Aloric gripped his sword tightly and willed his hammering heart to slow as he moved deeper into the crypt. He moved as quietly as he could manage in his shining plate armor but he still made quite a bit of noise, and three of the party members behind him fared no better. The fourth however glided up beside him, fading out of the shadows and turning her glowing yellow eyes to him, a single white eyebrow raised questioningly. He nodded to Allustriael, the group’s scout and lifted his chin towards the darkened hallway before him. The nimble nightelf disappeared quickly and silently into the gloom.
The paladin held up a hand to halt their progress as he awaited the rogue’s return, steadying his breath as he turned back to check his party. LaRouche, a mage in brilliant blue robes muttered quietly as he leaned against a wall, evidently trying to remove a pebble from one slipper. Bromgar glared ahead into the darkness, his left hand resting on the head of his giant hunting dog, while Tilling, the tiny gnome in heavy plate lay across the beast’s back trying his best to feign being asleep. Margaret the priestess smiled as Aloric looked towards her and mouthed a silent prayer. He nodded in thanks, passing a hand over the sigil of the light she had given him before this expedition, he was happy to have another of the faithful with him, especially considering their quarry.
His group had initially come to the lost continent of Pandaria with his cohorts at Lion’s landing, helping to fight through the Horde armies that attempted to thwart them at every turn. They had pushed forward as the war went on, into the jungle. Last night they had been attacked, their entire division rose to the cry of alarm and he, being awake and deep in prayer, had been one of the first to respond. A massive form, it’s head almost brushing the lower branches of the canopy darted through the rows of tents. Blue highlights glowed in the form of skulls and where it passed, ice and snow covered the surrounding ground. A Death Knight then.
He had muttered a quick prayer and the ground around him crackled with glowing radiance, blessing the area. A growl, so low and deep that it caused droplets of dew to cascade down from the nearby trees echoed from the giant, and Aloric remembered the cold feeling as blue burning eyes turned to him. But almost as quickly as the attack had begun, it ended. The dark armored form turned and disappeared into the brush at the edge of the camp, but not before the paladin had seen a shape on it’s chest. It was stark white against the black of the creature’s armor. White teeth, with a noticable gap.
Aloric shook his head from the memory as Allustriael padded out of the darkness. They had tracked the creature all night, the rest of the division waited above, but he knew they would not be needed. The Blacktooth Grin may have been harrying the alliance around the continent, but a single death knight would prove no match for he and his cohorts. He almost felt foolish for the racing heart of a few moments before, these were his chosen fighters, heroes of the alliance one and all, and the abomination was hiding in a hole in the jungle. This was extermination, not a hunt. He turned to the night elf, not taking any precautions to keep his voice down.
“Report”
Allustriael blinked at him, but spoke in only slightly hushed tones, which for her was akin to yelling “A left and a right, chamber at the end of the hall, he is alone, possibly wounded. The ruins though...” She paused, “there’s something going on, I’m not sure.”
The Paladin nodded, “Thank you.” he spoke to the rest of the group “Let’s be done with this business.” He moved further into the crypt, following the rogue’s directions and the rest of his group fell in behind him, readying their weapons.
As they rounded the last corner, a soft green glow reached them from the chamber at the end of the hall. Aloric narrowed his eyes, and continued forward, sword and shield raised. As they entered the chamber, he saw that the light emitted from runes carved into the ground walls and ceiling. The massive death knight stood in the center of the room, looking up at the markings, seemingly in some sort of a trance. He saw the creature’s horns and the swish of a tail under the long black cape it wore and realized it was a massive tauren, gigantic even for that race. Beside him on the floor lay a massive cleaver-like sword. The still form made no move to attack, though it must have heard them enter. His group fanned out around him as he looked from the statuesque death knight to the glowing runes on the walls. He immediately got a sick feeling in his stomach, his vision swam, causing the runes to writhe and twist like serpents, drawing him in.
The paladin pressed his eyes closed, forcing his mind away from the magic of the runes, he checked the rest of his group and saw them shaking off the dazzling effects in a similar fashion before he turned back to the tauren. He almost felt sympathy for the beast, he had not been so lucky, this would not be a fight but a slaughter. He raised his sword and called out “Surrender yourself, barbarian, and we will send you to your pagan earthmother quickly!” The tauren jerked as if struck, the call obviously being the first time he noticed them. The giant form turned slowly, it seemed confused. The Tauren looked down at his hands.
“What a fool I have been..” the death knights voice sounded like boulders grinding together and the deep rumble vibrated through the air around them. Aloric shook his head and started forward, sword raised.
Suddenly, the tauren raised his hand and took one long step towards them. The paladin raised his shield to block any incoming magic. He waited a few heartbeats, but there was only silence. He looked over his shield, a faint shimmer of green passed over the death knight’s form but other than that he was completely still, behind him LaRoche coughed. Aloric lifted a brow but shrugged off the confusion and raised his sword, ready to charge. A hand fell on his shoulder, and he turned to see the mage. LaRoche’s eyes were wide, pure terror on his face, he clutched at his throat, his hands shook and even as the paladin watched he saw blisters and boils rise on his flesh. LaRoche tried to speak, but black fluid seeped from his mouth and he collapsed, the plague consuming him from the inside.
