Chill of Death
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Warcraft, I merely use them for my own storytelling, just because I like the storyline and all that, and world of warcraft gets a bother at times…
Alright, I wish to dedicate this to my close friend Otelea Robert Istvan, who has supported me in my endeavors in World of Warcraft, and is one of the best priests that I know. God knows we miss your healing and fun demeanor, and may you survive! We can't live without you! At least most of the Officers can't, and you know that you're one of us! We can't give up on you mate! Therefore, I dedicate this chapter to you, along with the next one, and then the next one
Death in the Runes…
Harry's body shivered as he tried to get up, his hands grasping the blade Lady Shadowpyre had given him, the unholy strength that he had possessed up until a few minutes ago seemed to have fled from his body, the feeling of helplessness coming over him as he tried to force his muscles to move, finding it hard to even breathe as he tried to move around, his muscles feeling tired and weary from even moving an inch. "Get up." A harsh female voice snarled from close by, his head inching sidewards only a few inches, seeing a pair of plate boots and further nothing, a black droplet hitting him in the forehead, dripping down his nose, his eyes looking at the boot as he tried to gather the strength.
"A fledgling, aren't you? Oh well, I guess I can help you up and get some armor together, since you already seem to have a sword." The female voice didn't seem to dally, the boots walking over to the rack which held the breastplates and then picked one off the rack and tossed it to the ground next to him, the feeling returning to his hands as he began to feel the energy returning slowly, it being regenerated by his own energy perhaps, his body feeling a lot less tense then before, his style of moving changing slightly to make him more accommodated to carrying his own weight, as he pulled the breastplate towards him with a free hand, looking at his thin and delicate fingers as they enclosed around a ridge in the breastplate and then felt a cold numbness settle over his hand as he pulled the breastplate over his head, his small frame fitting within it loosely, the breastplate more being like a shirt than anything else.
A set of bracers was tossed next to him, which he strapped to his arms, the leather straps with which they were strapped on being somewhat uneasy to connect, though he did it with great fervor, his body responding to his commands once more, the warning of the lich King still within his mind, as was the declaration of war from him. There was a silence between him and his as of yet unseen helper, who made sure that she kept out of sight, perhaps because she was horribly disfigured and didn't want to upset him or for other reasons that he could not fathom right now.
As he began to put the leg plates on, he noticed that there was a sword, not unlike the one that he had been given hanging on her side, but due to the fact that the armor pretty much covered every little bit of the body for protection, and he didn't think he had the time to look up and see who was helping him, he was pretty much sure that he better have to hurry.
The last part of his armor, the helmet, sat on his head now, and he turned to look at the one who had helped him, only to find himself looking at a chandelier which cast a grimy shadow from the candles which burned upon it, the chandelier in itself not being too extraordinary, but he could have sworn that his unseen helper had stood there. Without thinking back to the help, he vowed to make sure that she would get a favor back from him as she had given him help.
He walked through the hallway, towards the sound of female screams of anger, frustration and bloodlust, the sounds being quite unsettling, had he been alive and caring about it. As it was now, it only was a guiding beacon for further knowledge, a deep hunger coming over him, suddenly knowing how Hermione must feel when she got a new book to read.
The desire for more knowledge, to make use of the power that flowed through his body like a heartbeat, his own heart only beating once or twice every twenty seconds, the power instead bolstering his strength and drive as it sang to him, a deathly sonata which increased as the hunger became more and more pronounced.
Outwardly, a change came over him as he gripped the sword in his hand, unsheathing it from its sheath, the blade being quite long, though it seemed to have been worn in a little bit, though that was nothing that was too bad for it, since it would be used in sparring. His eyes went over the blade as his ears followed the sound of combat and strife, the energy within him welling up and flowing through his hands into the blade, a humming sound coming from it as it was charged with the energy, a momentary swing of the blade sending a wave of the energy out of it, though it dissipated almost immediately after leaving the blade.
