Hello all, welcome back to Lich King's Ascension and sorry for delays but I had… whatever type of Writer's Block it is when you know what you want to cover but can't put it to words.
Anyway, this will finish of Northrend, for now, and move into the Undead Campaign of Reign of Chaos with some items changed, naturally. The biggest changes to the story/history of Azeroth will be coming up in this campaign, which will be extended due to covering Arthas going to Kalimdor and doing more than he did in the game.
Also, I still have polls up so check them out as they mostly to pertain to either the next Naruto and next/first Lemon fic I will write so check them out and vote.
Oh, there is a surprise for y'all that I'm sure a lot of you will not see coming.
Also, happy early Birthday to me as I will be 22 on the 25th of July, so yay me and hopefully fun times with gifts, Pizza, and Piecaken (which is awesome!) and hanging out with family and friends.
Lastly, someone asked why I gave Arthas Leechbane, well the reason I gave it to him was to simulate the process of 'Leveling up' in Warcraft and, while the others all got the runes to help them grow, Arthas is gonna be the key fighter taking on the toughest enemies and walking away, even if it will be with a noticeable limp at times, so he needed more than the others.
NOTE: I tend not to describe people that can be looked up unless I change their appearance or if it's an OC and they will not be hanging around for a while, which is basically anyone of a class that is gonna get in Arthas' way but is not part of canon or any official item of Warcraft Lore.
Now, let's get to what y'all are all here for.
Disclaimer: I don't own Warcraft, Blizzard, or a great many things that will be in this fic except for some OCs. If I owned Warcraft, then Arthas would have been right there giving Archimonde the finger as he helped the mortal races on Hyjal.
(Author's Notes)
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
'Language other than common'
(Mental conversations)
"Non-Humanoid (Demons, spirits, etc. etc.) speech"
"Above's thoughts"
'Above's speech in other language'
(Mental conversations)
Chapter 6: Damnation
Last time
When the base was destroyed, Arthas looked over the area before feeling Frostmourne pulse towards a path up a mountain, "All of you, return to camp. I have a demon to kill."
He ordered before walking off and followed the path to a graveyard where Mal'Ganis stood there, "You've taken the blade. Interesting, the Dark Lord said you would and would be a force to reckon with."
Mal'Ganis stated and Arthas stood before him, "You waste your breath demon, I hear the voice of Frostmourne now."
Arthas stated and Mal'Ganis chuckled, "You hear the voice of the Dark Lord. He whispers to you through the blade you hold… What does he say, mortal? What does the Dark Lord of the Dead tell you?"
He stated with some humor and Arthas grinned viciously, "He tells me, that the time for my vengeance has come."
Arthas stated and Mal'Ganis was shocked and unable to do anything as Arthas shoved Frostmourne through his chest, "No, he can't possibly mean to…"
Mal'Ganis didn't finish as Arthas drove Leechbane through his skull, "Now your soul and your power are mine."
Arthas stated while still grinning darkly at him even as Mal'Ganis screamed in pain and rage and Arthas felt his power filling him and laughed maniacally before he withdrew both blades from the shriveled husk of the Dreadlord and Frostmourne glowed before dark power crept up the blade and consumed him before the power died down to show the new Arthas.
He stood in dark plate armor with skulls adorning it, his hair was white/silver, his eyes were a ghostly blue, and his skin was somewhat pale. His weapons changed too: His hammer became ebony handled and the head was obsidian black, Leechbane had black runes engraved over it and were glowing, Blood Cleaver was given putrid purple runes, and Stone Wrecker gained putrid green runes, while the Shield and Helm remained as they were, "Now, I have power. Now, I have purpose and I will burn this world and rebuild it anew. Make way, for Death itself now walks the world."
Now
Arthas took deep breaths as he stood there and, as he turned to walk back to his soldiers, a large black rune appeared on Frostmourne and glowed before tendrils lashed out of it that dug into Arthas' heart and mind causing him to scream out before he began glowing and then fell to the ground coughing as the blade pierced the ground next to him, "What-what happened?"
He questioned before noticing a pair of black combat boots in front of him and looked up to see the man from before looking at him with his hands behind his back, "Well, that was a close call."
The figure stated absentmindedly and Arthas coughed a bit as he tried to stand, "What-what are you talking about?" He asked as he was able to position himself into a sitting position as his legs didn't have the strength to stand.
"Oh, well when you took the blade, depending on if your spirit was strong enough, the blade would take your soul as an insurance policy to ensure you served it and by extension its master. What just happened was my interference to ensure you stayed you and not some mindless butchering soldier. Those tendrils were from my influence on the blade returning your soul and fusing it with that of the Death Knight entity the blade gave you once you slew Mal'Ganis and took his demonic power that combined with the Runeblade's own. Though considering you wouldn't have taken the power without the dagger I gave you, this would have been much slower and lengthy and would have involved you slaughtering your soldiers and converting them to undead and other Death Knights. Now though, now you can use this matter to your advantage since the blade now serves you."
He stated and Arthas looked to him in confusion, "Advantage?" He asked clearly confused and wondering what could be gained and the figure smiled and began walking around the still recovering Arthas.
