"Invaders!" The call rang out through the halls of Scholomance, echoing against the low stone ceilings and dank corridors ridden with mold. The secretive school was cluttered with books, tables, and papers, all of them references for the forbidden study of necromancy. As the warning call was cut short, the students gathered themselves into groups, ready to repel whatever foes had decided to prey upon their work. Spectral instructors floated lazily among them, checking to make sure everything was in order before the threat reached them. Novice students huddled in the lecture hall under the watchful dead eyes of the skeletal mage Vectus, listening to his lecture despite the threat outside the room. The students were there to learn, not be intimidated by the ever-present Argent Dawn.

Beyond the lecture hall, down a hall, and through a door of wrought iron, a student looked up from his surgery project, Ras Frostwhisper's dead gaze staring down on him. Nick glanced up at the lich. "Continue on, student." Nick looked back to his work, asking his assisting group members to pass him various instruments. Frostwhisper watched with interest. "Tell me, student, what is the purpose of creating such a needlessly complex abomination?"

Nick glances up momentarily. "The purpose of my design, aside from the donor's personal wishes, is to create a killing machine capable of infiltrating strongholds of the enemy for reconnaissance and sabotage."

Ras nodded. "An intriguing endeavor, but ultimately pointless. Continue on." The lich floated towards the door, listening intently to the sounds of battle echoing faintly through the halls. There had been many attacks before this, but the lich was uneasy. Something about the number of death cries compared to the number of screeches of indignation wasn't right. He turned to look back at the group working on their project. "Finish quickly." Nick nodded and sewed the final opening shut, closing the stomach's skin.

The man on the slab opened his eyes, glowing bright blue. He sat up, looking to Nick. Nick grinned wide and gave him two thumbs up. The man rolled his eyes, sliding off the slab. The distant memory of modesty caused him to catch the sheet covering his lower half, standing ready for inspection. Ras floated over, looking over the stitch work. "Good... Impeccable, even. You may be worthy of recommendation for service in Naxxramas." Nick beamed proudly. "So, abomination. Speak."

The man nodded, his long, elven ears wavering slightly. "I exist only to serve."

"Impressive." The lich nodded his approval. "You and your team will all be recommended to Kel'thuzad." The elf started dressing, strapping his armor on and picking up his runeblade. Ras picked up the assignment sheet, written on moth-nibbled parchment. "Nick. Note the name of your subject." Nick clenched his jaw and took the parchment, quickly scribbling a name down before handing it back. Ras nodded. "Allidar Duskwatch of Fairbreeze Village?" He glanced to the elf, who nodded. Ras looked back to the sheet. "A million elves in the Scourge. If I had flesh to compare, I'd comment." He folded the parchment. "Now, go see what the racket is. Any more noise and it will rattle my candles off their candelabras." Nick bowed respectfully, his team and subject following suit. Ras let out a raspy hiss. "Just go already."

The group hurried out of the room, closing the iron gate behind them. Nick grinned wildly. "Passing! And such a recommendation! Hah!"

Alli smirked. "Naxxramas. Hopefully you did a good enough job to get me in as well."

The group continued on through the lecture hall, hushed to avoid disrupting the ongoing lecture about the proper feeding of plagued dragon hatchlings. Reaching the exit, Nick leaned over a bit to peek through the metal gate. A heavily armored paladin met his gaze and pointed, alerting his fellows of the group. Nick quickly leaned away from the door, looking to his fellows with startled eyes. Alli raised a brow, following as the student hurried into the lower levels.

As they left the lecture hall, he finally spoke up. "Alright. So. Everyone's dead, it seems." Alli raised a brow.

Another in the group, a female student, threw her hood back and tugged down her scarf. "What? Who?"

"Everyone I could see. They're burning the books, too." Nick shrugged. "Saw plenty of materials laying around on the floor, though."

Alli furrowed his brows. "Materials? What about-"

"That's what I mean. Materials. Scrap. Dead without a chance of being raised without reassembly."

The girl frowned. "So what, though? This has happened before."

Nick shook his head. "Yes, but before, they haven't gone on book burning sprees. I wasn't sensing a lot of latent thought, either. They're trying to full-on cleanse." Nick paused at the top of the stairs in the vault, looking to the various rooms scattered about. "Alright. You, go get the volumes guarded by Polkeit." One of the group left as instructed. Alli raised a brow. "You, go check to see what Alexi has in his chamber."

"Nick, what are you-"

"You, go ask Lady Illucia, and you talk to Malicia." As the group dwindled to just Alli and Nick, the elf grabbed the necromancer's arm. "Nick, what the hell are you-"

Nick looked up at him with a stern expression. "I'm taking steps to ensure our school's survival. Come on." He hurried down the steps, Alli following close behind.