When he came to the training hall, he looked at it and marveled for a moment at the construction. A gigantic pile of bones was resting in one corner, with a few skeletons tottering around it, apparently waiting for when they would be called into service to serve as a target or as a sparring partner. The entire room was spacious, with the class within which he apparently was rostered in by the Lich King being about 25 women, all who seemed to be over the age of 20, though it was hard to detect with some, as they were all kinds of races, Harry spotting only a few Orcs and Gnomes, mostly there being humans training against each other. The room was decorated with murals of death and destruction, of necromancers raising the dead as skeletons to a depiction of what appeared to be a warrior with a glowing runeblade, it being a Death Knight, he supposed. The ceiling was pretty high, making him wonder if it was a construction error or just made that way because big things needed to move around in here. Against one of the walls was a row of spikes, with the heads of humans impaled upon them, with notable plaques under them, one, a man with a moustache and graying hair coming over to him as a typical member of the clergy, the look of anguish on his face notwithstanding.
Lord Joran of Lakeshire, Paladin of the Silver Hand, May his soul belong to the Lich King forever
"Harry, come over to me." Lady Shadowpyre said, standing against a wall, drawing his attention from the impaled head to her, the look on her face being one of annoyance, as she watched how he moved past the other training students, some of them bleeding blackish blood from the wounds they had gained whilst sparring with one-another, to hone their instincts and battle sense for the true fight they would one day enter. "You are a Death Knight Acolyte now, Harry. You are under my supervision, because your build is too shallow for that of the male instructors…" her lip curled up once she said the word instructor, showing that she did not really like them all that much, as it showed with her eyes focusing on a point behind Harry, Harry not turning around to look, since that would be futile, with a woman who resembled a serpent in temperament in the same room. "It will be a harsh time for you, as you hone your skill with the blade for the service of His Holiness." She paused a moment as if in reverence, then bowed slightly. "I am honored to present you this Acolyte, Master. May you infuse him with your power, that he may learn under me."
The words were hollow and without meaning, apparently simple words of ritual, as he could feel power amassing within him, though it was strange, as it held the same hint of power that he had felt from within him, but felt different, more malign, more evil. Though why he cared about it was a mystery to him. Power was power, and nobody would take it from him, nobody. "I am willing to be instructed, Lady Shadowpyre." She nodded, grabbing her runeblade and then breaking into a smile. "This will be hell for you, boy." Without warning, she attacked, the runeblade slicing through the air, the runes upon the blade deactivating just before they would hit Harry, his blade being brought up by his reflexes, a shower of sparks being released as the blades met, the teacher staring at the student. "Impressive. Had you not blocked, you would have failed your test. Now… Proper stance."
She moved him slightly to the center of the room, moving him to stand with his legs slightly parted, his hands both upon the hilt of the blade, the tip facing downwards so he would be able to keep himself and others from being harmed. The other students apparently thought it would be amusing to just stop training and watch how the newbie was getting his ass beat by their instructor.
"Come on, you can do it hotshot! Show Lady Shadowpyre how to respect a man and I might allow you in my bed tonight!" one of the acolytes shouted as Lady Shadowpyre moved his body in the proper stance, then took a position opposite of him, her body twisting itself into the same stance as she stood at the ready. "This is the most common attacking stance, what I call the Kill and Smile stance. It is supposed to take advantage of how well you are able to move your sword with your hands and to be able to deliver a killing blow with just one simple movement." She demonstrated, cleaving the air, a noticeable gust blowing some of his hair out of his face, though how it had gotten longer, he did not know. All that he knew was that this was something new, something fun, something he had to learn.
His eyes focused on every little contraction of the muscle of Lady Shadowpyre, how her hand seemed to move and the way that the muscles seemed to twitch a little bit, the whole movement of her muscles being slightly awkward for him to track at first, since he had not done it before, but he quickly tried to get the hang of it. As he stood there, watching her every move as she recovered herself from the swing of the sword, her next words also being heard by him clearly, tuning out everything else. "With that simple sword swing, you might be able to split an opponent in half if you have enough force behind it. With a runeblade, you will be able to do much more than just those simple movements, yes… you will be able to do all kinds of fun stuff…" a giggle accompanied it as she moved her hand through her hair, a few knots in it being all that there was to it, her eyes focusing on him with a frightening intensity. "Try it, worm."