"Yes, you see, you now have the powers, abilities, and skills of a Death Knight of the Scourge but still maintain your other powers, abilities, and skills and are presumably a soldier for the Scourge. While I am not saying to butcher innocent people, there are groups among the Humans and other races that need to be brought down quite a bit and there are even greater threats that are just waiting for the Scourge to fulfill their purpose." He stated and Arthas frowned in thought.
"You're talking about my father, the Knights of the Silver Hand, the Kirin Tor, and the High Elves. But what other threats are there that are even greater? The Orcs?" He asked while having believed for a few years now that the Kirin Tor was having too much say in certain matters and was not understanding that they were subservient to the kingdom not its equal and the Elves, minus a few, were arrogant and prideful due to their magical power source and they viewed themselves superior to any race not of their blood. The Orcs had always been a threat, though, unlike others, he didn't kill first and ask question later.
"No, not the Orcs, but the ones who sent them." The figure stated and Arthas widened his eyes while the figure chuckled, "Yes, the demons are preparing to, and will, return. The Lich King himself is a creation of one of the two Archdemons and was originally an Orc. It was I who gave him the necessary knowledge and plans to gain influence and Kel'Thuzad and then you as a champion since I had a hand in your creation and some of your skills and powers. Make no mistake, whether you decide to serve the Scourge or not, their warriors and creatures will follow you now and will do so regardless of the Lich King's desires. Use your new found power and army to wipeout the necessary enemies for the demons to come to this world then use what you have to destroy them and begin rebuilding and uniting the word how you see fit. After all, you know fully well that there are several beings that need to fall."
The figure stated as Arthas was trying to comprehend everything and the figure just chuckled again, "My powers are that of a demigod, yet I am not one, and I was the one who warned your grandfather about the coming war with the demons and he then increased your military and the sciences while having the Kirin Tor gain more funding to help. While this was all good, it made the Kirin Tor and others far too cocky in their abilities and thus are now in need of being taken down a peg… or several. I was also the one who ensured your natural leadership and ability to draw people to you and make them follow you just by being near them." The figure stated and Arthas was beginning to see everything, "Yes, had I not given you that talent, you wouldn't have the same support that you have now due to some possibly thinking differently. Jaina, Muradin, and Uther would still have followed you due to them seeing the reasons and purpose for your actions, but some of the soldiers who just immediately joined you over the king may not have and you would be hard pressed to have your previous victories and then there are the items I gave you and your closest confidants that furthered your prowess, abilities, and skills."
The figure stated still circling Arthas, "You… you did all this to prepare me to bring down the Legion and end the war between the Alliance and the Horde, to unite the world in a way that would bring peace." Arthas stated trying to fathom what was needed of him and what was to come against him.
"Yes, you see there is another matter at hand as well. Should the Lich King have had his way, there would many more of your people dead, he would have you as a loyal servant before fusing with you to create one being and time would pass until you were killed and freed from the madness of the blade, and the Scourge would slumber under the New Lich King's watch to ensure they never rose up against the world again while the other races still fought with each other to no end. Even if you and he weren't destroyed, his hunger would have made you seek a way to other worlds, other conquests. Now, now you are ready to take the Scourge, perhaps fuse with the Lich King and take his full power before you then unite the world and leave the other worlds to their own devices as your hunger would be controlled, if not sated, by your wife or wives should you find others since we both know there are at least two others that are in love with you." The figure stated and Arthas had the decency to blush causing the figure to chuckle, "Regardless, you are the better choice of rulers between you and anyone else. As such, and because of your lack of armor fitting your new power and status, this is for you."
The figure stated as he handed Arthas another bundle that Arthas took tentatively knowing full well the item contained could contain great power. As he looked up to thank the man, he saw him leaving, "Wait, who the hell are you and what do I tell my friends?!" Arthas called out and the figure stopped and turned to face him slightly.
"I answered this before, but if you need something more substantial, my name is Damon Corvus. As for your allies, tell them the truth, tell them a lie, whatever you decide to tell them is fine as I'll find you again later to explain things further once you have reached the next step in your journey and at that time it will be to your allies as well." The now named Damon stated before smirking, "Counting the ones you don't realize you have yet." Damon finished before vanishing in a swirl of black fire leaving Arthas alone before he unwrapped the bundle and found a set of plate armor.
Nodding to himself, he stripped the armor he wore off and put the new one on before dawning his helmet and shield again as he reattached his weapons to him and trudged back to his camp while thinking about what to tell his people.
Arthas' Basecamp
Jaina was pacing with Uther noticeable scraping a wet stone against his blade and Muradin kept twirling his axe in his hand. Naturally, they were all on edge waiting for Arthas to return and tell them what the next step was. They knew fully well that his father had to go at some point and that there were potentially others that were as bad or worse than him and Arthas would probably march against them, he just needed to tell them and they would follow. A shout at the border of the camp alerted them to someone approaching and they moved to the pathway in and saw a figure they didn't recognize.
The figure from what they could see had silver hair and ghostly blue eyes and wore black scaled plate armor that covered his body while leaving him openings to move and it seemed lightweight and was covered in skull designs with the skulls' eyes being blood red. However, the thing that grabbed their attention was that he had Frostmourne and the Helm and Shield of the Deathlord. Thinking that the figure was an enemy that killed Arthas, they readied their weapons before Shadow barked and ran up to the figure before nuzzling his leg and the figure patted his head lightly before removing the helm to show it was indeed Arthas and Jaina rushed up and engulfed him in a hug, which he returned, before they entered the camp and he sat down with his commanders sitting beside him, "What happened lad?"
