Chapter 8:
"Interesting indeed..." The elf states quietly. "Although the few things you can tell me are almost completely worthless for us as it is now. Too much pointless ramblings and less of actual information..."
He takes a sip from his beloved golden goblet, making me wonder how often that thing gets refilled each and every day. Then again... there should be no lack for the beverage he so desires.
"Well then, I already sent Bloodbane and his other two mindless peons out to investigate this subject on their own after giving you your last order. And so the master told me that they took the tavern behind the apple plant as a base of operation. Better than nothing I assume." He turns to the entrance of the crypt, clearly showing me to get lost too. "Head over there and tell them what you have found out. Then help them with the research on their end and maybe something will come off this useless blabbering."
The elf smirks as I briefly bow and accept his task.
I'm not comfortable with being under Bloodbane's command, but well..., it won't be for long; at least I hope so.
Back on the surface I hear them again, the screams of humans dying in agony, a serenade of the crimson demise. Our ghouls are able to push the defense line of the Scarlet Crusade back further and further as it grows thinner by the hour. Some of our troops have already attacked civilians inside their homes. Without doubt everything is going beyond successful.
We are making good progress today, as nightfall draws closer so does the end of the Scarlet Crusade and with it the ultimate bloodshed. By now it's not too difficult to get through New Avalon anymore even on my own. The military forces are either in the fortress upon the hill or right at the walls fighting the never ending stream of ghouls heading for them. All in all nobody bothers me on my little trip except for a few lone crusaders that are still trying to recapture the inn where the small outpost was set up by Bloodbane, Deathweaver and Thassarian not too long ago.
Such fools, still running blindfolded into their own death. Is it pride or are they just too stubborn to notice how nothing would ever come of this?
I cut down another two that come charging at me as I make my way to the death knights I'm supposed to catch up to. Those humans... they're worse than the peskiest of our ghouls, if everyone would be like this, they wouldn't have survived a single century before becoming extinct.
Their will to fight might be admirable for the fool, yet the way how they act now? It's a different story.
'Leave none alive!' My king calls out to me over the battlefield as I venture into the inn.
Four lesser death knights are guarding the lower floor. As I approach one of them, he just points to the stairs. Seems they have been informed of my arrival. As I turn to the upper floor the cold eyes of Orbaz Bloodbane are already staring at me in a strange mixture of delight and hateful spite.
"You took your time..." He sounds a bit angry, though the monotone sound of his voice. Thassarian lifts his hand to greet me as I reach the end of the stairs. Only one completely missing is Deathweaver, where might he be?
I open my mouth to speak to Bloodbane, but he interrupts me before I could say even a single word.
"We have no idea when or where this courier will arrive. None of the humans here knew anything." Bloodbane turns his head to Thassarian for a short gaze. "Yet the last one told us at least something useful. Inside the fortress there is a schedule of all the patrol routes. Tear the building apart – I don't care how you get it! All that matters is that we need this document!"
His voice was still rather calm at first but now he falls into a streak of rage, his bloodlust almost catching on to me.
Orbaz might be a bit stronger than me at the moment, but I would not hesitate to draw my blade if he ever should attack me for whatever reason. And he would certainly never leave that fight unscarred... I'm sure he knows it even if he might hate me the more just because he's sees as much. But I'm not that much different... I can't stand being under his command. After all... we are almost equal...
Thassarian puts his hand on my shoulder knowing only too well what is going in the minds of two just about now. Before I turned to him, I expected something a warning from his frail peace seeking heart but instead I was faced by something else. I found myself staring into his worried eyes leaving me to question what had happened prior to my arrival.
"Getting here was not that easy as you might think." Thassarian begins to speak. "A larger number of Crusaders were gathering in this tavern to launch a counter attack at us... Luckily we took by surprise just as much as they did with us. We lost Koltira in the fight... I have no idea whether he ended up dead or not. After they had brought him down, they dragged him into their hold up on the hill. I'll be damned if we don't search for him!"
