Chill of Death

Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft or Harry Potter. I just use them, alright? Still, more reviews would be nice to have…

I dedicate this to my mother, who thinks I am a Satanist or something…

Death by numbers

Energy swelled through his body as he could feel the savage rage take a hold of him, the sword being clutched at by his hands, the unearthly rage coursing through his veins as he just could not contain it anymore, roaring in defiance in an animalistic manner. The feeling of being alive still was something which was too great to describe to anyone at this moment, even as he could feel the loyalty swell in his chest, the will of the Lich King flowing through him too, an unholy fervor coming over him, as he gazed around the room, a sense of a loss of control coming over him as he shivered for a moment, watching as the acolytes got into a fighting stance, apparently not knowing what they would face.

"Alright, this will be easy." The woman who had spoken so dismissingly about Harry took a guarding position, noticing the sword which Harry clutched in his hands move to a certain position at his side. There was not much time for her to get into a correct guarding position before Harry dashed at her, his limbs slowly turning more and more into a perfect state, his face turning older, making him look to be around 18 or something, or even older, but 18 was the closest estimation that anyone could give. There was a moment before their swords clashed, Harry's weight still being light, but the force that he put behind it made the woman skid backwards, the sword which she held singing slightly because of the blow, her eyes sizing him up. "Gnome, attack him from the read. Orc, you're with me from the front. He's seemingly gone berserk, so we will put him down now."

"Yes, Elder Student." There was a hint of respect within their voices as they addressed the elder student, who went into a guarded position. They moved to the sides of the room, Harry following Leena with his head, his attention being on the Orc for a few more moments, his head turning just in time to block a strike from the elder student, his eyes beginning to tear up slightly as a wave of bitter cold seeped through the cracks of his armor, the floor around him frosting up, a sense of loss coming over him as he felt an intense power take possession of him, his armor cracking even more as the power took a hold of him, his head lowering itself as he fell to his knees.

Trishia looked at Harry as he had fallen to her knees, waiting for what would happen next, seeing that there was a noticeable drop in temperature, along with the ice spreading over the ground, origininating from Harry's body, the elder student also voicing her discomfort with the situation. "We must warn Lady Shadowpyre about this! If he has gone into a mad state, there's no way that we will be able to stop him." The mad state was collectively known and feared, in which someone could become like a wild animal, only looking for the next kill, then the next one, the intelligence being used for the hunting of prey, a general disaffection with everything being the first sign of such a condition.

The elder student looked at Harry and then looked at the gnome and the Orc. "Make sure that you get to Lady Shadowpyre. Lady Shadowpyre has given me some introductionary spells from her own training as a Death Knight, and I think I can pull them off, to keep him from destroying us outright." It was not that she actually cared about other people's lives, no it wasn't that. It was more that when Harry would escape from this room, he might be doing more than enough damage to slow down their goals, no matter the way in which he did it, he would slow them down from delivering the Lich King's wish for annihilation.

She stared at the body of Harry, his head rising, just as the door was opened by Trishia, a sheet of frost covering the exit a second later, Harry's hand falling to his side once more. "Nobody leaves this room…" his voice was a mix between his normal form, which was intelligent-sounding, and pure malice given a voice. The dreadful tone with which he spoke froze up her muscles for a moment, just giving Harry enough time to deliver a strike to her, though she managed to duck out of the way in the nick of time, a second slice passing over her breastplate as she did the splits, kicking him in the crotch for good measure, though the armor plating there had covered it slight.

"ANNIHILATION!" His voice echoed through the room, everything going silent as his eyes changed from green glowing to an icy blue color, the deathly pale skin seemingly turning paler as he looked at the Death Knights, who got into ready positions, as the sword in his hands burned with a blue flare, runes enscribing themselves upon the blade, the shape not changing one bit, as the fury within his azure eyes seemed to ignite, a spark of necromantic energy going through the air, his hands moving to parry the strike dealt to him by the elder student, trishia's strike being blocked by a raised knee, the blade dancing off his armor, his boots getting dented slightly, as he pushed the elder student back.

"DEATH!" the voice rumbled through the room, as he drove the sword off his sword, his hand whirling through the air to catch Leena's blade, the force of the blow which she dealt him making him stumble slightly, as she used as much orcish strength she had apparently left after training to make sure that he felt the hurt. His eyes seemed to change a little bit, as they seemed to stop glowing azure as a green glow settled in. "FOR THE LICH KING'S WILL!"

