The hallway outside was silent. The thin corridor stretched off into the distance both ways in disturbing vacancy. Glittering blue steaks danced in the walls in a diseased parody of the lights outside. Christof shifted Hilde slightly on his shoulder, taking a firmer grip as he glanced each way.

Nervous, paladin? Lightbane sneered. It's not as if you stick out or anything.

"And how do I stick out?" Christof asked mildly. "Is it the gleam of willpower in an otherwise sycophantic eye?"

Sycophant! Lightbane raged in silence. No death knight would ever be responsible for the mere removal of a body from the breaking rooms! We are his chosen!

"Yes, yes, chosen dogs. You bark loudly for a pup." Christof turned and strode down the hallway to the left, leading with the tip of the giant sword. "The answer is, of course, you would if you were told to. I'm not deaf; I did hear what you said to your friend. You were ordered to bring her back to your Master once she died. Why was that?"

Lightbane growled, but could see no real reason to lie. The Master does not tell us his plans. We do as he wills. However, he has the others. He will use them against the Light-blasted fools. He wants them to see the futility of defying his will.

"Others?"

The other Light-sucking witches. The orc, the two elves, and the human. They wait outside his sanctum for his call.

"I see," Christof murmured.

She'd already be there if it weren't for the enchantment on her, Lightbane grumped. The knights who took her lost their swords. Shattered them as if they were made of ice. Swords, arrows, bullets, all broke as soon as they touched her. Your wench must be loved by your blasted Light. If the Master wasn't so busy with the burned Alliance fool, we'd have seen if she could withstand Frostmourne.

"Probably not," Christof said cheerfully, pausing to glance backwards. The hall remained silent and empty, save for a far-off wailing. "There's only so much I could do against that thing. He'd have claimed two more souls to feast on."

It was you! How did you…you're nothing but a ghost!

Christof chuckled. "Not exactly a technique they teach in the Cathedral of Light. But I doubt you would remember your teachings anyway."

Small pattering noises, like the sound of falling rain, was the only warning. Abruptly a writhing brown mass undulated around the corner, coughing and guffawing. Christof stopped, raising the tip of his sword slightly. The geists paused, lifting their mucousy single eyes in tandem. The apparent leader stretched out his clawed hand, pointing at the death knight's burden.

"Foooods fooor uuussss?" it hissed. Its fellows coughed and gargled anxiously. One or two began licking and gnawing on their fingers eagerly.

Feeling the paladin's disgust and growing urge to attack, Lightbane shoved himself to the forefront and forced his lips to move. "It's for the Master."

"Masssttterr. Yeeehawwhawww!" The geists threw back their heads and cackled. They surged around the death knight, bouncing off down the hallway.

The more bodies you leave, the faster we'll be discovered, Lightbane snapped. There are worst things in the Citadel then those mindless freaks. And you'd better start moving, because those geists will sniff out what's left of those Deathsworn before too much longer.

"So helpful all of a sudden," Christof murmured, taking a firmer grip on his burden as they moved onwards. "I wonder why."

Bah! Lightbane spit, withdrawing into himself. He noted with growing satisfaction that the paladin was moving towards the plague quarters. Discolored streaks had begun appearing in the shimmering ice walls. As the paladin swept the area ahead, he could just make out the shimmering blue clouds restlessly swirling along the floor and jetting out violently from the walls.

"Very clever," Christof murmured, abruptly stopping.

That's the way out, paladin, Lightbane thought smugly.

"Through poison gas. You left out that little detail."

Gas means nothing to the Lich King's chosen.

Christof sighed. "I thought you decided to cooperate. I can't take her out this way. But, it seems as if you can only understand one thing."

Pain lanced throughout Lightbane's body. Tendrils of fire tore into his flesh, drawing a thin scream from his lips. Blackness swam across his vision. For endless minutes the pain seared on. When the darkness finally receded, Lightbane found himself staring at the floor on his knees.

I don't understand, it hurts you too!

"I'm dead, in case you forgot already," Christof said quietly. "If I have to destroy your body because you won't cooperate, it's only a minor annoyance. After all, you're just a tool left lying around by your master."

