Estheria shifted her weight carefully from her front foot to her back, leaning away from the pressure to reset her balance before she lost her footing. It wouldn't do her any good to be too rushed in her victory, after all, it was foolish to speed through carelessly in combat. The hilt of her sword held in her hands had been all to familiar in the last pair of years as she underwent harsh training in the ways of a warrior, and even now, everything she learned had come too slowly to allow her a perfect pass.
She shifted again, spinning off the blade that pressed her harder then she expected. A foolish move by her opponent as her light brown hair struck her neck. A full spin had allowed her to gain a mighty advantage as her opponent stumbled haphazardly past her, unable to correct his course before she was upon him.
She swung hard and fast, her blade meeting her opponent's armor and clanging loudly. Her force was more then he had expected, and instead of her blade bouncing from his solid plate armor, he found his body bouncing away from her sword, causing him to plant himself firmly to the ground face first. With a snort, the young lady skipped back a pair of steps as if her own plate armor was lighter then air. "Come one! Hallion, you are far to careless, even I would have given up on breaking that defense."
The young man spun, his hands gripping the hilt of his sword tightly as he flung himself at Estheria once more. Her reaction was perfect this time, sliding to the side, beating her opponent's blade off to the side before it could even get close to her, and then bringing the pommel into the visor of the young man's helm, effectively stopping him, and knocking him to his ass for the third time today. It was far more embarrassing that his fellow trainees were watching all of this, their laughter was harsh on his already frail ego.
Estheria was proving herself to truly deserve the title knight, though her fighting style played more like a fencer then a warrior. He held a single handed sword lightly, and her off hand was used for little more then decoration for this battle. Her hair was long, though it seemed to stay out of reach or way, no matter how hard someone tried to grasp it. A magical air circled around her as well, creating an aura that seemed to protect her from missteps. Hallion wasn't one to simply let her play with him like this though.
Estheria stepped back again, the plate armor she wore held well to her defense, even though it must have weighed a ton, she seemed to not even notice it. She was ready and waiting when Hallion stood, brushing the dirt from his face and armor. "I should kill you for this humiliation." He muttered under his breath, hefting his two handed sword up above his head, ready for a downward strike.
Estheria taunted him from afar for a couple seconds, telling him his noble blood was all that had him even standing before her, where she had trained when she was but a young lass. Once she learned that he wouldn't fall with the taunts, she changed tactics. Her hands shifted slightly, bringing the blade to point directly at her opponent. "Well then, shall I show you just why your master has let me go off to the fields of battle?"
Hallion bowed his head. "Be my guest, but I promise you, I will go at you to kill you, you have insulted me for the last time woman." He barely got the chance to finish his sentence before her blade stabbed into his plate mail, catching him under the ribs, piercing into his lung, and then out his back, between his bottom two ribs. He simply coughed, and as she drew the sword from her victim, he crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Estheria shifted slightly, bringing the blade around in an arch that would have cut out his throat had she not stopped herself. "Priest, we have a wounded man, urgent." She stated, motioning to a made clad all in white. "I think I overdid it to this pompous idiot. I apologize to you master, but at least he will survive, and even return to the training within the hour. I hope that taught him his lesson."
An older man, broad shouldered and dressed all in plate armor came to her side, nodding. "You simply taught him the value of learned pain. I just hope that he doesn't believe he should hate you for this. I fear he is not worthy of being a soldier in he doesn't straighten up his attitude. Perhaps I should send him to the holy order to become a Paladin. At least then his holier-then-thou attitude would be welcome." They shared a little chuckle before Estheria felt his hand clap onto her shoulder. "You really should be fair with the raw recruits. That armor of yours, it's magical properties make you far more flexible then they possibly could be."
Estheria caught her words before she spoke them, then shook her head. "I had to learn to defeat the original wearer of this armor. I figure it best to teach them to defeat opponents who are superior to them in almost every way. Outwit your enemies and you win, isn't that right, Tyrin?"
The man bowed his head, agreeing. "But these lads have just come in. They know little or nothing of true swordsmanship. It seems your the only true pride I have anymore too, since the others died fighting the Horde. I hope that you live to have a fulfilling life. Now, you are to arrive at Stormwind soon, so I shall let you leave. Thank you for coming here out of the way to help with the training. I hope the raw recruits learned something from this."
Estheria felt a small smile creep to her lips. The old man was praising her again, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to fulfill what he wished her to. Her life was that of a warrior, and her life was always on the line. She walked to the practice weapon's rack, replacing the sword and then falling to her own gear, which she had placed apart only fifteen minutes ago.
