Chapter 10

Screaming

Snip.

Falling...

I opened my eyes and shot to my feet, blades unsheathed and gasping for breath I didn't need, a heart that didn't beat before beating erratically.

Where was I? What happened?

What have I done?

It felt as though cold water had been dumped on my soul. All of those people...

I scrambled away from wherever I had been dumped-where was I?-and looked around, am I alone?

I heard a twig break, and jumped, before realizing it had been me.

Okay breathe. Arthas-

I fell to my knees, dropping my blades and clutching my head as hot rage and pain took it with screaming.

I forced myself to think of...snow. Yes, snow is good. And it fell away until I could think again.

Okay, so he's dead, and I'm...not in Northrend. I remember that much. Now to figure out where the hell Kelseth the idiot dropped me off...

I sheathed my blades, walking through the dense forest I had woken up in. The smell of plague tickled my nostrils, but it could've just been me.

I kept moving, until suddenly I came to the edge of water, and I had yet to get a decent look at my surroundings.

The sky, however, was getting quite dark, and I didn't know what would be hunting me.

Best to hunker down, so that I don't...

Oil burned my skin as horror surfaced. So I don't mutilate anyone else.

I climbed into a tree, shaking slightly, and I curled into the crook of the branches, concealed by the thick leaves.

Who did I have to apologise too? Did I leave any family members alive?

My throat felt clogged, and I unsheathed a small dagger, turning to face the trunk, and I began to count...

Do the scourge I killed in fits of anger count? I think they do...

I realised that I was out of tree trunk, the entire two foot by two-foot area of tree I could reach covered in tallies, and I had yet to finish counting.

I climbed backwards on the branch, bile rising in my throat at what I was looking at. Each of those lines were people, families, that I...

I didn't just kill them, I destroyed them.

I fell out of the tree, a sob escaping my throat, and I heard branches crack in the darkness.

I whipped around, blades unsheathed, my sluggish heart getting with the memo and pounding-it hurt.

"Who's there?" My voice lacked the malice and cold it once had-was that from him, too?

When nothing revealed itself, I sheathed my blades and looked out over the water again, searching for some sort of landmark-something to tell me where the hell I was.

Nothing was revealing itself, so I guess I'll keep moving.

I moved along the shadows of the water's edge, hugging the tree line but keeping my eyes on the water-and I left lines in the trees, to mark my path in case I got lost.

I walked on for hours, eventually abandoning the water and prowling through the woods, until the sky was beginning the lighten.

I can't find the end of the bloody woods, so I suppose I'll have to go up.

I sheathed my blades, running a hand through gnarled hair, and began to haul my ass up a tree, when the sound of voices sent fire through my veins.

I fled into the cover of the trees, feeling some sort of familiarity-why? Is this something else he stole from me?

I watched, forcing myself to cease breathing, having gotten quite used to it from my time with Kenlora-

I found myself grinning. I could think of her again.

I continued to watch, schooling my features, and two silhouettes came into view.

"-the lines on the trees show it moving this way, but I don't see any others."

I froze, eyes wide, why do they sound dead?

I inhaled deeply and silently, not recognizing-these weren't His.

That meant...that meant someone else could raise Scourge.

I dropped down, slicing the head off of the one, and the other balked. "Hey-."

They didn't resemble me, all skin and bones with patches of muscle showing through, and this one's jaw hung oddly, limp grey hair framing-her?-face. She raised her blade, but I severed her spine before she could charge.

They fell down dead, and I rummaged through their pockets quickly, panic humming through me. Who was raising more Scourge? Who was becoming a new Lich King?

I found nothing but some money-a few silver pieces with some copper between the two-and I pocketed that, and I took the woman's cloak, the thick and long material hopefully covering me. If I had to go into a town...

I pulled the hood over my features as the light really began to grow, morning on the horizon, and I moved on-this could look bad.

They saw the lines I was making, to guide myself. They were tracking me. Why?

I couldn't risk climbing up and revealing my position, what if there were more? What if they were all looking for me?

I moved through the woods, ears straining under the hood for the sound of voices or footsteps, praying I wasn't still being hunted.

The trees finally gave way to rolling hills, and I looked around, spotting a river, heading-I raised my head and inhaled-south.

I had also found a road, and I moved along it cautiously, and I grinned at the sight of a set of signs.

Thank Azeroth, now I can figure out where I am.

I padded up to them, raising the hood from my face just slightly, reading-

"Who are you?"

I froze, every muscle stiffening, and I counted heartbeats-there were three more of those things behind me. How had I not noticed?

One tried to come closer, "Miss-."

I whipped around, hood pulled low, and sliced her in half. One of the others, a man, charged, while the third-

Fired a flare.

I cut through the charging man's neck, his head falling away quickly, and ran my blade through the third, slicing upwards to send him flying back, gutted long wise like a fish.

I looked around quickly. That flare gave me away and surely was to alert more of them-

I fled back into the trees, clinging to the shadows, heart racing erratically.

I've murdered five more people.

The realization smacked into me. I hadn't even thought about it.

I shook with that thought, a breathy sob escaping me, and I slammed my hands over my mouth, shutting my eyes tight against the burning, oily tears.

I'm a monster.

I heard voices, many of them, and withdrew further, watching carefully.

