Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft or Halo as those were developed by Blizzard Entertainment, Bungie Studios, 343 Industries, and subsidiary companies respectively. I only own the OCs.
Author's Notes: To all the readers of my story, I apologize for not updating this story sooner but I had two book reports to write and I had finals to take at college the week before last. Then I had to move out of my dorm and put all of my stuff back at my home Saturday. Plus I had to help my family to prepare for Christmas this last, as if that wasn't enough the internet at my place went down for a couple of days, and then the lights went out so needless to say it was a hectic. But I'm back and this chapter, along with the upcoming ones, will be well worth the wait. Also, I forgot to mention earlier that this story takes place in the midst of the Burning Crusade arc, with some slight alterations of course.
And while I'm on the subject, a couple of you stated in your reviews about some confusion about the lack of an eight year time span being mentioned by the Night Elves between the Battle for Mount Hyjal and the Burning Crusade in the last chapter. I had a very good reason for that. While eight years is a long time for humans, let's face it most of us probably don't even remember half the things we did eight years ago, but for the Night Elves who lives for centuries, even without their immortality, eight years isn't that big of a time span for them. But if it makes you feel any better I can assure you that this chapter will reflect the amount of time that has passed.
So now just sit back, relax, and enjoy reading this chapter.
"Talking"
"Thoughts"
==O==
Chapter 3
First Impressions
Day 2; April 12, 2555
Location: Forward Unto Dawn
Local time unknown, early in the morning….
==O==
After he left Saelia to rest in one of the Living Quarters on the Crew Deck, John rested for a few hours himself before waking up shortly before dawn, eating a couple of ration bars, gotten in some basic calisthenics then started to get to work. Being foremost on his list of priorities, the Chief went to one of the Dawn's technical stations to the check up on the status of what was left of the ship's systems to see what he had left to work with, to take stock of the situation that he and Cortana were in while he waited for the Druid Naros to return.
As he worked on one of the consoles he found, to his surprise and relief, that some of the Dawn's weapons systems were still online, along with Gravity Control and Life Support systems. Unsurprisingly the only thing that was offline was the ship's Propulsion system since it took a beating while crash landing. Seeing as how he won't be needing the three latter systems anytime soon, he coordinated with and transferred power to the power grid so he'll have more energy for later use.
As he was finishing up a sudden thought occurred to him.
"Cortana?"
Cortana appeared on one of the workstations looking at the Chief with a curious expression on her face.
"Yes John?"
"How long was I out?" asked John.
"Oh right, after all the excitement I'm not surprised you didn't ask sooner. In answer to your question, it's been exactly two years, three months, and now twelve days." Cortana answered.
"Is the beacon still active?"
"I routed the signal to transmit via satellite to broaden the range and I kept it from blaring out over the intercom so it wouldn't startle our guests." she explained.
"Good. By the way, have you managed to get the local time yet?"
"I programed the satellite to calculate the time as it orbits so we should have the time by this afternoon."
"And while we're on the subject…" she continued.
Suddenly the Chief found that the layout of his H.U.D. had changed.
"I took the liberty of rewriting your suit's firmware while you were out." Cortana explained.
"You've been busy." John noted.
"Yeah well I had a lot of time to kill."
"I can imagine."
With that John shut off the console and left the room walking toward another section of the ship.
"So what's next?" asked Cortana from the Spartan's comm.
"I'm going to check the Cargo Bay to see if we have anything else we can use."
"Sounds like a plan. But you might wanna hold off on it for now." Cortana advised.
John suddenly stopped.
"Why?"
"Well unless I'm mistaken, one of our resident nature boys is about to return and he's headed toward the Hanger Bay. You should meet him there he might have their leader's answer." she replied.
John nodded and turned to head to the Hanger. When the Chief arrived at the entrance to the Hanger Bay, he heard the rhythmic pattern of bare feet on metal and saw Naros walking out. The night elf turned in the Spartan's direction and noticed John walking toward him so he moved to meet him.
"Master Chief." Naros greeted politely.
"Druid Naros. I assume your back with a message?" John asked while returning the greeting with a nod.
"Indeed, High Priestesses Tryande Whisperwind wishes to speak with you as soon as you are able." he replied.
"Alright, I'll get ready to meet with her. We can leave today as soon as I've finished preparations."
"As you wish. By the way do you know where I might find Saelia? I must inform her of the situation." Naros asked.
"She's resting in one of the Crew Quarters. If you want I can tell her the message while you can stop by the Mess Hall and get something to eat. Cortana can show you the way."
Naros thought about it for a moment before nodding his head in acceptance of the Chief's offer.
"My thanks." replied Naros and with Cortana giving him directions, he left for the Mess Hall.
With that John left and headed down to one of the Crew Quarters where Saelia was.
As he walked to the Crew Deck Cortana suddenly activated the Chief's comms.
"Uh oh!"
"What's wrong?" asked John wondering what had alerted Cortana.
"Sensors indicate that Saelia's vital signs are fluctuating. It's nothing life threating but you might want to check up on her." she informed him.
At that the Chief quickened his pace to see what was bothering the female night elf.
==O==
As Saelia slept she dreamt of happier times before the invasion of the Alliance and the Horde into her homeland. She then began to vividly recall the deadly battles that she took part in five years ago when everything had utterly changed for her people. She first remembered taking up arms and fighting in the woods of Ashenvale alongside her kin against the invading Orcs when they had begun to cut down the forest where her people both lived and revered. She remembered the feelings of shock and overwhelming despair at the height of the battle as she witnessed the Orcs slaying Cenarius. Then of how she and her people were forced to leave their home after the beloved Demigod had been slain.
The dream then changed to the moment when her people had fiercely fought the Orcs in a past skirmish that was bloody for both sides. It then shifted to the Battle for Mount Hyjal where her people fought alongside the Alliance and the Horde against the Burning Legion and their dark leader Archimonde which ended in victory. Then everything became dark and the dream changed once more.
She now found herself standing in the comforting environment of a familiar forest in Kalimdor. But something about it seemed…. wrong. The sky was dark, the forest was silent as a grave, and not even a single leaf in the trees was stirring. It was as though the wind itself had suddenly ceased to be. Saelia then searched for what could have caused such an unnatural gloom to befall the forest, it did not take too long for her to found out. As she looked to the sky her eyes widened with shock as she saw a floating tower with its height reaching past the clouds and seemingly towards the sky itself. Her shock then became awe as she further examined the tower and found that it was made entirely out of exquisitely crafted and streamlined sliver-hued metal that seemed to shimmer and glow with the sunlight. And to her further bewilderment she saw that not only was the tower floating but several various sized pieces of the tower itself where floating not too far apart from it.
As Saelia continued to stare at the tower in wonder she then froze as she heard an unnatural metallic sound behind her and turned slowly until she came face-to-face with a creature she had never seen before in her long life. The head of the creature, which was mere inches away from her face, was smooth and angular and was adorned with an armored helm that, which appeared to be made of the same metal as the tower, left only its face visible. The creature's face, which was also made of metal to the further shock and surprise of Saelia, was dark gray with glowing blue eyes, grimacing jaws that held rows of teeth, no nose, and like its eyes, a blue fire-like glow emanated from behind it's head giving it an otherworldly appearance that enhanced the feral nature of its eerie visage.
Saelia could only stare in mute wariness at the creature before her with it staring right back at her. Then her wariness turned to dread as the creature's eyes and the light behind its head changed from an icy blue to a burning orange. She tried to back away from the creature to move into a defensive stance but found to her horror that she couldn't move and began to feel an emotion that the Sentinel had rarely felt toward any previous foe…. fear. Her heart began to race as the creature leaned its head closer to her own. She felt herself thrash, struggling to move only to find to her growing terror that she remained rooted right where she stood. Without warning the "face" of the creature split apart, leaving Saelia looking on in horror at the fiery skull that roared at her.
