CHAPTER XI

The wind slapped his face. Its only natural. I'm standing at the top of some high hill. He heard the clanking of armor coming his way. The footsteps were noisy, but not slow. He turned to see who it was. Brother.

The man was large, and had fiery red hair. His armor was made of fine steel, and he wore a cape matching his color. His black zweihander dangled on his back. "Greetings, my brother," he said in a low voice.

"Hey, Davion," Durandal replied. "What brings you here, then?"

Davion faced him. "Unfortunately, the war." That brought a frown to his brother's face. "They requested that I ask you to join us, the Sentinel."

The dragonkin's brother turned away. "Sorry, but no thanks," was his reply to the request. "The path with the least bloodshed is to side with neither, and not participate in this war."

The path with less bloodshed? I doubt such thing, but… Davion nodded. "As you wish, brother. I'll respect your decision."

"Thank you." With that reply, Durandal listened as his brother walked away. He sighed a moment later. The path with least bloodshed. Is there even such a thing? Shrugging mentally, the dragonkin walked away.

-

Finally stopping in a small village at dusk, Durandal went to an inn to spend the rest to the night in.

Finally. The part where the traveler rests, he thought as he lay down on the small but comfy bed provided by the inn.

Hours later, Durandal heard a scream. He also heard another scream, this one primal and fierce, more like those of a… ghoul? The traveler heard someone, or something, coming to the door.

The door slammed open, revealing a ghoul, larger than the ordinary, and with looks even fouler. It screeched, a sound not so kindly heard. Its eyes searched through the room. Its eyes finding nothing, the ghoul lifted its nose up in the air, searching for an unusual smell.

Nothing.

The creature turned to leave.

Unknown to the ghoul, Durandal had leapt out of the inn through a window. He landed softly on the ground, and started running. What are they doing here? he thought.

The dragonkin ran, cutting any undead who dared stand in his path. His longsword glinting with undead blood, Durandal slashed at a ghoul in front of him, cleaving it in half.

He stopped dead on his tracks upon seeing a child and her mother running away from two ghouls, one of them larger than the other. The dragonkin ran to their direction.

Apparently quicker than the two chasing ghouls, Durandal was finally able to reach them just when the child tripped on his foot. His longsword flashing he leapt, landing right in front of the larger ghoul. The smaller ghoul beside the foul creature was suddenly cut in half.

The monster roared and slashed at Durandal, who dodged it by a hair's breadth. The other hand of the creature came up and tried to rip the dragonkin to shreds.

Durandal dodged it too, then brought his sword up to block the nearing mouth of the monster. It stinked. Probably the foulest I've ever smelled in my life. He pulled his sword out of the deathlock. Then kicked the monstrosity's face, then pushed, the dragonkin leaping backwards.

In an instant upon landing the ground, Durandal dashed, his longsword taking off a limb of the smelly creature. It roared and brought its other hand up, then down, hoping to impale the traveler. The dragonkin dodged it.

As though out of sudden, skulls with a greenish aura assaulted him, hurling him far. Others hit the ghoul to, but with a seemingly different effect. It restored the severed limb of the monster.

Durandal tilted his head a bit to see who had done it to him. Besides the ghoul, a ghostly necromancer stood, talking to it. "We're done here, Nai'x." The necromancer turned to the dragonkin. Apparently thinking him dead, he turned away and left, the monster following him like a pet dog.

The dragonkin sighed. He was at least happy to save the kid and her mother.

-

Durandal faced the ruined tiny village before heading back to Ashenvale. It was ravaged to the ground, with lots of corpses littered about. He turned and started walking.

After hours of walking, the dragonkin heard rustling leaves somewhere near him. Not trusting his own quickness, he flashed out his longsword. His face calmed when he saw a night elf girl coming out from the bushes at his left. It was the girl he saved a while ago, back in the village. Her mother followed.

"Thank you very much for your heroics, sir," the mother said to him. "We do not know how we could repay you."

"Bah, don't mention it. I'm just as confused as you are, lady," Durandal replied. He held out his right hand. "My name's Durandal."

Taking the hand, the woman smiled at him. "Krobelus. And this is my daughter Lanaya." She motioned to the small smiling girl at her side. "We are most grateful to you."

"Ok, ok fine," came the dismissive answer. "But first, we head to Mt. Hyjal," he said.

"Agreed."

"Great!" Yay…

-

Months have passed. Durandal has joined the Sentinel, figuring that bloodshed would be everywhere, unless the Scourge is stopped.

Death will ensue.

-

Climbimg on the steep rocks of the mountain, Shuin found it easy to do such. He jumped from jagged rock to jagged rock until he reached the cave where he sheltered. "Oi," he heard.

