I slummped out of the Inn after relating my tale of woe to the traveller passing through Brill. Turning right, I headed towards the Town Hall. M'lady Sylvanas had told me to meet with the mayor of the Town.  Walking through the doors, I made my way up past the rows of rotting, decrepit seats to Magistrate Severen. He stood, tapping his bony fingers on the podium.

"It's about time you showed up,"  he said in his low rasping voice. "I've been waiting close to an hour for you to arrive, Proditus."

I blinked, the glowing orbs in my eyes dimming then brightening again. "Perhaps. But you forget that I work for the Dark Lady. Not you. Now, what does Milady command?" 

Severen grimmaced, as much as he could with his rotting lips,  and held out a scroll to me. "These orders are for Magister Iceshard, in the Magic Quarter of the Undercity. Take them to him, and do as he asks."

I grasped the scroll, sealed with the sigil of Lady Sylvanas. "If he resides in the Captial, why not just have a messenger deliver it?"

Severen turned to me. "Because there will be a task involved. And the Lady wishes you to undertake it."

"It's dangerous then, I assume."

Severen nodded. "More than the usual ammount of danger, yes."

Sighing, I opened one of my Neatherweve pouches and stuck the scroll inside. "Very well.  I doubt as to if we shall speak again, Magistrate. Be well, and Dark Lady watch over you."

The Magistrate considered me for a moment, then turned back to his work. "Beware the living." He said, and dismissed me with a wave of his hand.

Before I left Brill, I had a favor to collect. The Royal Apothecary Society had asked me to slay several Darkhounds and collect their congealed blood for an experiment. They promised me a useful item if I would return later. So, I figured now was as good a time as any.

Walking through the door, the Apothecary turned to me. "Ahhh, Proditus. Good timing. I have just finished concoting a potion that I believe will help you." He held out three, long, skinny vials. Each one had a swirling, glowing green liquid inside of it.

I took one, removed the wax from the stopper and opened it. Sniffing, it smelled sweet. "What are they?"

The Apothecary smiled. "They are a special recipe. Called Troll's Blood Potions. They will allow your wounds to heal almost instantly. They mimic the regenerative abilities of our allies."

I gulped one of the potions down. It was sickly sweet. I didn't feel any different, but maybe it would take a wound before I noticed. Thanking the apothecary, I turned and began to run towards the Undercity for my next mission. I could feel Darkener's longing as it clanked against the armor on my back. It longed to be free. To kill Arthas.

When I had been freed, so had the personality of my blade. It and I were one. But I could not use its power until Sylvanas willed it to be so. Until then, it would have to accept being whatever form I gave it. At the moment, it was a Short Broadsword. There had been one for sale on the Auction House in the Undercity earlier in the week. It had an Enchantment of the Bear on it. Essentialy, it made me stronger and able to last longer in combat. Both very, very good things.

Arriving in the Undercity I walked past two of the Abominations clouding up the hallway with their stench. I took the elevator down and turned into the myriad of stairs making my way across the violent green moat. There, near the professors of Arcane, (known as mage trainers in slang) was the man I sought. Magister Iceshard.

The magister was like any other Frosaken, save for his level of decay was slightly different. Having been hit full in the face with a fire ball before his death, he had little rotting skin on his face.

I aproached him. "Either you do not know who I am, or your business with me is urgent. If either one of these was false you would not be foolish enough to speak with me. Now, what is it you want?"

"I am Proditus, agent of the Dark Lady. I was tasked with bringing you this, Magister." I reached into my pouch and pulled out the scroll.  I handed it to him and he broke the seal.

Reading and re-reading the scroll, he looked at me. "Very well. It's time to inform you of the current state of events. Please," he said "Have a seat." Waving his hand he conjured  a chair out of thin air. Sitting down, I eased Darkener off my back and placed it across my knees.

"As you know, Proditus....yes you know better than most.....A Forsaken isn't always a citizen of the Undercity or one who bends the knee to Sylvanas. A Forsaken is ANY Undead with free will. There is one, who lives on an island in the middle of the lake, just North of here. His name....is Arcanus.

"When we were alive, Arcanus and I were great friends. We were Necromancers in service to the Kirin Tor. But, when the Scourge came, I was afraid he was in thrall to the Lich King. Now I see this isn't tue. He must be brought to us and join our ranks. His power is amazing, and he would be a true boon for this society."

Standing, the Magister conjured a letter for me. "Give this to Arcanus. It should prove the truth of the situation. Bear in mind, he has many zombies under his dominion. He believes himself to be the only true, free undead. You will be challanged by his guards. And likely by him. Do NOT kill him, Proditus. Find him, give him my letter, and report back to me."

I stood and saluted. "As you command, Magister." You'll notice I show more respect to Magister Iceshard than Magistrate Severen. For good reason. The Magister...is....a good man. He cares for each and every undead in the Undercity and abroad. He wants the Scourge destroyed, yes, but not at the expense of any who could be freed. 

He salute me back. "Dark Lady watch over you."

"Beware the Living." I said, and turned, returning my blade to my back. 

