Calm Before the Storm Ch7

Waking up to a flurry of noise Retru noticed the goblins who ran the zeppelin gathering up at the bow.
"What is going on up there?" The Tauren asked grabbing one of the green creatures as he ran by. The goblin just gave him a shrug.
"We are nearly to Northrend. The newbies of the crew are gathering to watch. They act like they ain't seen mountains and snow before!"

Valk stood, folding the hood of her cloak over her head before walking onto the deck. The harsh wind was always a factor; even here in the more temped Howling Fjord. Valk had to admit she was absolutely in love with the wild, untamed, highlands.
'Is this what you saw all those years ago Master Kal?'
The giant lifts ran back and forth looking more like magick then machine. She wondered just who had built them. The sun was just cresting over land, shining against the fog dense areas. It was almost a siren call.
"It's gorgeous."

Pulling herself away from the sight she made her way back down to the lower deck to check on Fyurie. Valk had to sigh. She had figured her first time seeing the wonders of the North would be with Kaliek.
Almost as if sensing her thought, Fyurie head butted her. Of course the armor plating protecting the beast made it a bit painful.
"Jeez boy! Just because I'm thick headed doesn't mean it can't hurt."
Rubbing her forehead the red head tied her pack to the saddle, her movements quick and forceful, a reflection of her thoughts.
'Light, please let there be something here. Some sign, a clue, any damn thing.'

Retru made his way off the zeppelin into the Forsaken town of Vengeance Landing, taking a moment to enjoy the brisk weather of the region. He enjoyed it here, the nice cool weather and the light breezes, it was perfect. He often envied his Taunka brethren for being able to live here.
Making his way down from the boarding platform he noticed that there was a strange amount of activity in this small town...and a lot of repair work being done. The paladin looked for the one who could be in charge, usually the one with the fanciest armor, and pulled him to the side.
"What is going on here?"

"Some Blood Elf came through and started a ruckus." The undead soldier said, "After we refused to offer him one of our bats he started to attack the town! Luckily most of us were not here at the time, so there were only minimal casualties."
This piqued Retru's interest. "Which way did he go?"
"North", the soldier stated turning back to oversee the workers.

Retru hastily made his way back to where Valk stood with her charger.
"Well, it seems like we are on the right path. Some Blood Elf came through there and everything went foul from there. He destroyed parts of the town, and then went north. I think this is our Death Knight..."
The paladin's face hardened, eyes turning sharp. The woman had gone from youthful girl, to a creature with which one did not fuck in mere seconds.
"How many casualties?"

Valk brushed past the larger Paladin to see the damage herself. Taking in the damaged buildings her brows furrowed.
"They look the same...Master Kal…what have you done?" she whispered as if the harsh wind would carry her words.
"North can be a lot of places here. Find out if he spoke to anyone, gave some clue to where he was going. I'm going to see if I can find Blood's trail. ROCKY! TO ME!"
The ghoul wasted no time following the barking woman. He was bent over following at her heel. He looked almost like he was...sniffing the ground. The two moved off toward the cliff face and lifts. Without a bat he would have to have ridden.

Her charger looked at the Tauren shaking its head. One might have got the impression it was trying to say 'Yes, she IS always like this and yes it will be a long trip.' The mount's ears perked at her sharp whistle before he too trotted after her.
Retru went around the town offering help and healing to those who required it. All the while he kept glancing over his shoulder to see how Valk was holding up. It was obvious the girl was troubled by seeing this mayhem.
Making his way to the battlements that guard the city he noticed a small group of Forsaken huddled together discussing something. Curious he walked over to them and discovered that they were going over some sort of parchment.

"This just came in via a messenger hawk. Our forces at Utgarde...wiped out." one of them said.
"Not just ours! The Alliance dogs were wiped out too!" Said another
"It's kind of bittersweet" the third responded, "On one hand the Alliance no longer have presence in the Keep. On the other...apparently neither do we."
'This must be his work,' Retru thought to himself, 'I should go inform Valk.'

