Chapter 9:
Returning to Thassarian proved to be not too difficult, just as I had expected... I probably cut down most of the poor fool that were still inside of this so-called town down in that basement.
It was only natural to expected it and just like that I hardly met any Crusaders on my way through New Avalon. Yet something still strikes me as strange about the situation. I can't really name it at the moment but it keeps bothering me, makes me restless. The Crusade may have suffered severe losses but then again some of their warriors are still fighting our troops near the city walls. So they didn't fully retreat yet and those few that are still standing? Well... as I said... they are still standing and exactly that is the problem we have.
I hand over the severed head of the High Inquisitor to Thassarian without any comment on my part.
"I'll feed this bastard's head to the ghouls!" His eyes narrowed down as he looks at it, showing for brief moment the rage that inhabits even him from time to time. After holding it for maybe a second too long he turns around and throws it into the room behind us. "Now it's time for payback." An unlikely grim smile comes to his face. "Commander Plaguefist, a recently promoted death knight and a unit of initiates were sent to the Chapel of the Crimson Flame on the hill to the west. If Koltira was right then Plaguefist should have gotten all of them out of there." He pauses for a short moment. "You can still catch up to them. If you get going right now that is." I nod in response and off I am again.
But before I leave I turn to Bloodbane and give him the book with the schedules I collected inside the poorly guarded fort. A few drops of blood from the severed head now decorate the outside of the folio with a random pattern. Yet another unlikely facial expression presents itself to me as his face lightens up. This is the first time I ever see a reaction like this from him and despite knowing only full well that I had stood from my sleep only few hours ago, it feels like a life-time.
"I'll go through this... meanwhile do whatever Thassarian told you. Just get going and don't bother me any further..." The way he talks to me is also a bit different than usual, but closer to his normal self. Not that would be up to me to care about it.
Now finally set loose again I take the stairs to the lower floor and leave the inn immediately. This apple plant looks so peaceful, so undisturbed and still the dead bodies and the blood underneath the trees bear remembrance of the fights that occurred less than a few hours ago. I would have expected those strange elves aren't around here by now, but no... seems they keep their fair distance to place of brute force. Nevertheless I'm sure they would have loved it, the scent of freshly spilled blood everywhere. Strong enough so even I can smell it right now.
The chapel I'm aiming for is located directly off to the west of the inn on a small, almost unnoticeable hill. A rather long, completely wooden building can be seen to its right.
I spot the death knights under the command of Plaguefist or whatever his name was early as they are eagerly trying to grasp the real meaning behind the name of the chapel - 'of the Crimson Flame'. The whole building is brightly lit on fire as I reach them. The initiates are cheering while they throw more torches at the chapel, flames blazing high up into the air.
The bodies of dead priests litter the ground all around the path I follow. They must feel mighty proud of themselves... arrogant worms.
I have no idea what this Plaguefist-guy had achieved for the Scourge in the past day, but he had already received a full set of armor as a gift, as well as a special weapon I had seen none of before on the battle field. The skull on his chest has two large ember colored eyes. What an impressive sight indeed. Makes me want my own...
His corpus also seems to have been preserved well until he was reanimated. In life he was a human with short black hair and a muscular body and by the looks of it, nothing much changed about that. Still I am sure he would be no match for me if it came to a fight.
"So you are Malevolence... You don't look as strong as everybody says?" Why is that guy provoking me already? Doesn't he know any better? More thoughts come running through my mind, growing in intensity and violence the more I feel the anger rising within me.
"Well... the Crusaders here at the Chapel were no match for us..., only made of flesh and bones." A short laughter is heard from an initiate close by. They really are feeling great for tearing this church apart. Pathetic... such weaklings!
I take the moment to tell Plaguefist about what I got to know from Koltira.
"We didn't find any of our brothers here, if you are talking about that. But we did stumble on something interesting." His face turns into a vile smile. "After we had torn the chapel apart we headed for the prison house over there." He points at the long building. Cages are standing in front of it, as well as two gallows. A group of six pillories flank their side. Everything perfectly prepared for group executions in front of a public audience. "We didn't expect too much from these maggots but it seems they tried to impress us on that part. The Crusade's been real busy, you know? The whole building over there is full of Argent Dawn prisoners and heretics. Although most of them were already dead as we got here, a couple of them are still breathing." He takes a short look over his shoulders to the cheering initiates still throwing burning torches at the chapel. I guess they won't ever get tired of doing this. Plaguefist shakes his head with a sigh and turns back to me. At least they're doing what they've been told.
