Jacob woke from something that could be called the Scourge's version of sleep, a state of nonawareness. He was still leaning against the command tent, and there was dried blood on his blades. His wounds were mostly healed, except his chest, where pressing hard on the scar would make it sore. Remembering the previous day's affairs, he got up and headed to Salanar, who shook his head. "Well, death knight, I was really wondering how long you would take you to recover from your wounds. It matters not. I give you your own personal Acherus Deathcharger. You, Deathstalker, have succeeded where most initiates fail." Salanar whistled, a strange tone for a being of darkness and destruction. The exact Deathcharger that Jacob had relinquished came trotting up. Jacob petted its thin mane and sprang upon its back. "Come, Darkflight! we shall show the Scarlet Crusade the true meaning of fear!" He rode down into the fields and as the crusaders began to swarm around him, he summoned an anti-magic shell to protect from the smites. With a cry of battle on his lips, the death knight began to lay all around him with his blades, cleaving and carving down the crusaders.
In an instant he was surrounded by corpses. Calling in a necromancer to raise the undead, he rode back to Death's Breach, the eternal hunger sated…for the moment. A strange necromancer with a ram's skull on his head and a twisted staff in hand waved him over. "Deathstalker!" As Jacob approached, Gothik the Harvester drew himself up and recited a line, perhaps from some years ago…and strangely familiar.
"You have fought hard to invade the realm of the harvester…wait. That's not it. Apologies, human, old habits die hard. I have come from the frozen heart of Naxxramas to deliver a vicious threshing on our enemies. Who knows? I might be even able to feast on souls. Well human, I am all out of souls."
The necromancer then handed Jacob a complex handheld pump with a globe of vile green liquid attached to its bottom. "This will allow you to raise ghouls out of the miners that work in the mines over there. Raise a small army, then report back. In exchange, I do have some gold that I don't want…now get to it."
Angmar came riding back, his axe drenched in blood, a grin on his pale face. "Well, Jacob, you have been making progress! So old Gothik here says that you need to raise some ghouls? As a follower of the school of blood, I'm afraid cannot help you. Please, do go and learn for yourself." Thus, Jacob sat on the blighted grass just outside Death's Breach and sprayed some liquid on a convenient passing rabbit. It died painfully, then was raised as an undead creature. Fascinating. This was rather interesting.
Jacob got up and with the pump in one hand and one blade in the other. Making his way down the slope and into the mines, Jacob watched out for any stray crusaders. Thankfully finding none, the death knight attracted the attention of a stray miner, who rushed over, yelling and raising his spade. Swiftly, a puff of gaseous plague enveloped him, and he fell retching and coughing. He screamed, and lay still. Then, he appeared to gruesomely degenerate into a ghoul, who followed and stuck to Jacob. The death knight nodded and saw that a small army of miners and crusaders were charging towards him. Instead of spraying, Jacob tipped the entire globe jar of plague down the ghoul's throat. Now the ghoul was close to bursting at the seams. Jacob then commanded the ghoul to run forward into the group. Once the undead creature was in the center of the group, Jacob closed his hand into a fist.
Boom! The ghoul exploded in a splash of plague. The miners and crusaders screamed as the potent liquid melted away at their flesh and turned them into ghouls. Satisfied, Jacob commanded the ghouls to follow him as he made his way back up to Death's Breach, where Gothik was waiting impatiently. "Have you got my ghouls yet? Impressive! That's a hefty number you got there, death knight. Well done. Here is your reward." Gothik handed Jacob a charm that clipped onto his belt, and some gold.
Next, Valanar called Jacob over. "Here, Deathstalker! You see now that most of the Scarlet forces here have been completely obliterated. All that remain are clustered in New Avalon and Light's Point. I must let you know, few of your brethren remained after the initial assault. You are one of our strongest death knights, Deathstalker." The San'layn clapped Jacob on the shoulder. "The Lich King is pleased with you, Deathstalker. This is your next assignment. You will find a mine cart that has been placed outside the mine by my lackeys. Hide yourself inside and let the hapless miner take you onboard the Scarlet ship. From there, use one of their cannons and bombard the Scarlet Crusaders to pieces! Go forth! Suffer well!" Jacob saluted and walked off, joined by Angmar who had just returned from a killing spree.