That elf is just as useless as Thassarian is a fool for losing his weapon on the battlefield!
Orbaz who had slowly calmed down again, now turned back to us.
"Why do you care Thassarian? His weakness is what led to his capture. Only the strong should survive and you know it. Not to mention..." Thassarian interrupts him with a sudden gesture.
"What, Orbaz? That he's a blood elf?" He leads his gaze out of the window for a moment. "In life we were hated enemies - this is true... But in death...We are all the children of the damned - the bastard sons and daughters of the Scourge." He swallows. "In death we are brothers."
Orbaz only shakes his head in response.
"To hell with you Thassarian!"
Feels strange to admit it but this one time, I'd have to agree with Bloodbane. But enough of it..., I have what I came here for and thus I leave the two of them before they could start arguing again.
I have no intention of saving Koltira or getting pulled into this dispute, but I make up my mind to have at least a look whether he is dead or still alive. If the master had chosen him to be part of our then he surely had a reason for doing so.
I don't meet even a single guard as I make my way to the Scarlet Hold on the hill. It seems there are fewer soldiers left than I had expected, or they have finally begun moving on their own, maybe leaving behind what was lost or mobilizing even for that one final assault. On the other hand, I can't really imagine them to have enough troops left to start a counter attack on us.
The building seems to be rather empty on the inside too after enter the broad open doorway.
Have we already won this war?
'Victory is near!' The voice in my head whispers to me full of pride.
I take a closer look into each room on the lower floor without finding anything. I even tear out every single book from the shelves.
Nothing to find down here I then take the staircase to the upper level and still ... nobody to be found. I'm starting to have a bad feeling about this. By now I'm rightfully expecting an attack. No..., rather I actually want them to launch a sneak attack on me – just to push away the silent tension. But nothing... It all stays quiet and lifeless.
Not many place left to search I follow the hallway and boldly enter the large room where I would expect the military head of the Scarlet Crusade. What the hell is going on here? Why is nobody here? They left everything unguarded. The schedule of their patrols is lying on the large wooden table in the back of the room without any defense. Seeing no traps attached to it I grab it and want to head out again.
On my way the memory of Koltira supposedly to be imprisoned here somewhere strikes my mind off guard. I had actually already forgotten about him for the first time.
After taking a turn on the lower floor I pass by a staircase leading into the basement of the fortress. I guess I could as well take a look down there once I'm here already.
The room I find is barely lit, but I can clearly make out what this room is supposed to be - a torture chamber. It's only a rough one but I take it it's enough to be efficient, an iron maiden stands directly in front of me as I enter the room. Three racks are next to each other in the back, an alchemical laboratory in their middle. I don't bother too much with it but just take a wild guess what they have brewing in here.
To my surprise I see somebody lying on one of the torture tables. And it's only as I draw closer that I recognize Koltira. He seems to be merely unconscious, alive for what it's worth being called that as an undead.
And again there is not even one single person down here keeping guard over him. Something about this empty building is disturbing, creeping me out even and most worrisome of all: it has this sense of vile foreshadowing.
With a sigh I force myself away from these thoughts of imminent danger and approach the elf with a sigh. It's not too difficult to wake him up after I cut his bonds.
His ice-blue eyes look at me with delightful despair and surprise at the same time. "Why... why are you here?" He sits up straight as he questions my whereabouts. "Don't tell me that Thassarian...?" I nod before he could finish his sentence. "That idiot! Now you are here too, damn him... It was my own fault I got caught."
Whilst the elf starts to talk to himself, I just wonder what could be so bad about the present situation, after all the building is completely empty and he had been out cold for a while.
"If we survive and get out of here, tell Thassarian that they keep their key prisoners near their chapel. Maybe he'll send you there too so you can play hero again."
Koltira gets up with a not very believable moan. "Damn that Crusade. I think they left me with some broken ribs." He touches his chest and the pain he simulates makes him grimace.
He gets off the rack and staggers to a footlocker that is close by. "They put my armor and runeblade in here. I saw it with my own eyes..." Swiftly Koltira puts his equipment back on and takes the axe into his hand.
