AUTHOR'S NOTES: Those of you who want more AAML scenes, they're coming. I try to fit them in appropriately throughout the story. Those of you who are asking for violent, bloody battles, they're coming too. I'm setting up for them. Remember, the targeted readers for this story are those who know the basics about the Pokémon anime but not necessarily Warcraft, so I'm assuming that everyone who reads this recognizes the Orange Islands but not everyone understands the difference between the Forsaken undead and their Scourge counterparts. I (hopefully) have or will explain everything you need to know about the Warcraft world, and if there's anything else you want to know but don't, just contact me and I'll be happy to tell you. Now on with the show; feedback of any kind, including flames, is highly welcomed as always.
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Through Azeroth – Chapter 6
Written by daBOSS
"Get out of Ratchet you good-for-nothing sissy!"
Ash and Misty were startled. It had been less than a split second since their gryphon landed in Ratchet and these were the first words they heard. Thinking it was directed at them, Ash turned toward the voice and noticed two incredibly short, long-eared, green-skinned figures wielding maces and chasing after a much taller and muscular green-skinned character.
"That's right, run away!" one of the shorter figures hollered, watching the one they were pursuing dash out of town. "And don't come back until you learn some manners!"
Ash walked with Misty toward them and intercepted them as they were on their way back.
"What was that all about?" Misty asked.
"That no-good orc was trying to attack the night elf over there," one of them said, pointing toward the elf. "I swear this Alliance versus Horde thing is out of control. Ratchet is a neutral trading post of the Steamweedle Cartel and we goblins don't tolerate people who try to spill blood here."
"Well, that answers all my questions," Ash thought. "And I was just about to ask him what he was and what orcs looked like."
The sound of ice triggered Ash and Misty to jerk around and look behind them, where they noticed a giant bull-like man frozen in place and a gnome mage staring at him casting a spell.
"We got another one," one goblin remarked.
"When will they ever learn?" the other sighed, taking off with his partner in the direction of the confrontation.
"You're going to wish you were never born when we get through with you, wuss!" he yelled at the gnome, who quickly used a blink move and fled the scene.
The bull-man broke out of his frost trap and continued about his business. The two goblins ran back once the gnome was out of sight.
"Now then, time is money friends," one of them said to the Pokémon trainers. "What can we do for you?"
"Uh, we're looking for the Horde wind rider master," answered Misty.
The goblin raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, okay, but it's not my fault if you get killed," he responded.
"No worries, we're not members of the Alliance," Ash remarked.
"Good to hear," the goblin sighed. "We have enough trouble dealing with these guys already."
The cracking sound of a sword slamming into armor was heard, drawing another sigh from the two goblins.
"You handle this one," said one of them to his partner. "I'll show them to the flight master."
Ash took Misty's hand and followed the one who volunteered to guide them.
"You guys look like you've got your work cut out for you around here," Ash couldn't help but comment.
The goblin turned his head around and studied Ash's features carefully, a bit surprised by such an obvious remark. "You're not from around here, are you?" he asked, receiving two shaking heads in response. "I see. Well, we're just trying to do business peacefully, and it's tough with this whole Alliance-Horde rivalry going on. Besides, Ratchet isn't even the worst of the four. If you head south to Gadgetzan, those guards are busy dealing with disobedient adventurers day and night."
"Are they like this everywhere?" Misty joined in.
"I'll bet they are," said the goblin. "I frankly don't care if they kill each other around the world, but we won't have any here."
Ash leaned over to his wife. "Getting them to work together looks like it's going to be harder than I first thought," he whispered. Misty nodded in response.
"Here you are folks," said the goblin, standing next to an orc surrounded by wyverns.
"Thanks for your help," said Ash as the goblin began heading back.
"No problem. Keep it real!"
The two Pokémon trainers glanced over the orc, taking into consideration the stark differences between him and humans. He was only slightly taller but significantly more muscular. He had green skin and a seemingly deformed face. His jaw extended out beyond its upper lip with two huge canine teeth almost the size of fangs piercing upward. Cautiously, they approached him.
"Um, excuse me?" Ash was the first to speak up.
"Yes?" he uttered the word as if he was grunting.
"We'd like a ride to Orgrimmar please?" Ash hesitated.
The orc looked at him bewildered, obviously having never had two humans dare to ask for passage to the Horde capital. "Come again?"
"Uh, Lady Jaina Proudmoore sent us from Theramore," Misty spoke for her husband. "She wants us to deliver a letter to your Warchief." She reached into her pocket and took out her insignia, showing it to the orc. "You could say we're diplomats."