Saelia's eyes snapped wide open and she shot straight up and swung her arm out of the instinct to retaliate against the creature…only to have her arm caught and held in a tight but gentle non-threatening grip.
The Sentinel's vision cleared and was shocked to find her arm in the grip of the Spartan who to her surprise was still in full armor and helmet. She found herself siting on the bed she had been sleeping in before and no longer saw the creature from her dream.
"You all right?" the Chief asked with a hint of concern.
"W-What happened?" Saelia asked creakingly while slightly shaking her head to clear her mind of any lingering disorientation.
That was then Cortana's voice spoke over the intercom.
"I picked up sudden changes in your body temperature and your movements. That told me you were having a dream, or rather a nightmare, so I sent the big guy here to check on you. But it seems your awake now. How are you?"
Saelia quickly realized that and flushed with embarrassment at her actions.
"I-I am well thank you. And I apologize for nearly attacking you Master Chief."
The Spartan gave a slight shrug and released her arm from his grip.
"It's nothing. By the way, the Druid that you sent to your homeland came back." he informed her.
"Naros has returned?"
"Yes, while you were sleeping. He said that your High Priestess was willing to meet with, Cortana and I are ready to leave if you and group are."
Saelia stared at the Chief for a moment then nodded her head.
"Very well, give me a moment to ready myself and I will consult with Naros then gather the others so that we may leave for Darnassus."
The Chief nodded.
"Understood. Naros is waiting for you in the Mess Hall and if you like something to eat you can grab some there while the two of you talk. Cortana can show you the way. When you're ready I'll be waiting in the hanger that I showed you earlier."
She nodded her head in understanding and thanked him. With that John stood and walked out, giving Saelia the room to herself.
Saelia sighed and started to get out of bed when she felt something wet sliding down her forehead. She quickly brought her hand to her forehead and found that she had been sweating while she was asleep which reminded her of the tower and the creature she saw in her dream.
"What were those things? I have never before seen nor heard of the likes of that tower or that creature. And why do I feel a sense of fear and foreboding when I saw them." she thought worryingly.
She immediately dismissed these thoughts. Now was not the time for her to ponder on the meaning of some dream. She had more pressing issues to deal with.
With that Saelia got of bed and retrieved her weapons and sack from where she laid them. Once she made sure she had everything and that she was decent, she left the room with Cortana giving her directions to where the Chief called the "Mess Hall" to speak with Naros.
==O==
John was currently field checking one of the Pelican transports that he was prepping for use in the Dawn's Hanger Bay with a nearby tool kit as well as diagnostic pad to keep himself busy for now until it was time to take his leave of the Dawn for the trip to the Night Elves homeland of Teldrassil and to Darnassus which was apparently the capital of the Night Elves. Since he was, according to the Night Elves and satellite imagery, within Central Kalimdor and a few miles south of the border of North Kalimdor, he needed to make sure that he was not going to be seen as an invader to these people being in an area where, by his estimation, the Night Elves had jurisdiction.
This upcoming meeting was going to be very critical to his time here on this part of the world since the last thing he needed right now was winding up angering the locals and getting attacked. He had decided to carry weapons for now, namely an Assault Rifle on his back, a SMG and a M6D pistol on his thighs complete with all of the ammunition magazines he might need. Naturally he would have the guns safeties on once he was there though he was still trying to sort all the details down.
Though as he worked on the Pelican his mind had been busy thinking about what he had seen for the past two days since he landed on this world.
He was familiar with the term magic of course, but that was only because of the studies in history he had back on Reach which highlighted the superstitious beliefs of ancient cultures of Humanity's history when it was starting out. Magic, Gods, Demons, Spirits, all of that was used by early humans on Earth to explain many things that they had no idea about, and had been the driving factors in the development of various societies on Earth. From the belief of ancestor worship, human sacrifice, all the way to praying to a God or various Gods for good weather, blessing marriages and the like.
He was also familiar with the terms given to those who were rumored to wield magical or divine powers. They were many, from druids, shamans, prophets, sages, prophetess, priests, priestesses, mages, necromancers, witch doctors, soothsayers, faith healers, witches, warlocks and more besides. And he had heard of things like magical charms and as well as supposedly enchanted weapons such as Excalibur and many others including the supposed creatures of myth and legend.
Of course, most of those things were soon disproved by the ever growing knowledge of mankind, and eventually the only things that remained that had any resemblance of magic were magic shows which were usually done with what most of the people called 'smoke and mirrors' effects. Though there had been cases of individuals with unique abilities but they were rare as most were proven to frauds. Magic was also seen in games, movies, or portrayed in fictional books in the UNSC. As for the concepts of spirits, monsters, undead, and demons, they too were somewhat disproved by the advances of science and technology.
As for religion the UNSC had one standing rule with religion and that rule was simple: "As long as one does not start a war over religion, or commit crimes against those of other religions, they are free to follow their beliefs." This naturally meant that as long as nothing criminal or destructive was done to others in the name of that faith, any member of the UNSC can be of any religion. This was why there were so many people of various faiths in the UNSC, along with those who didn't believe in religion.
Humanity's history was filled with wars fought over religion, the more commonly known being the Crusades started by Christianity, the Jihad of Islam, along with many other conflicts where religion played a role. Though in many cases those wars were started by corrupt priests or leaders who used their own religion as an excuse to take what belonged to another. But ever since the first trip beyond the solar system and the eventual settlement of other worlds that were proven to be habitable for human beings, the idea of starting conflict over extreme interpretation of religion was considered to be a waste of life, time, resources, and ultimately pointless.
This fact was driven home when the Covenant came and attacked the UNSC unprovoked and without cause due to their belief that the Human race were perversions to their Gods. The Covenant believed in the lies of the Prophets so much that they cared little on who they killed, man, woman, child, young, old, civilian, or military, in their eyes they all had to die. That was more than enough to unite all the UNSC regardless of religion and the Chief got to see first-hand just how violent a war with corrupted religious beliefs being the cause could be.
As for him personally, the Chief wasn't very religious himself. In fact, nearly all of his fellow Spartans had no religious beliefs to speak of, though they did use some variant forms of meditation to relax their bodies and minds when they were on a mission or when they just needed to unwind before taking a mission. His long-time friend Linda was known to use Zen Buddhism techniques to clear her mind when taking shots with her sniper rifle and she did it in such a way that she made sniping into a form of art.
They studied religion for the effects it had on a civilization, the development of social and moral standards of behavior they outlined, perceptions of other cultures, development of society as a whole. They didn't study religion to get a faith, they studied it for it's more practical effects. As for magic, it was more of a curiosity than an actual subject for them to learn.
And now here he was in a world where magic was the norm and quite possibly everything he had thought to be only the workings of the ages past now existed before his eyes. After seeing real elves, Orcs, and that Gronn in the flesh, the Spartan knew that his time here on this world was going to be far from dull.
As he placed the kit down, Cortana spoke to him as she worked in the nearby holotank running through several more files.
"John, you all right?"
The Chief turned his head to the where she was "standing".
"Why do you ask?"
"I picked up some spikes in your brain waves, as if you were deep in thought. Is something bothering you?" she asked curiously.
John rolled his eyes and replied.
"You tell me, we just landed on a world where magic is not some illusion or work of fiction. And I'm willing to bet that everything that is supposed to be the work of superstition and folklore actually exists here on this planet. If it wasn't for the fact that I saw it all with my own eyes, I'd say that I was losing my mind."
Cortana laughed gently at that.
"I see your point there. On that note I've been busy doing more research on what we've seen so far and I have to say, this is really amazing. The fact that this "magic" stuff is actually real here might explain why there were so many energy readings when I scanned the planet while we were still in space. There were so many variants of energy with subtle and obvious differences from one another. I picked up the same thing from both those groups before."