She strapped her sword to her hip, then another to her other hip. These twin blades had served her for while now, and their power, along with how she had procured them, made them invaluable. Reverence and Frailty were hers to do with as she pleased. Once her weapons were in place and comfortable, she was off. Northshire would forever be in her memory, even though something told her she wasn't going to be returning here.
Estheria felt a creeping cold envelope her very existence as she was dragged deeper and farther from her final rest. Her soul was being called, no, summoned by a power that was far to powerful to deny. She had died in honor, and she didn't wish this summon to succeed, but her will was broken as if it were a twig under a giant's foot.
Even as she struggled, she knew she could not win this fight for her very soul. What vile creature would dare take a soul unwillingly from it's rest? She wished to scream her hatred out, before realizing that she had no reason to hate, even as these dark, dangerous emotions seeped into her soul, she knew she was doomed to heed the call, and that she was being corrupted.
She wouldn't let go of hope though, she sheltered a small fraction of her soul, holding onto the hope that one day, she would be freed from this evil, powerful grasp.
Estheria found herself alive, her cold, dead body had some form of life brought to it, though this 'life' was nothing more then a mockery of what she was already. Her body was dressed in garbs, and she was in a small pit, stairs at both ends of the pit leading up into what was a larger structure. At the edge of the pit walked ghouls and armored soldiers, all in ebony armor, armed with large great swords.
In front of her stood a very solid figure with a menacing weapon drawn and ready. The figure seemed to be waiting for her to do something, and about the moment she noted this, she heard, far in the reaches of her mind, and yet perfectly clear. Behind you is a weapons rack, take a weapon, and kill the man in front of you. If you do, you will live. If you don't, he will strike you down, and you will die.
Estheria felt a compulsion she couldn't defeat to turn around and draw out a weapon of her choice. Her hands naturally gravitated to a pair of long ebony blades, pulling the pair clear from the rack with a practiced hand. For having been dead, her body was in nearly perfect condition. Something seemed perfect about her body, and a small smile came to her. Was she even better then she had already been?
She turned, and before her opponent could realize it, she had unleashed a volley of slashes that left her victim reeling. Before he could even recover, her blades were whirling in again, beating quickly and methodically against his black armor and his blade, which came up to block an attack every now and then. He wasn't about to gain the advantage of initiative when she had no armor, and she knew deep inside she couldn't run, even if she wanted to. The thrill of the fight had her up and ready though, not wanting to run at all.
Her opponent's back was against the wall before she knew it, and his weapon was locked up against his body. Her blades whipped back, and she was about to strike when she felt a metallic hand touch her chest, and suddenly she was chilled deeper than the marrow, and her body wouldn't respond fast enough. She felt a hard fist plant against her face, sending her back hard. The chill was already wearing from her body, but it had been enough for her opponent to gain the upper hand.
His blade was held high and ready, then brought down. Her body reacted naturally, if a little slowed, throwing her out of the way of the attack, and she watched as a greenish vapor lifted from the blade, which had bit an inch into the floor. She realized quickly that even if she had been nicked, she would not have survived. Even though she was very much a mockery of life, her heart was racing, and the adrenaline was high.
She turned her side to him, creating a small target, and crouched, allowing for quick, well timed maneuvers. She was going to survive, she was going to gain the power that this creature held, and she was going to become more powerful, she was going to serve her lord with perfect dedication. Her blades were up and ready, and she pounced when her attacker swung his blade, trying to sweep her gut. She found herself flying over the arching blade, he weapons pointed at her enemy, and suddenly the armor gave way to two blades, both chest level as he tackled her opponent.
He fell to the ground, her body on top of him as her blades penetrated his armor thoroughly, catching him on either side of his heart. Any living creature would have been dead, but this creature struggled for a short while longer before giving up the ghost, possibly for the second time. All the while, Estheria held the hilts the blades still sunk into the flesh of the dead.
As her enemy died, the voice she heard before spoke to her again. Good, you have earned your place at the side of your master. The Lich King shall find use of you as he does all his minions. Proceed up the stairs to get your armor.
Estheria felt elated, she had killed her enemy, had gained her servitude, and was to don armor even as she thought. Her body had carried her up the stairs to her surprise and she came to a stop in front of a tall, powerful man, who had placed at his feet a suit of ebony armor, and it looked like it would be a perfect fit for her. It was an exciting prospect as she grasped each piece of armor, donning it as she had every other suit of armor, feeling stronger, more impressive, and overall more capable as she drew upon the dark energies of the suit. What wonders awaited her, she didn't know, but she felt she had a grand destiny.