He brought down the blade once more, his hands shaking slightly as he regained poss4erssion of his hands and movements, his body feeling like it had just ran a marathon and then again, without any rest, his stance feeling more rigid, his entire body feeling sluggish, as if he had been subjected to some intense training, all thesethings flowing in his mind, an unswerving loyalty to the lich king growing within his mind, as he followed the last command that had been given, to completely annihilate all living things in his path, his movements being honed to the finest degree all of a sudden, as if he had been practicing it for an eternity, his mind feeling weary and tired, but he would not give up, his eyes glowing even fiercer as he thought about his training, how he would need to improve, locking eyes with leena, as he drove her back with a feat of strength, pushing her away without a problem, his limbs feeling stronger. "Yes… You will slay them all, to prove yourself to me! Show me who is worthy to become… a true Knight of Death…"

"Attack!" a blade was thrust at his back, which he grabbed without a care, his eyes focusing upon the form of the gnome, his hands moving in an arcane pattern as he began to call upon the magic of his home realm, a reducto forming within his hands, letting it fly, watching as the tiles shattered where Trishia was a few moments ago, his eyes following her, a blade hitting him in the back, as he turned around to face the elder student, whose blade had dug slightly into his flesh, a hand being raised and a wave of necromantic energy formed, her body being driven back, hitting the wall with a thrashing sound, his eyes no longer focusing on him, as he felt a bolt of putrefaction enter his skin through his neck, the elder student having managed to get that off in time apparently, the skin there withering immediately, a feeling of weakness going through him as he felt rage immediately swell at the feeling, hating to be weak in the eyes of the Lich King, a tremor going through him as he pulled the energy from the pit of his magic, to bring it forth, the runes on the blade glowing slightly, as they turned into a green coloration, twisting and changing to suit his needs as he brought the blade down upon the ground, a tremor wracking most of the room, letting arms fall to the ground, the door shattering at that moment and a man entered, red hair on his head, even as the top of it was bald, a big sword being held within his hands, a glowing skull upon it, it truly being a Death Knight's weapon.

Behind him, a gaggle of ghouls convened, and with a pointing finger pointed at Harry, they charged, Harry's stance shifting, catching the first of the ghouls on his blade, driving it back by the sheer force which he used, then watching as it hit the one behind it, the rest of the ghouls running around the fallen ones, one jumping at him, which he split in two horizontally, three others charging in from the sides and the front, a jab grabbing the body of one, the training sword pulling it with the blade, the runes upon it glowing sickly as he swung the blade in an arc, pulling the ghoul with him and then letting it crash into the rest, a hand pushing the ghoul away that had come closest to him, a blade being parried by one of his shoulder pauldrons, as he drank in unholy energy, the flesh around his neck healing immediately as the ghoul crumbled to dust upon his blade, another ghoul being dispatched by a swing of his blade, then jabbing it back, thrusting upwards Leena's blade, whilst he sidestepped Trishia's sword, a spell of sickly black energy being sent at him, which he dodged barely, his hands flying towards the hilt of the sword which he had been forced to release moments ago, due to a small problem with having to block a strike from Leena, which had knocked the blade out of his grip, catching the spell on his sword, his eyes glowing fiercely as he muttered something, something unintelligible, but a ghoul died moments later of the effects, its body being dried out and made to dust in seconds.

A second passed as he looked at the now four other occupants of the room, the Death Knight merely staring at him, his hands still resting on the blade, his hands moving not an inch, whilst he whirled around to dodge a blade, apparently from the elder student, the Death Knight watching with interest. His hands moved in a pattern as he kicked Trishia away, a blade of darkness leaving his hands and whirling through the air, as the stench of rot emanated from his body, his hair growing to reach his back, the green glow within his eyes intensifying, as the breath that came from his mouth turned into something that was colder, his mouth twisting into a mad grin, as he realized that this was survival to the fullest extent, watching the Death Knight with interest, moving to strike him, to increase his power, to make sure that it would all be his, so he would be able to serve the Lich King better.

He parried the blade that was sent at him, noting that it was just a trainees sword, with the glowing runes on it being the only thing that was different, though he did not really seem to mind it, orders being given by the Lich King, and since he was here anyways, why not have a bit more fun? As a Death Knight and one of the Four Horsemen of Naxxramas, he didn't get out much to play, so when this opportunity had arisen, he had taken it, the voice of the Lich King telling him to come here, to see for the talent…

With a snarl, he watched as the blade was parried, and with great force, he was pushed back, his eyes focused upon the Death Knight. "ANNIHILATION!" his voice was warped and twisted, his hands almost crushing the blade with the strength that had manifested, the sword moving through the air, only to clash with the dark runesword, the blade blocking it with great skill, the Death Knight giving him a look of pity as there was a clash between them, a crack running through the blade which Harry held currently, as harry pressed on, a friction being created between the blades, a wave of sparks being sent to the ground, just as a blade pierced his body from behind, the feeling of steel piercing through his flesh being quite unique, as there was a whole feeling that was new to him, a weak sensation going through him as he accumulated energy, a wave spreading out from his back, thrusting away whoever had caused the wound, his eyes focusing upon the Death Knight, attacking once more, the crack on his blade slowly widening, as the blade broke little by little, as he kept on a barrage of attacks, his whole movement being pressed behind the attack, as the blade splintered into shards, only the hilt being left in his hands, the attacks having left only that behind.

