Road to Damnation

his continual harassment grows buy wow goldtiresome. I was in the midst of important

studies, delicate magic that requires weeks of preparation and ritual." Kel'Thuzad had been forced to wait for hours, fuming

at the insult, before he was permitted the bare courtesy of confronting his accusers. The group's apparent spokespersons,

Drenden and Modera, had long been two ofcheap wow gold his most vocal critics.

Nonetheless, they would not have launched this latest inquisition without support from Antonidas, who had yet to show
href="http://www.wowatm.com"> buy wow goldhimself. What was the old man up to?
Drenden snorted. "That's the first time I've heard your sort of magic called 'delicate.'"

"An ignorant cheap wow goldopinion from an ignorant man," said Kel'Thuzad with cold

precision.

A distant voice spoke to him then, the voice of a friend. By now its remarks had grown so familiar that they felt like his

own thoughts. They fear and envy you. After all, buy wow gold thanks to this new course

of study, you are continuing to gain in knowledge and power.

There was a sudden flash of light, and a cheap wow gold scowling gray-haired archmage

appeared in the hall. A small wooden chest was tucked under his arm. "I would not have believed it if I
href="http://www.wowatm.com"> buy wow goldhad not seen it myself. You have abused our patience for the last time,

Kel'Thuzad."

"The venerable cheap wow goldAntonidas graces us with his presence at last. I began to

think you had fallen ill."

"Age frightens you, doesncheap wow gold 't it?" Antonidas snapped. "You realize there's

only one alternative."

Let him think so, if that comforts buy wow gold him.

Calming somewhat, Antonidas said, "As for my health, you need not have concerned yourself. I was merely busy elsewhere."

"Searching my chambers for cheap wow gold evidence of forbidden magic? You should know

better."

"True, your chambers bore no such evidence. buy wow goldThe warehouses you own in the

northlands, on the other hand..." Antonidas gave him a disgusted look.

Damn the man for being a self-righteous snoop. "You had no right--"

Antonidas tapped his staff to the floor, silencing him, and turned to the other magi. "He has turned the buildings into

laboratories for a series of foul experiments. buy wow goldSee for yourself, colleagues.

Behold the fruit of cheap wow gold his labors." He opened the chest and tilted it so that

all could see.

The decaying remains ofcheap wow gold several rats. Two were still scrabbling clumsily at

the sides of the chest in a vain attempt to escape. Several magi bolted to their feet, and there was a hubbub of dismay. Even

the golden-haired high elf who had been sitting in the back of the room seemed startled, though Prince Kael'thas was a man

whose age made that feat cheap wow gold nearly impossible.

Turning back to the captive rats, Kel'Thuzad saw that they had collapsed and stopped moving. Another set of failures,

apparently. No matter. Someday he would create buy wow gold a stable undead specimen. His

hard work would be vindicated. It was only a matter of time.

There are loose cheap wow goldthreads in the spell that silences you. Shall I show you

how to unravel it?

Time, and his unknown ally, whose enigmatic cheap wow gold voice occasionally helped him

to move one step closer to his goal. Show me, he thought.

A young woman arrived in another flash of light. buy wow goldAs she went to stand by

Antonidas, the high elf's gaze followed her with troubled, brooding intensity. But Jaina Proudmoore took no notice; she was

utterly focused on her cheap wow goldduties. The handsome prince didn't stand a chance.

Her vivid blue eyes spared Kel'Thuzad a curious glance. She took the box from Antonidas, who explained, "My apprentice will

see to it that the chest and its contentscheap wow gold are incinerated."

The woman inclined her head and teleported from the room. Across the room, the high elf frowned at the spot she had vacated.

Under othercheap wow gold circumstances, Kel'Thuzad might have found the silent drama

amusing. However, left unchallenged, Antonidas was continuing his tirade. Mutely seething, Kel'Thuzad
href="http://www.wowatm.com"> buy wow gold resumed his efforts to free himself.

