Let the war for Northrend begin
Kal held his most common pose as he flew through the clouded skies of this northern continent. So far, the plan seems to be holding up well enough, the former Death Knights were holding the defence of the harbour. Ko'nani didn't seem to mind where this backup came from or who they really were, at the moment only too pleased that they had some allies who would help them. It took a few hours of conversation between him and the harbour chief, but they came to an understanding. His forces would help defend his home and people, in exchange they were allowed to use all the land they controlled for their own means if it went against the Scourge.
Hardly the most pleasing deal considering that they would leave the harbour as soon as they were able and take the fight to the Lich King but Kal had a feeling that the chief wouldn't take their word on that, so if thinking they made a real agreement made their hosts feel better, then he wouldn't mind. In truth, he didn't think the Death Knights minded that either, as Kal gave his standing orders to Mograine, he couldn't shake the feeling that many of the Knights felt a sense of pride or accomplishment at the take. Seeming to be happy that they were defending people against the Scourge, rather than invading. It seemed like many had taken his speech to heart.
Back to the matter at hand, Kal was following their plan closely. Now that they had a place to defend he would move on to the next step, go to this Wyrmrest temple and seek a temporary alliance with the dragons in order to battle the undead.
From what Ko'nani had told him, the temple was a few hundred miles north of their harbour and a very long for one of his people to make in order to request reinforcements from the ancient beings. For Kal however, it was no problem.
However that didn't mean he wanted to rush this, while it was true that he could fly around the entire planet a dozen times within a couple of seconds, he didn't want to spook the only ones he had a chance of forming a real pact with. So, he took his time, going no faster than the sound barrier to reach this temple, which hopefully wouldn't be much longer. While he trusted his forces to hold off if something happened, he didn't like being away from them.
For a moment he contemplated the idea of going a little faster in order to speed up the process but thankfully that didn't seem needed anymore.
It was just a small blip on the Horizen then moment after moment went by it started to get larger and larger. Kal had to admit, this was impressive. In the middle of this frozen desert was a large spire-like structure that seemed to be made of hardened stone. At first, the architecture reminded him of Diana's home of Themyscira. It seemed to be made of a collection of large dome-like shapes held up by strong pillars that seemed far too Greek for it to be a coincidence. It was impressive to see in person, from what he could tell it looked to be around eight hundred meters tall and its width at least from the angle he could see was two hundred meters. This structure was enormous and easily the largest thing he's seen since coming to this world. Of course, Teldrassil was even larger but that was grown, a building like this was built.
Shaking his mind off the thought, he started to descend further to the ground. Of course, not want to be seen as a trespasser and all that.
Thankfully he saw a way in, a large open doorway at the base of the tower proper. Knowing that this needed to be peaceful, Kal set himself down a little further out than he needed to. His feet touched the snow a couple of meters away from the massive steps that led up to the doorway. He took a couple of deep breaths, remembering everything he was told about dragons and their culture from Onyxia and what he could trust about what she said.
Going up the large steps which he had to fly in order to climb over, he started to see the insides of the temple the higher he got. At first, he could see was very well-painted ceiling in a mural-like fashion, then the far wall and finally when he made it to the highest step he could see inside and what was outside.
On either side of the door were two reptile-like creatures that seemed to be standing guard. They were unlike any he has seen before, stood on four long legs that made them as tall as an elephant, though they were far smarter as they wore metal amour around their bodies and held a spear in their hands.
The two guards immediately pointed their weapons at him and slowly started to move forward "Halt human!" the one on the right shouted at him, not wanting to cause a fight with them, Kal raised his hands and waited for them to get closer. Not taking any steps towards them. They did stop until their spears were nearly touching him.
The one on the left brought its elongated and sharp beak-like mouth right up to Kal's face before taking a sniff of him "What do you want? Trespasser" it snarled at him.
