I just realized that I have not updated this in a long time, for that I should be ashamed, but I am without shame. So no shame for me HAHAHAHA!
Anyway this is something I decided to give to tide you all over and give you something to read, hope you like.
Transcendence
Chapter 24: Black Rock'n'Roll Three
Ichigo dismounted when he arrived, night had fallen an hour ago and the town was lit up, pyres and lanterns everywhere. But apart from the lights the town's guards were on high alert, moving around in groups of three, at minimum. More patrolled the bridge, staying near the middle rather than the far side. While another group patrolled just outside the village, but remained within the lights glow.
"The town was hit hard, the bridge doesn't look to be in good shape," Adelina said, looking over to the bridge they crossed to arrive in the town.
A large chunk appeared to have collapsed into the lake, and there were dents and broken parts along the rest of it showing it was unstable and ready to collapse.
"The Orcs tried to destroy it, nearby did too, luckily we were able to stop them before they set off the rest of the explosives," A guard said, he was leading the mercenaries and conscripts through the town. "Had they done that we would have been cut off from serious reinforcements, the bridge is the only way to get to the town, if that fell, you would need to hike around the entire river, and right into the Orcs territory."
Ichigo looked around the town, finding it just a series of buildings lining up along the river, a few houses dotted themselves between the Inn and the blacksmith. But there wasn't anything else other than that, aside from a small house further up to the west where it sat on a small hill. But this place looked to be just a small farming community rather than an actual settlement.
Joana stopped everyone and motioned to the inn, raising her fist up and everyone eventually stopped. Ichigo could tell that she was annoyed with the lack of cohesion in the force, likely the thought that most of these guys were mercenaries did not sit well with her.
"Inside you will see the Commander, she will inform you of the situation and also your duties, get inside and wait," Joana ordered, shepherding everyone into the building.
Ichigo and Adelina moved in and found close to a hundred or so people around, all standing about and waiting for the leader to speak. Most of the main floor had been cleared of table and allowed for everyone to stand and wait for this little meeting to begin. Ichigo saw a contingent of Guards at the far side of the building speaking, and looking over a table and map.
The commander was a middle aged woman with long blonde hair and deep blue eyes; she has a calming aura not unlike that of a mother. Kind of strange why she felt like that, but he also felt anxious, as if being near her was actually painful.
He shook it off and listened, he needed to know what was going to happen so he could work on his own plan. If Galen was in the area he would need to find him, any information would be vital, especially if he could work to locate him while doing his job here.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, you all know why you're here, all of you have been commissioned on to help repel the Orcs from this region," Tyresa said, her voice carrying over the entire room, silencing all. "The Orcs have taken Stonewatch, and the surrounding countryside, and have begun fortifications of the Searing Pass; as such we have the duty to clear them out before they become a threat to Elwynn."
She pointed to a large map hanging on the wall, highlighting several points of interest.
"We don't have the reinforcements or manpower to assault the keep, but we do have enough to enter the pass and clear it out, if we can do that we can prevent the Orcs from gaining reinforcements from the Burning Steppes," Tyresa said. "From there we wait them out, make sure the keep is kept unsupported and prevent anymore incursions into the region."
Tyresa moved forward and kept speaking.
"But since the keep has a close proximity to the pass we need to ensure that word does not reach them of the attack, as such we will be assaulting small outlining outposts that keep watch over the pass and also are to alert the keep." Tyresa said. "I will not lie, the keep is a major concern for our forces, and if the keep is alerted to our actions and we will likely be attacked by a force that matches or exceeds our own. Coupled against the numbers in the pass, we will not survive a confrontation like that, because of this we will need every able bodied soldier and skilled warrior we can to take part in the assaults on the camps."
She frowned for a moment before she continued.
"You're volunteers and sadly I cannot order you, I need twenty, anyone who wishes to join them sign your names on the sheets up front, you will be called tomorrow."
"What about our pay?" One called from the crowd, along with some murmurs and grunts of agreement. Ichigo rolled his eyes at that, they were trying to save this place and they wanted money for it, some noble bunch these people were.
