A big thanks to LordAmber PrinceofDoom and Kazorh because without them this chapter would have been far worse and radically different.
The trip to the second area felt… long. And once again, I was unable to tell time to see exactly how long I had been in the storm because of the clouds scouring the sky. It was a progressively growing irritant, to be outside but unable to tell time.
With that out of the way though, I could easily see why this was the spot to be chosen. Similar in principle to the one I'd left Kaldorei at; it was an open, relatively flat plain of snow, one that stretched farther than the first valley, perfect for a major settlement and port between my two other settlements. Well that is once I made it a capable port. As of the moment, a single entrance led in, hemmed in by mountains so steep I balked at the idea of anything thinking to try climbing them, and with the steep glacial cliff forming its back.
The problem with this place was something I was going to have to take care of, while the rest of my undead began the process of marking down places for whatever purpose the architect deemed necessary. Said problem was getting down to the water, and only now did I understand the true scope of that issue. I had subconsciously assumed that a crane or even simplistic elevator could be used, but now, seeing it, I knew that a project like that would be just as great and as resource intensive as building both settlements and fortifying them. Perhaps if I had greater access and time to study the magic prevalent in this world it could have been a simple solution.
Perhaps now I'll have that opportunity?
Regardless, I was fairly sure this drop was as tall as the Empire State Building, if not bigger. And I had to carve through it. Wonderful. I suppose I could view it as a true test of Gothik's statement on the depth of my 'magical reserves'.
With a sigh I got to work, no sense in bitching about something that only I could do, since it would just make the entire thing last longer than it needed to. As I stood some ways away from the edge, necromantic energy poured out from me, sinking into the snow at my feet, and the ice beneath died. First, it cracked, then it shattered, broke, and ground away under time as my magic ate away at all that made ice ice... Everything the energy touched, steadily ceased to be, as ice and rock gave way to concepts infinitely stronger. It formed a steady incline down into the glacier. It was… not tiring work, I could feel the energy slipping out of me of course, but… it was more boring than anything.
Something I cottoned onto quickly however was I had no way to tell where I was inside the glacier.
That… was an issue, one that I remedied for the moment by simply boring a hole into the ice to my right, to gauge the thickness of the wall. This had to be done correctly, or else it would place me too deep into the mountain leaving the new 'harbor' too recessed, or conversely too close to the walls, compromising the tunnel's integrity. If I did the slope too steep, the transports would have a difficult time traversing both up and down the path… and if I did it too gradually there would be too much space used up making everything slower and more vulnerable.
Partner was helpfully supplying the mathematical guesstimates for it all, freeing me up to concentrate on my footing and the tunneling. Intelligently, I made sure to make the surface rough and grainy so as to not slide me down a mountain while pouring deathly magic from myself like a firehose. Though that was a mental image and idea I felt I should save for the future. It always paid to make an entrance.
Which brought me back to how I was going to make this defendable, to begin with, since I was almost certainly going to have someone attack me from the sea.
A sigh left me as I leaned my staff against my shoulder, this was going to be long, boring, and uninterrupted work of just… walking and disintegrating ice.
It was at the halfway mark, according to my Partner, that I felt it. The grip of power that had been on my mind slackened and all the proof I needed was that I was able to even think about it. I had watched Gothik closely, the other Necromancers in the Construct Quarter as well, that part of the spell they used to raise and bind minions… The connotations, ones I knew so deep down that Gothik himself said my soul recoiled at the idea.
Mind Control.
It was how the Legion of the Damned kept their armies under control. How raised soldiers didn't turn upon their Masters… Not immediately at least. Because that choker had slipped, I could still feel the collar now, but no longer did my mind suffocate from it.
Evidently even the higher-ups, the so-called Greater Undead were not immune to the subtle influence. And how subtle it was, when wielded by a master such as Kel'Thuzad, Lord of Liches. Passive at first, growing, until by my arrival on Naxxramas I was utterly subverted.
He wielded my own mind against me. A puppet dancing on strings they could never see.
Fed me information, which led me to conclusions. Every moment until now was suspect, every thought or feeling… No. I shook my head. Not everything. That was simply the paranoia talking once again, but in this world is it really paranoia if everyone is actually out to get you?
I danced like a puppet on strings for him, the training session was a farce now that I was able to examine it in my mind. Sure they did bring me to it, give me a rundown, let me observe the magic. But looking back? Gothik was observing my reactions, asking probing questions. They thought me some old soul from history long ago… or far away.
I remembered a genuine warning from Gothik about this world and its inhabitants, that many of the powerful non-humanoid creatures could take up human-like forms.
I remembered how the Necromantic rituals and spells to produce Lesser Undead amalgamated all kinds of souls to animate the creations in the form of human-like skeletons, for both ease of casting and logistical standardization.
They probably didn't even think of me as Human. I knew I could take advantage of it eventually, but I was lost right at this moment.
My thoughts, finally free, whirled in my head. Why had making this settlement seemed so important? Why was keeping Onslaught Harbor even needed? There was only one answer I could think of, and I hated it.
Bait.
Kel'Thuzad wanted to use me as bait, the position itself was useless as Icecrown itself was unassailable from anywhere but land, anywhere but the precise places fortifications had already been drawn up. But there I was, cut off from the greater whole, easy prey. No doubt in the mind of the Living it would be concluded that I was obviously up to something nefarious, something they needed to stop to feel a little bit safer…
I almost wanted to laugh. In the single-minded pursuit of my order to 'defend Onslaught Harbor' I was in the process of making a hidden backdoor into a fortified land. I suppose that would be what is called irony.
Like… like it was intentional. But how could I- [Amusement.]
Because I'm not alone. And they didn't know that. A burgeoning army that is semi-independent, multiple fortified settlements in the works with personal supply lines separate from the whole, and now a tunnel that would provide the invaders with a backdoor into the most fortified section of the faction no doubt.
All done under the auspice of their 'absolute' control. Now I did pause my tunneling to laugh aloud. "Well played, Partner, well played."
But now… What do I do now? It was an ominous feeling, like the water receding before a tidal wave. The tide had receded, my clarity was restored but for how long? When will the wave come back to crush me once more? Whatever had pulled Kel'Thuzad's investment into controlling me was surely only temporary, which didn't leave me much time to experiment.
Unfortunately, this left me at an impasse of sorts, I knew the truth now, and as Myrrdin himself told me: "The first step to fighting a master, is to realize you are being mastered." Yet… I couldn't lie down and play along. I just… couldn't. Even when the grip returned on my mind I would undoubtedly try to resist it. And he would know.
But… When has that ever stopped me? I was reminded of my time with the Undersiders, how I had tried to infiltrate them, act as a Villian long enough to turn them in to the Heroes at an opportune moment. How Lisa had known all along. How I had failed.
I wasn't that naive little girl anymore, starved for acceptance and companionship. I could do it right this time.
I turned back to my project and began tunneling again, this backdoor, I mean recessed dock, wasn't going to make itself after all.
In the end, the path took a long time to carve down, feeling like an eternity just walking the curving slope I had made down. I had a lot of time on my hands as I inspected it. I realized that if I wanted to be prepared I needed many things to fall in line. Access to the Onslaught documents for one, being taught whatever magics can be shared from the Dryads and Satyrs was another. That said, this transport lane was going to be critical for my independence. I had tried my best to make this tunnel semi-defendable in my own way - letting my death energy seep into the ice and rock - infusing it with my will to resist death, in a way strengthening the concept of the material. I was of two minds, as on one hand, I wanted to see how my experiment panned out, but I also didn't want to be attacked so soon…
I sighed. After that entirely boring ordeal, I sought to carve a rudimentary dock area in the inlet I had created for the initial resource shipment except… I got a visitor that put a stop to that before I could even start. One that I honestly wasn't expecting.
