JJ: Hehe. Nell is seriously pissed now. I pity that death knight.

Karkon: Your pitying someone who you are going to kill in your story?

JJ: It's just a figure of speech...

Karkon: Hey, I'm just saying. It really makes no sense from if you look at it in a certain way.

JJ: True...Anyway, lets see what horrendous ideas I can come up with to torture Cornelius.

Karkon: I'm sure you will think of something interesting. Disclaimer - World of Warcraft does not belong to JJfats.

Chapter 6

Nell was just standing there, staring, an evil look in her eyes. Her cold glare seemed to pierce straight through his body. That was when Karkon realized that it was piercing through his body. Nell was looking at the death knight behind Karkon. At that moment,the orc noticed that the death knight was twitching nervously behind him. He could tell that he wanted to get away from the elf's gaze, but he couldn't move, as if Nell's stare had some accursed paralyzing magic in it. Karkon knew how the knight felt. He too wanted to avoid those blood red eyes, but his legs refused to move.

The paladin began to move forward, her wings spread out behind her. Bright scarlet feathers peeled away with every step she took, falling slowly and evaporating into flames as it touched the ground. Every time her foot touched the ground, the earth sizzled with a slight flame and the grass withered and died. All the while, her stare never lifted. She moved ever closer with each passing moment. To the orc, it felt like a eternity. Time seemed grind to a halt as the elf got closer. Soon, Nell was jut an arms length away from Karkon. Snapping out of his paralyzed state, the death knight swiftly lifted his runeblade once more, intending to impale the orc through his back and use his body as a shield. Before the orc could react, the knight thrust hi weapon into Karkon's back.

A sharp pain crossed the orc's chest. It was nigh unbearable. This was it. He was finally going to die. He was beginning to believe that the Ancestors wanted to preserve him, but he guessed he was wrong. The orc closed his eyes and prepared to pass on. After several seconds, Karkon realized that he was not dead or dying. Moreover, he also noticed that the pain was not coming from his back, but his chest, although he could still feel the tip of the knight's blade poking at his back. He opened his eyes and was staring straight into the mad, red eyes of Nell. She was barely an inch away from his face. It was almost as if she could not see the orc. Her attention focused solely on the death knight. Karkon noticed that Nell had placed a glowing, gauntleted hand on the spot where the pain was coming from. The orc's eyes widened in horror as his green flesh around the elf's palm began turning a dark scarlet. Recognition began to hit him. He had felt this sensation before. He had felt the foul magic that Nell was using on him before. It was demonic fel energy.

Karkon then realized what was happening, Nell was channeling fel energy through his chest to his back, repelling the death knight's blade. For a brief instant, Karkon was enraged at the fact of the paladin abusing his body in such a way. The thought of having such foul magics crossing his body was disgusting. He quickly abolished the thought. At least it was better than being dead, he concluded.

The death knight tried even harder to push his blade through, but it just would not budge. The glow on Nell's hand intensified as the elf sent a huge surge of energy though the orc's chest. The force was so violent that it completely repelled the death knights blade as if two like sides of a magnet had come together, launching the death knight several meters into the air. The orc fell to his knee's grasping his chest in pain. His skin turned back into its grey-green shade, but a black scar remained at he spot where the evil energies had burned him.

The knight quickly recovered and picked himself up. He readied his blade and charged at Nell. Unfazed, Nell just stood there and waited for him to come. The knight thrust his blade at her but the elf dodged it easily with lightning speed, and brought her armored boot to the knights face, just as fast. The blow sent the knight flying once more and he landed in a heap several meters from Nell.

Karkon sat quietly in a corner, observing the battle. He was too injured to help the elf, although he really wanted too, he knew he would be a liability if he joined. Looking at the confrontation now, he was sure that the elf would eventually win. The question now was what was she going to do after that? The orc believed that it could not possibly be anything good.