How did you get like this? Lightbane asked, struggling to regain his composure. No paladin training explains it. No paladin acts this way!

Christof chuckled and stood, once again taking firm control of Lightbane's body. "Perhaps I'll show you eventually. Maybe it'll help you remember what you were. But until then, I need to know how to get to the Crusade's forces."

It's not safe for anyone save the master to go into Sindragosa's lair, Lightbane answered. And the Blood Halls…the Darkfallen will hear your woman's heartbeat and come running. The Master keeps them hungry. Also, that freak Putricide like to keep his domain flooded with his latest concoctions.

"So what is our most likely option?"

There may be a way, Lightbane thought reluctantly. The Deathsworn have been performing experiments on a dragon they captured in the Frozen Halls. If we could get a group of them alone, we could take their cloaks and blend in enough to get to the transporter. From there, your Light-sucking friends will probably be at the bottom of the citadel.

"I see. Lead the way, and please, no more surprises."

Back the way we came, take the first right. I can't fathom your determination though. Even if you get her back to the Crusade, they will all die eventually and serve the Master.

Frigid quiet enveloped the death knight as they paced back down the halls. The soft clinking of his saronite boots on the floor echoed around them. Faint moaning threaded through the air; staccato bleats of pain as intrusive as the wind. Lightbane waited, but the paladin felt completely closed off from his inquiry.

It was an answering clink that snapped Lightbane back into focus. He felt the paladin take a firmer grip on his blade. Two figures emerged from the shadows ahead, closely followed by an undulating mass of geists. The geists flowed in a brown mass around their feet, coughing and guffawing eagerly.

"Lightbane," the first growled. "The Master wants his prize."

"And what did you do to those poor cultists? Deathwhisper will be upset at all the unusable pieces." The second sneered slightly, his hand sliding to the hilt of his sword.

Christof loosened his grip, letting Hilde slide down until her feet hit the floor, then propped her against the icy wall. Her knees buckled, and she crumpled down to the floor, still unconscious. The paladin licked his lips slightly, lifting the tip of his sword up.

Geists will attack as a group. They are not very sophisticated. As for the knights, well, how good are you at using runes instead of your blasted Light?

"Helping again? Very unlike a proper death knight," Christof murmured, his sword tip tracking the swaying of the geists. The two death knights remained still, cold smiles on their lips.

Fine, call it curiosity, Lightbane snapped. I help you, I want you to answer my question from earlier.

Lightbane felt an abrupt chill, as if frozen cords were seeping back through and away from his flesh. He could feel the solid grip of his sword cutting into his hands as the paladin withdrew. The sense of his presence remained hovering just on the edge of consciousness.

Do anything to her, and even your Lich King won't be able to match how much you will suffer.

"Calm down, paladin. Deal's a deal." Lightbane grinned widely, shifting his sword to tap the tip against his palm. He took several steps forward, rolling his shoulders.

"Cultists bored me, what do you think?" Lightbane chuckled softly, and charged forward. He dropped one hand down, quickly feeling the runes carved into his body flash into life. The two death knights unsheathed their swords as one. The geists cackled and surged forward towards the slumped figure against the wall.

Lightbane slammed his fist into the lead geist, hurling it backwards and into another. He felt the runes flare, and the floor began to bubble and smoke with ribbons of red light. As each geist tried to get around him, smoke and the reek of decayed flesh billowed. He felt the pure thrill of slaughter race through his veins, his sword dancing and rending each ragged form. His great blade shimmered, each swipe crumbling the rotting flesh. All too soon, all that remained was a grotesque pile of festering bits of meat and torn cloth.

Lightbane reeled backwards, barely dodging the blade hissing in front of his eyes. The two death knights charged, their rune swords glowing fiercely. Lightbane charged one, slamming his shoulder into his chest and sending him sprawling. The second lunged, sword leveled at the opening between the arm and chest. Lightbane managed a turn, blocking with his own sword. Ice rippled up his blade as the second death knight whaled against him.

The first rolled to his feet and lunged back to the attack. Lightbane snarled and caught the blades on his. Dark energy spilled out along the edge, shattering the ice.

"Don't feel like helping me like you did her, do you?"