Valk knelt in the mud, looking over the tracks still there.
'Kodo, wolf,...skeletal horse? No, too light to be Kal. Wait, here....'
The tracks were deeper showing the mount was carrying a heavier load. The tracks looked horse but didn't bare the horseshoes. Bloodbane never required them being dead.
She tracked them to the great lift, pausing in awe as the ancient machine continued its cycle.
"Finally....we have a trail Rocky."

Retru made his way to where Valk stood under the lift and gave her the news of the Utgarde slaughter.
"We should check this out. This could be the work of your Death Knight." He informed the paladin. "It is not far from here. We need to take this lift up to the top and it should be a short trip west."
Retru pulled the lever to signal for the lift to make its way down and waited. All the while he was hoping that the machine could handle the weight of his Kodo.

At the top of the cliff face they could clearly see something was amiss. The 'fog' they had seen earlier was actually smoke billowing from the towers of the giant keep.
Valk wheeled Fyurie around looking closely at the ground.
"You are right, his tracks continue West. Rocky! Go on ahead! Scout for Master."
The ghoul nodded before clawing at the earth. It was faster and safer for him to travel underground by himself.
"Why would he attack the keep? There does not seem to be a good reason. He would be outnumbered, attacking two different forces."

Pushing his Kodo to its limits Retru rode alongside Valk.
"Isn't it obvious? The Horde and Alliance are always fighting each other, even when they should be cooperating. This means that he could take advantage of them being distracted by the other side. I wouldn't be surprised if they are now risen and ride with him..."
Retru took a deep breath "This does not bode well."

As the Keep drew closer it was obvious that there were no survivors, nor were there any corpses. However, there were tracks heading North. Lots of them...
"It looks like they made their way up to Grizzly Hills...we should follow."
"I'll just be a moment."
Slipping off Fyurie Valk went inside to see the damage. Threw the heavy smoke she could see the blood splatters, parts of Alliance and Horde alike. The roar of flames was deafening.
'It's the Forge.'

With no one left to keep an eye on the great forge it was burning out of control, belching streams of flame across the stone floor. Pulling her cloak over her mouth she ran for the chains that would control the forge. Releasing the dampeners she let the grates slam shut. Normally this was used to increase the amount of oxygen getting to the fire but closing them should force the fire up out the chimney.
'Light it was even worse then I thought. Why Kal?'
He had always told her how he abhorred what the Lich King did. Raising others into servitude. So why do it now? Was it all a lie? He had also said he would always be there for her and the last year had also proven that wrong.

This just couldn't be one of his rages. He never raised them after, then again most of the time they would be too mutilated TO raise. No, something else was going on here and she damn well intended to find out.
Making her way back to Fyurie she could see Rocky had found them, standing in between the charger and kodo.
"We follow the trail. We need to make good time before it is to dark to see. He won't have any trouble with it himself."

Riding northward, following the path of destruction, Retru and Valk made it to the edge of the Howling Fjord. After crossing into the mountains and doing some trading with his Taunka brethren, Retru was prepared to give Valk the news that he would need to depart to the Argent encampment.
"I'm sorry Valk, but our time together is nearly over. After seeing you safely to Camp Oneqwah, we must part ways. I will deliver your letter to the Argent Crusade as promised."
Tossing the girl some supplies he got from the Taunka, some food and hides among a few other supplies one would need to survive a trip in the northern wilds. The Sunwalker hopped back up on his Kodo and motioned for the girl to follow him.
"I figured you should be prepared to travel alone for a little while."

They made their way north through the path in the mountains, the green of the Grizzly Hills in sight. Such a wonderful change of scenery from the damp gray and white of the Fjord. Retru let himself get lost in thought at the sight of this scenery, so lost he nearly missed the sound of the rifle being cocked and readied...

"'Ey you there! Wha' business do ye 'ave traveling through here?" The voice had a distinct Dwarven accent. Making sure to move slowly and non aggressively Retru turned to see a small blue figure in the mountainside. It was a Dwarven sniper, very well trained marksman indeed.
"'Eh wunnae ask ye again, strangah."
"We are merely passing through, Master Dwarf. We are Paladins of the Argent Crusade making some routine patrols." Retru only half lied, considering they were members of the crusade...