"You mean from the Druids and the Warlocks?"
Cortana nodded and showed the images once more, only this time the Night Elf Druids and the Twilight Orc Warlocks were the focus and Cortana changed the images to more of a wire frame design of the two groups. That was when the Chief saw the energy waves that seemed to come from the two groups. On the Night Elves, the energy seemed to be deep forest green mixed with flecks of blue and slight yellow, as for the Warlocks, their energy signature was black mixed with deep blood red and sickly dark green. On both groups were a number of data graphs and calculations as well.
"What am I looking at Cortana?" the Chief asked eventually.
"Apart from the obvious color difference, you can see that that their energy signatures have different ratings and numbers. This means that they are using not one type of energy, but two different ones. This would indicate that if there is magic in this world that's not the kind one associates with shows and stages, then it's one of different varieties as well. This can help us at least identify not only the kinds of energy but what kind of person uses this magic." Cortana explained.
The Spartan thought it over for a moment and agreed that this was prudent as there was no telling what else they would soon encounter in this world. Just because they had encountered the Druids and Warlocks and saw magic from them didn't mean that they were the only users of magic. Who knew what other beings and races they would encounter that could use magic? This knowledge would also prove useful if they would have to fight someone using magic as this would allow them to single them out more effectively in battle.
"Cortana, can you modify the MJOLNIR's scanner systems to identify anyone using magic from a large room?" John asked.
"That's fairly easy to do since they are the only ones who can tap into it, though I will need to run scans on them to further identify the type of magic they use. I think we can also identify them just as easily by the way they dress themselves. Did you noticed the way those Druids and Warlocks dressed? They wore little to no armor, no doubt they needed to have free movement in order to use their magic more effectively, though the Druids wore leather armor from the way they were dressed. Not to mention the fact that they were always at the back. I think casting that stuff takes time to use, that might give us the chance to single them out and neutralize them if we have to fight them."
John nodded at that, it was generally a rule that those who could fire at a distance would be placed at the rear of a formation. Archers in ancient times would often do that, and later siege weapons were always placed in the rear to both strike an enemy at a distance and to keep out of range from any retaliatory strikes from said enemy. And even when gunpowder was used and the first guns were built, that rule remained until the evolution of warfare where soldiers with guns now used cover to avoid counter attacks and the advent of more powerful cannons. Since this world's technological level seems to be at a medieval stage of development, it would make sense that magic would be used to support troop advances and also to attack powerful targets before staging a frontal assault. Thus it would stand to reason that killing magic users would deprive the enemy of any useful support and leave them with a significant setback in their overall tactical advantage.
When Cortana finished updating the scanners of his helmet he heard the sound of footsteps approaching and looked to see Saelia finally arriving in the Hanger with the Druid Naros. The two were still in deep discussion and from what he could hear with his MJOLNIR's audio scanners, they were conversing in Darnassian, which told him that whatever they were discussing was something that they wanted to keep hidden from him, though he assumed that it had something to do with him. This was enough to make the Spartan wary but not totally worried for now. However it would have been easier if he was able to at least figure out what they were saying.
"I have been using my translation software to try and crack their native language, that way we can at least figure what they're saying. Though I'm still going to need a much larger sample size of their languages before I can complete the translation program and wire it into your brain." Cortana said suddenly as if knowing what John had been thinking.
"A trip to their capital city would do the trick I suppose?" he asked with rare humor.
The A.I. chuckled at that.
"Got in one. Besides, if we can get access to their archives and libraries, it would help give me the heads up on their alphabet, various customs, history, dialects, and organizations. You should also take a look at some of their maps so I can update the ones from I got from the satellite. It would help if we had some identifiable landmarks with the updated map so we'll have a better idea of the layout of wherever we are at any given moment. Though I don't think we'll have any trouble getting this kind of information, at least from the Night Elves. There's no telling about how the other member races of the Alliance or the Horde will react though. But if we can crack their languages too then we'll at least be ready for anything or anyone else that might be lurking about. It might come in handy if we need to do the Trojan horse trick in the near future."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"You never know Chief. At any rate, we should get ready for the trip to Darnassus. I haven't gotten an exact idea where it's located, but I can bet that traveling there might take a while." Cortana replied while shrugging her shoulders.
The Spartan however had one last concern. If they were going to go to Darnassus, they would be leaving the Dawn undefended. Although he knew that without the codes to unlock the security doors and blast doors, this ship would be all right. But there was still the fact that there were creatures here that could really become a serious problem. If the Gronn he had fought with before was of any indication if there were large creatures like that, then there was bound to be a chance that there were other creatures that could be much larger, stronger, and more powerful roaming around out there.
Not to mention the fact that he knew that even the most secure defenses can be broken and bypassed. He should know, as he had broken into bases of the Insurrectionists more than once, along with a few Covenant bases and ships during the war. He recalled the time he and his team, had tried to break into the base of an Insurrectionist General named Howard Graves, the base had defenses and security measures that were impressive even by their standards and it took a lot of effort to break in. When they did they fell into a trap and had been captured until Kurt freed them from said trap.
"Cortana, we might have another problem. If we leave the Dawn, how can we keep it secure just in case some other beings on this planet decide to get curious about it? I know the security doors are the only way in to the more critical areas, but considering what the Dawn went through, what's to stop the ship from being infiltrated?"
The A.I. was silent for a moment and replied.
"I can use a copy of myself with advanced security protocols to keep an eye on the ship. If anything happens my duplicate can easily contact us by accessing the satellite we have upstairs and locate us for communications. It shouldn't be a problem since we're taking a Pelican but we might have some issues with that too."
"How so?"
"Well, considering that we don't know the exact layout of the Night Elves' capital city for one. What would happen if we try to land and suddenly wind up in a residential area or their market place? That's not going to make a good impression on the natives you know, not to mention the fact that we could cause some collateral damage in the process. Even more so if we accidentally land into places which the Night Elves might consider sacred to their people and that would REALLY get us into hot water."
The Spartan nodded at that and decided ask Saelia and Naros about that after the two night elves were done talking.
==O==
"Lady Tyrande wishes to learn more of the Master Chief?" Saelia asked in a low voice, keeping an eye on the Spartan as she and Naros entered the Hanger.
Naros nodded to Saelia, he had recounted his arrival to Darnassus to her while they were eating, the tasteless yet edible rations, in the Mess Hall where they had spent most of the time talking about it. Apparently he had arrived at the Temple of Elune just as Archdruid Fandral and High Priestess Tyrande were in the middle of another serious and heated debate. Tyrande had to work hard to keep her composure while Fandral had been busy releasing his latest attempt to annoy and test the patience of the High Priestess. The discussion had been very much the same as just about every other discussion they had in the past. With Fandral insisting that the Night Elves should cut their ties with the Alliance and strike out on their own terms as a race and not rely in the Alliance for anything else that they could very well accomplish on their own.
Tyrande, with a great deal of patience on her part, had managed to deal with that and while Fandral's latest speech had been defused, there was no doubt that the situation between her and Fandral was becoming more heated in recent times. Add that to the daily duties ensuring her race's survival as well as maintaining a good relationship with the other members of the Alliance that they were currently part of, then it was going to become even more serious. After the archdruid had left Naros then finally gave his report to Lady Tyrande. Despite the fact that he was a druid, for some reason, that even he couldn't explain, Naros had found himself becoming wary of the archdruid as of late and held some level of distrust for Fandral.
Once he was finished with his report of the events that had transpired only a day before when he and his superior Saelia had been on patrol, Tyrande asked him to wait while she deliberated her decisions on this new discovery. It was hours later that she decided that it would be better that the owner of that ship….this Master Chief come to the capital city as soon as possible as there would be a meeting of several ambassadors from the other members of the Alliance at a much later date.
