What was Abbendis thinking? Enjoy!

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51: Death Knight Debacle 2 – Westwind's Game

Abbendis was in the command room of the Crimson Hold, sitting down and reading a few documents. Westwind was standing to her side, overlooking the same papers, a look of contemplation furrowed into his brow. They both looked up at the same time when they heard struggling voices from the hall, then saw Danthor burst into the room with two Onslaught crusaders quickly following.

"What the hell is this?" Danthor yelled.

Abbendis and Westwind looked at one of the guards, who caught their gaze and stammered, saying, "M-My deepest apologies grand admiral and high general. He just burst in here, demanding to speak with you. I tried to stop him, but he resisted."

"That's fine," Westwind said. "You two may exit."

The two guards left, Lethella and Jonas entered.

Pushing her papers aside, Abbendis let out a lengthy sigh, rubbing her eyes. "What seems to be the problem, Captain Kurock?"

"Have you hired death knights to fight for us?" he asked.

Abbendis looked at Westwind, who raised an eyebrow in return. Looking back at the three captains, she said, "We have taken a few rogue death knights under our employment, yes. Is there a problem?"

"Problem?" asked an incredulous Lethella. "You've only hired the very enemies we're fighting against and allowed them into our base of operations at the Lich King's doorstep, and you can't see the problem?"

Abbendis waved the comment away. "They're freelancers, hired blades. They've no allegiance to the Lich King, or the new Knights of the Ebon Blade. They'll follow orders and do the job better than every living crusader here, including you three."

"So the Onslaught really has fallen this low, huh?" Jonas asked. "Just tell me, how much are you paying them to find out all of the inner-workings of New Hearthglen?"

Abbendis slammed her fist down on the table. "It's none of your damned business how much we've hired them for or why we hired them in the first place. Though if you have any better ideas on how to increase our depleted ranks, please be sure to let us know!"

Danthor looked up at Westwind to see the faintest thread of a smile on his face. "It was all your idea, wasn't it?"
The grand admiral looked down at him with a look of surprise, saying, "Excuse me, captain?"

"You're the one who suggested the raven priests to Landgren and Street," Danthor said. "Tell me, did the Holy Light whisper for you to let death knights into our ranks as well?"

"That's enough," Abbendis said. "The decision was mine to make."

"Did the Light whisper that to you too, or did you just take the grand admiral's word for it, like Landgren and Street?" Lethella asked.

"I said enough!" Abbendis said. "I made the decision based on the reasoning that if we're to survive out here, we'll need to rely on more than what we have. Or would you rather it be just human crusaders who fight against dragons and magnataur?"

"Having humans would be the right way to do it," Jonas said. "It's not right using shadow priests or undead in our ranks."

Abbendis's head shot to focus on the paladin. "I don't care what you think. If you insist on continuing to defy your superiors, I'll have you disciplined. Now get out of my sight!"

There was silence for a moment. Danthor, Lethella, and Jonas looked at each other, then back at Abbendis and Westwind. Abbendis had a look of contempt while Westwind had one of slight amusement. That look told Danthor everything he needed to know: Westwind was the one who suggested it and Abbendis was forced to go along. It has to be, he thought. Otherwise there's no way someone as devout as her would go along with such a crazy plan.

He looked at Westwind. Yes, leader only in name and title, he had told her. Maybe she believed him, maybe she didn't. It's clear, regardless, that he's the one pulling the strings. A first-rate puppet master. He did it when telling Landgren and Street to start training shadow priests, and he somehow (but how?) convinced Abbendis to employ death knights to fight for them. It was ludicrous, yet . . .

"Didn't you hear me?" Abbendis asked. "I said get out. We have more important things to deal with than listening to your gripes."

Her anger had cooled, and he could sense the uncertainty in her voice. Yes, she didn't want this, but was forced into it by Westwind. But why? Danthor needed time to think. This wasn't the time to be rocking the boat. "Come on, let's go," he said to his companions.

They both looked at him with unsure eyes. "What?" Lethella said. "Danthor, what are you—"

"Nothing we say will change their mind," the knight explained. "Let's just save ourselves the trouble of getting hurt with no change."

Abbendis smiled. "Finally learning from your mistakes, huh?"

Danthor instinctively touched the scar under his bearded chin. The last wound Abbendis had caused him when he had defied her. Just one of the many scars he'd accumulated while serving under the Crusade. "Let's go," he said.

Jonas gave one last fleeting glance at Abbendis and Westwind before following Danthor towards the door, a look of contempt on his face. It took Lethella a few seconds before she reluctantly followed.

Just as they reached the door, Commander Jordan entered, the three death knights at his back. He looked surprised when seeing them, saying, "Oh, sorry about that. Pardon us."

The three captains stopped and saw the four enter. "Why have you brought them into my chambers, Jordan?" Abbendis's voice was dripping with irritation.

Jordan saluted as the three death knights took off their blue-steeled helmets. "Apologies for the intrusion, high general, but I thought this would be a good time to introduce you to the three death knights who had just joined."

"Very well, introduce yourselves."

"My name is Mattheus." He had matted black hair that covered his forehead. His nose looked misshapen, as if it had been broken and didn't heal itself properly. There was no beard on his youthful face, which was accentuated by his pale skin tone and piercing blue eyes. Still, a smile came easy to his face, revealing his just-slightly-rotting teeth.

"My name is Brommen." He was sporting a shaved brown head that had a few scars near the side and top. He had a brown goatee, which didn't take away noticing his square jaw and rectangular face. His nose was big and his eyes were small. His face sported a few battle scars and his skin was slightly tanner than Mattheus's.

