Chapter Thirteen: Old Friends
Muradin punched Arthas in the face.
The blow hit him upside the head, and he was flung back onto the snows. A rowdy cheer came from the dwarves, even as the undead started forward. Arthas raised a hand and motioned quickly. As he did, they slowed, and he rose up.
His lip was bleeding. Wiping it away, Arthas looked at Muradin. "Granted, I probably deserved that."
"You don't seem very apologetic," said Muradin.
"I refuse to accept accountability for my actions out of principle," said Arthas. "Blame destiny if you want to complain."
"You left me to die, Arthas!" snapped Muradin.
"I healed you, didn't I," said Arthas.
"You abandoned me in an icy vault and left me lying, after you got me speared by ice," snapped Muradin in a fury. "I wandered for two weeks without memory or idea of who I was. If I hadn't run into some local dwarves, I'd have been food for the beasts."
"Right, but you did run into some local dwarves," noted Arthas. "So things worked out. Wait, what dwarves? I wasn't aware of any lived in this land beyond the colonists."
"A group called the Frostborn, distant cousins of my people of Ironforge," said Muradin. "They took me in, and I led them into battle. Called me, Yorg Stormheart, and I ended up leading them."
"Your welcome," said Arthas with a shrug.
"You're standing in front of me at the head of an undead army, wielding a soul-eating runeblade!" shouted Muradin. "And now acting as if you did me a favor by leaving me for dead!
"What's happened to you, Arthas?! Don't you care for anything anymore!"
"No, not really," admitted Arthas.
Muradin halted. "What?"
"I quit with the emotional investment thing a while back," said Arthas sadly. "The world we live in is a bleak, corrupted mess, doomed to eternally descend into worse horrors. The best anyone can hope for is to die before their entire existence turns out to only cause further horror.
People keep harping on how I'm incredibly guilty and evil. But if I hadn't done what I did, the whole world would have ended. And the orcs got a blank check."
"You mean the alliance in Kalimdor," asked Muradin. "I heard about that. Didn't understand much of what was told, though."
"Oh, there was this really flimsy plan to redeem the orcish race," said Arthas. "Never going to amount to anything. They'll probably try to burn down Theramore in a few years, and then I'll head west to tell Jaina 'I told you so.' Then I'll be fighting the Horde for a few years or so.
"So, are you going to let me in, or are we going to kill eachother?"
Muradin shrugged. "I suppose I might as well.
"Falric gave orders for us to take your side in all this anyway."
"But Muradin-" began a dwarf.
"Let it pass, Baelgun," said Muradin. "Open the gates, lads! They aren't friends, but we aren't killing eachother at the moment!"
And so the undead made their way through the great gates as they opened. Not that the dwarves let their guard down. Loaded muskets were pointed at them as they walked. Even Muradin kept giving Arthas wary glances.
Fortunately, Arthas did not care.
The caverns that Muradin had made his camp in were dark, lit only by torches and strange gems on the walls. Crates of supplies were piled against dark, tiled floors. As he walked, Arthas realized this place was of a similar design to Drak'theron Keep. Now and then, they came to passages that had been collapsed. There were also bridges leading over sentient made canals. And the ceiling was very, very, high.
"So, tell me, what is your relationship with Prince Kael'thas?" asked Arthas, impressed by the caverns.
"Ah, he and his boys came through Northrend a while back," said Muradin. "They made all kinds of supply lines and wanted us to help them destroy the Lich King. Falric was against it, though; he wanted a war of attrition.
"But the rest of us talked him into leading a force with them. Falric went up north with him to Icecrown and a large troop. Of course, it didn't turn out to be necessary.
"The Lich King let Kael'thas walk right in. I'm guessing Kael'thas was a backup plan after you went off the rails."
"And where is Falric now?" asked Arthas. He remembered he'd charged the Captain with taking care of the men. And he'd by all accounts fulfilled that duty perfectly.
Arthas hoped he was alright, and that he wouldn't have to fight him.
"Don't know," said Muradin. "Communication has had a complete blackout lately. Malygos has largely been communicating with Kael'thas' embassies."
"And Jaina?" asked Arthas.
"She's here?" asked Muradin. "What's the lass doing with you?"
"I take it, then, that you've heard no word of her arrival," mused Arthas. "Strange, she ought to have been heard of."
"Well," said Muradin. "The Blue Flight doesn't communicate much with us beyond what we need to know. So she might have met with him already and just never come here yet. Ever since Falric left, Malygos has been giving all the orders."
"What about Marywynn?" asked Arthas.
"For the most part," said Muradin. "Marywynn sticks to the coast and managing affairs and practice playing the role of king. Him and that Faldine lass."
Arthas nodded, feeling pleased things were going so well. Suppose things continued in this vein. Perhaps he could establish a powerbase in Northrend easily. Though that depended on how much his men knew, and who had told it to them. "How much do you know about what has happened beyond these lands?"