Uther asked as Arthas set his helm down, "Mal'Ganis is dead by my hands and after I did the deed the blade tried to steal my soul and succeeded." He stated getting horrified looks, "However, due to the interference of our mysterious ally, my soul was put back and the blade is now fully under my control along with the powers of a Death Knight." He stated getting shocked looks, "Not only that, but he also told me his name is Damon Corvus and that apparently he wants me to assume control of the Scourge since they will obey me now that I am an undead general. He then went even further and informed me that he was responsible for my creation and some abilities as well as he aided my grandfather in building up our power and might."
He stated shocking them again and Arthas sighed, "He also stated that there are people that need to be brought down, like my father, and the demons are going to return and I have to help them do it in order to destroy them." He stated getting fearful and shocked looks, "Among those that need to fall are the Wizards of Dalaran, the High Elves, my father, and the Silver Hand Knights that remain. He also stated that he'll reveal himself again when I have reached another point in my tasks and this time it will be to my allies as well, including ones that I don't know of yet. " He stated before looking to them, "The man held no deceit in his eyes when I looked into them, so now I find myself in a position where I have possibly one of the most feared and brutal armies in existence and my own people where I will have to break the power of several individuals in order to let an army of demons come and try to consume the world only to use my powers and skills to help bring them down and then try to unite the world under one banner. Heh, sounds like a challenge to me."
He stated before looking to the others and Jaina snuggled closer to Arthas after kissing his cheek, "I told you before Arthas, I am not leaving your side. I will love you and stay beside you no matter what, even if it means becoming something other than Human." She stated as she held him and Uther nodded.
"I'm with you as well lad, I swore my allegiance to you and you haven't led us astray so if you believe we can trust this man and follow with this plan of his then I'm with you till the end." Uther stated as Arthas nodded in thanks to his friend and mentor before turning to Muradin who snorted slightly.
"Let's see: Suicidal mission, slim chance of success, small chance of survival, and probably not much thanks being sent our way afterwards." He stated as he ticked off the things on his fingers before grinning, "Sounds like a normal day to me, what are we waiting for?" Muradin stated causing them all to blink before they laughed.
Arthas then stood and moved to address his soldiers and their families as they deserved to know fully well what they were getting into, "As you all know, the king is not being the kind of king we all respect and admire and thus have an issue before us as they will come for us again. The Undead view me as their commander now after taking Frostmourne and the power of their demon general thus I have them as my soldiers like you and we have a fighting chance. My father must be brought down along with the remaining Silver Hand Knights as they have become as corrupt as he has and they are not the only ones: Dalaran has become arrogant and prideful believing they are above the kingdom and its subjects and anything they require is more important than the subjects and people, while the High Elves of Quel'Thalas have grown arrogant due to their magical abilities given to them by the Sunwell and there has been talk that they are going to break from the Alliance as they were of 'too high a stature to be associated with Humans.' I won't lie to you, the demons that used the Orcs to invade us those years ago are returning and by weakening if not wiping out these entities we pave the way for the demons to return, but this also gives us the chance to destroy them once and for all and then help our world to heal. If any of you wish to back out, none of us will hold it against you and will understand your reluctance, but if you do join us then you are with us to the end."
Arthas stated and many of his soldiers began murmuring while the magi and the Elves among his soldiers hung their heads in shame of their respective groups becoming so lost. However, none of those gathered before Arthas objected to him doing what they viewed as needed to be done and Arthas nodded before he found his sword humming and the same rune that gave him his soul pulse, "Use your combined powers through me and then stab me into the ground to mark them as your soldiers and empower them without turning them to undead."
Spoke a ghostly voice from his blade and Arthas frowned before doing as it said and drew the blade before channeling both his holy and unholy powers into it before stabbing it into the ground and a pulse went out through all the people as the power entered them and changes occurred. The armors all turned darker and the designs changed to more gothic styles, the weapons gained more gothic looks and seemed deadlier, the magi's eyes glowed as their hair changed to varying colors, the Elves all had their skin darkened while their hair changed from either very dark or pure white, and the Dwarves all grew a few inches while their hair, eyes, and skin changed.
The most surprising changes came to his commanders, Blaze, Starfire, and Shadow. Rane now had dark yet form fitting armor that showed her figure and muscle while she had a shadowy spear on her back while also being a little paler. Marwyn was now encased in pure black plate armor with two serrated edged swords on his back and a death like aura around him. Falric stood in obsidian colored armor with a large shield and wicked sword on his back with a blood red skull on the shield. Blaze was now pure black with blood red fire coming from his eyes, hooves, and all hair while being armored in blood red armor with black designs on it. Starfire was ash colored with blood red flames instead of black like Blaze and her armor was black.