What looked to be some form of Nerubian waited at the top of the glacier, silently staring with beady eyes as I strode back onto the crunching snow from the icy depths I had made. To be specific, it was a Crypt Lord… I think. If I was forced to describe it, it was an unholy abomination of what happened when you took a beetle, made it somewhat humanoid-like with its front two legs being arms… and then made it undead. It reminded me of Atlas in a way… if he was twice as big in every way.
It was… difficult to put into words what a Crypt Lord looked like, even with one directly in front of me.
In hindsight, I was fortunate that during one of my trips up, I had the insight to have one of my Gryphon Riders give me their breastplate to cover the… hole my chest had become. I wasn't willing to explain why my chest leaked Death magic, especially when I didn't even really understand why it did that in the first place. Fewer questions meant more time to gather answers, both for myself and to keep up the assumptions being made about me.
Without any preamble, the Crypt Lord rumbled out its words, surprising light considering the creature speaking. "Spawn of the Dark, The Living near the Kingdom, and the King has issued a call to arms."
Flowery words aside, I understood the message given, even if it was… not ideal given my situation. Most of my forces were at the Harbor, and what few I had gained were liable to be constantly busy until everything settled down where I had left them, which left me in a tight spot for this 'call to arms'. I frowned, 'And just when I got done.'
That said, I couldn't turn it down, the issues with that were obvious and I wasn't about to piss off the person in charge of my own, temporary, boss. The consequences of that would lead to my death faster than Leviathan sinking an entire island.
With a nod of my head, I headed over to the massive creature, snow crunching beneath my feet and staff as I went until I paused as I reminded myself, stilling in my movement before speaking to the Nerubian. "The majority of my forces are currently back at Onslaught Harbor, Crypt Lord. If I am to answer the King's call, I will need to gather them." The creature chittered, sounding, as far as I could tell, annoyed with that as it took a step forward, the ground shaking under the appendage.
"You will come. Time is short, and your forces unnecessary." I blinked, confused at the statements I was given. I was called to arms by the King… and as such he would need my forces, right? But apparently… he didn't need my forces, and just… me? "En'Kilah holds enough of the Unliving to see the battle won. The King has called for You, Spawn of the Dark."
My body went still. I was certain that I hadn't done anything too out there to attract attention to myself and my Partner. Sure I was slightly gifted in Necromancy, and had managed to take Onslaught Harbor with far fewer forces than was pla…
Nevermind, I understand a bit of why he wanted me instead of me and my forces. Still though…
Haa~ well there was nothing I could do about it, "I understand. I require a moment before we leave first." The Nerubian gave a nod of its, comparatively small, head, before trudging back a few paces. I turned back to my Onslaught and gave an internal sigh. Right as I was about to finally be able to relax after getting everything running, have some time off and try to learn even a small amount about this world…
No sense crying over it, just more work piled on work for me to go through. More delays, more obstacles, and yet nothing new.
Thessa appeared in front of me the moment I struck my staff against the snow, giving a quick bow before standing at attention, while the rest of the Onslaught stood ready behind her, waiting for my orders. I obliged without delay, not wanting to waste a moment when there was a large insectoid undead waiting on me. "Thessa, I want you to take several people back to the Dryads, get some wood from them, and make a rudimentary dock and a barge, use the griffins to pull it. Afterward, get back to the Harbor with a shipment of wood and get a proper ship built, and finish up everything here."
A resounding "Yes my Lady!" met my ears, and I let a small smile grace my face before crushing it as I pointed at a total of six of my Onslaught, none of whom were Gryphon Riders. "You six will be accompanying me. We depart immediately." I turned on my heel without another word and walked away, the clamor of them packing up echoed behind me.
I felt more than saw my guards take up places behind me as I walked up to the Nerubian, the creature not wasting a moment as it turned its body and led me and my guards to the mountainside. What waited was a yawning cavern of ice leading into the darkness, one that I was certain wasn't here when we had arrived, as I was almost certain that the architect would have shown me it when we had arrived, or at least told me. Regardless, the Crypt Lord trudged into the dark, and I followed without hesitation into the deep places.
I kept quiet as we traveled through the dark, my unnatural eyes not needing to become accustomed to the increasing lack of light the further along we went. The… tunnel was hewn roughly from the ice, so it wasn't carved in the way I had done the slope to the water, but as for the exact way, I didn't know. For all I knew, whoever had made it just had a pack of Ghouls just claw at the walls to make a tunnel. Which was, something to consider I suppose. Possibly fleshcrafting some form of digging creature? The necromancers of Naxxarmas seemed remarkably opposed to thinking outside the box, and if that thinking applied to the rest… It's something which could be definitely taken advantage of.
I nearly paused at that thought, reviewing my memories of the Necropolis. It now struck me as almost… factory-like in its methods. No real innovation going on, the Research and Development sections just making variations of the same things rather than actually improve on them. I shook my head, something was off about the whole set up, maybe it was my lack of knowledge about the world but still...
Once again, I didn't know how long I spent walking after the Crypt Lord, silent and left to my thoughts on what I was going to be doing at 'En'Kilah'. Obviously, aside from gathering information, I was going to be involved in some form of military operations or planning, especially with the track record I had shown. What exactly they expected from me and the exact things I would be doing I could only guess at. Knowing my luck though, I would be thrown at the heaviest concentration of fighting, this time I could only ho-
My thoughts ground to a halt as a sickly blue light emanated from the tunnel further ahead, and from it I heard a clamor I didn't expect to hear again. Chittering, screeching, clicking, humming, buzzing. Sounds that were familiar yet now unsettling echoed throughout the tunnel, and as I stepped out into the next cavern I felt a wave of awe overtake me.
What sat before me was a visage that was out of a painting made of a fantastical city that could not have existed before I came here. Even dilapidated and covered in drooping webbing, it still managed to catch my breath at the cavern as big as Brockton Bay itself, and this metropolis covered each and every part of it, with even structures kept suspended in the air in feats of engineering I could only hope to understand.
Each building was built in a style that would be described as ominous, with spiders and spikes adorning them like a window would a skyscraper. Oddly built more in a style like what I had seen of Naxxramas. I could see specks moving about the structures, skittering across webs and bridges just as easily as flying through the air. Looking at them from up here… it looked like they were preparing for some-
"It was far more majestic before the War ravaged Azjol-Nerub."
I turned my head to regard the Crypt Lord staring down into the city below, the semi-wistful words making me blink after the punctual and terse conversation we had had when it had given me my orders. Without even acknowledging the look, the creature turned and continued walking, leaving me slightly confused at why it had decided to even speak as I moved after it. Deciding to take a chance, I cautiously quickened my step a bit to its side and asked it. "Azjol-Nerub?" Without missing a beat, it looked down at me, ancient eyes staring at me as I stared back resolutely.
Then the Crypt Lord chuckled, a grating chitter that unsettled me more than it should have.
"Azjol-Nerub. The great Kingdom of the Spider. Our Kingdom was greater than the others, we were not mindless brutes or drones carrying out the will of Ancient Gods." It sounded almost… happy as it spoke, though the information it gave added to my list of things that I needed to learn more about. 'Other Kingdoms', and it spoke of Azjol-Nerub as if it wasn't part of the kingdom I was forced into.
It made me feel… uneasy, as the thought settled. How 'free' were these Nerubians? The Crypt Lord alone had been more verbose since I met him than the entire summation of my interactions with their faction to this point. I was starting to get the idea how the Scourge operated, namely with large amounts of enslaved dead, a fair amount of sentient enslaved dead, patches of fanatical not dead types - mostly serving as the source of the magic - and finally the very powerful - and very much still enslaved - dead who were few in number.
I both did and didn't want to find out where I fit on that hierarchy. I also very much wanted out of it.
