I do not own Warcraft.
-Twins Greyhem-
Despite the two men's heavy armor, neither slowed Loralen as they hurried through the forest. A solid hour of running without a single encounter with an enemy passed but Loralen maintained a vigilant watch on the surroundings as well as the two knights that ran before her.
She did not know what to think of them. She could understand why the death knight, Sillos, would perhaps be in the area. Like the Forsaken, the death knights were undead and hated by the living. Further, it appeared the man managed to gain back control of his mind, something Loralen had never heard of before. However, the paladin she couldn't understand at all. Not only did his usage of the Light not hurt her, something she had also never heard of before, but he never seemed to look at his brother or her with disgust or pity. She narrowed her eyes as she watched him and entertained the idea of ending his life there and then. However she discarded the thought after noting she would likely have to flee from the death knight if she did, something that would take considerable time. She couldn't afford anything that would delay her and it wasn't worth the risk. Perhaps she would end the paladin later, when the death knight wasn't around.
Speaking of the paladin, the man held up his hand and slowed his run as they crested a hill.
"Smells like," paused as he sniffed the air, "burning corpses."
Loralen frowned. The dead did not have the ability to smell and she had to take it from the human who could. But if the man smelt the sickly sweet reek of burning flesh then…She hurried over the hill and found the source. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of an army of Forsaken assaulting Undercity. She was too late, the Forsaken were at war with themselves.
From what she could seen, the attacking, traitorous undead had pushed what ever loyal forces that existed deep into the ruins. She quickly concluded that if there were any loyal Forsaken fighting, they would be holding the elevators off the old throne room.
"Dark Ranger," Sillos said as he hurried after her. He stopped at the crest of the hill, his glowing eyes taking in everything below. "What are we doing?"
She shook her head and glared at him. "Do what you wish," she growled.
Loralen pulled her hood over her pale silver-gold hair, perfecting her the camouflage her clothing offered for the perpetually dark woods. Dashing to the right, the dark ranger circled the ruins of the once great city. The old castle in the south-eastern area of the city held the throne room and, behind that, the elevators to Undercity. To get there, she would have to pass through two walls, one around the castle itself and the other circling a larger section of the city. However, before all of that, she would have to pass through the mixture of stone and rotten, wooden buildings that made up the expanded part of the city that sprung up after the original outer wall was completed.
The first part of her trip was an easy task as the traitors seemed to be focused on getting to and taking the elevators as fast as they could. She frowned. That made sense as if they controlled the elevators then they controlled Undercity. All retreat save for secret passages would be cut off. Then it would be the simple matter of hunting the surviving loyal Forsaken down and ending their resistance.
Sticking to the thick shadows, Loralen worked her way quickly through the outer city to a crumbled section of the outer wall. It was in the inner city and as she grew closer to the castle that she started to come across rushing traitorous undead. She found signs of battle and the corpses of Forsaken here and there but hardly slowed her step. Her old goal was to get to the elevators, meet up with any survivors and push this enemy back or die trying.
The crumbled section of the inner wall she reached had a small smattering of guards. They were obviously not expecting to be attacked here as she downed four with her bow before they reacted. The remaining six were swiftly dealt with by arrow or melee combat with her sturdy bow and razor sharp dagger. The dark ranger flew through the castle on silent feet. Turning a corner, she clenched her teeth as before her was the bulk of what must have been the traitorous army. Metal clanked and wood cracked as the enemy forces meet the resistance of those few loyal Forsaken held the narrow hall to the throne room. Arrows rained down from murder holes, some surrounded by nefarious energys, which gave evidence to the present of Loralen's dark ranger sisters being present for the battle. Squinting, Loralen saw Areiel, a Captain of the Dark Rangers, sat stride a decaying charger leading the loyal Deathguard in the melee. A sword flickered in the moonlight as she lashed out on each of her sides against any undead foolish enough to get within her reach.
Spying a weak point in the traitorous army's right, the silver-blonde dark ranger nocked an arrow and sprinted toward it. She didn't think about her chances of getting through. She was a dark ranger, her purpose was to live and die for the Forsaken as well as the Banshee Queen and right now she needed to get to her Queen. Loralen didn't know if Sylvanas knew how deep this treachery went but Sylvanas had to be informed of Putress.