Shadow was literally that: a shadow. He seemed to be in some form between a ghost and a living wolf with his eyes being pure blood red and his claws having a shine to them that made them stand out of his shadowy form. Muradin was like his fellow Dwarves but seemed to resemble his Avatar state more only with a black aura around him that made him look more intimidating when also combined with his now ghostly silver eyes. Uther had his hair turn black and his sword had gone to a darker silver almost grey color and had a dark purple aura surrounding it while his eyes were a glowing ghostly white. Jaina, in Arthas' opinion, was gorgeously dangerous as her hair had gone silvery black, her eyes were a glowing crimson, her clothes went to a putrid purple with blood red runes and designs, her staff turned ebony with the crystal on top being a putrid green and it had silver runes all over it, and she had an aura of darkness around her.
All in all, they were all appeared to be truly deadly and dangerous individuals, "Now, we are our own people, and we will convert others that wish to join us as we travel. We have no kingdom, no home, no people outside of each other, but we are strong, we are mighty, and we will not be stopped." Arthas stated as the new soldiers cheered for him in acknowledgement.
Three Months Later: Lordaeron: Lordaeron
The whole city was bustling and cheering as word reached them that Arthas had returned and they were joyous as their Crown Prince had come home at last. Arthas walked with a hood over his head and cloak hiding his form with six individuals flanking him wearing similar wear to hide themselves as they walked towards the Throne Room where their target resided. Arthas knew this kingdom was doomed the moment he set foot in it as already his forces, both converted and undead, were preparing to ransack this city and kill the individuals here that had no right to live in the world he wanted to make where no one was entitled to anything other than what they worked for, no one was better than someone else because they had material wealth, and no one was able to send others to their deaths if they themselves weren't willing to march right beside them. Oh yes, this city would burn with a fire that made Stratholm appear like a child playing with a match.
As they entered the room, Arthas unsheathed his sword and knelt as was expected while the six individuals spaced themselves by the door and the king was not as pleased as people would think. Arthas only idly listened to him as he addressed him and spoke about how he could overlook the transgression of taking off without his approval before Arthas stood and walked up to him while the six moved and held off the guards. Arthas stood before his father blade in hand as he removed his hood and forced his father to his knees idly hearing him ask what he was doing and Arthas smiled viciously, "Succeeding you, Father." He stated before shoving Frostmourne through his chest and gripped his head to lock eyes with him, "Long live the king." He stated with venom in his voice before shoving him back as his crown fell and parts broke from it as the blood of the former king pooled around it.
Arthas turned to see Uther breaking the necks of two guards with his bare hands while Jaina was flinging people around the room with her staff, Muradin was crushing heads, Rane was skewering a few, Marwyn had decapitated a few, and Falric gutted a few that came at him as Arthas launched a Death Coil, the unholy version of Holy Light, at a nearby emissary from Dalaran causing the man to scream out in pain as he withered away into a dry husk. He idly noticed that he and his people got more bloodthirsty and took enjoyment from causing harm to their enemies, but he wasn't complaining as that was nothing to worry about compared to other things there could be.
Once the room was cleared, they heard sounds of combat and screams as Arthas smirked knowing both his Shadow Warriors, as they had taken to calling themselves, and his undead were breaching the city and who better to show them how to get in than the very soldiers that once guarded it?
Arthas waved to his commanders and they nodded before leaving the room to ensure that their troops broke through the more aggressive enemies while Arthas had something he had to retrieve that his grandfather had created and his father never touched so Arthas decided to put it to use. Going to his father's withering corpse, which due to Frostmourne's corrupting influence, Arthas removed a jeweled amulet from his person before heading down a corridor directly behind the throne once he placed the amulet into the back of the throne.
As Arthas descended he thought back on how things had changed from what he believed was going to happen with his life, though besides so many innocent dying, he wouldn't change anything thus far. His thoughts were broken as he came to a large stone door with a slot for the amulet and he placed it inside as it opened and the amulet shattered as its purpose was to simply open the chamber. Once the doors were opened, he found three orbs resting on pedestals along with a wrapped up sword, ring, and small Warhammer.
Arthas then moved to the orbs, as that was what he wanted and the others were for the others: The one in the middle was pure white and glowing gold, the right one was glowing light green with a tornado like spiral in it, and the left one was a darker green with a bear claw glowing in the middle of it. Picking them up he watched as they faded into him and his hand gained another orb around it for each and learned the middle was the Orb of Light and made his attacks able to heal his allies while also allowing him to resurrect allies to live again but at a large cost of mana; the right one was the Orb of Wind that increased his speed, both attacking and movement, and gave a chance of releasing a miniature tornado that could harm his enemies; and the left was the Orb of the Wild which increased his power and attack speed, for a limited time, every time he killed/destroyed an enemy and allowed him to commune with trees and animals. Definitely useful abilities and Arthas then grabbed the other three items and walked out of the chamber planning on gifting his three commanders with the items.
In the city
The defenders were not having a good day; first their Prince returns, which many of them hoped he wouldn't, then the undead attack with strange warriors, and now they were being flanked by six powerful juggernauts that resembled people they thought to be their allies and were being hard pressed to hold them back as the gates were crumbling, the skies were being over shadowed by beasts, and each time one of their own fell they would get right back up as an undead and attack them. As it stood, the city was slowly falling as blighted ground began to spread as the undead took more and more ground.