The reason was simple, she wanted to make sure that the Chief was under the watch of the Night Elves since technically he was in their lands and as such was under their jurisdiction. Tyrande's reasoning was a sound one, with the Alliance members currently dealing with various duties at this time, the last thing she wanted was for them to start causing more trouble for her people over the Dawn and the Spartan. After being told of the technology the Chief possessed and what Naros had revealed through magic, she knew that it was far better that she ascertain the exact reason why he was here on their world and in their lands.
It also was to determine if he was indeed sincere that he was not here to cause damage to their still recovering lands and would not use the technology for less than sincere use. The very thought of what such weapons could do to her people as well as her enemies was a great concern for Tyrande which was why she asked for the Spartan to be brought to the city as soon as it was possible.
Saelia shook her head at this and sighed. She understood the reasons of Lady Tyrande's decision to have the Spartan brought to their capital city. But that certainly didn't mean that she was not opposed in some fashion to the idea either.
"Are you certain that this is what Lady Tyrande wants?" she asked reluctantly.
"I am certain, there is no doubt that she wishes to meet the Spartan herself."
Saelia pondered on the idea of it, she knew it would take at least three weeks at best to make it to the city of Auberdine on foot where they could take a boat to the village of Rut'theran, or they could go by the shorter way of Astranaar and ride via hippogryph to Auberdine. However, with the area routinely raided not just by Satyrs but rogue forces from the Horde as well, might make that particular route unwise to travel. Though she had no doubt that the Chief would easily slaughter any enemy they might encounter before him, she was not very favorable to the idea of him unleashing whatever weapons he had before the eyes of the people of that village.
That was when the Spartan approached and spoke to them.
"I just need to get a few more things together before we go, how long will it take to get to your people's capital city?"
Naros told the Spartan what he knew and the Spartan shook his head, showing that he didn't like the idea to say the least. What he said next made it very obvious to the two night elves.
"Both of those routes will take too long and I will not leave the Dawn unprotected the way it is. Before we go, I'll need to give some extra security to the Dawn. And I already have an answer on how to get to this city of yours, all I need is for someone to point to where it is."
Saelia raised an eye brow at that.
"How do you plan to go to Darnassus if you don't take the routes we have shown you?" she asked curiously, wondering what the Spartan had in mind.
"We fly of course, how else do we get there in the fastest possible time?"
Naros was surprised at the Chief's answer and tried not let his amusement show on his face.
"….I do not mean any disrespect when say this but, if you are suggesting that myself and the other Druids carry the rest of you while in storm crow form, then I am afraid we won't be going anywhere."
The Spartan seemed amused by that, though neither Saelia nor Naros could tell for sure. Then they saw the Chief point to one of the flying machines.
"We'll be flying in one of the Pelicans actually." he said dryly though his voice clearly had an amused undertone to it.
Saelia and Jarrod look wide eyed at the Pelican that the Spartan was pointing at.
"I will not set foot in something like that." Saelia immediately replied, not at all thrilled at the idea of being in one of those things.
"Then I am not going, I won't leave this ship without securing it completely so you will have to get used to the idea. Besides, the sooner I can meet your leader, the quicker I can get back to doing what I can to make sure that no one gets the bright idea of attacking this ship while I am away." he retorted.
Seeing that she had no other options at the moment and knowing how serious her people's leader was, Saelia agreed. The Spartan then left and started to install some security for the Dawn while Saelia and Naros left to gather the other night elves.
While they were away, the Chief took out one of the Mongoose ATVs along with a number of advanced sensor units. He guided the vehicle out and with a sound that was a combination of roar and whine, the Spartan quickly began to set up a perimeter around the Dawn.
The sensor packages were using a variety of systems to detect anything that could pose as a threat to any location. Such features included a number of vision modules such as thermal, UV, Night Vision, and 3D. The next were audio and seismic sensors, as well as advanced motion sensors. The Spartan made sure to have them as a series of overlapping circles. It took some time but as soon as he was done with that, he high tailed it back to the Dawn and arrived to Hanger and slid Cortana out of the holo-tank and slid her chip into the back of his helmet as she finished her work in securing the Dawn as well as creating the new vision mode for the MJOLNIR Mark VI that might prove useful in the long run.
With that done, he looked to see that all the night elves had finally gathered for departure, though more than one of them looked very nervous. No doubt Saelia and Naros had already told them the particular means of travel they would be using to get to their city. When he was sure that they were all there, he guided them into the chosen Pelican and began to activate the core systems to bring the Drop-ship to full operational status. Once that was done, he hit the accelerator as Cortana's clone opened the doors before them and the Pelican rushed into the sky. With directions from Naros and data from the orbiting satellite, Cortana showed the Chief the location of their destination on a holographic map.
Saelia had to admit that the sight of the land moving below her before the door of the Pelican's troop bay closed was a bit shocking and yet slightly invigorating at the same time, the feeling of being inside this…Pelican was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She had never rode on any other form of flight transportation except by hippogryph, to think that she was actually flying in something unnatural like this was….unsettling.
==O==
Four hours later….
As they approached the island where Darnassus was supposed to be Cortana appeared on a nearby holotank and showed the island on the palm of her hand as she spoke to the Spartan, they were moving through cloud cover so they weren't able to see the island just yet.
"We're nearing the island, but according to the satellite feed the only thing down there is one small village and a large mass that it's still trying to identify. Are you sure your capital city is on this island?" Cortana asked the two Night Elves standing near the Chief.
Both Saelia and Naros nodded in confirmation but didn't comment. Just as the Chief guided the Pelican down Cortana finally received information from the satellite regarding the unidentified mass and much to her surprise the mass in question was organic, a tree of all things as it was revealed on the holo-display.
"What…is…that?" Cortana finally asked as she looked at it.
"That is the new World Tree Teldrassil, and it is there where our capital city Darnassus is located." replied Naros with pride evident in his voice.
The Spartan and the A.I. looked and soon saw the World Tree itself coming into view. Created by Archdruid Fandral and a number of fellow Druids of The Cenarion Circle, the new World Tree was the new center of the Night Elf civilization and was an example of the power of the Night Elves when it came to nature itself. It was the bastion of life for the people of Saelia and her party, but it also had a dark side to it, but neither Night Elf would reveal it. Saelia would not because she had no idea on the matter, and Naros would not, due to the fact that he knew that the Tree was not fully embraced by all beings of nature or even by nature itself.
Cortana looked at the massive World Tree known as Teldrassil and whistled as the Pelican flew towards the island. John himself was very much surprised by the sheer height, size, and scale of the whole thing before him. This tree would dwarf just about anything that he had seen on a planet's surface, only the Space Elevators used by the UNSC in many of their major cities and colonies were the only ones that came close to this.
Cortana couldn't help but comment on that.
"That tree is as big as a Space Elevator and just as high, though not by much…what EXACTLY did you feed that thing to make it that tall and wide?" she asked with awe.
Saelia and Naros were confused by this but the druid was the one to ask.
"I'm sorry, but what is a…Space Elevator?"
Cortana gave them a brief rundown of the specifics while the Chief continued to pilot the Pelican in silence while looking at the tree. The Space Elevator was a colossal structure used by the UNSC to ferry supplies and materials from the planet to a platform in space for transport off world. Compared to the Gravity Lift system used by the Covenant, the Space Elevator was crude and fairly basic in design, but to the UNSC and Humanity, the Space Elevators were the cornerstone of transporting supplies and materials from world to world. The first Space Elevator used on Earth was the New Mombasa Orbital Elevator built in the early days of the 24th Century and that cemented New Mombasa's importance as an economic and strategic asset for the UNSC and Earth. Ever since then the use of Space Elevators was key to the growth of the UNSC in it's early days. They were well built for damage and usually had artificial islands to serve as the base and the area where cargo carriers were stationed for distribution to the surface of their loads.