The man in front of her shook his head for a second before looking once more to her now fully armored body. "I am Razuvious, your instructor. All orders you will receive will be from me until further notice. The Lich King wants for you, the new recruit, to learn how to harness the powers you gained by slaying the death knight that stood before you in the prison. We had thought you useless, but apparently not. Your first and most important less, is how to harness this power you have. You will learn through battle, and we have much to kill before we can advance our plans. Before you go though, we shall infuse your weapons with incredible powers."
Estheria found herself more and more excited as she listened to Razuvious. He was powerful and deadly, and she was to learn from him. That was enough to get her at attention. "Yes sir. I do as The Lich King bids."
Estheria liked the feel of the armor and her cold ebony blades as she stood before the rune forge. It was to be a simple process of carving specific runes into the flat of her blade through the very thing before her. Without too long a wait, she had set into one blade a need to leech the heat from her enemies bodies, to create a cold grasp on their very life. The other blade danced with an inner energy, its blade incredibly durable. She planned to enjoy her next mission very much.
Razuvious had watched over her quick, willing progress, a surprise, how easily this woman had given in to the temptation of this power. Or perhaps she had simply let it in so that she could gain this power to further her own goals? She was now the Lich King's servant either way, and the only way to become free would be to die. He bowed his head, pondering her usefulness more so.
He was brought from his thinking to the real world again as the young Death Knight Estheria stood before him, blades held out wide in a very impressive form. Something about her strength gave him a little start before he responded to her presence. "Ah, you learned quickly, good. Now, the Lich King wishes to have you test your new blades. While you are at it, you should try harnessing that dark energy you feel within yourself. I suspect you will welcome it like everything else. Now, take this key, and kill one of the fools in the pit." He placed a key in the palm of the Death Knight's hand, then motioned towards where Estheria had emerged from.
"You will need to kill, your hunger will grow ever more powerful, more painful, until you have killed. It is simple, you, or your enemy will survive. Don't let me down." Razuvious was cold about this, his body tense and ready. Estheria bowed her head, turning and heading off towards the pit.
Estheria sheathed her blades, and leaped from the edge of the pit to it's floor, landing with an incredibly soft thud for such powerful armor, before glancing at the others that were trapped. They were much like she had been not moments before, except that they were hollow, empty, fearful. She allowed a small smile, though she knew they could not see it.
There was a large assortment of races standing before her. Dwarves, Tauren, Trolls, Orcs, she simply couldn't pick for the longest moment, before she finally stopped at a large male orc, clearly larger then her in every way, and removed the key. She undid the shackles, and stepped back, allowing the orc the freedom to move about as he wished for a moment, before drawing her blades and readying herself, several feet away from her opponent.
The orc immediately moved to the weapons rack, drawing out a great axe that was far larger than any weapon she could recall seeing. She felt a tingling sensation as she watched her opponent, very certain she had picked at least a decent challenge. Her blades came up and in, creating a cross that would defend well against her enemy.
The orc wasted no time striking at her skull, swinging his deadly axe with swift precision as she had anticipated. The Vertical strike missed her completely, but she was not fast enough to land a blow. As she stabbed at her opponent, the orc side stepped just out of reach, then lifted and swung his axe in a back hand to cleave her in two. Estheria didn't allow that to hit her, her body reacting quickly to duck under the strike, bringing her blade up to strike the arm or her green skinned opponent.
The orc reacted again, bringing the axe back around, but not hard enough to cause more then knock her off balance as she staggered to the side. The heavy blade withdrawn from her armor's side. Her reflexes forced her out of the way as the orc took a much more powerful swing as she recovered. Her opponent had her on her toes, and she liked it. This was nothing like she had fought since she could remember, though her memories did not come at any rate.
The orc came at her again, swinging furiously to cleave her head from her shoulders, but she ducked again, then gave herself some distance as she suspected the orc was baiting her into letting her guard down. She found her way across the pit as the orc stood tall again, turning to face her. It seemed to be taunting her, a large, ugly grin on it's face, a single hand holding his axe high above his head.
Estheria felt the shadow inside her grow as she lifted a hand, grasping at the air. And the moment her fist closed, a large shadowy chain erupted from her fist, wrapping it's self around the orc, and yanking it towards her as it's face contorted into confusion and fear. The fear lasted only a second as she sank first her main blade, and then her off hand weapon, into the tough green flesh of her enemies chest.