It only got worse as the Gryphons in the city suddenly went wild and attacked, but they also noticed they had become black with blood red eyes, and were grabbing their soldiers before dropping them from great heights or clawing them to death. Arthas watched the literal rain of death as he walked through the city that once was his home as he came from the Gryphon Roosts. A Necromancer then came to him and bowed, "Lord Arthas, our forces have met little resistance and this Capital City is crumbling as we speak. We also have found members of the Cult of the Damned that were hiding amongst the populace and they are beginning to help call our structures to the city from Northrend."
He stated and Arthas nodded, "Excellent, instruct the other Necromancers to convert the corpses into Ghouls and Skeletons as we'll be keeping this place for now." Arthas ordered and the Necromancer nodded before leaving to do as told and Arthas merely watched the city burn since he knew no innocent like children were here due to the fact his father made it a law that children had to go to one of the bordering cities to be trained to fight or to be nurses if needed so there were no worries in just burning this entire city to the ground if he felt like it. Arthas then turned quickly to catch someone and then pinned them to a wall where he claimed their lips in a kiss and held their ass with both his hands causing the person to moan as they wrapped their legs around him and continued the kiss. Arthas then pulled back and stroked the figure's cheek, "Eager are we, Jaina?" Arthas asked with a smirk as he, like her, had found that they now got excited from crushing their enemies and bringing their wrath down on anyone that was in their way.
Jaina nodded as Arthas' hands went under her robes and gripped her ass tightly, "Yes, I want you so badly… my lord." She stated with a blush as during their time traveling back from Northrend she had gained a bit of a fetish for him being her lord and master and she the obedient servant/slave that pleased him however he wanted, though Arthas treated her like a queen on occasions and in public, she still loved being treated the other way.
Arthas smirked wider before he shifted her clothes to hold her bare ass, "Then let me sate you, my good little slut." He stated before turning her around and claimed her as the city burned and screams from others dying echoed in the distance.
A week later: Vandermar Village
Arthas, his commanders, Shadow, Starfire, and Blaze were trudging through the wasteland that was between Vandermar and the Capital as his undead horde just unleashed hell on the land both while he was gone and since he returned to his homeland. His forces were remaining in Lordaeron to turn it into a new and more powerful capital city while they moved to turn more of the kingdom. However, Minerva was sent with a decent sized contingent of soldiers on a side mission that Arthas promised would be rewarded in any way she desired if she followed his orders and succeeded. Naturally, she accepted and left her lover and king Arthas promised they would see each other soon.
Anyway, after Lordaeron fell, Arthas had given the items to his three commanders: Uther gained the Dragon's Soul, Muradin gained the Doom Hammer, and Jaina received the Eye of Medivh.
Uther's gift was a sword that Arthas' grandfather had commissioned with the help of the Dwarves and the Magi by imbuing it with dragon blood and old runes to allow the blade to call forth dragon whelps depending on how much magical power was poured into it. However, it was deemed too cumbersome and needed too much magical power to be used so it was sealed away along with the items that Arthas took for himself that were created for an emergency… such as the war with the undead breaking out at the beginning.
Muradin's was crafted and named after a Orc hammer that was wielded by a true terror in the older wars that was both feared and respected by the Alliance soldiers. The hammer was given powers from the darker sides of magic and was thus deemed unusable once Arthas' grandfather was literally begged by the archmage to not let it be used by anyone. The hammer not only increased the fighting power of the user but it also had a chance to activate three runes that took in an amount of mana from the user to cast one of three spells that could cause death, destruction, and… well, doom on anyone in their way. However, what they didn't know was that the user chose when to activate the spell as the rune would merely glow when it was ready to be activated. Another reason was that the amount of mana needed to use the spells was rather large, meaning it was greater than some middle class Magi even possessed, and the Magi could not see bringing that kind of wrath down on anyone. However, Arthas very well could and, thanks to Damon, Muradin was prepared to use the item and spells if needed.
(Thrall's hammer is one word: Doomhammer)
Jaina's item was probably every Mage/wizard/witch's wet dream if they desired power: The Eye of Medivh was crafted and then infused with all the knowledge and power of the Archmage of the time as he had been an apprentice of Medivh and had read his spell book to learn more secrets after the man's death. Not only did it vastly increase the spell power of the user, increase their mana by a factor of 1.5, and make their spells more powerful, but it also acted as a catalyst between any and all spells used regardless of the type of spell or the amount of power needed to utilize it. It was especially helpful due to the fact Jaina had been experimenting with summoning lesser demons and the ring acted as her go between thus negating the need for a soul gem and it increased their link to the mortal plain including that of Elementals as well, which was a bonus since Jaina's elementals were always helpful and, due to being around Arthas and his auras so much, she could call fire and frost elementals in addition to her water ones.
Now, naturally, Uther and Muradin combined their items with their weapons from Damon, while Jaina wore hers as it was a black band covered in white and crimson runes with the gem on it being silver with a dark purple slit like pupil on the top of the gem. The three had practiced with their new abilities as did Arthas during their week long journey from Lordaeron to the village they were approaching now. However, as they approached a hill overlooking the village of Vandermar, a blast of demonic energy arose and revealed a larger and red version of Mal'Ganis and Arthas growled, "Mal'Ganis! I don't know how you survived but…"
"Calm yourself young prince, I am not Mal'Ganis. I am Tichondrius and like him I am a Dreadlord. But I am not here to fight you; in truth I am here to congratulate you." He stated causing them to frown in confusion.