'This is not right. It can't be right' were the thoughts that were passing through Cornelius' brain the moment the elf girl kicked him. It was surprising enough when the girl had gotten up after being in a near death state for so long, yet alone be stronger than she was before. She might even be stronger than the death knight himself. Cornelius quickly purged the thought. Self doubt was one of the things which causes failure. No, he needed to concentrate, that is all.The paladin girl was buried in fel energies, giving her immense strength. Not only that, her hatred seemed to be fueling that energy, causing the aura to grow more powerful with each passing second. Luckily, the power came from rage, and like he said before, rage clouds judgment. Raw power is not always the key to victory. Even though the elf was more powerful than before, all he had to do was out smart her like before.He only did not understand the significance of the wings which had sprouted from her back. They were too small to allow the fully armored paladin flight and too big for the girl to balance on land. From all angles, it was more of a burden than of any help.

Still, judging from the speed the girl moved, he guessed that they weren't that much of a liability after all. The knight stood up right and flexed his shoulder muscles. Good, he thought. Nothing broken. Already, a brilliant plan was forming in his head. He had to tread carefully from now on. If he made even the slightest of miscalculations, he would end up dead. After making sure he had all the facts noted, he crouched into a fighting position and took a few steps back. It was a smart move. He was now in a good position where he could go easily on the offense or defense.

Cornelius charged at Nell, driving his blade in a wicked upward arc. Nell stepped back and the blow missed. The death knight did not let up the attack. He slashed at her again and again, each attack being nimbly dodged by the elf. After several more blows, Cornelius had the elf where he wanted her. She was so concentrated on avoiding the knights attacks that she neglected to see where she was going. Cornelius had driven her to the edge of the bridge. She now had no where to dodge without the risk of falling off. The knight brought his blade down on the elf once more, putting all his power into it. Without any other option, Nell unsheathed her extra blades which still hung from her belt raised them in defense. Red sparks exploded from the impact as steel met with steel.

The dwarfish blades vibrated violently, but did not break. A smile crept across Cornelius' face. As expected, the demonic aura the elf emitted were not only strengthening herself, but her weapons too. Perfect, he thought. Slowly, with his left hand, he let go of the sword, holding off the berserk elf with only one arm. He only had one shot at her. He needed to take her down with just one blow, for he knew he would never get the chance ever again if he failed. Concentrating all his energy in the palm of his left hand, the knight punched the elf in the abdomen. The humongous amounts of undeath energies accumulated in his hand joined with the horrible aura of demonic power of the elf had devastating results. As the two powers met, there was a great flash of blinding light. It was soon followed by a deafening explosion which shook the world to the core.

Once again, Karkon did not know if he was dead or alive. When the death knight had struck Nell with his left hand, there was a blinding light, followed by a force which threw the orc a great deal. As the light began to die down, Karkon noticed that he and the tauren had been blown all the way to the other end of the bridge where the necromancer was standing. The thought of the wizard sent a chill down the orc's spine. His eyes quickly darted around, searching for the threat. He notice a pool of blood was growing from behind him. When the orc looked back, he had found his answer. The necromancer was impaled by a jagged spire of rock. It seemed that when the orc got blown back by the blast, he slammed into the wizard, thus sending the necromancer flying straight into the spike.

Karkon slowly began limping back to the other side of the bridge, where he last saw the two warriors. He wasn't surprised to find a huge crater there. He was surprised by the fact that the death knight was standing in the middle of it, alone, and looking rather unscathed. The knight seemed to finally realized that he was alone in the crater. He began to laugh. It was an eerie laugh that shook Karkon to the bone. The death knight was unharmed and was still full of energy. It wasn't a good sign for the orc. As quietly as he could, Karkon slipped away. He was no coward, but he did not want to get the tauren involved. He did not like seeing someone killed before he repaid his debt. As he made his way back to the safe end of the bridge, something caught his eye. Where was Nell's hammer? A shadow flashed passed him. The orc glanced skyward and his eyes widened. Adrenaline pumped into his veins and he scurried towards the safety of the other end of the bridge.

