Chapter 3
The docks were unusually quiet, which was a pleasant change for Charles. Ordinarily there were ships coming in with supplies, civilians sailing in from Stormwind looking to aid the war effort in Borean Tundra, rowdy mercenaries tumbling about drinking up all the ale and generally disturbing the peace... but it wasn't the noise really that Charles disliked. It was the people themselves. He hated them all. Idiotic and misguided louts.
He wiped his brow with the back of his gauntleted hand as he strode slowly towards the inn, feeling horribly exposed in the bright sunlight and the fair, salty breeze. Charles knew better then to complain too much though; it was necessary for him to maintain appearances and coming across as excessively disagreeable was likely to arouse suspicion.
But he had been at Valiance Keep for many months now, waiting, watching and learning. There had been setbacks as well... such as Counselor Talbot's exposure as Prince Valanar. That particular occasion had been the most difficult, what with everyone being on edge watching for Cultists at every turn.
Charles smiled at the memory though. He was exceptional at his masquerade; no one had ever even come close to suspecting a typical, boring footman like him. As long as it was required of him, fooling the moronic members of the Alliance was a simple enough task until he could fully serve the Master in whatever manner He saw fit.
A female dwarf relaxing outside the inn near the stables took his grin as a friendly gesture and waved at the man as he passed. Charles couldn't remember her name, not that he was especially interested in knowing it, but she was responsible for stabling the animals at the keep and took it upon herself to talk to anyone who would listen.
How he hated her... with her pudgy little cheeks and her fat, stubby fingers always grabbing to touch someone as she prattled on aimlessly. Perhaps one day he would have the pleasure of cutting out her tongue or drowning her with his bare hands. That would be nice.
"A fine day, ain't it, Chuck?" She asked jovially, basking in the afternoon sun, a respite from the normally cold-tinged winds.
That was another thing he hated. Always referring to him with such familiarity as to completely change his name. Chuck wasn't even short for Charles... half the letters weren't even the same.
Swallowing his grimace, Charles gave a hearty wave in return. "Aye it is that. A bit of sun to chase away Northrend's chill!"
She chuckled and lounged against the wooden paneling of the building, stretching her short arms overhead as she enjoyed the last of her break.
Offering another departing gesture, the footman hurried away and continued his rounds.
"Hail, Chuck!"
Charles heard another voice at his back that made him want to gouge out his own eyes. He hated Dann Berman with a passion. The man was good-looking, friendly and generally well-liked by everyone stationed at Valiance Keep. The dolts all looked up to him like he was something special. He wanted to snort; what did they really know of it?
Pasting a warm expression on his face, Charles turned to greet Dann with an exuberant handshake. "Dann! How goes it?"
"Aye, well enough I suppose, well enough." Dann shrugged, though the twinkle in his eye belied his statement, implying that things were actually going quite well for him. Figured.
Charles chuckled. "Don't give me that. Spill it already, how're you and the misses?"
Dann laughed, clapping Charles hard on the shoulder. "I know I can't get anything past you, eh Chuck? Well, Bess wasn't wanting me to tell anyone just yet, but as it turns out I've got a wee one on the way!"
Oh fantastic. Children. "Why Dann, that's great news! You have my congratulations." He offered the man his hand again.
Dann took it enthusiastically. "Aye, thank you. I'm a bit nervous though, you know. I want to be able to spend some time with Bess and the baby when it comes, but Northrend is no place for a mother. Being the best father I can is going to be the most important thing here soon, and I just know..."
Charles nodded his head understandingly as Dann poured his heart out. Ugh. Why is it that people always would come to him when they wanted to yammer on endlessly about their own pointless lives and problems like he was some damned barkeep? Maybe if the timing was right he could kill Dann and send his severed head home to his wife just as the baby was born...
"... but Bess' mother may be around to help out with the baby as well, and I might be able to ask the Captain for a short leave... hmm. I'll have to think on it more. Thanks for listening, Chuck. You certainly know how to help a man sort things out!"
Charles gave a humble shrug. "That what I'm here for, Dann!"
"Don't I know it!" Dann slapped his shoulder again, smiling all the while. This was nauseating.
As the two men began to part ways, Charles called back over his shoulder. "Oh, and lay off that ale and stay out of trouble, Dann! You've got responsibilities now, you hear?"
Dann sent a goofy salute back, with an obvious spring in his step. "You got it, man. No more trouble outta me!"
A final wave ensued and the two returned to their respective paths before Charles let the disdain freely roll off of him in waves.
All of them were so wrapped up in their own existence, completely unaware of the fate that would befall them in the afterlife. Their comfort and happiness and children and money and things would be rubbish once they became undead. They all placed so much weight upon themselves, did they not recognize the immense satisfaction and glory of following a supreme Master who could wipe them all out with a mere glance? Apparently not... but they soon would.