"Actually I was about to go back in there and execute the rest of them personally, but now that you are here, I think you should have the honour of doing so. Our master would want it that way. In particular... there is one prisoner inside those walls that should be lots of fun for you - a real feisty human woman. She's a member of the Kirin Tor according to the robes she is wearing. She cannot have been here for too long before we had arrived, there's still too much fire left in her."
I heard everything I needed to know and turn away from Plaguefist directly after he had finished his last sentence to slowly approach the building. I hear how he starts complaining behind my back, something about me not even thanking him or whatever. I simply stop listening.
My hand reaching for the hilt of my sword, I know want to do this quickly. There are more than enough things of more importance we have to address to until the sun is allowed to set this day.
I open the light wooden door to enter. As my eyes adjust to the rather sparse lighting inside I can make out up to eight or nine people in here. All of them are sitting or kneeling on the floor; some injured others just shivering due to fear of what might happen to them.
All of them already knew fully well that they would never leave this building alive again - the Crusade apparently was pretty efficient concerning breaking them beforehand. Still it is somewhat astonishing that none of them lies in chains. Their will to escape must have been taken away from them completely. Calling them still alive in my head feels strange, but whatever... I'm here to end their existence with a little bit of torment and terror.
A human sitting directly in the corner opposing the entrance is raising his head to gaze up to my face. His eyes are without any light, blank almost completely lifeless already.
It's a shame that I would do most of them a favor actually by killing them. They'd surely die far too swiftly as the black tabard with the white sun of the Argent Dawn won't be too much of a protection from my sword.
I let the tip of my sword scratch along the floor as I come closer to the man. It's an almost lustful sound as me and my blade are both craving the freshly spilled red liquid. With a swift movement I pull my weapon up over my head slicing the frail body of the man open from the waist up to the right shoulder.
A shallow agonized scream comes from him before he falls over into the puddle of his own blood. It shouldn't take long for him to die... if he's dead already.
'Show no mercy.' My master whispers to me as the first drops had been set free from their veins.
The timber floor creaks under my feet with every step I take. The armor I'm wearing seems to be a lot heavier than I would have suspected.
A female nightelf to my right bursts into tears as she sees what I did to that human. Maybe they knew each other? Maybe even for a longer time?
"Don't worry, you'll be reunited soon." I say in a low voice upon my silent speculations as I raise my sword over my head yet again, this time standing in front of her. I hear a whir as the sword cuts through the air and loud cracking as it reaches the body of the elf. Blood spatters are flying everywhere, some prisoners are covered by them; one bloodelf even collapses in fear.
"Only the strong will survive." This time it's my own voice whispering to me. "But none of you is strong..."
With two more swift strikes I end the life of another two, a dwarf and a second human. By then the next person has fainted, again a bloodelf. They just are not made to be fighters it appears to me. A waste of space if you capture them, really... They're not even worth a fracture of my attention. And besides, there's nothing to gain for me from killing worms that have fallen unconscious.
Seconds later I stand before a member of the Forsaken. He too has none of the strong glow left in his eyes. I wonder what he is thinking for a moment. If he might be regretting his decision to fight against the Lich King, or maybe if he had already accepted his demise. Who knows..? I for my part am not going to ask him.
Seconds later his head is now rolling at his feet. I guess no-one will never find out what went on in his mind during these last minutes.
There is also one orc in the room, I hadn't noticed up until now. What a strange sight he proves to be, far more frightened and pathetic than any prisoner before. He is sitting in the corner that is furthest from the entrance, shivering, almost crying. That can't be an orc... maybe he's just a bulky human that painted himself green I imagine; although I can't really find a reason why someone would do such a thing.
It is as I approach him, that I hear her for the very first time.
A human with a dark tan, short black hair and bright green eyes, the robe of the Kirin Tor she's wearing is fitting her slim body perfectly. So she's the one that is supposed to be feisty? She only looks scared to me. She is crouching down next to one of the beds, trying to be as small as possible. You can't even see her when entering the room.
Most notable about her: She wouldn't shut up. She's mumbling the whole time, panicking big time I presume.
But for now I should focus on finishing the orc off before her. I already made up my mind that she would be the next one as I head past her.
With a strong thrust the blade pierces the body of the green-skin as well as the wooden wall behind him, letting his blood run down on the in- as well as the outside of the building. It turns out a tad more difficult than expected to get the jagged blade out of the wooden wall, but in the end the wall proves the weaker. Wood loudly breaks as I free the blade leaving splinters falling into the corner together with the dead orc's body.