He tried not to, but Kal leaned back slightly to get away from the smell coming from the guard's mouth "My name is Kal, I come here seeking an audience with the Life-Binder Alexstrasza" he stated loudly enough to be heard clearly over the strong winds.
"You're early" A new voice called out, one that he didn't recognize.
Quickly turning to the right, where the sound of the voice was coming from. There was no one there, at least that was before Kal looked down at a sight he was not expecting. Standing not even three feet away from him was a woman, a Gnome.
He didn't want to try and guess the age, not knowing enough about Gnomes to be able to tell how old she was. She held golden hair that was tied into two buns on either side of her head, she wore a dress of white cloth, but it was patterned with golden highlights and her shoulders each carried larger pieces of golden armour. Her eyes were a light green colour and it matched the necklace she wore.
After the fraction of a second he took to take in her image, Kal immediately used his speed to move a couple of meters back from her. To the surprise of the guards he just disappeared and reappeared further away from them, something they clearly didn't like "HALT!" they shouted as they pointed their weapons back at him as Kal stood in a much more guarded stance, clearly not happy with how easily this woman sneaked up on him. That just didn't happen.
"Wait" the small woman spoke and much to Kal's shock, both the guards immediately did. Showing a great deal of discipline that he didn't expect they would have.
"But... my lady" the one on the right started.
The woman simply shook her head at them "Don't worry" she said with a happy voice "he's not an enemy. You can return to your post" she added before taking a couple of steps towards Kal, the guards only waited for a single moment before they turned and headed back to the large door they guarded.
"Who are you?" Kal asked, clearly still not happy with how this little lady snuck up on him.
"I'm Chromie" she said, stopping in front of him. Her voice was just as chipper as it was before.
"Chromie?" Kal said, trying to gain some confidence back. Remembering why he was here and all that, though not letting his guard down "I'm...
"Kal-El" she interrupted him "Superman, Clark Kent. You have a lot of names" she listed with a smile.
Kal's hand fell to the shaft of the Trident quickly as his jaw tightened, he hadn't told anyone what his adoptive name was and he had no plans to. Upon seeing his actions, the woman's eyes softened and for the first time the smile left her face "I'm sorry, I don't mean to startle you"
"Who are you?" he asked and this time his tone was far more firm and uncompromising.
She took a moment before answering "My name is Chromie" he confirmed before continuing "but that is just a nickname I give out. My full name is Chronormu, I am the ambassador and emissary of the Bronze Dragonflight. At your service" she stated calmly, throwing in a bow as she did so. Appearing much more formal.
"Bronze dragons" Kal muttered more time himself than anyone else "The time dragons" he said as the confusion started to subside as he remembered what he was told about this flight. His hand slowly moved away from his weapon.
"We've been called that before" she confirmed.
"That's how you know my adoptive name, you've seen my past" he stated as a look of understanding crossed his face.
"No" she quickly shook her head, confusing him as she did so "As you've already realized, you're in a completely different universe to the one you were born in. The eyes of the Bronze Dragonflight go far, but not that far. Your past is your own, completely outside the influence of my brethren. Something very few beings can claim, and I mean barely any. I mean, I can count them on one hand" As she spoke Kal started to calm down further "I know the name because you'll tell me it later"
Despite the confusion of the conversation, Kal's spoken to Barry about time travel many times so he's not a complete novice in the understanding of time travel "So you're a being that has complete knowledge of the timeline, you don't know my past because I never even entered any timeline you see until I first arrived here" he summarised.
She smiled back at him when he spoke "Pretty much" she confirmed.
"Since I'm planning on staying in this world, we'll have many meetings and during that, I'll tell you my adoptive name. Assuming this meeting isn't me doing that" he added.
"Exactly" She nodded again.
"So... Wait" he stopped himself "If you're capable of seeing the timeline then are you a multiple omnipresent being that can see and interact with every timeline at once or is there one of you in every timeline that is capable of speaking to each other?" he quickly asked.