Taking an unneeded breath, she loosed her arrow and assaulted the enemy with a single minded goal of breaking through from behind. The ex-Forsaken were unorganized, more a horde then a disciplined unit of soldiers, and none took notice her until five had dropped dead, arrows lodged in the back of their heads. Stowing her bow, Loralen drew her daggers and rushed the weakened area. She just had to work her way through a eight undead deep mass before she could get behind the loyalist's line.
To live and die for the Forsaken, that was her purpose and the information she had could be life or death for the Forsaken. She was keenly aware of how the ex-Forsaken moved to engulf her, to surround her as she tore into the mass before her. Loralen didn't hesitate, didn't slow. She ducked and dodged the blades from all sides, striking back when the opportunity showed. Bodies dropped as she unleashed her wrath. The dark ranger took the feet out from an undead and stabbed it in the heart just to surge up, slashing the face of another. Glancing to her goal, she saw a virtual wave of rotten corpses rushing toward her and she readied her daggers. She was always ready for war.
Loralen's eyes widened slightly when the ground around her froze and an icy mist rushed past her. The darkness of the coming brightened and the same cold ground cracked apart. Golden light erupted out of the newly formed crevices, which forced the ex-Forsaken near back. However, the ones who were stuck frozen to the ground had their flesh burn in holy light and they screamed with pain. Loralen was astonished to see, yet again, the same Light did not hurt her as it surrounded her, seeping from the cracks around her. In her astonishment, she almost didn't notice two familiar knights come rushing past her, shields before them and weapons held high.
Shaking her head, Loralen scolded herself for becoming distracted and hurried after the knights. With the might of the knights and several well placed arrows, the three warriors managed to break through the mass and the loyal Deathguard opened their line for a brief moment, just long enough for them to squeeze in.
Loralen turned, firing arrows into the midst of the ex-Forsaken as Areiel took advantage of the disruption Loralen and the knights has caused in the enemy lines. The Captain shot of several orders before maneuvering her mount down the hall that lead to the throne room, gesturing sharply for Loralen to follow.
Loralen moved quickly, the clanking of armor told her the knights were following shortly behind, and approached Areiel. "Captain Areiel," she yelled over the cacophony of battle in Thalassian, the language of preference for dark rangers. "I must speak to the Dark Lady. I need to inform her of Putress' betrayal."
The Dark Ranger Captain frowned as she pulled her bow from her back and loosed an arrow toward the enemy. Glancing down at Loralen she replied, "We are aware. The traitor made his move only a handful of minutes ago. The Banshee Queen suspected something just before it all started and sent us to hold the elevators."
Loralen growled. She had been too late. "Where do you need me, sister?"
The clanking of armor caused both of the dark rangers to look behind Loralen. The two Human knights had their swords at their sides and Sillos stated, a confidence and condescending look on his face, "Looks like you could use some help, Dark Ranger."
Studying the two briefly, Loralen noted the putrid blood of the undead as well as new dents and scratches in both the men's armor and shields. However they had gotten to the throne room, it was clear to Loralen that they had been met with resistance.
Areiel looked over both of the men before focusing on Loralen. "Explain," she ordered.
"It's complicated," the silver-blonde Ranger answered honestly. "Gunther betrayed us and they...aided me."
The Dark Ranger Captain frowned and said in common, "Two knights in shining armor and one's a paladin if that holy magic was anything to go by. I should just kill you both here and now, save myself the headache."
"The Forsaken obviously need help," Sillos returned loudly, his whispery voice deceptively loud. "Until we figure out who gets to kill who, lets handle the situation before us. If it will ease your worries, have the dark ranger order us until things calm down," he said and gestured to Loralen.
"Dark Ranger Loralen," Areiel said in a stern tone, switching back to Thalassian, "do you accept the responsibility for these two? In any other circumstances I would kill the paladin where he stands but the death knight is right, we have bigger issues to deal with at this time."