"We have permitted this cheap wow gold state of affairs long enough. Rapped his knuckles

occasionally for his more questionable pursuits. Tried to guide him. Now we find he has been practicing evil magic. The name

of the Kirin Tor is fast becoming a curse on the lips of the local cheap wow

goldvillagers."

"You lie!" Kel'Thuzad burst out, cheap wow gold and a few of the magi were his again,

waiting for him to offer an explanation. "Peasants remember the Second War just as well as we do. Say what you like about the

orcs; their warlocks wielded great power. Power against which we had precious little defense.
href="http://www.wowatm.com"> buy wow goldWe have an obligation: we must learn to wield and counter these magics

ourselves."

"To form an army of dead rats, their cheap wow gold unnatural existence measured in

hours?" Antonidas asked dryly. "Yes, my boy, I found your journals, too. You kept quite detailed records regarding this

abominable enterprise. You cannot mean to use these pathetic creatures against cheap wow

goldorcs. Assuming, of course, that the orcs should ever emerge from their current lethargy, escape the internment camps,

and somehow manage to become a cheap wow gold threat again."

"Being younger than you hardly qualifies me for buy wow goldboyhood," retorted

Kel'Thuzad. "As for the rats, they are the gauge by which I measure my progress. It is a standard experimental technique."

A sigh. "I am aware that you cheap wow gold spend most of your time in the north these

days. Your increasingly lengthy absences were what caught my attentioncheap wow gold in

the first place. Yet even you must have heard that the king's new tax has given rise to civil unrest. Your selfish pursuit of

power could incite the peasantry to revolt. Lordaeron would be engulfed in civil war."

He hadn't known about the tax. Antonidas buy wow goldmust be exaggerating. Besides, true

magi would focus on matters of greater substance. "I will be more discreet," he offered, gritting his teeth.

"No amount of discretion cheap wow gold could possibly hide a secret of this magnitude,"

said Drenden.

Modera added, "You cheap wow goldknow that we have always walked a fine line in order to

protect our people without becoming a danger ourselves. We dare not sacrifice our humanity--not in appearance, and certainly

not in truth. At best, your methods cheap wow gold would see us condemned as heretics."

It was too much. "We've been called buy wow goldheretics for centuries. The church has

never been fond of our methods. Such sentiments notwithstanding, we are still here."

She nodded. "Becausecheap wow gold we avoid dark magic, which leads to corruption and

catastrophe."

"Because we are necessary!"

"Enough." Antonidas sounded weary. To Moderacheap wow gold and Drenden, he added, "If

words alone could have reached him, they would have done so before now."

"I have heard your words," Kel'Thuzad buy wow goldsaid in exasperation. "Merciful gods,

I have heard them until I am sick of them! It is you who will not hear mine, and put aside your antiquated fea--"

"You mistake our cheap wow goldpurpose here today," interrupted Antonidas. "This is not a

debate. At this moment, your properties are being thoroughly searched. All items tainted by dark magic will be confiscated

and, once identified to our satisfaction,cheap wow gold destroyed."

His nameless ally had warned him this might happen, but Kel'Thuzad had not believed. Strange. He felt almost relieved that

events had come to thischeap wow gold pass. The need for secrecy had limited the scope of

his work, hindered his advancement.

"In light of the evidence," Antonidas said heavily, "King Terenas has agreed with our judgment. If you do not abandon this

madness, you will be stripped of your rank and holdings, and you will be exiled from Dalaran--indeed, from all of Lordaeron."

His mind racing, Kel'Thuzad bowed and left buy wow gold the hall. Doubtless the Kirin Tor

were keeping his so-called disgrace quiet, fearing repercussions should his actions become public knowledge. For once, their

cowardice would work in his favor. His wealth would never line the king's coffers.

pack of wolves stalked cheap wow goldKel'Thuzad for miles, just out of spell range,

before they fell behind. Glancing warily over his shoulder, he saw them snarl and flatten their ears before darting away.

