A Bargain of Life and Death

Zul'jin, the Amani Troll warlord, had never experienced such a terrifying nightmare in his life. He felt as if he were bound tightly by heavy steel cables, every muscle in his body paralyzed, unable even to open his eyes. He dared not breathe deeply, for each breath brought excruciating pain. The lingering agony in his chest reminded him that he was still conscious. He was afraid of suffocating, so he was still alive.

'Bwonsamdi!' he cried out in his heart. At this moment, he firmly believed that only the mighty Loa, the god of death, could save him.

'If I didn't die, then I must still be alive.'

"I haven't made a decision about your life or death yet, Zul'jin." A deep, powerful voice came.

Whose voice was that? But he knew it was just his imagination. He tried to turn his head to the right, but his body remained paralyzed; he could only direct his consciousness there. He saw many Troll, all ghosts, floating in mid-air. They were all moving, but Zul'jin had no idea where they were going.

Look here!

The voice came again, irresistible. Zul'jin immediately turned his attention to the left. There it was, roughly resembling Troll, but with an expression as if wearing a ritual mask—utterly ferocious and terrifying. It was Bwonsamdi, the Troll Reaper of the troll race. He slowly shook his head, scrutinizing Zul'jin with cold eyes.

"Great Grim Reaper, please help me."

"People are always like this; they only remember me, the unwelcome Grim Reaper, when they are about to die, and then hope that I will spare their souls." Bwonsamdi tapped his bony fingers together, as if ignoring Zul'jin's pleas.

"I am...involved in a war, Bwonsamdi. I believe you have already reaped many souls on the battlefield. Your kingdom will be fine without me. Spare me, and I will bring you more death."

The Loa Spirits laughed loudly, his voice like a lashing lash against Zul'jin's soul. "Zul'jin, you've never participated in any war to please me. And now, when you should be offering yourself to me, you're still struggling to survive. You say I've harvested many souls on the battlefield, what a joke. I can tell you clearly, you are the first soul I've ever received."

"This is impossible!" Zul'jin desperately wished he could clench his fist, but his arm remained numb and powerless. "So many deaths, Alliance and Horde."

"The humans of the Alliance only believe in the Holy Light and would never want to enter the Otherworld. As for the Orcs of the Horde... they reek of demons! Tell me, what did I gain on the battlefield?"

"You have indeed gained nothing. But my life can bring you many souls. From now on, I promise to serve you, as long as you spare me."

Other laughter drifted from afar, rippling past Zul'jin's ears. One was shrill like a mournful wail, the other deep and resonant. These two laughs hinted at two other Loa Spirits, whom Zul'jin recognized— Hir'eek the Bat God, and Huk'k'ar the Tiger God.

"Listen to this, even Xylo and Sylvanas don't trust you. How can I believe that after I let you go, you won't go to other gods to fight against me and betray your promise?"

Zul'jin felt a sliver of joy; Death had begun to discuss terms with him, but he knew he would pay an even greater price for it.

"I am willing to pay any price to show my sincerity, as long as you let me escape death."

This last sentence seemed to touch a nerve with Bwonsamdi, and the blue flames in his eyes burned even more intensely.

"No one can escape death. No one!" Bwonsamdi roared. "Zul'jin, I should have refused your request; you're not even one of my true subjects, but I'm willing to give you a chance. However, little Amani, you must understand that you are serving old Bwonsamdi, and I will leave an indelible 'mark' on you. This pain... hahaha...!" Death laughed, "Then you'll only wish you had already succumbed to death."

"What's on your mind?"

Nathanos's questioning voice pulled Zul'jin out of the fog of memory. The Troll warlord rarely thought about the past, especially the memory of the deal he made with Death.

Bwonsamdi was right; he could only wish he had succumbed to death then and there. He wavered as the shadow tore his left arm off. But the rage of vengeance kept him going, and the fear of the ritual dagger already at his right eye could not make him back down.

All of this was for today!

To Zul'jin's astonishment, while he was still in a daze, Nathanos had already killed his henchman, the elegant longsword now stained with blood. Two hounds beside the Undead were fighting over a piece of flesh torn from the Troll's corpse.

"Bwonsamdi will certainly like these souls," he grinned at Nathanos. "But he will definitely want your soul even more."

"Go back and tell your Grim Reaper." Nathanos tore a piece of burlap from the corpse at his feet and wiped Quel'delar with it. "I am dead! In return, I will personally send you to him."

"You arrogant brat!" Zul'jin roared furiously, charging towards Nathanos. Though he only had one arm, Nathanos had to use both hands to grip the hilt of his sword and parry. Only now did he realize that this Troll who dealt with death could only gain greater power from his gods, not from being weakened by missing limbs.

"Your attack was terrible!" Nathanos said, trying to enrage the Troll so that it might reveal an opening. "Your forests have been overrun by outsiders, and your people are hiding like rats."

"At least I'm still alive, while you're a dead man!" Zul'jin slashed again, hurling insults at Nathanos. "Your face is disgusting, and you reek of rotting flesh! Do you know how other humans treat corpses like you? They only show contempt and hatred! Your family hates you, your lover hates you, because everything they cherish has been destroyed by creatures like you!"

Nathanos felt a strange tightness in his chest, which had stopped beating. He realized he had never considered how anyone other than Alleria would see him now. Was it true? His loved ones really...

... He tried to dispel these doubts and glared at Zul'jin. "I'm free now, unlike some inhuman freak who's claiming to be alive. Take a good look at yourself, Zul'jin. Have you looked in the mirror?"

"Ah!!! I'm going to rip your tongue out!"

Zul'jin had put all his strength into it. Nathanos seized the opportunity to withdraw his power. The Troll's body naturally leaned forward due to this change, and Nathanos grabbed Zul'jin's right arm and threw him backward, but the Troll leader landed firmly on the ground without falling.

"Admit it, you brat. You're no match for me."

"I'm not alone!"

These words startled Zul'jin. He turned around abruptly and found that Nathanos' two dogs had appeared to his left and right sides and behind him.

"Did your Grim Reaper ever tell you one thing?" Nathanos mocked, pointing at Zul'jin with Quel'delar, "No one can escape death!"