"Hold yer fire!" Another voice yelled. Retru could see the marksman slowly take his finger off the trigger; however he kept his sights locked on the Tauren, who was perceived to be the bigger threat.
"If they are indeed Argent Crusaders, I dunnae think we should be shooten' em." This voice was also unmistakably Dwarven.
"You seem to have me at a loss, would you mind showing yourselves so that we may speak face to face?" Retru yelled at where the second voice came from.
"Aye, that we shall, Retru." Odd that he knew his name. Then again any one smart enough to know to let members of the Argent Crusade pass must be fairly intelligent and well versed in the Crusade.
"All soldiers stand down now." The voice said, and suddenly about 10 different blue figures appeared in the mountain side. There was a larger grayish figure making it's way toward the Tauren and Elf.
"I haven' seen ye' in a long time, Retru..." The figure got closer.
The figure was close enough to make out a face, and Retru couldn't believe who it was...
"Master Ramick?!"

'Ramick' where had she heard that name before? It teased at the side of Valk's mind like an annoying fly. She watched as the dwarf appeared, holding Fyurie steady. Just because she wore the Argent tabard didn't mean all respected it.
'Master Ramick?' she wondered watching as the large Tauren kneel as to better greet the smaller creature. Was this Retru's master? Did he mention the name? Surely that could be were she heard the name.

Her companion didn't seem to bothered by the dwarfs so she took that to be they were relatively safe. She looked farther down the path. So close, she didn't have time for this. This was mainly the reason she had traveled alone after Kal's disappearance.
"I am Valkyrae Bloodmoon, Knight of the Crusade. I'm tracking reports of a lone Death Knight with suspicious activity. If you have heard anything please assist or let me pass. I can not let his trail go cold."

Rocky choose that ill-fated moment to make an appearance. He popped out of the ground probably curious to no longer feel the hoof beats above. A gofer was hanging limply from his maw. She could hear the rifleman shout in surprise. Ghouls were uncommon in the redwoods of Grizzly Hills.
"NO! The ghoul is with me! Leave him be!"
Maneuvering Fyurie between the riflemen and the ghoul swiftly, she laid a hand on her sword hilt, ready to defend.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" came a booming voice. This was not the voice of a Dwarf.
Rocky stopped in his tracks upon hearing this voice, as did the riflemen who seemed oddly disturbed.
"Ah, I wes wonderen' when ye would be showin' up!" Ramick shouted back, there was clearly a figure making its way through the snow towards them. It was clad in black, and taller than the Dwarves. As the figure got closer it was obvious that this was a Human.

Retru stared at the figure, sensing something off about him...but after seeing Ramick's reaction he decided not to take this newcomer as a threat. Valk on the other hand knew exactly what he was.
The Human was not close enough to see in full detail; His face was completely covered by his helm, heavy plate armor adorned were spikes, this was someone who obviously struck fear into his enemies.
The human knelt before Rocky, simply staring at the Ghoul a moment before getting back up.
"This is the Ghoul of a free Death Knight. He is an ally to us, fire on him and you shall be rendered a traitor." The warring factions fought all the time but something about the human's tone broached no argument. No one doubted he would end them if they even tried.

The figure stood, turning to Valk and Retru, giving them a courteous bow.
"I am sorry if I startled you. I could sense the Ghoul from far back and knew that there were snipers in the area. After seeing you two it confirmed my hunch that this was not scourge."

Reaching up he removed his helmet. Underneath was a grizzled face of someone who was obviously seen his fair share of battles. His head was bald and he had a neatly trimmed goatee, but what stood out most were he eyes. His blue, glowing eyes.
Before them stood none other than a Death Knight of the Ebon Blade.