Many such elevators were lost in the war with the Covenant and the Flood so it was somewhat amazing to see something like this tree that came close to being a Space Elevator in it's own right.
The Spartan turned a bit to see the two night elves being shown a picture of one such Elevator while Cortana explained the importance of them to the UNSC. When it was done the night elves, both standing in the doorway and sitting in the passengers' seats, were looking at the A.I. with amazement. Naros was the first to recover.
"You…were able to create something that went beyond the very sky? How!? How is that possible without magic and the guidance of nature!?" he asked shockingly, shocked and in awed that such a thing was possible.
"What do you mean by that?" Cortana asked with a confused expression on her face.
Naros gulped a bit and replied.
"Teldrassil was created by the current head of The Cenarion Circle, Archdruid Fandral Staghelm and a number of other Druids were able to use their magic to create Teldrassil to serve as our capital city and new home as well."
"You're saying that this leviathan sized tree your people call home was made through magic!?"
"Yes."
The Spartan was stunned by the implications of such a statement, to think that magic was powerful enough to make a tree grow to the size of a Space Elevator. It was for the lack of a better word, unnerving, not a good feeling for anyone even more so for a Spartan. He activated the special vision mode that Cortana developed, which would allow him to see the energy aura of anything that might have magic, or anyone who could use magic.
What he saw was enough to make him feel even more unnerved. The ENTIRE tree radiated magic, right down from the end of the roots to the leaves. He had to tune down the vision mode's parameters in order to avoid being blinded by the energy he was seeing from the tree itself and when he could see it more clearly, he couldn't help but be impressed.
Cortana likewise was impressed as she had calibrated the Pelican's scanners to allow her to look at the tree differently. Once she was done scanning the tree carefully and recording all that she had seen and evaluated, she then turned to the night elves.
"I gotta say, I'm impressed, your people have some serious talents with magic." She complemented to the Night Elves.
Naros's cheeks turned slightly more dark purple, showing that he was actually blushing. Somehow the praise from an unusual being like Cortana made the young night elf druid of the Cenarion Circle a bit embarrassed. Though the fact that he was being praised by someone who looked like a nearly nude human female might have had a lot to do with that embarrassment. Saelia noticed this and gently elbowed her subordinate and he looked at his superior with a look of apology.
The night elf Sentinel gave a discreet look at the Spartan. His companion that he referred to as an… A.I., whatever that meant, this mechanical flying machine that they were in, along with the image of what they had called the Space Elevator. Her mind was running at such revelations, to think that Humans from this….UNSC could actually create such a thing without magic. The Humans in the Alliance were very capable in many things and even in the field of technology, though they relied heavily on the aid of the Dwarves of Ironforge and the Gnomes to develop technology.
But these humans of the UNSC, their inventions surpassed just about anything and everything the Alliance could ever have conceived in their lifetimes to her eyes. The weapons she had seen the Spartan carry, and the vehicles as well terrified her, they made anything the Dwarves and Gnomes made look like toys and that further added to the fear she had which was very thick. While her people were not totally abhorrent to the use of technology, they had limited its use to military and forging purposes. As most of her kind simply didn't see technology as necessary since magic and nature provided them with everything they might require while some of the more radical Night Elves viewed technology as an inherently destructive force and a sin to nature.
She had no trouble imaging what the effects of the weapons that the Chief processed would have on her people if the Spartan ever turned on them. But she recalled how the Spartan had healed her comrades as well, she had talked with them before they left the ship and had found that their wounds had fully healed and they had recovered swiftly afterwards. This told her that the technology he had was not solely restricted to war, but she was still not willing to give him the benefit of the doubt just yet. She silently prayed to Elune that she was doing the right thing by allowing this being into their home.
==O==
As the Pelican moved closer to the area, Naros directed him to the location of the village known as Rut'theran. The Spartan guided the machine down to the outskirts and landed on a small open area. Just as Naros, Saelia, and their companions left the now open deployment bay, they were greeted by the arrival of night elves who resided in the outpost village and they were happy to see their kin return safely.
Saelia was soon greeted by the sight of an old friend, a female night elf Huntress named Kiruna Leafgale. Unlike Saelia's own light purple skin, Kiruna's own skin was of a bright violet-pink hue with a silver facial tattoo across her forehead and had her blue shoulder length hair draped over her left shoulder. She was dressed in her usual mail armor that she had learned to use many years before and she had a one-handed sword and a dagger on either side her hips, as well as her trademark longbow at her back. Sitting beside was a large purple nightsaber that Saelis knew was Shalla'tor.
When Kiruna saw her she quickly approached Saelia.
"It's good to see you again Saelia." she greeted warmly with a smile.
"You as well Kiruna, though I wasn't expecting you to be back home so soon after you received that last mission." Saelia said while returning Kiruna's smile with one of her own.
Kiruna chuckled and replied.
"As it turned out my mission didn't take nearly as long as I thought, but I am also in need of some fresh supplies. And besides, I was planning to see if there were some new tasks here in Darnassus that might need someone of my skills. But more importantly…what in the name of Elune is that thing?" she suddenly asked with a serious expression on her face.
Saelia turned to where her friend was looking toward and knew that she was referring to the 'Pelican' that she, Naros, and the others from her party had arrived on. And she was not the only one as other night elves, young and old, male and female looked at the large vessel with both curiosity and trepidation. The night elf Sentinel tried to think of the right words to explain to her longtime friend what the machine was, but she had no idea on where to even start.
But that was placed aside as the night elves were quick to recoil and some cried out in shock and surprise when they spotted a behemoth in green and black armor with a golden plate on it's face. The thing emerged from the back of the massive machine that came from the sky and began to look at the gathering masses.
==O==
Cortana, who was now in the MJOLNIR Mark VI smirked a bit and spoke to her long time protector.
"You've drawn quite the crowd." she commented with amusement.
The Spartan rolled his eyes at that and decided to lock down the Pelican, unmindful of the way the rest of the night elf villagers were looking at him. The Spartan knew that this was not going to be easy but no matter what happened he was not going to let one strand of UNSC technology fall in the hands of any native on this world. Cortana then held a private conversation with him while he was locking down the Pelican.
"By the way Chief, did you notice something about that massive tree's energy readings?"
The Spartan nodded, it had taken some re-calibrating but he had indeed seen a good amount of sickly green energy mingling with the tree's other energies, similar to the same kind of sickly green that he had seen from the warlocks, only in this case, it was even thicker and stronger than before. That was not surprising given the sheer size of this Teldrassil, yet the fact that the tree was emitting energy that was used by warlocks was troubling to the pair.
"Yeah, that definitely demands an explanation, but even if we brought it up I doubt we would get any information regarding that for the moment. The best thing we can do for now is to talk to their leader Tyrande Whisperwind and make sure our first meeting with them goes smoothly. Let's get the Pelican locked down and get a move on." the Chief resolved.
"Alright then, lead the way big guy." said Cortana with a chuckle.
==O==
Kiruna was surprised at the massive form that had just appeared out of the flying machine. Unlike many of her other kin, she had traveled far and wide so she was very familiar with the other things that existed in the world that they were part of. Her time as a Sentinel herself during the Third War made her realize the wideness of the world. This was why after the Third War she became a Huntress and traveled the lands after retiring from the Sentinels. Being a Huntress for many years she had been to the continent of Azeroth and had even skirted near Lordaeron on a few occasions and had even managed to travel into the land of the Dwarves, entering their capital city known as Ironforge. She had also traveled to distant locations and had clashed with Orcs in Kalimdor more than one instance.
