets, placed half a mile away, yet hitting the targets consistently; the best ones hitting the bullseye.
Noticing his watch, they started to show off, pushing themselves to trickier poses. They were showing off. It was a way to balm their wounded pride. He didn’t interrupt them. As long as they didn’t push their luck, it was harmless.
It helped that their attitude was no longer the haughty smugness. They weren’t trying to assert that they were better than him, but they were trying to prove that there were things they could do he could not.
The distinction was sublime but important, which was why he changed his initial plan to challenge them to archery. Instead, he continued to observe. A part of it was to learn their tricks. They weren’t as good as Sylvanas, but each of them had their own tricks.
The best part, their deliberate showing off, apparently counted as teaching, allowing him to learn and dissect them with ease. He could watch them practice for several hours, and turn into a formidable archer.
Yet, he stood up, and walked toward the ones practicing with their blades. “Do you mind if I join?” he asked as he took a blade, deciding to put his Adept Teaching to the test. They looked hesitant. “I won’t use my full strength. We’ll spar purely on technique,” he offered.
That made the rangers shuffle, some with interest, while others looked insulted. Arvis could see where they were coming from. During the War of Silvermoon, he heavily used Retribution Breathing, which was designed to deal with the undead.
“Merely on technique?” one of them questioned as he stepped forward. “Are you sure, Lord Godwyn?”
It was proof of just how much their opinions had changed that some of them were willing to interject to prevent what they believed to be a mistake. “Yes, I’m sure,” he responded as he touched the ground, and a small sapling grew into the shape of two standard swords. “Who wants to take a crack?”
One of them stepped forward before the others could even act. “Let’s fight then, human lord,” he growled, but Arvis didn’t miss that his hostile gaze felt personal … and since the other rangers looked at him askance, he had a good guess about the reason.
Someone had a crush on Sylvanas. The gossip about their closeness must have been spreading.
“Halduron, are you sure?” one of them whispered.
“Someone has to stand up for our pride,” Halduron responded as he took the practice blade, and got closer. “I will try not to embarrass you … too badly,” he said as he exploded into action.
Arvis had to admit, Halduron had a reason for his pride. He was quick, his swing steady, and his attack had minimal tells. Curious about his technique, Arvis let Halduron hold the initiative for a bit, merely parrying the attacks.
If the aim was to humiliate, he would have timed his attack to hit between his fourth and fifth attacks and shatter his rhythm horribly, but he let that slide. Instead, he started attacking in various ways, forcing Halduron to be defensive. But, he wasn’t just attacking.
He was testing to see whether they could learn the Water Breathing Style quickly.
His attempts to teach recruits at Stratholme had failed spectacularly; none of them having the necessary conceptual understanding to leverage the concept of water.
Elves were different. Every single elf had a passing familiarity with magic and arcane, meaning there was a higher chance for them to adapt. Moreover, Water Breathing relied highly on agility and flexibility, which elves had in abundance. It was even truer for elven rangers.
The only sticking point would have been the physical strength, which was necessary to a degree, but that only applied to the commoner recruits. As he tested Halduron, he was becoming convinced that they had the ability.
He might not have attempted it before, but with Adept Teaching. Currently, he had about seven hundred rangers joined them. Even if only a tenth of them were able to learn it fast enough, it would be a game changer.
The beginning of his own journey was an excellent example. Merely by using the First Style, he was able to demolish the undead that would have devastated him.
But, he couldn't simply offer to teach them. He needed to show it off so much that they wanted to learn.
“Alright, that’s a good start,” Arvis said. “Now, show me how good you are on the offensive.” With that, he stopped attacking, but he also stopped parrying by using the standard human swordsmanship.
Instead, he used Water Breathing and simply flowed around his attack, each missing him by an inch.
Halduron stopped after a minute, his expression complicated. “I lost,” he declared.
“It’s just a spar where we’re testing techniques,” he said. “Though, I’m curious how it’ll hold against a larger group,” he said as he grew eight more swords. “Care to try?”