Then I return to the woman. She has my full attention as I raise my sword over my head. In fear she looks at me once. It is only for a second that her emerald eyes meet mine.
I... I don't know why, but I can't hit her.
Slowly I lower my weapon again.
All I can see in her eyes is despair, a feeling that lives and thrives on the battlefield but this had never affected me before. So why did it matter this time? My head is aching and the world starts spinning around me all of a sudden. What is happening here?
"Why me... why?" She starts mumbling again after turning her gaze away from me. And I...? I'm paralyzed on the spot leaving me with nothing else I could do except for listening to it. "Where are you?" She asks the darkened room around her filled only with death. "All I wanted was to find you!" Tears begin slowly flowing from her eyes. I feel sad for her. I'm touched by the sight. What is this all about?
"Corren, Marc... where are you? Where have you gone?" As I hear the names I the grip on my weapon loosens dropping the sword. It hits the ground making a loud metallic noise as I'm still unable to move. I've got no idea what is happening to me...
"What's going on in there?" Plaguefist yells from the outside, his voice giving away that he is alarmed.
"Why did I ever leave you, Corren..." The young woman keeps on talking to herself.
I hear the sound of his armor as he approaches the building with a fast pace. I want to pick up my sword again, but the sight of her just makes me unable to do it.
"Why did we ever part?" She wants to know. It feels like I should answer, but no.
Plaguefist enters the building with strong steps. His eyes wander from dead body to dead body until he spots me kneeling in front of her.
"What's the matter?" He asks the moment he sees me and my weapon as it lies on the ground and not in my dead hands. The young woman and two other prisoners are still alive, a human and a male troll.
"Don't tell me you started having regrets...?" His voice is annoyed and spiteful. "So I guess you're not any better than the normal initiates then? Worthless as most underlings..." He takes his own sword and comes closer to me.
"Where are you..., Cor..." Plaguefist stabs the young woman without a single moment of hesitation.
"See? It's as easy as this." He pulls the sword out of her and the body now drops lifeless to the floor.
I'm staring at the corpse unable of saying a single word to him in response.
Plaguefist looks down at me, raises an eyebrow and walks off to kill the other two prisoners as well.
"I should behead you right now, but you? You're not even worth the dent in my blade... Weakling..." He says as he leaves the building. His words are too far away for me, echoing in a strange distorted fashion to be picked up.
Instead I still look at her lying there on the floor in her robe that slowly is soaking full of blood.
I drop down to my knees letting out a short scream.
I actually want to cry.
I know her name...
"K..., K..., Keira..." I stutter while saying it out loud for the first time as I'm looking at her.
What have I done?
Why didn't I do anything? Why did this happen? Why did you foolish girl search for Corren and me.
Everything she said seems clear to me for a short moment, before it slowly drifts away again.
I want to curse this world, annihilate the Crusade for taking her as a prisoner and kill Plaguefist for doing this to her.
And now that her murder walks away, I hear how the new orders to the initiate death knights are given outside. Only a few moments later something hits the roof of the building.
I can't really care for my surrounding too much, but...
Reaching out with my hand for her dead body, I want to cry... but I can't...
I simply can't.
Flames begin slowly eating their way through the ceiling and the outer walls of this wooden shelter.
As I look at her I see that she is wearing a signet ring of the Kirin Tor. Carefully I slide it off her finger. I also take the small bag I noticed she had tied to her belt. I hurry to get is loose and take it with me.
Grabbing my sword I'm finally able get back to my feet again. I'm still staggering so much that I have to use the weapon as a support, but it will do to not get consumed by the flames.
On the outside of the building I open the bag and drop the ring inside it. I can feel three more things turning inside it, two of them pointy and crooked and the third thin and smooth. I cannot say why but I don't want to have a look into it, at least not for now.
Outside I find myself in solitude, everybody else gone already. Taking the few minutes I turn and watch as the flames devour the building as well as the bodies inside of it.
As Plaguefist and his little group of followers had already left the area again I can only say how lucky they are.
I stare at the fire for a while as it eats its way through the building and onto the very earth.
Why did I remember that woman? How could I know the names she mumbled so idly to herself?
All these memories suddenly appear like ghosts haunting me from my distant past.
I fasten the little bag to my own belt with a tight knot.
Who am I?