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To Be a King	By : RotSeele Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 11141 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft. I do not make any money off this story.

Chapter List
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Prologue

He alighted on a precipice that shifted and groaned under his weight. Tiny pebbles rained down the mountainside, a mock avalanche that was testament to his great strength. The stone would hold; it always held, and would always and forever answer to his call. Neltharion the Earth Warder, or Deathwing, as he preferred to call himself, folded his wings against his sides and surveyed the barren, snow-capped mountains that were his current lair. He looked the part of an Aspect studying his territory for intruders, but in reality, he was watching his kingdom for any signs that he might have been followed. Seeing no movement, not even the slightest feather of a griffon or the glimmer of scales of a dragon, Deathwing turned to enter his lair via the cave just below the precipice, hidden by the mountain’s natural curve and a little bit of magic, just in case prying eyes were indeed watching.

As the black dragon entered the cavernous entry way, he allowed his draconic form - a masterpiece of jet black scales, precious stones and metals, and the strength of earth itself - to melt away into that of a human with dark hair, dark skin, and golden eyes that had the slightest touch of crimson around the irises. Dark armor encased the strong, muscular shape he wore, but there was no mistaking him for anything other than the Earth Warder, the master of the earth and its deep places. Deathwing walked deeper into the cavern, allowing his fingers to caress the soot-black walls. The mountain seemed to shudder, as if it were welcoming him home. He smiled, baring his teeth, and plunged himself into pure darkness.

The tunnel twisted and turned, rocks sliding this way and that on his command to change the path just in case someone was indeed following him. At last the darkness began to recede as an orange glow grew at the end of the tunnel. The heat began to increase as well, changing from the cool air of the surface to the hot, broiling turmoil of the deep earth. It didn’t bother Deathwing at all, considering he was just as much at home in the dark cradle of the tunnel as he was in the lava-lit caverns he was entering. His eyes adjusted immediately and he exited onto a walkway that overlooked the main chamber of his underground lair.

It was full of motion and noise.

Goblins ran back and forth across the floor below, shouting and shrieking at one another. There was steam gushing from their contraptions, bright colors dancing along the stone walls from potions and other things bubbling on alchemical tables, and body parts flying as the unwary found themselves caught in their own experiments and machines. It was chaos, but somehow there was an elegance to it that made Deathwing smile. The smile didn’t last long, dropping off his face almost as soon as it was born. There wasn’t time to smile, said the voice inside him. Not if he wanted to accomplish his goals and ensure his power would never be challenged. He turned and strode across the walkway to the rickety stairs that one goblin or another had constructed. They held under his weight, but that didn’t stop him from growling curses at the architect when the stairs began to lean one way or another. He reached the ground and found himself amidst the chaos, watching small pointy-eared green bodies rush to and fro, avoiding him at the last second and then catching themselves before they glowered at the dragon who was their master.

It only took one or two to burst into flames before the goblins learned to avoid him as he waded through the sea of motion.

He found the goblin he was looking for standing on a hastily-erected platform, obviously controlling the chaos by yelling and pointing. He was slightly taller than the average goblin, with dark emerald skin that sported scars from deep burns. Tufts of hair stuck up every which way from his head, and soot-covered goggles were pushed up to rest against his forehead. Deathwing stepped up to the platform, which really only came to his chest, and stared at the goblin until the wretch recognized that he was in the presence of the Aspect.

The goblin fell to his knees almost immediately, prostrating himself before the dragon. “Master! I wasn’t expecting you so soon!”

“Save the formalities and drivel, Kizraz.” Deathwing snapped, his voice rumbling like thunder. “Have you done what I commanded you to do?”

“Yes, of course! It wasn’t easy, Master, but I did it.” Kizraz leaped off the platform to land at Deathwing’s feet, making a ‘come here’ gesture toward the dragon. Deathwing chose to tolerate the insolent motion only so long as the goblin spoke true. “This way. This way.”

Somehow Kizraz navigated the chaos surging around them with mechanical precision. Deathwing followed the goblin without bothering to step aside for anyone - or anything - that got in his way. He simply walked over it. Or on it. The corners of his lips twitched when he bowled over some hapless goblin that hadn’t been looking where he or she was going and was trampled beneath his boots. Deathwing was led out of the main room of the cavern and into a smaller cave that had been dug out perhaps a month or two earlier in preparation. It was curved, much like a bubble, that had four small windows carved into the wall. Each window looked down into a chamber below the observation room. Each chamber was separate and unique, designed specifically for its occupant. Deathwing peered through each window, his smile growing wider as he did.

“We managed to capture them, just like you asked, oh Great One.” Kizraz said from behind Deathwing. “We lost many capturing that one, and the other one. But the sacrifices weren’t in vain, no, Master. We managed to ensure they had their medicine, yes, Master, we did.”

“Good. I’m glad to know some of my servants aren’t complete idiots.”

Kizraz’s chest puffed out, probably with pride. “I made sure each goblin dealing with them wore two or three vials of the potion, just in case they were eaten. I didn’t want to take any chances. No chances, because the Master ordered it so.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Deathwing rumbled with laughter. He could almost taste his victory, here and now, in this very moment. Yet he was far from finished. No, merely capturing them wasn’t enough. Holding them prisoner wasn’t enough. He wanted to break them. He wanted to destroy everything that they were and rebuild them to fit his vision. And now was his chance to do exactly that. “Kizraz.”

“Yes, Master?”

“I’m going to visit our first guest. See to it that we are not disturbed for any reason.”

“Yes, Master.”

“For any reason, Kizraz. Not even if my own flight comes asking. Or you will be asking for a swift death.”

Kizraz swallowed. “I understand, Master.”

Deathwing spun about and started to leave the room. “And no one is to enter here, or I’ll make sure they burn.”

The goblin swallowed again and produced a large key from somewhere in his tunic. He presented it to Deathwing, then followed the Earth Warder out of the circular room. Kizraz turned to grip an iron bar set into the left side wall beside the room’s opening. He pulled with all his strength, and an steel door peeled away from the wall. With his arms straining from the effort, he pulled and pulled until the door had swung out halfway. Then Kizraz stopped pulling and moved around to the front of the door. Bracing himself against it, the goblin began to push the door closed. It locked into place a minute or two later, and Kizraz locked the door with the key. With great reverence, he approached Deathwing and offered him the key.

Deathwing took it from Kizraz and stuffed the key into his belt, ensuring that it would always be with him. Kizraz looked up at the Aspect with wide, fearful eyes. For a moment, Deathwing couldn’t figure out why the goblin was regarding him with such an expression, but then he realized that there was a low, constant rumble filling the room. Laughter.

His laughter.

Allowing himself a premature taste of victory, Deathwing threw back his head and roared in his mirth, allowing his captives below to hear what was coming for them. The sweetest thought about that was that none of them knew who would be first or who would be last. They would be forever wondering, forever guessing. And that was the weakest of the tools Deathwing would use.

He stopped laughing and spun on his heel, stalking down another corridor off to the right of the circular viewing room. Down he went, deeper and deeper into the earth, where the heat was mitigated by goblin contraptions that brought cool, fresh air down into the chamber-like rooms. The main tunnel he stood in branched off into four separate directions, each one unique and separate from the rest. The goblins had marked each tunnel with a brass plaque that sported a singular name, as per his orders. He read each name and fixed a distinct order in his mind. It would take a long time to accomplish what he wanted, whispered the voices in his mind. Eventually, someone would ask questions. Not to worry, he replied. I’ve figured everything out. I will get what I want this time.

Choosing one of the four tunnels, Deathwing strode down the hand-carved path, heading to the first room
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To Be a King