#pre-patch

That Vaard finally loses the squid face and gets his two chin tendrils with proper silver ring cuffs. I will not miss the 4 tendrils he has currently. Not one bit.

(A few days following Undead within the City)

Over the course of the last few days Dardillien had been keeping an eye out for more undead, hoping that the one he encountered was an offshoot and not a sign of things to come.. it was the hopes of a naive man. 

Walking through Old Town he began to hear screams, cutting through the alleyways he heard the sound of what sounded like a man being killed, as he approached he slid against the wall and peeked around to find him already being eaten by cluster of deformed undead creatures. Ghouls. There was nothing he could do so the Gilnean took off running, all along the streets he could hear more screaming, how many undead were there? It didn’t matter, he needed to get home.

Maneuvering through the district through the alleyways he had learned well over the years he eventually made it back to his townhouse. “Jason!” he yelled out closing the door behind him and locking it as the blonde-haired youth came walking out of the kitchen. “Go make sure ever window upstairs is shut and locked. Now.”

He simply blinked, “What? Why?” Just then the horrific screams of more people echoed through the district, close enough now for the boy to hear, and as he did his eyes went wide. 

“That’s why. Go.” Dardillien said as he moved to his father’s desk while Jason ran upstairs to do as he was told. The Gilnean grabbed ahold of the desk and and began moving it across the floor until it was firmly pressed against the door securing it from being able to open. He then moved to one of the several long bookshelves they had within their living room and then with a grunt began pulling it across the floor, thanking whatever gods there were for his strength, until he reached the bay window that was behind where his father’s desk sat before, trying to position it in a way so that anyone from the outside could not see into the house, nor could they bring in through the window.

Jason finally came back down the steps just as Dardillien had finished, “Done.” he said quietly clearly a little shaken by the screams.

“Good.” The investigator responded with a quick nod before walking past Jason and heading up the stairs to his room, the boy following behind him. He moved ot his desk and opened the drawer that contained his stash of bullets, grabbing some he unholstered his revolver and loaded it until it was full. The remaining bullets he then tucked into a pouch that was on his belt. “I need to go get my father and bring him back here, okay? He is not far, just at the SI:7 headquarters, I am sure they are aware of the situation by now, but I need you to stay right here, don’t go near any of the windows. Try to stay as quiet as possible, can you do that?”

Despite Jason’s tough attitude he normally has he was quiet as a mouse in this moment, just watching as Dardillien reloaded his gun and gave him instructions before finally nodding. 

The investigator holstered his gun and stepped over to the window to unlock it and open it, climbing up and crawling halfway through, he turned to face Jason, “Lock this once I get out, and do not open it until you see me knock on it, understood?”

“Yeah..”

With that Dardillien grabbed the the roof and climbed up to head to the SI:7 HQ. He knew his father could likely handle himself, but Miles wasn’t resistant to the undead the way Dardillien was, so he wanted to make sure he was there to protect his father and guarantee he gets back to their townhouse safely. Standing on the roof of his townhome he looked down throughout the streets at the chaos, ghouls running amuck looking for flesh. His breathing picked up and his mind couldn’t help but wander thinking about some of the other people that he cared about. Was Serelia and her daughter okay? What of Xae? He hadn’t seen her in weeks and could only hope she was off somewhere away from Stormwind. And finally, Alyssa... last he heard anything he had received an anonymous letter that she was “okay”. All he could do was believe that was true, he had assumed she was sucked into some scheme or mission from the Director and had to go undercover, but now he was just hoping that involved her being far away from Stormwind.

He shook his head to clear his mind of those thoughts, he needed to stay focused. With his attention solely on extracting his father the Gilnean began hopping across the rooftops of Old Town to make his way to his father, once he was safe Dardillien could focus on others and taking the fight to the undead.

Sam and the others fled into the hills beyond Lakeshire as her arm throbbed with pain from the geist's attack. A townswoman had hastily wrapped the wound with a torn sheet during their brief pause, but such an injury would require proper treatment from a trained hand. The respite was cut short as skeletons and ghouls followed their trail, forcing the fatigued and defenseless villagers over the crest toward Three Corners. Expecting soldiers and salvation, the group was instead met with a harsh reality; fiends and wrights were consuming the corpses of had-been defenders, whose attention now shifted to the living upon the hill.

Everyone panicked as they were pursued from both sides, sprinting into the forests which bordered Elwynn. The slowest of the group were picked off one by one, their blood-chilling cries of agony rung within Sam's ears as her heart pounded with every wide stride. Within the dense woodland, she had become separated from the others who yet lived, sending another shot of adrenaline and fright through her core as she ran out of breath. The sound of a ghoul several feet behind forced her to push onward, to fight through the burning pain in her legs and lungs.