She didn't answer, Chromie looked at him with wide eyes for a moment before the smile came back onto her face. She seemed surprised by the question, either by the complexity of it or the fact he understood the topic enough to ask it "yes but also no"
'Should have seen that coming' he thought to himself "Well, it's nice to meet you. I assume you know why I'm here?" he asked.
"I do" she nodded back with a smile "It's a good plan. I can't help as much as I would like but oh well, that's the curse of the Bronze. That way" she pointed off to the west "fly around thirty kilometres and you'll come up on the nest of the Life-Binder. Alleys is still not completely healed after the last war but she's getting there. Don't hide your presence and the reds will find you" she instructed him.
Kal was taken aback by all the advice she was giving him "Thank you" he said.
Turning around and getting ready "Show your humanity" she added before he could leave.
"What?" he quickly asked, looking over his shoulder to look at her.
"If you want her help, then don't hide your humanity" That was all she said before Chromie disappeared with a golden poof.
Kal looked around himself for a moment, thinking that this might have just been one of the oddest conversations he'd had in a while. At the very least it seemed like she wasn't an enemy. So, he would take it. Remembering what direction she pointed, Kal lifted off the ground and flew in that direction.
While he did so, he took a moment to think about the being he just met. He knew about as much of the Bronze Dragonflight as he did all the others, meaning not much at all. He knew that originally there were five dragonflights in the world. Red, Blue, Green, Bronze and Black. Each one seemed to govern or protect (details were not clear) an aspect of said world. The reds were the most common and seen, being the protectors of life in all forms that it took. The Blues were said to be sterner in their duty, they were charged with protecting and monitoring magic and in a world like this, Kal assumed that they were kept busy. The Green Flight was one of the least seen and known, they were charged with protecting something called the Emerald Dream, a type of pocket dimension that is the source of power that the druids use. The Blacks were practically non-existent anymore but they were the guardians of the ground and rock, the bones of the Earth. The Bronze were the last and most elusive, they looked after the timeline, or the multiple timelines.
In truth Kal still didn't know what they looked after, he assumed that they prevented any type of time manipulation. He could understand that, in truth, he wished they had something like that one Earth. He had no idea how they would deal with someone like the Flash or Reverse Flash but probably better than he and League did. The interesting thing he didn't consider was that his past would be locked off to them. That wasn't how time worked. Time was a multiversal cosmic phenomenon, it always was and will always be. In the vast infinite of creation, time was always present.
If they couldn't see his past, then whatever the Bronze overlooked was exclusive to this world or universe, he didn't know if they could see the timeline across this entire universe but at the moment he was going to say it was contained to just the planet. He would have to find one of them at some point and ask them for more details.
Flying above the clouds and soaking in some of the sunlight as he did so, he was reminded of Antarctica. One of the reasons he chose it was because of the constant sunlight. He did consider using the north again on Azeroth but there were many reasons why he didn't. The biggest was the large army of undead he wasn't sure he would have been able to fight off yet, along with him being given permission to set up in Night Elf territory. Which was something he never got on Earth from anyone.
He allowed himself a moment to enjoy the flight, looking at the peaceful clouds with a small smile. That was when he first heard it, a slight rumbling.
Turning his head to the right, all he could make out was the peaks of some nearby mountains, an ocean of clouds that seemed to go to the horizon. That was when an uneasy feeling came about him, like he was being watched.
Knowing that there was a good chance he knew who this was, Kal started to slow down under he came to a gentle stop. He stood upright in the air and waited, the tips of his toes just touching the surface of the clouds. He tried to turn to his senses to figure out what was near him but he couldn't, there was something wrong with this place. Every time he tried to reach out with his sense of smell all he got was death and decay. When he tried to listen he could just make out the wind, that shouldn't be possible, but it was all he had. It was like whatever was near him was keeping itself hidden somehow. Even that rumbling he heard briefly stopped.