"If this is about my actions at Acherus, you can tell Morgraine to shove it. I already apologized." Valk leaned down in her saddle to let the ghoul grip her arm, her eyes never leaving the death knight. It looked at the dwarves warily almost as if it knew how close it came to oblivion. It now clung to her like she was its mother.
"It's ok Rocky. These dwarves won't harm you." He was still a bit skittish after their run in with a dwarf paladin who tried to cremate her little pet.
"Why are you still in the north Knight? If your Commander sent you after Kaliek then we will have words. He agreed he would leave it to me."

The Death Knight stared at Valk a moment before approaching, giving her a big slap on the back with a boisterous laugh.
"No, Mograine did not send me up here. I am here of my own accord." He smiled at the girl, "You may call me Dau and I am a companion of Ramick here. I was just returning from gathering some supplies. The Ebon Blade and I do not always see eye to eye. They are too...depressing for my tastes. Yeah, we died and were resurrected; they need to get over it and move on with their 'lives'..."

Ramick took this moment to butt in.
"Lass, did ye say ye were lookin' fer Kaliek?!"
The redhead pulled herself straighter in the saddle. The unexpected backslap nearly threw her into the dirt. Her eye twitched, not used too much manhandling. Reluctantly she pulled her gaze away from the Death Knight to address the dwarf.
"Yes, I am Kaliek Tel'masian's apprentice." she said slowly, cautiously. This was usually where people would look on her with horror and disgust. This was also where she punched said people for insulting her Master's good name.
"As I said, if you have any information to his whereabouts please provide them or let me pass."

Ramick looked shocked at Valk's mention of being Kaliek's apprentice.
"Ye mean tha' bloody bastard survived th' war against th' Lich King AND he is training paladins?!" He looked almost overwhelmed with joy.
"Kaliek and I..aye we be goin' way back. I knew him when he was still alive ya know! Back when he was still a paladin! I actually taught him a lot of what he knew if ye can believe that!" Ramick slightly frowned.
"And those skills were put to the test back when we were trying to hold off scourge during an attack on an old fortress. We had to flee that day...." He looked into the distance..."Shortly after that he and I parted ways, I later heard he was slain during the attack on Silvermoon. Can ye imagine my face when I saw that bloody bastard show up in Northrend as one o' them Ebon Blade knights! It was a short lived reunion…and I haven't seen him since..."

He looked at Valk...
"You say you are his apprentice...tell me...what has become of Kaliek..."
Valk's eyes widen finally remember her master's tale. So that is where she had heard the name. To think someone who knew her master in the living, the very wealth of knowledge she could glean from the dwarf...
"Yes, I have been his apprentice for over a year now. You may have no regrets Sir Ramick, Master and I set right that town and the cowardly Matthew."
She slid off her charger so the smaller man didn't have to crane his neck so much and also because she didn't wish for her next statement to be heard by all.

"He has disappeared, missing for a few months now. There are reports that he is raising the dead as the Lich did. The Crusade has tasked me with finding him and ....setting things right. I ask again Sir, if you know anything, anything at all, please tell me."
Her words were plain to the few that could hear her. The Crusade wanted him stopped at all means, even if it meant losing a once valued ally.

"I...heard rumors of a rogue Death Knight. But I dinnae think it would be him!" Ramick exclaimed.
"Though it is good news ta hear tha' things were set right in tha' town...the news is bitter sweet." He pondered for a moment.

"Master Ramick," Retru chimed in, "my presence is required by the Crusade elsewhere...perhaps you could accompany Valk here on her journey. It would be dangerous for her to travel alone..."
"Aye....tha' dunnae seem like a bad idea, Retru..." Ramick nodded..."I agree, I shall accompany the lass, perhaps I can talk some sense into Kal..."

The redhead huffed slightly blowing the bangs out of her face. She had to admit she was a little miffed at how the conversation was going.
'To dangerous to go alone..' She had to restrain the snort. She wasn't some petite flower that needed protection. Then again this way she could grill the dwarf for more information on Kal.

"No offense gentlemen but it will be dark in a few hours. While he may be able to traverse this land in the dark, we cannot. I'd really rather not waste anymore time."
She was a bit proud of herself for holding her tongue that much. Even if her comment was still dripping with impatience.