"Congratulate me?" Arthas questioned as he found it unlikely that one of Mal'Ganis' kind would be happy for him to be dead, but then again demons probably climbed over their dying brothers to get a better position and chance at power.
"Yes, by taking the blade, killing your father, and then damning this land to the Scourge, you have passed your first test. The Lich King is… enthused by your actions, enthusiasm, brutality, ferocity, and, of course, your skills with converting warriors and people to your side in order to better achieve your objectives." Tichondrius stated as he stood on the hill like he was in control when those he looked at knew things to be to the contrary and Arthas knew he had to play dumb for them to believe he wasn't free.
"Yes, I've killed my father, destroyed the peace the Kingdom knew, and killed practically everything I knew as a boy in his name… and yet I feel no remorse, no shame, no pity." He stated knowing that the best lie was one that had truth all throughout it so no one could detect it as a lie.
"The Runeblade you hold was designed by the Lich King and empowered to steal souls and yours was the first it took before it then claimed everyone else's that you've struck down since then." Tichondrius stated as he had been informed of the blade and what it could do and knew it was part of the reason Arthas had succeeded in killing Mal'Ganis, but only part. In truth, even if he would never admit it, Tichondrius was afraid of the power the Death Knight before him held and wouldn't be lying if he said he thought he could actually perish if he faced the mortal.
"Then I'll make do without one, what is the Lich King's will?" Stated Arthas as he had stopped hearing the voice from the blade ever since Damon interfered on his behalf and now only the blade itself spoke to him on occasion and at times it seemed that it was sensing something else in the world that wanted its, and by extension his, attention.
"The Cult of the Damned must be assembled, while the few you found in the capital is a start, there are still more. Once you've gathered enough, I will give you further instructions." Tichondrius stated, while Arthas knew fully well that this demon was trying to act all high and mighty towards him to show that he was in charge when everyone there knew fully well that it could be anyone's guess who would win if he and the demon fought as they both probably had their powers suppressed at the moment, which for Arthas was only due to his body still trying to blend and settle the war between his unholy magic and his holy.
Breaking from his musings, Arthas nodded before two Ghouls came up to him as he rode Blaze and they moved to the village with the Ghouls out in front as they trudged through before finding a cultist with some local villagers with the two Ghouls going for the kills immediately while Shadow moved and mauled one that tried to get away while Arthas just blasted a Death Coil at the residents before turning them into either Ghouls, Zombies, or Skeletons depending on if the Ghouls snacked on the corpses to some degree. Before they could move forward the Acolyte spoke to them, "Greetings my lord. Our master, Kel'Thuzad, said you would come."
The Acolyte stated shocking Arthas and Jaina, "Kel'Thuzad?! But how could he possibly…"
Arthas didn't finish as the Acolyte spoke again, "Be wary, if the townspeople see you, they will alert the local guards. Seek out the local graveyard to reinforce your group."
He stated before he was summoned away and Arthas frowned before moving forward before finding a Shade, which was an invisible scout unit for the Scourge and was connected to those that served the Scourge and Arthas sent him out to scout the area and they saw that there were three Footmen, one Captain, 2 Knights, and group of peasants and horses with that path directly in front of them splitting up and down. Arthas motioned with his hands and Falric, Marwyn, and Rane moved along the upper path to kill the Footmen and Captain while Arthas and the remaining group went to the lower path and sent the undead at the villagers while he retrieved the Acolyte and his commanders killed the knights and destroyed the stable and Barracks that was there.
They regrouped in front of the town gate though the Shade showed there was a path around the wall through some trees, the fools, and sent his undead around while he drew his hammer, that he renamed as Death's Embrace to replace Light's Vengeance, and then threw it through the gate shattering it and killing the guards on the other side as his undead swarmed through killing people and soldiers alike that his commanders joined in on while he went to the graveyard and called forth more undead to ravage the village. He felt no pity for it as this was one of the seedier and more corrupted areas of the kingdom that his father never had the guts to just burn away to clear it. Well, he certainly wasn't like his father… or was he since Damon could be classified as his father?
Ah well, he could sort that out later, Arthas sent his undead to continue destroying the town while he followed a path from behind the town hall and stumbled upon an interesting sight of a familiar band of mercenaries that Arthas hadn't seen in almost a year, when he killed their captain outside of Strahnbrad and it seemed they had gained quite a few more to their band, "Well, it's been awhile since I last saw you lot."
Arthas stated as some of the veterans of the band widened their eyes, "Lord Arthas!" They stated as Magran came and bowed before him before the others then began showing their own brand of respect to him while the newbies followed suit. The veterans remembered fully well the Prince that brought down their leader with ease and had gained them as soldiers before they left for different areas, but never forgot their honor or their pledge. Magran for his part was never the same after Arthas bested him as he could tell the man was well trained and destined for greatness despite the so called claims that the man was defying the king. When word reached them that Arthas had killed the king, they moved towards the capitol to join him as he knew there would be quite a few people out for his head and if he happened to be leading the undead now, as the rumors let on to, then all the better since that meant they didn't have to face the undead either… or at least they hoped not.
