"I'd recognize that fluttery heartbeat anywhere," Anub'Rekham said as I entered his chamber. He was a giant spider-like crypt lord. He had many locusts that served him well, and actually killed Orian in our desperate battle through the Spider Wing. "Your heart beat was desperately sad when my locusts killed your mate." I growled under my breath, digging my claws into my clenched hands. I did not like remembering that. Nor did I like the way he chuckled with satisfaction.
I began to walk to the next boss, Faerlina. I'm sure my encounter with her would be less painful to remember. Then Anub'Rekham cast his fearful Locust Swarm. I saw their yellow figures fly at me from all angles. Raising my hands above my head, I watched as each yellow light went out. Their burnt up bodies fell to the floor.
"If you EVER," I threatened between gritted teeth, "decide to attack me again; it will be your last move EVER." I turned to walk away.
"What makes you think that, Maexxna will join you?" the crypt-lord asked. I leaped in the air at him. He tried to move out of the way, but I was quicker. Landing on his back, I dug my claw-like finger nails into his head.
"If you weren't so useful with your locust swarm," I said through my gritted fangs, "I would rip your head off." I released his head from my clawed grasp.
"Though what is the answer to my question," Anub'Rekham pressed.
"You're treading dangerous waters," I warned, finding satisfaction in his slight flinch "But I suppose it's because misery loves company!"
Practically growling like a feral animal, I stormed into Faerlina's giant stone room. She walked around the room like she was contemplating something with a deep meaning. Without even looking at my fury, the teal blue colored figure spoke.
"Please forgive Anub'Rekham," she half-begged. "He's even like that to the master. That's why the master recruited him; because he picks at people's weaknesses."
"I really wish he wouldn't," I growled.
"It's because you're strong, that he does that," she explained, "He doesn't want you to hurt him…like last time." I almost fell backward. This teal-blue mage was the first to recognize me. "It's okay. I recognized the name. Orian said it a lot when you fought me." She paused. "Long hair suits you…"
"Thank…you?" I said, still recovering from the shock.
"It's gotten darker too," she said, distantly now, "Anyways, you better go talk to my master of this wing." She, oddly enough, calmed me down a bunch; even if she did remember who I was. "Maexxna is
quite eager to receive her portal shard. Master would be upset if I was the one keeping you from meeting him, too."
As I began to walk away, she spoke once more, "Where is Orian?"
"Deep in the Emerald Dream prolly…" I half whispered. Even I cringed at the sorrow and pain in my voice. "Dunno." How long had it been? My sense of time had been thrown way off. I suppose Buck died at the end of winter, my dark change had taken place shortly after. 3 months had passed when my wings had grown and a few more weeks had passed during my training.
Finally, my cracked voice spoke up, "It's the end of summer isn't it?"
"Child, I am not one to ask," Faerlina responded, "I have lived, died, and lived again, died again, and am alive once more. I have stood guard here ever since my first death." I sighed. "Though, the master might know. Then again, time matters not to a lich."
I thanked her and departed through the doors to Maexxna. Immediately, I flew into the air. I remembered the webbing on the ground, though it was on the walls and ceiling too. I couldn't see the webs, I certainly felt in when they restrained my wings from flying. Pain engulfed my back as I hung there from my wings. I reached up to pull my wings free, though I couldn't see the webbing.
I sighed. I guess that it wasn't so painful now that my arms were stuck too. A rod of yellow light shot out of the corner of my eye. I shot out to bite at it, tucking itself under my wing, I missed. I stopped freaking out when I realized it was freeing me.
"Maexxna?" I called out. "Is that you?" Another rod of light shook up and down in front of my face. "Thank you. I feel really stupid." The rod patted me on the shoulder. It placed itself on my cheek and ushered my face into the wall. I heard voices.
"Dear LIGHT that girl is taking forever!! Where is she now?" I heard a scruffy voice say.
A maternal voice spoke next, "Calm down, Morgriane, the demon is with me."
"Is that you speaking?" I asked Maexxna. The rod shook up and down again.
"What is taking you so long?" Morgraine asked again.
"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I've been stopping to chat with everyone along the way. What's making you so eager anyways?"
"We've all heard what Heigan has seen," Maexxna explained, "We haven't served anyone in many, many years. We haven't fought for many, many years."
"But what does Heigan have to do with your fighting?" I asked.
"He sees you'll send us to battle a lot!" Morgriane half-cheered. "We will become your elite army. Kind of like the Illidari was to Illidan."
"Heigan saw that?" I repeated.
"Yes," Maexxna said, "He saw a lot of things,"
"Dark things," Morgraine interrupted.
"Yes, dark things," Maexxna agreed, "But your devotion to us will make us follow you to the end."
"Miss Eternus, let me just tell you this now," Morgraine said, "You are KICK ASS!! Just wait until you see yourself."
That was a lot to take in. I actually hadn't thought about what I wanted after this big battle coming up, let alone my tactics. I just needed the enemy of my enemy. But now that I had my own private army, I thought I could use another enemy of my enemy…who also thought of themselves as my enemy. I summoned another portal shard and gave it to the extended yellow rod.
"Thank you," I thanked.
"No," Maexxna said, "Thank you. Now hurry along to the Deathknight Wing." The spider let out a noise that sounded like a chuckle. "If you think Morgraine is excited, just you wait. You have my passage to opening the portal to Frostwyrm Lair."