Strolling over to the shipping logs on the dock, Charles flipped through it casually though no one paid him much mind. It was just Chuck after all, that nice, quiet man in the Alliance military.
Committing some of the entries to memory, he continued on. He hoped the Master would call for him soon.
-
It was a well-known fact that many death knights were fueled by emotion following their release from the Lich King's grasp. For some it was stronger than others, whether it be rage, vengeance, passion... for the leader of the Scourge had taken something very precious from them: their free will.
Perhaps some more keenly felt the loss to make their own choices or follow their own path than others, but regardless, the feelings that drove them now were strong and burned brightly.
But none quite so brightly as Thassarian, for he was a creature that even felt loyalty to his death knight kin while under the Lich King's hold, who's dedication to his people and love for his sister persisted through all that he had endured. And along with those strong, passionate emotions came the more destructive ones as well... the need to wipe out the Scourge, to destroy every last Cultist who followed the Lich King in life, and the annihilation of Arthas once and for all so that he, every other death knight and all those that had been ruined by the Scourge in some way could finally be at peace.
Many of the Knights of the Ebon Blade disguised their fervor with icy masks of apathy, appearing detached or maybe even indifferent to the events transpiring around them. Not so with Thassarian.
So when they saw him approaching, storming into the Shadow Vault with his fists clenched at his sides, traces of blood splashed across his face and armor, and his jaw set into an angular line of disdain, there were none who stood in his way.
Curses tumbled from his lips in abundance as he resisted the urge to kick and throw everything in sight. There were some death knights that watched, intrigued by his irrational behavior while others continued their business uninterrupted. Thassarian was somewhat of an oddity amongst the Ebon Blade for he had been the very first of them to rejoin the Alliance and despite the contempt and prejudice that met him at every turn he had been steadfast in his determination to help them in any way possible.
Most of them didn't have that kind of desire... or patience, and saw his continuous struggle against the 'living' to be foolhardy and wasteful, a pointless endeavor to try and gain their favor when a perfectly acceptable group of former Lich King servants were waiting to welcome him with open arms.
They kept those types of thoughts to themselves though mostly for his strength didn't only come from the energy that had been granted to him through becoming Scourge, his inner will and power from his former life made him a formidable foe indeed, one whom they were grateful to have on their side.
Thassarian paced the inner chamber of the Vault restlessly, unable to sit still in an attempt to diffuse some of the frustration that had followed him for the entire day. He couldn't very well return to the Skybreaker after the incident with Captain Bartlett, at least not yet. He knew that he could never be as effective as he wanted as long as the man continued to burn the Alliance's resources against the Horde and while his Ebon Blade brothers and sisters were certainly a force to be reckoned with they were often blind to some of the side effects that their actions had on others.
"Trying day?" A voice came sarcastically.
Thassarian looked up from his fierce contemplations to see Darion Mograine peering at him with a minute smirk on his face.
"You don't know the half of it." He growled back annoyed, resuming his frenzied pacing.
Mograine smiled grimly, "A life aboard the Skybreaker with the Alliance becoming too much for you?"
Thassarian narrowed his eyes before sighing and sitting down heavily against the wall. Apparently he'd be getting shit from both sides about his decision to aid the Valiance Expedition; not surprising. The subtle undertones of concern that were present in the Highlord's question unfortunately went unnoticed by the hot-headed death knight, however.
Removing his gauntlets, he dragged a hand down over his face that came away red. In disgust, he quickly wiped it against the ground, renewing his irritation.
"The Alliance are acting foolishly!" He spouted suddenly.
"No surprise there." Mograine responded coolly.
"Arthas wishes for them to fight one another and they play right into his hands!"
"Undoubtedly."
"The Cultists are there to thwart nearly everything I work towards!"
"It's to be expected."
Thassarian's hands curled back into fists. "And that traitorous woman still lives!" He cried, slamming his knuckles down into the stone unarmored.
Mograine raised a single red brow.
"Woman?"
"Yes..." Thassarian seethed, lips curled away from his teeth in a sneer. "The Lich King's newest servant, betrayer of the Alliance. The one who lured Fordring to the Cathedral of Darkness through my own folly. The one who escaped from the Vault before proper retribution could be had!"
"Ahh..." The Highlord sounded as though he was just remembering. "Her."
The death knights exchanged glances.
"She still lives, you say?" Mograine asked innocently. Thassarian was just entirely too easy to goad sometimes...
"I met her at Aldur'thar. We fought. She escaped." He looked furious again.
Darion nodded. "And how is it you are so certain that she is a traitor?"
