Buried Secrets

The pickaxe rang against the stone, taking another chip out of it. As the workers continued to hammer away at the structure, a loud groan could be heard as the stone blocks began to give way. Slowly, as if reluctant to give up its defense of the tomb, the outer set of bricks that blocked the entrance crumbled into a heap, a small cloud of dust rising up to engulf the workers who were hastily stepping back.

Biara covered her mouth with a scarf as the dust settled over them, her eyes alight with curiosity as the cloud began to settle, revealing a gaping black opening into the recesses of the tomb's structure. Deep in the deserts of Uldum, the tomb had lain buried for countless centuries, and only through careful study and deciphering of some artifacts that she'd uncovered had Biara learned of its location. The tomb was that of an ancient king, and hidden within it was supposedly an artifact of great power, crafted by the titans themselves and used to slay the foul minions of the Old Gods long ago. If such a weapon were to be taken up again, its use against the foul forces of the Twilight's Hammer and Deathwing might lead to a great victory for the people of Azeroth, and Biara could also see its use against minions of the Burning Legion if she could learn the depths of its secrets.

Of course, first she had to find the object. She wasn't even sure what it looked like or what type of weapon it was. A sword? A spear? The ancient writings she'd uncovered in her work with the Reliquary had not hinted at the specific form of the weapon, only that its location would be within the tomb she had finally uncovered.

With a deep breath, Biara spoke a word of magic, igniting a small glowing orb near her head. She gestured to the workers, and several put down their pickaxes and drew swords, following their mistress into the depths of the tomb. As they passed the threshold of the dark opening, a wave of cool dry air overtook them, and Biara shivered.

Surely within this darkness there are mysteries and power beyond imagination. If I had the time, and if duty did not demand my presence constantly, I could spend many years unlocking all of the secrets of this place.

As the glowing orb of magic illuminated the chamber they had entered, the Magistrix and her servants found themselves in a circular room completely covered in ancient runes. Several stone slabs lined the edges of the room, and upon them lay many ancient mumified bodies, arrayed in their funeral garb with weapons and other treasures piled around them. Biara closed her eyes, her senses reaching out and detecting the magic all around them; it was particularly strong against one wall. She opened her eyes, moving towards the strong point of magic and studying the runes inscribed in that location carefully.

As she reviewed the writing, one of her servants walked over and picked up a golden crown from a pile of treasure at the feet of one of the corpses. Before he could even bring it to his head, the Sin'dorei was siezed by the dead arm of the corpse, and magic flared. He screamed as his life energy was drawn from him, and his body aged, decayed, and crumpled to dust before the horrified eyes of the rest of the group.

With a shaking hand, Biara brushed some of her hair from her face and spoke quietly, "No one touch anything within this chamber. It is crawling with magical wards, and we are not here for the treasure of the dead. We are here to find something that will give our people hope for the future. The next one of you to touch something that does not belong to you will not have to experience a curse; I will kill you myself."

The workers and servants gave silent nods as the Magistrix returned to her work studying the runes on the wall. After a few moments she gave a satisfied sigh and reached out, gently depressing one of the runes on the wall. With a grinding sound, the chamber's wall slide to the side, revealing a corridor beyond. Biara chanted, sending one of her magical glowing orbs up the corridor, illuminating the way to an adjoining chamber.

"This is what we've been looking for, come along now," she said softly before stepping into the hallway. The servants behind her reluctantly followed, their eyes ocassionally returning to the pile of dust and bone that was once one of their companions.

As they proceeded down the hallway, they came upon a larger chamber with tall columns supporting the ceiling. A magical glow greeted them as the walls were lined with enchanted, ever-burning torches that gave off an eerie blue light. At the rear of the chamber, a waist-high stone slab was set; three large statues of winged lions overlooking the slab. Upon it lay a golden spear, its tip glinting in the light as if asking to be taken up and used to destroy evil. Biara smiled at the sight, confident that she'd finally found what she sought.

She raised her hand, cautioning her servants to pause behind her as she began to study the runes inscribe on the walls and columns of the chambers. A set of carefully placed wards on the floor caught her eye, and she bent low, studying them intently. They seemed to circle the stone slab, and from what little she could make out, contained dire warnings about...something. Her expression became thoughtful as she struggled to translate what was being conveyed by the runes. Something about...Old Gods?

Biara never saw the glazed look on her servant's face as the Sin'dorei's eyes locked on the spear. She never saw the elf walked over the wards on the floor as he moved swiftly towards the slab. The first she became aware of it was when his laughter echoed off the stone walls, interrupting her study of the runes. His face had a mad expression on it as he raised the spear high. Electricity arced from the tip.

"It's mine! All mine! I will take it up and lay waste to all who oppose the masters!" he yelled.

Even as Biara blinked in surprise, several things happend at once. The runes on the floor flashed brightly, magic flaring within the room. At the same moment, the statues around the slab began to glow, seeming to be moving of their own will. Lastly, several of Biara's other servants rushed forward, clamoring for the spear, even as it's allure drew her own gaze towards it. It was so very beautiful to look upon...

