Undeath Beckons

Chapter 13 – Letters and Words

LOADING…

FETCHING CHARACTER DATA…

CHARACTER SELECTED: BLIGHTFIRE

ENTERING WORLD…

Mitexi stared at me with growing unrest in her orbs. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

"But you don't remember writing it?"

"No, I don't remember writing it!" I snapped fiercely. "Why would I be making a big deal of it if I did?"

Mitexi cringed at my words. "Sorry."

I took a breath. "No, I'm sorry. I'm worked up. I shouldn't yell at you."

She forced a thin smile. "Well, anyway… should we go see what's in the bank?"

"Assuming this really is the password," I replied, heading for the door with Mitexi on my heels. I couldn't figure it out. When had I written this? How? Or was someone having a laugh at my expense? We traversed the steps quickly and found ourselves standing once again before Mortimer Montague.

He looked us up and down. "Welcome to Royal Undercity Bank. Can I be of assistance?"

"Mortimer, it's us," I said flatly. "I have the password for my bank account."

He blinked his orbs at me. "And you are…?"

"Blightfire. The account might be under-" I winced, "-Silina?" Phew. No hallucinations or dreams or whatever they were.

Mortimer consulted some sort of tome on the desk before him, and looked up again. "Let me check your enchantment." He waved his fingers. "Yes, that's you all right. I remember you from the other day."

I rolled my eyes at him, which had no effect whatsoever since I didn't have eyes to roll. "Yes. The password is-"

"Wait!" he snapped, holding up a hand. "That's not the method we use. Here." He spun the ledger toward me and gestured with a quill. "Write it down. Only you can see the ink from this pen as it drops onto the paper, so your password is safe. The book is enchanted to recognize the writing. Once the correct password is entered, it checks it against your enchantment and waits for my signal to proceed. In this way, even if the book is stolen it is useless without me to activate it."

I nodded, and replied drolly, "Fascinating." With a steady hand, I wrote out the password from the back of the business card: undeath beckons.

The book hummed softly and radiated a dim white light. After a second, it made something like a ping sound, and Mortimer took it from the desk before me. "Your bank vault, Miss Blightfire." He gestured at the wooden door to his left. "If you'll kindly step inside."

I eyed the portal warily. "Wait… but that leads to the offices."

"Not for you, it doesn't," he answered, sounding bored.

Mitexi and I both shot him a confused look. "What?" Apparently he hadn't briefed her on this part of the banking process.

"Indeed. Now that you've been successfully identified as the owner of this account, this doorway leads to a pocket dimension which houses your bank vault. You are the only person who can enter the vault, and after ten minutes the door will return to its normal functionality. If you are inside the vault at that time, you'll be returned here before it shuts." He sighed. This was clearly not the first time he'd had to explain this process.

"Wicked…" I murmured excitedly. "Well, in I go then," I told Mitexi, who was looking at me with a mixture of fear and excitement.

"Be careful," she said gently.

I grasped the rusty knob of the door and turned it, revealing a torchlit chamber beyond. Carefully, I took a step inside, and shut the door behind me. I was standing in a tiny room, no bigger than a standard bedroom at an inn. Every wall was lined with sturdy shelves, and there was a large table in the center. The lower sections of the shelves had drawers and cabinets built in. I couldn't quite see where the light was coming from, but after spinning round, I spotted a large torch over the doorway. The floor was hewn stone, and the air smelt of dust. I—for who else but me could gain access—clearly hadn't been in this room for a while.

I quickly scanned the shelves, looking for items of value. There was nothing to be found: every shelf was bare, and rummaging through the drawers yielded no results. All that work and stress for an empty vault? It hardly seemed fair, and what's more, it just didn't feel right. My past self must have left something here. What else would the dreams mean? How else could I interpret the fact that I'd somehow written the password without knowing it, except to think that my subconscious wanted me to get into this vault? Still, all wishful thinking aside, I wasn't finding anything.

"By the Hells," I grumbled. "There'd better be something in here." My sockets swept the shelves once again. Wait… up there! I spied a bundle of items on the top shelf, in the corner. Hmm. No ladder. Thinking quickly, I shoved the table around and clambered atop it. Success! I picked up the bundle and returned to the floor. Spreading it on the table, I began sorting through the treasures contained within.