That was certainly insulting. Eight more candidates joined, and Halduron looked at his sword before he threw it to someone else.
Smart.
“Be careful, this time I won’t limit myself to defense,” he warned them while they listened to the countdown. They nodded, but they were still relaxed. They were confident that without using his strength, he would be at a disadvantage.
They were wrong. The moment the fight started, he rushed forward, using the Flowing Dance Form. Before they even realized what was going on, he was among them, tagging all.
“You were not prepared, again,” Arvis offered, and this time. They were prepared, but even then, Flowing Dance Form was able to take out three of them, and the followed soon after.
He could feel their attitudes change. He used none of what they believed to be his advantages, yet he won decisively. He knew that he could turn back and leave, forever shattering some of their psyche.
“What’s that style called, Lord Godwyn?” Halduron asked, but this time, his resentment was nowhere to be found, replaced by awe.
“It’s called the Water Breathing Style. Technically, an ancient family technique, but I adapted it greatly,” he said. They nodded. “I can teach anyone interested,” he said.
That made them freeze, but it was more of a shock than excitement, which surprised him. He expected them to be more enthusiastic. “You would teach … to anyone willing?”
“Yeah,” Arvis responded. “What am I missing?”
“In Quel’Thalas, the techniques are … respected,” one of the older ones, whom he recognized as Falanor, said. “A master's style is passed to chosen apprentices over years. It doesn’t matter the context. Magic, trades, swordsmanship … being a ranger is the only exception for it, and that’s because we’re tasked to protect Quel’Thalas. And even then, we’re expected to keep our free teaching to tracking and archery. Just teaching is … not done."
Arvis watched their expression, just to confirm that they weren’t actually satisfied with that tradition. Luckily, all he saw was frustration. It explained a lot about how Silvermoon and the noble houses maintained control.
He would have been careful about making a radical change … but they had already upended the whole board. Not to mention, long-term consequences were not his concern.
Survival was.
“Well, Sylvanas and I will do it differently,” he said. He didn’t ask her, but there was no doubt about the answer. Anything that would make her rangers more capable would make her people safer, and she was in favor. The only thing that held her back was her belief that her king and the council were to be respected.
And now, the king was no more, deceased under the blade of Arthas, while the council proved itself to be a rotten, useless entity.
“A-are you sure, my lord?” Halduron said, the change in the way he referred coming as a nice surprise. “The technique is valuable. I haven’t seen many that can rival it.”
He nodded. “Not only will I teach you, but I will also expect you to go around the commoners and find the ones with potential, and help me train them.” He paused, then activated Rally. Not at full power, but subtly to reinforce his message. “No matter what the council wants to believe as they hide behind the walls of Silvermoon while ignoring the rest, we’re facing an existential threat. And, we need all the advantages we need to survive.”
He paused again, observing their uncomfortable shuffling. Then, he raised his real blade, and let it glow with light while hitting them with another, stronger Rally. “But, don’t be mistaken. We will survive!”
Elves might lack the unique adoration humans had for the light, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t respected. Combined with a good speech, it worked wonders.
They started cheering.
“Let’s start,” he said. “Everyone. Pull your blade and get in line.”
“Right now?” one of them asked.
“Why waste time?” Arvis responded and lined them up. “Now, while it’s a sword style, at its core lies the idea of water. Only by immersing yourself in the concept and learning to imitate the flow and flexibility of water, you will be able to make progress. But, once you do…”
With that, he raised his blade, and for the first time, he used Water Breathing in its full might, integrating mana into it. The resulting slash had been elegant and deadly. Then, with their attention, he explained the core aspects. The concept, the swing, the footwork, and the link between them.
He didn’t start with Total Concentration Breathing, as while it was useful, it was harder to adapt to in short order, and rangers were strong enough not to need it.
Sylvanas arrived an hour later, but when he caught her presence, he gestured her to stay hidden and watch, not wanting to interrupt, because the results were … magnificent. She watched, fascinated.
