Warcraft Fan Fiction ❯ Bloodstained Shadows - Chronicles of a Lost Soul ❯ The Kiss of Nightfall - Chapter 5 ( Chapter 35 )

Chapter 5:

 

 

After having solid ground under my feet again I immediately make my way to the teleporter to the upper level.

I close my eyes as I step onto it and within only a few seconds I find myself standing below the balcony from where the Lich King oversees everything.

The first thing I see as I open my eyes again are the elf named Koltira and the dark skinned man called Orbaz. The elf raises his hand to greet me, I just ignore him as usual. I wonder why they were called here and where the fourth of our group is.

It is only a matter of time until we will find out, yet still I am curious.

'Step forth my champions!', I hear the voice in my head calling out.

All three of us move equally fast towards the staircase behind us, leading to the balcony. Two val'kyrs are flanking the Lich King as usual, they seem to supervise the challenges among the deathknights.

Darion Mograine is standing at the end of the balcony next to our master.

We stop halfway before reaching them and kneel down, all next to each other. The Highlord Mograine is still talking to the Lich King. It would be outrageous to disturb them, even though we would only answer his call.

Mograine turns to us and comes closer. The Lich King also slowly turns to us too. He is holding his sword in front of him by the handle with the tip scratching along the stone floor.

It is Mograine who speaks to us.

“The Scarlet Crusade was successfully driven out of Havenshire and into New Avalon.”, his gaze wanders from one of us to the others. “It was the effort of you three knights that made this possible so quickly. You have brought destruction to the village, chaos to the Scarlet Crusade and fear to the hearts of the people.”, he makes a short pause. “Now it will be only a matter of time until we are able to take New Avalon and destroy the Scarlet Crusade once and for all.”

The Highlord takes a few steps to the left.

“You three will lead the charges at New Avalon. You have served us well and this is the chance for you to prove yourselves furthermore.”

He turns again and walks in the other direction.

“I am proud of you three. Not many of your brethren have survived these first assaults, yet you three shine forth especially. Not only did you show your strength and potential on the battlefield, but you were also addressed to crucial tasks that you performed to the full extent and without difficulties. You three are also the only ones to have acquired a deathcharger as your own.”

I can hardly imagine that being a real reason, but that could be at least a hint why Thassarian is missing. He was clearly not as strong as Orbaz, but it would be strange if he should have died already.

“A prosperous future inside the Scourge lies ahead of you if you continue going on like this. You might even become as strong as the four horsemen that keep guard over Naxxramas, they are after all four of the most powerful deathknights in our army.”

Mograine stops walking around in front of Orbaz, who is kneeling the furthest to the right.

“The Lich King has decided to acknowledge your efforts and wants me to reward you for what you have done today.”

He takes the Ashbringer from his back and uses it to support himself.

“Although some of you have risen from their `sleep' in the past two days or less, you all have done a lot for our campaign and proved yourself worthy to become a captain of the legions of Acherus. Therefore I shall present you with the authority to command the undead legions in the fields as well as initiate deathknights.”

We are getting promoted? This quickly?

“Additionally you have the privilege to carry a title presented to you by the Lich King himself. Stand up Orbaz.” Mograine looks deep into his eyes as he stands up in front of him.

“You have lead our forces into the first assaults towards New Avalon building up pressure. You have delivered hard strikes against the defence of the Scarlet Crusade and proven your skills as a tactician, but your own strength is also remarkable. After breaching the walls of New Avalon your hit-and-run tactic caused chaos and panic amongst the Crusaders. Be sure not to mourn about the few recruits you have lost today, for they were weak and unworthy.”

Orbaz nods with his eyes focussed on the Lich King. There is a moment of silence. Then Orbaz looks down to Koltira for a second or two.

“With the authority of the Lich King I hereby proclaim your name to be `Orbaz Bloodbane' from this day on!”

Mograine moves on to Koltira, in the meantime Orbaz kneels down again.

“Stand up Koltira.” The elf does as he was told, the blue eyes of the Highlord gazing at him.

“You were assigned to a dangerous task today, to attack the Chapel of the Crimson Flames directly. You have proven that this area was hardly defended at all and brought valuable information back to us. After finding no real enemies there you moved on to the Towns Hall on your own behalf. There you were able to gather more information that will be of significance once the attack on the inner structure of New Avalon will begin. You are efficient with manipulating the shadows. Your fighting style is keen and not to be underestimated. Yet keep in mind, you may be capable of plunging yourself into combat head first, but be aware not to be too reckless.”

Koltira looks to the ground without saying anything further. Silence takes up the room once more. He raises his head and nods to the Lich King.