The elf holding the weapon pointed it at one of the oncoming servants, and lightning flared from the end of the weapon, incinerating the Sin'dorei in a heartbeat. The violent act snapped Biara out of her trance, and she shouted the words to a spell, shielding herself as another blast of lightning forked outwards. Two more Sin'dorei were burned, and Biara's own wards were dissipated instantly by the aftereffects of the spell. She gasped in shock as the magic flung her to the ground.

A moment later, the chamber echoed with a roar as the three winged lions pounced, their stone forms fully animated with blazing flames. The servant that had taken the spear up rolled out of the way, and the lions collided with one another before landing on the ground. He laughed madly, pointing the weapon and burning one to ash.

Other servants rushed the center of the room, two being instantly slain as one of the stone lions smashed them flat in its attempts to reach the raving lunatic. The third lion pounched and the elf dodged out of the way. It was all Biara could do to roll clear at the last instant as the heavy stone body slammed into the ground where she had lain. With another shout, the elf incinerated a second of the three lions, shattering its stone body to tiny stone bits with the force of the weapon.

"The masters will not suffer your foolishness any longer!" he yelled. "The spear is free now, and with it your guardianship ends!"

The last lion roared and made to leap for the elf, but the remaining serants in the room interrupted it as they themselves lept towards the elf. He cackled, pointing the speartip and burned the Sin'dorei down in a group. A glancing fork of energy struck the lion, throwing it sideways. Biara's insane servant smirked, raising the weapon up as he himself began to hover in the air, power surrounding him.

"At last it shall be unleashed upon the world, and the titan's work will be unmade!" he rambled as he pointed the weapon at the lion.

A bolt of energy left the tip of the spear, heading for the creature. It instead struck a water elemental that appeared in between, destroying the creature instantly. The elf whirled to see Biara standing casually on the other side of the stone slab, brushing dust off her clothes. He glared at her in hatred, until her fel green eyes locked with his. The wards on her face glittered dangerously as she met his stare.

"You should put that down. Now." she said in an utterly calm voice.

"Your death will come soon enough my former mistress," the raving servant said with a grin. "Or perhaps the masters will make use of you. Your power should not go to waste."

Biara scowled, "That weapon has unhinged your mind. It is not what I thought it was at all. It's a cursed thing, and should never have been left here, even guarded. It needs to be destroyed, and I will do so immediately. If you do not wish to be destroyed with it, put it down."

He laughed, pointing the spear at her. Lightning danced on the tip as he began to strike at her. A heartbeat later he and the weapon were encased in a block of ice. Biara casually walked towards the elf, looking at the frozen expression of horror on his face through the uneven surface of the frozen water.

"I warned you," she said softly. She pointed, chanting a word of power. A dart of ice lanced outwards, striking the icy block and shattering it into a thousand pieces of gore. Magic flared all over the room as the spear was shattered with the servant, and Biara closed her eyes, shielding herself with wards as the power danced around her.

After a time, the magic died down, and she released her wards. She looked down at the bloody remains of her servant, the shattered spear bits mixed in. As her examination came to a conclusion, a rumbling growl sounded behind her. Biara whirled around to see the stone lion regarding her with flaming eyes.

"You did not take up the spear," the guardian said, its voice sounding like gravel grinding together.

Biara blinked in surprise for a moment before hesitantly answering. "It was not mine to take up. I came here seeking a weapon to protect my people. That...thing was made only for destruction clearly. I could not have wielded it."

The lion's gaze didn't falter as it studied her. "It was a weapon of the Old Gods, designed to bring destruction to the work of the Titans. It was taken from one of their fallen creatures long ago, and sealed away here, never to be seen again. Few could resist its charms, which is why it was not destroyed I fear. We were created to guard this place of the dead eternally."

Biara nodded, "It seems your work is done then. Magic is a tool, and when it becomes harmful or useless, it should be destroyed or removed that other, proper tools can be used in its stead. Such it was with the spear."

The creature almost smiled as it gazed at her. "You are wise to say such things. I have seen many disturb this place, only to perish on our claws or the wards."

"I did not come to disturb your sacred dead. I came only to help my people," she replied. "My purpose in life is to see the Sin'dorei safe. I have learned many harsh lessons about power during my quest to do so."

The lion paused before responding, "You say you have no intention of disturbing the dead, but I know that you have done so. I was created as a guardian of the dead, meant to keep them safe and usher them to their final rest as needed. The spear made many deaths in its time, and my work here was heavy indeed. You too have caused many deaths, and intefered with the cycle of life and death."

Biara had the grace to look away in shame. Her hand came up to touch the wards on her cheek gently. "What you say is true, but I will not allow my past mistakes to undo my work or prevent me from protecting my people. If I must fight you then I will do so reluctantly."

The creature gave a rumbling laugh, "My work here is done. The spear is unmade. I have found a new weapon of death to watch over. A new instrument of unmaking that will cause the dead to need guidance to the hereafter."

Biara looked back at the guardian in confusion. "I...don't understand."

The creature smiled and bowed its forelegs in respect. "I have found you mistress."

***********

Hours later a great shadow hurtled over the burning sands of Uldum as high in the sky a winged body could be seen swiftly receding northwards. In the sky behind it, a trail of flames left a streak for the eye to behold, and upon its back a flame-haired elf could be seen, clinging to the creature as they passed from sight.