He turned to smile at his dwarven companion. "What brings you here?"

"Came to give ye something'." The dwarf held out his hand, a peculiar stone on his palm. It was spherical, and emitted a faint blue light. "Made it meself. Rare stone called amahagane."

Shuin took the spherical stone by the chain attached to it. Amahagane. "You're giving me this?" he asked, his tone with a tint of surprise.

"Yeah! Ye don' want it?" the dwarf answered, a little violently.

Shuin held out his hands. "No, no. I want it. Ever since I was a child. Thanks."

Beazel grinned proudly like a father. "Great!"

A moment of silence passed between them, as they say and watched the sun go down. "Hey Beazel," Shuin said, breaking the silence.

"Eh?"

The daikyu sighed. "Do you think it was right? For me to leave them, my love included?"

"Yer crazy." Shuin turned to regard the dwarf. "Doin' somethin' like that is just mad," the dwarf said calmly. "If I were ye, I'd be goin' back now."

"Thanks." Thinking about the advice, Shuin sat back and sighed. "I'll think about it."

-

The forest grew silent as Mortred walked through it. She walked apparently to nowhere, with no direction or goal to reach at all. Her mind was flooded by confusion.

She wondered. Was her desire for revenge for her kind, a warden, necessary at all? Was the vengeance she so desired on her Lady Tyrande reasonable?

Or was the vengeance just all too corrupting, that she must leave it?

But what would the souls of her warden kin think of that? She wondered, would they drive her mad? Mad enough to join the Scourge? Definitely not, she thought as soon as that horrible notion came to her head.

She continued walking, all these dancing around in her head. All of it went away, though, as she heard rustling leaves at her side. She drew her chakram and readied herself.

"Hey, don't kill me." Out of the leaves came out a handsome night elf with green hair and eyes, and a grinning mouth.

Mortred scoffed and lowered her chakram. "Skurai, its you. What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, her tone a bit angry. You're damn lucky you're cute.

"Why, to give you advice, my friend," he replied, surprising the warden.

What? Not like him. Mortred shrugged the thought off. "Continue."

Skurai smirked. "Its about you and your desire of vengeance," he said, surprising Mortred all the more. That made the male grin all the more. "Join the Scourge."

As soon as those words came out of his lips, Mortred drew her chakram. In a single blurry motion, she swung it at him. Skurai jumped back from the attack, dodging it. "Who are you?" the female demanded.

"I am Skurai, my friend, trying to give you a humble advice you would not heed," he replied. "Let me explain it to you. You are weak.."

Mortred rushed out to him, and then slashed with her chakram. The green-haired night elf strode to her side, again dodging the attack. This time, though, instead of merely dodging, Skurai grabbed the female's arm in a quick motion.

He pinned her to a nearby tree. "You see? You are weak. If you ever want to sate your lust for vengeance, you must join the Scourge. For the power."

Mortred glared at the green eyes of the male. Skurai glared back, the warden's gaze softening in defeat.

He soon released her, and turned away. "Think about it." He soon disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

-

Her things laid out before her, Mortred packed the things she thought needed, then brought up her hood and turned to leave. She felt a presence come near her.

"Mortred," came the melodic voice of her best friend, Shendelzare. "Where are you going?"

The warden sighed, and turned to face her friend. "Northrend."

Horrible thoughts swept over Shendelzare's mind, somehow making her know what her friend was up to. "What?"

As though ignoring the question, Mortred turned and started for the door. She opened it, showing the quiet forest of Ashenvale.

"Please. Think about this," her best friend pleaded.

"I already have." She spared one glance to her friend before leaving. "Goodbye. And sorry," she whispered to herself as she walked away.

-

"Good job, Skurai," he complimented the green haired night elf.

The Specter's apprentice merely bowed down to him then rose again. "It is my pleasure, master."

'Hmph. Well done, Mercurial,' a cold voice said inside the shadow's head. 'Well done, indeed.

Mercurial, unlike what others will do before Ner'zhul, didn't bow down. He grinned at the Frozen Throne. "Thank you, Ner'zhul."

The death knight growled at him. "Show some respect, fool!" he yelled, pointing his runeblade at the Specter. A command from the Lich King silenced him. Growling all the more, he sheathed his sword.

Mercurial smirked at Abbadon. "I suggest that we attack that village again, Ner'zhul."

'And why is that?'

"Shuin Duskblade. He will come back. Right to that village."

"Why do you put so much importance in this Shuin?" Abbadon blurted out. He earned a grin from Mercurial in that question.

"He is more than what you think he is, death knight," answered Mercurial to the question. "Besides, there is another reason we should go."

Abbadon faced the Specter, wearing a confused face.

"My apprentice's wife is pregnant."