“With the authority of the Lich King I hereby proclaim your name to be `Koltira Deathweaver' from this day on!”

Koltira kneels down as the Highlord comes to me.

“Stand up.” As I reach the same eye level as Darion Mograine, it feels as if his eyes are burning right through to the back of my skull.

“You are one of the youngest children of our master. Too young to even have a name of your own. Yet from the first moment on you already showed how strong you would become. Even the instructor Razuvious spoke very highly of your physical strength only minutes after you stood from the dead.” Mograine swallows.

“You have proven your worth to us several times in the course of the day. You have slaughtered about half the inhabitants of Havenshire on your own in a bloody frenzy, you have proven yourself in the rite of Death's Challenge, you have enabled us to attack the beach of Light's Point due to their hesitation after you brought chaos and fear to their people. Your fighting style is brutal, dominated by pure strength. You are ruthless and you know your power. Where you tread, blood will be shed. Shine forth and become even stronger, but you also should keep in mind never to become too reckless.”

After Mograine finishes his speech, I hear the voice in my head again.

`You are my nameless child. You have offered Frostmourne many souls today, I am proud of you. The army grew remarkably.'

My eyes are fixed onto the sword.

`Keep on like this and I will present you with a worthy weapon. One day you will become one of my champions, I can tell you this without doubt. Your potential is sheer endless.'

“With the authority of the Lich King I hereby proclaim your name to be `Malevolence' from this moment on!”

Mograine takes a few steps back.

“Stand up, all of you. The next phase of our attack will commence now - the attack on New Avalon. We will destroy their infrastructure along with the military defence. Afterwards we will only have to harvest the souls. Return to the breach, you will receive further instructions there. Bloodbane and Deathweaver will pass directly through the enemy lines while you, Malevolence, will support the direct attacks. Everything clear?” I nod silently, the other two answer with a loud “Yes!”

“Go forth and bring honour to your name, as well as death to the Scarlet Crusade! Suffer well, brethren.”, are his last words.

Mograine turns around and makes his way back to the side of the Lich King.

Back on the lower floor Koltira and Orbaz start talking to each other. I have no idea if the elf notices, but Orbaz clearly is looking down on him. I can't deny him thinking like this. Koltira is weak, even I sense that. I keep on wondering what has happened to Thassarian.

Usually I keep quiet, but I just have to ask the two.

Bloodbane speaks without hesitation. “That idiot lost his weapon out there... he literally lost it.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“The weapons that are given to the deathknights here are usually made from Thorium, yet his was made of pure Saronite, a mineral only found in Northrend. Bars made of Saronite are harder than Steel, hardened Thorium or anything else found in Azeroth. You need special facilities to smelt this certain ore to bars so it will be fairly useless to them down there, but well... now they have a fully forged weapon.” Orbaz makes a disapproving sound. “One weapon isn't much... that's right, yet he was presented with it during the third war, after the master had attacked Silvermoon."

I now understand this punishment. How in this world can a warrior lose a weapon like this? What kind of fool must one be?

"He will be joining forces with me in the battlefield, so he is still alive yet he's nothing more than a worthless underling to me.”

I would have expected something like this from an elf like Koltira, but not of Thassarian.

I take the gryphon down to the breach as the first one. The other two will surely follow me sooner or later. Besides..., why should I care about them?

There is hardly anybody at the tents as I set foot into the camp. While we three received our reward up in the flying fortress of Acherus, down here was `redecorated'.

A pedestal was set up next to the hillside downwards. Bloodprince Valanar is standing upon it. A large banner of the Scourge behind him, it is at least three times as tall as the elf, dead bodies of crusaders hanging from it. I see smoke rising from behind it.

About 20 deathknights are kneeling in front of the pedestal and listening to what the elf has to say.

 

Open your eyes, brothers and sisters. GAZE UPON APOCALYPSE!

The sky itself feeds upon the suffering of the conquered!

The Scarlet Crusade is powerless to stop us!

The corpses of those that try only serve to feed our expanding host!

The Scarlet fleet lies in ruin upon the sundered coast!

With each enemy slain, our strength grows! We mustn't relent!

The Lich King has spoken to each of you! Let his words resonate among you once more!

ALL MUST DIE!

Leave no survivors in your wake, brothers and sisters!

No mercy for the weak!

TERROR!

CHAOS!

DESTRUCTION!

With the approaching darkness comes the end of the Scarlet Crusade. You will battle once more! For the Scourge! For the Lich King!

SUFFER WELL, DEATH KNIGHTS!

 

The mass applauds after he has finished his little speech up there.

Those deathknights must be the survivors of the first attacks. That really aren`t too many.

Everybody was saying only few had survived, but that it is this few is a bit shocking.