The foresaken warlock sat on his stool, facing the entrance to his cave. Its hands were folded in its lap, its sleeves covering them. It stared at the Sin’dorei that stood in front of it, its head tilting occasionally from one side to the other. If the foresaken had eyes, they would be locked onto the blood elf’s.
“You have found Grodish?”
“I have,” the Sin’dorei answered. “He has joined with Sylvanas’ forces. It seems he saw an opportunity.”
“Of course he did. He didn’t want to risk a conflict with her forces.”
“There is a silver lining to this cloud,” the Sin’dorei offered.
“And that is?”
“The death knight is connected to one of the larger forces. Men are routinely coming and going. It would be easy for someone to sneak in the camp and kill him in his sleep.”
“He does not sleep.”
“I mean it would be easy to catch him unaware.”
“Are you offer your services as an assassin?”
“No, master,” the Sin’dorei held his hands up, palms out. “I am skilled at spying. But my bladework is lacking.”
“Of course, master spy.” Skreth sat quietly for a moment, watching as the blood elf tried to not fidget. “What of the remaining two prey?”
“They have split up. One boarded a boat from Menethil Harbor heading for Northrend. The other slipped out during the night. When I found his trail, he had already made his way to dwarven held territories. I am not certain, but there are hints that he was heading to Ironforge.”
“Can your spies get into the dwarven city?”
“They can, but it will be difficult. I cannot guarantee success. If it were another city, outdoors, it would be easier to evade detection. But the dwarven stronghold has fewer places to hide.”
“Fine. Confirm his location. Focus on Northrend and run that one to ground.”
“As you wish,” the Sin’dorei answered with a bow. “Will there be anything else?”
“What of Brill?” Skreth asked, his voice barely a whisper.
“Brill?” the blood elf asked.
“Brill,” the foresaken repeated.
“Brill is no more. The Alliance destroyed the town in their efforts to take Lordaeron Keep.”
“I see,” Skreth hissed.
“Will there be anything else?”
“Return when you have information of our pray.”
“Of course,” the Sin’dorei answered with a bow. Realizing that the conversation was over, he turned and left the cave, somehow certain of the foresaken’s gaze on his back as he did so.
The cave had a musky odor in it, not that Skreth noticed. The forsaken sat on a stool with his back against the cave wall and his arm resting a small table beside him. The table was covered with papers and books, but for the moment the undead was facing the elf that stood before him.
“You have found the death knight?”
“I have. He went to the other end of the continent looking for you. Who ever you sent to lay the fake trail did a very convincing job.”
“He is still hunting for me then?”
“Definitely. It seems that you embarrassed him. And worse than that, you did it publicly. He can’t let that go. He needs to make an example of you or else there could be more instances of rebellion.”
Skreth nodded slowly, his hood lowering and rising slightly. He continued to watch the elf, sitting quietly until the elf shifted nervously and looked away.
“What about my other targets?”
“I’m afraid I’ve lost their trails. I can’t be in two places at once unfortunately.”
“Return to the original task then. I want the last two men found. Their destinies are impatiently awaiting them.”
“What about Grodish?”
“I will deal with the death knight in time.”
“Of course,” the sin’dorei said with a bow. “I will return to the hunt.”
The warlock sat looking over various letters and maps spread out before him on the table. Every now and then, his decayed hand would reach out of the folds of his robes to turn a page or mark something on a map. Otherwise, the Forsaken sat quietly, barely moving. Most the people of the village simply ignored him, or did their best to.
As he sat there, Skreth became aware of the succubus standing behind him. Without turned from the table, he quietly said, “What happened?”
“I’m sorry, master. He escaped me.”
Skreth had started to reach for a page on the table when the demon had answered his question. Her answer caused him to pause.
“Explain.”
“As the death knight rode back to his camp, he passed a spot where I had chosen to ambush him. He apparently suspected there might be and was prepared to defend himself as he passed. I wounded him, but the fight attracted the attention of nearby beasts and the death knight used them as a distraction allowing him to rejoin his camp before I could stop him.”
“Injured...”
“I am sorry, master,” the succubus repeated quietly, her head hung low. The warlock’s hooded head finally turned as he moved to look at her.
“Your instructions were clear. Your ineptitude creates yet another distraction, something to hinder my cause. Obviously I must remind you of past lessons,” the warlock added, his last word ending in a hiss that caused the succubus to shudder slightly. “But first, I will need to relocate. I will summon you when I have further need of you.”
The succubus bowed slightly and backed away as Skreth shook his hand dismissively towards her. Turning back to his table, the Forsaken frowned for a moment and then began to slowly collect his papers.