"What is this all about? Acolytes! Tie them up and make them ready for questioning!"
Two hooded figures come running down the stairs out of nowhere.
"Damn it! That was the voice of High Inquisitor Valroth."
Koltira seems terribly worried, but the only thing I can think of is that finally something is happening around here. I could have some fun after all... I had to wait long enough and last though more than enough pressure building up on me.
I jump at the first of the acolytes with the brute force I muster up for any opponent. My sword cuts through his body with ease, scattering his blood throughout the room. Now it really looks like a torture chamber down here...
"I'm not of much use now..." Koltira complains behind me, hardly able to stand on his own. "But I'll hold up an anti-magical barrier. Stand inside it and their spells will be as good as useless."
Only a second later a large purple cupola appears over the elf. Impressive, I have to admit. If he's no use for something else, than maybe this is hidden talent.
Still a bit hesitant I step into it and suddenly every sound from the outside seems damped for me, it also grows blurry. I'm curious if it will really be as effective as Koltira has announced.
Meanwhile the acolytes came charging down the stairs in a sheer endless stream. I have no idea where they all are coming from, only minutes ago the whole upper floors had been completely empty! But no that it mattered too much, they hardly achieved anything except for being so nice and prove Koltira right on his shield. It pains me to admit, how the spells they use vanish almost completely upon hitting the barrier. I felt a slight sting now and then, but there is nothing left except for that.
"The Crusade will purge your kind from this world!" The supposed High Inquisitor yells from upstairs as more and more acolytes and monks come flooding down the stairs only to die to my blade. Those foolish enough to come close to the barrier are cut down by my sword instantly. The other, smarter ones become victims of my shadow bolts soon after.
Bodies cover the floor almost completely after maybe a minute or two. What a waste of precious time. This turns out to be not even half as fun as I had hoped for.
'Kill! Kill for me! Offer their souls to Frostmourne...' The voice in my head cries out in the meantime, blood of the fallen Crusaders running into a drain in the middle of the room.
"I shall deal with you personally if I must! The Light will purge you!"
An old man comes down the staircase. His robe is white with bright red and golden ornaments on it.
"Perish from this world!" He yells at us as good as he could.
I look at the old man from the inside of the anti-magic barrier and can't hold back my laugh. What a pitiful foo...
A smite spell hits me right this moment, sending me flying through the room and out of the barrier. I hit the wall between two of the racks hard and fall to the floor. On impact I hear a couple of my bones crumble and even despite my numbed senses it still hurts quite a bit. For a moment the world around me is spinning, but I'm able to focus again faster than he had anticipated. But I'm still staggering as I get to my feet. The hit completely ruined my balance, that's for sure.
What the hell? That spell was that strong even while under the barrier?
The High Inquisitor leaves me no time to recover at all. A similar spell hits me again. I'm pushed against the wall behind me hard. I don't know if the strange sound I hear is my armor being deformed from the impact or my bones being grinded into dust.
'Only the strong ones will be my champions. Only the strong ones will survive!' The voice in my head whispers with a certain spite.
I will be strong, strong enough to become your champion, my king. I will survive!
Rage is flooding my mind and erasing everything that held me down so far. From one second to the other everything is clear again.
I get to my feet and dash at the old geezer but I'm hit by another smite on the way sending me again flying towards the wall. With all the strength I have left in me I throw my sword at the High Inquisitor like a harpoon whilst I'm still in mid-air.
I crash directly into the alchemical lab the moment I hear the agonized scream of the old man.
Koltira looks at me frightened the moment I get up again as if nothing had happened.
I then slowly walk to Valroth. Still not completely dead I snuff out the little life that is left in him once and for all by pulling out my sword and cutting off his head with all the pleasure this false revenge offers me. I want to hand the head to Koltira afterwards, but he doesn't want it.
"Take it to Thassarian. Vengeance will sooth his savage soul." He replies to my offering.
I will do as he wishes, this one single time.