'I Won!', were the only thoughts passing through Cornelius' brain. He had overcame impossible odds and defeated someone who had almost quadruple his power. The knight was ecstatic. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins even though there were no more immediate threats. He began to wonder how powerful he really was. Even more so than the Lich King himself? Probably, but he dared not test the lord of death knights. Movement caught the knight's attention. He saw the elf's pet orc turning and running away. Even an orc was afraid of him! The fearless orcs! He must have looked mighty indeed to have struck fear into one who knew not its meaning.

A winged shadow began to grow under Cornelius' bulky form. At first, he dismissed it as just being a bird. Then he wonder what kind of bird could be so huge. Then he noticed that the shadow was not moving away from him, it was growing bigger, and that meant it was coming towards him from directly above. What kind of bird would dive vertically down at him? Realization began to dawn on the death knight. He risked a fearful glance upwards and gaped at the sight he beheld.What came at him certainly was not a bird. What came at him was the flaming form of the paladin girl, wings spread out wide, and falling down at him like an infernal from hell, hammer poised to strike. He guessed that he was wrong about those wings.

The demon had taken over the girl's body. She had no control or consciousness whatsoever. Her mind, body and soul was under direct command of the demon. Everything up to this point was the work of the demon. The preservation of the orcs life, the defense as the death knight charged the girl's body, the flight up into the worlds atmosphere when the knight released his devastating attack, and finally now, hurtling down towards the ground with bone-breaking speed. The friction of the atmosphere had caused fire to engulf the girl's body. It did not matter. The demon's aura was too powerful to be dispelled by mere heat. Now, the demon held the girl's hammer high, awaiting the ground, where it will smash the death knight into a pulp.

The demon was born into this world for a single reason.It was born for the sole purpose of preserving itself.And to preserve itself, it had to preserve it's host. The demon would obliterate anything which threatens it's host. It would tear apart any enemy that stood in it's way.It would completely destroy the death knight who now stood there,staring in horror at the girl. It would do everything to protect the girl, and to protect the girl, it would destroy everything.

Karkon grunted with exhaustion as he finally pulled the unconscious tauren behind a huge boulder. The death knight's earlier attack was powerful, but the orc knew that Nell's was going to be much worse. He reckoned that the huge boulder would be big enough to shield them from the destruction that was about to come. Karkon limped to the side of the huge rock and peered out. The flaming, winged form of the paladin was almost upon the death knight. Faster than he thought possible, the orc retreated back behind the rock and braced for the impact.

Just as he thought. The power of this attack was immense. It almost felt as ifa second Great Sundering was about to happen. Karkon put his back to the boulder. Flames of scorching heat slammed into the boulder and nearly engulfed it whole. Even though he was taking cover behind it, Karkon swore that he fel his flesh slowly melting. Soon, the flames had all but blinded the orc and the heat was intensifying with each passing moment. Just when the orc thought that he would melt on the spot,the air began to cool and the flames slowly died down. Still, the orc dared not step out from the relative safety of the boulder.

After confirming that it was safe, the orc finally came out of hiding. The first thing he noticed was that the huge boulder he had used for shelter was now reduced to the size of the orc himself. Another miraculous stroke of luck. The rest of the forest was not so lucky.What lay before him was not the peaceful, evergreen jungle of Feralas. Instead, now there was an even bigger smoking crate than before. The waterfall had completely dried up and the land was barren and ashen.The remains of the trees that survived the initial impact were now burning or smoldering chunks of coal. Far into the distance, the orc could make out the slight outline of jungle and vegetation. At least the whole forest did not get destroyed.

Looking towards the center of the crater, Karkon found who he was looking for. The death knight laid motionless on his back, his armor melted and broken. Coincidentally, his cowl still covered half his face. Nell stood before the knight. She wasn't in such a good shape as well. Her crimson wings were gone and her armor looked worse for wear. Her left spaulder was completely disintegrated and the gaping hole where the death knight had slashed her was still there. The once purple-black ornate armor was now covered in dirt and soot. Only her hammer was completely unscathed. It still gleamed in the sunlight and the purple rock which made its head didn't even have a crack on it.