That was why she was a little bit more open minded then most of her kin, she had seen many unusual things which was why she was not as adverse to technology as some her sisters where. However even she had to admit that she had never seen anything like this before. It resembled one of the Gnome's flying machines but this was different in every respect, it looked better armored and armed for one and seemed to be very capable in carrying a large number of people if Saelia's group was of any indication.
But what really got her attention was the armored being that was tapping something that resembled a collection of small glowing symbols as the door suddenly closed. This being was almost as tall as the average height of one of her race's male kin. The thing resembled a Golem made from metal but it was human sized. She had heard of mages and warlocks being able to make Golems and had even seen the process herself in her long travels, but she had never seen a Golem that was human sized. And the way it moved was very fluid much like a living being, yet it did it at a much faster and precise pace.
She also laid her eyes upon the weapons that it was carrying on its back and thighs. A larger one that resembled a rifle she had seen some humans, dwarves, and gnomes had carried and used, but it seemed slimmer, more compact, and more elegant even compared to many of the rifles that she had seen them carry. She also couldn't see any packs of gunpowder or ammunition on this being so how did those weapons work?
She also looked at the guns on it's thighs and they were unlike anything she had seen. One resembled a pistol but it was smaller and sleeker then the ones she had seen. While the other weapon was larger than the pistols that were carried by the being and the two other races, yet it was smaller compared the larger one that was on the back of the giant of a being.
Shalla'tor tensed and growled as it looked at the being. Kiruna calmed her companion by gently gripping his fur and spoke in Darnassian to her friend.
"What in the name of Elune is that thing?" Kiruna asked repeating her question.
"A human if you can believe that Sister." replied Saelia after a moment's hesitation.
The Huntress gave Saelia an unconvinced look.
"Saelia you can't be serious, I have traveled for a very long time beyond Kalimdor and have seen the humans before, both in towns, and in groups. I have even been to their city of Stormwind and I have never seen a human that wore armor like that. It looks…different, very different from what I have seen humans wear. And those weapons of his, they look like guns used by the humans and the dwarves, yet different at the same time."
"I know Sister, but I have seen what the weapon on it's back can do first hand."
"How?"
Saelia quickly told her friend the story of her encounter just as the massive human walked over to them and spoke in a voice that spoke of strength and more besides in what sounded like Common.
"The Pelican is secured, so how do we get into Darnassus?"
Saelia sighed.
"Very well, Naros and I will guide you to Darnassus." she informed the Spartan. The Chief nodded his understanding.
She then turned back to Kiruna.
"I apologize for leaving so soon Kiruna, but I need to take this human to the Temple of the Moon to speak with Lady Tryande." Saelia explained.
"It is no trouble Saelia, since I'll be joining you."
Saelia started at that.
"Are you sure Kiruna? If you have other tasks that need your attention…"
"I am sure Saelia, it would not be an issue to help you escort this…human to Darnassus." Kiruna interrupted giving Saelia a small smile.
"Besides…" she continued giving a glance at the armored being. "I'm rather curious about this being and equally interested in seeing what Lady Tryande will say on the matter."
Saelia hesitated for a moment before nodding in understanding. There was little that she could do to dissuade Kiruna from doing what she will once she had set her mind on doing it.
She turned back to the Spartan.
"Follow us." she ordered.
The Spartan nodded and after three night elves bid farewell to the others of Saelia's patrol, the group departed.
So now the two women and the lone druid escorted the giant while the other Night Elves were murmuring to themselves as they had heard the conversation between the two friends. They couldn't help but ask if the thing before them was really human.
As they made their way to the portal that would serve as the only access point to the city, the Spartan looked about the town studying it, already running through several key bits of information. Judging by the port there and the number of houses as well as what appeared to be some sort of stable, this place was somewhat similar to a fishing village that served as a dock. Considering that this was an island it would make sense that the only way here was by boat, though he had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to the village than he had seen so far. It was fairly well guarded, judging by the number of guards there at the village and how well armed they were, it would make sense since this would be the only port in and out of the island.
He then looked at the portal and spotted the guards who were also well armed and to his surprise, he spotted some of the Night Elf Sentinel women riding on what appeared to be tigers like the one that was accompanying them and both were easily the size of one of the Warthog vehicles back at the Dawn. He had no idea what they were but they seemed to be around the same caliber as the now extinct Saber Tooth Tigers back on Earth. The massive creatures growled at their approach and it took a moment for him to resist the urge to take out his Assault Rifle and reduce the giant cats into bloody confetti.
He reminded himself that he was here to get answers and intelligence not start a fire fight in the middle of the capital of the Night Elves.
The trio talked to the guards in Darnassian, unwittingly allowing Cortana to gather more samples of their language for her translation program. The group escorting him continued to speak to the guards and after a few minutes of chatting, the head guard, judging from the heavier armor and insignia she had on moved forward to speak to the John in Common.
"Elune's grace be with you Master Chief, I am Captain Erya Stormeye, we have been instructed that High Priestess Tyrande has granted you permission to enter Darnassus."
"She sent word?" asked the Chief surprised that the Night Elves already knew he was here.
"Indeed she did, sadly I cannot leave my post here as my duty is to safeguard this place. I am however, going to make some conditions; this is not for inconvenience but for the safety of our people as well as our leader. I will assign one of my fellow guards to escort you to the Temple of Elune to meet with our High Priestess but before you enter the temple you must surrender your weapons before entering." Erya informed him.
The Spartan took a moment to think it over; those were sound precautions though he doubted that they would be able to stop him if things went south and had to fight. But he was here for information gathering, not assault or assassination so he nodded and replied.
"I will do as you ask."
Erya smiled as she could sense that this being before her was telling the truth. Like many she had been a veteran of the Third war and could tell when people were lying to her in one form or another. She then nodded to one of her fellow guards and the guard stepped forward and spoke in Common.
"Follow me."
==O==
As soon as they entered the portal, the Spartan and his A.I. companion had to admit that the place was certainly impressive, the buildings were made in medieval style of a mix of Byzantine Christian classicism to ancient Greek and Nordic style pagodas with wood and stone. However, the way the buildings were made reflected a very open air and meditative quality to it that left a hint of melancholy in the air.
The guard guided the Spartan and the three through the Temple Gardens towards the Temple of Elune or the Temple of The Moon as it was more commonly known. The Spartan had to admit, it was as large as an old style cathedral and its circular structure was similar to the designs of the Christian faith, a Mosque of the Islam faith, and a Synagogue of the Judaism, the three most central faiths in the UNSC's history.
Cortana would have wanted to gather more information on the rest of the city but she knew that the sooner they met with Tyrande then all the better. Of course the arrival of the Spartan was more than enough to get a number of Night Elves as well as few other beings to take notice. There were murmurings and comments, some sounded odd, others with a mix of hostility and the like, apart from that where the usual conversations that took place between those who were too busy to notice what was going on, at least at first. All of which were being recorded and logged in by Cortana while John gave the crowd a glance and observed that the Night Elves seemed to have skin tones ranging from pale white to blue to black, even to ruddy red. But it seems that the majority of them, including his escorts, had subtle shades of purple ranging from dark to light, and from almost blue to bright pink with violet being the most common.
"It seems that purple is all the rage around here, I like it already." Cortana praised with humor, her remark obviously referring to her own purple/blue color scheme.
John smiled and rolled his eyes at that.
He then turned his gaze and looked at the buildings. They seemed to be well constructed but he doubted that they were designed to handle being hit by heavy weapons fire if a serious attack happened.
However he kept in mind that even if an invading army was able to take out the guards in the village below, the portal was the only way in and that was a perfect bottleneck area for the defenders to set up a kill zone around the portal and wipe out their targets piece by piece as they would move in small groups or one at a time.
