They'll pay me to do this?

[Anuin Wilson]

Caoilynn was making her last rounds at the Slaughtered Lamb. The young woman using work to not only help with the cover for the warlock meeting taking place there but to help pay for her own lessons from the master warlocks down the back passages of the secluded pub. The people that normally visited the tavern didn't bother her for the most part, despite the fact they were the more vile and ruthless the city of Stormwind had to offer they didn't do anything to make too much trouble, not to mention that the fact that the barmaid could ignite them with just a few words helped. The night was a normal one, passing by with nothing too out of the ordinary happening. When it came to close up most of the patrons had left that she noticed a man passed out behind one of the tables.

"Drunks"

Caoilynn jeered to herself in her thick Arathian accent. As she knelt in to look over the man, his in full plate armor nothing like what she had seen before, she wondered to herself who this man was. The conclusion hit her hard when the smell of rotten flesh filled her nose. She quickly pushed away and took a step back. Turns out the rumors that she heard about the death knights breaking free from the Lich King's control were true. But why was he here, She also heard the rumors that High Lord Mograine and the Knight of the Ebon Blade were leading their own assault against the Scourge in Northrend. Regardless why he was here, she couldn't let him stay. Letting loose a kick against the plate of the man loud thud echoed as she called out.

"Oy! Wake up Scourge boy, its closing time!"

Anuin woke violently from his slumber as he looked up to the barmaid that had kicked him, in a blink of an eye, he had gripped his axe and her vest, bringing his bade against her neck.

"Oy! Barwitch, you mind, I was having a pretty nice dream before you ruined it!"

His thick voice reminding Caoilynn of the felguards that some warlocks had enslaved but she just gave him a smirk. Before Anuin knew what had hit him he was flying across the bar, slamming hard against the wood planks of the floor he slid out the door, His axe flying out of his hand as he hit the floor. Smiling confidently she turned her head to the bartender as she walked towards the exit to the mage district.

"Sorry Jarel, I'll make sure the trash gets taken out"

Outside Anuin knelt on the neatly trimmed grass trying to get his barring. Looking up to the barmaid as he just shook his head and laughed as he stood up, the sound of bone resetting echoed in the cool night air as he last met her gaze and gave a matching confident smirk as he pull his axe from the tower wall it was lodged in.

"Baby if you like it rough all you had to do was tell me, I would have just skip the foreplay if that's what you really want to- whoa!"

In an instant Anuin dodged the bolt of green fire, the bolt hit the ground right behind him. The subsequent pelting on his armor only made him grin wider as he saw the woman's eyes burning with fel magic. Running towards her, Anuin dodged as fast as he could as she shot magic bolt after magic bolt at him. Finally, one caught him in his side and made him stumble back but he got close enough, smirking as he pushed his own magic and in an instant, she was flying right at him.

"Over here's where the crash was heard"

Called the town guard as they came rushing. Anuin quickly went into a state of panic. Finally he remembered that the barmaid was still flying at him he caught the woman by the neck before she crashed into him. Before he could put her down the town guard were surrounding him like jackles. Looking around Anuin noticed they all had drawn their swords and each one was grinning, Anuin laughing nervously as he dropped the woman and pointed.

"She did it!"

Coughing loudly Caoilynn quickly gathered her wits and then started to thank the guards for saving her and about how Anuin was going to take her away to his lair and do unspeakable things to her.

"That's a dirty lie, I would only do the same thing any of you fine gentlemen would do to her if you could. Well....maybe, oh if you guys really want to know something cool she's into that real kinky rough action if you know what I mean"

One of the guards started to rush him but fell as in that instant everyone around Anuin collapsed in pain the smell of meat crackling filled Anuin's ears. Caoilynn shrieking in pain as Anuin calmly walked towards her and dragged her out of the circle of death by her arm, before letting go and looking down at her.

"Suck it up you big baby, thanks to you I'm going to have to leave till this dies down! And you're going to help me"

"And why should I?"

Caoilynn snarling at him as she finally regained her composure, pushing herself up to her feet then looked to him. Looking down she saw the axe head resting against her neck, swallowing hard she growled and pushed the weapon away from her.

"Fine! I have an apartment near the harbor you can hide out in till tomorrow night"

Not much had happened until it was close to sunset. Anuin sitting at the window and looking outside at the ships getting ready to leave as Alliance soldiers patrolled the docks. Caoilynn now staring the death knight down simply growled and set down a flask of wine.

"Why are you in Stormwind anyway!?"

Looking over Anuin just shrugged and smiled.

"The Knights of the Ebon Blade didn't want me to stay with them and the Alliance Army didn't want me because of who I was before I became a servant of the Lich King, or some reason like that"

Caoilynn raised an eyebrow as she took a seat at her table and looked to Anuin.

"And who were you?"

Anuin just smiled proudly as he turned and looked to her.

"I was a member of the Scarlet Crusade. I even beat my commanding officer to death with my bare hands!"

Caoilynn's jaw was wind open when she heard him say that, she sat their in shock at how proud the man looked about the fact.

"H-how did they know about that?"

"They asked and I told them"

Shaking her head, she just stood and paced around, laughing at how silly this all seemed.