Thassarian gaped at him. "Do you really know nothing of it? She was captured outside the Cathedral of Darkness after being seen retrieving Arthas' heart and returning it to him. I interrogated her here where she had absolutely nothing to say to defend herself. I still can't believe that I allowed her to deceive me-"
"She had nothing to say? No insane Cultist propaganda to shove in the Ebon Blade's face?"
"No, but not all Cultists-" Thassarian tried to interject.
"And what did you say she was doing at the Desolation Gate again?"
"Well, she was..." and quiet ensued as Thassarian tried to clear his head and remember what it was he had seen before the fighting had begun.
Another Cultist had been laying there, half-bloodied, before he had shown up and finished the acolyte off. And the rogue had been there hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike no doubt...
"Well, I..." he began again, not realizing how ridiculous he sounded. "I parachuted in from the Skybreaker, and she was there with another Cultist, probably in the middle of some sick ritual..."
"Oh, of course." Mograine agreed, sarcasm completely lost on the other death knight.
"The woman was there, waiting in the shadows, fleeing when I came close. As I gave chase more Cultists followed to aid her, jumping in to help her escape once they saw that the advantage was mine!" He growled at the memory.
"Did she say anything to you?"
Thassarian shook his head angrily. "Why would I believe anything she has to say now? Her filthy tongue knows nothing but lies! Attesting her innocence, bah! Just give her a moment to explain so she can stab me in the back!"
Deadly calm to the opposing man's outrage, Mograine spoke, "You are a fool." His lips were set in a tight line and Thassarian rose to meet his stare.
"What do you know of it? You were not there! You weren't the one she came to asking for help, giving out false information-"
"And do you know why you are a fool?" Darion continued, unaffected by the sputtering death knight in front of him. "Because even when the answers are right before you, you refuse to even ask the questions. You'd rather seethe and froth senselessly and hope that everything turns out all right. Becoming a death knight gives you more than just strength and fortitude, it gives you Sight... perhaps you should consider using it once in a while."
Thassarian glared at the other man, jaw set harshly. "What are you talking about? What questions?"
Mograine shook his head. "Are you so blinded by revenge? That you cannot see what is transpiring around you? There is so much more to this woman than you know, and the answers you haven't bothered to seek are so readily available..."
Thassarian snorted and rolled his eyes, "So you would send me on some grand quest to uncover a great secret or discover her true motivation? Travel Azeroth far and wide in search of a divine prophet that might enlighten me to some fantastic truth? I think I'll have to pass on that one, Highlord."
Without so much as cracking a smile, Darion shrugged. "I suppose that could work. Or you could just ask him instead." And with a minor gesture he tilted his head towards the corner of the Vault where Mathias Shaw sat relaxed, heavily engrossed in whatever it was he was currently reading.
Thassarian looked unimpressed. "That twerp? What could he possibly help me with?"
"That..." Mograine turned to look at him, "... was her mentor."
Not convinced, Thassarian scoffed, "Those Assassins are likely only here to serve their own ends, or to help the Alliance with their futile efforts against the Horde. My experience with rogues so far has been that they truly serve no one other than themselves and-"
"Yes yes," Darion interrupted waving his hand dismissively, "We're already well-aquainted with your 'experience' and how you tend to jump to all sorts of asinine conclusions before collecting any sort of semblance of facts. And while what you said may be true to a certain extent there is another very large reason why the leader of the Assassins has ventured so very far from the safety of his hold in Stormwind..."
Thassarian clenched his teeth at the abruptness of being cut off and the condescending tone his Highlord was using, but took a moment to actually consider what he had said. Glancing back over to the corner he did a brief double-take once he noticed that the rogue's chair was now empty. Ignoring Mathias' sudden absence and moving on, "He came here for her personally? But why would-"
"If you have questions for me, young man, you merely need ask me yourself."
Thassarian turned to find the diminutive rogue standing directly behind him, calmly folding his glasses and tucking them away. The death knight wasn't quite sure how he felt about being crept up on or being referred to as 'young man' by this meticulously-groomed slip of a human and was about to say so when Mathias held up a single hand.
"I know, I had my reservations as well. I desperately wanted to believe that I knew my student wholly and truly but it was difficult even for me, I can't even imagine how someone who hardly knew her and had been prey to her deception would be apt to deny her wickedness."
Despite the stark differences between the two men, Thassarian could not help but be somewhat soothed by Mathias' words and calming presence and was the most surprised of all when he heard himself say,
"What can you tell me?"
Author's Note: Yeah, I suck =( I feel like a bad person taking this long to update, but yet again I had difficulties getting started. I hope to begin the next chapter right away though to make sure I get a jump start and can update a bit quicker. Thank you always for the reviews, comments and suggestions, I take them all very seriously and love reading them! Oh and P.S. To FirePaladin, I swear I already had this chapter planned out before you reviewed, hehehe.