He hoped that the sound was coming from the dragons he was looking for but given that he wasn't too far away from a huge undead army, he didn't want to take that chance. But couldn't just stay here all day either, keeping his guard up he started to slowly lower himself through the clouds and towards the ground.
Though he did so slowly, not wanting to be caught off guard by an enemy. All around him was nothing but an intense fog, he was half tempted to take a deep breath and blow it all away but he knew from experience that those who fly, like dragons, would not take too kindly to a wind strong enough to immediately get rid of clouds that go on for miles.
He was looking to make a good impression after all, after another moment. He found something truly amazing. When he broke the clouds and could once again see the ground clearly, he was met with a beautiful sight.
As he stared at it, the nest wasn't the word he would use. 'Grove' he thought to himself as he saw it. In the middle of a huge frozen lake, a large chunk of it seemed to have been taken out in a perfect circular shape creating a large hole. In the middle of it was a massive and beautiful great wood tree, whose bright red leaves gave off what must have been a magical glow. Across the floor around the tree going all the way up to the walls of ice, perfectly cut grass and preen flowers bloomed, streams of water ran around the entire thing and he could see the fish calmly paddling in them.
He was so distracted by it all that he didn't notice the rumbling around him until it was too late. Kal felt the wind around him before he felt anything else, though by the time he realized what was a few centimetres behind it was too late. Something large, strong and scaled wrapped around him and with a strong blow that nearly knocked the wind out of him. Kal found himself before being forced quickly towards the ground.
For himself it seemed to happen in slow motion, he could see the claws going over his whole body. Two over his shoulders and two more on either side of his waist. He could have gotten out of this, even if there was some magic to this that he couldn't see that would affect his strength there should be nothing that would stop him from speeding away before he hit the ground that was getting closer.
But he stopped himself before he could, he wanted to make a good impression and he needed their help. Letting them think that they had the upper hand and not damaging their egos would go a long way towards making them allies. So he braced himself.
Kal's body crashed into the ground, the force of which created a small crater as he did so, not that it hurt him of course. The pressure upon his back it not relent as he did so, letting him know that whatever dragon was on top of him didn't want to let him go and based on the vibrations he felt in the ground as the three remaining thuds were heard around him. The dragon was quite large, not as large as Onyxia but it was noticeable "Do not move intruder, do not attempt any action I do not allow" a deep and powerful voice echoed around him, with each word Kal could feel a strong and hot wind on the back of his head. It was also hard not to notice the smell of fire and ash.
His head was still being pushed into the dirt he had yet to look up and see his surroundings more closely "Mostraz, what being how you brought to us now? Another of the undead?" a different voice said, this one was unfamiliar to him, definitely female from what he could tell.
"No, this one was different. He flew through the air like we do. Coming from the direction of Wyrmrest" his captor 'Mostraz' spoke and guessing that he didn't feel the strong winds on his back, he was looking away from him.
"Is he friend or foe?" another voice questioned, while this was male. It was different from his captor.
"That remains to be seen" Mostraz said aloud.
Thinking that now would be the best time to introduce himself, Kal lifted his head from the ground. He remained on the ground but he was able to free his head and once again looked around himself. It was no different from when he saw it from above, there only being two differences. The first is the amount of upturned dirt all around himself and the number of dragons around him. The red dragons were all over the place, some big, some small but there must have been dozens of them. How did he not see them before? Was there some type of magical barrier around this place that hid them from view? Something he could think about later "Freind" he said, it wasn't a shout but it was loud enough for him to be heard by the three dragons around him.
He wasn't able to tell which of the two was male and which was female, they all looked very similar to each other. He was sure there was a difference between the two that was obvious to them and others but he didn't know what.
The claws around his body dug in deeper and if he wasn't as strong as he was, this type of power would have crushed any other mortal bodies "You say friend, but you arrive unannounced. What business do you have here mortal?" Mostraz asked him.