He had to give the Night Elves credit, they knew their stuff.
As they arrived at the temple entrance, the guard turned and signaled the Chief and his escorts to wait. She then approached the entrance to the temple where a female Sentinel wearing black and purple lined light armor was standing.
The two Night Elves spoke for a moment before the guard turned and waved the Chief to approach.
The Spartan walked to the Sentinel as the guard stepped aside. The Sentinel stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"Greetings to you Master Chief, I am Sentinel Stillbough. I have been informed by Lady Tyrande that you were granted an audience to speak with her and others who will be attending. I was also instructed to allow you to enter so that the Lady Tyrande may guide you to the meeting herself." she informed him.
Both the Chief and Cortana were both surprised at this to say the least.
"However, before I allow you to enter…" she turned and gestured to something next to her.
"I believe this is where your weapons will be left behind."
The Spartan looked to see a large wooden chest, apparently constructed of powerful wood and reinforced by thick metal with glowing etchings. Apparently this was where his gear was going to be kept. He hesitated for a brief moment but decided to get things done in order to meet Tyrande and show that he was not a threat.
He removed his Assault Rifle and released the magazine from the back end of the weapon. He then moved the firing bolt back to remove the 7,62x51mm FMJ AP round that was still in the firing chamber and caught the round easily with a flick of his hand. Then he loaded the released bullet back into the magazine that he had just released. He meticulously checked the gun and did a test fire aimed to the ground. The gun clicked and the Night Elves tensed, especially Saelia and Naros who had seen this weapon in action already and knew the result of it if it was aimed at a living being.
But those concerns were laid to rest as the weapon fired nothing, to the Spartan's satisfaction as he clicked the safety switch. He placed the rifle into the chest and then removed the eleven other magazines that he had with him. He then removed the SMG and pistol from his thighs and clicked their safeties on as well and then placed them next to the MA5C with their magazines. Once that was done, Sentinel Stillbough closed the chest and ordered several other female guards to watch over the gear. He then faced Stillbough.
"That's it." he told her.
Saelia was not entirely convinced and apparently neither was Stillbough but Stillbough nodded in acceptance. She turned to the guard who had guided the Chief, thanked her and told her to return to her post. Then she turned to the Chief and the Night Elves who were with him and told them to wait while she went inside and informed High Priestess Tyrande that they had arrived.
This made the Spartan wait for a while but he was not bothered by it as this allowed him to further study the city of Darnassus while allowing Cortana to gather more samples of the Darnassian language from the conversations between Saelia, Naros, Kiruna, and the other Night Elves around them to help with her work on the translation program. As he scanned the area, he began to get a feel of the city while waiting for word of if and when he could enter the temple. After all, he couldn't just walk in there uninvited since the place happened to be the place of worship and the central hub of government of the Night Elves. That was when Cortana spoke out to the Spartan in a private conversation.
"Not too bad a city if I do say so myself. Not the same as New Mombasa in it's glory days or the cities on Reach mind you, but good enough." she commented.
"Right, how's the program going?"
"As well as can be expected, with a few more words I should be able to finish it. Also there's no word of warning from the Dawn just yet, so I guess we can rest easy for now. Though I can bet our arrival has attracted attention. The only question is if it's the benevolent or the hostile kind?" Cortana wondered out loud.
John gave a slight nod as he was thinking along the same lines and wondered what the future held for the two of them.
==O==
At The Temple Gardens….
Sebastian Cross suddenly stopped in mid-stride looked on in shock at the human sized giant in green and black armor that was standing near the Temple of the Moon. The Soldier from Stormwind had to admit that the sight of this juggernaut was surprising to him in all respects. He was on his way to the portal to make the journey back to Stormwind when he heard a loud commotion near the temple. So decided to go take a look and see just what had gotten the Night Elves in such a ruckus.
Now he knew what it was…
This being had carried something that vaguely resembled guns yet were totally different from what he had seen. After all, he was a member of the 7th Legion, the elite forces of the Alliance. He had been sent here on an assignment from his superior to deliver a set of letters that were from his comrades, who were night elves that wanted to check up on their families. After delivering the letters, he was about to head home after grabbing some food and drink when he spotted this being.
"What in the name of the Holy Light is that thing?" he wondered with awe and dread.
The Alliance soldier shook his head and decided to try and get a closer view of the being. As he did so, he marveled at the armor, it was totally unlike anything he had seen before in his life yet there was no doubt that it was well constructed. There were also signs of battle on it as there were some scorched and melted areas as well as a few gashes in some areas. All of which told him that this being was no stranger to war.
He decided to leave and immediately return to Stormwind. While he had no idea what was going on, he decided it would be best if he informed his superiors as soon as possible. The news of this being might be very important for Alliance command to hear and the possibility that the being may be of help to the Alliance was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
==O==
After a few minutes, Sentinel Stillbough came back out of the temple and spoke to the Spartan in Common.
"Master Chief, you may enter the temple now. High Priestess Tyrande will be there to greet you and guide you to the second level momentarily."
John nodded as he, along with Saelia, Naros, and Kiruna, walked into the temple. When he entered he took a quick scan of the area and silently approved at what he saw. The place was certainly both well-made and aesthetically pleasing in terms of appearance and design. Like it's exterior, the interior of the temple was perfectly round with a ringed balcony that served as a walkway for the second floor which was accessible by way of a spiraled staircase at the far wall and all around the temple's stone walls were decorated with carvings that gave it an almost woodland feel to it. The majority of the first floor of the temple was covered by a well-made garden where at the center was a large statue of a robed female Night Elf raising up a giant dish that had flowing water pouring out of it and into the pond that surrounded it. The place also had a large hall where various robed female night elves, which he assumed were priestesses, were carrying out their duties and seemed not to have noticed him yet.
The Spartan continued to scan the temple's interior, only this time he was studying to it to determine the defensibility of this location and how it could be infiltrated by the enemy if this place was ever attacked.
It was at that moment when a violet skinned night elf male with forest green hair arrived and this one was dressed in the same manner as Naros and like Naros he was barefooted and had amber eyes which told him that the new arrival was a druid, the only difference was that his clothing and manner were more related to someone of high authority. There was also an aura about him that signaled of someone used to power and demanded respect from others because of said position. That was when John was informed by Cortana that she had nearly finished the translation program and decided to give it a test run.
Saelia seemed to be the first to recognize the new arrival and spoke in Darnassian to Naros.
"Archdruid Fandral Staghelm? What brings him here now of all times?" asked a surprised Saelia.
"I believe that Lady Tyrande may have summoned him to attend the meeting. Sentinel Stillbough did say that others would be with Lady Tyrande to speak with the Master Chief. So it would stand to reason that the Archdruid would be among them, given that the Spartan's arrival is a concern to us all." reasoned Naros.
"That seems rather likely." commented Kiruna
Saelia nodded slowly in acceptance of Naros's explanation while still watching the archdruid approaching them.
This time John recognized the words being spoken by the two night elves and realized that the one before him was someone of high rank. But he didn't like the way this archdruid carried himself or the look of utter contempt the night elf was giving him, which was more than enough to prove that this guy was a person with a superiority complex. It was then that Archdruid Fandral turned to Naros and spoke in Darnassian to him, only this time the Spartan could understand him.
"Greetings young Naros, who is this…. stranger and why is it here?" he asked calmly but had noticeable bit on the words stranger and it which made the Chief to narrow his eyes at him.
Naros bowed his head respectfully and answered as several more Night Elves came into the temple in their usual routines.
"He is a guest of High Priestess Tyrande and is here at her request Archdruid."
"Really now? I was under the impression that Tyrande was not expecting anyone to come here to meet with her today. What exactly is "he" anyway?" Fandral asked with mild interest.