"You will be paid when you've completed your mission, ten gold, along with one gold for every Orc you kill in service to Stormwind, if you die your friends cannot collect the share," Tyresa said, her tone bland and annoyed, obviously not liking the fact she was working with mercenaries. "Alright, rest up and get your fill, we leave at dawn."
With that Tyresa and Joana along with many other official soldiers moved off, likely to continue their duties outside. While this was happening most of the mercs were directed by officers to sleeping quarters, before told that any food and drink is to be bought with their own pay. Ichigo turned to Adelina and motioned towards the bar, she nodded and they both set off to speak with the Barmaid; they needed to get some information.
Oddly enough Ichigo found out that the Barkeeps usually are the ones with the most info, apparently soldiers and travelers liked to spill their guts over ale. He guessed it was almost universal really, that people would speak their secrets and knowing's while drunk.
"Excuse me," Ichigo asked, stepping up to the woman.
"Sorry kid, no strong ail for you, come back when you got some hair on your chest," She said.
"I am not here to drink, I want information," Ichigo replied, scowling as she made a jab at his age, he knew that was going to get annoying quick.
"Okay, I can help your with that I suppose, but like the drinks here it ain't cheap," She replied, and Adelina placed down five silver coins on the counter. "Okay, what do you want to know?"
"Galen Runecrest, he came here two weeks ago, what happened to him?" Ichigo asked.
"Him, yeah I remember him, came here about that time, didn't stay long, only two days," the barmaid said. "He was looking for someone named Morganth, said to have been a warlock, was looking for his location. Asked me if I had seen him, I did actually, that bastard had this book on him, kept it real close and never talked with anyone."
"Did Galen say where he was going? Did this Morganth mention anything either?" Adelina asked.
"Galen didn't and neither did the other fella, but Galen was snooping around the town with his apprentice, both of them were speaking with everyone, mostly guards and some people around," The barkeep replied. "I think I heard something from someone else, yeah the dockmaster, he said something about some guys in robes trying to steal a boat. Likely one of them."
"Thanks for the help," Ichigo said, getting a nod from the woman, he turned and moved towards the door. As he got close he turned and whispered to Adelina. "So the docks, maybe Galen or this Morganth was trying to go up river,"
"Maybe, but we don't know much about the area, we should see about speaking with the dockmaster and maybe the guards, they could help us figure out where he might be going," Adelina replied. They nodded and moved out the doorway, entering the street and finding that the waterfront was only a few feet from their position. Scanning left they found the docks, torches lit and people moving about.
As they stepped on the dock and found the man they were looking for, an older man with long black hair and loose clothing. Shouting at people to get the supplies under cover, apparently it was going to be raining tonight.
"You the dockmaster?" Ichigo asked.
"Yeah, names Baren, listen kid if you want to fish do it in the morning, I got enough problems with Orcs, Murloc's, and damn sorcerers," The Dockmaster said, turning and tying off another boat to a post.
"We are actually here about the latter, is it true you caught someone trying to steal a boat?" Adelina asked.
"Yes, some scoundrel tried to steal the boat and make off down the river two weeks ago, caught him easily enough, and locked him up in Stonewatch last I heard," Baren said, shrugging. "Then I heard he escaped, don't know how but he escaped from his cell and the guards say someone busted him out."
"Did the guards look for him?" Ichigo asked.
"They went after him, sadly a day later the Keep was lost, all I know is that the warlock disappeared a day before the Orcs attacked," The Dockmaster replied.
"Where did you send Galen, did he speak with you?" Ichigo asked.
"Two mages went looking for him. Last I saw they went to the Keep to find the guy, but they left on the same day as the attack, I don't know if they were there, but I haven't heard or seen them since,"
"Did Galen say anything else, where he may be going?" Adelina inquired.
"All he wanted to know is if there were any other small communities further east, I have no idea really, that area is Gnoll territory, we stay away from there," Baren replied.