It took much of his self-control to not immediately shake the claw off of him and stand on his own two feet but as he said before, he wanted to make a good and more importantly none aggressive first impression, even if this angle did cause his neck to ache "My name is Kal-El, I don't know if you've heard of me?" he asked them, wondering if the red dragon me met in Silithus, Caelestrasz really had spoken about him to his kin.
Upon the mention of his name, the two dragons in front of him glanced at each other before the one of the right spoke "You may ease your grip Mostraz. Caelestrasz has made us aware of this one"
After hearing the words of the female, the claw around his loosened and he could hear the large dragon take a couple of steps back, giving him room to stand up. Something he did quickly though Kal was also quick to shake the dirt from his clothing "Thank you" he said to the female and not the one who just let go of him "as to why I am here. I was wondering if it was possible to arrange a meeting with the Alexstrasza" he added wanting to get quick to the point and not waste time.
As he said that, it wasn't hard to see that most of the other dragons that seemed to be minding their own business up until that point turned to face him or at the very least glance in his direction. Thankfully they didn't react with hostility to his request "That will be an impossibility at this time" the male on the left spoke up "She who is love, she who is life is currently resting with her consort, still not yet healed from the actions of the Orcs during the last war" his tone was mournful and Kal didn't want to intrude but this was important.
"I see" he started "I understand the pain of war, far better than most" he raised a hand to his chest and bowed his head slightly, he was told that was a well-known salute for many beings in this world "she has my greatest sympathies for the pain she suffered but I would not be here were it not important. I have a small but very well-equipped force of fighters currently stationed at Moa'ki Harbor, we plan to assault the Icecrown Citadel and end the threat of the Scourge. I do not doubt that the undead have caused you and your kin no end of pain and death" It wasn't hard to notice how the dragons that calmly stood around the area started to make their way towards him as he spoke "but I cannot do it without the help of the dragons, I need to speak with the Life-Binder to discuss the possibility of a partnership between us. So that we may stand together and end this threat before it is too late" All the dragons had gathered around him by that point and Kal had to admit, it was an interesting feeling being around so many large and nigh immortal beings, it made him feel very small and least in the physical sense.
"Oh my, you are a bold one" the voice came further back than the others, almost as if it was coming from the tree itself. It was another male voice, that much was certain but this one was different based on the way the crowd parted for him. The red dragon slowly walking towards him seemed to be coming from a large hole in the tree, he wasn't the largest dragon in the area but Kal could tell one thing very easily, this guy was ancient. It was the small coming off of him that gave him away, a type of musk that started to stick to things when they got over a certain threshold, at least until they tried and cover it up.
He could see that many scales had dents and visible damage in them, at the back of the dragon's head, it had a small collection of horns sticking out but many of them were broken and some even snapped in half. From what Kal could see of the folded wings sticking out of its back, near the backs of the were small rips and tares. This one was an old one even if he wasn't the largest. This did answer a question he had about do dragons keep getting bigger the older they get or do they grow like humans, they just get to a size and stop no matter how old they get "To come to the nest of my love, my life. And seek entrance to her most treasured of nests" the dragon stopped a good distance away from him but it was still close enough that when he lowered his head to match Kal's their eyes where only a meter or two away from each other.
"And if I may. Who are you?" he asked the dragon.
Thankfully he didn't seem annoyed with the question, in fact, he gave a small chuckle "Haha, it's been so long since a mortal has ventured here and even longer since one has and not known me. I am Korialstrasz, I am the prime consort to my queen, Alexstrasza the aspect of life and as of this moment, I am the one who will decide if you are permitted to enter are protected ground and speak with the Life-Binder herself as she guards her most recent clutch" Kal had to admit that he was impressed, he didn't sense any type of arrogance as Korialstrasz spoke, no doubt he had titles that the others around him did not.
"I see" Kal nodded "I'm grateful for you leaving the Life-Binders side to speak to me. I do not mean to rob you of the time you have with the one you love, but this is important and could save many lives if done right. My name is..." he said starting to introduce himself.