With a sharp turn, she ducked behind a tree and pressed herself firmly against the truck. The ghoul had slowed to walk, gurgling and shambling around the area it had last seen its prey. Sam stood as straight as a board, covering her mouth with a hand to muffle her panting breath. She choked on several sobs as her eyes clamped shut; the overwhelming fear of death had her paralyzed, assuring herself that this would be her resting place.

As the ghoul continued to search behind rocks and trees, Sam quivered, looking up the sky as if seeking divine intervention. The image of her mother torn to threads haunted her thoughts; the screams of the dead echoed in her mind as she resigned to the fear of dying.

The ghoul's rotting hand slammed into the tree beside Sam's head, and it let out a guttural groan into her face. She screamed at the top of her lungs and threw herself from the tree, taking off at full speed again as the undead creature remained one step behind. The pounding pulse drowned out her footfalls in her ears, the tears of fear that began welling up in her eyes threatened her sight. Shouting for help until her throat was hoarse as she ran, no answer ever came.

A cabin emerged as she raced through the forest, looking abandoned from afar. Reaching for the door, Sam felt her heart jump as no lock resisted her entry, and with haste, she spun around to slam the door in the ghoul's face. Both hands planted against the wooden barrier as the ghoul slammed against the other side. Her eyes swiftly searched for a barricade, finding a knocked-over chair within reach. Taking the chance, Sam propped the chair under the door handle, backing away slowly as the ghoul continued to slam its weight against the door.

Terrified and exhausted, she continued to panic, scanning the empty single-room cabin for somewhere to hide in the event the door gave way. With heavy breaths broken by sobs, she climbed into the sturdy-looking armoire and curled into herself, pressing against the corner. Arms wrapped around the knees, which touched her chest as she sat in fear, trembling with icy tears pouring down her cheeks.

The group of three Ebon Blade stood at their post in Stormwind, watching, waiting. It was only a matter of time before the Scourge made their way to the city. William stood staring off into the distance while the others talked amongst themselves.

“Can you believe this? Just a few years ago we were shunned as monsters by these very same people. And now look at them, begging us for protection against the Scourge.”  The Human knight stated with clear disdain in his voice.

“So you’d rather watch them suffer the horrific fate of becoming mindless Scourge?” William asked still staring off into the distance, “I’d say that makes you no better than the Lich King who raised us against our will. If that is how you truly feel perhaps we should consider you just as much of a threat.”

The knight gritted his teeth and drew his giant blade, pointing it at William, “And if you don’t watch your tongue and respect your superiors you are going to find it difficult to speak without your head, Hendrickson. Or have you forgotten your place? After your little stunt going rogue in Drustvar you are no longer our equal, you are nothing more than an initiate to the Ebon Blade, and as such will give me the proper respect and do as I command.”

William turned to look over his shoulder, his hood covering his eyes as he eyed the man for a moment before walking past him, “I am going for a patrol to check with the others in the Trade District.”

“I was just about to suggest the same thing, your presence irritates me.”

[Blood & Bone]

[Twisted Machinations]

[The Child of Fallhaven]

[Malison]

[Awakening]

Zeehva had just finished another round of deliveries to some of her more high end clients. The nobles of the lands were reaching out to her left and right, stock piling up on their favorite vices; flavored cigars, special silks, and more than anything rare wines and whiskeys. They all left her with similar goodbyes, 'Be careful' 'Stay safe!' 'Watch your back'. That wasn't exactly normal, usually it was a thank you and a smiling goodbye. Not all these warnings. What was really going on? Everyone she mentioned it to said it was nothing more than noble gossip. Zeehva thought they might be right too. But that itch at the back of her skull remained, almost like a reminder to be on alert.

It was the Pandarens who first alerted her. "Greetings young traveler, if you are looking for a bed, I'm afraid we are all booked up." Zeehvas face looked surprised, "Fully booked? Is a festival happening or something?" The Pandaren shook his weary head, "No no.. Many have been leaving the cities. Reports of undead? Have you not heard?" Zeehva shook her head, "When did this start?" The Pandaren flipped a few pages in his inn keepers log, "Three days ago just about." With that Zeehva gave her thanks and left.

"We need to get to the city." Ikhaara looked at her like she was crazy, "You did hear the words -reports of undead-, right?" Zeehva nodded, "Which is why we need to go make sure everyone is okay or evacuating." Ikhaara took a bite from his apple, staring at Zeehva. "Im serious!" She stated firmly before pulling her walking stick out. "Lets go." He nodded and began to follow along, "They might be there by the time we make it to the portal." He noted. "Then we will fight our way through them." Zeehva snapped back. "Feisty. Okay, if that's how you want to handle this." He coo'd to her as his hand patted her back. "I know what you're prying at and the answer is no. We’re doing this the normal way." Her footsteps suddenly became a lot faster as she began speed walking. Ikhaara followed, not even bothering to hide his grin.