The orc grunted, blood flowing freely from the wounds as the sharper then life blades slid free. His green hands clutched for a second at the helm of the young woman as his life slipped slowly from his body, and his soul departed, to be locked away within her blades, to feed her ever hungry evil. Once the orc sank to his knees, the light in his eyes gone for ever, Estheria simply wiped her blades off on the rags that were the creatures clothing before sheathing them and finding her way towards the instructor. As she climbed the stairs, a pair of ghouls ventures into the pit, probably to collect the remains and eat, or perhaps throw it into a heap of other bodies.
Something felt off as she ventured to her instructor once more. Razuvious was already nodding his head by the time she got there, and it seemed he was prepared to help her advance further into the life she would now lead. Perhaps the Lich King had something special in store for her?
Estheria stood at the edge of Acherus, her eyes wide at the view she was given from her new location. The Lich King had told her to cast an eye out as he spoke. "Gaze upon the Scarlet Crusade's final stand. This is all that is left of this thorn in my side. You and your brethren shall destroy these fools for me within the day, however, I wish for you too look through the all seeing eye of Acherus. From there, you will be given a view of our targets."
The black armored, tall being of pure dark power motioned towards a sphere in the corner. Estheria's gaze was practically forced to take it in in all of it's glory. "Touch the eye, and you shall see that which you need to see. Once you have taken it all in, I will give you your next task."
Estheria did as she was commanded, stepping towards the orb. Her hands stretched out, touching the strong energies. For a second, nothing happened, and then her vision was flooded by new images.
She was seeing everything around Acherus, from the very top of the great necropolis. Her view was perfect, the fields were being watched carefully by the soldiers of the Scarlet Crusade, their blades ever drawn, their vigilance was astounding. They would be fun to slay. Before she could get any more details from the view, the eye projected her towards the town in the distance.
The town was well fortified. One single gate opening to allow passage into town between two large walls. Atop the walls were walkways posted with archers and balista. The soldiers carried their weapons at the ready even now they were ever watchful. With but a thought, Estheria made the eye's projected orb invisible to the naked eye. The powers of the eye were wonderful, and her urge to test them was nearly impossible to control.
She forced the orb to go over the buildings, looking for those locations most important to the town. Her eyes set on the forge first. As she neared the forge, she cast a glance down, sighting the crusaders below passing by on watch. A devious grin spread across her face as she gestured lightly, and four ghouls spawned within the crowd of scarlet soldiers.
She watched as the ghouls pounced, striking at the soldiers before they could react. The rotting flesh and exposed bone a dangerous beast that tore at the armor of the fools. While the combat took place, she scanned the forge, looking it over before moving on to the next notable building. A large keep, the guards from which had their eyes on the battle that still commenced by the forge. As Estheria looked back, she noted, with dismay, that the ghouls were simply surviving because they were resilient. The scarlet crusaders had already hacked one of the ghouls completely apart. The other three were being sliced to bits as they struggled to strike back. The distraction was enough though.
She began scanning the large keep, her eyes taking in every detail, including the way the soldiers seemed to act. She forced the orb to disappear from sight when she noted that one of the soldiers had glanced her way. She was hoping he would think it a trick of the eyes, not a threat.
She was lucky, her eyes caught the guard making another look, this one more intent, before giving in to the idea that it was an illusion. She moved on, heading towards the chapel in the distance. By now the soldiers had dispatched the ghouls, and Estheria feared they would be more vigilant. She gestured again, summoning ghouls to the field behind the soldiers at the keep. And this time there was some effect. The ghouls pounced quickly on the closest scarlet soldier, dragging him down to the dirt before he could react. His screams brought about the others to his defense. Their blades hacked down on the creatures.
Estheria turned to the chapel, watching as the soldiers that patrolled around their moved away. She quickly advanced, heading to the chapel to examine it thoroughly. Something about this building set her on edge. The energy pulsing from it's core was annoying. She wondered what it was that could make her feel so weak. Another question that would be answered when the time came.
Her examination complete, she looked back towards the massacre that was her second batch of ghouls. They were already dismembered and dead, and the single soldier that was attacked wasn't even dead, just injured. A priest was by his side, healing his wounds even as she watched. How pathetic it was that the ghouls couldn't hold their own against these pathetic beings. Her eyes shifted, looking around for anything more that would hold importance. The town hall, a large building that was partially separated from the rest of town by thick stone walls seemed to mark another location of import. And so she shifted the orb towards the town hall, in hopes of finding out all she could about this town they were to destroy.