"I am well aware who you are Kal-El" Korialstrasz said and then something very interesting happened. To Kal's eyes, the dragon's body almost seemed to disintegrate, only unlike the last time he saw this with Onyxia, it wasn't an orange fire-like colour but a calm and peaceful red that sounded like flowers blowing in the wind. It didn't even take a couple of seconds, but the dragon was now gone and in its place was a High Elf with a strong build, pale skin, blue eyes and long bleach blonde hair "For when I am not here I aid the mortals how I can, most of the time I take my seat in Dalaran's council of six as Krasus. I was there when the lady Proudmore came to us with your finding of the Titan and granted permission to begin research on it" he explained to Kal as he took a couple of steps towards him.
While that was unexpected and it gave Kal credence to his theory that the dragon had no idea about the Titan either. Or if they did it was just the Aspects and they didn't tell the others, something he believes he could understand if he hears an explanation as to why "Well, if you know who I am then I hope you can place some trust in the truth of my words. I have come here to end the Scourge and I have the means to do it, but I cannot do it without the aid of your kin" he explained.
The dragon tilted his head slightly before he turned around, crossing his arms as he looked at the large hole in the living and healthy tree. The path that led to the Life-Binder "You wish the bring the Aspects together and have us join as one force, be a distraction for the Scourge while your forces sneak in through the back" he said confidently.
Kal would have taken a step back in shock as he heard that, he didn't tell anyone that plan. Not even the Death Knights so how did he know about it? There was a chance that it was just an educated guess "You already knew how many I had didn't you?" he asked him.
"I did" he confirmed "Those of the red flight were watching your attack on Naxxramas closely. What you ask for is a heavy price to pay" he turned back around to look at him "The reds have not yet recovered from our part in the last war, the greens still spend most of their time in the great dream attempting to undo as much damage the nightmare has caused as possible now that they have a moment to, thanks to you from what I've been told" he nodded his head towards him, a small thanks for what happened when the nightmare attacked his home "the bronze do not join in on these conflicts unless the timeline allows them to and blues have not yet intervened on any mortal matter since Malygos regained his sanity. For all the good it's done him" he muttered that last part and it did not fill him with confidence for the situation.
"I don't know how strong your forces are" Kal admitted with a shrug "I don't know how mentally scared the Life-Binder is after what happened. In truth I have no idea what even happened to her, I didn't ask" he took a step forward and placed a hand on Krasus shoulder "What I do know is that the Scourge will only grow, the more they fight the more their numbers increase. If we don't stop them before it's too late, then nothing short of a complete purge of this land will be able to stop them. I've both seen and caused that type of destruction, it's something I wouldn't like to do again. We have to stop them here and now" he finished.
All around them, the dragons both large and small, old and young looked to each other as they processed his words. Though none of them spoke, they eventually all looked back to Krasus for his word.
The consort was quiet for a moment, that much was good. To Kal, it at least meant that he was thinking about it. After a whole minute of silence he spoke "Very well" he nodded before taking a step back "I will take you to my love and you may try to convince her to take part in this attack" Kal made to take a step forward but the dragon raised a hand to stop him "but that weapon stays out here" he added, nodding his head towards the trident.
Kal didn't fight him on that, he quickly reached behind him and grabbed the golden weapon. Normally he would stab it into the ground, but he didn't want to ruin the grass, so he gently placed it on the ground and hoped no one would touch it.
Once that was done, Krasus turned and started to make his way towards the tree, still in his Elf form "Follow me" he said and Kal quickly moved to stand beside him, the two walking inside the large tree.
'All things considered, this is going well' Darion thought to himself as he tried to shuffle in place, only to get a large hammer banged on his metal cage. His new accommodations were more cramped than he would like but it would do. At least he wasn't dead.