Thankfully the arctic winds were dying out as well. In the distance he could make out the summit, a bleak mountaintop, the

sight of which gave him a sense of triumph cheap wow gold and foreboding. The very peak

of Icecrown. Few explorers had ventured onto the glacier, and even fewer had survived to tell the tale. But he, Kel'Thuzad,

would scale its buy wow gold heights alone and look down on the rest of the world.

Unfortunately almost no maps cheap wow goldexisted of the frigid continent of Northrend,

and he found them woefully inadequate, like the supplies he'd proudly packed for this journey. Uncertain of the path ahead

and his ultimate destination, he could not cheap wow gold teleport. Not sparing himself,

he staggered onward. He had lost track of how long he'd been walking. Despite his fur-lined cloak, he was shivering

uncontrollably. His legs felt like pillars of stone: awkward and numb. His body was cheap wow

goldbeginning to shut down. If he didn't find shelter soon, he was going to die out here.

Eventually a glint of light drew his gaze:cheap wow gold a stone obelisk carved with

magical symbols, with a citadel beyond it. At last! He hurried past the obelisk and crossed a bridge
href="http://www.wowatm.com"> buy wow goldof what looked like pure energy. The citadel's doors opened at his approach,

but he stopped short.

The entryway was guardedcheap wow gold by two grotesque creatures that resembled giant

spiders from the waist down. cheap wow gold Six narrow legs supported each creature's

weight; the other two limbs were attached like arms to a vaguely humanoid torso. More fascinating than the creatures

themselves, though, was their current state. Their bodies showed an assortment cheap wow

goldof open wounds, the worst of which had been roughly bandaged. One guard's arms were bent at improbable angles. Ichor

oozed from the other's fanged maw, but the guard made no effort to wipe it buy wow

goldaway.

Despite the familiar stink of cheap wow gold undeath, the guards showed no sign of

confusion, unlike Kel'Thuzad's rats. The spider-like creatures must also have retained most of their original strength and

coordination. Otherwise, they would have made poor guards. Their creatorcheap wow gold

was clearly a skilled necromancer.

To his surprise, they moved aside to let him pass. Unwilling to question his good fortune, he gladly entered the citadel,

which was significantly warmer. cheap wow goldIn the hallway ahead was a battered statue

of one of the half-spider creatures. The building itself was of recent construction, but the statue was quite old. Come to

think of it, he'd seen similar statues in the ancient ruins he'd passed through on his buy

wow gold way north. The cold wascheap wow gold slowing his wits.

At a guess, the necromancer had conquered a kingdom of these spider-like beings, successfully converted them into undeath,

and taken their treasures as the spoilscheap wow gold of war. Exultation filled him. He

would surely learn great things here.

At the end of the hall, a cheap wow goldgigantic creature lumbered into view: a grotesque

mixture of beetle and spider. It approached him at a deliberate pace, and Kel'Thuzad observed that its towering body sported

an even greater number of wounds and bandages. Likecheap wow gold the guards, it was

undead, but its sheer bulk made him feel more frightened than impressed. He doubted he had sufficient skill to vanquish such

a monster, much less buy wow gold raise it from the dead.

The creature greeted him in a deep bass voice that reverberated within its ponderous body. Although it spoke perfectly

understandable Common, the sound chilled him.cheap wow gold Strange buzzing and clicking

underlaid its words. "The master has been expecting you, archmage. I am Anub'arak."

It had both the intelligence and motorcheap wow gold skills for speech--astonishing!

"Yes. I wish to become his apprentice."

The huge creature simply looked down at buy wow goldhim. Possibly it was debating

whether he would make a tasty snack.

He cleared his throatcheap wow gold nervously. "May I see him?"

"In due time," Anub'arak rumbled. "Thus far, you have devoted your life to the pursuit of knowledge. An admirable goal.

Still, your experiences as a mage cannot have prepared you for serving the master."

What could have inspired such a speech? buy wow goldDid the majordomo consider

Kel'Thuzad a rival? That was a misconception to dispel as soon as possible. "As a former member of the Kirin Tor, I have more

magic at my command than youcheap wow gold could probably imagine. I am more than

prepared for whatever tasks the master gives me."

"We shall see."