The orc took a glance at the insignia and stood thinking for a few moments. He looked back up at the two humans, taking careful notice of their appearance. They wore no armor, only street clothes, and they did not look exactly like a typical human from Azeroth.
"You're not part of the Alliance are you?" he asked.
"No we're not," said Ash.
"Hmm, well I know that Lady Proudmoore won't hand her insignia to just anyone," the orc muttered. "Okay, I'll fly you to Orgrimmar. One word of advice though: keep that insignia around your neck, because the second you land, the guards will be all over you."
"We will sir, thank you," said Ash as he and Misty placed the crests around their necks.
The orc brought forth a giant wyvern, a creature with the head and body of a horned lion and wings of a bat, and Ash hopped aboard with Misty right behind him.
"Orgrimmar," the orc said to the wyvern. "Be safe."
The young couple held on tightly as the wyvern took off to the north along Kalimdor's eastern shoreline, across the savannahs of the Barrens and the dry lands of Durotar toward the orc capital.
> > > > > >
Ash and Misty could immediately notice the difference between Orgrimmar and the Alliance cities as soon as the wyvern flew in. The city was built within a huge winding canyon, and all the houses looked like nothing they knew from back home. Each had either a circular or rectangular red roof and appeared to be designed and built by barbarians instead of those who'd experienced civilization. It was not a discomforting feeling, but the contrasts were glaring.
The wyvern flew along a lengthy rift pathway and over a short drop off cliff before landing in a high tower. Yet before the two Pokémon trainers could even twitch, grunting voices rushed in and surrounded them.
"Guards! Humans atop the wyvern tower!"
"Slay them in the name of the Warchief!"
"Die, human scum!"
The young couple gulped, Larien's words once again echoing in their minds.
"Wait a minute," came the voice of one orc. "Look around their necks."
Slowly, Ash and Misty raised their emblems for the green-skinned guards to witness.
"That's Proudmoore's insignia, and not the lunatic Proudmoore either!" an orcish voice behind them exclaimed. "Get High Overlord Saurfang up here!"
With at least five guards enclosed around them, Ash and Misty could do little but wait. Soon enough an orc wielding a giant twin-bladed axe and dressed in heavy silver-colored plate-mail armor walked up to the tower. He pointed toward Ash.
"You two," he barked. "State your names and business with the Horde."
"Um, I'm Ash and this is my wife Misty," Ash said slowly. "We've been sent by Lady Jaina Proudmoore to deliver a letter to your Warchief."
"Hand me the letter!" the orc demanded.
Ash put up no resistance, reaching into his pocket, pulling out the envelope, and handing it over. He looked on as the orc inspected the seal, recognizing Jaina's signature and stamp.
"Very well then, I'll take this to him," said the orc. "Guards, move aside. You two, come with me. And for your own safety, keep your mouths shut as we're walking."
Ash felt his wife's hand gripping him tighter, knowing exactly why. Though he didn't know too much about the history of the Alliance-Horde rivalry, it was obvious that the words of everyone from Larien to Jaina rang true: humans, as perceived to be part of the Alliance, were not welcomed in Horde lands.
Slowly, they followed the heavily armed orc down the spiral ramp of the tower and into the heart of Orgrimmar below, where they were met with stares of confusion, bewilderment, and suspicion from various guards and adventurers. Ash tried not to look, but seeing as how the Horde races bore gargantuan contrasts in physical appearance to those of the Alliance, it was difficult not to steal a few glances.
There were the now-familiar green-skinned orcs. There were huge hoofed bull-headed humanoids that Ash guessed were tauren. There were tall and thin humanoids with elf ears, stretched chins and noses, and feet with two giant toes on each; "trolls," thought Ash. Finally, there were figures that looked like decayed, walking corpses; "Forsaken undead," Ash remembered Larien's words.
"I'm High Overlord Saurfang," Ash and Misty heard their escort say as he rounded a corner and led them through a darker, less crowded section of the city. "I watch over Orgrimmar in the name of the Warchief. I don't care who you swear your allegiance to, but let me warn you now that if you defy the Warchief while you're in Horde lands, you'll face my merciless wrath."
Both Ash and Misty suppressed the urge to verbally lash out at their guide, knowing it would be irrational and only exacerbate the situation. Many of the questions they had could be reserved for Thrall. After all, if he was who Jaina said he was, they could expect better treatment from him than Saurfang or the guards who almost tried to kill them.
