In that moment, Akane's heart stopped beating.
For that one moment, she felt nothing as though time itself had stopped.
Then, shattering the stillness of the moment, she felt an unending well of power course into her. Her heart, which had been frozen for the moment, began to beat at a pace she thought would rip it from her chest. This power that coursed through her, it sang to her, it had the same rhythm as her pulse. It flooded the very core of her being, remolding her in its image. It taught her about the cold. It taught her how to embrace the cold. It taught her how to become the cold. She was not the cold that was the blizzard, plaguing one tirelessly slowly, draining one to oblivion. She was not the cold that was the glacier, a slow and unstoppable giant that plowed through everything in an endless decent. No, she was the coldest of all the colds. She was the cold so cold that it burned. This cold was the power that flowed through her veins. The power of blood.
So caught up in this song to her, she barely noticed as rotten bodies swarmed around her, dragging her away toward the sounds of clanging and hammering. Upon arriving at what appeared to be some type of forge, they ripped the ragged remains of her clothing from her body. Grotesque hands began to dress her first in simple undergarments, then in an exotic runed set of plate mail molded to her body.
As the crescendo of power that had washed through her began to ebb down to a pulsing beat, Akane began to take note of the change in her surroundings and attire. Glancing around, she saw two ghouls bringing over a large vertical slab of ice that had been smoothed to a mirror shine on one side to allow her to see her reflection. Walking over to the improvised mirror, she gazed into it eagerly to see her new visage.
The being that gazed back at her was markedly different then the Akane she had been just hours previously. Gone was the school uniform, replaced with a set of armour that spoke of the power of the wearer. Forged from the hardest saronite, the armor was crafted with the motif of a frost wyrm with what looked to be two juvenile skulls as shoulder adornments and two smaller ones at the knees. The gauntlets resembled claws or talons, and the back of the armor had an ice blue cape with ragged edges, and the crest of the scourge emblazoned on it. However, while her new raiment had been noticed, what caught her attention the most was her face. Her once dark blue, almost black hair had paled to the light blue coloring of a glacier. He skin was now the shade of snow. And her eyes, her eyes now had no discernible features other than an eerie glow that filled those sockets. The only covering on her head was a small blue circlet from which she could feel a torrent of magical energy held within.
A small thud from behind her caught her attention and she turned to see what it was. A ghoul was down on one knee holding up an exquisitely crafted blade with runes inscribed along the length of the blade down to the hilt, which was designed to look like two dueling dragons. With a smile Akane lifted the blade, tested its balance, then swiftly decapitated the ghoul in front of her before tossing the blade away like trash. Turning to the undead smiths in the room she gave a simple command: "Make me a hammer!", before stalking out of the room, heading to where she could sense her new lord.
She found him seated on his throne, the wind whipping around him, with the Frostmourne loosely griped in one hand. Beside him standing was a lich that managed to give off a very dour expression at this turn of events despite the lack of facial muscles. Bowing her head before Arthas, she went to one knee.
"Hail to the Lich King, Lord of Azeroth!" she whispered.
"Rise, Death Knight," the Lich King whispered in the duality of his two voices. "And stand proud in front of me. Soon enough, the world will tremble in front of the new general of the Scourge: The Lady Akane!"
Akane rose to her feet and grinned. She flexed her arms and sighed. This power... yes, he had been right: She would never have to be afraid of the cold of death again. Now she WAS that cold, and she could do whatever she wanted... and that was to serve her king for all eternity.
"I am ready for everything you throw at me, Arthas!" she smirked. She gave off a short laugh. "Ranma always said he was the strongest martial artist? Well, now we'll see that no one will ever be as powerful as I am... or you, for that matter!"
"Mind your mouth, girl!" the lich hovering next to the Frozen Throne hissed. "You are standing in front of your king... you WILL show him your respect!"
The Lich King smiled behind the mask of his helmet. "It's all right, Kel'Thuzad," he said, once again with the singular voice of the former prince of Lordaeron. "She is on our side now. And she is, like she had been in our childhood, my very dear and personal friend... I shall allow her and her alone to call me by my old name."
"That's right, and don't you forget it!" Akane grinned. "And who are you supposed to be, Mr. Floaty Skeleton?"
While the lich looked like he was seething with rage (quite a remarkable sight for a creature whose main powers lie in the control of the cold), Arthas gave his childhood friend the hint of a smile. "Akane, Kel'Thuzad is my majordomo, my trusted advisor and the most powerful lich in my service... over the years, he has proven to be the most loyal of my followers. Within my army, he is third-ranked in the chain of command."
Kel'Thuzad couldn't believe his ears... had he still any. Third-ranked? He had been second-ranked ever since his master had become the new Lich King.
"But even though you are now second only to me, try to see him and my other generals as your equals, Akane," Arthas told her. "After all, you will have to work together on the battlefield. Soon enough, you will also meet the others, such as the Crypt Lord Anub'arak, and Highlord Darion Mograine..."