"Yes, Lady Shadowpyre." He intoned, his body trying to emulate what he had absorbed on knowledge, the way in which her muscles moved, the small and subtle way in which she shifted her weight, his hands moving almost automatically as the sword cleft through the air, the grip on the handle slipping and the sword clattering on the floor, his body hitting the ground a millisecond later, a clanking sound of plate armor hitting stone being heard throughout the room. "That was a failure, try again." Lady Shadowpyre intoned, kicking the longsword back to Harry, who grasped it once more and then looked at it, giving a frustrated look at Lady Shadowpyre, who smirked back at him with a superior grin.
If he doesn't master the tricks to becoming a Death Knight, I can ask His Holiness to allow me to drain him! Think of the power that he has, all mine! I would become one of the Master's Favored Ones! Her thoughts cut off immediately as she looked at Harry standing opposite of her once more, a look of concentration on his face as he swung the blade once more, his stance being unbalanced due to the fact that he was probably not used to wielding a heavy blade just yet.
"Did you ever use a blade before in your life?" a question from someone in the room shook him out of his concentration, as he looked at the one who had asked him that question, a human female who seemed to be studying him with a deadly serious look on her face. "I used one to slay a gigantic snake once." Came his answer, as the human female walked over to him, muttering a quick apology to Lady Shadowpyre. "Now, if you would hold the blade like this." She demonstrated with her own blade, holding it completely different from the way that Lady Shadowpyre held it, the entire difference being that the blade was held upwards. "Lady Shadowpyre prefers that we do an opening strike from below, as it is there where a man will never really be able to defend himself, and since we're mostly going up against men as soldiers, I think that it's fine, but it's apparently not suited for you."
"That is enough Natalia, return to your assigned partner and train. All of you, what are you doing?! This is training, not watching a young man getting his ass handed to him by me! TRAIN IN THE NAME OF THE LICH KING!"
"FOR THE LICH KING!" it echoed through the room, Harry joining in, feeling a sense of belonging grow within him as he watched his fellow students train together, catching Trishia out of the corner of his eye against a much taller opponent, the sword which she held being the size of his, only about 10 inches shorter, but managing to hold her own very well against her opponent.
There was nothing so curious about Trishia now that she was locked into combat with her opponent, her eyes flashing with a desire to shed blood in the name of the Lich King, the will to try and best her opponent and grind her into the dust with the heel of her boot, to utterly and completely crush the remains and then raise them as a ghoul after having tormented the body till it died. The gnome attacked with a ferocious attacking pattern, the upwards strikes being a lot more powerful than someone would suspect from a gnome, since they weren't exactly the tallest of the most muscular of races.
"Back on track boy. We have a lot of ground to cover before you are up to scratch with the rest of these ladies… Still, you seem to have caught some of their eyes, so let me tell you this. If you manage to graduate from this Academy alive and fully as a Death Knight, I will personally apply with the Lord Necromancer about learning some of his craft, as a 'bonus package'. The same offer stands for the rest of you worthless bags of flesh!" the women in the room were silent, though the look of excitement on their face was clearly present, though the deathly silence that spanned was somewhat uncomfortable, as he would have to try and learn a whole fighting style as fast as possible.
"Alright, get back into that position that I showed you, Harry." The casual adressal did not phase him as he obeyed, standing in the same way, then swinging his sword through the air, almost losing his equilibrium again, the sound of footsteps coming closer and a plate-mail fist burying itself in the side of his head, the feeling of pain spiking as he could feel the pain from having a fist slammed into his head burning. "You have to focus, acolyte."