He couldn’t help it, not when half of the rangers he was teaching had grasped the core of the First Form, and the other half was on the cusp of it. He had already assumed that Adept Teaching their natural inclinations would make it easier for them to adapt, but he hadn’t thought how Polymath would work with Teaching.
Apparently, now that he was more aware of the core principles of teaching, he was able to improve greatly as well. Whenever one of the elves had been exhausted, he hit them with a healing spell and a simple stamina reinforcement, allowing them to practice far longer.
He continued teaching them the principles of Total Concentration Breathing.
“Alright, that’s all for today’s lesson. I want you to practice as much as possible, and focus on perfecting the First Form,” he called once the last elf figured out how to manipulate their own diaphragm consciously, something that would have taken weeks, maybe even months, if he wasn’t able to identify every mistake and make accurate suggestions on how to fix it.
It was magnificent.
Then, he left the rangers to practice and went to Sylvanas. She hugged him. “Thank you. I …”
“There’s nothing to thank for. These are your people, which means there are my people as well … fiancee,” he whispered. “After all, I have already fulfilled my promise.”
“It’s cheating. We didn’t expect them to retreat,” she protested, but from the way her arms tightened around him, he suspected she wasn’t particularly concerned. He kissed her instead, enjoying her blush.
Hidden among the trees, they watched her rangers practice. “Why didn’t you teach your people that?” she asked.
“Simple. They are not good enough to learn it yet,” he said, then gave her the breakdown of the technique and exactly what it needed. “Actually, I’m surprised at just how quickly they are picking up.”
She caressed his chin. “It’s because you’re a good teacher,” she started, then paused. “No, excellent.”
“Really?” he asked.
She nodded. “Elves don’t teach like this. They show it once and expect the trainee to figure it out by himself and perfect it before granting the next step.”
“Yeah, we don’t have time for it,” he said. “We don’t know how much time we have. Two weeks, maybe a month if we’re lucky, before they finish the next step of their plan. Then … depending on their plan, we might be facing them again. That’s why I want to teach not only your rangers but also everyone that can learn. I don’t know how many will be able to learn, but there’s no harm in trying.”
She paused. “Can it really help?” she said.
“It will,” he said. “Especially when I could start teaching Retribution Breathing to human refugees. I think I figured out a better way to teach while working with your rangers.”
She smiled. “It’s good … I never thought to teach everyone openly. Council would have forbidden it immediately … but they are not a problem anymore, right?”
“Until they realize what we are doing, and start pushing, but knowing their habits, I expect them to discuss for years.”
She chuckled. “Not too unlikely. What are you going to do, leave to see what the Scourge is doing, maybe try to intercept?”
“Not this time,” he said. “Now that they are away, it’s better if I focus on developing people. And, once I have enough people that could be framed as honor guard, I’ll get in contact with Tyr’s Hand once more, and see if I can convince Valdermars to join me.” He paused. “Actually, I have a few more ideas.”
“Like what?”
“We need a new heraldry, something that both humans and elves can wear, showing them that they belong to the same army,” he said as he pulled a piece of paper, and quickly sketched a few designs, consisting of various different materials, both for humans and elves, distinct yet with core themes to look united.
She paused. “Do you really think that’s the most urgent thing?” she said. “It’s just clothes.”
“Believe me. That kind of thing doesn’t matter when you’re commanding an army that has been fighting together for decades, but we’re trying to cobble together them to a united force. It’ll help.”
She nodded. “What do you need?”
“I need you to organize the available craftsmen. And, since I’ll finally have time to study, I won’t say no if you can find me an alchemist. The more capable, the better.”
She paused. “Does it have to join us? And does it matter if they are a bit … rude?”
“Not necessarily. Ability and willingness to teach is far more important than anything else. The more capable, the better.”
They stood together at the edge of the camp, watching the rangers in silence, holding hands, watching their little corner of the world get bigger.