Looking around himself, he saw the camp that the Forsaken had created around the downed necropolis of Naxxramas and from what he could see, they seemed to be going through it, salvaging what they could for who knows why. Not that anyone would stop them, the battle they had against the Scarlet Crusade didn't last long and the Crusaders were overrun by the undead numbers. In truth, he knew that he should try and find out what he could but he was here for another reason. He looked around trying to find the one in charge, which he did for the next hour.
Though while he did so he couldn't help but notice that they came out of the now ruins with very little. It was like the entire necropolis was empty; it was expected that much wouldn't have been able to survive the crash to the ground but it was expected to be something left over that would be of value from what he could see, there was nothing. Which was no doubt going to anger his captors and that didn't bode well for him.
He looked around himself again and there was nothing that could help him, he was in a rusted locked cage with thick metal bars, he had two guards on either side of him, his weapons and armour were taken to a place he didn't know and the cage he was in a large tent that only gave him a view from one direction, the now downed Naxxramas a good ways away and certain parts of the camp in the sides of the open way he could see through. Nothing else of note came up.
He didn't doubt that the only reason he was still alive was because he didn't fight the ones who found him even when he easily could have given the gear he had. In truth, he was starting to think that this might have been a bad idea, but the sounds of approaching footsteps got his attention. That was when three figures came into view.
He knew the leader quickly enough, Nathanos was a well-known figure in the Forsaken for a reason. A confidant to Sylvanas and if you believed the rumours a former lover. He didn't put much stock in rumours and never did any good after all. The undead ranger stepped into the tent and the red angry eyes turned to look at him "Leave us" he said to the guards on either side of him and without a word they left. The personal guards of the Banshee queen that came with Nathanos waited on either side of the entrance to the tent "Darion Mograine of the Argent Dawn" The look of anger turned into a smirk as he looked at him "Son of the great Ashbringer. How the mighty have fallen"
A tired sigh escaped Darion's mouth "I didn't come here for pleasantries ranger"
"No?" Nathanos asked with a tilt of the head.
"No" he confirmed.
"Oh, and please enlighten me, Paladin. Why have you come here, have you come to seek a glorious death? Hoping to one-up your father who despite it all died to a knife in the back" he smirked and crossed his arms.
"DON'T...!" he shouted as he banged on the cage but stopped himself before it could get too far "I came here to save my father, to break him free of control and make him his own man" he admitted with a calm voice.
"How incredibly noble" he snarked back.
"But I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I arrived to see that Naxxramas was brought down" he added looking back up into the undead's eyes "I know the Scarlet Crusade don't have the means to do such a thing I know you sure as shit don't either" there was a mockery tone as he added that last part, something that no doubt annoyed the man "and based on what I saw coming in, none of you are walking around carrying the Ashbringer or singing songs about the one who killed him. He's not here. None of them are, those going into the necropolis are coming out with very little. Like it's already been pillaged" With every statement he spoke, the undead's eyes narrowed just a little bit more.
"You know nothing Paladin" he sneered back "It's all going as planned in the agreement" he added.
"See that's the interesting thing" Darion said as he pointed up and Nathanos "I suspected that either you or the Crusaders would team up with someone eventually to gain the edge over the other but what I can't figure out is who, who has the capability to bring down Naxxramas before either of you lot even got here"
"That is not something you need to concern yourself with now, is it?" he asked calmly as he looked around the tent "You have far more pressing things to concern yourself with than your father. Your own life for one" before the undead ranger could say any more.
One of the Banshee queen's guards walked in and stood next to him, quickly whispering into his ear. Nathanos's eyes twitched slightly as he heard it and turned his head to look at the guard more clearly, who only nodded back in confirmation. He gave one last look to Darion before turning to leave.
Walking through their quickly set up camp didn't take long and in truth, he didn't think it would last much longer, despite what was said not even four days ago. His queen still wanted to see if anything could be salvaged from Naxxramas that could be of use to them. So far, they have found nothing, simply discarded weapons and leftover chemical matter that would be of no use to them.