If it noticed my unease, it didn't comment on it, continuing in its remembrance. "Wonders you could only dream of were made in the depths. Knowledge long lost recreated by brilliant minds." The Crypt Lord stopped in both words and movement stilling at the same moment and I nearly passed it before I stopped as well, an ocean of anger and traces of sadness mixing together as it chose to speak again. "Then, the Deep and the Damned came, and Azjol-Nerub became a shadow of what it once was."
Without another word, the Nerubian continued the walk down the tunnel, somehow being even more silent as it led me through the tunnels. I didn't question further, for as much as I did want information, I was unsure if there was anything really… immediately useful to me now. As much as I enjoyed learning about various things in this world… I already had so much on my plate, and just didn't have the time to play historian. Not to mention the clear resentment and anger, and with how the Nerubians treated me so far? It didn't seem like the brightest of ideas to push. The Crypt Lord could turn me into a pancake and I wasn't keen on testing how much I needed to charge up a blast of Death to kill one.
Hrm… Maybe they would be more receptive to a- ah… I was thinking diplomat but then I remembered all I had access to were fanatical anti-Scourge Terrorists, crazed Dryads, and Satyrs. Which normally doesn't seem bad at first glance but if my assessment of their general personality is spot on, and considering how long I associated with Alec - I think it is, they would take pleasure in ruining any vague objective of mine like 'get information from the Neurbians'.
Which, now that I think about it I could probably take lessons from both them and my memories of Alec for Malicious Compliance 101.
It was a nice thought. Regardless, the risks of pissing off a bug that could quite literally pancake me, in the middle of his hive, just didn't balance the scales of any possible useful information I could theoretically gain… for now.
So, the rest of the trip passed by in silence, and I let myself move back to thoughts of what I would be doing. Loose plans, vague guesswork, and too many unknowns plagued me, and I had to start prioritizing if I was going to ever accomplish anything. At least… that was the plan before we entered another city embedded into yet another cavern. The skittering was an all-encompassing sound in my ears, the buzzing a reminder of what was around me, even the clicking of legs reverberated through the air, telling that there was far more here than it appeared had I been looking upon it from the air. Something felt different about this place. Were we deeper?
I didn't have too much time to ponder as the moment I entered the city, the noises stopped.
That change was so far beyond uneasy that I grew nervous walking the stone-paved walkways. I knew I was being watched, I could feel the gazes of thousands of eyes looking at me from every angle and direction… and every once in a while I would see a flash of the grotesque limbs of crypt fiends scurrying around corners. It was so unnerving, even my guards pulled their weapons out, and while they didn't get into a protective or aggressive posture, the mere fact they did that spoke volumes.
Why was this unsettling me so much? I had control of bugs for as long as I could remember - as Brain Damage, Death, and Undeath had done a doozy on my memories. I suppose that's what the difference was. The dissonance of hearing the rustle, the chittering, the feeling of the thousands of eyes staring at you… but instead of giving me a comforting feeling of security, I wasn't receiving sensory feedback from them. I was surrounded by a foreign hivemind, cut off from any aid that could ever reach me, with no way to escape.
The irony wasn't lost on me. But it was also not appreciated.
A thought sprung to mind as I kept pace with the Crypt Lord, it came back to how free the Nerubians really were. Was there any point in even trying to leverage them if they were just particularly intelligent cannon fodder?. I was keenly aware of Master effects and how deep, or shallowly, they could run. It didn't have to even be out and out mind control, it could run the whole gamut from puppeting the body to implanted ideas to unconscious actions the person would never even remember doing.
Or, in my case, warp their mind and personality, turning it against itself, until they happily do whatever you order, no mind control or persuasion required.
But as much as I would want tunnelers on my side when the time comes, with a premade army to boot, I had to know. I had to know If I was walking with a puppet or a slave. I had to know how absolute those chains were. For my sake, and theirs, I had to purposely put my foot into my mouth. "If your Kingdom was the greatest… how did it fall?"
I regretted it immediately as the silence let my quiet question echo through the stone cavern. It was the wrong thing to say, which made it perfect for what I intended to do.
Anger buzzed through wings and chitters, and with it I saw several of the Nerubians who called this place home appear over the stone structures and ledges. I did not quail in the face of them, as until I got my answer I had to stay unmoved by their displays, especially given I was in the heart of their home, with only six Onslaught to protect me.
Either they would have loose chains and attack me, something I hoped I could fast-talk out of, or they proved that there was nothing left of the Nerubians but a pre-programmed live drama show for the liches to amuse themselves by.
A slam silenced the noise and stilled the Nerubians, pulverized earth buffeted our armor as my gaze turned straight to the Crypt Lord, staring at me with a gaze both alien and remarkably human in its conveying of emotion. "Loathsome Whelp! Puppet of the Deep! You dare feign ignorance and ask a Nerubian of the War of the Spider?!"
I got what I wanted, as I had clearly pissed him off... I also sadly noted, internally, that despite my clearly beyond offensive question… He limited himself to smashing the ground in a way that wouldn't damage me. For all he spits and curses me with his odd titles, I suppose I got my answer then and there. There was nothing left of the Nerubians for me to ally with.
"If you wish to hear me recite it for you… The King of the Damned laid claim to this land when he arrived. Azjol-Nerub had been here since the Ancient Gods roamed the surface. We took offense to his audacity." The voice echoed through the cavern, those Nerubians still visible quietly backing away back into the shadows as the Insect Lord spoke. "We were ancient, we knew much of this world, and we leveraged each advantage against the Damned Pawn. Even with his forces numbering over seven times ours, we broke his forces upon our carapaces, and sent him stumbling back into the wastes."
The story was captivating, but I knew its end as the Crypt Lord began the retelling. The city around me was proof enough.
"He found the Heartland. And all was lost. With our War, the Deep awoke, and sought to swallow us whole. We rallied to it, our grand jewel of the Spider King…" He paused, and the fervor and intensity wilted with it, a depression settling over the air in such a way it was oppressive and sought to drown me. "... We made our choice in the depths. We would not be slaves to them again."
I kept silent, the puppets couldn't see their strings, and I wasn't keen on plucking them to see who responds.
"Are you satisfied, Whelp?" With his piece said, the creature turned and continued along the path, saying absolutely nothing as it trudged forward, acting like a weight was seemingly placed on its back with my question. I shook my head, a puppet with delusions of freedom, the exact fate I was trying to avoid.
Without a word I walked after the Crypt Lord, my guards quickly following in step as we continued further through the city, always a step behind the large Nerubian. My Onslaught had lowered their weapons but still kept them out in case something happened. At this point, I doubted anything would happen without prompting from me, and I wasn't about to accidentally trigger anything more. Perhaps save the string plucking for another day.
There would be no more discussion for the rest of the trip. And there was still a long way to go.
I sighed.
If I wasn't already Undead, my legs would be dead with all the walking I had done since leaving my burgeoning 'port' behind. There was no stopping beyond what had already been given, as we marched along paved paths, packed ice, old stone, and webbing big enough to form bridges, passing by great, abandoned, cities. It was as awe-inspiring as it was depressing. Or what my best guess at depressing was I suppose, as I noted that was one of the emotions suppressed by my new state.
Eventually, after some indeterminable amount of time due to lack of any form of timekeeping - which I needed some way to fix when I had time to myself - light emanated from further ahead, signaling the end of the trip was approaching. I let out a quiet breath of relief, the thought of finally being able to do something other than walk and think was a nice prospect to be sure. Shockingly, the whole time the mind control Kel'Thuzad employed on me originally never returned. It was both a relief and another to add to the list of unsettling things.