Arthas noted that Magran had changed slightly as he had a long gash down his left eye and wore thick metal studded leather armor with a nasty looking serrated spear on his back and two smaller ones there as well with a set of knives on his waist. Beyond that, he looked pretty much the same as before with raven colored hair that was shorter than Arthas', a goatee with a few bald lines due to scars, onyx eyes, a build that was slightly bulkier than that of a runner, and he had tanned skin that showed he was outdoors quite a bit but not so dark to that one would think he bathed in the sun regularly.
Breaking from his musings, Arthas addressed them again, "I am pleased to find you here. I could use some more soldiers to help me bring down my enemies. That is, if you are still willing to swear fealty to me and follow me into hell." Arthas stated as he knew he would need more than the undead to bring his enemies down. Yes, he could just send wave after wave of undead until the enemy was too weak to fight, but that was for when he had time to do lengthy sieges and it didn't matter how many of his forces fell.
The mercenaries all nodded and saluted to him while Magran bowed again with his weapons low in respect before Arthas repeated the same process he used on his soldiers in Northrend and they all gained darkened skin, the leather armor they wore turned rougher and became dark, and their weapons had different runes glowing on them. The new additions to his Shadow Warriors saluted to him before he sent them to pillage and destroy as he found that Frostmourne connected him to them so they could learn what he wanted them to do and what their purpose for this town was without having to take the needed time to explain it.
With that said and done, Arthas moved to the next gate and destroyed it like the last before he threw Leechbane and Blood Cleaver into two Knights that were attempting to ride down an Acolyte. Arthas then walked forward while his Undead and Mercenaries rushed in as more screaming occurred as his commanders began walking in with him though Arthas was the only one no longer wearing the cloak and Magran stayed by Arthas. As they walked, they started hearing the sounds of Ghouls dying and frowned before they moved and found a Paladin, mage, and two Dwarven Warriors there in the center of town striking down enemies left and right. As they approached, the undead moved away and continued to ransack the town as the four turned to face Arthas and his band, "You! You damn traitorous bastard, we'll make you pat for this butchery and for the death of your father, Muradin, Jaina, and Uther."
Shouted the Paladin while Arthas raised an eyebrow at the man in confusion before making a hand motion and Marwyn, Rane, and Falric went out to help the undead finish faster while Uther, Muradin, and Jaina stepped forward before throwing aside the cloaks. Muradin now had thicker plate armor that was the same design and everything as it was in Northrend after Arthas converted them; Uther's armor was bulkier and had some openings to allow movement while having dragon, eagle, and demon heads as designs, but was largely the same; and Jaina had crimson robes that hugged her figure well with black runes over it with pieces of armor over a few areas to provide extra protection and a black over robe that seemed to flow in an invisible wind. (Basically a crimson and black version of Jedi Battle Robes)
Needless to say, the four were shocked, "You think I would kill my brothers and love? You're a fool, they joined me willingly and I've helped them grow beyond what they were when serving the Alliance." He stated though he now noticed one of the Dwarves was female and had scarlet hair, sky blue eyes, a decent hourglass figure (for a Dwarf), and had a rifle on her back with a sword and axe on her waist. He frowned as he felt he knew her, but when he saw her look to Muradin with joy and love, he remembered: this was Maya Bronzebeard, the wife of Magni Bronzebeard and the woman Muradin loved and recently, thanks to Damon's letter, found out was loved back.
The Paladin growled, "Don't worry brother; we'll free you from that bastard's control." The Paladin growled causing the people by Arthas to scowl at him before Uther looked to Arthas for permission and Arthas nodded before Uther was in front of the Paladin socking him in the face and sending him flying backwards into a nearby church before Muradin did the same to the male Dwarven warrior sending him sailing into a guard house and Jaina used her magic to fling the mage into a nearby store before the three went after their targets.
Arthas then turned to Maya who merely stood there and Arthas removed his helm to gaze at her, "Hello Maya, it is good to see you again."
Arthas stated with a smile that Maya returned, "You as well Arthas, though if I had learned Muradin was dead then I would have made it my mission to kill you." She stated and Arthas nodded knowing it was true.
"Then I am very fortunate that Muradin is not dead and you do not have to try and kill me. However, you should know that he is aware that you are in love with him and wants to talk to you." He stated getting a shocked look from Maya as she wanted to tell him once she found him.
With Uther
Uther entered the church looking for the Paladin as he was sure that strike more than likely made him a little slower than he was before Uther slugged him. As Uther reached the center, he was blasted by holy light… which didn't work since Uther wasn't technically undead. Uther turned to look before frowning as he didn't have time for this so he drew his hammer, which like Arthas' turned obsidian, and channeled his dark/unholy power into it before slamming it on the ground causing a large shockwave to echo out and sent the Paladin into a nearby wall where one of the benches slammed into him disorienting him. Uther approached the man before breaking his left leg and stared at the man, "Uther… you must… fight it."
The man rasped and Uther growled before grasping the man's head and lifting him off the ground, "Fool, I didn't fall to someone's influence nor am I controlled. I willingly joined Arthas as he is better than his father ever was and its time I helped him remove another arrogant fool from his new land." Uther stated angrily before he began crushing the man's head as he screamed in pain and for mercy… and received none in return. When the man was dead, Uther flicked the blood from his hands before moving to regroup with Arthas.