One thing he has noticed is the oddly few number of Death Knight bodies discovered. While it was possible that many of them would have been buried under the rubble, they should have found many more by now. Something wasn't right, it was as if they all just left during whatever attack Kal-El launched on this accursed place. He did not doubt that his queen would be most displeased with the information, but the deaths of the crusaders should make her amendable if nothing else.
Walking towards the central command tent, he found the one he was looking for. His queen stood with her back to him and the four others in the tent. Looking over a large scroll, based on the way her shoulders were tensing, it wasn't good news. He didn't even get a word in before she turned her head to the nearest guard "Send the word, we're leaving" she ordered.
The man was quick to salute and left the tent to follow the order "My lady" he bowed his head.
"It would seem that Kal-El works quicker than I gave him credit for" Sylvanas turned around and tossed the scroll to him, he was quick to start reading through it. His eyes narrowed as he did so. It looked to be a report from those who had been trained to oversee this new... satellite. Network. Of course, they were all sceptical about it at first but it has proven useful, and it came to no surprise what his lady wanted to use it for.
They have been watching over Northrend without pause keeping a very close eye out for the enemy forces and gauging their numbers. But from what he's reading now, it would seem that Kal-El has led a force to Dragonblight and seems to be holding the line around a harbour "For what purpose?" he asked allowed "he doesn't have the strength to take on the entire Scourge on his own" he added, placing the scroll on the table.
"We think he doesn't" she countered him while those remaining in the tent watched on in silence "Don't forget he wiped out an entire army of the Qiraji in Silithus. Saurfang claimed that force was twenty thousand strong and he did it in one attack. The Scourge may be more capable than those insects but I doubt it would be enough to make any real difference. What I want to know is where these allies of his have come from" he added pointing at the report "Those around the harbour are marked as allies but not named, all around the world the soldiers of every faction are named by who they stand with. Why are these not?" she asked all those present.
Those around the table were quiet for a moment before Nathanos spoke again "Perhaps there is something to those 'allies' that he doesn't want us to know"
"Such as?" his lady spoke while eyeing him.
The undead ranger crossed his arms before speaking "We still have yet to find many of the more notable Death Knights" he simply stated "The necropolis is empty"
Sylvanas looked at him sceptically for a moment "Are you proposing..."
"Yes" he added, interrupting her.
She was silent for a moment "We do not indicate that Kal-El is capable of such a thing" the ranger on his lady's left spoke, Zavea if he remembered it right.
"We've been freed from the Lich King's control" another voice called out, Zelatus this time "It's not impossible that it can be done to others"
"But to free the Death Knights right under the Lich's nose and get away with it... that is far more than the burst of magic that freed all of us" she countered.
"He has technology and artefacts we haven't seen or even thought of. Are lady as sensed their power herself"
As has he. Nathanos was there when they met with Kal-El on Mount Hyjal, the power that came from the golden weapons he carried was almost intoxicating, they rivalled that of Frostmourne and he was sure they would the Ashbringer as well "It's irrelevant" Sylvanas spoke up interrupting them "as of the moment, these allies that stand with Kal are a curiosity, nothing more. The pressing issue is that Kal-El is on Northrend and he is not there to make friends. Once we get back to the Undercity, we gather our forces and sail north. I will not let this alien take our revenge on us, no one is allowed to kill that Bastard Arthas except for us. Help with the breaking of the camp" she ordered.
Many of them turned to leave however Nathanos stayed for a moment longer "What is to be done with the prisoner?" he asked.
She looked at him for just a moment before answering "Keep in contained, we can use him as leverage if nothing else"
And all done, I hope you all enjoyed and next time we finally get the meeting between Kal and Alexstrasza. I hope I did Chromie well, I know she's a fan favourite. I'll see you all next Sunday.
Next story update: A New Gaudian