The first item I removed from the pack was a shining necklace. I studied it with wide eyes: the chain was silver, and upon it hung a circular medallion, encrusted with fabulous jewels. They reminded me of the gems I'd almost given to David Trias. What ever became of those jewels? Anyway, this necklace radiated magical power as I clutched it in my fingers. I admired it as the rubies and sapphires caught the torchlight. Moving on, I slipped a long, flowing, slightly tattered set of robes from the parcel. They were deep, misty purple, with brownish highlights and golden skulls across the seams and center. Oo, and they felt quite magical indeed. I set them aside.

The next thing I pulled from the package was less exciting: an old, worn-out metal screw, from a piece of machinery, attached to a thin cord. What was this doing in here? I shrugged and put it around my neck. It must've meant something to me once… but the meaning was lost. Still, kind of neat. There were a few other pieces of gear in here, but nothing that seemed quite as magical as the robes and necklace: a wand, a pair of bracers, and a belt. I put all of these items in the growing pile of things on the table. Now the sack I'd pulled from the shelves was nearly empty. I reached in and extracted what proved to be the most interesting item of all.

It was a letter, written on dried-out parchment and sealed with an unfamiliar emblem. I carefully opened the creased edges, worn from repeated readings, and began studying the text. The words were written in Common in a loopy, girlish script that I found vaguely familiar. I couldn't understand any of them, but as I turned over the page, a scrap fell from within. It was another piece of paper, this one adorned with my jagged handwriting. I gasped: a translation, in Gutterspeak! Rough Gutterspeak, sure… even at a glance I could see a number of spelling and translation errors jumping out at me like flashing lights in a dim room. I took a seat on the table and began to read, my mind correcting the errors as I went...

Dearest sister,

I hope this letter finds you well. Mother has informed me of your continued studies in the Plaguelands, as well as your ongoing fascination—dare I write obsession?—with the Forsaken and all things related to their "condition". Hearing this news placed me in a grave mood indeed. I know you don't put much stock in the Light, but believe me when I say this isn't what it wants for you. Your explorations and experiments with the plague have set you on a dangerous path, and I would hate to see any ill befall you as you tread. Why must you continue this course of work? I urge you, sister: abandon that treacherous pursuit! Come to Outland and join me on the front lines: here, among the Alliance and the forces of good… instead of there, among the dead.

Apologies. I did not mean to fly off the handle like that. All I want is for you to be safe and happy, but I fear that what you're doing now can only produce the latter of those results, if either. Please… be careful.

Moving on, I suppose you are already aware that Spectress and I are no longer together. Mother does have a habit of sharing everything I tell her with you, regardless of how private it may be. I suppose that comes of being the younger sibling; Mother seems to think I still need you to watch me at all hours of the day and night, to keep me out of trouble. This, as we both know, is no longer the case. But I've digressed: I'm hopeful for the future. I know that I'll find someone new in time; someone whose goals are closer to my own; someone who is a better match for me. I do have my eye on a priestess in our company, in fact, but whether or not she'd be interested in my advances remains to be seen.

There is one other matter that I wish to address, but I dare not speak plainly of it for fear of this letter being intercepted. So forgive the vague nature of the following segment. Rest assured that I will strive to say as much as I can: Recently, an extremely powerful artifact has come into the possession of the Kirin Tor, my current employers. I have reasons to believe that this artifact, if it were to fall into the wrong hands, could be used to perpetrate great evil. Now, that fact alone is of little consequence, for there are many powerful artifacts in this world; however, is has also come to my attention that one of my superiors may perhaps not be as trustworthy as was previously thought. In fact, I suspect she has intentions to eliminate one of the members of the Council, and thereby open a seat for herself. I cannot say more now, but I will tell you this much: If it is within my power to do so, I intend to prevent that from happening. I'll end on this note: if, in the time before my next letter reaches you, you hear news of me—good or bad—know that I was trying my best to do what I thought was right. Do not fear for me. I know what I'm doing.

Be well Silina. I hope to see you again soon.