Doesn't work that way, Christof answered. Besides, you seem to be doing just fine.

"Good…for…nothing…ghost!" Lightbane hissed, slamming his sword down against the first death knight. A hollow thunk echoed throughout the hall as it clanged off his breastplate. Bouncing back up, the serrated edge caught the edge of the death knight's helmet and gashed into his neck. Lightbane shoved forward, and then jerked the blade backwards. The death knight garbled and grabbed at his gushing throat, even as his head topped off to the side.

He spun a moment too slowly to completely catch the descending sword as the second death knight tore into his right pauldron. Lightbane hissed as the wound immediately began to burn with the necrotic putrefaction on the blade. He forced out a laugh, slapping the blade away contemptuously before charging. The knight stumbled, and Lightbane's hand found his throat. The other tore off his helmet, revealing a heavily scarred night elf. The elf narrowed his eyes, all but spitting in his face.

"Our Master sees your betrayal," the death knight hissed. Lightbane growled and slammed the elf's head against the rigid ice wall. The glowing blue eyes dimmed briefly, and the elf spat at him again.

"Our Master sees your betrayal!"

Lightbane slammed him harder against the wall, over and over. A dull crack permeated the repetitive thuds. Each time the elf's eyes rolled more slowly before refocusing on the death knight.

"He…sees…you, betrayer" the elf coughed, dark blood oozing from his ears.

Lightbane chuckled and turned his gauntleted arm, presenting the rigid spikes. "He won't see anything in a moment."

The elf flailed in a sudden burst of strength, but the death knight held firm. He raked the spikes over the elf's face, gouging into the undead flesh, ripping the glowing eyes from their sockets. The elf wailed; a sound just a quickly cut off by the forceful slamming of his head back against the wall. Lightbane crushed his fingers together, feeling the neck snap and the body become limp. He dropped it to the floor with an oath, pausing to spit on its mutilated face. Only then did he feel his right shoulder, and the thick rivulets of blood gushing underneath the heavy armor. The blood burned with the strength of the fallen death knight's diseased blade.

Will you be all right?

"Perfect," Lightbane snarled. "It needs to run its course, and then it'll heal itself up. The Master made us to last."

I see, Christof said quietly. But for the moment, you are wounded and Hilde is still unconscious. I doubt you'd be able to handle another encounter.

"Yes, yes, your precious woman." Lightbane slid his sword into its sheath and grabbed Hilde's arm, lifting her up and tossing her over his shoulder. "I need maybe a half hour to be fully healed unless, of course, you want to work your paladin magic." He waited a brief moment, head tilted to the side, but the paladin was silent. "Allright then." He walked past the piled bodies, and turned quickly to the right.

The new corridor was steeped in a dusky blue glow, lit by the shimmers of light darting through the crystalline walls. Lightbane stalked quickly down the passage, turning left, then right, then right again, until a hallway with a small network of doors was revealed. He went to the first and shouldered it open.

Behind the thick steel doors was a small storage area full of barrels and crates. Many of the crates bore both Alliance and Horde symbols stenciled on their wooden sides. Lightbane grunted and dropped Hilde to the floor before wrestling a barrel in front of the door.

Isn't this asking to be trapped in here?

"We don't have much choice, do we pallie boy? I need to heal up, and we need to avoid detection. Your friends below must be kicking up quite a distraction, if the Master only sent two knights to check on your woman."

How hideous is his power, to turn a paladin into a thing that enjoys killing so much, Christof mused.

"We serve him without pity or remorse. Such things are useless fripperies of the living."

And yet you felt pity when Hilde was on the wall, or else I wouldn't have been able to reach you. What did he do to you, former brother?

"I…I don't remember," Lightbane said abruptly, seating himself against the wall. "I am as I have always been." He fastened his eyes on the door while running his hand up under his armor. The wound still burned, but the blood flow was slowing. "Besides, you need to fulfill your bargain. I said I'd help if you answered my question from earlier."

You asked two. You only get one.

"Cheeky ghost," Lightbane whistled. "Fine then, how did you get this way? It's obvious the Master caused your death, but one such as you…should have been in our ranks."

I'll show you my death, in hopes that you will remember your life.