The darker road turned into light once more and Saurfang led the two Pokémon trainers into a fortress marked "Grommash Hold." They walked straightforward through the first room, catching the eyes of a few more orc guards and continued until they reached the end of the second. Atop the throne stood a huge orc geared in heavy black plate armor with giant gold-rimmed spiked shoulder pads and carrying the largest hammer the Pokémon trainers had seen to date. Like their first encounter with Jaina, he was also speaking with two others: another orc wearing a long braid down his back and covered in a wolf's head helmet and an incredibly tall troll in orange Mohawk hair wielding a sharp blade.
"Warchief," Saurfang said, diverting everyone's attention. "These two humans came to Orgrimmar wanting to speak with you."
"What business do they have?" asked Thrall, slightly annoyed at being disturbed.
"They claim to be delivering a message from Lady Jaina Proudmoore in Theramore," answered Saurfang.
"Jaina?" gasped Thrall, immediately focused on the new issue at hand. "We haven't spoken in years. It's been far too long. Hand me the message, Saurfang."
Saurfang walked up and bowed as he gave Thrall the note he took from Ash and Misty moments before. Slowly and carefully, Thrall opened the sealed envelope. It did not take long for his eyes to widen upon reading the first few lines.
"Saurfang, you are dismissed," he directed. "Thank you for bringing this to me. Nazgrel, Vol'jin, we will finish our matters later. Right now, I would like to speak with these humans."
"Yes, Warchief," the three said simultaneously before walking away. Nazgrel, the other orc, returned to his table off the left side of Thrall's throne. Vol'jin, the troll, headed back to his corner of the room. Saurfang left the fortress.
Thrall read through the first page of the letter before looking up to the young couple holding hands and standing a few meters away.
"Ash and Misty, I presume?" he asked, quickly receiving nods. "Welcome to Orgrimmar. I hope Saurfang wasn't too intimidating. Most of the Horde can't stand humans, regardless of allegiance."
"We've been meaning to ask," Misty spoke up, "why is that?"
Thrall gave a long, drawn out sigh while continuing to read the letter. "Come to my chambers," he instructed. "I'll explain everything there. Vol'jin, knock on my door if anyone needs anything."
"Of course Thrall," the troll replied.
Thrall opened the door behind his throne and entered with Ash and Misty following. Closing the door behind them, the Warchief gestured for everyone to sit down at the table beside his bed. The young couple sat side by side while Thrall took the opposite end.
"I know what you two are going through," Thrall began. "You're homesick. Jaina wrote that you two were the ones who came through the portal last night. The Horde sent a party to investigate, but the portal had disappeared by the time we got there. This is an alien world to you, and you wish to go home as soon as possible."
Neither Ash nor Misty replied. Thrall had spoken the absolute truth. Though Azeroth has treated them well, they both yearned for home.
"We orcs are sometimes homesick as well," Thrall continued. "Like you, Azeroth is not our native homeland."
"Where did you come from?" asked Ash.
"Today, our former home is known only as Outland," Thrall answered, hearing gasps from the two. "At one point in time, we lived in the world of Draenor. We were a proud race that embraced shamanism, but that all changed when the Burning Legion discovered us."
"The…Legion…" Misty croaked.
Thrall placed the third page of the letter down, now finished reading, and resumed speaking. "The Legion corrupted our race. Almost every orcish clan leader drank the cursed blood of Mannoroth, which sealed our fate as slaves to our demonic masters. We were brought into Azeroth through the Dark Portal to wage war against the humans. We had turned into bloodthirsty savages who sought nothing but combat and conquest. That was how the Horde was born. As a result, that was also how the human-led Alliance was born."
Having stared away from the humans this whole time, Thrall turned toward them and gave them a sympathetic look.
"We may have re-embraced our shamanistic heritage here on Azeroth, we may have founded ourselves a new home in Orgrimmar, and we may have become steadfast allies with the tauren and trolls, but this will forever be an alien world in our eyes," he said. "This is why I knew I could trust you as soon as I read from Jaina's letter that you were not natives to this world. The orcs understand everything about being displaced from home, but we're not as fortunate as you; we can't go back."
A sudden jolt of compassion swept through Ash and Misty. Neither could imagine the feeling of never being able to return home, never to see their families, friends, or Pokémon again. Yet Thrall and the orcs were forced to swallow such a feeling every day. Though this did not explain their hostility toward humans, the orcs deserved some sorrow.
"Draenor was torn apart after our defeat to the humans," Thrall continued. "A corrupt warlock named Ner'zhul tried to open portals to other unspoiled worlds, but their energies ended up ripping Draenor's fabric of existence. All that remains of Draenor are large floating chunks of debris known as Outland under the control of the Burning Legion."
"But how did you get from then to now?" asked Ash.
"My father, Durotan, was the leader of our clan," said Thrall. "During our war against the humans, my entire family was murdered by members of other orcish clans after we refused to drink Mannoroth's blood. I was only an infant at that time, and to this day I do not know how I was spared."