A group of men came up to the carnage I had left behind, riding-oh light help-riding horses that were just as scourged. Those poor creatures.

"We found more like these by the lake to the north," one woman spoke, "Rodgers and Milan. Found no sign of whoever did it. Could be a scarlet assassin."

Scarlet? Scarlet what? I strained to hear more.

"The Scarlet Fanatics burn the bodies, this isn't them." A man spoke from atop a horse, "Whoever it is, they're good at killing, and fast. That flare just went-."

A twig snapped beneath my boot, and I froze, locking eyes with the man on the horse.

"Search the woods." He ordered his men.

I fled into the tree, climbing up and clinging to the trunk, biting through my lip to keep quiet as I heard them spread out beneath me.

I listened carefully, and I noticed that one had left their horse behind.

I carefully descended, not making a sound, and approached the horse.

He knickered at my approach, stepping in place, and I held my hands up slowly, hoping to sooth the beast.

"You there! Stop!"

Fuck.

I swung up onto the beast's back, old magic flickering under my fingers, and he obeyed, eyes flashing blue before taking off.

"Good boy," I whispered, and I saw that we were going back north, along the river, and I looked over my shoulder to the beautiful sight of no pursuit.

"Good horse, good horse. Take us somewhere safe," I said, settling in for a long ride.

I never got to read what the sign said, so I was still clueless as to where I was.

We reached the lake that I had been at before, and veered to the left-west. Why are we going west?

I trusted the horse though, and simply kept an eye out as we cantered along, making good ground until-

"Whoa, boy," I pulled on the reins and he came to a stop, and good thing too.

There were buildings ahead, swarming with more of the scourge.

I dismounted and lead him along, until I was hidden in the shadows of the mountains.

"Okay boy," I turned and stroked his skull, and he knickered quietly.

"I need you to run as fast as you can to those buildings, make a huge fuss, then turn and run away again, okay?"

He dipped his head, and I smiled, "Good boy, go!"

I let his reins go, and he took off. I climbed quickly, until my path was perfect. Now if they took the bait...

They did! The horse raced up, and most of them looked up. When he started to scream, the rest took off for him, and then he whipped around and raced away, taking near all of the dead with him.

With the perfect opening, I darted past.

The environment was different on this side of the buildings, and I was once again crowded in by thick trees, but there were roads as well.

Large, grey buildings soared into the sky ahead, and I wasn't sure if they were friendly-what if they were a capital-

A Capital City.

I knew exactly where I was now. I was in his birth land.

The realization almost made me turn and bolt the fuck away again. Why am I here?

Because if he made this his home, then the new king may have...

I will kill them. I will put an end to this madness.

Then I will find these Scarlet Fanatics and put an end to my madness as well.

I sighed, trekking forward, when another sight caught my attention.

More buildings like the ones I had just passed, lots more.

A city.

I ventured closer, carefully, and caught the sight of a sign, which read:

Brill, Tirisfal Glades

Undercity, Tirisfal Glades

So their capital is beneath the...I looked closer at the buildings-the ruins. Fitting, they dug their own grave.

I was more interested in Brill however. So many...

I can begin my culling here, and end in the Undercity.

No one seemed at all suspicious as I moved closer, the cloak pulled over my face to cover as much of me as possible.

I moved into the town, skirting the edges of it, tensed for any sort of attack.

None came. They moved about...like normal people. Scourge can't function at such a high level. We aren't people.

I was in the shadows, and one such merchant was minding his business, until I dragged him back away from sight.

"How do you function so normally," I growled hoarsely, blade pressed against the top of the spinal chord.

"What are-what are you talking about?" The man sounded startled, and I growled, pressing the blade against his spine.

"Scourge do not have towns. How do you do it?"

"We're not scourge you-."

I beheaded him, fury and horror racing through me to form a dangerous cocktail-that's a sixth person in two days.

The screaming was growing louder in the back of my head, egging me on. Maim, Kill, Tear...

For once, we were in agreement.

I rolled my head back, and gave myself over to the screaming.

Almost at once, it intensified to deafening levels, and my vision was tinged red. I moved into the city like a blur, cutting through the scourge like they were nothing, and I heard screams join the screaming inside my head.

I was snarling, teeth bared like an animal, and my cloak had fallen away, revealing who I was.

"The Harbinger! She has found us!"

That cursed name-

The screaming got even louder, and I danced through the chaos, slicing through them, and when the ones in armor came at me, I ruined them too.

"Stop this!"

I froze, one of my blades still speared through a soldier.

I turned, slowly.

No...

I charged at her, fury raging through me, and we sparred. Her blades met mine parry for parry, and we went tumbling as I pounced.

Head over heel we moved through the city square like a blur, the remaining citizens fleeing in panic.

One mistake on my part-I tried to bite-and I was pinned, straddled with blades at my throat.

"I knew when they didn't find your body that you hadn't stopped living."

I bared my teeth, the screaming deafening, "You continue his work! You continue the Scourge!"

"I do not. These people are not Scourge."

I barked a laugh, "People? We're all the same! Mindless! Killers!"

Sylvanas Windrunner, red eyes piercing my soul, were the last thing I saw before my vision went black.

"Come home to me, Lynx."