He dropped the hilt to the floor, looking at the Death Knight with a resigned look in his eyes, his hands going towards his face, the rough texture of the gloves which he wore rubbing onto his skin, as he rubbed the skin, waiting for the end to come, his service to be denied to the Lich King. He waited a few seconds, moving his hands away from his face to look around, the Death Knight who had appeared looking at him still, while the other Apprentice Death Knights were bound by shackles made of bone. A silence fell over the room as he looked at the Death Knight, whose hand landed on his pauldron, a shock going through him as he felt the energy go through him, his skin healing up immediately at the necromantic energy coursing through his body, his eyes focusing at the man's eyes, watching with great interest in the eyes of the man, who appeared to have died before becoming a Death Knight, or something like it, due to the shine which came from the eyes, along with the fact that there was a sensation around his lower chest, like something had been pierced through.

"You have done admirably, young Harry." The voice which spoke was not dark, but smooth and gentle, the whole serenity behind it belying the fact that this man was one of the Lich King's Knights, the ones who apparently held a very high rank. There was a minute of pause between the man's words and when he spoke again, a light amount of amusement was heard within his voice. "The Lich King told me that you were somewhat of a special project of his, and he resurrected you, only to take over for a moment, to test your fortitude against that… I am impressed you managed to suppress his will for a second and actually take the bloodlust for your own use, though you wrecked your weapon." There was nothing gentle about him now, as he walked towards Harry, his platemailed finger tapping against Harry's chest. "You almost killed your fellow students, students who hold a great deal of promise in the eyes of the Lich King. Come now, follow me, Children of Death. Leena Bloodscar, Trishia Sprocketsprout, Syrenia Leafblade, Harry Potter… The time for your test is now. Together with two other acolytes, you will be tested to become Death Knights, by the Lich King himself. Already, the forges are working to create the armor you will wear while in the service of the Lich King, should you survive the test he sets before you."

There was a deadly silence which fell as the mentioned people looked at the Death Knight, who did not move an inch from where he was standing. "No offense, but is he trained enough to go on the Test?" the elder student, now identified as Syrenia Leafblade, looked at him, pointing a thin finger at him. The man smiled slightly as he traced his hand over Harry's cheek, his eyes going over his features. "The fact that he fought you three off is showing a great deal of promise." Syrenia shut up immediately, her eyes resting upon Harry for some time, as she began to feel something well up within her chest, the feeling being different then what she had felt before, it coming from watching Harry. It was certainly not love, as she would know the sappy feeling when it came, but it was something else, as she watched how Harry seemed to be silent and calm now, not like the maddened rage of some time ago.

"A great deal of promise? You have to be joking, Sir." The voice of someone else came from behind the Death Knight, making him turn around to regard the new person who had come. "It is just some punk who has been graced by the Lich King. Last thing I heard from the Big Boss was that he was going to personally forge armor for the tyke over there." The man who stepped into the room pointed his finger at Harry, who froze up a little bit at the venomous look that he received from the new arrival. "Do not be so spiteful, Arend. It's just something the Lich King wishes to make for someone who shows promise, more promise then you did. Don't think I have forgotten you when I tested you. Only because of her did you manage to survive the assault and claim the head of their commander, so you got your own Runeblade."

Arend gave the man a harsh glare, clearly not liking the way that this conversation was going one bit. "Well then, pretty boy. I guess you've been getting well acquaintance with the little Gnome-licker and the green mutt, along with the leaf-slut. Oh look, that rhymed." The spiteful behavior was something which was apparently ingrained as he walked up to Harry, placing his thin fingers under Harry's chin and forced him to look at him. "The Lich King should not waste time with someone like you… I am more worthy, and what am I? A simple field commander!"

As Arend apparently grew angry at him, Harry just remained still, the eyes still glowing somewhat greenish, the fingers digging into his flesh and making him uncomfortable, the other hand going towards the Rruneblade which hung on his side, the runed blade being placed against his throat. With a cracking sound, the body was batted away by the gargantuan blade which the first Death Knight used, Arend's body hitting the ground, the breastplate being shattered by the blow. "Do not speak beyond your station, Arend."

"Hrm. I will be testing you then. Commander Mograine, if you would do the honors for me? I seem to be needing to get a reparation on my armor." The Death Knight, now known as Commander Mograine smiled gently and then pushed him out of the door with great force, turning back to the students even as Arend smacked into the wall, curses spilling from his lips as he had apparently busted his nose. A load of cursing was sent at Commander Mograine who turned around, apparently doing something which made Arend give a little squeak and then the sound of him running through the hallways towards the armory could be heard, along with some sounds of metal hitting the floor.