Ramick nodded at her "Aye...then best we make wha' distance we can."
He let out a sharp whistle and called his Charger to his side. It was an interesting sight, as the mount was far larger than the Dwarf himself.
Retru did the same, and his Kodo came to his side. "And this is also where we part ways." He gave a smile to Valk "You have a lot of potential, young one. Please keep Master Ramick out of trouble for me." He waved at them and made his way off into the distance, vanishing in the fog.

"Now....which way should we be headin' lass? I'm eager te get movin' and find Kal. He an' I have some catchin' up te do!"
Valk lead the way eyes intent on the tracks. Ghouls weren't known for their stealth so it was fairly easy. Glancing sideways at the dwarf a few times she pondered just what so say. She'd never really had extended interaction with a member of the alliance.
"So..what was Kal like when he was alive?" she asked tentatively. The questions burned in her chest as she tried to temper her curiosity.
She looked around suddenly stopping Fyurie.
"What the fel....they are...gone.."
The tracks were gone! It could only caused by two things, they were transported or...they were really close.
"KAL!" She yelled looking around into the brush.

Ramick stopped in his tracks. "Lass, I have a bad feelin' about this..."
Everything was deadly quiet. If they were around, not a single creature dared to show itself. Something was scaring everything away...

"You really have progressed a lot...little girl." Came a chilling voice from the bushes, the voice was eerily similar to that of the Lich King himself, yet oddly familiar. "You really are impressive." Suddenly the voice was behind her, and a hand brushed against her cheek.
"And just as beautiful as I remembered. Yet also just as stupid." The air had developed a chilly bite, causing the dwarf's breath to fog.
Ramick was frozen in place, either too scared to move, or more likely rendered unable to.

Valk's breath frosted in now chilly air, she stayed still assessing the situation. No use getting killed over some foolish action before she had helped Kal. The hand traced over her cheek causing her to hiss as ice formed over her warm skin.
"Its better to die for something then live for nothing. Didn't you say that once Kaliek?"

There was an icy laugh from behind her.
"I've said a lot of things, girl. A lot of which were merely a fool's babbling."
There was a slight pause. "I shall give you this once chance. Turn back and you may keep your pitiful life. Keep perusing me and your life is forfeit. This is your only warning, child."
"Thanks for the warning but I think you already know what will happen Kal. Do you hear me Kaliek? I won't give up on you even if it ends in my demise!"
She whirled on her horse. Expecting to see the death knight but there was only silent forest. She wanted to howl in frustration. She was so close...

"Lass, why are ye jes' standin' there like that?"
Blinking the Sin'dorei turned to the dwarf, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Standing here? Didn't you just see....."
"See wha' lass? You stood there fer a good five minutes jes starin' off inta space." Ramick responded to her. "We need ta' get movin', it would be unwise ta' be out here when it gets to night." He cracked the reigns of his charger, and got it into a slow trot motioning for the girl to follow. He was concerned about the girls well being. Physically she could handle herself but mentally...he wasn't certain.

She was just standing there? But..he was right there; she felt his hand. The paladin brought a hand to her cheek but the ice was gone. Did she imagine it? Hopeful wishing?
She watched as the dwarf followed the now reappeared tracks. She knew those had disappeared, but here they were again. Wait...

The tracks beside her...were snow. Here in the warmer part of the Hills? But there they were perfects hoof prints surrounded by mounds of ice. Looking up into the brush she scanned for any sign.
"I made my choice, now make yours."
She turned back around urging Fyurie to catch up with the dwarf.

"There is a lodge up ahead, lass. It would be best if we stop there for the night." Ramick said from his position slightly ahead of the girl.
"It’s mostly an alliance encampment, but if ye stick wit' me ye should be ok. Especially if they think ye be part of the Crusade." He pointed towards the buildings becoming visible in the distance.
"I hear this place has good ale...I could really use a pint or two...or three....right about now."