Loralen considered it. The two humans had all but come out of nowhere and, admittedly, saved her life. Then they escorted her back to Undercity and aided her in getting past the mass of traitors. These two were either insane or they were after something. Either way, they seemed willing to help kill the Forsaken's enemy and she could make use of that. If they were after something, she would simply keep her eyes on them and kill them when she was done using them.
She nodded. "Yes, I'll take responsibility for them. Your orders?"
Areiel studied her for a moment. "Report to General Clea in the Magic Quarter. There was a massive cave-in that separated the War Quarter and the Magic Quarter. The whole of the Apothecarium, Rogues Quarter, and the Royal Quarter have been taken by the traitors, we know nothing about the War Quarter but it is likely it has been taken as well."
"What of the Dark Lady?"
"I don't know. You have your orders."
"Ma'am!" Loralen snapped and hurried to one of the elevators.
She could hear Sillos and Vitus following behind her. Just as the elevator started to descend she heard Sillos say, "Things have gone to the abyss here."
"Putress' betrayal has surprised all of us," Loralen replied. Gripping her down tighter, she muttered "I'll kill that bastard when I find him."
Vitus rolled his shoulders, the sound of shifted metal filling the air, and said, "For now we should focus on what we can do. Do not let a drive for vengeance cloud what needs to be done."
"And what would you know about vengeance, Paladin?" she snapped with as much venom she could muster while also keeping her voice the passive, uncaring tone all dark rangers had.
He did not answer her but the hardening of his eyes intrigued her for a moment before her anger burned it away. She frowned.
Loralen hated paladins. She disliked them when she was alive for their intolerable zealotry and she loathed them in undeath for their eagerness to vanquish the Forsaken for simply existing. She couldn't count how many times a group of paladins entered the Forsaken's lands in an effort to purify it from 'corruption'. They would slaughter and pillage the undead who couldn't defend themselves and would flee like the cowards they were when the Deathguard or Dark Rangers came. They believed the Forsaken were the opposite of the Light. Nothing but taint that must be wiped away. She could never forgive anyone with that mentality. Ever. The Forsaken may have been abandoned by the Light but they would fight tooth and nail to continue their existence.
The elevator shuddered as it reached the bottom and Loralen lead the two knights through the old sewers of Lordaeron. She took a few turns, passing many Deathguard busy making barricades along the way, before she entered the city proper. Undercity was constructed in the massive circle that was the main junction of the Lordaeron sewers and held a population of roughly thirteen-thousand, nearly half of those were trained fighters. There were two floors and hundreds of tunnels that connected to all parts of the city. It was a literal maze for those who did not know their way around.
As they entered the open area of the Magic Quarter, they could see thousands of people milling about, a hint of panic in the air. Most of those gathered appeared to be craftsmen or the Forsaken equivalent of civilians. It would have been a time consuming effort to force her way through the throngs of people alone but as the two knights completely emerged into the open the loud, scared millings of the people slowly silenced. All eyes focused on the two humans and single dark ranger.
Loralen hurried her pace and the twin knights followed. It would have been eery to have the focus of such a large amount of the Forsaken on one's person, but the silver-blonde hardly cared as she marched to the main building in the Magical Quarter, the Temple of the Damned. The massive skulls that adorned the building grinned at all comers and grey stone walls were accented by the glow of green energies. This was an unholy place that would make any acolyte of the Light uncomfortable.
She glanced back to study the paladin and was surprised at what she saw. The man, instead of looking around with disgust or adopting an air of arrogant superiority or vain righteousness, looked to the people of the Forsaken without a shred of disgust. He didn't even seem phased by the outright hostile looks he was receiving from many members of the Forsaken. She wouldn't have been surprised to discover that the only thing stopping the undead from attacking the man was her presence. In fact, if Loralen read his look right, he was looking at them with a warmth and compassion that none of the living, even close allies, had ever done before.
Loralen shook her head again and mentally cursed the bewildering paladin. The man must be deranged. She strode over the arching bridge below which was a stream of glowing green ooze and walked into the temple. Immediately upon entering she spotted General Clea surrounded by several Dark Ranger Captains and high ranking Deathguard at the far end of the cavernous space. Tables had been hastily moved into the middle of the room with maps, reports, and other pieces of paperwork scattered about. Clea appeared to be listening to reports from those around her as her eyes fixated on whoever was speaking at any given moment. From what little Loralen could hear as she hurried toward them it seemed like no one was sure where Lady Sylvanas was. The dark ranger stopped outside the group and waited to be noticed. It didn't take long with the two Human knights following behind her.