And with the miles of silent walking we did, I had all the time in the world to think about it, but no matter which angle I attacked it from I couldn't puzzle it out. I just didn't have the knowledge, it was a bitter feeling to acknowledge such. Especially because I had my own, possibly, controlled forces that I was now very aware could break and plot my own downfall, just as I plotted Kel'thuzad's. But I didn't know how controlled they were, and how much it was free will - if they had any - and how much of it was twisted loyalty.
I had well enough of being left to my own thoughts.
An evening sun bore down on me as I exited the tunnels, right into a bustling square of undead rushing about the place. "This is where we part Spawn of the Dark. May you never inflict me with your presence again." Before I could even comprehend what was going on around me, let alone the words the Nerubian spoke, it vanished back into the tunnels, leaving me in the middle of an unknown city without any understanding of what I was supposed to do, or where to go.
Wonderful. Utterly Wonderful.
I could only guess how much time passed with my aimless wandering before someone that looked capable of higher thinking showed up. He was deathly pale, dressed in finery that looked more fit for a royal ball than anything practical, and with his glowing red eyes, I would have assumed he was a vampire right off the bat if not for the ears. Granted, for all I knew only elves could be vampires or if even vampirism could be transferred to any individual regardless of race. Regardless, it looked like a stereotypical vampire, complete with dark red noble-like clothing, a sword at its waist, and a smirk dotting its face. But you know, also a fantasy elf.
I had a sinking feeling the stereotypical arrogance found in both species were additive.
Still, thank whatever Gods existed it didn't sparkle like that horrid book Emma had me read with her, as I doubt even my muted ability to feel emotions would stop me from bursting out in laughter.
"You must be the one Lord Kel'Thuzad spoke of." He looked over my undead and I with an easy smirk, a casual arrogance that made me frown emanating off of him before he continued, giving my look no mind at all. "You certainly look unimpressive, but a personal Apprenticeship to the Harvester speaks for itself. My Prince would have words with you, Lady Wraith. Follow me lest you make him wait a moment more."
I blinked, having barely caught what he said as he spun around, cape fluttering behind him in an impossibly pompous manner, and marched off into the streets. Not wanting to be left behind and in the process give a poor impression - despite my own opinion of him - I followed after him, my guards following suit. Once I caught up with him I didn't walk up to his side, as for all I knew it violated some court politics for his kind - if the stories are to be believed, which haven't been too off the mark yet - and unless he said otherwise I was going to stick with it. If I was going to offend people, I may as well make sure I know I'm offending them beforehand.
The Nerubian had just been a messenger, I was supposedly about to fight a war alongside the sentients of this city. And the last thing I needed was for some up their own ass Lich or Vampire to get the idea that they should try to off me and claim my death as a war casualty. While I didn't know whose forces 'belonged' to whom, I doubted there wouldn't be a repeat of the Chillwinter Incident, and that they would 'just so happen' to 'forget' to assign me troops.
Yay. Politics. Even in Death I can't seem to escape it.
The walk was… 'pleasant', in the way that I wasn't stared at and was just in the middle of a bustling city that somewhat reminded me of home... if home was full of ravenous undead tearing about corpses and gnawing at bones in alleyways between massive structures that felt as wrong as Naxxramas had. Still, it was nice to be in what amounted to a measure of civilization after what felt like days spent in the wilderness. I doubted it would last, but it was nice regardless.
The whole city probably smelled as rancid as a garbage dump in the middle of summer. Thankfully, I didn't have a sense of smell anymore.
I passed by several more machines similar to contraptions I had seen in Naxxramas: cauldron-laden carts with blades on them, a vehicular abomination of a cart with randomly attached blades and a catapult jammed on to it, and several variations of said things all lined up to be attended to by skeletons. Robed figures attended to various magical activities, including some ritual based around massive pedestals with more cauldrons atop them. Even the Ghouls that weren't feasting appeared to be doing jobs around the place, lugging heavy cargo around for who knew what purpose. Despite the utter disorganization at face value of the whole thing, with setups haphazardly strewn about, none of the undead ever jostled or bumped each other. The benefits of being a mind-controlled hive-mind I suppose?
Eventually, the walk led us to a platform that was different from the rest, eight spine-like spires curling towards the center of temple-like architecture, undead rushing in and out laden with supplies, wrapped bundles, and bulging pouches. Lights traveled between it and one of the floating Necropolis above the city, my eyes widening a fraction at seeing the other three Necropoli floating leisurely in the sky in similar states.
Sure, they were all smaller than Naxxramas, but they were still huge floating city-lite structures.
My guide didn't think twice about walking through the mass of undead, the lesser ones making way for him without a word, gesture, or sound from him. It certainly made the trip up the large number of steps easy, but it was still a large number of stairs. I really wanted to just sit down and stop traveling for just a moment, and hopefully, I would get a chance shortly after if this 'Prince' I was being taken to just wanted to have a conversation about something, likely the coming invasion forces.
As I crested the top of the structure, just a moment behind the Vampire, I got to watch as he walked onto a softly glowing blue-green section of floor before becoming one of those lights I had seen and flying straight to the Necropolis above. I followed after, barely having a moment to rationalize my decision before I felt wrong, and saw the world moving too fast for me to comprehend.
The moment I finally was able to see the world around me again, I stumbled from suddenly being solid again.
Laughter rang out with sadistic glee as I steadied myself, turning with an annoyed glare to my guide as he openly laughed at my predicament. "I have not seen someone that unused to the teleporters since the Ghoul that came out in five pieces. To think you're the one that caught hi-"
I slammed my staff into the floor, power booming with the motion as I unleashed my flash of anger at this bastard's haughty attitude. I regretted it only momentarily as the 'teleporter' below me flickered for a moment before regaining its glowing luster. Thankfully, my guards quickly moved back to my side as they appeared, none the worse for my action. The vampire in front of me had taken a step back, arrogance thrown away as he gave me a look of slight fear and respect.
"Take me to your Prince. You are testing my patience, Elf."
Was it a good first impression for me? Not in the slightest. However, after the slights he had thrown at me since I had met him only a few minutes ago, and how he generally sauntered through the base, not acknowledging others and simply expecting everyone to move out of his way… He reminded me of a mini-Kaiser. And for as little as I had interacted with the bastard, I hated his guts even now, years after his death at Leviathan's hands, exuding a hateful arrogance and looking down on everyone that wasn't part of his neo-nazi cult.
Thankfully, my guide got the message and led me through the Necropolis without another word. There were others like him as I walked by, and from the brief glances I got of them, they were wary. It seems news of my little display traveled quickly. Ah, gossip, truly the quickest form of communication known. If they were anything like my guide, this was the best I was going to get out of them, as much as I wished I could just have some damn coworkers that didn't look down at me for failing one minor thing or look at me with fear and wariness. Undeserved fear and wariness, mind you. I only did what had to be done.
After a much quicker walk than the one I was treated to at the camp, I was led into a chamber that seemed to be the 'heart' of the Necropolis, more of the 'vampire elves' dressed in somehow even finer clothing stood in groups looking over various things I couldn't make out from where I was at the moment. Among the vampires were knights and necromancers, their purpose probably similar to my own if I had to guess. Nobody stopped what they were doing as I entered the room, shortly after my guide waved me towards the centermost 'table', where a 'council' of sorts stood.
Most of them were the most impressively dressed individuals I had ever seen, looking as if they belonged to the court of some great fantasy kingdom, rather than as military officials meant to be on the front lines. The rest at the table were a few knights in the same style as the ones back in Naxxramas, and a strange-looking humanoid that resembled a more… grotesque vampire than the Elves I had seen so far.
The strange creature stood at the head of the table, marking him as the most likely candidate for being the 'Prince' I was supposed to be helping. Grey skin clung to bones, glowing orange eyes stared unflinchingly at the map, fingers tapping impatiently as the rest of his 'council' talked among themselves, barring the two knights. Wrappings covered his lower arms and hands, his chest was bare save for chains holding the two pauldrons to him, what looked like a robe covered his lower body from sight.