"What about the warlock? Do you know where he was going?" Ichigo asked, but got a negative shake of the head from the man.
"No, the guards would probably know, or they would have, if the warlock was going anywhere civilized they would likely have questioned him about it," He replied, if the guards here didn't know anything then only the guards at Stonewatch would have leads on where all three of them could be.
"Do you think there are survivors?" Adelina asked.
"Don't know, but with those animals, I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't," Baren replied, crossing his arm and shaking his head. "It is probably better that way, don't know what they do to prisoners, but if there are half-orcs out in the world, they have to do something to make them."
Adelina and Ichigo shared a glance; the implications did not seem to be good. If the Keep was lost then they likely would not be able to locate Galen, worse, if Galen was at the Keep during the attack he was likely dead.
"Thanks for your time," Adelina said, bowing her head.
"No problem,"
Ichigo and Adelina departed, deep in discussion. It would seem they had a location, but it was less than promising, as it was the only place they had to avoid at all costs.
"So this Morganth guy was escaping into the region, Galen went after him and the day after he escaped Stonewatch it was attacked, I get the feeling that is too coincidental," Ichigo said.
The guys escapes the day after an attack that took over the region, either the guy had been lucky or he had friends within the orc ranks. If that was the case then likely the orcs knew or are working with Morganth, if that was the case then capturing one could help them locate the bastard.
"Yes, but I doubt that Stonewatch was Morganth's destination, why would he go there, the Guard would have arrested him regardless, and then escaping, maybe he went beyond the Keep, further east," Adelina replied.
"But if that is Gnoll territory, whatever that is, then why would he go there? If those things are dangerous why risk fighting them?" Ichigo surmised.
"Maybe, unless he had some way to protect himself, that book may have something to do with it. I was informed it was a powerful spellbook that held dark magic; it is possible he was able to shield himself from the Gnolls. But we won't know anything until we can search Stonewatch, if that is where Galen went, then it is our only lead to know if he is still there or moved on." Adelina replied.
"Maybe we should sign up for those mission to take out the camps, if we can maybe we can question some Orcs and learn if there are any survivors or if they know about Galen or this Morganth guy," Ichigo said, already trying to figure this out, he was never much of a planner but he knew enough to figure out the basics.
If they can attack and interrogate one Orc then they could get the information they need, maybe even find out that Galen was not killed or captured. Either way would be good, they were going through a lot to get to this guy, but it was worth it to Ichigo, they needed to find him and get back to Theramore fast.
He didn't like being out here, this place was going to be a battlefield soon, and the last thing he wanted was to be in the middle of a war he wasn't a part of. Call it selfish but this had nothing to do with him, he had another war to deal with back home and the sooner he finished up here the sooner he could work to getting back to Earth.
For now he would get some rest, when he got the information from those orcs he would plan out his next move. No point in planning anything solid, if anything about his plans in the past has shown that improvising is the only thing that has kept him mostly alive. Also any plan he is a part of usually doesn't last long, so thinking on his feet seemed to be a much safer course of action than sticking to an objective that likely would fail within a few minutes of starting it.
Next Morning
"Alright, everyone listen up!" Tyresa called out to the assembled warriors.
One hundred and thirty stood before her, an assortment of warriors, soldiers, rifleman, thugs and even the occasional magi. This was the army she would command that would secure Redridge from the Blackrock Orcs. They were not a disciplined group of soldiers, but it was the best she could do on short notice.
A lot needed to be done; she had to lead an assault team against several key outposts around the area before beginning the assault. A large compound in the north had to be destroyed; just in the mountains a conclave of Orc warlocks had taken root. If they were not destroyed then they could prove deadly to the assault on the pass.
Along with three outlying outposts in the east, they had to be removed unless they wished to risk the chance of Orcs escaping to Stonewatch and alerting the Orcs there. It would be tricky, but if they could pull that off they could take the pass and seal it off before the Orcs in Stonewatch could so much as exit the gate.