"Ranger Loralen," General Clea said in Gutterspeak, likely for the sake of the Deathguard in the room. Her voice was hard and stern.
The silver-blonde Ranger took a knee and bowed her head. "General Clea. Your orders?"
She looked up to meet the General's eyes and didn't look away when the imposing woman glanced behind her. "Who are our guests?" she asked.
"Sillos Greyhem," she answered without pause, "a death knight. The other is a paladin."
The moment she finished all the dark rangers in the room had their bows nocked and aimed. They were followed only a moment later by the loud scraping of metal as the Deathguard pulled their weapons.
General Clea, who didn't move at the revelation, looked between the two humans slowly. "I can understand why you, Sillos Greyhem, might be here," she said in Common. "But a paladin… I never thought I would see the day a paladin walked the halls of Undercity." She paused, focusing her attention on Sillos. "Why are you here, Death Knight?"
Sillos didn't answer right away but he did look to Vitus who shrugged his shoulders. The death knight sighed heavily and answered in an exasperated tone, "To help."
"To help," Clea muttered. "Sillos Greyhem, as someone who is also burdened with undeath, I can somewhat understand why you have come to Undercity and the Forsaken. Thou, I do not know how you managed to break away from the bastard's will. I also don't understand why you have come here with a paladin at your side."
Sillos frowned. "It's a long story," he stated. "Something I don't think you have the time for."
The Dark Ranger General's lip curled slightly, amusement dancing in her eyes. It wasn't often someone was curt with her. "You're right about that, I do not have the time now but I will eventually." She looked to the paladin. "And you, what are you doing here in the heart of Forsaken territory?"
"I was traveling with Sillos when we came across Dark Ranger Loralen. When we saw the troubles your people are facing, we decided to offer out aid," the insufferable man answered. He looked around to all the undead whose weapons were drawn on him, his blue eyes piercing and serious. "I understand you and yours would rather kill me than talk to me," he continued in a stern tone. "And the hatred in your eyes is likely well deserved for how your people have been treated by those who say they follow the Light. I cannot nor will I apologize for others' failings. I can only take responsibility for myself and my actions. At the moment, I want to help your people. If you think I can be useful in this battle, then use me. If not, then kill me now. You don't have time to waste."
A deathly silence filled the room and the drone of the crowd outside could be heard through the walls. Clea did not move her gaze from the holy man and several long moments passed. Loralen was also glaring hard at the man as she worked to suppress her rage. He wasn't responsible for what the followers of the Light had done to her people? What bullshit! He was a paladin. She had little doubt that he was involved in previous raids by paladins and she would make him pay. Her thoughts were interrupted when the Dark Ranger General tapped a finger on her hip, an audible click ringing through the air.
"Interesting." Clae muttered and then paused. "Ranger Loralen, I assume you have taken responsibility for them?"
"I have," Loralen answered.
"Good," she remarked. "Go, reinforce the front line. This betrayal started only a short while ago and the fighting is still furious. I would be there but I must maintain a middle ground between the fronts. Captain Kalira is in command of the dark rangers on that front. Go."
Loralen gave a stiff salute and hurried out. She followed the stone path that circled the outer ring of Undercity as it curved around toward the Rogues Quarter. It took only a few minutes to reach the front line of the battle. It appeared the battle line had been drawn just between the Rouge Quarter and the Magic Quarter and it was raging with clashing blades and shrieking arrows. Loralen spotted her fellow dark rangers dealing out death from the second floor balcony that circled above the outer ring. She glanced back at the knights that followed her like diligent dogs. She scowled before noticing a side corridor that went through the middle of Undercity. From what she could recall, the corridor actually circled back around to the Magic Quarter and placing the knights here would keep them out of the way. Further, it was clearly seen from where the dark rangers were positioned.
She pointed to it and ordered, "Guard this corridor. I've had about enough of you two for a lifetime."