All my love,

Cassandri

I folded the letter and shut my eyes. Cassandri… the name felt like heavenly chimes ringing in my ears. There was no doubt about it: I had a sister out there somewhere, and although I could not remember her face or think of even one word she'd ever said to me, I knew this: I'd loved her once, very much. The feelings were still residing somewhere within, but now I had nothing to tether them to, save for the letter. I studied her signature: curly and gentle, with clear, straight lines. My rotted cheeks broke into a smile when I noticed she'd dotted the last letter of her name with a heart.

As for the text of her message, what was I to make of it? I'd been studying the plague in the Plaguelands? That made my transformation a bit more logical… but how had it come about? An accident? Or by design? If I'd taught myself Gutterspeak so I could write this translation, was it because I intended to walk among the Forsaken as one of them? I had no further clues and couldn't speculate. I turned my thoughts to the final segment of the letter: what was Cassandri up to? Had she succeeded in preventing the assassination? Or perhaps it was all some elaborate code, and the problem was of a different nature? Without further context, I couldn't determine anything else. I carefully gathered all the items and left the bank vault.

"Blight!" Mitexi cried as I emerged. She was seated on the stone steps outside the bank, but rose as I appeared. "What kept you?"

"Huh?" I asked. "I was only gone for-"

"Like nine and a half minutes. You had me worried!" She patted me on the shoulder. "What'd you find?"

I motioned for her to follow me as my feet carried me toward the Temple of the Damned and our orc trainer. "Got a pretty nice haul. I want you to have some of these things, actually." I passed her the bracers, belt, and wand, keeping the necklace and robe for myself. She put them on as we strolled.

"Wow, thanks! These are pretty awesome," she commented, beaming. I gave her a polite curtsey.

"There was something else in there, too," I mentioned. "But I'll show you later."

"Demon-heads!" Kaal Souleater cried gleefully as we approached. "It's good to see you alive and well!"

We saluted him respectfully. "Sir," I said with authority, "we come bearing news of our expedition to Shadowfang Keep."

"Lok'tar! What have you to say?"

I extracted the ring and held it out in my closed fist. "I think this will speak for itself." I opened my hand, and watched the orc's twisted eyes light up.

"Excellent… so, the old fool finally got what he deserved," Kaal growled. He snatched the ring from my finger and held it up to the light. "You have done very well. As promised, I'll teach you the summoning and conjurations spells." He pocketed the ring and began moving swiftly toward the slime-circled arena we'd trained in previously. "Come, demon-heads. Come learn the ways of darkness."

Mitexi and I smiled widely. "With pleasure."

"Go Texi! Go!" I shrieked, clapping. The Voidwalker at my side rolled the two glowing yellow spheres he had for eyes, and shrugged his titanic blue shoulders. Mitexi used Life Tap to restore some of her expended mana, and I saw her wince as the energy was sucked from her body. She unleashed a barrage of shadowbolts; most of them connected with the creature on the other side of the arena: a slender, pink-skinned, bat-winged, cloven-hoofed demon known as a succubus. The succubus let out a shriek—more like a moan, really—and cracked her whip, ripping a chunk out of Mitexi's side. The girl wailed in pain. Black blood poured from the gouge.

"You'll pay for that!" Mitexi howled. She slipped a glowing lime-colored Healthstone from the pouch at her hip and, with far more force than necessary, crunched it into dust in her fist. The wound in her torso slithered shut, fully healed. Mitexi tumbled out of the way of another whip crack and planted her full complement of curses and afflictions on the demoness, causing that seductive specimen to yelp agitatedly. After another round of shadowbolts, it was over: Mitexi stood triumphant, and the succubus knelt before her, defeated.

"Tch. You win this round," the succubus purred. "What is your bidding, mistress?"

Mitexi, suddenly shy, asked timidly, "What's your name?"

"Carrlissa."

"Very good. That will be all for the moment. Follow me and stay invisible until I need you."

"As you wish, mistress." Carrlissa waved her hand and faded from sight. I muttered the incantation Kaal had taught us to reveal invisible creatures, and sure enough, Carrlissa shimmered back into view, still somewhat hazy but clear enough to make out. She was busily polishing her nails, and apparently didn't know I could see her.