"We have two main objectives before we assault the Orc in the pass, we will be assaulting a large Warlock Coven in the north, they are small in number and should be easily taken care of if we remain cautious," Tyresa shouted. "The second objective is to destroy the outlying outposts in the east between the pass and Stonewatch."
Joana moved forward and handed her superior a scroll.
"I asked you all last night to sign up if you wanted to take part in this mission, I am disappointed that only fifteen have agreed," Tyresa replied, showing her irritation plainly. "None the less I commend all who joined of their own volition."
She began calling out names, soon people began stepping forward.
"Adelina…" Tyresa called.
The young druid stepped forward and stood beside the other warriors that had been selected, but she received a raised eyebrow from the Commander. It was obvious she was wondering if she was old enough, although she could never tell with Elves, looking so damn young forever. It was as much as a pain to think about and envy.
"Ic…" Tyresa paused for a moment and looked at the name again, looking at it as if it was in a different language. She couldn't tell from the way it was written if it was either incorrect or just a different language. "Ichigo… Kurosaki…?"
Ichigo stepped forward, his armor shining in the light although he held his scowl firmly. His old tendencies shining through, but still he stood beside Adelina and waited. Tyresa looked at him for a moment before glancing at her second in command. Joana was scowling; it was obvious that she shared her irritation in this matter.
The boy was obviously too young to be here, maybe fifteen, sixteen at most and he was on the battlefield in shining new armor. Hasn't been tested or even seen the signs of battle, even that blade on his back looked too big for him. Tyresa scowled at the fact he had signed up for this mission, he was stepping forward for a very crucial mission that decided the fate of this operation. This was not something she wanted to deal with, but she would need to.
"Everyone else will move to the bridge, guardsman prepare to move out, we will be leaving for the Warlock Coven in twenty minutes," Tyresa called.
Everyone moved out while the selected party remained and began chatting amongst themselves, Tyresa narrowed in on the boy. As much as she hated to do this, she needed to get him out of the group and onto a less dangerous and critical mission. Novices were not what she needed in this assault; she needed skilled and trained warriors.
"Ichigo, come with me," Tyresa said, turning and moving off to the side, she wanted this in private, a damn circus was not what she had in mind.
If the men saw her ridiculing the boy he would get defensive and likely try to act tough to save face. Then he would likely do something stupid to try and get the pride he had back, a child with issues was not what this mission needed. They either cause a major problem or they die, either was not something she wanted.
When they were far enough away she turned and shot him a glare, obviously annoyed that he was here. He looked surprised for a moment and before he could ask what was wrong she spoke up.
"Why did you sign up to the assault on the outposts?" Tyresa questioned.
Ichigo raised a brow and was genuinely confused; he didn't understand at first why she had pulled him aside. But as soon as he did he scowled in irritation, it was obviously because of his age, what was up with these people. He had seen some guys in the town that were around his age, maybe a year older, but so what? What was so wrong with him being sixteen?
"I have a friend that may have been lost in Stonewatch, I am going up there to see if I can find him, and if the Orcs know if he was captured or killed," Ichigo replied, deciding to be truthful about the entire thing.
"So you joined to find your lost friend, that doesn't mean you can just jump on board an important mission, and I cannot risk it having an inexperience warrior in the party," Tyresa replied, keeping herself calm and controlled, she didn't need to scold him, that would only lead him to rebel against her decision, teenagers were the worst sometimes. "You are not going up there."
Ichigo's scowl deepened and his teeth grinded, he didn't have time to deal with this crap, he needed to be part of the mission. But if dealing with Tarem, Vimes, and Jaina had taught him anything, getting in someone's face isn't going to get him anywhere. He needed to find a way in and make them accept him whether they liked it or not.
"I signed up, I'm going, it's not like you have everyone you need anyway, you're still five people short of you minimum requirement," Ichigo replied back, crossing his arms, but he got an annoyed grunt from the Paladin.
"Kid, I am doing you a favor here, if you go up there…" Tyresa started, warning him what will happen if he tried to go up and fight the Orcs.