"Hail, Jacob. Let us go and carry out the prince's orders." This time, stealth was of utmost importance to the death knights. They were joined by a third of their brethren, a female draenei called Xelana. She was a follower of the school of the unholy. "Xelana! Create a diversion." Jacob hissed as the trio crouched in a bush. The draenei waved her hands and fingers for a moment, weaving green magic, then caused an eruption of plague near the mine. Ghouls then clambered out of the crater, slavering and heading for the nearest crusaders. "ALERT! SCOURGE IN THE FIELDS! TO ARMS, BRETHREN, TO ARMS!" Around half of the crusaders engaged the small army of ghouls, the other half ran back to the town to guard it. Perfect.
There were three mine carts parked outside the mine. Ensuring that no one was watching, the death knights each climbed into one and hunkered down, concealing themselves under the mound of coal sacks. It just so happened that three miners had evaded the ghouls and were pulling the carts towards the ships. Jacob risked a cursory glance from under a coal sack and nearly gasped in concern. Lining the valley were hundreds of elite Scarlet Crusaders, all armoured heavily and armed to the teeth with swords, spears, axes and halberds. If they were discovered in the carts, or if someone coughed, it would be the end.
Fortunately, that did not happen. A bump, and the three carts were loaded onto the ship. Jacob and Angmar leaped out first as Xelana clambered out. They spotted a row of mean looking cannons neatly lined up along the portside and each death knight took one.
The Scarlet Crusaders were keeping guard at their flagship. At any sign of Scourge infiltration, they would rain down metal death with their cannons. As one of the crusaders casually looked at their ship to check on it, she gasped in horror. "Brethren! See the cannons! They are—" her last words were cut off as an explosive shot from one cannon and swiftly obliterated her and all nearby crusaders.
Jacob laughed as he grabbed a cannonball from its compartment on the deck and reloaded it. Training the cannon's bright red targeting cross on the line of crusaders who were running for the ship's ramp, the death knight fired, sending more crusaders flying into the air. Meanwhile Angmar and Xelana were doing likewise, but instead targeting the crusader's supply depots and armoury. "Protect the supplies—" a Scarlet Captain and his squad were blown to pieces. With all the nearby crusaders dispatched, the three death knights aimed for the elite crusaders along the valley. These cannons had surprisingly long range! Three cannonballs hit their mark, blasting dozens of crusaders into bloody pieces. There was a roar, and an entire battalion of crusaders charged for the ramp. They were nearly upon the death knights! At that instant, Xelana noticed a big red button on the cannon. She pressed it and instinctively ducked, as did her fellow death knights. A destructive shockwave of electromagnetic energy ripped from the cannon and quite literally tore the crusaders apart.
At last, all was silent.
Angmar got to his feet and seeing that there were already reinforcements pouring down from the valley to eliminate the threat, raised a horn to his lips and blew. A roar, and a massive frostwyrm came down from the skies. The three death knights leaped onto its back, and the skeletal beast had just lifted clear of the ship, just as the crusaders swarmed onto the ship. They yelled angry curses as the frostwyrm flapped its wings, taking the Scourge warriors out of range and to safety.
Prince Valanar was waiting eagerly. "All? Completely destroyed? This is excellent news." He busied himself writing a report, then handed it to Jacob. "Here, Deathstalker. This is a complete report of the heroics of you, the Deathwalker and the Plagueblade. I want you to deliver it to Darion up in Acherus." The three death knights saluted the San'layn prince, then leaped atop their Deathchargers to the skeletal gryphon point. In no time at all, they were up in Acherus, and Jacob handed the scroll to Darion, who looked at it with genuine interest. "Valanar says that you three were damned heroic during the campaign? Most interesting…The ENTIRE Scarlet Fleet? Such power you have, Jacob, Angmar and Xelana. I have never seen such domination, such display of power ever since my father wielded…" Darion shook his head. "It matters not. Now, for your commendation." He handed both Xelana and Jacob a set of Saronite legplates each, and to Angmar, gave him further instructions. "Angmar, you have done well. These death knight initiates have proven themselves to be worthy. Now, I want you to take up your post at the town and carry out strikes. In time, you three will meet again. It is the will of the Lich King that drives us, as you already know. Can you hear him now? No…it seems that you can't…yet." Darion paused and nodded to an unseen entity. "Yes, my Lord. It shall be done." "Jacob and Xelana, I want you to seek out Valanar at Death's Breach. He will give you your further instructions. Go, the Lich King commands it!"
Jacob and Xelana took a few moments to strap on their legplates, then stowed away their initiate gear and headed for the balcony, where Scourge Commander Thalanor was waiting. "All ready for the trip down to Death's Breach, I see. Climb on, death knights."
Prince Valanar was waiting in front of the command tent. "Havenshire is ours! Thousands of corpses carpet the fields, all ready for raising! We will strike at them with the renewed vigor and fury of the Scourge!"