"Now, since my aide has left the room, how about we leave the room to and go visit your rooms, to fetch the items you will possibly have any attachment to, or even wish to keep with you. It's usually a consolation to most Acolytes to keep something close to them which has sentimental value. The Lich King does not frown upon such behavior as sentimentality, but he does frown upon sentimentality standing in the line of your duties towards the Scourge." The acolytes and Harry nodded, following the Death Knight, as he walked towards their living quarters.

On the way to them, they met Lady Shadowpyre, who bowed deeply before Commander Mograine. "You have come here to take some apprentices and give them the test, my lord?" Commander Mograine nodded, his hand moving to touch Lady Shadowpyre's forehead, a gesture which was odd to Harry, but seemed to be awfully comforting towards Lady Shadowpyre, as a smile came onto her face. "Yes, the Lich King gave me the order to test Trishia Sprocketsprout, Leena Bloodscar, Harry Potter, Syrenia Leafblade, Calia Menethil and Syra Stormfury."

"Very well then. I trust you will take Harry Potter with you, even as he is untrained?" Lady Shadowpyre raised an eyebrow, to which Commander Mograine merely gave a smile, showing off sharp teeth. "Not all who are in the service of the king are good at the time they train their skills, they might end up better in combat then in training… When you're about to die, that's when you will learn best…"

"Indeed, my champion-to-be." The voice of the Lich king echoed through his mind as he looked at the Death Knights in front of him, two women following Lady Shadowpyre from the corridor which she had just left, the women stepping into the illuminated area, the face of one being that of a woman around her thirties, blonde hair falling into her face, the locks being long, but a degenerate smirk was set upon her face, her eyes being a crazed sort of eyes, the widening of them, along with the fact that there was the mere insanity within her pose, as she twirled a sword in one of her hands, the blade almost nicking her skin, clearly not showing care for her own health.

The other woman, who stepped into the light, was something else, having blue skin, horns and eyes which seemed to glow worse than before. There was a certain lucidity in them which made it almost painful to look at her, but there was also a deep depravity within her body, as the smile on her face was both motherly, as well as totally crazed. There were some ridges on her forehead which clearly marked her as something else, making Harry wonder just what she was. "A Draenei, a race from another planet, Argus I believe it was called. The human woman, does she look appetizing to you, my champion-to-be?"

Harry's eyes fell onto the woman, watching how the armor which she wore seemed to be awfully mismatched, along with the fact that she did not seem to be having that much strength in her body. It also seemed that there was something off about her body, which was not the fact that she seemed to be quite out of place, if he had to make a quiet assumption about it. Though her face was beautiful, it seemed to remind him of someone, someone he could not quite place.

A silence fell as he began to think about who she seemed to make him remember out, the face seeming awfully familiar to him, but he could not fathom where he had seen it before, that she might have been seen somewhere before. "She is my sister, Callia Menethil."

Understanding went through him, especially when Callia walked up to him and then embraced him, laying her head on his shoulder, freezing up as she increased the pressure on his body, the strength which she held him with being at least ten times greater then he would have suspected from her. "Hello brother… How are you now?" her voice, which sounded somewhat lucid now, was also somewhat dangerous with an edge to it, the look which she gave him being akin to wanting to tear him apart.

"I'm not your brother." He said, waiting for her reaction, only feeling how her body began to stiffen up a little bit as she tightened her grip on him, a feeling like being crushed to death coming over him, until he managed to grab her by the shoulder and pull her off him, his breath coming in slow gasps, his eyes widened and disturbed looking at him with the leer being pulled out from it. A silence fell as he looked at her and then began to keep her away from him.

"The boy, is he ready to become a Death Knight?" Rysa asked, the Draenei moving next to Commander Mograine and watched as the man rubbed his chin, the look on his face not changing one bit as he answered. "He is ready in the eyes of the Lich King. Rysa, you were my personal student for three weeks, after I took you from Lady Shadowpyre… Tell me, how would you rate his performance in battle?" Rysa took a long look at Harry, watching how he tried to keep Arthas's sister away from him, who seemed to think that he was Arthas, probably because he was so young-looking. "I would give him a very fair chance of surviving the Test. Personally, I will give it my best, but if I fall, it will be with as many enemies of the Lich King as possible."

"I doubt you will fall… LADIES AND GENTLEDEAD, LISTEN TO ME! GATHER YOUR BELONGINGS AND REPORT BACK HERE IN 20 MINUTES!" and with that…

The Death Knight Acolytes went off to get their stuff.

Next chapter will handle the test, people will die, harry will… do something unexpected… and more stuff, this time about the world he has left behind.

Demon God of Chaos out

PS: need a beta for this. Contact me on my MSN address.