"Yes, Lady Shadowpyre." The resignation was shown within his voice, as the burning thirst for knowledge burned away, his existence suddenly feeling a lot more hollow then it had been before, the whole sense of having to learn more to grow in power draining away, as he looked at Lady Shadowpyre, who placed the tip of her runeblade on the ground and then jerked the sword upwards, the blade going to the slashing position and then slicing through the air, the energy which it emanated making him stare, as a small breeze due to the parted air picked up, being freezing cold in effect, though he barely noticed. "You saw how I did that, right?"
He nodded. "You put the runeblade on the ground, or at least lower than your upper body, then pulled it upwards, the force which you put behind it, shifting the blade upwards immediately to allow it to get a bit of speed, and increase the ease in which it will slice through someone." A pensive look came onto lady Shadowpyre's face as she heard the explanation, looking at Harry and then watching as the student from before stepped in front of Harry, her blade tipping against the ground, then lifted up with apparently as much power behind it as possible, Harry's hands moving his own sword horizontal, his body shifting to the side, catching the sword with his own sword, the opening strike having been wasted, as he allowed the blade to slide upwards, his hand shooting out and grasping the student by the throat and then throwing her away with a previously unseen strength.
He did not know how his hands moved as he watched the student attack him, apparently for no reason. Maybe it was because the student wanted to end up ahead of the rest and killing off a possible competitor, or maybe it was just pride that drove her to it, but his sword blocked her strike, his limbs feeling oversaturated with the same dark power he had been feeling ever since he had been revived once more to life, or what went as it by the Lich King, the power which he was now using feeling somehow purer than the power that the Lich King had drained from him.
Arabelle Shadowpyre had learned that if someone showed promise on the field of battle, that there might be a promotion for said individual in store, something that had repeated itself in her service to the Lich King. She trained the 'young' female trainees, due to having been a successful drill instructor in the army at the time that Prince Arthas had went to Northrend, and had been stranded here until the Lich King offered her the position as Death Knight, receiving training under one of the Lich King's Death Knights, till she had finally managed to become one of the best of the best, a fine instructor to the next wave, who would eventually be the ones that went out in the field, giving her ample time to work on her own side-projects.
Due to the time which she spent with her students, she noticed that the females in the room were busy with gauging Harry's potential, though she supposed that it was only logical. The way which he had been entered into the Academy, not having been selected to go to the male section of the Academy at least, which was housed in a Necropolis which floated somewhere over the wastes of Northrend, her interest not going as far as trying to find out where it floated. She liked to call the students by their first names anyways, though when she was irritated, she would call them derogatory names, though she never seemed to really mean it, to herself, it was just a coping measure, to make her day a bit brighter. One would say that she was a cold-hearted shrew, who cared only about power and how to heighten her standing with the Lich King, though in His eyes, they were all equal, from the lowest ghoul to the highest Death Knight.
There was equality within the Scourge, equality that she had never really felt while being part of the Alliance. She had heard from the new trainees who had just been raised that Lordaeron had completely fallen to the Scourge, that there were only a few factions of renegade undead in the area who had managed to creep away from the Scourge, and her master's glorious presence. Soon, she would have to feast upon someone, the desire welling up within her body, giving her that sense of hunger again, though she had fed upon the energies of a mage not too long ago.
As she looked at Harry, a sense of vertigo came over her body, nearly sending herself falling to the ground, but she managed to resist it. There it was, tempting power, rolling off Harry like a wave onto a smooth silvery beach, the energy that he emanated being such a delicious blend of pure unholiness and a mix of dark feelings, along with the sensation of hunger that was deeply interwoven with it. It would probably take a week or two for him to completely adjust, his body and mind still being used to being alive, and this new state of being revived, with his body still living, but moving slower, more resistant to pain and injury, along with his magic being of the darker sort now. Wherever he had come from, he held a certain charm around him, the charm of power. Whilst she called herself a connoisseur of Power, she nevertheless held a healthy respect for those who wielded it, or at least seemed to be stronger then normal. There was something about Harry that drove her to suspect that he was more then he appeared. "Champion of the Lich King? Master, do you really think that this one will be the one to bear your standard into battle, and slay the living for the safety of the Scourge?" her thought was to herself, it being to her susprise that the deep and twisted voice of the Lich King replied, the voice reeking of the dark taint of undeath that she herself had relished in, the power contained within the words being too much for her senses, so she shut them off, letting only the message sound through her head. "That is up to him, Lady Shadowpyre. If you do not wish our contract to be terminated, I suggest you not try to drain him of his power… Doing so would attract my ire…" the voice ebbed away, her face feeling like it had been stung by a wasp multiple times, it feeling numb, rubbing it slightly, the helmet which she wore being in the way so she disposed of it, placing it on the ground next to her, her long locks falling freely from her shouders.