She was thankful neither argued and they took a few steps into the corridor before stopping and holding their position. Stupid knights would jump off a cliff if you told them too. She hurried up a set of nearby stairs and joined her sisters, firing two arrows in quick succession into the horde of traitors below.
"Ranger Loralen," she heard the deceptively delicate voice of Dark Ranger Captain Kalira ring next to her. She looked to the Captain for a moment to bow her head and began unleashing more arrows. "About time you arrived," Kalira continued. "What happened to that scouting mission with the Deathguard?"
"Lieutenant Gunther betrayed us."
An explosion that showered them with small pebbles cut off any reply. Part of the balcony wall near the two was gone along with a few of their sisters. Kalira growled and shouted, "Enemy mages! Sisters, focus your fire on the mages!"
Loralen pulled the string of her bow to her cheek and pulled at the dark energy that inhabited her body. Shadows crawled across the shaft of her arrow and swirled at the tip. In a single fluid movement she stood, found a mage behind enemy lines with a fireball forming in its claw like hands, and loosed. She knelt in time to see her arrow strike true, killing the mage and causing the fireball to explode incinerating those around it.
At the same moment Loralen had stood to fire her arrow, Kalira also stood and killed her own mage before kneeling. She looked to Loralen and continued their discussion by asking, "How did you get away?"
"I didn't," she admitted and gestured quickly to the corridor below and one-hundred feet to the right of them. The tunnel was about two-hundred feet from the front line, close enough to keep an eye on the knights and rain death on the traitors.
"Humans? Here?"
"Later. For now they appear to be on our side but keep your eyes on them. One is a paladin."
The Captain nodded and Loralen focused her attention back to the battle. As she did a dozen balls of fire soared over her head. Half crashed into the enemy forces and the other half destroyed the balcony further along from the dark rangers. She glanced over and saw that ex-Forsaken appeared to have attempted to flank her sisters and her by attacking along the balcony. Without the mages' intervention the dark rangers would have been forced into melee combat which would have disrupted their ability to support the main battle line.
The conflict continued for hours and the front line moved forwards and backwards by a few dozen feet at a time. A mound of corpses marking where the fighting had been the most furious. Reinforcements were almost constantly streaming in on both sides, with neither side gaining more than the other. Finally, as the battlefield quieted, Loralen placed her back against the wall that had been her cover and took an unneeded breath out of pure unconscious habit from when she was alive. She was exhausted and took in two more breaths before she forced her body to move.
"Fresh troops," Captain Kalira commanded, "make a barricade during this lull. Keep on alert, we cannot afford a sneak attack." Kalira, her black hair whipping around her neck as she turned to face her Ranger sisters. "A fine job, sisters. Anya, head back to the temple and report on the current situation here. I want to hear what is going on when you get back. The rest of you, continue overwatch. We don't know when those bastards will come again. We must work through our exhaustion until reinforcements can replace us. Loralen," she said and waved the silver-blonde Ranger over.
Loralen hurried over, very aware of how her limbs shook with the effort. They all may have been undead but even they had limits.
"Where are your Humans?"
She paused. In the chaos of the battle she had all but forgotten about the two humans, lost in the heat of the conflict. She didn't care to respond and hurried down the closest stairs. With any other Dark Ranger Captain she would have been less impulsive but she knew Kalira from when they were among the living. They had been trained by Sylvanas herself to be Rangers and where Kalira had gone the path to promotion and leadership, Loralen preferred to work alone. She always had trouble trusting others to have her back any being a lone wolf fit her well due to the long scouting missions she would be sent on. Her irritation began to grow when she neared the tunnel and didn't see either of the knights.
Loralen and Kalira turned into the tunnel and stopped in shock. There was very little that could cause a dark ranger to pause and even less that could surprise them but the number of rotten corpses that literally clogged the tunnel in some places spoke to the unknown battle that had taken place. The two entered the corridor and walked around piles of bodies, some of which nearly blocked the entire ten foot span of the path. They traveled fifty feet in, every inch covered in fetid blood, limbs, or a body, before they heard the sound of heavy breathing and voices.
"Your breathing heavily," the whispery voice of Sillos said.