"My name is Lyssa," the third female death knight said. She had shoulder-length, pale-blonde hair that looked as grimy and unwashed as Mattheus's. Her skin tone was the most pale of all, almost a transparent white. She was not beautiful, nor was she ugly, and Danthor was sure her slender physique betrayed her actual strength.

"It should be noted, Mattheus, Brommen, and Lyssa," Abbendis said, looking at each of them in turn, "that the Onslaught doesn't particularly like the presence of the undead around them."

"Yes ma'am, as we've already found out." Mattheus looked at the three captains still standing at the doorway.

Abbendis rested her chin on the back of her hand. "Refer to me as high general, please. Regardless, I just thought we should make it clear that no one in this organization likes you. But just because we don't like you doesn't mean we won't have a use for you or your skills. Quite the contrary, actually. You'll be put the work immediately, and you'll be given the most difficult of assignments because of your power. In return, you shall be given shelter, food and drink, and you shall be tolerated. But expect nothing more than that."

"We've been through situations you couldn't even dream of," Brommen said. "We can handle anything you task us with."

"We're only interested in a chance at revenge against the Lich King," Lyssa added. "If you give us that chance, we'll do anything you ask."

Abbendis smiled. "Yes, but one step at a time. If you do what we ask, we will make our way to Icecrown and kill the Lich King."

"That's all we ask."

Abbendis motioned for the doorway in which Danthor, Lethella, and Jonas were standing. "I just wanted to make sure you knew exactly where you stand. You may take your leave now. Go rest at the barracks and await further orders. And try not to get in any fights."

Mattheus grinned. "We won't start anything, if that's what you mean, high general. But we're gonna defend ourselves, if that's what it takes."

To that, there was no response.

The three death knights began to move towards the door when they heard, "Wait just a second, please!"

The voice belonged the Westwind. The three death knights turned around, the three captains looked up at him. Westwind looked at Abbendis for a second before turning back to them.

"I have an idea," he said. "And bear with me, if you'd please, high general, but what do you think of sending these six up north to further establish ourselves?"

"What?" Abbendis said. It was what everyone in the room was thinking.

Westwind wasn't fazed. "With Kaleiki finishing up the wall, there's very little more we can do for New Hearthglen. The next logical step, then, would be to expand our operations throughout Dragonblight. After all, have we not already sent Scarlet Highlord Daion east to establish a base camp?"

"We did." Abbendis's voice was a bit unsure. "I also recall that the group we sent north to establish a camp seems to have disappeared completely."

"Aye, and they're most likely dead, but they were a dreadfully small group as it was, and they certainly didn't have any strong death knights with them." Westwind grinned wolfishly at her. "I propose we send these six—with other crusaders and supplies, of course—up north to properly establish another base of operations. Maybe we could even find out what happened to our previous northbound group. What better way to make use of our powerful new allies?"

"You can't be serious," Danthor said.

Westwind ignored him. So did Abbendis. She asked, "Where would we send them?"

Looking to the map of Northrend right behind her desk, Westwind said, "The same place as before." He pointed to a spot just below the mountains in northeastern Dragonblight. The map indicated a cavern entrance. "Up as north as we can go."

"Are you mad?" Lethella asked. "There's a reason we've already lost a scouting group up there. We'd be out in the middle of nowhere, isolated from everything!"

"Then there's no better time to try and capitalize up there, don't you think?" Westwind asked. "We know almost nothing of the north, and there's no doubt that it'll be a difficult trip. Still, if anyone is up to the task of conquering such a strategic point, it would be all of you."

"Save your flattery," Jonas said. "What good would setting up a base all the way up there serve?"

Westwind looked at him like it was the stupidest question he'd ever heard. "Why, to expand, of course. It gives us another perspective of our landscape, and the cave that's supposed to be there would give us a stronger foothold in the region. We'd have already set up a base west if the dragons didn't already have that land monopolized."

Danthor looked at Abbendis. "You can't seriously be considering this, can you?"

Abbendis was silent, a look of serious concentration on her face.

Westwind pointed to the three death knights. "And what do our three newest recruits think of this?"

Brommen shrugged. "I'd like a chance to go and kill some of the creatures that undoubtedly occupy the area."

"Sounds like fun to me," Lyssa said.

Looking at his two companions, Mattheus smiled and said, "I don't see a problem with it. It's a good way to cut our teeth with our new organization."

The grand admiral looked back at the high general. "Well, what do you say, Abbendis? There's no better time than now to start our expansion into Icecrown."

That's a lie, Danthor thought, but dared not to say it.

"Who am I to question an order from the grand admiral?" Abbendis said. A look of resignation was in her eyes and voice. "If it's what you think is the best course of action, Westwind, then I agree with you."

"It is," Westwind said.

Abbendis nodded, then looked at the six in front of her. "Very well. You six shall travel north and establish a base of operations known as the Scarlet Point. Captains Kurock, Borman, and Merrigan shall be in charge of the expedition." She looked at the death knights. "That means you listen to what they say and protect them."

"Of course, high general," Mattheus said.

Looking at the three captains. "You'll be given command of twenty men, including Courier Bronson, and be given enough supplies. Once you've cleared the area, send Bronson back, and we'll return with supplies to begin our construction."

Yeah, but it'll probably take longer than when you returned to reinforce Garren's Haunt and the Agamand Mills, Danthor thought, and shivered. There would be cold nights ahead of them.

"You'll leave at sunrise," Abbendis said. "Now get out of my sight."

Lethella swore under her breath. Danthor sympathized with her, but orders were orders. Besides, leaving New Hearthglen would give him the time he needed to cool his head and assess what Westwind's game was. By the time he returned to the base, he'd have him completely figured out.


A new mission!

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