The evening cast long shadows over the town, heralding in the end of the day. There were quiet footsteps as travelers moved from one place to another. And sitting at a table to the side of the main path, two individuals leaned close and carried on a quiet discussion. On one side of the table, a sin’dorei in dark leathers was pointing to a map on the table. On the other side, a forsaken dressed in deep purple robes listened, nodding every now and then in response to what the elf had just said.
The hushed conversation ended as the sin’dorei reached forward and rolled up the map. It was as the elf was putting the map into a leather case that a voice echoed down the road.
“Warlock!”
The sin’dorei turned his head and noticed the armored orc stomping towards them. He turned his gaze back to the forsaken with a raised eyebrow. The forsaken barely managed to contain a sneer as his hand slowly placed a small coin purse on the table.
“You abandoned me!” the orc death knight bellowed as he strode up to the table.
“Leave us,” Skreth said to the elf. The sin’dorei nodded and quickly picked up the purse before ducking his head and leaving without looking at the orc at all.
“You left me!” the orc repeated.
“Yes,” Skreth replied with no hint of emotion.
“We could have lost the battle!”
“To the four or five wounded soldiers who were trying to flee?”
“They could have tried to mount a counter attack!”
“Your men are not capable of dealing with half a dozen injured Alliance soldiers?” Skreth asked quietly, his head tilting slightly.
“That’s not the point!” Grodish bellowed, his anger rising as he noted the disdain in the forsaken’s voice.
“Then pray tell, what is the point? I grow tired of this conversation.”
“You disobeyed my command,” Grodish growled.
“I did.”
“I ordered you not to go,” Grodish said, leaning against the table and bringing his face closer to Skreth’s hood.
“And I left regardless,” Skreth replied, not moving as the orc leaned closer. “We have already determined this.”
“You work for me. You do what I say.”
“No, I don’t think I will any longer.”
“What?”
“I have found more of the men that I search for on my own than through your resources. You are not necessary for my goals.”
“You’ll regret turning on me,” Grodish growled.
“I doubt it. You are a coward.”
“I could chop you up.”
“You wouldn’t clear your sword from its scabbard,” the warlock hissed. He raised his hand and it began glowing with fire. “I would leave now before you find the last threads that hold you to this existence are cut.”
“I’ll make you pay for this, warlock,” Grodish said as he straightened up and took a step back from the table.
“Be cautious, death knight. If I think your threat is serious, I may have to add your name to the list of men I am hunting.” Skreth lowered his hand, extinguishing the flames, and watched as the orc growled before turning on his heel and stalking away.
“He will be a threat,” a voice whispered near the warlock’s ear. Skreth did not turn as his succubus appeared at his shoulder.
“Yes,” Skreth hissed. He continued to look down the path that the orc had disappeared on. “Follow him. And if the opportunity arises to do it quietly, end him.”
Grodish’s troops had tracked the Alliance forces into the Arathi Highlands after they’d made their escape from Horde controlled territory. Finally, the humans and their allies had decided to run no further and turned to face the forces tracking them. This pleased Grodish as he looked forward to destroying the enemy that had been snooping near his dealings.
The death knight stood on a slight hill overlooking the battle, his personal guard standing at the ready to ensure his safety. To his right stood the Forsaken warlock, raining fire down on the enemy with a wave of his skeletal hand. The battle had been well contested, the humans not wanting to go down without a fight, but the death knight was pleased to see that they were going to succumb to Skreth’s attack.
A flash caught the orc’s attention, and he turned to see that Skreth had stopped casting and was listening to his succubus which had just appeared beside him. Skreth nodded slowly and then said, “Get my mount.” The succubus bowed and moved to where the mounts had been tethered, pulling on the reins of the undead horse and starting to bring it over. Skreth lowered his hands, his spells ceasing and the fire falling from the sky disappearing, and turned towards the demon with his mount.
“What are you doing?” Grodish demanding. When the Forsaken warlock did not reply, the death knight stepped forward and grabbed Skreth’s shoulder, turning him around. “I said what are you doing?”
The warlock turned his hooded head towards the death knight and placed a hand on Grodish’s chest. Speaking one word, there was a sudden flash and green flames exploded from the warlock’s hand, knocking the orc to the ground with a dull thud. Turning back around, Skreth took the reins and climbed onto his undead steed. Nudging the horse’s ribs with his heels, Skreth started to ride back to the west. Grodish watched, astonished that the warlock would leave without explanation. Then he noticed that the demon was still watching him.
“My master bids you a good day, general,” she offered in a sultry voice before disappearing from sight.
“What news, warlock?” Grodish bellowed as he rode up on his dead steed.
“You enemy has been routed, my lord,” Skreth replied, turning his hooded head towards the death knight.
Grodish stared at him, trying to determine whether the sarcasm he had heard from the foresaken has been legitimate or only in his head. After a moment, the orc sneered at Skreth and turned his eyes back to the field of battle. Just beyond the warlock lay the smoldering remains of a half dozen individuals, their armor torn and their weapons knocked aside.