"Malygos kept us generally informed on events in Lordaeron and Kalimdor," said Muradin. "Your men, though, they've formed a bit of a cult of personality around you. You can't talk with some of them anymore."
"What of the Nerubians?" asked Arthas, glancing at Anub'arak. "Anub'arak tells me you've made common cause with them?"
"Ah yes, turns out they carved out all these tunnels. They have been fighting against the scourge for years," said Muradin. "That and... older things. Supposedly some ancient Dark God, Yogg Saron, dwells beneath the surface of this land. And he's always trying to reach his tendrils up out of the earth to get em. Not personable folk, but we've been able to limit the scourge's movements.
"Course, now that Kael'thas is in charge, they're less pleased. No one is very happy about having him in charge. They're afraid that we'll turn on them."
"And will you?" asked Arthas.
"Of course not," said Muradin with a shrug. "The Alliance doesn't exist anymore, and we're not inclined to let anyone be Lich King. However, some of the High Elves are in favor of working with him. Actually, there's a debate as to whether the Alliance has ceased to exist, or just broken up."
Arthas nodded then looked to Anub'arak. "Anub'arak, can you lead us through the passages?"
Anub'arak nodded. "There are many passages through the labyrinth, death knight. And I know them all."
"That much I guessed," said Muradin.
"Do you foresee the Nerubians will be a problem?" asked Arthas.
"Many of us fell during the War of the Spider were brought back to serve the Lich King," said Anub'arak. "Those you call Nerubians, however, never died. Foolishly, they still fight to liberate Nerub from the Scourge.
"We will probably be attacked if we walk in their domain. They hate us, me especially."
"Well, I'd better go with you, if only to smooth things over," said Muradin.
Eventually, they came into an area with a lower ceiling. It looked to have been designed for storage, with number pits for boxes. Many of them were filled. "This place looks like an old storage silo," mused Arthas.
"Yeah, we keep a lot of our equipment here," said Muradin. "Excellent workmanship this. The architecture, I mean."
"We Nerubians were crafty engineers in our time," said Anub'arak, a hint of pride in his voice.
"That you were," admitted Muradin. "Still, there may be a way to avoid any encounters with yer old people. If we take some of the older, deeper passages-"
"That is utter foolishness," said Anub'arak quickly.
"They are virtually uninhabited, Anub'arak," said Muradin. "I've checked some of them myself and talked to the Nerubians."
"For good reason," said Anub'arak. "None of us dare dwell in those places, and most were sealed long ago to keep the Faceless Ones contained."
"Faceless Ones?" asked Arthas.
"An ancient terror, similar in stature to humans. But they go without faces or real intellect," said Anub'arak. "They are more extensions of the Old Gods will than true entities in themselves. Yet their numbers are legion, and they serve Yogg Saron, God of Death."
"Would you rather slaughter a legion of Faceless Ones?" asked Arthas. "Or a legion of your allies and your own people?"
"They have not been my people for many ages," mused Anub'arak. "Yet I take your point. Dwarf, where are these passages?"
"Don't you know? You were the King of this place?" asked Arthas.
"Do you know the layout of every castle in Lordaeron, Death Knight?" asked Anub'arak.
"I suppose not," said Arthas. "But, I never claimed to."
"A... poetic exaggeration," said Anub'arak. "It would be more accurate to say I have extensive knowledge of the general layout. However, new tunnels are being dug all the time."
Arthas nodded. "...Where is Jaina? She should have come back to us at some point."
"Perhaps she has been killed," mused Anub'arak.
Arthas felt a surge of anger at the mere suggestion. "Kael'thas would never kill someone in parley. Let alone Jaina, of all people.
"And it would be political suicide.
"Come, let's find the tunnels and make out way beneath the surface."
"Right, lad," said Muradin. "Course, I can't help you with the actual fight when you get there. Deniability and all that. But I can help you on your way."
"You seem to have dropped your accusations of guilt quickly," said Arthas.
"Oh, I'll read you the riot act soon enough, lad," said Muradin. "But at the moment, we've got more important things to worry about."
"How nice to have someone with perspective," said Arthas.
Jaina Proudmoore looked very beautiful, sleeping in her crystal prison.
The girl Kael'thas had courted in Dalaran had grown up, filling out even more than she had at the time. Her long, beautiful blonde hair was frozen in time. There she was, floating around her as her hand raised for a counterspell. One she'd never had a chance to finish.
He'd placed it upon Icecrown Spire, where none save his inner circle was allowed to go.
"What news, Illidan?" asked Kael'thas.
Illidan Stormrage had walked quietly, but his presence was unmistakable. He and Vashj looked at one another, then back. "Arthas has gone beneath the earth now. Even now, he is descending through the old tunnels of Azjol Nerub. I suspect he is receiving aid from Anub'arak, and elements of his own forces."