He also wore a mask across his lower face, markings on it making them look like fangs, upping his 'Vampire' feel. Great, an immortal teen that never grew out of their edgy phase, and now they are an undead vampire 'Prince'. I feel like this 'war council' is going to be less a meeting of generals and more like a clique meeting at their lunchroom table in high school. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, you kill a god, get raised from the dead, and still end up back in high school like nothing happened only now everyone is a monster. Sounds like an awful amateur writer plot you would find on the creative writing section of PHO.
His eyes darted to me the moment I entered the chamber proper, and his drumming ceased, spreading his arms wide as the room quieted down at the 'prince's gesture. "The Guest of Honor has arrived! Normally, I would greet you with my court in full attendance and a ball to our success, but alas circumstances do not allow it." He sounded truly regretful, but his eyes, the only piece of face that I could see, didn't change at all to convey anything related to 'regret'.
So I ignored it, offering only a brusque nod, before joining the group around the main table. Given I was singled out, that was the only choice I had unless he sent me to another area, or I managed to piss him off. Which I didn't want to do to another leader, for obvious reasons beyond just a working relationship. Without any response from me, the 'Prince' just gave a nod before waving a hand, the rest of the room returning to their own tasks.
What came next was a rapid-fire of terms, positions, and names that I had issues interpreting, let alone keeping up with. 'Kaskala', 'Taunka', 'Magnataur' and so many more words flew through the air before I gave up on trying to understand anything and stared at the map. While I was sure that, eventually, I would understand what positions were named what, the lack of pointing to areas by every individual at the table meant I wouldn't know before someone started doing so for whatever reason.
The map, on the other hand, gave me information I could work with. It certainly wasn't like the maps back home, where someone could just find the elevation, terrain, and more with just a few clicks and keys. Or even come pre-printed with legends to guesstimate from. But, it helped with what I needed to know at the moment from a rough information perspective.
From what I could gather, the map told of the likely areas where the enemy would land their forces and the general layout of the entire area. Both the 'Horde' and 'Alliance' would probably be landing across the peninsula from one another, on two entirely separate beaches, which made the any 'defending the area' tactic non-viable, split forces wouldn't have a shot in hell of rushing to the other's defense and it split the overall army's effectiveness immediately, Nothing to be said of the logistics to repair any non-undead forces deployed or supply structures built.. It was one thing if they landed together, and then assaulted a single place to solidify their control of the area, but with two places, with who knew how many miles between one another… Yeah, that idea was out immediately.
They were opposing factions, from what I could guess from their names and what I got from the Kaldorei, but I doubted they would attack each other too much while fighting an army of genocidal Undead bent on, probably, killing everything alive. Maybe enslaving them. Regardless, you'd have to be an utterly braindead commander to start a faction war in the middle of fighting for the existence of your planet.
Given that, it left two general plans in my mind, the first was to let them settle in, slowly spread out and lose their sense of paranoia, and then do a series of surgical strikes that left them 'decapitated' and scrambling around trying to figure out what just happened. The problem with this plan was simple, it had a lot of risks attached to it. For starters, I had no clue about the disposition of these troops. For all I knew, these were fanatical crusader types, where if you killed one member, they would be raised to martyr status and be used as a symbol to rally around, or people would become even more enraged. Secondly, they could become self-sustaining logistically if given too long to set up, whether by import or local sourcing and allowing them to become dug in opens up avenues of even more troops pouring in to push the frontline. Not only that but also the political struggle on our end as the children bicker and backstab.
Though in that former portion, I could easily see it working to my advantage with planning, as an angry foe is easy to plan around in combat, leading little trails and such. They were irrational in a sense and rarely stopped to think things through. Regardless, between that and all the other risks, it wouldn't likely be that effective. Too much information would need to be gathered after they have already landed for it to be truly effective and by then we would already have locked ourselves into that route.
Which left the second plan, which while effective, was even riskier due to the nature of it. That being charging straight into the enemy, as they were dismounting from their transports, and catching them off-guard by the sheer suddenness of the attack. It was a simple plan, which generally meant that it was less likely to go to shit when things hit it straight on.
But, that left the problems involved, which was throwing forces straight into a meat grinder, without any defenses backing them up and support for them being little to none. It was a large case of 'all or nothing' and at best it would be a fall-back in the discussion.
At worst? It was their go-to, the troops were, after all, easy to create and effectively limitless. And catching the invading troops at their most vulnerable moment would inflict massive casualties.
It was a high-risk, high-reward plan. It's the kind of plan I would be expected to offer, however, if asked. If my greeter's opinion was anything to go by, I wasn't exactly viewed in a good light with the already established political factions in the Scourge. Everything hinged on how much weight my words had. It was somewhat refreshing? Normally, people simultaneously underestimated my powers but overestimated my ability. Now I was just being looked down on for not being in the cool kids club. But… The worst plan for them was the best plan for me. Malicious compliance could see the Scourge with a defeat, and me walking out as having only been in an advisory role. I could tank a loss here especially as I wasn't the one in control of this Operation. I could even lend blame onto the Nerubians as to why none of my forces were committed.
"You have been quite quiet Wraith. Join the conversation, I'm certain you have something to add for our plans." And that… was where I should have been keeping an ear on the conversation. Even if only to work out a general idea of what they were talking about. Shit, this was going to be a public embarrassment routine wasn't it?
Looking up at the 'War Council', most of them had the look of schemers, sans the two Knights, masks of emotions coating their faces, and waiting for the moment I made a fuck-up of some kind, I could see it in their eyes. The Two Knights just stared expectantly at me, otherwise passive about the entire situation, which left just the Prince, arms crossed staring down at the various pieces on the board rather than me.
Naturally, I had to answer, especially when prompted by the Prince for this question. I looked back over the board, noting the various 'pieces' on it, specifically the ones that looked like they belonged to our forces. "I had an idea before I saw the projections, and as such it's no longer viable." I left it at that for the moment, in case any of the other advisors or the Prince himself wanted to say something to that.
The Prince sneered, "Well come now Lady Wraith, surely a brilliant mind such as yours could come up with something?"
Fuck, and I was hoping he would be satisfied with me admitting I knew nothing. The question was: Play damage control or lucky idiot? What would they expect from me? "Being that I only arrived minutes ago and the clear state of the map, it is obvious you already have a plan in place. But... " I let the pause hang to take in the room again, their expression didn't change, but perhaps some looked more irritated than they were previously. Oops. "I've found unrivaled aggression coupled with surprise to work well against even the most entrenched of foes. Our forces are endless, theirs are less so. A blitzkrieg with shock troops at their landing point would disrupt them, allowing for our own armies to overrun their position." I heard a few sounds of confusion from the assembled 'Elves', and so stopped, looking up at the Prince. He stared straight at me now, glowing orange meeting my own before he gestured for me to continue. But I could see a glimmer of confusion in his own eyes, what had I said that was confusing?
Regardless, it was clear I had his attention, and he seemed serious enough, especially compared to my guide from earlier.
"It doesn't matter the casualties we take, our troops can be simply re-raised on demand. The living are not as lucky, if we can deny them a landing point or even take their initial forces by surprise, we could deal a heavy blow to them both physically and to their morale." I formed a smirk on my face as I finished, waiting for the verdict from the Prince. My plan was one of those flashy ones, that only a real idiot would think of especially since I didn't know the composition of the forces available to us. On paper, I expected it would look fine to anyone that knew about the nature of the Scourge, that hadn't led troops before but I didn't have a doubt in my mind that anyone with any actual experience would poke more holes than swiss cheese through it. Such as the two knights looking at me.
There was a bit of murmuring, and I saw the two Knights incline their head in my direction, either agreeing with the plan, my statement, or something else. Which is how I suppose they liked it, neither seemed to want to be here. They didn't matter however, it was the Prince whose opinion mattered in this situation as he was the one to call me out.