Oh Light Alliance? Just perfect nothing like being glared at by former allies. Yanking up her cowl she let the white fabric cover her eyes. If the paladin was lucky they might think her a High Elf, maybe one of the Silver Covenant. She kept her head down, glancing at the buildings making a mental map of escape if necessary. Valk missed the days of camping under the sky with Kal where the nearest neighbor was a chatty squirrel and their mounts.
"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Ye will be fine, Lass. Dun' ye worry ya pretty lil head!" Ramick laughed at the girl.
"Most o' th' folk here tend ta ignore th' war and focus on just living one day at a time. So long as ye dunnae cause a ruckus, everythin' should be fine!" He led the girl towards the tavern.
He tied up his charger outside and made his way in. He took a deep breath..."Ahh, nuttin' like th' smell o' ale and food ta' warm ye up!"

Making his way over to the counter he called the bar tender over and ordered two of the largest mugs of ale they had. After taking a moment he took the mugs and brought one over to Valk.
"Here, this'll calm ye nerves!"

Sitting tentatively at an empty table the blood elf sneaked discreet looks at the patrons, green eyes calculating the situation. When the dwarf returned she looked at the mug, sniffing it. Dear light a mug of this would probably put her on her ass and he wanted three?

"I think I'll just have coffee...I'd rather not have my wits muddled by booze." Her stomach grumbled, when was the last time she ate? Well ate something that wasn't dried and easily consumed on the road?
"I think I'll get something to eat too...Rocky would probably like some bones."

She made her way over the bar, trying to avoid the notice of the other patrons.

Ramick simply shrugged and began to work on both beers, waiting for her to return with her meal.
"So, tell me lass, how did ye meet Sir Kaliek?" he inquired, "I haven't heard from him in years. The last time I saw him was during the battle of Lights Hope when he and the other Ebon Blades swore their allegiances to the Horde and Alliance..."

He lifted his mug and took a big swig from it, then wiped the froth from his Red-Orange beard. "Imagine my surprise when me old apprentice showed up as a Death Knight. He dinnae changed a bit. Other than the blue eyes and the whole being undead thing." The dwarf laughed.

"He and Dau are two of the only Death Knights that seemed to adjust well. They act more or less as they did in life. None o' that depressing 'Ohhh I'm dead, woe is me' crud that the majority o' them spew. They accept it, and see it as a second chance. I cahn respect that." He took another swig.

"Now c'mon, tell me abou' yeself, Lass. Any friend of Kaliek is a friend o' mine, and if I may say so you certainly look like one I would like to be friends with." He gave the girl a slight wink. "I kid o' course, Lass. I be a happily married dwarf. Well...ok happily isn't the right term te use. That woman be more like a slave driver than a wife, but yet I love her fer it!"

Valk had just sat down with a large cup of coffee and a plate of toast covered in gravy. She busied herself adding cream and sugar as she thought about his question. Truth be told not a lot of people asked her about herself. The rumors were always more interesting and fun to believe then the real story.

"I guess it depends on which story you want, the truth or the story going around Silvermoon?"
After about the fifth scoop of sugar she stirred the concoction taking a sip with a sigh. She loved a little coffee with her sugar.

"As the rumor says, I met Kal when he found me in Murder Row moonlighting as a prostitute, like many of the Blood Knights do now. He stole my soul, corrupted me, and now I spend my days as his slave, hence the name 'Fallen Paladin'. Oh! And the most recent version there is something about blood sucking."

Ok so the nickname was growing on her. Every time she heard the story more and more outlandish details were added. She guessed bored kept-women had nothing better to do then wag their tongues.

"Officially, I met Master Kal when he saw me training. I hated the Blood Knights and spent most of my time OUTSIDE the city to be away from them. He offered me a life outside of their corruption and a chance to better my skills. Win-win in my book. I've been at his side ever since...well...until now..."

Ramick listened intently to her story. Chuckling a bit at the fiction of the rumormill.
"I know Kal well. He isn't th' type te' hold a pretty young lass like yeself against their will. Even if he IS a Death Knight now." He took another swig from his first mug then held it upside down looking slightly depressed that it was empty. This emotion quickly passed as he grabbed the second mug and started to drink from it.