Naros hesitated, sending a nervous glance to Saelia and Kiruna saw that they were all having the same thought.
"He does not know!"
The three Night Elves were not sure how to respond but Naros decided to speak when he saw the Archdruid moved over to face the Spartan and loomed over him, using his height and physical build to his advantage.
"He is human." Naros finally answered.
Fandral raised an eye brow at that and looked at the Spartan with a sneer, something that was beginning to annoy the Spartan.
"A Human you say? What manner of nonsense is this!? No human dresses like this and if he is truly human, then why does he hide his face?"
Saelia then replied.
"We do not know why he does not reveal his face Archdruid, but he chooses to keep it as such and as he has not harmed anyone then we cannot force him." Saelia quickly said before Naros could say anything.
"Indeed…"
That was when Fandral turned to the Master Chief and spoke in Common, indicating that this time the Spartan was the one being spoken to.
"Allow me ask you something human…if you are indeed human, who are you and what is your business here?" he demanded curtly with narrowed eyes as he stared down at the Chief.
Needless to say Fandral's attempt to intimidate the Spartan was doomed to failure as the Spartan was unmoved. John had faced many terrors in his long career that would, magic-user or not, make Frandral pale by comparison. He had faced Mgalekgolo or more commonly known as the Hunters, these hulking monstrous beings that were comprised of massive worm like beings that were linked together while being a separate being at the same time, were bundled in a bipedal armor that were armed with a plasma cannon and a thick shield. But what made them more deadly, was that they always came in pairs. And of course, he had faced the Jiralhanae or the Brutes as they were known, carnivorous ape-like beings with a love for violence and bloodshed as well as deadly fanatics to the Covenant religion.
Both races were massive beings, the Hunters stood well over twelve to thirteen feet and would easily slaughter entire platoons of UNSC combat personnel on their own due to their armor, weaponry, and ferocity. The Brutes were between eight to nine feet tall and had the strength to even rival the Hunters. They were also known to kill Hunters in hand to hand combat especially when in a berserker rage.
These were among the reasons why the Spartan was not intimidated in the least and he made that obvious to the Archdruid as he replied in Common which Fandral no doubt understood well enough.
"I'm here to speak to your leader not you and you're in my way."
Fandral growled at that and spoke in a more feral tone, showing his contempt of the Spartan.
"How dare you speak to me in such a way! Do you know who it is you are addressing!?"
"I know very well who you are, Archdruid Fandral Staghelm, and I don't care. You're not the recognized leader of the Night Elves, High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind is, and I have business with her, not you." the Chief coldly replied.
Many of the Priestesses who were walking the temple grounds had already begun to notice the Chief, gasped in surprise at the Chief's manner and response to Fandral's normal routine of intimidation.
Fandral became even angrier while Saelia, Naros, and Kiruna started in surprise. Though they had mentioned the Archdruid's name a few times beforehand but as far as they knew, the Spartan and the Archdruid had never met. So how did the Spartan know Fandral?
As for the Night Elf in question, he could see his angered expression being reflected right back at him by the Spartan's visor and it further enraged him that this being or whatever he was didn't seem to be bothered by his actions and he was not pleased by this at all.
"Take great care with your words human, if you are human…"
==O==
Tyrande had been observing the scene that was transpiring before her for a while now as she was about to enter the room. Like the other Night Elves who were in the temple she had stopped in surprise to see the Spartan as he walked into the temple. Though she had been told by Naros about this 'Master Chief' she had not believed that he was entirely what the young druid had described, now she realized that she would have to rethink her previous assumptions.
She had to admit that this human, if he truly was one underneath all that unusual armor, was very interesting. Most beings of other races would have been intimidated by Fandral due to his stature, height, and the air of magical power he carried. But the Spartan seemed neither to notice nor care about that kind of detail. As she moved closer without alerting anyone, she found some level of amusement at the look of livid rage on the archdruid's face. The normal arrogance and smugness of the archdruid was gone as the Master Chief continued to be unmoved and from the way Fandral was acting, he might even attempt to try to goad this Master Chief into a fight.
As much as she would personally enjoy in seeing Fandral receive a long overdue lesson in humility, she knew that fighting within the Temple of Elune was absolutely forbidden. Not only that, but a fight would also have serious ramifications for all parties involved. With that in mind she spoke to the pair before her.
"What is going on here?"
The two stopped and Fandral moved aside to allow the Spartan to finally meet High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind herself. John noted that like many the Night Elf females he had already seen and met, Tyrande was an attractive woman in a stunning yet feral way. She had the build of her female kindred with violet skin and had deep blue hair, similar to the hair that Kelly had when she dyed it when they were still young, though he had a feeling that Tyrande's hair color was natural. The clothing she wore, while simple compared to some of the fashion dresses he had seen on holo-screens before in civilian centers of the UNSC, suited her well along with the adornments that showed her place as the leader of her people.
However he could sense a great deal of power in her. She moved with the grace of a warrior and her silver glowing eyes were focused and clear in their meaning. Not only that, he ran his magic detection mode, he saw that she was a bonfire of magic as well. She had an energy signature which showed that the magic was a pure healthy green that was without any blemishes. The bow she carried also looked simple but was well made after he returned to his normal vision. She was every bit as was described to him by Saelia.
One thing was for sure, this would be a very interesting meeting.
Cortana also commented as she spoke in private with her Spartan.
"She's not bad looking to say the least, and her magic levels are really high. I suggest you do your best to be nice John. She is the head of state here and a veteran warrior at that." she advised.
"Right."
Fandral then spoke to Tyrande unaware of the conversation between the A.I. and the Spartan.
"Who is this stranger you have given permission to enter the temple Tyrande?" he demanded.
The woman mentally sighed, preparing for what was going to be yet another war of words between her and Fandral.
"He is the one told to me by Druid Naros, apparently he has come from an unknown world and landed here in our lands. He was tracked by Sentinel Saelia and her patrol, but when her patrol was attacked by Orcs of the Twilight's Hammer Clan, he came to their aid and slaughtered the Orcs. I had requested his presence to meet with myself and others to determine his intentions. In fact, I was about send word for you to attend when he arrived much sooner than I anticipated." she informed Fandral in Darnassian.
Tyrande then looked at the Spartan and offered a slight smile as she spoke in Common.
"Greetings to you….Master Chief, I suppose you know who I am?"
The Spartan nodded and did something that he had heard about that people did to greet people of high rank back in the medieval days and decided to try it out. He gave a bow to the night elf and spoke with as much a respectful tone as he could.
"I know who you are. You are Tyrande Whisperwind, High Priestess of the Sisters of Elune and veteran Commander of the Third War, Sentinel Moonstrider spoke very highly of you."
Tyrande was both surprised and amused by that.
"Indeed? I thank you for the greeting, although I have been told by Naros of the name you prefer to be used, I would like to hear your full name and rank if you do not mind."
The Spartan nodded and still stood ramrod straight and replied.
"I am Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-Sierra 117 of the UNSC Navy, at your service High Priestess Tyrande."
The woman nodded as she could tell that today was going to be a very interesting day. She silently thanked Elune that none of the other Alliance ambassadors were here at the moment as who knew how they would react to what was soon to come.
==O==
Author's Notes: Well folks that wraps up chapter 3! It certainly was an interesting turn of events. The Chief visits the Night Elf capital of Darnassus and gets to speak with Tyrande Whisperwind herself, oh and Fandral Staghelm of course. That guy is such an ass don't you think? And what's with that strange dream that Saelia had? Was it just a dream or was it a sign of things yet to come?
Remember to review and don't be afraid to give your opinion or any ideas you might have that I can put into this story as I will consider them so long as their professional. And don't worry I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can but it may be awhile since I'll be taking sometime to my Christmas gifts. So until then, see ya later and Merry Christmas!