She was not dead, nor was she really alive. Her training as a Death Knight had effectively made her stop aging, no matter how much she had wanted to look older, she couldn't do it. She could take the form of an undead, to scare people and demoralize them, but that was just a simple trick, not really worthy of the effort that she usually did to train someone, though if she had to make a careful guess, she would have to guess that if she trained Harry in the arts of the Death Knight, there would be a good chance to get a promotion of some kind, as it was known to her now that Harry apparently was some sort of pet project of the Lich King, though she supposed that she should not call him such, that she should be more aware of the fact that she was probably being evaluated by her superiors as she trained the young man to become a Death Knight. Still, the power that gleamed under the surface was so addictive, that she just wanted to taste a little, have a bit of a sip of the power.
Harry looked at the look that she gave him, it being frightening in its intensity as her eyes seemed to glow reddish in the dim lighting of the room, his body feeling weary even though energy flowed through him at a calm and peaceful rate, the magic within his blood making him feel different now, like he really seemed to be one of the decent people around, one who had apparently still not made much of a progress with the exercises and such. It was really a testament to his skill that he had managed to come so far with this beginners exercise, it being more difficult thtn most of the people o seemed to be just thinking about him as the boy-who-lived, just looking at him and seeing only the scar, not the person behind it.
Dark feelings surfaced in his mind, as he regarded the student who had just assaulted him in such a manner, his body apparently feeling strange due to the new energy that they were all supposed to harness, the energy making it possible that he could feel the power underneath his plate armor, his very skin being infused with the power, the power which seemed to keep his body together being accessible to him now.
The student shivered as she looked into Harry's eyes, seeing that he had a newfound determination shinign within them, something which scared her, watching with almost abject disregard for her life, or even wishing to end her existence. There was nothing really that scared her before, the training that she had been doing being merely physical, with some small lessons in runecraft on the side, the look that she was being given now scaring her silly.
He moved his sword in a form which he had somehow memorized now, it being different then whatever Lady Shadowpyre had taught him, or even the one he was now facing. It relied more on physical power then on any skill, the swings of the blade enhanced by how much weight he put behind it, the power of the attacks varying per attack, thus giving a random effect to the fight, either gouging someone's body, or just doing enough damage to slow, but still give an armor-piercing blow.
The Lich King, seated on his throne, looked at the progress that Harry made, a somewhat satisfied grin appearing on his face as he had sent the instructions to that style to Harry's mind, it being more tailored for someone with Harry's… unique appearance. It was not certain that it had any influence, but as he watched the internal preparation that Harry's body was undergoing at the moment, he could not help but think about the consequences this action might have. He had just grabbed the closest combat form that he had learned, whether as Prince Arthas or as Ner'Zhul, the entire form being from the royal fighting style of Lordaeron, which was only taught to the personal bodyguards of the King and the Prince. It would serve Harry well, if he managed to survive the harsh training. His mind knew the skills now, and now it was time for the test to be applied, presumably on a time where Harry would have gained more muscle mass.
Harry's hands moved over the blade, his fingers tracing it gently, as he held the hilt in both hands, moving it backwards, the blade poised facing behind him, looking at his opponent, as the information on how to best parry an upward strike, or a downward strike with how the blade was currently aligned streamed into his mind. His hands felt frozen, as if he had been holding a block of ice instead of a sword, his body moving slowly as she swung the sword in an upward arc, just as she had been taught here.