"I trained him, ye know. He was my star pupil. I taught him e'erything I knew, and yet he still somehow surpassed me. I was so proud of him. When I heard o' him being slain during the Lich Kings reawakening and the subsequent ghoul attacks on our own cities...it made me heart sink."
He took a swig from the mug, and wiped the froth off his beard.

"Then I caught wind of him coming back! As a Death Knight no less. I feared for what he had become, if he had forgotten the teachings. My fears were soon put to rest as rumors started coming in of a Blood Elf Death Knight training paladins! Well I just knew it was him!"

He paused a moment and looked at the girl with a slight grin.
"So...are the two o' ye simply master and apprentice....or something more?" he winked at the girl and chuckled a bit.

Valkyrae had just taken a sip of her coffee when the dwarf's question caught her off guard. She choked on her drink, being thrown into a coughing fit. Several patrons looked over at the commotion much to her horror. She was trying to stay under the radar now this. Pulling the cowl lower she got herself under control.

"I am JUST his apprentice. Besides I'm pretty sure he still has feelings for his family."
It wasn't as if she never thought about it, but Kal had always treated her as she was, his apprentice. Her thoughts drifted back to the time her accidentally caught her after her bath. Oh that could have gone so very differently but he simply excused himself for her privacy.

She needed to get her head off this train of thought. She needed to focus on the task at hand, not some girlish fantasy.
"What was Kal like back then? I know you said the same but..."

Ramick laughed. "Well I say he was the same, yet he was not."
He took a chug from his mug once more.
"Th' Kaliek I knew was green. He was a newbie te th' order an' untrained. I took him under me wing an' taught him how te fight. Although I preferred th' ol' sword 'n board, while he preferred a big ol' two handed weapon."

He put his mug down and looked Valk in the eyes. "He had a kind heart that one. No matter how often he failed, he would pick himself back up and try again. He said it was because he had someone te protect. I can respect tha'."

Ramick chuckled, "When I first met him...he could hardly lift his sword! And when he did, he did more damage to his surroundin's than he did te his enemies! But he was a quick learner, tha' one. He had a fire in his eyes, and he was determined. I think tha's why he ended up so strong. In th' end there was no one I'd want wit' me more than him."

He paused a moment...
"OK, Lass. I think it's time we got some sleep. We have a lot of traveling te' do if we plan to make it to IceCrown..."

Valk lay curled that night under the scratchy blankets of what had to be the inn's lumpiest bed. Or more likely it was just her; the paladin's mind raced replaying the meeting in the woods. She was the only one that heard him, but did she really hear him? Was all this just hopeful longing?

She rolled over burying her face into her pillow. For months she had been tracking the Death Knight and for months she had also been fighting the Crusade to let her be the one to do it. They weren't happy of the rumors of a crazed former scourge causing havoc. They gave her two options, find him and bring him to heel or.... She shook her head violently; no it wouldn't come to that. She would save him.

Hopefully Retru delivered her report on the situation. The last thing she needed was to worry about beating another team to him. The thought of what they would do sent her blood cold. Since Arthas' demise some thought the Death Knight's should be cleansed as well.

Sighing she rolled back over staring blankly at the ceiling. She missed the nights of starry skies, campfires and talking to her master till she fell asleep.
"Kal...come back to me.."

---Somewhere in the icy fields of Icecrown---
The dark figure stood on one of the many fortifications left from the scourge on the glacier. The howling wind drowned out the frenzied screams of the ghouls behind the tall Death Knight. Icy eyes were the only thing visible under the tattered hood of his cloak; they surveyed the tiny dots of campfires below. His head tilted, listening to whispers only he seemed to hear.

“The foolish girl decided to follow. She seeks to free me but it is her who shall be freed; freed of the curse of mortality and the lie of the damnable Light. Shame to let such a creature be wasted, in death she will be remade as perfection.”