With Muradin
Muradin had chopped through some of the wooden wall that his enemy went through as some had collapsed once he sent that other Dwarf through the wall. As he walked carefully, his battle senses went off and he jumped just in time to avoid an axe chop before he retaliated with a Storm Bolt that the Dwarf attempted to block but got sent hurdling into a wall. The Dwarf attempted to get up but found himself suddenly being sent flying via Thunderclap right next to him before he found himself in a vice like grip that was Muradin's hand around his neck and staring into said Dwarf's hatred filled, glowing, silver eyes, "I can see it in your eyes boy, you were sent to kill me regardless of if I was controlled, dead, or neither. Well, I guess that would be my brother whenever he was threatened he went out of his way to ensure the threat was removed. Well he can kiss my arse! I'm helping Arthas with his goals and when that goal turns to claiming Ironforge into his kingdom then I'll volunteer to lead the assault myself."
Muradin stated and the Dwarf struggled slightly, "Damn… traitor."
The Dwarf rasped and Muradin glared while slowly increasing the pressure on the Dwarf's throat, "As if my brother is any better." He stated before snapping the Dwarf's neck and dropped him before walking back to Arthas and, by extension, Maya.
With Jaina
Jaina casually walked into the store where she threw the mage before she moved slightly as a lightning bolt flew past her and she retaliated with a blizzard spell that made the mage move quickly before he found himself slammed in the face by the end of Jaina's staff, "You might as well give up; you can beat me."
Jaina stated to the mage who spat out a tooth, "Damn you, you traitorous bitch, and damn that bastard to hell. Once I get my hands on him, I'll make him no a fate worse than death…" He stated but didn't finish as he was suddenly sent into the ceiling, then the wall, then the floor, then the other wall, then repeated this for about 5 full rotations before he was slammed into the ground hard.
Jaina then used her staff to lift him into the air while glaring at him with her glowing crimson eyes, "You'll never have the chance." She growled before she then flexed her hands and he was literally torn to pieces before she dropped him and went back to her lover.
With Tichondrius: Half an hour later
Arthas and his group came back to Tichondrius once the last of the Acolytes had been reclaimed and Maya was now standing lovingly next to Muradin while now also being converted to Arthas' growing forces and resembled the other Dwarves only obviously female. Tichondrius nodded approvingly at the cult members, "You've done well Death Knight, the cult is nearly assembled." He stated while internally frowning at the Death Knight gaining more soldiers to his side and Arthas was frowning as they went through the trouble of getting the cultists but now it was no use in Lordaeron.
"Lordaeron lies in ashes! What good are these cultists now?" Arthas stated as he had an idea where and what they were going to do next but couldn't act like he did know.
"These cultists will aid you in your next task: Retrieving the remains of the cult's leader, the Necromancer Kel'Thuzad." He stated getting surprised and confused expressions from them while Arthas figured this was probably the reason why Kel'Thuzad stated it wouldn't matter if Arthas killed him or not since the plague still spread, the kingdom still fell, and now it looked like Kel'Thuzad was going to be brought back. So basically, and realistically, he was right.
Done! That was a pain in my neck to write, but it got done. Sorry it isn't as long as some of the others, but I want the next few things to all be together in one chapter as that, from my point of view at least, will be where some of the real fun starts. Anyway, I am pretty sure I got quite a few of you with thinking that Arthas was going all dark like in the game, well surprise, surprise. I bet a lot of you forgot that Damon had made contact with Frostmourne at the start of the fic and altered it slightly. Well, now you know what he did to it and why.
To other matters, the next chapter will do more of the Undead campaign and more than likely show another three allies/sets of soldiers for Arthas: one you know for sure, one you should be able to guess, and one that you should know but have probably forgotten about.
On another note, I have an idea for a sequel to this and an… extension I guess would be the word. Anyway, the sequel will be Arthas leading his group to another world, and it wasn't through them that connection was made so Damon won't be upset, and will then move to take that world or at least help it. What I want from you is what world should it be? It can be any world where he would have to face armies, heavy resistance, or Kil'Jaeden sized/powered enemies, but if I don't know the item then I'm afraid it's out.
So, for the extension, I am certain that some of you have seen a certain parallel between Arthas and a certain being that had Minions serving him when he fought and conquered his enemies such as the Glorious Empire and the 7 Heroes. Anyway, my idea for an extension is that way into the future; Naruto Uzumaki finds Arthas' items and assumes control before bringing war on the Elemental Countries to claim it as his using his soldiers that he can call forth with the powers he gains and there will be some that are Naruto's versions of Arthas' commanders. What I want from y'all is a simple Yay or Nay on if you all would like to see it as it would be bumped higher into the next in line to write list, which is VERY long. I probably will write it regardless, but I have at least four Ideas similar to it, with one already being up called Prince of Death, but still very different (which if you would like to hear about whether for your curiosity or because you may want to try them out then PM me) and each has their own unique flair and style between Butcher, grey, and savior Naruto/heir to the Lich King.
Anyway, I have a poll for the next Naruto fic I will do and one for the first lemon story I will try, so vote if you are interested as there are a few ideas that many people seemed to be interested in. If nothing else, maybe it will be a fic that you are interested in trying for yourself.
So let me hear your thoughts on those matters and like I said above check my profile for polls and such. Later everyone, hope to see some reviews and comments.