Estheria noted with a little satisfaction the restless crowd outside the town hall, as well as the guards that were posted as well. It seemed there was something that was cause for fear, or worry. Of course there was, her and her brethren were coming, and they would die, they wouldn't possibly stand between the Lich King and his destiny.
Estheria released the energy at once, settling back to the Necropolis. Her bearings were back before she turned to face her King, bowing her head. "I have done as you willed be to, my lord. What do you wish of me now?"
"Good, now I have one final task for you before we go and slaughter the fools that would stand against the might of the Scourge! There shall be no survivors! Now, take the teleporter besides the stairs and tell Highlord Darion Mograine to sound for battle. The war shall commence, and we shall be victorious. Do not fail me." The Lich King turned away from her then, his eyes cast out towards the city. "And you, I know you are there, and you shall fall, like you did before."
Estheria stepped away, then found her way down the stairs, to step on the teleporter. Her body felt light and insubstantial, then suddenly she was again on the ground, staring at another portion of the Necropolis.
Her eyes traveled the dark walls this time, and she noted the bridge in front of her, leading to a tall, strong man on the back of a death charger. To the left and right were paths leading around to more bridges. She could feel the presence of others in the room, all holding greater power than she could hope to hold at this very moment, but the goal was ahead. She looked back for a second, eying the area above here. There were others up there, but again, she had no business with them at the moment.
She ventured over the bridge, heading into the center, suspended over nothing as far as she could tell, she stood before the figure on horse back. "Highlord Mograine! The Lich King has brought orders for the attack! There shall be no survivors." She stated, gazing in respect and fear of this man.
"Ah, so the time has finally come for the Scourge to strike down those meek fools of the Scarlet Crusade. Go now to Thalanor and ride down to Death's breach. The Cry will go out in mere moments." The Highlord gestured towards the location behind the teleporter. "Go now, the war shall begin, and we will survive and win."
Estheria bowed, then turned, sprinting back over the bridge to the stairs, then up to the balcony. "Thalanor, I am prepared for war." She stated, almost like a drone as she gazed at another of her superiors.
Thalanor's glowing eyes glared upon her very soul, his golden hair draped contrastingly against his ebony armor. "My Scourge Gryphon shall take you down to Death's Breach. Prepare to fight for the Scourge. If you fall, do not think of returning." He made a quick gesture to his left, and there stood the skeletal structure of a four legged beast with wings, a large beak on it's head. As it looked to Estheria, it screeched a little, then seemed to grow agitated, shifting and shaking a little.
Estheria moved to the creature's side, grasping it's reigns and pulling herself up onto it's back. Without a bit of warning, the creature jumped into the air, carrying her up and over the railing to the air. It did a quick circle, stretching it's bone wings before doing a slow spiral down towards Death's Breach. As it continued down, a loud, strong voice echoed out from Acherus.
"Armies of the Scourge, hear my call! The scarlet apocalypse has begun! Tear this land asunder and leave only death in your wake!" As Highlord Mograine's voice dissipated in the air, Estheria heard cheering from the ground, and when she looked down, she saw more death knights at the ready, weapons drawn, and she saw ghouls, and skeletons armed with bows and swords and claws. The scavengers of the undead scurried across the ground, their hungry mouths open and drooling. She could count only fifty death knights as she landed and dismounted the gryphon. Somehow though, she felt like that was too much for the Scarlet Crusade.
Estheria drew her blades and took her place beside her brethren. Her eyes up and ready as she watched their commander standing before them. He was an imposing figure, dressed in red armor that looked more decorative then it did functional. How ever, when he spoke, it became clear why he lead.
"Death Knights, they make their stand now, outside of Death's Breach, futilely attempting to push us back in hopes of saving their horses, mines, lumber and citizens. This will be your first lesson in Scourge warfare: TERROR! Go to the front lines, south of here, and destroy Scarlet Crusaders. Leave their corpses so that we may utilize them for the death march. But most importantly: kill the fleeing villagers. Soldiers dying are an affordance, but villagers? That is what strikes fear into the hearts of man." His voice was powerful, but what drove others to obey must have been the demented hunger in his voice. The cruel fervor that he carried about him, and most of all, his strength. "Go now, and slay all that would get in your way. Take Havenshire, the farms, and then return here. We shall do this before the days end!"