Thrall leaned back in his chair, tilting his head up and trying to recall the memory.
"The Alliance succeeded in defeating the Horde due to excessive fighting from within," he continued. "At that point, I had been found by a human named Aedelas Blackmoore and raised as a slave. His sinister heart forced me to escape, and I eventually united with some of the Horde's leaders during our war against the Alliance. We set out and freed our fellow orcs from human controlled internment camps, swearing to never be held as slaves again, and created a new Horde free from the demonic bloodlust curse."
Ash and Misty were hanging onto every word of Thrall's tale, being reminded of their own adventures from when they were younger. Of course, they never lived in a war-torn environment, but there were plenty of times when they had to fight for survival.
"It was at this point when a mysterious prophet appeared and told us that our destiny lay in Kalimdor," Thrall continued with his story. "We later found out why he had sent us there. The Burning Legion had created the undead Scourge under the command of Ner'zhul, who was now the Lich King, and spread a toxic plague that turned all the inhabitants of the northern kingdom of Lordaeron on the eastern continent into mindless undead servants. Using the Scourge, the Legion reinvaded Azeroth and set out to destroy the World Tree, the source of the world's energy, located atop Mount Hyjal in Kalimdor. If they destroyed the tree, Azeroth would be shattered."
Thrall closed his eyes as he described the epic battle about to come.
"The prophet made us realize that we had to unite with the Alliance if we were to save Azeroth," he said. "Jaina's troops had been driven out of Lordaeron and led to Kalimdor as well, and that was when we joined together in arms along with the night elves at Mount Hyjal. We battled fiercely, never giving in, until the powerful spirits of nature rose and helped us utterly destroy their leader, Archimonde the Defiler. Much of Kalimdor had been corrupted already, but the World Tree was saved."
"So that's how you and Jaina became friends," Misty remarked.
"Yes, and we almost lost our friendship in the aftermath of the war," Thrall replied. "With the help of the tauren and trolls, whom we became allies with along the way to the Battle of Mount Hyjal, the orcs found a new home here in these barren lands we named Durotar. We had made peace with the Alliance, but that peace was shattered when naval commander Daelin Proudmoore, Jaina's father and a renowned hero in their war against the orcs, landed and attacked Durotar. Jaina's attempts to convince him that the Alliance and Horde were no longer enemies fell on deaf ears, and to ensure that peace remain, she aided us and helped defeat her father. For her loyalty, Jaina to this day remains a dear friend of the Horde."
"But how did the feud begin again?" asked Ash.
"It was rather inevitable that some fighting between our two factions would ensue once we were all settled," Thrall stated simply. "There have been multiple generations of hatred between the Alliance and Horde. Humans have never forgiven the orcs for what they did during the war, and orcs have never trusted humans after Daelin Proudmoore's invasion. Yet despite all this, Jaina and I do our best to maintain the peace between us."
"It must be quite the challenge," Misty murmured.
"That's correct Misty," Thrall responded. "And I'm so thankful you brought me a letter from her today. Communication between us is nearly impossible nowadays due to factional enmity."
A knock at the door diverted everyone's attention.
"Warchief," spoke the island-accented voice of Vol'jin through the walls, "dere be a member of da Argent Dawn here to see you."
"I'll be right out," Thrall called to him. "Tell him to wait a few minutes for me." He turned to Ash and Misty. "It's getting late. I'll have someone escort you two to the Orgrimmar inn tonight. I'll think about Jaina's request and let you know my decision tomorrow."
"Okay, thank you Warchief," Ash said graciously.
"Please, you don't need to call me by my title," Thrall humbly replied with a grin, opening the door and guiding the two out.
> > > > > >
"So you're a hunter and priest couple?" asked Misty.
"Ya mon," said the male troll. "I be da one shootin' and she be ma healer."
"Hey dehr," the female troll greeted them.
Misty and Ash were now walking back along the winding roads of Orgrimmar toward the inn, which was quite close to the flight tower where they first landed. Thrall had appointed two trolls to escort them, a hunter named Taee and his priest wife Tullah. Thrall had also broadcast a message to the entire city notifying it of the human presence and ordering everyone to leave them alone, and it surprised the Pokémon trainers that the Warchief's words alone were enough to completely change the behavior of everyone in the city. No longer were they giving awkward and uncomfortable stares; every person was now carrying about their business in a normal manner and acting as if the two humans were friendly members of the Horde.
"Hmm, we haven't heard anything about the hunter or priest classes," Misty commented. "What's so special about them?"