"Ha! I find this funny! A bunch of Deathknights are working for a demon hunter," Morgraine chuckled, swinging the Corrupted Ashbringer over his shoulder. I couldn't help but be mesmerized by it.
"Try to think of it as working alongside me," I said, unable to mask the distance in my voice. I had the odd sensation to murder Morgraine right here, right now, for that sword. I wanted to touch it. I was so lost in that sword that I hadn't even realized I was holding my hand out. So, I was shocked when Morgraine placed the sword right under my outstretched finger tips.
"Yeah, try living with that aura for years and years and years," a voice from behind me called. I turned around to see another figure, painted lemon yellow with black coursing in and out of the many holes in the yellow. The figure was short and stout, like a dwarf. It was Thane.
"And you haven't tried to kill him yet?" I asked. "I want to rip his head of for that sword."
"That's its influence over you," another voice explained. I tried turning around but was stopped by a tug on my hair. "The Corrupted Ashbringer propels you to do evil and the Pure Ashbringer does the opposite." I felt little tingly sensations on my scalp.
"Why can't I turn my head?" I asked again, "Is that the sword too?"
"No," another voice explained. Since it was the final voice, I guessed it was Zeliek. "That is just Blaumeux. She's braiding your hair." I shook my head in disbelief. I thought that the Lich King had corrupted all these minds, but it felt as though they were still barely grasping on their humanity.
"It's been along time since another female who hasn't come with intentions of death has entered the Deathknight Wing," Thane explained, "She just gets very bored with no one but men around."
"Plus, I really like your hair," she complimented. I had no idea how to react to compliments anymore. While, Blaumeux finished up my braid, I summoned a portal shard and handed it to Morgraine.
"You have my passage to open the portal to Frostwyrm Lair," Morgraine said, accepting the shard.
I handed the next shard to Thane who also granted me passage. Blaumeux gave me her passage before I even summoned the portal shard. And then I turned to Zeliek. He stared at me for along time. And finally, after being creped out, I stared back. He was like sword, forcing me to concentrate in his eyes. My hand shot out and caught his throat. He began to make gurgling noises as my nails sank into his throat. I thought that if I killed someone like this, I would be horrified with myself but I felt no remorse. I felt a burning sensation in my mouth; it was pure pleasure.
"Th…ank…you," were his dying words. I let his corpse fall to the ground. Then I looked at the other Deathknights. Instead of attacking me like I thought they would, they clapped.
"Ah, she is already on her way to being a great demon," Morgraine said.
"He asked me to," I said. But I was unsure if they heard me over the thudding of the portal dropping that echoed through Naxxramas.
A raspy voice filled my head. "I…was…pure…once."
"Yeah. You and everyone else in this room," I thought back.
Sapphiron was a giant undead dragon and used to be the Blue Dragonflight. Though he could not speak after his resurrection. The raging blue dragon saw me and bent its head down. In one swift movement, it scooped me up and threw me on its back. The undead dragon lifted its skinless wings and took off. It flew me through the rest of his lair all the way to where Kel'Thuzad's lich body.
"Why are you helping me?" I asked. "You've seemed to take a quick liking to me." It opened its mouth as if to let out a terrifying roar; but no sound came out. Then in pulled the sides of its mouth upward into a smile and opened its mouth as if to chuckle.
It was lying on the cave floor. Its black figure was pinned to the ground, I couldn't see the swords and arrows and daggers and wands forcing the lich into the ground. I slide off the skeleton and approached the trapped body.
"Ah, Eternus; my master, the Lich King, said you'd be arriving," Kel'Thuzad gasped out. His voice sounded wispy but harsh, like rocks grinding together.
"So you already know what I'm here for," I responded.
"Even if I didn't want you to take it, I couldn't do much about it," he retorted. I watched as he raised his grotesque finger and stroke what must have been a weapon. "Well, do the dark deed you came to do."
I dropped to me knees and I held out my hand. I watched the green and black figure of a hand reach into the black of a torso. There were gaps in the black; places where grey took over. My only assumption was that those were the weapons and I couldn't touch those. Suddenly, my hand met metal. It felt like the Ashbringer, only warmer. I tried wrapping my hand around it, but it was much too big for my hand to grasp. I found the spot amongst the metal where my hand could grasp around and yanked. I sat there on my knees holding one of the Warglaives of Azzinoth in my hands and staring at the Lich.
"I have one more thing," the Lich gasped again, "Here." He opened my hand and slipped two metal objects in it. "They were dangling on his sword." I fumbled around with the objects I couldn't see with my trembling hands; rings. They were our promise rings that we left here to prove we were here. That warm, fuzzy burning sensation returned to my mouth. I wanted to take a life. Sapphiron sensed my discomfort and let out a low snarl.
"Your dragon knows you're upset and wants to help," Kel'Thuzad explained, "So, go and finish your quest and obtain your destiny."
Climbing back on to Sapphiron, I slide the two rings on the same finger, one on top of the other. I cleared the lump in my throat and said, "Sapphiron, I need you to take me to the Molten Core so I can get my other Warglaive and then we have an errand to run." With that, the dragon took of in flight, leaving the Lich's pinned body to its solitude.