"Excellent work!" Kaal cheered, stepping down from the pedestal he'd stood upon to oversee our training in the arena. "You've managed to bind a succubus. She'll be a faithful and powerful minion for you. Well, all right, perhaps faithful is the wrong term…" he winked at us. "Let's just say that succubi often indulge their more… carnal desires whenever, wherever, and however possible."

I could've told her that. I'd taken down Helyla—my new sex-crazed succubus—a half-hour or so prior, while Mitexi was learning how to create healthstones and soulstones. As I stood over Helyla's battered, bleeding form in sweet triumph, in a strange way playing dominatrix to her submissive slave, well… let's just say I wasn't aware a spiked tail could be used for the practice she was covertly engaging in as she knelt at my feet. Her expression as she satisfied her urges—and the way it grew even more gleeful and animated when she realized I'd noticed what she was doing—was still burned into the backs of my missing eyelids. A demon's O face is a rare sight to behold.

The voidwalker at my side, Mezzjuk, grumbled at me again. He was eager to do something more exciting than stand around. We'd been watching Mitexi for a while now. Thankfully, her acquisition of a succubus was our final trial, and Kaal was more than happy to prepare letters recommending us for our desired mission into the Scarlet Monastery. We took the notes gratefully and said our farewells to the unusual orc.

Night was upon us now, not that we could tell since there was no daylight in these frigid subterranean halls. Mitexi and I, exhausted from our studies and experiences, spent the night at the inn in the central circle of Undercity. Rising late the next morning—we both felt we deserved a break after our rigorous day—I showed Cassandri's letter to Mitexi over breakfast. Her reaction was as I'd anticipated.

"Wow," she said after reading it, losing a bit of her moonberry juice down her shirt. "So you wrote that translation?"

"It's my handwriting."

"And you realized Cassandri is Dystressi?"

"Well, I mean, look at the evidence: the blonde girl in my flashback had a tattoo just like mine, and so does Dystressi. Either bunches of people have this mark on their necks, or we're related. It just makes sense that way."

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess. So what will you do now?"

I shrugged and pushed another piece of cave mold into my mouth. "Dunno. But it doesn't change our current plan: find and eliminate David Trias."

Mitexi grinned wickedly. "Hell yeah." After packing our things, closing up our tab, and snagging a cupful of water for the seed pouch at my hip—no sign of any sprouting yet—we took our leave of the inn. Our feet carried us swiftly to the Rogues' Quarter, where Carolyn Ward was instructing a class of young Forsaken rogues fresh out of Deathknell. While I wouldn't have much minded interrupting her, I felt it wiser to stay on her good side. Pissing her off outright seemed largely counterproductive.

After a while, Carolyn dismissed her wards and approached us. "Ladies," she panted, out of breath after demonstrating her finishers. "You're back."

"We are. We've done as you asked," I explained plainly. "Here. Two letters of recommendation, signed and sealed by Kaal Souleater himself."

Carolyn took the tattered scrolls from our hands and studied them a moment. "Yes, yes, these seem to be in order." Her bright orbs met my own. "You really think you're ready to take on Trias?"

I met her stare. "You think we aren't?" Though I wasn't quite sure how, I managed to make the space in my eye sockets flare vibrant orange for a second, like a tiny jet of flame was about to burst out of my skull. Carolyn flinched.

"Very well. Come with me." She led us across the wide training platform and down a tight corridor. Turning rapidly, we arrived at a small chamber. I spotted two familiar, pink-skinned faces, as well as an unfamiliar rotting one, sitting at a large wooden table. "Have a seat," Carolyn instructed.

"Hello Blightfire, Mitexi. It's a pleasure to see you again," Iyania said smoothly, shooting us a glance. "Nice work you did with Kaal. You've both improved a lot since Shadowfang, and it's only been a day or so."

"How did you…?" I stammered.

"Um, rogue?" Iyania answered sarcastically. She made a face that screamed Duh!

"Allow me to introduce your group for this adventure," Carolyn explained, gesturing at each member as she continued. "Iyania, a talented Rogue. Savenia, a Priestess and healer. And Deathstalker Vorrel Sengutz, your Warrior for this expedition. Vorrel, meet Blightfire and Mitexi." The tank gave us a nod. He was a plain-looking Forsaken, with a bland scalp and only half a jaw. Charming.

