Chapter 4
The following morning, Kel'Thuzad summons his two other death knight commanders to his throne…
"Lord Darkscythe. Lord Darkhallow. I bring grave news upon your third Death Knight brethren. He was murdered by the Dreadlord Varimathras."
The two knights looked up from their kneeling position, their armor clanking, and quickly muttered, "We must find this demon and destroy him. We must avenge our fellow Lord Nightsorrow!"
The two started to get up and mount their steeds, but Kel'Thuzad held up his hand and stopped them. "I have a plan…and if it goes well, then we will not have as many casualties as charging in blindly to his traps. I…will go duel the Dreadlord, a duel to the death." He ended with a tone of finality.
The Death Knights hastily objected. "That is preposterous! At least let us lords accompany you!"
Kel'Thuzad's expression did not change; he merely stared at them through his cold, blue eyes. "Touched as I am by your loyalty, I have decided. If Varimathras sees reinforcements upon my side, he will resort to his tricks again. If I do not return, then call upon King Arthas for further instructions."
He left them staring bewildered at him, and headed toward the tomb of relics where his treasures were stored. He took out a tome of intelligence, a book bulging with facts about magic and mana. He consumed it, absorbing its information. Feeling rejuvenated, he started looking for his Dagger of Escape which would allow him to blink, a staff of silence similar to Dark Rangers' silence ability, and a round bottle containing a potion of greater healing. Stowing these in his inventory, he headed back toward his throne where a skeleton steed was awaiting. Mounting the horse, he set off toward the forest.
As the dead woods loomed nearer and nearer, he grew more ominous. Kel'Thuzad knew that Varimathras would try something cunning to get the best of him, and he was ready. At the center of the forest, the small arena where they had last fought appeared into view. The lich leapt off his steed and crossed over the gravel surrounding the circular arena.
A leaf stirred, the wind whistled past him. Kel'Thuzad raised his head and, unsheathing his sword, quickly turned around and held a defensive position above him. The demon's claws flashed against the fortified ice, trying to break it through to his defender. The lich threw his sword that blocked the claw back, tossing Varimathras along with it. The Dreadlord landed with an impact that caused a mini-earthquake, dropping dead brown leaves everywhere.
"So, seeking death once more?" Varimathras spoke lightly; he started pacing around the edge of the gravel, never ceasing staring into the lich's eyes.
Kel'Thuzad, now also pacing so they were at exactly the opposite lengths of the circle, replied, "That question is one that you should be pondering, demon," and rushed forward. His blade met dirt as the demon leapt up and started spinning into a drill again. His black wings enveloped him as his hands joined together to form a spike out of his claws. Kel'Thuzad stuck his ice blade into his mouth, holding it, while he took out a short, silver knife. Pointing the dagger elsewhere, he teleported a second before the Dreadlord dug into the spot. As he got to his feet, the lich formed ice talons, forcing them into hand-to-hand combat. Ice and steel clanged and flashed as they parried and struck with ferocity, the leaves falling harder than ever. "This is a duel to the death, Dreadlord!" Kel'Thuzad revealed as he landed another strike. Finally, the fight broke as they slid backwards from the force of combat. Varimathras panted in fatigue; Kel'Thuzad, being Undead, showed no tiredness, but he as well began to falter. The demon bore many marks of slashes; his wings were tattered up, and a gash let out a deep flow of blood. The lich looked no better off than him; his robes were severed as well, although he didn't receive a powerful wound.
Both summoned up their strength for one last spell, hoping to catch each other off guard and finish them. Varimathras held fireballs in his hands as he muttered incantations to a Rain of Fire spell. Kel'Thuzad held a ball of frost as he casted a Frost Nova attack. Both launched their projectile that was held in their hands, and then summoned the spell. Rocks covered in white-hot flames shot toward Kel'Thuzad like meteors, but an ice fissure, cracking the ground as it headed towards Varimathras, met the stones in midair. The impact of the two spells' collision created an explosion similar to a supernova; magical energy exploded around them, casting trees into flames and scorching the ground. Both demon and lich were wrapped around the explosion and tossed backwards; when the smoke cleared, both were lying on the ground, unmoving.
Around the trees that were half burned, five beetles unburied themselves from the earth. The purple bugs headed toward the lich and began dragging him off towards a section of the forest. There, another huge figure waited…