"I will fight, and I know that, I'm not an idiot who does this for kicks, a friend of mine is missing and I want to make sure he is alright," Ichigo replied, standing firm on his stance on remaining. "I signed up for this to find him, and if we can't help each other out, then I will go out on my own and do it my way."
Tyresa narrowed her eyes at the kid; she couldn't tell if he was telling the truth about deserted the force to find his friend. She couldn't risk him doing it because of two key principles. The first being that she did need every able hand to fight, the Orcs outnumber them severely and every person counts right now, even a novice fighter. If she were to send him away he would leave and they wouldn't have gotten anything from him at all.
The second was a little more ethical, if he were to run off on his own he would be killed, that was something she couldn't do with a clear conscience. If he ran off alone and got killed it would be on her, even if he wasn't under her command she would still have to bear the weight of letting him die when she could have stopped him. She was not in the mood for this, she wanted to let him down and allow him to continue his glory somewhere else.
But it turns out he was doing this out of the need to save his friend rather than personal vindication. As admirable as that was she did not like that at all, he was still young and likely would get himself and possibly others killed if he got into a situation he couldn't handle. But regardless she had no choice but to keep him here, but there was no way she would do it without someone keep a watch over him.
"Alright, get back to the group," Tyresa replied with a sigh, and as Ichigo walked off she motioned over to Lieutenant Marshal Marris.
"Lieutenant, you will be leading the men against the Orcs at the lumber mill," Tyresa said, before looking towards Ichigo. "Also keep an eye on that young man, he may do something reckless, I don't want this thing to end with young lives dying for no reason."
"Understood Commander, I'll keep him safe," Marshal replied with a salute.
Ichigo sat in the boat, five people were with him, including Adelina, and their target was a small abandoned lumber mill that was occupied with Orcs. The mission was simple, kill the Orcs inside and then move to the pass where the assault is to begin. The rest of the people from their conscripted party would do the same at the other two camps.
It was a pretty straightforward operation, they needed to attack and subdue the Orcs, simple. But the problem was that the Orcs outnumber them three to one, that is why this operation had become a stealthier operation than an all-out attack.
"Remember, do not openly engage the enemy, we need to take them out before they can send a runner," Lieutenant Marris said, keeping his voice level. "We kill as many as we can from the shadows and then we openly engage, from our reports the camp should have no more than ten present."
"Do you have any marksman present that can take care of any fleeing Orcs?" Adelina questioned, a serious crease on her brow as she went, as Ichigo called it, 'all serious'.
"Don't worry about that little girl," a masked man said, raising a crossbow, although the assortment of daggers on him showed that his profession was not exactly hunting animals. "I never miss a mark."
With that they finally hit the bank of the river, finding a steep incline ahead of them, leading up the side of the mountain where the lumber mill would be located.
"Alright, keep your heads low and follow me," Marris ordered.
They scaled the walls of the cliff, moving up it cautiously and slowly along the less inclined area, they didn't need to risk being discovered early. They had a window of about thirty minutes to decimate the camp before the main force attacked the pass, if they failed then the Orcs may alert the keep.
They only had a few more minutes before the attack would begin, and in that time they would have about twenty minutes to alert the men if their operation failed or not. That was the risk they were playing right now, but they still had time.
Marris pulled himself up and over the precipice and ducked behind a small stone formation nearby, he looked down at the camp. He found the old and rotting Lumbermill still present, along with its new inhabitants. He counted seven, around the mill and the grounds, likely the others were inside. As Ichigo pulled himself over he took in the sight of the building and the orcs that occupied it.
He had never seen an orc before, and for a moment took in their large physical stature. He guessed these guys were likely twice as strong as the average human, based on their size and muscular build. Ashen grey skin and a strong jar that had fanged teeth, with their lower set jutting out over the upper lips. They were big too, most standing close to six and a half feet tall.
Marris turned and motioned everyone up, before quickly directing them closer to the abandoned lumbering site. They all stood at the back of the mill, their backs against the wall and waiting for their orders. Anders, the contracted assassin, was guarding the right side of the mill, while Rennin, the warrior was on the left.