He seemed to be unenthused by my idea, which I completely understood given what it was asking for. It was an all or nothing strike on an enemy, and if they had support of some kind, like say Magic, there went everything gathered here in one giant battle. "I see." He leaned back from the table, crossing his arms behind his back and pacing around the table, every noise dying as he did.
The Prince continued without pause. "I can not fault you that belief, Lady Wraith. It did you wonders at Onslaught Harbor I'm told." There was a 'but' coming, I could tell immediately from his word choice and how he was talking. "With that said, this is not a battle, but a War, being waged. Committing all of my forces to a single battle would be... unwise."
I nodded as he paced ever closer to me, I doubted he could even see the gesture with his other advisors between us, but it paid to do so anyway just in case. "The Nerubians are tunneling as we speak in preparation for the plan drawn while you were 'thinking'." Ah, no wonder he was going after me, while I knew there was already a plan, had I suggested something 'stupid' comparatively, it would have made his plan look even better in the eyes of the 'Council'. I had to suppress a sigh, I was joking when I called this high school earlier, but apparently I was on the money. Even if I had no idea why Nerubians and tunnels made sense as a long-term military plan.
Slowly, the Prince stepped into place in front of me, staring down with an expression that was a cross of annoyance and arrogance, something that rankled me, but I forced it down to avoid having an incident. "There is an issue that your plan can take care of, however, the Taunka have consistently been raiding our supply caravans from the Citadel, and are in the way to supplying our frontline when the war truly begins." I narrowed my eyes but nodded, all the same, not saying a word about being relegated to cleaning up the area. It meant I had to actually complete my mission, ensuring all the supplies make it to the military base, and that word would likely reach Kel`Thuzad about any behavior aberrations I might be exhibiting.
The Prince made a pleased sound, and I had to urge myself to refrain from blasting his face off with a Deathbolt. "Excellent. A force wil-"
A loud clang of metal interrupted the Prince, the annoyance in his face reappearing before immediately dissolving once he locked eyes with the source. I turned as well, finding one of the Knights rising to his feet, ice-blue ornate armor, weathered and beaten though it was, covered him from head to toe. The only thing I saw of his body beneath was the similarly blue-colored, glowing eyes boring at us from behind the gap in his horned helm, the rest shrouded in shadow.
Heavy thuds sounded with each step he took, and with a deep, echoing voice, he spoke. "I grow tired of these meetings, Valanar. The 1st Legion will accompany Wraith to Taunka'le." Without even waiting for a reply the Knight continued walking, leaving the Prince fuming in his wake, stopping only to look at me and utter some words before continuing. "Do not keep me waiting Wraith."
Well… Shit.
I looked back at Prince 'Valanar', the scowl no doubt under his mask easily seen in his eyes as he growled under his breath the moment the Knight was out of the room, the only reason I heard is how close he was to me. "That brute..." I wisely said nothing as the Prince moved his gaze to me, adopting a more pleasant mask in order to address me. "You have your forces Wraith. I expect good results. It would be a… shame if you failed with the Left Hand of the King aiding you."
… Left Hand of the King? Who the hell was he?
With those last words, Prince 'Valanar' turned on his heel, robes rustling and chains clinking as he did, and started his way back to his spot. I wisely turned around and made my way back to the teleporter, I didn't want to piss off either my new boss or the number two guy in this entire faction. And frankly, being out of wannabe-Kaiser's presence would put me in a far better mood than I currently was in. Even if I had... to…
… Shit. I was about to eradicate an entire settlement that had done nothing but exist… As much as I was loath to do it if I was to keep the ruse up, I needed to do it. I couldn't do what I had originally thought of the moment I was given the assignment now that this 'Legion' and the 'Left Hand' were going to be there, whoever the 'Left Hand' actually was.
I was silent and, as much as I hated to admit it, brooding for the rest of the trip to the teleporter and down to the ground below.
I certainly didn't have to wonder where the 1st Legion of the 'Left Hand' led was, a force that big and with a unique name was something you don't lose, even in a city. My point was proven once I found them as I bore witness to Skeletons were wearing full plate armor, and armed with semi-pristine weapons hanging from their waist or draped across their shoulders, with tattered white capes with faded sigils that looked like a highly stylized 'L' fluttering in the small winds draped across their backs.
In other words, the Grunts looked like they were part of an elite force, instead of being cannon fodder. And those were just the regular footmen.
Small skeletons, which reminded me of what a Dwarf would look like, roamed around in blue capes and leather, checking over ancient guns and other supplies near them. Spellcasters in rich, yet faded, robes wandered around their own little section of the group, reading books and passing the time with 'tricks' of magic. Hell, I even found some Archers garbed in leaf-green cloaks and what looked like chainmail messing with their own equipment off to the side.
And this was before I even reached the Knights. The basic Undead of this force was in better gear than some of the creatures I had seen in Naxxramas.
The footmen stepped out of line as I neared them, forming a corridor to the Knights, further along, closing behind me and my own Guards the moment we had passed them by. It just reinforced the image that this wasn't a horde of rabid Undead chained by the will of a Necromancer, but an Army.
I felt a sense of something between 'awe' and 'despair' as I came upon the Knights and beheld them. They were a stark contrast to the Onslaught before I had raised them, dark armor embossed with skull and bone imagery, blue flames for eyes, and wielding a variety of weaponry that were all savage and barbaric just from looking at them. Their horses helped to inspire that sense I gained, hooves that were just glowing blue energy, baleful blue eyes unblinking beneath black armor…
If it weren't for the white cloak, with the stylized gold L embossed on them, that each Knight wore proudly, I would question if they belonged with the Army I had just walked from.
The 'Left Hand' stood in front of the mass of Knights alongside another of the armored horses, and with my arrival, he turned his head to me, nodded, and turned back to the Knights arrayed in formation. The moment I was close, he bellowed out with his echoing voice, and everything stilled. "Soldiers of the 1st Legion! Slaughter calls! The Taunka have been marked for death by our King! We shall be their executioners, in the Lich King's name!" There was a resounding thunder of metal slammed together, wood striking the frozen ground and horses calling in answer.
As I walked up to him, the 'Left Hand' mounted his horse in one swift motion, turning his head to look down at me as I held his gaze without wavering. "... Far better than Valanar." He nodded absently while I blinked at his words, wheeling his horse around to point out the gate before holding up his right hand and chopping downward. "We march for Taunka'le!" Ragged echoing roars and calls answered the man as he led the way at a trot, the rest of the army marched pace easily, my Onslaught and I in between the rank and file and the Knights.
I spent the entire trip on foot, the only horses were those that the Knights had, not that it honestly bothered me since we kept a slow pace for the 'Dwarves', who were also the ones carrying the majority of the extra supplies. What those supplies were, and more specifically why they were bringing them, I didn't know and wasn't about to ask. The Left Hand had a 'good' opinion of me at the moment and I was loath to ruin that before I could use it. For all my grumblings about politics, having someone so high up with a good opinion of you would mean, alongside Kel'Thuzad, I could be protected or mitigate a large amount of internal flak I could find myself catching.
Which meant I had to come up with an actually good plan for the mass slaughter of an entire village. Dammit.
I turned my gaze to the terrain we crossed, putting off such thought until I had no choice. The land around us was… strange. Long expanses of rolling hills marred by stone outcroppings, mixed together with snow-covered slopes. In the distance, I could see the beginning of a treeline, but aside from that singular area, the area was completely barren of cover.
Borean Tundra was an apt name for this place, and I was glad I overheard it during the meeting.