“Good,” the death knight finally replied. “You have definitely earned your reward.”
Skreth turned to look back towards the field, ignoring the death knight. He scanned the area looking for more members of the opposing force. Across the field, he watched as a human started to push up from the ground and attempted to move away. Flames began to form around Skreth’s hand as he raised it and pointed towards the fleeing individual. A fiery bolt flew across the open ground and struck the fleeing soldier, causing him to wail in pain and drop to the ground again.
“Do you not care for your reward?” Grodish asked, attempting to goad the warlock.
“No,” Skreth replied, continuing to scan the area for survivors.
“We have located another one of your targets. Another of the men you hunt,” Grodish continued, a smirk on his lips.
“Where?” Skreth asked quietly, refusing to look at the orc.
“I thought you would be interested,” the death knight chortled. “Come with me and we can discuss it,” he added as he turned his mount and rode back towards his camp.
“He taunts you, master,” a voice whispered as Skreth’s succubus appeared nearby.
“I am aware,” Skreth answered quietly.
“Why do you allow it?”
“He still serves my purposes,” Skreth hissed as he leaned on his staff and began walking after the death knight.
Skreth sat quietly at his table in Brill. He was there so often that the people there had begun to think of it as his table. When he was in town, they would avoid the table lest they suffer his scorn. The reality was that Skreth would have simply moved to a different table if it meant he’d have privacy, but he enjoyed that the townspeople had that idea about him.
The warlock sat at the table, papers spread out before him, and quietly read the reports that the blood elf had sent to him. Standing behind him, his succubus looked over his shoulder as he read but asked no questions. She’d learned that he would tell her what she needed to know, when he wanted her to know it. Movement down the path caught her attention and she looked up. Recognizing the figure moving towards them, she leaned closer to the warlock.
“Master,” she whispered. “The death knight approaches.” Looking at the back of his head, she saw him nod slightly in acknowledgement of what she’d said. The succubus leaned back and looked directly at the death knight as he approached.
“Warlock,” Grodish said as he came to a stop at the table. It was a moment before Skreth responded.
“Death knight,” Skreth replied without looking up.
“I understand you found another of your targets. Congratulations.”
“Yes. Without your assistance, I would point out.” Skreth placed his hands on the table and his hood turned to looked towards the orc.
“Perhaps,” Grodish said with a smirk. “But I have news for you as well. Two more of the men you are looking for have been located in Menethil Harbor, cowering behind the walls there.”
“Then let’s travel to the harbor and obtain my quarry.”
“That would not be wise,” Grodish said, frowning slightly. “We are not ready to challenge the Alliance that way.”
“We aren’t,” Skreth repeated, giving his own frown.
“No we’re not,” the death knight answered. “One day soon, but not now. Regardless, we will be leaving in the morning. We have another target that requires our attention.” Grodish took a step back from the table. “You will be ready to travel then, yes?”
“Of course.”
“Good,” Grodish said with a grin. “Then till the morning.” The orc grinned and then turned, walking away.
“What does that mean?” the succubus asked quietly.
“It means he’s a coward. But more importantly, he now knows that we are aware of this fact.”
“And what does that mean for you?”
“That I will need to watch him carefully. The moment he thinks we’ll no longer support him, he will begin to entertain ideas that he can be rid of us.”
“And he can’t?”
“No. He serves my purposes too well for now. When our partnership ends, it will be by my choice, not the death knight’s.”
Harmen followed his gnomish guide into the mountainside. The mine entrance wasn’t readily visible from the road, but the gnome knew where he was going and led his human employer right to it. Pushing away the vegetation that had started to grow over the entrance, Harmen found what he was looking for.
“You’re sure its in there?” Harmen asked.
“The item you seek is in there,” the gnome answered.
“Excellent,” the human said, a broad smile on his face. “Wait here for me.”
Harmen stepped into the opening and looked into the tunnel. Taking out a torch from his packet and the flint and stone from his belt pouch, he soon had light as he made his way into the mountain. Following the tunnel, the light from the entrance soon disappeared from sight, the only light coming from the flickering flame that he carried with him.
Eagerly, Harmen followed the tunnel deeper until, thinking he’d heard something, he stopped. Straining his ears, he waited until he heard it again. Something struck the ground. He waited until her heard the sound again. And then again. It seemed to be coming closer. Then, from the shadows of the tunnel, a form separated and began moving closer. Harmen could make out a hooded form coming closer. Finally stepping into the torch light, the person’s pale skin glowed sickly in the torchlight.
“Welcome,” Skreth hissed, his eyes glowing as he stared at the human. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again for so long now.”
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