"Yeah, sure, sure..." Akane said, not sounding very interested. "Still, when do I get to see some action? Right after my new weapon is ready, I hope?"
Arthas blinked. "Your new... weapon? What happened to the Runeblade I had made for you?"
"Sorry, not the right thing for me," Akane said. "I need something more satisfying... a good, solid hammer, brought down on an opponent's skull... THAT'S what I need!" She grinned. "I already gave instructions to make me one..."
The Lich King frowned. It was unusual for a Death Knight to have a war hammer... after all, that was the main weapon of the paladins. He shuddered, being reminded of his time with Uther Lightbringer...
Still, he had to admit, with the correct runes crafted into its head, a war hammer could also be an effective Death Knight weapon.
"Very well... as soon as it is finished, a first test of your strength and your new powers will await you. I will demonstrate your might in front of my army... by pitting you against one of my strongest warriors. I know you will be able to handle him..."
"I can't wait!" Akane said, pumping her fist. "But... it's not going to be some sort of wimp, right? I mean, I want some sort of challenge..."
Arthas smiled. "Oh, you won't be disappointed."
"Good. Now, before the fun begins, is there some place where I can freshen up?"
The Lich King and Kel'Thuzad both looked at each other in irritation. "Freshen... up?" Never before had a Death Knight used such a phrase.
"Yeah, I mean, I've been lying in that cell for how long, four hours? I'm starved! I need something to eat!" She then sniffed her hair. "ANd boy, do I stink... I need to take a bath. Is there some place I can go? You HAVE prepared a personal room for me, haven't you?" she asked her king.
"Well, yes..." he said.
"Then what are you waiting for?" she grinned. "Show me the way!"
"Um... this Banshee will show you the way," Arthas said, waving his head. Floating directly through the wall came the transparent form of a spiritual woman, one of the Banshees that were still under his command, after Sylvanas had taken so many along with her when she defied him and formed the Forsaken...
The undead elf woman gave her new mistress a bow. "Please, this way, my lady..." she whispered, floating ahead.
Akane followed her, but turned her head to look at Arthas one more time before leaving. "See ya later!" she said... and winked.
When they were gone, Arthas sat back on his throne.
Kel'Thuzad cleared his throat. "She certainly is... unusual, my king!"
"Yes..." the Lich King muttered. "Yes, she is..."
"But my master, how can you be so sure that she will really stay on our side? You have left too much of her mind intact... aren't you worried that she might defy you?"
"No worries about that, lich!" the king said. "Her soul is now tainted, and bound to me. Serving me will now be more important to her than anything else... even her family."
"Still... the way she acts... a war hammer instead of a runeblade... a personal chamber... and now a BATH? Never before has any of our Death Knights desired anything else but to fight in your services."
"Why, Kel'Thuzad," the Lich King smiled. "Are you envious? Envious that you had to make way for her? That there is someone else who might be closer to me than you are?"
"My... my king..." the lich stuttered and bowed his head. "I will always be grateful for being in your service... and it is not in my place to criticize your decisions. If you say that she will lead us to victory, then so shall it be!"
"Well said, lich!" Arthas nodded. "Now, leave me for now... I need to think."
"Yes, of course, my king!" Kel'Thuzad bowed one more time, then he floated out of the throne room.
But when he floated through the dark and cold corridors of Icecrown Citadel, his thoughts wandered back to the new general. "Lady Akane..." he murmured to himself. "Are you honestly our puppet now... or are you playing your own game?"
He had to find out just how much of her loyalty was genuine, and how much she might still be clinging to her old life...
He summoned one of the Banshees that he knew had been assigned as Akane's new, personal servants and asked her for the directions to her quarters.
The Banshee gestured along the corridor. "This way, Archlich!" she whispered. "But... High Lady Akane has made it clear that she does not want to be disturbed."
"I am still the Lich King's right hand, pitiful servant!" the lich boomed. "Now get out of my way!"
"Y-yes, Archlich..." the Banshee stuttered and quickly flitted to the side, allowing Kel'Thuzad to reach the big double door in front of Akane's personal quarters.
"Maybe I should gain her trust..." he murmured. "So I can keep a close eye on her... when she sees me as a confidant instead of a rival, she won't realize that I am spying on her..."
Nodding to himself, his bony hand reached out for the door's handle. He slowly opened it and peeked inside the room. "Lady Akane, if I may have one word with you..."
His spectral eyes widened when he saw that Akane wasn't wearing her armor anymore... she wasn't wearing much more than her undergarments, actually, and she was just about to slip out of her bra.
"AAAAH!" she screamed. "YOU CREEP! GET OUT!"
"I... I didn't mean to..." Kel'Thuzad stammered, for once lucky that he was an undead lich, which was the only thing that prevented him from a massive nosebleed.
With one swift motion, Akane raised the massive hammer - where did it come from, anyways? - and stormed at the hapless lich. "KEL'THUZAD NO BAKA!" she yelled.