After hours of walking, and what a great thing it was to see the sun again, night fell and I could see specks of firelight in the distance as I crested the hill next to the 'Left Hand'. I assumed that was 'Taunka'le', based on how my minder gave a side-long glance at me, before returning to the campfires ahead of us. "I have no desire to stand back and lead Wraith. My sword thirsts after so long spent in pointless meetings."
… That was probably the closest I was getting of a 'You're in charge' from him, given his certain higher ranking compared to me.
With that said, now I needed to come up with a plan that was effective, and hopefully even a tiny bit impressive to the 'Left Hand'. If I was forced into killing sentient beings that had done nothing wrong to me, I may as well make sure their deaths were for a good cause in aiding me in the future.
Rushing in was obviously the easy and predictable plan, and regardless would be part of any other plan I made on the spot. Knights, or any heavily-armored, fast-moving troops, were perfect for ramming head-first into normal troops. Magic or no, momentum was momentum. Granted I didn't know if these 'Taunka' were 'normal' troops, but I was fairly sure that in this case, playing to the bloodthirst the 'Left Hand' was the best course, regardless of whatever laid ahead.
So with part settled, that left the rest of the army to figure out. Now that I was actually looking I could see the settlement in its entirety, and the Footmen's role came to mind easily. With the Knights charging through an entrance, and almost certainly rampaging through whatever defenders came at them, the Footmen would ensure nothing escaped by surrounding the village and blocking the entrances. It would also put their armor out of the majority of combat's way, letting them look as pristine as they could when we got back. Which, in itself, was another political victory.
How I was going to utilize the Archers, Mages and 'Dwarves' had me stumped though. Certainly, they were going to have supporting roles, the thought that they were going to be major forces for the whole battle was a laughable one. Well, for the Mages and Archers, I had no idea what the 'Dwarves' had to offer beyond some rifles and whatever was in their boxes.
The Archers could pick off the sentries during the beginning, ensuring free reign to maneuver the entire army into position, and from there provide support within the settlement. Mages on the other hand were either going to be the opening move that signaled the attack proper to start, or provide support within the settlement, just like the Archers. Which… left the Dwarves…
"What exactly are these... Dwarves? Capable of?"
My question was received with a creaking helmet turning in my direction before the echoing voice answered. "Rifles. Explosives. Mortars. The Dwarves of the 1st Legion were unmatched by all but Ironforge's Army." I could work with that. Sure, it was probably black powder at best, which even I knew was a bit underpowered compared to the more modern explosives from Earth Bet, but I could work with that. "I hope you are done. I am getting impatient."
I tapped my staff against the ground twice before turning to him, a smile painted across my face as I answered. "Of course. This was a simple enough thing to plan." I turned to look back at the innocent village, keeping the smile in place even as my 'heart' broke at what I was about to unleash on it. "Your Archers go around and assassinate the sentries while the Footmen surround the village. The Dwarves set up their mortars, and from there they and the Mages will signal the beginning of the slaughter. After which, you and your Knights will plow through whatever defense they have and send them into chaos, free to slaughter."
For a moment I received no response. Then a low, echoing chuckle sounded, and I heard the shifting of cloth and clinging of chains. I received no more words from him, he didn't need to convey his satisfaction with my plan. It took a long few minutes after I heard the shuffling of movement and clothing that I finally turned away from Taunka'le and headed back down to the waiting Army.
There would be no forgiveness for me tonight.
Twin pale moons illuminated the sky as I waited alongside the Knights and my Guard for the inevitable. It was a perfect night for such a thing, the world was quiet and peaceful, I heard the revelry from the village in the wind, or what I thought was revelry, it was hard to tell with the vaguely cow-like sounds reaching me. Were Taunka minotaurs or similar?
Well, I would find out soon I guess, just as so-
My thoughts were interrupted with the roar of cannon fire shattering the peaceful night, sending it into a chaotic hell as the flames erupted within the settlement. I could imagine the panic inside the walls, growing higher as a storm of ice and fire rained down at the Mages' call and another round of explosives were sent straight into the settlement. My focus shifted to the 'Left Hand' as his horse whinnied and reared back on its hooves.
"Soldiers of the Scourge! Death to the Living!"
A malevolent cheer rose from the Knights before they charged with reckless abandon into the burning village, leaving me and my Guards behind. For a while I stayed where I was, watching what I had caused before beginning the walk over to the village, my staff creaked under my grip.
I ignored the screaming, the crackling of flames, the sound of metal rending flesh, the laughter.
I kept my gaze up, unwilling to look down as I passed through the entrance straight into the hell I had wrought. Explosions echoed with hoofbeats in the distance, embers flew from the burning tents into my face, I watched fascinated as my ambient Death magic wilted the embers to nothing, as the raging fires grew low around me in my trek.
A roar caught my attention, filled with pain and hate, making me look to the side as the humanoid equivalent to a Bison rushed at me from a burning hut with a large log gripped in its hands. My arm rose, necrotic energy gathered where a hand should have been, and the chattering skull of a Death Coil slammed into the Taunka sending it stumbling, but alive, into a burning tent. Without another look, I continued on my way, step after step into Taunka'le.
Steel slicing through flesh was determinedly ignored alongside the dying gurgle. A fleeing female Taunka was gripped and pulled back to me as I thrust my staff forward, impaling the creature on the head. As much as it pained me to do so, I had to keep up appearances with my co-workers, and for that, I needed to end the Taunka of this village. Removing the bladed head from the Taunka, I watched as she fell to the ground with a thud, weakly trying to crawl away in her final dying moments.
The only thing I could do to help these Taunka was to end their lives quickly, a mercy the Knights seem to be enjoyably denying to the ones they cut down. Their cuts brutal enough to be fatal, but they held back enough to make the last moments agonizing. A Deathbolt formed at the struggling female, and without hesitation I shot her in the back, ending her suffering.
I looked back up and backed away with wide eyes as a battlecry reached me. A group of Taunka had come barreling down the path, roaring and shouting in their tongue as their weapons were brandished and ready to kill me. My Guards quickly formed up, readying their own swords, spears, and shields at the charging bovine creatures as I quickly channeled magic into a Deathbolt and sent it flying. The bolt slammed straight into one of the Taunka, sending it crumpling to the ground while the rest continued rushing at me.
None of my necromantic spells were meant for multiple targets rushing at me and any that I could snap off like Death Coil simply didn't have the power to stop a charging bull. True, there was the volley variation I had been developing with Gothik, but it was inefficient in usage, time to cast… and especially effectiveness. By the time I finished forming the spell and cast it, my guards and the Taunka would be in melee, and that - as amazing as my Partner is - still left me more liable to hit my own troops given the tight corridor we were in and the general chaos of melee. I could try to make a new spell, one that is more wave-like but… I shook my head and sent my Guard rushing forward with a hand wave to buy myself some time.
I backed up a few steps to put more distance between myself and the impending fight, as my guards braced themselves. The Taunka barreled down the path far faster than I expected, validating my assumptions, as they dove into the melee. With a solemn purpose, my Guards started their bloody task, blunting the Taunka's charge as they minced the front three with well-coordinated sword and spear work, before being forced to back up as the next wave nearly smashed them aside. Shields parried away massive totem-like logs, spears kept axes at bay, and the Taunka's own spears were parried with swords or dodged with effort. But it wouldn't last.
Which left me with attempting the 'Cosmic Magic' Partner had talked about back in Crystalsong. Without actually knowing how to use or call upon it. Easy.
What is Cosmic Magic? What is the Concept behind 'Cosmic'?It was a 'Branch' of Nature magic no doubt...
The Stars, the Moon, the Sun. All part of the natural world, keystones of it even, but… Cosmic magic was centered on Celestial bodies. They were a higher power, worshiped for the light, heat, and solace they gave.