"I see," said Kael'thas. "I had hoped Muradin would be wise enough to stop him, but it seems our former allies are neutral, or worse. No matter.
"We have the power to delay them, at least.
"And a delay is all we need."
Taking the Helm of Dominion and donning it, he felt the power surge through him. Raising a hand, he sent forth his will deep into the earth. There he sensed the horrific presence far below. It was clawing at reality, trying to get free.
"What will you do, Kael?" asked Vashj.
"The Lich King is more than the controlling power of the Scourge," said Kael. "It is also a Nexus for the spirits of Northrend. It has power over elements, thanks to Ner'zhul's memories.
"I shall tear open a rift in the depths of the earth and let the Old Ones in."
"Do you think that will stop him?" asked Illidan doubtfully.
"I think that one will kill the other, yes," said Kael. "And if Arthas is victorious, it will play into our own strategy. If not, Yogg Saron is an enemy; we will have to fight eventually anyway." The barrier, far below, broke, and he sensed the horrors streaming out of it.
With any luck, his enemies would destroy one another. Without it, well, the Nerubians were expendable. "Illidan, would you say that our truce with the Dragon Aspects is now broken?"
"Beyond a doubt," said Illidan. "I suspected Malygos was only stalling you."
"And you were correct," said Kael'thas. "I had hoped to bring them over to my way of thinking. Even so, I think I know what course of action they'll take next. With the growing threat, they'll call a council, as usual.
"The time has come to move forward with our plans." Stretching forth a hand, he chipped away, little by little at the entrance. The gates shattered, and the horrors streamed forth all the more numerous. "Arise... ancient creatures of Azeroth long past. Arise... Yogg Saron!"
"The rift is broken," said Vashj. "Our enemies will soon be fighting one another."
"I am well aware," said Kael. "Kirrasan, have you located the resting place of C'thun yet?"
Kirrasan said nothing.
Kael looked over to where she was chuckling to herself while reading a book. The fact that she was leaning against Jaina's prison seemed poor taste. "Kirrasan?"
"Oh, sorry, I was just reading a good book I found in Jaina's pack," said Kirrasan. "I haven't had a chance to read this novel since time began."
"Answer the question," said Kael'thas.
"Yes, yes, everything is in order," said Kirrasan. "I can loose the collar on C'thun anytime you want."
"Do it," said Kael'thas. "I want an all-out war between him and the Horde before the day is out."
"Kael'thas, unleashing C'Thun on Kalimdor could cause unfathomable destruction," said Illidan. "Even if the Horde wins, countless innocents could be slaughtered."
"Are we allied with any of them?" asked Kael'thas.
"Well... no," said Illidan.
"Then why should we care?" asked Kael'thas. "C'thun has no foothold, and sentient races have advanced massively since he was last here. In a worst-case scenario, his forces will be weakened while devastating our enemies. Theramore and the Night Elves are both geographically isolated. No permenant damage will be sustained.
"And we need to draw out the Old Gods at some point if we're going to achieve this plan. I'd much rather it happen on my own terms."
"Still," said Vashj. "It would be better for our plans if the Horde defeats C'thun than the other way around. Perhaps we could send them some advance warning so they can mobilize."
"Very well then," said Kael'thas. "Do it."
"Kael'thas," said Vashj suddenly. "I do not like taking Lady Proudmoore captive in parley in this fashion. It seems far too much like something a Night Elf would do."
"You can set your mind at ease," said Kirrasan. "Kirrasan captured her while en route, and we didn't technically know that she was here to meet with us. So we merely intercepted an enemy leader while en route to another enemy leader. Malygos.
"She would never have approved of what we did to get here anyway," mused Kael'thas. "Jaina would never understand the need. With her out of commission, Daelin Proudmoore will have control of Theramore. He might not be going to war with the Horde, but I'm certain he'll welcome the chance to watch them die."
Finally, Kirrasan shut the book. "Okay, Kael, that's it. I have to ask. What exactly is our plan with all this? I haven't been at any of the meetings before now, so I'm out of the loop."
"The only one worth pursuing," said Kael'thas simply. "The complete, total, and absolute eradication of every potential threat to my people. The Burning Legion, the Old Gods, the Horde, the Void Lords, will be dead by the time this story is complete."
There was a long silence for a moment.
"...What about Deathwing?" asked Vashj.
Kael'thas took off the Helm of Dominion and sighed. "Damn it; I knew I forgot something. Alright, let's just assume he'll after the Old Gods are sacrificed. If not, one of you handle."
"How are you going to sacrifice the Old Gods?" asked Kirrasan, blinking in surprise. "And how are you going to take out the Void Lords at the same time?"
And then Kael'thas told her the plan.