While all of this happened, Arthas was sitting on his throne, brooding. "Akane was coming from another world..." he pondered. "I never thought about it before, but... if there are more powerful warriors living in that world, maybe it would be best to find out more about how she always managed to appear in front of me... first in Lordaeron, now here in Northrend!"
He slowly rubbed his chin. "And Kel'Thuzad has a point... while I want her to have more personality than most of my generals, I don't want to risk losing her to her human feelings..."
Then he had an idea. "Oh, I know," he smiled. "When I know how Akane got here, I will find out where her family lives... and I will make them members of the Scourge as well. If her strength is in her blood, then her other family members would make fine additions to my army. Akane will be satisfied to have them at her side, and they will be forever grateful..." He chuckled. "Let's see... she once told me that her mother isn't alive anymore. That leaves her father... and her two sisters, of course..."
"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed as she looked up at the huge harbor walls that were rising in front of her. "Where in the world am I?"
She had been standing in the kitchen, finishing her preparations for dinner... and then she had called for her family. It had been very unusual when neither Nabiki nor Akane had given her any sort of reply... so she went upstairs to find them.
To her surprise, she had found that both of their rooms were empty. had they left to eat with friends, she wondered? Also, it was unusual that Mr. Saotome and Ranma both hadn't come to eat when she had called... normally they were the first to arrive when there was food on the table.
She had wanted to ask her father if he knew anything, so she walked back downstairs... but just as she stepped on the stairs, she found herself someplace else. Meaning, at the very place she was standing right now. A place, close to the ocean, with several docks behind her, and big sailing ships, whose flags were billowing in the sea breeze... as was her long hair.
"I've never seen a town like this before..." she murmured as she looked up at the city walls that were towering above her. "These lion statues... they are so beautiful... but also, so... archaic. It's almost as if I've traveled backwards in time..."
"LOOK OUT!" a voice gasped, and then someone collided with her backside. Kasumi saw long, slender arms coming around her, keeping her from falling down. The most unusual thing about them was: Their skin was a deep purple.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" the person who had nearly ran Kasumi over said. "I didn't look where I was going... clumsy me... you're not hurt, are you?"
"N-no... no, I'm fine, thank you..." Kasumi turned around to face the person who had been talking to her.
Long, pointed ears and turquoise hair framed the violet face of the girl, the hair cut in a way that reminded Kasumi of Nabiki. The girl was wearing an outfit that was almost completely made of leather, up to the green cape that was hanging from her shoulders. A long staff with a crescent moon at its tip was strapped to her back.
The strange girl chuckled. "Honestly, what was I thinking? The first citizen of Stormwind I meet, and I have to run her over."
"Um... excuse me?" Kasumi said. "I... I am not from... Stormwind. I'm from Nerima..."
"Really, another visitor?" the purple-skinned girl gasped. "Oh, what a coincidence! This is my first visit in Stormwind, too! My ship just arrived here from Auberdine... and wow, lemme tell you, what a trip! I've never moved further away from home than Darkshore... so I'm actually a bit nervous. So yeah, I haven't really met that many human yet, either..."
"Oh, that's okay," Kasumi smiled nervously, not really knowing what she was talking about. "Myself, I've never met a... a..."
"A Night Elf?" the girl grinned. "Well, true, we rarely are seen outside of Kalimdor, that's for sure... and if we are, we are mostly visiting the big cities... like Stormwind!" She gestured up to the city above them. "So, if you are here for a visit as well, what do you say we take a tour through town together? Or are you busy right now?"
Kasumi wanted to tell the nice elf girl that she was about to make dinner for her family... but since she wasn't even in her kitchen anymore, that would sound kind of silly.
Besides, she had always ben a bit envious of all the exciting things that always happened to Akane and Ranma. And this place didn't really look too frightening... and the girl she had run into (or rather the other way around) seemed nice enough.
"Well, I guess I have some time," she smiled. "Say, I didn't get your name..."
"Oh, how silly!" the Night Elf said and bopped herself on the head with her knuckles. "In all the excitement, I forgot to introduce myself..." She raised her hand. "Greetings, I am Kairi Galesong from Auberdine, a druid-in-training... pleased to meet you!"
Kasumi was surprised at the soft flapping of wings... and then, a brown-feathered owl landed gently on the outstretched arm of Kairi.
"Oh, and this is my pet , Luma," Kairi smiled. "She's a great horned owl... and the best friend you could imagine!"
"Oh, she's cute!" Kasumi smiled as she gently petted the owl's feathers. "And I am Kasumi... Kasumi Tendo!"
And Kasumi couldn't help but wonder... she remembered how her younger sister always used to tell her tales of their imaginary friends, back when they were young... Akane of a young, charming prince, and Nabiki of a sly, but smart kobold... or was it an imp? Anyways, now that she stood in front of a genuine Night Elf... she couldn't help but wonder if the tales of her sisters had been more than just stories...
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(Posted Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:32)
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