"Yeah, well, you don't have to breathe, you bastard," answered Vitus, who drew in a loud, heavy breath. "You just do it out of habit more than anything."
"True, but you're still out of shape. Should do more running or something."
"Oh, ya. I'll get right on that. I'll run more. Run my sword right up your ass."
Loralen rounded the corner in the tunnel and found the two knights, one undead and the other living, standing before a pile of death that completely blocked the tunnel.
Sillos huffed as he tossed a body onto the pile. "You'd have to catch me first and well…"
"Fuck. You," Vitus said, punctuating each word as he spoke. He threw a body onto the pile.
Loralen couldn't believe what she was seeing. The two knights had actually held the tunnel she had ordered them to. She had done it to get them out of her hair as she had never expected them to actually fight. The ex-Forsaken must have broken down a wall in an effort to flank the Forsaken forces. She shook her head slightly. She had been convinced the humans were after something. But here they were, a multitude of corpses telling of their otherwise unknown stand. She heard Kalira clear her throat and the knights looked toward them.
"You two," Kalira said and gestured around, "did this?"
"Dark Ranger Loralen ordered us to hold this tunnel," Vitus turned to face the two undead elves as he answered. "We held it."
Now that she had a better view of the man, Loralen could tell it had been a trying battle. Clear signs of fatigue tugged at his eyes and the sight of fresh, red blood spoke of his being injured. Sillos turned to face the dark rangers as well and Loralen noticed both of the knights' armors had fresh scars and dents that hadn't been there before.
"I can see that," Kalira commented. She considered them for a moment apparently just as confused by these men as Loralen was. "Come, we will...pull back to the front of the tunnel. Paladin, you appear to be injured… we will give you time to see to your wounds."
"That would be appreciated," the human said as he moved around the bodies, careful where he stepped. "I'm afraid I don't have enough energy to look after it myself at this time."
Kalira nodded slowly. "And you, Death Knight? It is difficult to tell when an undead is injured."
"I'm fine," Sillos answered. "The bastard healed me only a few moments ago."
Vitus grumbled something about ungrateful brothers as he trudged by and Loralen was very aware of the fact that he did not hesitate to show his back to them. If she wanted she could end him. But she didn't. She watched as the death knight also passed the dark rangers and she gave Kalira a pointed look. Dark rangers were masters of hiding their thoughts and emotions but Loralen could see the subtle signs of confusion on Kalira's face.
"He healed a death knight?" Kalira whispered.
"Later," Loralen replied, a hint of weariness in her voice.
The two knights and dark rangers emerged in time to see General Clea, a company of fresh soldiers and dark rangers with her, coming around the bend. The General met the group and looked down the tunnel. She gazed into it for some time before looking at Loralen and Kalira, an eyebrow slightly raised.
"The death knight and paladin held off an enemy force coming from the tunnel," Kalira stated as if it was the most obvious thing in Azeroth. "Alone, I might add."
Loralen nodded. Dark rangers valued actions above all things. Anyone would say they could do this or that but to actually do it, that was different. She would never admit it aloud but these humans impressed her.
Clea studied the two Humans for a moment and then addressed the two undead elves. "Captain Kalira, you and your company of dark rangers will pull back to the Magic Quarters main square to rest and see to your wounds. Anya is waiting for you there."
"Yes, General," the black-haired Captain responded at once. "What is the status with the front above the elevators?"
Clea scowled. "We have been pushed back into Undercity but have managed to disable the lifts. For the time being, this is a single front battle."
"And the Dark Lady?"
"We still do not know. Hopefully she managed to escape," Clea answered. "Is that all?"
"Yes, thank you, General," Kalira replied. She looked to the second floor balcony and signaled to her company of dark rangers to move out.
It was a quiet walk to the square that neither the dark rangers or the human knights cared to break save for the clanking of armor and the breathing of the single living soul among them. When they reached the square it was surprisingly sparse. The people must have been moved elsewhere for their protection.
A short while later the knights commandeered the front of a tailoring shop on the second floor of the Mage Quarter. The shop looked out over the main square allowing Sillos, who was sat on the edge of a glassless window, to take in the square with his glowing ice blue eyes. Vitus was seated in a chair, his breastplate sitting at his feet with a ragged brown shirt, red stains here and there on it, crumpled next to it.