"How many are inside?" Marris asked, looking to Adelina who was standing on Ichigo's shoulders and peering into the mill.
"Three," Adelina said, jumped off Ichigo, she turned to look at the Lieutenant. "Only three, one is not accounted for."
Anders moved out of cover and drew a dagger; the sound of pulping flesh and a groan told them that someone had been stabbed. Anders pulled back and dragged the larger body of an Orc with him, depositing its corpse on the ground, its throat pierced with a dagger.
"That's one more piece of gold for me," Anders said, pulling his dagger free before he cleaned it on his sleeve.
Ichigo watched it for a moment; he wasn't one to shy away from a gory scene, but still seeing that did bring up some memories. Quickly squashing them he focused on getting his job done, they needed to take out the two on the inside and then the others. He has seen two near the far edge of the camp, while four stayed near the pyre in the center of clearing. With the three inside that made nine, and the one guy on the ground that made ten, they were all accounted for.
"Anders, get to the far hill, set up the crossbow, take out any stragglers that try to run," Marris ordered, and received a nod from the rogue who quickly moved out of sight and up the hills to find a good vantage point.
"Ferndale, Barrett, move in through the sides, get in there and kill those three on my word," Marris continued giving instruction. "Adelina, I don't know what you can do, but if things get bad, I want you to use whatever magic you can to even the odds,"
Adelina nodded her head in affirmative.
"Ichigo, you are with me, we will take out the two near that stump and cut them off from escape, after that we should have enough of an advantage to fight them in the open," Marris said, Ichigo nodded his head and they quickly moved out.
Ichigo kept low and moved with the Lieutenant, he occasionally glanced into the camp, finding the four Orcs still surrounding the camp fire. While two more were near the mound they were approaching, they were likely the runners in case things went south. If that was the case they could take them out and then the rest would fall. Once those two were down, the other four could be cleaned up easily enough by the rest of them.
Stopping behind the rock they crouched low, before looking over towards the mill, they saw that the two Orcs posted there had disappeared. Likely having been taken care of, that was more than enough to convince Marris to attack. Nodding to Ichigo Marris slowly drew his sword, and then they both leaped over the mound, dropping onto the Orcs.
Ichigo planted his steel encased foot into the face of the Orc, knocking him off his feet, as the Orc was dazed the substitute dropped him completely with a quick double strike to the jaw. The Orc was out cold, he turned to see that Marris had taken his own down in a more lethal approach, a blade through the heart. Marris scowled at Ichigo when he noticed the Orc was still alive, Ichigo simply shook his head and turned towards the last remaining group of Orcs.
Without waiting Ichigo charged, as they turned he moved in to disable them. He got close, Ichigo kicked in the Orcs swords as he drew it, before delivering two quick punches to the Orcs jaw. When it staggered Ichigo stepped back and avoided an axe, he reached for Zangetsu and drew it.
'I need to be careful, my blade is longer and heavier, a slight cut and these guys would likely die,' Ichigo thought to himself.
He wouldn't stoop so low as to killing these beings, they may not be merciful creatures as far as he was concerned but there was one thing holding him back. Killing a sapient being was not something he had ever done before, he had killed out of rage and anger and he would never do that again. It haunted him to murder people in such a frenzy, and he wouldn't stoop so low as to kill simply because he had done it already.
These may not be human, but he had faced all kinds of beings that were not human either. He didn't distinquish between what species or race you were, if you can think and know right from wrong how can he kill you. It was harder to murder something that was no different than him. That had a family and friends, and was doing this for some reason he didn't know. He couldn't justify killing these guys, he didn't know why the Humans hated them so much; he didn't know if it was justified.
'I reserve judgement, they can do as they please, and I will do as I see is right,' Ichigo thought to himself, fully drawing his Zanpakuto.
With a quick slash he cut the attacking Orcs arm, digging deep but not severing the limb, the Orc howled in pain as its arm was rendered useless. As it made another swing Ichigo grasped the handle of the large axe, halting its movement. Ichigo swung Zangetsu up with one hand and cut down another Orc at his side, it stumbled back with its torso lacerated, but it remained standing.