Karkon limped towards her. On closer inspection, He noticed that she was breathing heavily. Her pupils had reverted back to its normal, oval shape and her. Something sharp and pointy in the elf's mouth caught his attention. The orc stared at shock at the new discovery.The elf had fangs! How did he not notice that? He had been traveling with her for a year and failed to notice that! Karkon decided that it was time for her to answer some questions. Before he could start,the death knight began to move. Karkon leapt back, startled. How did the knight manage to survive such an attack?The orc lifted his axe and began to painfully charge at the knight, only to be stopped by Nell, who raised up her arm and blocked his path.

"I have a few questions for him. You can have your fun later." she said grimly, still heaving from exertion. The elf walked over and knelt beside the knight. She grabbed his cowl and pulled it back. For the first time, the duo saw what their assailant looked like. He had glowing green eyes, like a blood elf's, but his ears were significantly shorter. They were pointy but there was also a certain roundness to them which made him look almost human.

"As I thought," said Nell, "Half blood elf. That explains your human name. Your father must have been one." The knight coughed up a handful of blood and gave a weak smile.

"Aye, lass," he said, "You have a great deal of power on your hands. Too bad you chose not to join us, not that it mattered. Your power reeks of the Burning Legion. Lord Arthas would never accept one like you into our ranks."

"Good." retorted the elf, scowling. She glanced at Karkon, fearing that he had heard what the knight had said. He, of course, had heard and was now glaring murderously at the elf. She knew she was going to have to explain a lot later.

"What were you planning to do in Desolace?" Nell asked, putting her hand to his neck.

"Hah! You can't threaten me paladin! I know my own demise when I see it!" Cornelius spat. Pain shot through his body and he grimaced at it. He let out a sigh and began speaking once more. "We were not heading for Desolace. We were on our way to Winterspring."

This news confused Nell. Winterspring? What could the Lich King want in Winterspring? "Why?" She asked.

"Have you heard of the Titan Beasts of Azeroth, milady?" queried the dying knight.

"An old wives tale. Myths of four giant creatures ruling over the lands when the world was still young. What does this have to do with legends?"

"Legends? Myths? You are mistaken, lass. The beasts did exist and they are long extinct as well."

"So? what use does Arthas have for a bunch of skeletal remains-" The thought struck Nell like a cannon ball. Arthas was king of the undead, with the ability to raise the dead. What would happen if he had beasts the size of Blackrock Mountain at his disposal? Nell tightened the grip on the knight's neck, making him gag and choke for air.

"Where are the other beasts?" she questioned furiously, almost shouting.

"T-there is one in Un'Gorro Crater, another resides in a secret chamber within Karazhan, tower of the last guardian, Medivh. The final one has already been raised by Lord Arthas, for it was found in Northrend.It was what led the Lord to believe that there were others."coughed the knight. He seemed to be drowning in his own blood.

"Why do you tell us this information, death knight?" asked Nell suspiciously. The knight smiled weakly, a look of satisfaction in his eye.

"Because, there were ten groups of two sent to each beast to recover them. It only takes two groups to raise the beasts.I know what you are thinking, lass. I tell you this because..I know...you will not stop them in time. Paladin...you...will...fail.."

And with that...the death knight's eyes glazed over and Cornelius Breakwater expired.

To be continued...

JJ: And there we have it folks. Its been a though week. All my WoW friends were calling saying "I WANT IN ON YOUR STORY." I even have a full waiting list of characters to add in now.

Xante: Yea! When will I appear?

JJ: Uh...

Myu: And me!

JJ: Wait a sec...

Splinterz: Hey! What about me?

JJ: I thought you were deleted...

Alastorz: Ahem...

JJ: AH! GOOD GOD! SHUT UP! Well folks, see you next time. Please look foward for the next chapter. Flames/Constructive Crit. are both fine.

Barley McFrothbeard: I'd say we roun' up all these red-eyed demon freaks an' send 'em right back to Outland with their pointed tails between their-

JJ: Thats enough now!