Chapter two
The deathknight and the Crusader.
High executor Derrington noticed the pair first. He was alert in an instant as he eyed the figures still enshrouded in fog. "Look alive folks," he said with an ironic laugh as the rest of the forsaken and the argent dawn members prepared to fight. Everyone was tense, watching the two figures as they grew steadily closer through the fog.
They were humanoid shapes, one was taller than the other by nearly a head the faint sounds of plate armor could be heard with each step.
Everyone tensed even further when a pair of eyes illuminated through the fog, glowing blue with unholy light.
"Oh shit," muttered an argent defender.
Everyone else felt the same words leave their mouths when the figures emerged from the fog. However they also froze in shock at what approached him.
A blood elf deathknight stepped out of the fog, his emotionless blue eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the defenders of the bulwark before him. He was wearing no helm, revealing his smooth elfin features and deathly pale skin. His long hair, wild and blue was done up in a messy pony tail that left a few strands to fall loosely over his shoulders. And strapped to his back was a massive double edged sword covered in glowing red runes.
His companion was the main cause for the shock. She was a human woman with tan skin and golden hair. However she was dressed up in the armor of the scarlet crusade. She looked like she had been in a fight recently, perhaps with the death knight she now stood beside but she seemed to be fine if weary and exhausted. She stood next to the death knight eying the bulwark with open hostility, and looking…flushed whenever she looked at the death knight for too long. Though she seemed to make sure she was never more than a foot away from the elf.
"What the hell?" muttered Derrington, unable to comprehend such an odd, impossible pair. This was even more unlikely than an Alliance and a Horde member deciding to become buddies in the middle of a fight.
For five seconds the two sides stared at each other before the scarlet crusader spoke.
"Move aside and let us pass and you will have no problems." She was obviously having a difficult time muttering those words as she sneered at the forsaken, aching with the desire to crush them under holy light but she seemed more concerned about what her deathknight companion would think. Numerous people wondered how this relationship had come to be. Was she a prisoner? A willing companion? Or, god forbid, a lover?
"Oh? Threatening us are you?" muttered an argent defender as he drew his weapon. "You are not the only one who knows the light, zealot, and you are outnumbered." However before he could continue speaking, the tip of the massive rune blade was at his throat.
"Move."
The death knight's voice shook everyone there to their souls, filling them with a feeling of unease and making numerous hands shoot to the hilts of weapons. It wasn't a request, it was a demand, an order. This elf wasn't playing. Numerous bodies tensed up, ready to launch an assault on the pair when a harsh voice spoke up from behind the group.
"Wait, hold your blades."
An Orc stepped forth, revealing himself to be the one in charge of this area. He was dressed in the armor and tabard of the argent dawn. He stepped up boldly to the death knight and the crusader, eyeing them both with a critical eye before crossing his arms.
"This is very strange," he said. "I am having trouble believing what I am actually seeing, a death knight that's not killing anybody and a Scarlet crusader. What on all of azeroth could have happened to force two such as you to band together?"
The crusader glared. "That is none of your concern." The Orc seemed more amused than offended by the woman's remark. The death knight eyed the Orc emotionlessly for a few seconds before he spoke again, his voice carrying a haunting quality that reverberated through the air.
"It is a…long story."
The Orc chuckled and signaled for the others to lower their weapons. The death knight did the same, causing the Argent defender who had been frozen in fear of being beheaded for the last minute and a half to give an audible sigh of relief.
"I'm sure we have the time to hear it, besides the woman looks like she could use some rest and recovery. Perhaps you could stay here a couple of days while she recovers. I would very much like to hear this tale."
The crusader looked like she wanted to yell, but held herself in check, waiting for the elf's decision.
"Fine then," he said at last. The Crusader looked upset but sighed in resignation. However she did have one thing to say. "Keep the undead away from me if you know what is good for you." There was brief pulsation of light from her body before she huffed. The Orc chuckled again, not at all affected by the crusader's comments.
"Come then. I will see to the woman's wounds myself."
The death knight nodded and followed the Orc towards one of the tents.
