Chapter 6

I knew nothing of the fate of my companions and I remember little about the months that followed that confrontation.

I know that I was changed and that serving the Lich King became a priority. I know that I slaughtered the guilty and the innocent alike in his name. I remember seeing Nodel again. He was pale and empty. Like me, he remembered nothing of his past at that time. He did not even recall his name. He only remembered one thing; he had fallen defending the Argent Dawn. Even that memory was tattered by the ravages of the conversion on his mind. When he would try to recall the events leading up to this he could only conjure a single word that, to him, carried profound importance. "Ardjet."

A Sin'dorei girl who had taken the name Fearcast was often sent on assignment by Highlord Mograine with Ardjet and I. Nathroshaz the Tauren would occasionally accompany us on the larger tasks. I felt little at this time. I was cold and largely uncaring, however I did take pride in performing my duties for the Scourge and I considered my fellow Death Knights to be important to me.

I learned that my younger brother had been taken to Scholomance and later transferred to Naxxramas to undertake advanced study in Necromancy. He was now a Magus and had brought distinction to the name Fateweaver among the Scourge.

I recall battling patrols of Argent Dawn in the Plaguelands. Most of the details escape my recollection, but the day I nearly killed Pammajay still haunts me. I saw her alive again on patrol with Tanta and Sloat. They had made it... but my intention then was that they would not be so lucky a second time.

I blindsided Tanta, quickly incapacitating her. Sloat was a challenge. He fought me with the ferocity of a wolf protecting his mate. I quickly realized that this wasn't far from the truth. The more I damaged his body, the more angry Pammajay became until finally, Sloat was face down on the ground and Pammajay was upon me, clawing and biting at me in a frenzy of feral energy. Fearcast dispatched Pammajay's enthusiasm with a solid blow to the back of the head.

I piled the elf's prone body atop the Tauren and the Forsaken and raised my axe high above my head to deliver an executioner's strike and slay them all in a single blow when the furious sound of a growling engine shattered the calm silence that followed the battle. As my axe descended, it was parried by a titansteel destroyer and I found myself knocked several yards back. It was Klaive. He was seated on some sort of mechanical cycle with Shakaku the Warlock riding in a collapsable sidecar.

Klaive did not look like I remembered, though I couldn't recall anything about him at the time anyway. To me, he was a stranger. What did confuse me was that he looked to be one of us... his unholy energy was immense and I felt compelled to submit to him without question. His actions, however, told a different story.

He summoned forth an Army of Ghouls and Ardjet quickly found himself overcome by them. Fearcast attempted to charge at the rogue Death Knight, but was rapidly afflicted with enough of Shakaku's curses to drop a fel reaver.

Realizing that I was alone in this, I turned to make a strategic retreat when I saw a human death knight approaching from the rear. Could she be with them? Was I pinned in?

No. I realized, much to my relief, that she was one of us. I could feel her presence in my mind. Though my feelings of panic and uncertainty had weakened the Lich King's control over me just enough to allow a portion of my memory to return, triggered by the vision of her approach. It was the Syndicate girl I had dragged to Corin's Crossing back before all this began. I suddenly remembered her vividly and I recalled, as well, the words she had spoken the last time I saw her. "Someday, Ranger Shandor... I will make you pay for this. From this day forward, you are my enemy."

She drew her sword and began to attack Shakaku. Not wasting the opportunity, I launched myself at Klaive and engaged in a furious battle. I landed some solid blows and drew upon my dark gift, but Klaive's diseases were more potent than my own and each blow from his destroyer felt like I was being crushed beneath boulders. I defended myself as best I could but nothing was helping.

He broke through my every defense, he resisted every attempt I made to injure him. He dropped explosives behind me routinely and captured me in a net where I was trapped until the detonation took place beneath me. Engineers. I would hate them if they weren't so damn impressive.

I was defeated, lying on the ground unable to move. I looked over at the syndicate girl, expecting to see a snide expression on her face at the sight of me facing the end of my life. Instead, I saw that she was every bit as injured as I, kneeling upon the ground and having her life drained away by the warlock in front of her as a tiny imp took potshots that seared her flesh and incinerated pieces of her armor.

Klaive loomed above me and held out a small metal device. He pressed a button on the side of the contraption and directed it at me. Immediately, electric sparks began to surge over its surface and condense into a single central point. I knew what was coming.

As the bolt of electricity arced out towards me, I heard a loud grunt of effort and a cry of pain, but found myself miraculously uninjured. Looking up, I saw the human girl caught in the current, her body jerking and convulsing before she fell to the ground with a thud, her chest blackened and smoking.

Before Klaive or Shakaku could capitalize on our vulnerability, a Scourge attack squad rushed them and they were caught up in fierce battle once more. I had to hurry. It was only a matter of time until they emerged victorious.

I looked over at the human, climbing to my knees and hanging my head in shame. "You don't remember me, do you?" I asked, feeling the weight of the sacrifice she had just made for me.

"I do." she responded. "I remember you well, Shandor."

"But... you swore vengeance. You said I was your enemy. You could have let me die. Why did you save me?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Because, Shandor..." she reached her hand out and placed it lightly on mine. Her head turned to the side as a sad smile crossed her face. "While in life you were my enemy..." She coughed hard, blood running from the corner of her mouth and pooling on the ground beneath her. "...in death, we are all... brothers and sisters."

"...I will not forget you, human." My voice waivered as I spoke what I knew to be the truth.

"Tsugiri." she said weakly.

"What?" I asked, looking down at her face in confusion.

"I said my name is Tsugiri." she replied. "Not... 'human'."

Tears ran down my cheeks as she breathed her final breath and the light faded from her eyes. Why did I feel this way? How could I feel this way? I had been so cold... so distant. What had I become?