"Da priest be da best at healin'," said Tullah. "Da shaman an' druid know healin' too, but da priest outheal dem all."
"How many schools of magic do you know?" asked Ash.
"Two," Tullah answered. "We do holy an' shadow."
"What about you Taee?" Misty questioned. "What can hunters do?"
"Ah, we hunters be da ranged damage class, mon," Taee replied. "Dis here cat be my pet. He keep attention of enemies while I shoot from far away."
Ash looked over at Taee's cat, a large white saber, and instantly recognized the expression on its face from spending so much time with Pokémon.
"I think your pet is hungry Taee," Ash remarked.
The troll peered at it. "Ah yes it is, t'anks mon," he acknowledged. "I feed it now."
Ash and Misty watched Taee open his bag, retrieve a small whole roasted bird of some sort, and toss it to his saber, who almost gulped the whole thing down in an instant. It tugged at the meat ravenously, chomping away and savoring every bit of flavor.
"Seeing him makes me miss all the Pokémon we left back home," Misty sighed.
"Ah right, da Warchief say you have pets too," Tullah realized. "He say you call dem da Pokémon?"
Misty looked at the priest dressed in sky blue and dark white robes carrying a glittering yellow staff on her back. "Yeah we do," she replied. "Our world revolves around them."
"Maybe you show us what one o' dem look like," Tullah suggested.
"Sure thing," responded Misty, reaching to her waist, grabbing, and tossing a Pokéball. "Come on out Corsola!"
In a flash of red light, the coral shaped rock figure materialized in front of the two couples. Observing its surroundings, it looked back at its trainer with a puzzled stare.
"It's okay Corsola," Misty reassured it. "They're our friends. They just want to see you."
"Dat one be cute mon," remarked Tullah. "Dey not all like dis, no?"
"No, Pokémon comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes," Ash told her. "And even if they look the same, they may be very different in terms of abilities and personalities."
"Dey pretty amazin' den," Taee commented.
"Yes they are," Ash grinned. "It's why I've spent my life training them and learning about them. They're my best friends."
Misty coughed purposely in her husband's direction upon hearing his last words.
"Okay, my best non-human friends," Ash winked at her, triggering small giggles from the troll couple.
The four trotted through Orgrimmar's commercial district, which was still relatively active with adventurers and traders at ten o'clock in the evening, and reached the inn. Taee asked the innkeeper for a room and handed the keys to Ash and Misty.
"You take care and be careful, mon," said Taee. "If you be needing anyt'ing, you ask da Warchief for us."
"Thank you so much Taee, Tullah," Ash replied, shaking their hands before Misty did the same. "We will."
> > > > > >
Ash could feel his eyelids dropping. The entire day's activities made him as tired as a Snorlax after a large meal. After all the travel and excitement, it felt good to finally be lying in a nice comfortable bed for a well deserved rest. Slowly, he gave in and allowed his body to drift into unconsciousness.
A small twitch from the figure in his arms startled him out of his nearly asleep state.
"Mist, still awake?" he whispered.
A small but noticeable "yeah" was the response.
"What's on your mind, Hon?"
Misty rotated her body ninety degrees and lifted herself up so her face was now aligned with his. "I was thinking about Taee and Tullah."
"Oh?" Ash had to admit to himself that he was slightly surprised.
"Ash, they looked so happy together," Misty muttered. "It was as if being with each other really brought out the carefree spirits within them."
"They're just like us, Mist," Ash replied. "We have much in common. We're both adventuring couples. We love traveling and facing new challenges."
"Yeah," she sighed contentedly. "I just hope we can be like them in a few years. I mean, I don't want our fire to only be a newlywed flame."
"You shouldn't be thinking that way Mist," Ash reassured her. "I love you, and that love is eternal. I've loved you for a decade now, and my feelings for you are just as strong now as they were when I first realized them. And I know they'll stay that way forever."
Misty couldn't help but let a small tear roll down her cheek. Once again, she had some doubts about the future, and once again, the man she loved was there for comfort.
"I feel the same way Ash," she whispered, barely audible.
He smiled and gave her a kiss on her forehead.
"Go to sleep," he said gently. "Who knows where we'll end up tomorrow?"
"Yeah," she sighed, making herself comfortable against his chest. "Good night Honey."
"Good night."
It took only two days for the young couple to befriend both factions, and although they did not know it yet, that friendship would soon prove critical in saving both Azeroth and their own world.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, that makes another chapter. I hope those of you who weren't too familiar with the history of Warcraft got a brief taste of it now, although if you want the full story, you'll have to check out Warcraft websites for them. Anyway, I promise more AAML and actual battles coming. For now, continue sending me your feedback. Happy reading!