"By the way, I am Garush,"
The death knight eyed him. "Mashonin,"
"Allyson," sneered the crusader.
"Nice, if a bit weird, to meet you," said Garush with a grin. Allyson twitched but otherwise was unaffected by what he said. Mashonin wasn't affected at all.
Garush directed Allyson to the empty sleeping mat towards the back of the tent and had her lay down. "I'm going to have to remove your armor," he began. Then flinched when light lashed out at him from her body and her face twisted into a disgusted scowl.
"Allyson," began the Death Knight. "Calm yourself."
To Garush's shock, she obeyed, seemingly becoming meek in an instant at his voice. "Oh I definitely have to hear the story behind this," he muttered as he began helping the human out of her armor. He found his eyes widening. Allyson was more injured than he had previously thought.
"By the light! Just how were you even moving about in your state!?" She was covered in wounds, scabbed slash wounds covered in infection and burn marks marring nearly every part of her body. This woman was a torture victim. It was perhaps only because she herself is a paladin capable of healing herself to an extent that she was even alive. He eyed the death knight, eyes narrowed.
"What happened?" he asked.
Mashonin sighed. "Like I said, it's a long story."
"Enlighten me."
Allyson growled at Garush but a look from the death knight calmed her down a bit. Mashonin then looked at the argent officer and gave a sigh.
"I am responsible for her wounds."
He raised a hand before Garush could say anything.
"Up until about five days ago I was a slave to the lich king. When I was assigned the task of uncovering the truth about the crimson dawn I ran into the first crusader I could get my hands on. Alison was that crusader. It was my job to gain the information about the crimson dawn by any means necessary. Torture I found was the easiest method."
Garush looked horrified.
"By now the area of Havenshire is a smoking ruin filled with undead and what little crusaders may have survived. The lich king himself was there though so I doubt it."
He looked down at Alison who was reluctantly assisting a shell shocked Garush in healing her.
"However right after I gained the information, something suddenly snapped inside me. I cannot fathom the reason why but when I looked into Alison's eyes I saw someone else, a female elf with red hair and mischivous eyes. I know her…I just don't know who she is. This image alone filled me with enough emotion and resolve to shatter the Lich king's hold on me. But that is not all. Allyson became distraught. She still is. She thinks that she is unworthy to the light and cannot fathom why it would still answer her call. She believes she is tainted and unworthy and that feeling came from the humiliation of being bested by me and the betrayal to her crusade by revealing the information about the crimson dawn.
He looked into the paladin's eyes with something akin to caring before he continued his story.
"I took her and fled the area, riding atop my death charger through the plague lands and doing what little I could to heal her broken body. Over time her mind seemed to collapse, then rebuild itself in an instant. She didn't change much in personality but she seems to have developed an enormous amount of loyalty and trust towards me. I personally do not understand it but I really see no point in causing her more pain by abandoning her."
Garush became shocked by Allyson herself when she sat up and eyed the death knight with nothing short of pure adoration.
"It's because, Mashonin, you were there when I was at my lowest. You…you saved me from myself." She hugged herself around her and scowled as she prevented tears from springing from her eyes. "Even now you continue to be a pillar of strength for me. I-I'm still not convinced that I should be using the light, especially since I am now…acquainted to one of the undead." She looked at him. "But you are trying to help me. And that's more than I can say for anyone else I've ever met."
Garush couldn't hide his pure astonishment, first not only with all of the revelations given by Mashonin, but also the absolute truth in the scarlet crusader's words. This…this was something akin to a miracle! What if this elf could change more of the crusade this way!? Make them…human again. His thoughts were interrupted though when Allyson started growling. "Either keep healing or remover your hands from my chest, Orc."
"Well, there goes that theory," he thought with an inward chuckle. "My apologies."
The healing went well. Garush was no healer. His ability to fight as a warrior had gained him much respect. However he was extremely talented with basic first aid and Allyson's own talents as a paladin assisted in her recovery fairly quickly. Garush had then recommended she get a couple days rest before the pair headed out to wherever they were going.
