Disclaimer: Any and all things are in the hands of their prospective owners. Translation: I own nothing except my OCs.
Note: For this chapter and chapters to come,
'...' means thinking, thoughts, or memories, whether it be present or past.
Warning: Blood, lots of blood.
"In Service of the Lich King."
"All that I am: anger, cruelty, vengeance - I bestow upon you, my chosen knight. I have granted you immortality so that you may herald in a new, dark age for the Scourge." The Lich King spoke, guiding his newest creation toward the balcony overlooking Death's Breach. Carneficina followed obediently behind, overseeing the mayhem in the distance.
"Gaze now upon the lands below us, Carneficina. The Scarlet Crusade scurries to undo my work, while Light's Hope stands defiantly against us - a blemish upon these Plaguelands. They must all be shown the price of their defiance. You will become my force of retribution. Where you tread, doom will follow. Go now and claim your destiny, death knight. Speak with Thalanor at Death's Breach, quickly. The time to spill the blood of our enemies approaches."
Quietly the newly-formed death knight saluted her King, hopping aboard a nearby Scourge Gryphon and touching off for Death's Breach. The smell of death and decay lingered in the air prompting a malicious grin from her lips.
Vengeance...Cruelty...
Carneficina's eyes flashed maniacally.
'Look at them down there...pathetic mortals. They shall all die! All of them shall meet their death for defying the Lich King. And once their bodies are slain, they shall rise up and follow the TRUE King!'
Venomous laughter echoed sardonically over the landscape as the Gryphon descended into the multitude of tents below. Carneficina removed herself from the winged beast and strode over to the blonde-haired Blood Elf known as Scourge Commander Valanor.
The Commander greeted her with a salute, which she mimicked, his azure plate armor clinking together as he did so.
"You must be the chosen knight, Carneficina. Welcome...to Death's Breach." Valanor began walking down the length of Death's Breach, gesturing for her to follow. Open tents lined either side of their path, vendors and death knight initiates alike standing beneath - their protection from the bleating sun.
"A war is being staged here, Carneficina." Valanor said, snapping her to attention. "And if you are not willing to play a role...then you are a casualty."
The footsteps before her halted, Valanor swiveling to meet her gaze sternly. "Pit yourself against an initiate. In battle it is conquer or be conquered, predator or prey, life or death. Which will you choose, death knight? Show your worth to me."
The female death knight licked her lips eagerly in anticipation as the bravest of the initiates, an Orc, appeared before her, unsheathing a runic blade much like her own. Slowly both knights circled one another, gauging their enemy for any weakness in their stance, observing the most efficient way to strike.
Malevolent thoughts ran rampant through her mind - how she would torture this Orc, how she'd make him bleed, how he would be begging for mercy. She bared her teeth at the Orc, halting mid-stride and suddenly launching herself at her enemy.
"For the glory of the-" 'Sin'dorei!' "-Lich King!" Sparks flew as blade struck against blade, both combatants inching forward placing their strength into their individual swords. Rancid breath fanned her face as the Orc drew near but she paid it no mind, concentrating solely on defeating her adversary. Their determined eyes locked, azure to azure, death knight to death knight.
Carneficina threw all of her energy into her weapon, sending the Orc stumbling backward in response. She took advantage of his moment of weakness, aiming a precise kick at the hand wielding his blade, the force sending it tumbling through the air and landing, blade first, into the dirt feet from where they stood. The Orc eyes darted quickly from his blade embedded in the soil to Carneficina's malicious grin, a plan slowly formulating in his mind. This battle would not end, not until he breathed his last breath.
Black-violet energy gathered in his palm, the Orc throwing out a Death Grip in the direction of his sword silently willing it to return to its master. Originally, Death Grip harnessed the unholy energy that surrounds and binds all matter, drawing a selected target toward the death knight and forcing the enemy to attack. However, he assumed that Death Grip could also be used for other purposes as well such as drawing weapons near when disarmed.
The former Sin'dorei hero looked on, satisfied at the turn of events. Her prey was smarter than he looked and, oh, how she relished a good fight. But of course like all good things, they must eventually end. As much as she wanted to continue this little game of cat and mouse, she had to assume her responsibility as the Lich King's chosen knight. Yes...she was his chosen knight...only his. None shall take her place.
Carneficina threw herself at her enemy, releasing an Icy Touch as she approached. The blizzard-like disease consumed the Orc, his arms becoming like jelly upon contact. She was coming, death was coming, and he could not, for the life of him, lift his sword in time to block the oncoming blow.
Red, viscous liquid trailed down her armor as the blade cut through cartilage, arteries, and tissue, successfully decapitating her adversary. Smirking she stabbed her sword repeatedly into the headless cadaver, feeling as steel pierced skin and bone, staring in wonder as fresh blood poured freely from the open wounds. A crimson pool began to form, her feet sloshing in it like a child in the mud during a rainstorm. Deeply mesmerized was she by it that she hardly noticed the presence behind her.
"Well done, death knight." Valanor applauded, drawing her attention away from the mangled corpse. "As expected from the Lich King's chosen."
"Live or die - the choice is yours to make"
Author's Note: I hope everyone paid really close attention to the dialogue...well...one part of the dialogue. Of course everything must move slowly, not everything is gained in an instant ya know. Yeah, you're probably wondering why I put so much dang BLOOD! Well...this is a servant of the Lich King and considering he's freaking evil as hell...so would the people under him. I didn't get any questions regarding last chapter so I'm assuming three things: 1) No one read it...at all, 2) Everyone got the gist of what was happening, or 3) No one knew what the heck was going on and are too afraid to ask. I don't really care about the reviews but it'd be nice if people gave me some feedback regarding if they understood what's been happening over the course of these chapters.
Oh, why did I stop there? Because the good parts are about to come in the next chapter. And by good parts...I mean bad parts. Or...something like that. Next chapter will PROBABLY be longer considering I have an idea of what to write. Whelp, that's about it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember...
Keep Reading!