I stalked through the Undercity and back out into Tirisfal and moved north. When I approached the edge of the lake, the Island was visible in the distance. With no boat, I knew I had one recourse. "Damn." I said, and launched myself into the water.

Not needing to breathe as often as the mortal races, I chose to swim beneath the surface so as to avoid any early detactions. Lucky for me, the lake is only 10 or 12 feet deep. Creeping along near the bottem, the ground started a slow arch as it became the island.

Breaking the surface of the water quietly, I pulled Darkener from my back. It was practicaly singing with happiness to be used in combat again. Standing slowly, the water ran off my rotting body and down the shiny edge of Darkener. There was a growl and a ghoul lept from the shadows, it's maw wide.

Scowling, I swung the balde in a thin, shallow arc, cutting into the undead creatures flesh. It was superficial, but enough to make the creature stop. Moving in, I charged it, knocking it flat. Stomping the ground, the earth cracked and sparked as the creature was stunned. Seeing my opportnity, I spun to the left, and heaved Darkener, leaping half way through the spin, I brough the balde crashing down on the enemy, severing it in twain.

Several more ghouls moved from the bushes, slightly more cautious than their fallen compatriot. I roared into the night, my body flooding with adrenaline. I charged the group, knocking one flat. Pivoting I brought Darkener across in an arc, removing the head of one of the ghouls. One tried to move in close, I rewarded it with a punch in the face from my mailed fist, then shoved Darkener deep into its gullt.

Removing the sword, I impaled the ghoul on the ground, and tore my blade from its chest, spalattering the infected trees and shubbery with ichor and gummed up blood. Looking around quickly, I pushed off into the forest, battering the occasional ghoul or zombie out of my way.

Suddenly I was in the middle of a clearing. There, smiling sardonicaly and clapping was Arcanus. "VERY good. You certainly are smarter than the Lich Kings' average pawn."

Sheathing Darkener I knelt infront of him. He was visably shocked. He held up a hand to forstall the ghoul that was coming up behind him. "I am no pawn. Save of the Dark Lady. My name, is Proditus the Betrayer.  I come with a latter for you, Magister Arcanus. From one Magister Iceshard, he bid me find you." I handed him the letter and his face registered shock. 

"So...my old friend lives. And he says you are not in thrall to Arthas."

"I want him dead for what he did to me."

He didn't question my statement, only watched me closely. "He says you are one of Sylvans Windrunner's Deathguard."

"I am. We are...warriors in service to Milady. Mostly warriors and assassins."

He pondered. "You look familiar."

"Yes, sir. I used to command you. I was a Death Knight of the Lich King."

He was visably shocked. "Then why....?"

I bowed my head. "As a matter of penance, the Lady has sealed Darkener in this form." I guestured to my sword. "It can swollow the power of other blades to empower me, but it will NOT be a Runeblade again till the Lady releases my powers again."

Arcanus nodded. "Very well. I will...join this Lady Sylvanas if you can prove your worth."

I looked at him. "In what way?"

He gestured to a box of candles. "In that box you will find a little treat of mine. Those candles were made to summon particularly melevolent Scourge spirits so I may destroy them. Take one, find the spirit here, and end her unlife once and for all. THEN I will sear loyalty to the Dark Lady."

I looked at the box, took a candle and lit it with the camp fire. "Here, ghostie ghostie ghost." As if on cue there was a horrifying shriek. The spirit appeared, slightly maroon and very angy.

"Just kill the ghost?"

He nodded. "Just kill the ghost."

I lunged. The strange thing about Scourge Spirits is that they are non-corporeal unless they wish to fight. This one did, so I could harm it. My blade cleaved through the semi-translucent flesh of the creature. It roared in fury and struck back. I wasn't prepared for its power, and I fell, a large, gaping wound in my chest.

Arcanus laughed. "Perhaps you should try harder."

A warm feeling spread through my limbs, like I was alive again. And, I watched as the wound sewed up. The Trolls Blood potion had worked. I glared at the mage, and turned my attention back at the wraith. "I havnt' the time or the patience for you, ghostie. Either stay dead or bugger off." I lunched, and put my full force of rage into the swing. Cleaving through the spirit there was a gust of wind and a shriek, and the spririt was gone.

Arcanus wasn't laughing now. He blinked. "You have slain a member of the Scourge. You are free. Take this gem, it will allow me to communicate with Iceshard. You slew a member of the..."

I sheathed my blade. "It wasn't the frist, it won't be the last." I took the gem and stalked off.

Returning to the Magic Quarter, I gave Iceshard the gem and watched as he carried on a brief conversation with Arcanus. Once done, he placed the gem into his bag. "Thank you, Proditus.  You've done a great thing for the Forsaken today." he passed me a bag of silver. "Take this stipend. It isn't much, but.."

I took it, and hooked it to my belt. "It's fine, thank you Magister. Your friend is arrogent, but powerful. He will be useful to the Lady."

He nodded. "Indeed. I'll call upon you again, should the need arise, Proditus."

I saluted. "Dark Lady watch over you." I said to him. And walked back to the inn. I chose a coffin for myself and pulled out my journal to detail this particular mission. It wasn't the first of my more sensitive missions for the Lady, I'm sure it won't be my last.