During which time, Mashonin became acquainted with the rest of the Bulwark, retelling his tale of how he had come into contact with the Scarlet crusader in their midst and generally shocked them all with his story.
Several were still very weary around him. Death knights were the Lich king's most powerful subordinates next to liches and so far NONE of them were free from Arthas's grasp as far as they knew. They were still coming to terms with the fact that Mashonin is indeed a free death knight. One who had won the loyalty of a member of the Scarlet crusade of all people.
A number of the forsaken did have a word or two to say about Allyson when they thought no one was around. They disliked her for the fact that she is a member of the forsaken's main enemy. They were talking about contacting lady Sylvanas herself to address this issue, but Mashonin's sword threatened to cleave them in twain if they so much as looked in the direction of the undercity with those thoughts in mind, his protectiveness of this crusader made Garush smile.
Three days went by like this. Mashonin was never far from the tent Allyson was resting in and when he was, it was only to go out and secure food for the camp but not before making it very clear that his human companion was not to be harmed in any way.
It was the dead of night. The members of the bulwark were all sitting around a large fire making small talk when someone suddenly appeared behind Mashonin.
It was Allyson. She looked far better than she did before. Her arms and legs were covered in bandages as was her midriff and her forehead. She wore the tabard and armor that signified her allegiance to the crusade but had forgone the armor for the moment, opting to wear a simple tank top and a pair of shorts.
Mashonin turned. She gave a hesitant smile as he moved to the side and allowed her to sit down next to him. He eyed her carefully as she did. She was doing far better now that she had received proper medical attention. One of the forsaken snorted.
Allyson's attention was on the undead man in an instant. "Is there a problem?" she sneered. The Forsaken opened his mouth in a dry laugh. "No, not really. Its just…weird to see one of you crazy crusaders willingly putting her trust into someone like the elf beside you." Her eyes flashed for an instant before she turned away.
"Whatever," she said. "I don't give a shit about the opinions of a monster like you."
"Heh, a bit funny that you would say that in the presence of your death knight friend isn't it?"
Mashonin said nothing, neither disliking or accepting the conversation. Personally he knew he was a monster. Anything Allyson had to say about undead was most likely true so it didn't bother him at all. She could say all of the things she wanted about the undead. He didn't care.
However he did care when the forsaken started to draw his dagger.
"And you crusaders are any better? You slaughter anything in your way, including fellow humans in your over zealousness to kill undead. You're all wacked in the head and the world is better off without you."
Mashonin had obviously missed most of the conversation, but that didn't matter to him. He stood up, startling everyone there and gave the scarlet crusader a look. She seemed to understand and hurried back towards the tent. The forsaken who had his dagger out gave a glare.
"Something bothering you death knight?" he asked, a sneer on his face. Garush, no longer content to let things continue, raised his voice. "Stand down," he said. "This death knight is more than a match for you. I suggest you quit antagonizing his companion."
"It won't matter," they all turned. Allyson was back, this time in full armor. "We're leaving anyway."
Mashonin nodded. Garush and Derrington were the only ones not really surprised.
"Where are you headed?" asked the argent officer.
The death knight didn't seem to know. "Wherever any clues to who I am are located,"
Garush nodded. "I wish you luck."
A death charger appeared in a flash of shadow, making everyone but the two who rode it flinch. The death knight helped the crusader onto the mount before getting up onto it himself.
"You have my gratitude," he said. "But I believe it is time for us to go." Garush nodded in understanding. With each day the tension between Allyson and the forsaken was getting worse. He grabbed the reigns and directed his gaze towards under city, or perhaps the silver pine forest.
"Be weary. That crusader of yours will be a bigger target than you will be. Once word of you two gets around you'll always have to be on guard," spoke Derrington. Mashonin eyed the undead man before he gave a very slight nod, then the two were gone, riding off into the darkened forest.
A few weeks later when news of the knights of the ebon blade reached the bulwark, its members were strangely unsurprised.
AN: Charger back at LAST! Now I can finish up the chaps to my fics. Tell me what ya thought of this one.