His blade cleft through the air, meeting with her blade before it could touch him, the blade being parried due to the blades clashing, the force he set behind it making a shock go through his body, the blade being knocked from her hands and landing on the group, the next strike cleaving through the frontal part of her armor, halting a millimeter to the skin, not piercing it, Harry's eyes glowing greenish as he looked at her, his mental state being in complete calmness, his eyes being the only thing that had changed as he moved in the ways that flowed through his head, though his hands shook, as he had put most of his energy into the strike that he had delivered, his hands letting go of the hilt of his sword, it dropping to the ground with a clanging sound as he felt slightly unsteady, the energy that went through his muscles fleeting, the feeling of raw skin rubbing against armor plates becoming a nuisance as he looked at his opponent, watching as she regarded him with a cool and detached look. "Why did you not kill me?"
"Because I do not wish to see another servant of the Lich King fall who would possibly help me out later." Came from his mouth, a certain measure of respect being visible on most of the students face, some more open in that then others. It showed a great deal of respect for the Lich King to not allow one of his possible death knights to live whilst you could have finished her off to spare the Scourge the weak ones.
"Alright, we will suspend this training session for the day, due to Harry over here gaining strained muscles. While I am giving you the rest of the time off, I still wish for you not to slack off and get fit and into form. There will be a test of your skill in three weeks, where we will see who has trained and who hasn't. Laziness is failure in the eyes of His Holiness!"
The acolytes muttered something to themselves at the announcement that they were free to go as they did, some remaining behind whilst others made comments about maybe going to study some runes or just working on their forms, or maybe going to rest their eyes for a moment. A few remained in the room, the undead who had said something about a man finally being there at breakfast, Leena and Trishia staying behind, apparently to check up on him out of some sort of weird concern that most women seemed to have about him.
"Well Harry, it seems that while you're able to go and get a good strike off, your physical strength leaves much to be desired, so you channel some of your own energy into the strikes… Impressive for an acolyte who has just arrived, but it was to be expected, with the way that you appeared. Still, it is worth to bear mentioning that the form of combat which you used was still effective, the sword swing having enough power behind it to split the armor of Lenarissa, though I don't think the quartermaster would be happy to have to give her another piece of armor… Still, we will work on that now. Ladies, if you would just clear out a little, I will give Harry some private instruction, and you are free to watch."
Trishia nodded and went to stand against the wall, her sword resting against it as she let it go. Honestly, she didn't really care that much for the whole shebang of training, just wishing to serve the Lich King with all of her might, which was quite impressive, truth to be told. She had been in the Academy for the better part of a year, having trained herself to grow in strength, even as she had been converted to a Death Knight a year ago or something like that. She had been adventuring in Northrend, still being innocent of most things, till she had come across a huge battlehost of the Scourge, the fight having lasted several hours as the undead marched on and on, towards her, eventually battle wore her down, until a voice penetrated her head, asking her why she continued to resist the power of undeath, whether she would not join them instead, becoming a Death Knight in the process. She had accepted, not wanting to die, and had grown into the role, her natural curiosity for things expanding to become somewhat improved, her curiosity leading her to think up a way to crank up her armor in the most technological fashion, it probably becoming a big hulking composition, but it would not matter to her, as she was the one safely inside it.
The arrival of Harry had made her focus on him, with due cause, since Lady Shadowpyre had announced that he would study under her, it probably having something to do with what was called as 'punishment'. Some weeks ago, a Death Knight acolyte had defected from the Academy, running straight to the Alliance base and given most of the password phrases to the magical defenses, the whole act of 'killing innocents' being too much for her to take apparently. Trishia had been the one to make friends with her first, though the other girl had been initially very reluctant to talk. Still, she and the girl had talked at length at what it had taken for the other to join the Lich King, which turned out to be not so different, the fact that the other girl missed her family being dismissed as unimportant at that time.