"Right. Okay, what's the situation here?" I asked.

"I'll tell you what we know, and what's expected of you." Carolyn unrolled a wide map onto the table. It was marked with a variety of scribblings, and depicted a large, four-winged building. "This is the Scarlet Monastery, located in northwestern Tirisfal Glades. Trias has been given co-commandership of the entire facility and all personnel within its walls. Furthermore, our spies report that he has one-way communication devices that allow him to contact the champion of each of the wings. That means you'll need to eliminate the entirely of the Scarlet leadership before you can hope to touch Trias; if you miss a wing, he'll summon the whole battalion from that area down on you in a heartbeat."

"Seems straightforward enough," I commented.

Carolyn went on, "Your point of entry will be the Graveyard. The Scourge have overtaken this area. Their leader is the powerful Bloodmage Thalnos, whom you'll need to kill. You can then break through the Scarlet lines into this room," she pointed at the map, "which is a holding and questioning facility. Kill Interrogator Vishas, if he's around. Free any Horde prisoners you find. Leave the Alliance prisoners to rot." I noted a smirk of amusement on her face as she said this. "As you pass into the main monastery antechamber, you'll want to locate the Library wing, here. The Library contains a number of documents of interest to the Royal Apothecary Society. Any books on Lordaeron history or alchemy that you can locate will fetch a nice price. In particular, I want you to obtain the Compendium of the Fallen; I have a contact in Thunder Bluff who'd pay handsomely for its recovery." She gave a nod to Iyania, who returned it. Perhaps literature recovery was a specialty of hers?

I watched Carolyn's finger trace our path on the map as she said, "Beware of Houndmaster Loksey, who keeps his dogs in this first courtyard. You'll travel through the Library this way, and face off against Arcanist Doan. He holds the key to your next destination, accessible here: the Armory. Herod, the Scarlet Champion, will be waiting in the Hall of Champions. Defeat him and his army, and you'll obtain the key to your final goal: the Cathedral."

Mitexi made a gulping sound. Savenia also looked nervous. Iyania, I noted, kept her cool. I myself was feeling a little uneasy; this was a huge mission. But we were ready. We'd trained. We were prepared. "You'll meet heavy opposition both inside and outside the Cathedral, Shadowstalkers," Carolyn continued. Shadowstalkers? We were Shadowstalkers now? Cool. "But if you've made it that far, you should be able to handle it. There are three targets you need to neutralize before your final showdown with Trias." Carolyn produced a trio of dossiers, each containing sketches of the targets.

"Who should we get first?" I asked.

"High Inquisitor Fairbanks," Carolyn answered, holding up a drawing of a zombie, "a free undead who has chosen to remain with the Crusade. If you can convince him to join the Dark Lady, you may spare him. Otherwise, cut his miserable throat." She lofted a sketch of a gruff human man. "This is Scarlet Commander Mograine, the other leader of the Monastery forces, and Trias' partner in crime. Kill him." Her final picture was of a slender, pale human female in a weird hat. "Your last target is High Inquisitor Whitemane. Sally. She's Mograine's wife, and a high-ranking member of the Crusade in her own right." Carolyn paused a moment to touch a thin scar on her moldy cheek. "Make the bitch suffer."

Iyania smiled. Savenia and Mitexi looked at each other worriedly. Vorrel continued staring blankly ahead—what was with that guy?—and I chuckled softly to myself. "We can do that," I chimed in.

Carolyn shot me a grim smile. "See that you do. Once you're done, you'll have the keys to open the door to Trias, hiding like a rat in here," she pointed to a circular chamber labeled Crusaders' Crypt and added, "Our spies indicate that Trias sealed himself in that room yesterday, with instructions not to be disturbed until tomorrow. Whatever he's up to in there, I want you to stop it. Kill the traitor, bring me his head—or his signet ring, if you mutilate him too much—and you will be amply rewarded."

"Rewarded by whom?" Iyania asked. Same thing I was wondering.

"Well, for starters, you'll have your revenge," Carolyn rebutted. "That should be payment enough. Any treasure you locate within the Monastery is yours to keep. Beyond that, the Dark Lady has been informed of your intended mission, and she has expressed a desire to repay those who secure these lands in the name of the Forsaken. I'm certain your actions will not go unnoticed by our Queen."

