"Reward One: Special World Structure—Hill Fort (Issued)."
Outside Rhodes' system city, a massive new fortification materialized. The Hill Fort offered a tiered upgrade system: Level 1 units were free to upgrade, Level 2 cost 25% of the original price, Level 3 cost 50%, Level 4 cost 75%, and Level 5 or higher required the full 100%.
Rhodes immediately thought of his fallen Angel. In the game, an Archangel possessed the ability to resurrect fallen allies during combat. While bodies usually vanished after a battle in this world, if a fragment remained, an Archangel might just be able to bring them back.
Without even checking his new random city reward, Rhodes visited the Hill Fort. Spending a hoard of gems and 2,000 gold, he chose to upgrade his surviving Light Angel into an Archangel.
A standard Archangel had 250 Health, 30 Attack, 30 Defense, and a Speed of 18 (second only to the Phoenix). Their traits were legendary: first, their noble presence granted +1 Morale to the entire army; second, they dealt +50% damage to demons; and third, the most game-breaking ability—Resurrection.
Under a shower of golden light, his Light Angel transformed. Its wings grew thicker and more majestic, radiating power. Its white robes were replaced by a set of ancient Greek-style golden armor. It now wielded a spiraling Prophet's Sword in one hand and a sturdy shield in the other. A brilliant halo hovered above its head.
The name updated to: Holy Light Archangel.
Enhanced by the Power of Light, this new unit was far superior to a standard Archangel. Its Health reached 400—surpassing Level 7 units and touching the threshold of Level 8 creatures. Its Attack and Defense rose to 35, while its speed remained a swift 18. Its damage was a fixed 70-70.
The traits were even more potent. While retaining the passive +1 Morale, the active Resurrection ability could now restore 150 Health. However, reality imposed constraints: at least 70% of the corpse had to remain, the target must have been a living biological entity, the death must have been non-natural, and the time since death could not exceed 24 hours. Additionally, it retained all the Paladin-class healing abilities Rhodes had infused earlier, but with significantly increased potency.
This is basically a lower-tier version of the Supreme Archangel from the 'In the Wake of Gods' expansion, Rhodes thought. If I can get Level 8 or even Level 10 unit buildings later, things will get really interesting.
Now, it was time for the real test. Rhodes ran to the site where his other Angel had been struck down by Mannoroth. The body was a scorched heap of remains; its feathers were gone, and the frame was charred.
Cenarius, Uther, and the mages watched Rhodes with curiosity. "Rhodes, what are you doing? Is that the Angel that fell?" Jaina asked. Having spent time with Rhodes, she knew these Angels were sacred beings, nothing like the Val'kyr of Northrend.
"The Titan Watchers have bestowed a new blessing upon me," Rhodes explained. "They have made my celestial guardians even stronger."
"By the Light!" Uther exclaimed. "The Light does have the power of resurrection, but it is limited. The body usually needs to be intact." (In the world of Paladins, only the most legendary masters could perform Redemption, and even powerful Priests struggled with the Resurrection spell under such conditions.)
"Lord Uther, I am not the one who will perform the miracle," Rhodes smiled. He summoned the Holy Light Archangel.
A four-meter-tall celestial being in shimmering golden plate mail appeared. Its massive golden wings beat with such holy intensity that everyone's spirits were instantly lifted—the +1 Morale effect in action.
"Holy Light above... this is a true Archangel!" Uther breathed.
Cenarius narrowed his eyes. He hadn't seen this specific variant 10,000 years ago. Back then, the celestial beings he encountered were "Seraphs"—demigod-level entities.
He suspected the "Titan Watcher" behind Rhodes might actually be a true Titan or a living god.
Under Rhodes' command, the Archangel raised its Prophet's Sword. A golden light enveloped the charred remains of the fallen Angel. Flesh began to knit back together; white robes manifested from the light.
Within moments, the Angel slain by the Pit Lord stood once again. Rhodes nodded in satisfaction, recalled the revived Angel to the system, and quickly upgraded it at the Hill Fort as well. Now he had two Holy Light Archangels.
"Reward Two: Random 'Heroes of Might and Magic' City Template... Drawing..."
"It really worked! What an incredible ability!" the onlookers whispered.
"Lord Rhodes, can you use this to save our sisters?" a Night Elf Sentinel asked, her voice trembling. Many Sentinels had fallen in the explosion.
"As long as 70% of the body remains, it's no problem," Rhodes replied. In the game, the skill was once per battle, but in reality, it translated to twice per day. With 150 points of healing per charge, and a Night Elf's health being much lower than that, he could even perform a mass resurrection if the bodies were grouped together.
"Rhodes... have you mastered the art of Redemption?" Uther asked, stunned. Rhodes simply nodded. With his Magic Book, he could cast the spell with perfect precision.
As the Night Elves hurried to gather their fallen comrades, Rhodes turned his attention to his second city. Castle? Tower? Dungeon? Fortress? He prayed for something powerful.
The system interface flashed with countless shadows of legendary cities before locking onto one.
Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: The Conflux (Elementals)!
Rhodes was genuinely surprised. The Conflux was an incredible city!
______________________
Did Cenarius just confim the third upgrade mod???