"Let's start with the Ice Elementals; I'll coordinate with you," Rhodes signaled to Anveena.
"Ice Elementals are the upgraded versions of Water and Air Elementals. They naturally possess the 'Bless' (Saintly Protection) ability, so their affinity with the Holy Light might be the strongest."
And wasn't that the truth? In the game, the Bless spell maximized a unit's damage output, which in reality translated to every single strike being a critical hit. When cast, a divine chalice would appear above the troops, pouring down a mysterious golden liquid—a visual very similar to Holy Light spells.
Anveena nodded and stepped forward. Closing her eyes, she began to radiate a warm, pure Holy Light. Relying on her mystical connection to the Sunwell, she successfully channeled a massive amount of essence. Rhodes began to summon his own Holy Light power as well; while he could perform the reinforcement alone now, Anveena's help allowed for massive batch processing.
As they worked together, the Light flowed like water into the Ice Elementals. Their translucent, frost-radiating crystalline bodies began to glow with a faint golden hue from within. Their icy contours became sharper and more divine, and a holy crystal core manifested inside them. Their surface frost didn't weaken; instead, it gained a "Holy Freeze" property. The surrounding air seemed to stagnate and purify under this fusion of Light and low temperature.
In appearance, these Ice Elementals still resembled Nagas but without the extra arms. Their height and build remained largely unchanged, though they now shimmered with golden light.
Rhodes was delighted. His hunch was correct: Ice Elementals were a perfect fit for the Light. If that's the case, he thought, could my upgraded Sprites, who can also cast Bless, be reinforced with the Light in the same way? Sprites were weak in raw power, but their speed and "no retaliation" ability made them potent; reinforcing that speed would be invaluable.
"It worked!" Jaina exclaimed happily. "I can feel a divine purification effect integrated into their frost. Their damage against undead and shadow creatures will be significantly higher."
Rhodes nodded, though he noted one slight drawback: their raw combat stats hadn't jumped as drastically as the Fire Elementals' transformation into Light Elementals. As ranged units, they had gained some healing and dispel capabilities due to the Light, but it was a more subtle upgrade. Still, it was better than nothing. He already had hundreds of these elemental troops, and they were permanent.
"We did it, Rhodes. Give them a name," Anveena said excitedly.
"Let's call them Holy Ice Elementals," Rhodes decided, rubbing his chin.
The group nodded in agreement. Unlike the "Light Elementals" (the evolved Fire Elementals), these Holy Ice Elementals couldn't yet be summoned as a standard system-wide class for others, but they represented a significant personal upgrade for Rhodes's army.
"Next is the Storm Elemental," Rhodes said, turning to Anveena. "It has 'Air Shield' naturally. Let's see if Arcane power can take it to the next level."
This time, Anveena shifted the nature of her energy. The power of the Sunwell was the purest form of Arcane magic. As its avatar, her command over the power of Order was among the cleanest in all of Azeroth. Rhodes couldn't help much here; his mana belonged to the Heroes of Might and Magic system, meant for casting spells rather than the raw energy manipulation Anveena was performing.
Anveena channeled Arcane energy toward the Storm Elemental, which was a roaring vortex of wind and lightning. A pillar of blue energy shot from her hand into the creature's core. The Arcane energy began to organize and strengthen the chaotic flow within, refining the jagged, branching lightning into focused, orderly bolts of Arcane electricity that shimmered with a deep violet-blue tint.
The surrounding wind barrier stabilized under the influence of Order, forming an "Arcane Atmospheric Bulwark." It could now deflect physical projectiles and offered a degree of resistance to spells. The Storm Elemental grew significantly, reaching nearly 5 meters in height.
"The Arcane makes its storm more controllable—and more lethal," Tyrygosa observed. As a Blue Dragon, she had an innate sensitivity to Arcane. "It's like... a tamed natural disaster."
"Perfect. Lightning Elementals, truly," Rhodes noted. He checked their stats in the system space: attack, defense, speed, and damage were all up. Crucially, they had gained a new skill: they could cast Chain Lightning. Each Lightning Element could cast it three times before needing 24 hours of rest in the troop space. Their casting power was calculated by the number of Elementals in the group multiplied by 10.
This was a massive surprise. Previously, they could only cast Air Shield. Now they had access to one of Rhodes's most efficient offensive spells.
"Lord Rhodes," Anveena said, rubbing her chin, "these special Storm Elementals are different from the Ice Crystals. I think this can be added to the mage spell list. Ordinary mages—especially Frost mages—could learn to summon these."
"Is that feasible?" Jaina asked, surprised. "Mages usually only have Water Elementals. Can we really use these Atmospheric Elementals?"
"In theory, yes," Anveena replied. "What are storms and lightning made of? Water and air. A water-aligned mage is actually a great fit. Plus, they are composed of pure Arcane energy, not Holy Light. I need to research it, but it's definitely possible."
"I have faith in you, Anveena," Rhodes said. He knew that while she was young, she was effectively a goddess born of the Blood Elves' faith and the Sunwell's power. She didn't just use the Ley Lines; she governed the laws of her own essence.
"Alright, let's try the Plasma Elemental," Rhodes continued. "It's the evolution of the Fire Element. Most of my Fire Elementals are becoming Light Elementals, but I want to see what Plasma can become. The Sunwell's solar aspect is quite potent—try using that."
Anveena concentrated once more. As the avatar of the Sunwell, her understanding of solar energy was peerless. She began to strip away the chaotic, destructive traits of the fire, drawing out the orderly aspect of "Light and Heat." Golden, sun-like flames erupted from her hands, enveloping the Plasma Elemental.
The wildly spraying plasma streams began to pull inward, compressing until the color shifted from bright yellow to a brilliant platinum-gold. It radiated a stable, extreme heat. Its "Fire Shield" evolved into "Blazing Solar Armor," where the damage-reflecting effect was now infused with a shock of Order energy.
"Stable and lethal," Rhodes observed. "This fire has an extra edge against chaotic and evil beings. We'll call them Sun Elementals."
"To be honest, Lord Rhodes," Anveena said, "this unit feels a bit redundant. I think Light Elementals are better." Light Elementals had comparable combat power but included healing. Sun Elementals were pure offense and reflection.
"No, Anveena, you're wrong," Rhodes shook his head. "The Light isn't always 'good' in the purest sense. These Sun Elementals, born of pure solar power, have a different purpose."