A/N: Please note that this is of course Fan Fiction, therefore the events described would be slightly deviated from the orginal telling.

And nope, I in fact do not own Warcraft or anything else I write about.

Chapter 14

The pace of the Forsaken slowed as it became apparent that their target was near, and suprise would be key. Ahead of everyone else the figure of the Dark Lady and the other banshees raised a hand for all to stop. Their spectral bodies carried an illuminating glow that worked like a catalyst feeding off of the light of the moon. The Banshee Queen in particular shined majestically.

"Listen closely," said the Banshee Queen. "Across the swamp that lies ahead there sets a vaulted crypt. Inside the crypt lies my physical body, our mission is to retrieve it and kill all those inside who would dare try and stop us. Do not be foolhardly, many powerful Death Knights and Scourge beasts rest within, we must attack secretly and quickly. Do all of you understand?" asked Sylvanas.

"Yes My Queen," returned the Forsaken who had the ability to speak, all gave an inclined bow.

"Cross the swamp only after I have taken the perimeter guards, await my signal," said the Queen.

Sylvanas and all of the banshees went forward and glided across the murky swamp. The Forsaken stood back and watched the scene with wrapped anticipation, unable to reach their Queen should she come to harm. Only four guards were seen outside the doors, but many more could be lying in wait. Wayne was not yet able to discern the difference between a Death Knight and any ordinary Scourge drone, but tonight he was sure to learn the difference. For as powerful as the Dark Lady and her banshees may be, she needed the help of the best of the Forsaken.

Wayne watched with utmost attention as the other banshees spread out leaving Sylvanas alone to meet the four defenders. How she engaged them in conversation before lurching directly into one, three more banshees quickly falling from the sky into the other three. They all managed to possess their targets with only minimal resistance. With the other banshees circling the crypt, the possessed Scourge raised the swords up and beckoned the Forsaken forward.

Moving quickly, but also carefully, as the splashing water of the shallow swamp was sure to attract the attention of those inside. The Forsaken crowded around the entrance as the other banshees returned to confirm that there was no more targets outside. Wayne could now clearly see the difference of a Death Knight, their armor and weapons were far more enchanted with the emblems and power of death, it was the same as Arthas and all of his horsemen in Wayne's memory. The Death Knight that Sylvanas was within spoke,

"I will go in first, they will only open the way for one of their own. Prepare to storm the keep and be careful not to attack wildly, my body resides within," she said.

So much of her voice could still be detected within the fearsome shell of the Death Knight. All bowed in acknowledgement as the four possessed Knights strode forward and up the wide staircase. The Death Knight under Sylvanas's control began to bang on the door loudly, yelling for the aid of those inside against a massive incoming attack. The language that she spoke was different, yet slightly understandable to Wayne, it was a variant tongue that he heard spoken by the Lich. It was apparently understood as the door was quickly opened by those inside and the possessed Death Knights burst in, quickly followed by the elite Forsaken.

The defenders inside the crypt were badly prepared for such a suprise attack. Many were busy conducting rituals and were far away from their chosen weapons. The six Forsaken Abominations jumped in front of the four possessed Death Knights, trying to shield them from harm. Upon rushing inside, Wayne began to unleash sweeping volleys of arcane bolts. Which proved very effective in ripping apart all those who were hit, though due to the nature of the Scourge, it was often not a fatal hit. His Elven companion stood close by, his sword raised high should anything dare come close.

Within minutes it was all over, the Forsaken traversed the crypt quickly to silence anything that still clinged to life. Nine Forsaken soldiers lie motionless on the crypt floor, three were Abominations that tried to shield the Dark Lady. Two of the four possessed Death Knights were slain, but the banshees rose triumphantly from the corpses, seemingly unharmed. One Necromancer was destroyed and the rest were top notch skeletal soldiers.

The Death Knight that Sylvanas currently occupied stood near the center of the crypt. With the attention of two Abominations in tow, the arm of the Death Knight rose and had one finger pointing towards the far dark corner of the room. The two Abominations quickly made their way across the room and tossed aside many crates of armaments until finding what they were looking for. The Forsaken gathered around the center of the room as the two Abominations carefully brought an iron coffin to the feet of the Banshee Queen. Wayne could clearly see the coffin was covered with powerful runes meant to keep it from ever being opened again.

With a nod from Sylvanas, the Abominations placed a hook on the coffin's edge and attempted to pry it open. The creature strained and pulled with all of its force, but only succeeded in flipping the coffin onto its side. The Death Knight of Sylvanas bade the Abomination back so she could open it herself. She corrected the coffin's position and attempted to stab the Knight's runic blande into the side of the coffin's door for leverage, but the blade would not pierce into the metal. Only the tip of the sword would become dulled after repeated stabs. The Dark Lady was quickly loosing her patience.

At length she bellowed in rage and threw the sword across the room. She knew it had to be Arthas's doing, who else would order her coffin to be sealed so tightly? Several members of the Forsaken would volunteer to Sylvanas and attempt to open it, many using magic in their attempts and each one would fail. Wayne continued to stare at the runes that adorned the coffin, his mind was rapidly quickening back to the pace he knew when he was alive. Soon the solution dawned on him, these were not dark incantations, but light incantations, made by a Paladin. Therefore they could only be opened by the use of light magic.

"Dark Lady Sylvanas," Wayne choked out, still not accustomed to using his voice again.

Another Necromancer was currently weaving spells around the coffin, but having no effect. She turned to face Wayne, looking highly agitated. Wayne bowed low as she stared at him.

"I now recongize the seal of runes as being light in essence, perhaps created by a skilled Paladin," Wayne said.

The Banshee Queen took on an expression of even deeper agitation in the possessed Death Knight body. "Arthas," she seethed under her breath.

"I can attempt to open it My Lady, for it can only be opened by the work of the light. I had some skill with that school of magic in my former life, and could open it if the light has not completely abandoned me," Wayne continued.

The Dark Lady nodded as she began to hold out hope for him to succeed. Wayne moved past the others and sat on the top of the coffin, he would have to channel deep from his heart and must be able to concentrate. This time, the Dark Lady and the rest of the Forsaken watched him closely as his slowly spun his wand upwards, soon a funnel of yellow light began to act as a tornado. It continued to grow upwards and downwards from both ends of the wand until touching the coffin and ceiling. The runes engraved in the iron were slowly fading, Wayne seized the oppurtunity and slammed the wand down hard upon the surface of the coffin. The incantations broke with a familiar sound that Wayne had not heard in such a long time, looking down onto the coffin, he saw the iron soft enough that his hand left an imprint.

Wayne breathed deeply and shifted his stiff bones off of the coffin and onto his feet. Many of the Forsaken were visiably impressed, a few bowed to him. Even the Banshee Queen eyed him,

"What is your name Necromancer?" she asked.

"Wayne DeLovely at your service, My Queen," Wayne said and bowed.

"How lucky am I that you came," said the Dark Lady.

For the first time Wayne could feel proud to be in the service of someone that he could actually respect, and would actually respect him.

End of Chapter 14