Still, it hurt a little to know that the girl had left the Scourge to take up asylum with the Alliance, a surge of dark anger going through her as she thought back to the Alliance, who had been the ones to forsake all of Gnomekind. She looked on as Harry seemed to stumble a little bit through the instruction he received, Lady Shadowpyre working him well, her words being harsh but building up some measure of control for her, as he tried to follow her instructions to the letter. His entire posture was still looking weak though, as he seemed to have trouble with how to move, a common thing amongst those who had been magicians in life. There was a simple thing they had to learn, that they should increase their physical power and to let the magic be taught to them, teaching them how to become a fine Death knight, a master or mistress of the unholy runes, the chilling power of death, the will of blood being theirs to command.
She could feel the tension within Harry's body as he parried a blow from Lady Shadowpyre, watching as he was sent to land on his ass, feeling no mercy for him, even though she did not know him longer than three hours or something like that. There was no mercy to be felt as she watched him try to improve his stance, to make his attacks more fluid, to keep parrying Lady Shadowpyre's attacks, even as she attacked slower then she usually did, measuring her attacks carefully to make sure that they would not critically injure him, though he already had a sword jabbed against the helmet a few times.
He would still not wait, and threw himself in the fight, his body moving in stocky movements, his equilibrium still not found, but the fire within his eyes was dark and malevolent, a grin on his face being almost maniacal in its intensity, as he thrust and slashed with the sword, meeting her blow by blow, but with not enough strength to even knock the sword out of her hands or to make her lose ground. The strength behind it was his weak point, but the style that he used was suited for him, it was decided by Lady Shadowpyre, not questioning how he had learned it within moments, or even asking why he was throwing himself into battle like a berserker without much skill.
"That will be enough, young… acolyte." The Lich King's voice sounded within his head as he halted, his blade poised to strike another time, Lady Shadowpyre already on her guard, knowing how to block the strike whenever he would try to strike. "You will rest now. You have not yet been infected with the plague of undeath, so I will muster some of my power to… make sure that it happens."
Harry could feel his strength fading as the energy within his body seemed to change, the energy becoming a lot more vicious on his internal system, as a cough developed, a bit of phlegm dripped from his mouth as his vision swam, his glasses, who had rested mainly on his face, falling off and shattering on the ground, falling to one knee as he could feel the effects of the plague go through his body, being more sensitive to the state of his body now. A silence fell as he swayed slightly, his muscles feeling like they were atrophying, along with the feeling of nausea that swept through him. He got up once more, drawing his blade once more, not seeing anything more than a blurry blob where Lady Shadowpyre was concerned, striking at her with a sideward swipe, their blades clashing together for a brief moment, before she pulled it back, delivering a strike towards his midsection, which hit the plate armor there.
A wad of spittle dripped from his mouth as he moved his sword to parry the runeblade, a moment of staring having occurred, the runeblade's runes igniting in a show of power as the blade pierced through his skin, his eyes widening as he could feel the blade slide through the armor and into his flesh farther, a weak gargle coming from his mouth, as he felt the blood well up through his throat, a glob of blood dripping out of his mouth, it being almost comical to see, had the situation been funny instead of deadly serious…
He shivered as his head sank forwards, a bead of sweat dripping from his head and hitting the ground. His body felt weary and tired, the essence of magic within him being drained away into the runeblade, his eyes feeling so heavy, and he wanted to just go to sleep, to forget about this and just sleep the sleep of the dead… no worries, just sleeping…
Lady Shadowpyre was shocked that she had accidentally killed Harry in the attempt. Sure, there was the matter of pride to consider, it being a huge thing for a simple Death Knight instructor like her to train someone who was revived by the Lich King himself, though she could not believe that the runes had activated without her express desire to do that, the runes making her blade sharper, faster and stronger, along with allowing her to call upon the power of a Death Knight.
"He was weak." A voice to the back of the room said, a Death Knight Acolyte leaning against the wall, looking derisively at the body of Harry as it slumped to the floor, the pierced flesh not sealing up again, the runes on the runeblade deactivating immediately once the flesh had left the embrace of the runeblade. The acolyte sauntered towards the body, which had seemingly lost most of the life that was within it, the rest of the acolytes merely shrugging it off as something that was necessary.