Loralen watched from her spot leaning on the far wall as the paladin cleaned his wounds and stitched them closed. The man confused her. Everything she understood about paladins and the Light screamed at her to kill him here and now but another part reminded her that he had truly done nothing to deserve her ire. Unlike other paladins she had met in the past, he had none of the stuffy arrogance or the holier-than-thou attitude she despised. Added to the matter was the fact that the man's Light didn't appear to hurt her and Loralen ended up in the position she was now; her brow knitted in confusion and her eyes focused on the man.
Vitus cursed he tried to reach a wound on his side. It was in a difficult place to stitch as he would have to do it with one hand. He tried again and stopped when it was apparent that he wasn't going to be able to.
"Help him," Sillos whispery voice ordered.
Loralen glanced up to see the death knight staring directly at her. She glared at him and muttered, "You help him. He's your brother."
"Twin," Sillos growled, "and I can't. I'm a death knight. If I interact with his wound in that close proximity, without a healing afterwards, it would become infected and fester within the hour. Vitus does not have the energy to heal himself at the moment. You, however, have no such problem concerning immediate infection. By the time any infection from your undeath might begin affecting him he will be able to heal himself."
Loralen looked between the two and scowled. "Fine."
She pushed herself from the wall and walked around the paladin to his wounded side. The wound was a six inch cut from what she suspected to be a blade. It must have slipped under his armor, so perhaps a dagger. Looking closer, she saw that the blade had slide against the man's ribs, digging deep into the man's flesh. Snatching the needle and thread from the paladin's hand, Loralen began to stitch the wound together without asking if he was ready for the needle to jab into him. She was not delicate as she stitched it up.
As she worked, Kalira entered the shop and Loralen saw Sillos give the woman a quick nod before looking back out the window. Kalira glanced briefly at the silver-blonde dark ranger stitching Vitus. Behind her, General Clea stepped into the room.
"The Dark Mistress has managed to escape and will be here with the Horde at her back in three days. The Forsaken must hold out until then." The General looked to the knights and questioned, "When will you two be ready to head back to the front line?"
"Now you're all about us helping," Sillos commented, as he continued to look out of the shop. Turning to look at the General, he continued, "Before it looked like you would rather have killed the two of us than use us."
"You both are the ones offering to help. I would be a fool to not use you until either of you die or we come out victorious," she replied. "However, killing the both of you is not yet out of the question." She paused, watching the two for a reaction. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, she changed the subject. "Tell me, what are a death knight and paladin doing traveling together?"
The two looked between each other before Vitus replied, "We're twins."
Clea's eyebrows rose slightly. "Twins," she muttered softly. "Ah, I see it now." She paused before asking, "And what were you two doing in Forsaken land? You are far from Ironforge and even farther from Stormwind."
Sillos gestured to Vitus who sighed. "We're traveling to Silvermoon to speak with an old instructor of ours."
"Why?"
"I'm undead," Sillos stated. "Even if Stormwind accepted that, I'm also a death knight. There's no way they would accept me in their ranks. It was either stay and die or leave. I...we... left. We weren't sure what to do so we decided to look for someone we trust to seek advice."
Clea stared at Sillos, her softly glowing red eyes boring into the man. "And just how did you escape Menethil's grasp?"
"I don't know."
A full minute of silence passed, during which Loralen finished tying off the final stitch.
"Thank you," Vitus muttered, which broke the quiet of the room and caused Loralen to scowl.
Clea nodded slowly. "How long before you can return to the front?"
"I won't go without Vitus," Sillos replied in a tone that did not allow for debate.
The living man sighed as he stood. "Give me a few hours to sleep and recuperate my energy. I'll be good to go by then."
"Fine. You two will be attached to Captain Kalira unit. When you are not on the battlefield, you will follow her and Lieutenant Loralen's commands. On the battlefield you will obey the front line commander." She turned, not waiting to hear their reply to her order. She glanced back for a brief moment and added, "Disobey an order and I'll have you both killed. You may be useful but you are not invaluable."
-Twins Greyhem-