"You don't think you're overreacting a bit?"

Nick shook his head.

"But no one else is panicking."

Nick nodded. "That's because they don't think it's a problem! They're wrong, Alli."

"How do you know?"

"I just know."

"Human instinct?"

"You could say that." Standing before the side of the staircase, Nick set his hand against the stone wall, activating a network of runes and revealing a magically hidden door. He looked around, beckoning the others over as they returned bearing books. "In here, in here. Get the books in, just stack them by the wall or something."

Alli watched the cultists hurry into the hidden room, shifting his jaw. "So what if you're wrong, eh? What happens then?"

Nick shrugged. "Then I guess I'll just be wrong and explain myself later."

"It'll throw your recommendation, won't it?" Nick paused, thinking for a moment. He shook his head, stepping into the room. Alli followed. "Think about it, though. What if you're over reacting? At the first sign of danger, you decided to turn tail and flee-"

"Allidar, I'm not over reacting!"

Alli raised his brows, lifting his hands in surrender. "Fine. You're right. Where will we go, anyways?" Nick closed his eyes, concentrating. A glowing circle began to float in midair, a void growing in size. Alli stared at the portal, then switched his gaze back to Nick. "Anywhere, then?"

"Anywhere but here."

"Please tell me you have an actual plan-" A stack of books suddenly tumbled down the stairs, a spray of blood following before a student's corpse rolled down. Golden light flashed into the room from above, spreading a brilliant, burning fire for an instant before dying out. Alli yanked his runeblade from its scabbard, charging up the stairs. It seemed a pair of the Argents had splintered from the group to scout the area. Alli quickly sized up his opponents. A priest, dressed in white and lightly armored. Easy to cut down, but dangerous if left alone to throw his holy fire around. Another, an elven mage, lightly armored as well but covered in a light layer of frost. A protective spell, but a weak one.

After the instant it took for him to take in his view of the enemies, he had flown up the stairs, sword at his side and driving forth like a lance. The priest began to back up, the mage stepping in front of him. Luckily, the mage was waifishly thin and easy to shove aside, allowing Alli to drive his blade through his chest. Following through, he slammed the priest to the floor, tearing his sword from the man as he passed onward, hitting the wall opposite the door to stop his momentum. The mage's expression was twisted in grief and rage, arcane sparks flying from her hands. Alli rebounded, charging at her next. She would release her spell and hit him head-on, stopping him before he could make much of a difference in the matter. At the last moment, he sidestepped, a bolt of energy flying past him. Lowering himself, he grasped at the floor momentarily to make a tight turn and slam the woman against the wall, lifting his free hand to her head. Her eyes widened and slowly fell shut as he blasted her mind with the cold of the frozen north, leaving her alive but unconscious. He smirked, wrapping her arms around his neck to carry her down the steps on his back.

Nick looked up from the portal, his eyes widening. "What the-"

"If nothing else, we have a prisoner. Don't argue." He tossed the girl to the ground, checking the floor. The books were still piled high around the room.

Nick nodded quickly, looking back to the stairs and whistling sharply. All but one of the students hurried back down, bearing more books. "Alright, carry them through, as many as you can at a time!" Obediently, the group followed his orders, passing books through the portal as fast as possible. The clatter of armor drew Allidar's attention back to the stairs. Again he ran up, coming face to face with a paladin wielding a hammer and shield. He knew better than to even try standing up to this one. Thinking quickly, he summoned up the power of his remaining runes, throwing up a thick wall of ice in the small doorway.

He ran back down. "Nick! More company!" Nick nodded, looking to his remaining dead classmate. With a moment's concentration, Nick lifted his hand, calling the fallen student back to his feet. He pointed up the stairs. The dead man lumbered over to the stairs. A chunk of ice flew down, striking him hard in the head and knocking him off his feet. "Damnit!" Alli readied himself. "Get the prisoner out. I'll hold them off!"

Nick frowned, pulling the mage onto his back. "The portal will close soon. Don't waste-" Nick winced as an arrow flew past him and struck the wall. "Yeesh!" He hurried into the portal, leaving Alli to the attackers.

The paladin stood at the front, a troll wielding a bow standing behind him. The paladin stepped closer, clearing his throat. "Tell me where our teammate is."

Alli glared at him. "What, that pathetic excuse for a sorcerer? Dead."

"Liar. If she were dead, you'd have raised her to fight."

Alli grinned. "Smart man. She's good as dead, though. Perhaps you should worry more about the one I -did- kill, though..." At the flick of Alli's hand, the paladin's eyes widened, a groan sounding behind them. The troll turned swiftly, his aim dead set on the priest shambling towards him. Alli gave a mocking salute to the paladin, stepping back through the portal, the paladin's angry cry ringing in his ears