"Guess Harry didn't last as long as I thought he would. Want to go and see if we can improve upon our swordsmanship Leena?" Trishia asked the orc, the orc nodding slowly, her eyes still looking at the body of Harry, a small smile playing on her lips. "You wanted to bang him, right?" the gnome's head swayed to the side for a moment, before she smiled guiltily. "Yep. It's been a long time since I had liaisons with a man, and I DID get to see what he was made of, before he noticed my presence… I'd estimate him around 15 in human years, but still, it would do for the time. He's small." The fact that she had so clearly stated that made Leena lose interest in the conversation, taking a proper stance opposite of Trishia, her blade flashing through the air as it met with Trishia's, the training swords being sharp like a razor, even though they were not runeblades.
Those lucky enough to survive all the training and the tests were supposed to take a test of aptitude. It was to see who had the determination and the power to defeat something against insurmountable odds, usually being the defeat of a whole cadre of humans or other threats to the Scourge. The test was not often taken, because trainees could only take it once, their lives hanging in the balance of the test, because it was often a suicide mission, with no other people present except themselves.
Only if they passed the test, would they be able to become true Death Knights, and be taught the way of the Runes, to evoke death and decay amongst their enemies, the enemies of the Scourge. The test was only issued once a year to all the Death Knights in training, the test being at a set time, which was the time when the Lich King had ascended the Frozen Throne and set foot upon the throne, claiming his ownership of the Scourge.
A grating sound was heard as the acolyte who had said that Harry was weak kicked his body on his back, grasping his face with long and thin fingers, her eyes going over the features of her face as she licked her lips softly, before placing a kiss on the lips and then slowly licking over the skin, trying to collect the sweat, out of some sort of ritual thing or just plain curiosity, her hands slowly tracing over the wound, feeling the flesh being parted, along with the broken breastplate, her hands digging into the wound, the unresponsive form of Harry Potter not even protesting.
Lady Shadowpyre sighed, the Lich King must have taken notice of Harry's death because she had used the Runeblade against him, the Runeblade being personally forged by the Lich King for those who had managed to gain the Death Knight status, the elder Death Knight Razuvious training those who had managed to gain their Runeblades on their own, though he also headed the training of the males who had been selected to become Death Knights. As she watched the elder student lick Harry's face, a cringe went through her features as she looked on as the woman prodded the skin where it was parted, apparently willing to defile even the corpses to get some sort of gratification, which was probably the reason why she didn't really like her, even though her swordsmanship was top-notch, it really being only the time that was neccasary to pass for her to be allowed to take the Test.
"Leave the body alone, I will summon a ghoul to devour it." Lady Shadowpyre said as she made the hand motions to conjure up the unholy energy in her body, placing her hands on the runeblade, a rune glowing on it, a ghoul appearing from thin air next to her. "Devour the body." The former human growled something unintelligible, shambling over to the body without any other purpose, grabbing an arm and then biting down on it, the plate-mail armor still covering the arm, though it tried to pry it loose, failing to do so as a hand clamped onto its face, ripping it off. Lady Shadowpyre shook her head as she left the room as she heard the Ghoul shamble towards the body, trusting the Ghoul to do what was ordered.
A ghastly hand grabbed the discarded blade, as the body rose, the wound sealing up again, the blade slicing through the Ghoul's neck moments later, before the skull joined what was left of its face. A silence fell as the body of the Ghoul trashed for a few seconds before going still, as a chill spread through the room, every Death Knight Acolyte in the room looking at the happenings, as Harry's body rose, the shining from his eyes being a piercing emerald color. "I will dish out pain… In the name of the Lich King!"
Harry Potter had risen again from his weakness… and he was pissed.
I hope you will recover fast, my comrade. I wish you the best of luck with your hospital stay, and STAY WITH US. I do not wish to go to visit your grave just yet…
Demon God of Chaos, AKA Guild Master of Dark Lords, Aszune EU servers
The next chapter… will have… well… dead people. Also, there will be explanations in that one… especially about how Harry is still alive…