“KILL HIM!” Aloric screamed, spinning towards the death knight, ready to suit action to words as a harsh scraping echoed through the chamber, the sound of the tauren retrieving his massive sword.
Bromgar and his hound roared in equal measure as the latter darted forward leaping for the death knight’s throat. The tauren caught the beast in midair with a vicious backhand, breaking the hound’s neck with a pop that seemed to bounce around the chamber, even as the dwarf let loose a volley of rounds from his rifle, sending out bursts of choking smoke in the confined area. Several of the rounds plinked off the heavy armor of the abomination, but a few found holes in the plates, staggering the giant. A black armored hand raised again, and a bolt of dark energy shot forward, blasting into the dwarf’s chest, throwing him back. Tilling charged forward, his tiny voice roaring in challenge, he lept heroically towards the death knight, dual maces flailing even as a blur of motion showed Allustriael darting towards the massive form’s back.
Aloric nodded and made his own dash forward. The Tauren spun, far too quickly for a creature that large, his hand shot out and closed around tilling’s head, the massive fist engulfing it and squeezing with an audible crack as gore seeped from between his fingers and the gnome’s body went limp. The death knight continued his spin, glowing runes flaring to life along the length of his blade as he swept it in a long arc, catching the night elf rogue in mid leap. Allustrieals long toned legs hit the ground several seconds before her upper body, and Aloric watched in horror as her glowing eyes focused on his before he saw the brightness drain from them.
The paladin’s mind screamed as he looked back to the death knight in time to see him hurl the dead form of Tilling at him like a stone. He raised his shield to block, but even so the weight of the diminutive form stopped him cold in his tracks as the heavy armor struck his shield. He barely had any time to process what was happening before his shield was ripped wide of his body and he felt intense cold in his shield arm. He looked down and recoiled as he saw that his arm simply ended at mid bicep, blood sprayed from the wound. Aloric tried to scream as a giant hoof planted in his chest and he was slammed backward with such force that he lifted from his feet.
He landed hard, his sword clattering from his grip and he crashed to the ground and slid several inches before coming to a stop. Coldness seeped into his body as he felt the blood pour out of him. The paladin looked up, seeing Margaret’s face. Her beautiful feature were pale, but set in a mask of grim determination. All was quiet except the slowing pound of his heart in his ears, but he could tell she was yelling out a prayer, motes of golden light gathering around her. Suddenly though a chain of dark energy shot into his field of view and coiled around her throat, lifting her off the ground and strangling whatever healing magic she may have been trying to call. Margaret’s staff fell to the ground as her hands went to her throat, then they shot out wide in surprise as the massive blade came forward, driving straight through her torso.
After an eternal moment, the blade ripped back, and the dark energy flickered and withdrew, allowing her body to fall to the floor beside him. Aloric’s eyes went red, blood marring his vision. he tried to cry for what might have been, if it weren’t for this war, for his vows. Margaret’s head fell near his and their eyes locked. In the green light of the chamber he could almost imagine her face in the dappled light of late afternoon in Elwyn Forest, that day years ago when they had been little more than children. The cold in his limbs began to feel warm as his heart slowed further, and he reached for her hand, forgetting that his own was missing. At least they could now be together, this life was over for them, but Aloric knew that in the grace of the light, they would be together in the next.
His view of her shook, and she fell away. Aloric tried to scream but he had no breath in him. Vision darkening, he realized he was being lifted, his whole body brought up from the ground. His face writhed in terror as a dark shape filled his vision, glowing blue eyes seeming to pierce his very soul. Though his ears could hear no sound, a voice, deep and grating roared within his mind, and he felt his essence vibrate with the power of those words, as his heart beat it’s last and the darkness closed around him.
“Not this day human, your new king calls you. YOU ARE MINE”
Screams and roars broke the still air of morning in the Karasang wilds as Chaoseater stepped from the darkened entrance to the crypts. He looked out at the Alliance platoon as, weakened by plague and pestilence, they were ripped apart by the ghouls he had summoned from the burial chambers underground. The massive death knight nodded at the destruction and bloodshed. He turned to his newly formed lieutenant. The one armed geist, free of the golden armor looked around blankly, clotted blood still dripping from the stump of his left arm. Chaoseater lifted an arm, pointing out to the wilderness
“Go. Find the Blackteeth.” As the geist dashed into the brush to find his clan, Chaoseater smiled feeling the energy coursing through him and sensing the minds of the dead on the slaughtering field below. It was finally time to rejoin the clan. He had moved in secret for months, returning to Northrend, seeking the roots of his power, and putting away the madness of Smashblade. Finally he would return with power to drive the enemies of the Grin before them, he would teach the alliance to Fear The Grin.