The Cost of Peace, Chapter Five

Oh no! This TCOP was delayed! I am so sorry for this! Blame my laziness and lack of ideas for this chapter. You might find that the exciting gunship battle in today's chapter is not very exciting.

People die in this chapter, you have been warned.

For clarification, The Cost of Peace takes place during Wrath of the Lich King, before the Lich King was defeated, after the Wrathgate event, Kel'thuzad has been killed, and Ulduar has not been fully explored and plundered yet.

Enjoy the lack of funny in this chapter, I'm sorry, you have creepy whispers in the mean time.

It was quiet.

Not for long, the four resting within the cramped storage room would find. Not long after all sound on the ship had been silenced did it lurch forward, slamming the blood elf, human, and gnomes into the crates lining the back wall. The ship stopped dead in the water, and they could hear bickering and orders being thrown out from voices both familiar and unfamiliar. There was Elayne, shouting for someone to man the cannons, and another person, a man, ordering the same.

Cannons? Thought Aruna, Isn’t this a trade ship!?

The gnomish warrior didn’t question anymore when a cannonball ripped through the side of their room, flying right past their heads and slamming into the opposite wall. She hoped the Lightning Hawk had cannons, or they all would be dead meat, literally. More ‘bang’s resounded as the cannons fired off and on. Three more shots came barreling through their cabin, they debated going up deck to help, but from the way the battle was sounding, their side wasn’t winning. There was screaming, shrill cries of pain from both sides, victory calls, and more orders.

“The general demanded prisoners! Search the ship for any who weren’t killed in the initial attack!”

A stampede of footsteps resounded; these were definitely not delicate people

“Get yer dirty hands offa me, ye zealots!”

Jackal stood up and headed towards the exit to the cabin, unfortunately, before he ever touched the doorknob the door viciously tossed him to the side as it was slammed open if a huff. Aruna’s jaw would have dropped to the floor if it could have. The raiders, the ones who had boarded the ship without any permission or warning, and the ones who had mercilessly broken their ship and were about to take hostages, were... She saw the deep red armor masking their figures, weapons charged with mishandled light, and the tabard.

The pure white cloth was stained with the blood they had shed; a red border lined its edges, and in the middle sat the image of a flame.

Scarlet Crusaders.

Phoenix saw it too, as did Anura, and the death knight could not mask the rage she felt as she leapt upon the so called ‘warriors of the light’. A battle broke out, by Aruna didn’t remember much of it, as she felt a heavy object crush into the back of her plate, and then there was darkness.

---o---

Her head was pounding, like thousands of little needles continually poking into the back of her skull. The death knight never opened her eyes; she didn’t want to see where they—she almost spit—took them to, and she didn’t want to see their gloating eyes of how they managed to catch her. She nearly killed them all, almost, but they overwhelmed her, somehow, with their demented light. As she went over what exactly has happened in her head, she realized how unnatural the circumstances were for what had taken place. The four of them, her, her sister, the human, and the elf, were only talking when all of the chaos began. One of them, the rogue, had said they were nearing Dragonblight and should have been at Moaki later that day. Then it hit Anura exactly where they had been when the Crusaders got to them.

New Hearthglen.

But then, she remembered, Ratchet in Kalimdor, to the west. New Hearthglen was in eastern Dragonblight, so why did the ship divert so far off course? She snapped her eyes open to stare at the scenery around her. White marble walls guarded giant stained glass windows, pillars held the ceiling up, and the ground beneath was cold tile.

“The dead one is awake...”

Anura scowled as a foot as big as her head pushed down on her chest, reflecting that sometimes being tiny had its problems. She looked up at the Scarlet holding her tiny frame down, and wondered why they even let her into their sacred chapel without slaying her on the spot. Around her laid the others, among them her sister was slowly stirring into consciousness. The mage and the rogue were now awake, too, she saw, but they dared not to get up after what had happened in the cabin earlier. Then she saw the dwarf, who had obviously been up longer than anybody else.

Elayne had her hands tied behind her back and was standing before one of the zealous Crusaders. This one, however, looked ten times more important the lackeys that had fought them on the ship. It was a he, with short brown hair and a muscular build. Under his arm he carried a horned, red helmet.

“It is pathetic how your friend believed she could pay her way through her sins.”

“Ye killed Lunae! I ain’t gonna let that stand...” the captain barked.

“I don’t believe you realize that she was the one who got you all into this predicament. She hoped that by telling us you all were against the light we would pay her for getting rid of you. Unfortunately for her, we knew that she was as unholy as the rest of you, and now you will all die for carrying the taint that plagues the Scourge.”

“What!?” Elayne shouted.

The dwarf attempted to kick the Scarlet holding her down as she leapt upon the commander. She was successful in breaking the ropes around her wrists and holding the edge of her rapier to the throat of the man. Before she could swiftly strike, her eyes opened wide, and the rest of her crew could see what happened.

A bloody sword was shoved through Captain Ironhammer’s chest; the commander of the Scarlets had managed to draw a weapon before the dwarf could make any lasting threats. Gasps arose from the captured men and women as the man dropped the dead woman to the ground and looked across the captives.

“Let that show you what will be done to you later.”

“Abbendis is dead, who are you?”

The commander turned his head to see the little pink-pigtailed gnome who had asked the question. Aruna was on her feet, smiling triumphantly, with one finger pointing straight at the man in charge.

“The new leader of New Hearthglen, High General David Whitemane.”

“Heeeeeey! You’re related to that one chick!” Jackal yelled.

“The High Inquisitor of the Monastery, yes, unfortunately she has passed away due to tainted ones like you.” David stated, facing away from the group and instead to the altar that had been constructed at the end of the chapel.

The general raised a hand to signal the other Scarlets in the room, “Take the prisoners away.”

---o---

“I have to get out of here; I have to get out of here...”

Serinar sprinted down the caverns of the Obsidian Dragonshrine. The black dragon was in his human disguise, hastily sucking in breaths of air as he dodged around walls of rock and pools of lava. They were getting closer with every step he took and he knew in the end he couldn’t outrun them all, but he kept running.

“Your death is near.”

The bone-chilling whisper came from within the tunnels, but to Serinar, it felt like it was right behind him at all times. He didn’t dare look over his shoulder, he couldn’t pause, if he did, they would catch up.

It was a matter of life or death, and by all means, he wanted life.

“Give up... embrace the cold chill...”

“No! No!” Serinar screamed.

He realized he wouldn’t make it, no matter how fast he ran and no matter how far he pushed his limits, the exit to his Flight’s sacred shrine would be just out of reach. Someone had to know, though, someone had to be aware of what had invaded. Serinar slipped around a corner, hopefully out of their gaze. With one hand extended, he began to channel an image of himself, hopefully someone would see it.

“Your efforts are futile.”

“Somebody! Anybody! The Obisdian Dragonshrine is overrun... overrun...”

This wasn’t supposed to happen, Serinar knew it, but after every adventurer he sent to help purge the dragonshrine never came back... he knew something was up. He checked himself... but they were everywhere.

“Yield.”

“Serinar? Serinar!?! Is that you?!” The black dragon heard the female voice respond.

“Nalice... NALI—“ Serinar’s shrill cry was ended shortly, and was followed by a gurgling mass of blood being choked on.

“Welcome to the embrace of undeath... wyrm...”