One of my Guards was sent like a ragdoll past me, scraping against the path for a few seconds before rushing straight past me none the worse for the trip. The other five were in no better position, battered but continuing to hold against the rampaging, justified, Taunka trying to crush me. My Death magic likely had been slowly infusing into them during our long, close proximity trip giving them increased durability. But yes, the Taunka were justified, however, I wasn't just going to lay down and let them kill me, I wanted to live after all. I could stop the Scourge, it was entirely possible I was the only one powerful enough to do so.
If myth and legend were true to form in this world, then Cosmic magic was likely capable of healing others, as many stories linked the Moon and Sun to healing wounds and purifying corruption. Which, also, would likely make it highly effective versus the Scourge and other unnatural Undead.
Molten earth came flying through the mass of bodies, narrowly avoiding my Guards before splashing into the dirt at my feet, hissing and crackling alongside the burning tents. I looked through the mass of Taunka, curious at the display that I had just seen and wondering exactly what had caused it. After a few moments of chaotic shifting and clamor, I found the culprit, a female Taunka clad in robes at the back of the creatures, flames, and rock collecting in her hands and melting.
But the Sun and Moon were also cruel, the Void uncaring. For while it was belief through prayer that shaped the Sun and Moon into objects of healing and safety, it was fact that defined them as objects of heat and energy. While the Moon's energy was a mere reflection of the Sun's, the Ghost Hunters, and the faithful Kaldorei, showed me that belief could amplify even those rays into a beam of power.
Light shone where my lost hand would have been.
It was best to start low and simple and work my way up, on a night such as this even the weakest of attacks would still be a light show, and it was best to be underestimated in their display. As my deviation from Necromantic magic would no doubt be noted and reported on. But it had to be done. For the sake of my plan. For the sake of the world.
I swung my right arm down.
A resounding crash echoing in the wake of my spell, a pillar of light similar to the one Kaldorei made days ago slamming into the group of Taunka trying to kill me and my Guards. The blinding light subsided after a while, leaving a ringing in my ears and allowing me to actually look ove-
My eyes widened the moment I saw the hole in the earth stopping just shy of my Guards. No bodies, no earth, no tents, just a giant, gaping hole leading into the depths of the earth.
… I was going to have to be careful with how much power I threw into Cosmic spells if this was the result of throwing a decent amount of energy into them. Accidentally drilling into the earth, as well as denying me resources of corpses I could raise during or after a battle in the process, was not something I was keen to do, as much as I could see the benefits of some applications of that.
I tapped my staff twice and turned on my heel, clattering of metal sounding in my wake as I turned back the route I came in search of another route to the center. I had things to do, people to kill mercifully, and a magic I needed to figure out before I accidentally nuked my allies, both wanted and unwanted, by mistake.
A sigh left me as I moved through the burning ruins of Taunka'le, this night would be a long one.
Two more groups attacked me, two more failed tries at getting my Cosmic magic dialed in to where it needed to be. It was so easy to just… go overboard on it. Which I suppose shouldn't come as a shock. Being that I'm trying to channel the magical conceptualization of an existence that utterly dwarfs the planet I'm on, let alone the small group of people I'm aiming it at.
The first try, I managed to not make a hole to the center of the earth… but there was still the lack of any corpses, and the white-purple fire consuming every bit of vegetation that had existed. I wasn't too concerned with the latter, considering they didn't burn or radiate heat, but I erred on the side of caution without further tests on that specific aspect. I didn't want a Greek Fire incident while I was in the middle of 'enemy' territory surrounded by 'ally' forces. I was worried that the 'flames' were of the anti-undead variety. Because, well, magic and I haven't the slightest idea what I'm doing. Assuming that the result is the worst-case scenario served me well in the past.
Sorta.
Second try… the screaming was unsettling as bull-men tried to put themselves out with that same fire engulfing them. There was too little power on that test, and thus a total failure added on compared to the other technical failures, after all, it was one thing to fail, but still managing to kill the target in the process, and another to completely fail to kill the target and instead send them into an utterly agonized freakout. Granted, I could see the value in it as a scare tactic, the regular grunts on the ground typically were more cowed to seeing horrible ways to die. It also, sadly, probably gained me reputation with the Knights, as I saw one or two nod approvingly at the result.
With that said… Was I really running around camp testing out new magic on innocents?
It was one thing to do it to the Onslaught before I raised them, they were fanatics - and still are… - , and would murder me on the spot for existing. But the Taunka hadn't done anything to me to warrant me using them as lab rats. Yes, I had to complete this mission to advance my plans of taking the Scourge down from within. Yes, they were trying to kill me every time I ran into them.
That is all well and good, but it still didn't really justify using them as test subjects. Calling it mercy only does so much, I could have easily just fallen back on my Deathbolts, or sort out some new spells with Death magic that could hit multiple targets. Why did I need to use Cosmic magic? I suppose it was an itch I had to scratch, there was just something making me want to use it… A reflex, not an urge, like when the doctor taps your kneecap and your leg just moves on its own.
"I would do better next time."
Hollow words, even after everything I had been through I thought them with a certain naivete But how could I do better when I wasn't allowed to when trying to be better ended with my own death?
"Haven't I sacrificed enough?"
So many dead, so many corpses burying my path of good intentions. First on Earth Bet, now here. I was powerful… but power alone just didn't fix the issues.
Every little thing I wanted to do better, was snatched away from me before I could even try. How was I supposed to be the 'Hero' if all I could ever be was the Villain… just like last time. Forced to make hard choice after hard choice, all for one nebulous goal after another.
A sound, faint and barely heard over the crackling fires snapped me from my ruminations, sending me over to one of the few tents not burning at the moment. Approaching the tent, I ignored the dread welling in my soul and opened the flap.
Immediately I was struck with fearful noises from the back, my eyes honing in as my heart sank. Seven small Taunka, smaller than myself and obviously all children, huddled together in the dark of the tent, cowering as I slipped into their refuge. I hunched over, leaning on the staff, and the children shrank further into their corner, sans one that came up to my chest, brandishing a spear in its shaking hands.
… Why?
I tightened my grip on my staff as I stared down at the children, ignoring everything else as my thoughts ran full sprint.
Why did I have to kill more children? Did the world just want to make me suffer more? Didn't I suffer and sacrifice enough from getting my power and all the way to killing Scion?
Apparently not.
There was an audible creak from my staff and a renewed fearful noise from the children as I debated with myself. I didn't want to kill them, there was no reason forcing me to kill like with Aster, this wasn't a case of 'kill the kid save the world' that I had thought it had been. This... Could I really excuse this as mercy? It wouldn't matter how I did it, it was something I was secretly hoping I wouldn't have to do. Dammit.
The village was surrounded by Undead that were elite forces, there were constant explosions, arrows, and undead destroying the village piece by piece and slaughtering anyone who came in sight. I had seen what had happened to people who died to the undead, back in the Onslaught Harbor while I was still… influenced, and that was not a fate I wished upon anyone... except Jack Slash.
Regardless, the children didn't deserve the fate that awaited them when any member of the 1st Legion found them if I left them alive. Found them due to a plan I told them to execute.
I wanted to be a Hero this time!
My non-existent arm glowed.
Stars gathered.
This was mercy considering the alternative, but it was my fault they were going to die either way.
… I wanted to be a Hero…
"…the children, just shoot. Doesn't matter your aim, just shoot. You see one lying on the ground? Shoot the little bitch twice more to be sure. We give them no chances to be clever or lucky, understand?"
My arm fell, and the Stars fell with it.
… I wanted to be like Hero…
It was a perfect Lunar Strike, the children dying quickly enough that they didn't feel a thing…
The only things left of them were skeletons wreathed in white-purple flames, their skulls staring at me, judging me for my sins.
… Why couldn't I be a Hero once?
I slumped to the ground and wished I could let out anything to express what I felt. But I couldn't.
Thanks for the Moral Compass, Partner.