Iyania and I nodded. "Good enough for me. When do we move out?" I asked.

Carolyn grinned. "As soon as you give the word, Shadowstalker Blightfire. You're leading this group." She handed me the rolled-up map and the sketches. "Things are in your hands now."

Me? In charge? I displayed my surprise with a startled gasp. "Um… very well." Iyania was giving me a rather jealous look, but the other three seemed pleased that I'd been put in command. Okay. Perfect. I could take care of all of this.

"Now, if you've no further questions, I'll be on my way. The armory of the Shadowstalkers is open to you," she pointed down the hallway, "so grab whatever you need. Report back when the job is done." In true Rogue fashion, Carolyn hurled a smoke pellet and Vanished from sight, leaving only the echo of a cackle in her wake. The five of us sat there, looking at each other.

"Well," I finally spoke up, breaking the silence. "Shall we?"

"We hunger for vengeance!" Bloodmage Thalnos cried as Vorrel charged toward him. The warrior's shield took the brunt of the first shadow bolt, and Mitexi and I replied with a few bolts of our own. The skeleton's tattered robes fluttered as fire, shade, and blades struck him. He unleashed a column of hellfire beneath our feet, forcing us to leap aside to safety. Mitexi took a hit on her legs. Savenia quickly healed the wound with a beam of golden light from her fingertips. I ordered Helyla to maintain her assault as the fight raged on; the sound of her whip joined the cacophony of battle cries and weapon clangs.

"Die, foul Scourge!" Iyania cried as she stabbed the bonebag again and again, twirling and slashing. Vorrel, meanwhile, kept quiet, just as he had the whole way in here. Our infiltration of the Graveyard was remarkably easy; with Scourge running around everywhere, it was practically a cakewalk to slip through the few Scarlet guards trying to hold a breach in one of the walls. We'd killed a number of ghosts, zombies, and skeletons as we'd traversed the eerie cemetery grounds. Thalnos was the final barrier to entry. Beyond the crypt he guarded awaited the doors to the Monastery proper, and the true beginning of our mission.

Vorrel spun the axe in his hand once, then brought it down hard on the Bloodmage's exposed skull. The fiend let out a haunting wail. Mitexi and I fired off a few more shadowbolts, as Iyania used a bit of leverage to dislocate some of our adversary's ribs. It wasn't much of a fight after that. With a final cry and another burst of flames—which we all dodged adeptly—Bloodmage Thalnos was no more. His lifeless bones clattered to the cold stone.

"Success!" I cheered, my voice echoing in the otherwise quiet tomb. "Now, let's rest a moment before we enter the Monastery. We have a lot of work ahead."

The five of us, after rummaging through Thalnos' gear—new shoulder pads for me, and an enchanted orb for Mitexi—took a seat on the cobblestones and relaxed. The mana-users sipped from skins of moonberry juice, a refreshing, fruity cocktail, while Vorrel and Iyania chewed on pieces of moon harvest pumpkin.

"This is pretty easy so far," Mitexi commented. "The Scourge out there weren't hard to kill at all."

The others nodded. "Agreed. But I suspect the Scarlets inside will put up more of a fight than these mindless ghouls," Iyania told us.

"Yes," I said to everyone, "once we're inside, I want everyone to keep on their guard. We all knew what we were getting into when we signed up; we're going to annihilate the Scarlet presence within Tirisfal Glades, and we're going to do it before Trias even has time to realize what's happening." The assembled team nodded knowingly.

"Selama ashal'anore," Savenia said.

I hadn't a clue what that meant, but I assumed it was positive. "Come, fellow adventurers. Let's continue our mission." We rose and tromped through the catacombs, soon reaching the entrance to the building as marked on our map. I paused before the door, and turned to address my team. "Trias awaits, heroes. The time has come to bring him to justice. The world he betrayed us to join is about to end, by our hands!"

Fists of righteous fury shot skyward, as cheers rang out in the dim halls:

"Anar'alah belore!"

"For Silvermoon!"

"For the Forsaken!"

"For the Horde!"