"Yep, makes perfect sense now. Why not just become a mercenary then? I mean no one wants you around so you should just hang out around Stormwind"

Anuin looked to her a little confused at to what she meant then after she explained it to him several times he finally understood what she was saying he just looked to her smiling like a small child during Winterveil.

"So you're telling me that people will pay me to kill things and I can do whatever I want and go wherever I want? Man suddenly the Alliance doesn't seem so gay anymore, this is awesome!"

Stumbling to his feet Anuin rushed out of the small apartment as Caoilynn just stood there in pure shock, collapsing into her chair she just shook her head.

"What did I just do?"

[Keilune]

This was a nice story, and a obviously a pivotal event in your character's development. I liked the mostly consistent personalities you gave both of them, and I especially love how your heroine remained kick-ass through the whole event.

There are a few inconsistencies that you may want to work on when you have time. The first is the most difficult, since the transition in your story depends upon it. However, it is difficult to believe that your character, having fought in the Scarlet Crusade, with the Ebon Blade (at least for a while till they kicked him out?) did know what a mercenary was.

A second possible issue is that I think that most Death Knights have their memory wiped as part of the ordeal. Maybe someone who knows more about that can verify.

The other's are smaller and mostly stylistic and semantic. Someone from Azeroth is probably not going to use words like "cool" or "gay" as descriptors. Those only have meaning in terms of Earth-based cultures. Beware of slang.. even some metaphors wouldn't translate well (I'm guilty of that one).

The last critique is that as amusing as it was, I'm not sure the "She did it" fit with the image I had of him at the time. That may be my own lack of imagination more than anything.

All these notwithstanding, I enjoyed the story quite a bit. It is creative and descriptive and it ensrhines a character identity that would otherwise just be a blurb in a bio. Nice work.

[Keilune]

(( Sorry the above should have all been in double brackets, since this board is IC by default))

[Anuin Wilson]

((thanks for the comment and pointing out those two issues. I'll definitely have to rework the mercenary part of the story but as for the part of the Death Knight memory wipe I'm going to have to disagree with you that. Using Thassarian for my argument, he's fully aware of the fact that he not only has a sister but during the end of the quest "Last Rites" on top of the the Wailing Ziggurat he fully recognizes her and through their discussion it's clear that this is the first time they've seen each other since his breaking away from the Scourge.))

[Anuin Wilson]

((adding a little more to the history, hope you enjoy it's a rough draft but it's late and I'm tired so I'm gonna post it and call it a night.))

The cold stone brushed against his scared flesh as Anuin sat in the Legion Hold dungeon, recovering from the latest round of torture by Deathbringer Jovaan's minions. Now he sat there numb as his body started to patch itself up, the dark magic of the Necromancers under Lady Deathwhisperer had added some new special 'gifts' to him and his 'brothers'. It felt like an endless torment as the runic magic that coerced through his veins now slowly patched him back together for the first time since he was reborn as a Death Knight. Closing his eyes he sat back as the pain flowed over him as his mind slowly slipped out of consciousness...

'Anuin, you know that you can't escape what you are, what we made you. Why do you try? Do you fancy yourself a hero because you broke free of your chains?'

Anuin woke again in the cell, how long he had been asleep but it would only be a few moments of peace before his captors see him not wreathing in agony and break him down again, he laughed the first time they brought him to the playground of one of their 'interrogators' but not this time. When the time came, he didn't put up a fight as he was drug two another torrent of pain and suffering. They ripped out his entrails on the floor, ripping out the bloodworm that he had grown to care for like a pet, slowly dissecting it front of him before they lay him an stone table. Meticulously the demon ran a dagger along several cuts along his skin, deep enough for him to bleed and keep him awake. He cursed when the hooks went into his chest, screaming himself to unconsciousness when they pulled open his ribcage...

"Where...Where am I?"

Anuin looked around, several intangible whispers filled his head as he turned to see a giant woman covered in white cloth hovering over him. Anuin looked down at his hands, the leather look of his skin no more but when he cupped his hands together, he felt nothing. Looking up to the woman in shock he saw a small smile form on her face as the cloth that wrapped around her started to move to incase him.

"Slow down, we haven't even had a first date yet"

Anuin smiled as warmth filled inside him, but then an icy chill gripped his leg. With a quick pull Anuin was now away from the warmth of the woman, now a cold and frightening void surrounded him.

'You're nothing but a stray dog. You know they cannot win; soon all will serve the Lich King. You and the other Knights of the Ebon Blade where given the honor, no the privilege, of being his champions and look what you have done, look what you have become. Now, you are weak and you are alone.'

When Anuin woke, he was on a cot in Wildhammer Stronghold, his body once again regenerating itself. It seemed that the demons of Legion Hold had grown bored with him as a plaything and had sent him with one of their infernals that were attacking the castle as a message to those inside. Under his cot, he saw his armor and weapon already patched up by the resident armorsmiths and started to don his armor, not even bothering to remove the bloodied bandages that covered most of his body, gripping his blade tightly in his hands he turned without a word. Walking with a murderous rage and focus to the gryphon master. He paid his fair to Shattrath, soon he'd be on his way to Nothrend and closer to joining with the rest of the Ebon Blade and he'd bring a swift and gruesome death to those that denied him the chance at final peace.