'These guys are tough,' Ichigo thought, before he twisted the axe in his hand around and used it to block an attack from the fourth and final Orc, as he blocked it he stepped forward and kicked the Orc back.
Pulling the axe forward he drew the Orc close and then kicked him in the side of the leg, breaking his knee and dropping him down. Ichigo followed up with a quick heel to the jaw and knocked the Orc out cold. Ichigo turned and evaded an Orcs attack, rolling to gain some distance before moving closer to another, he swung the stolen axe and knocked aside the Blackrock warrior's sword. Following up with Zangetsu the substitute cut through his chest, letting the Orc stagger back again, two vertical slashes along his torso.
Ichigo swung a final time slashing the Orc's stomach open, as it fell to the ground Ichigo moved forward and drove his knee into the Orc's face. As it fell down unconscious he turned and blocked another attack, using Zangetsu to parry the blade before spearing the axe forward and winding the Orc. Drawing the axe back he swung it up in a wide arc, hitting the lurched forward Orc with the flat of the axe, throwing it onto his back.
"Two down," Ichigo said aloud, turning he found the other two waiting for him, Ichigo planned to get them but before that happened both Ferndale and Barrett attacked from behind.
One Orc fell, cut down before he could turn to face the attackers. The last Orc did not last much longer, two on one; it was over within three seconds as both warriors overwhelmed the single Orc with a flurry of wild strikes. Ichigo turned to regard them for a moment, wondering what took them so long to get out and attack.
'Whatever, their down, now I can do some interrogating,' Ichigo thought, turning towards the first Orc he incapacitated, but noticed that something was off.
There was a pool of blood forming under his head, and Ichigo knew for certain it wasn't his doing. Ichigo scowled as he watched Marris move forward, holding a bloody sword in his hand.
'Why do I even bother?' Ichigo growled, he turned when he heard a pained gasp, he saw Barrett had just killed one of the Orcs he had knocked out.
Ichigo turned to the last to see that Ferndale about to do the same with the last surviving Orc present. Quickly Ichigo covered the distance and halted the blade before it met the Orcs neck, using Zangetsu as a shield; he knocked it back with a swing of his recently acquired axe. Ferndale stumbled back; surprised by this he was only saved from falling by Barrett.
"Hey kid, if you want the kill you should have done it when you were fighting," Barrett said, scowling at the youth.
"I need him alive idiot, that is why I didn't kill him," Ichigo replied, sheathing Zangetsu and keeping his hand on the axe. Looking down at the Orc, who growled at the substitute, Ichigo asked his questions. "About a week and a half ago you captured Stonewatch, I want to know if you captured anyone in there."
"Lok'mogul," The Orc cursed, and Ichigo quickly hit him upside the head.
"Speak a language I can understand, did you find a mage in the Fort?" Ichigo demanded.
"No… but we got that bitch from that sorcerer when he was done," The Orc growled, spit flying from his fanged mouth. "Now we got more prisoners to use at Blackrock Mountain, just like we're gonna use the rest of your race."
"Let's kill this filth," Barrett said, stepping forward, but halted when Ichigo raised a hand.
"A woman, the mage is a woman, what about a man, his name is Galen, was he there?" Ichigo asked.
"He's dead, that warlock would have done him in, and when they find out what you did here, all those others will be dead too," The Orc replied, shouting at the substitute.
Ichigo looked at him for a second before he stood up and moved off, he told the others that he was done. He would need to think about this, if Galen was dead then that meant this was over, he no point in being here. But this orc didn't have him; he only suspected Galen was dead. But if they had the apprentice, it is possible that the Master may be still alive.
"Don't you want the kill? You know, for the money?" Ferndale asked.
"I don't kill, not even my enemy," Ichigo replied, not bothering to look back as he made his way for the Mill where Adelina was waiting.
As he heard a roar and a sickening sound of flesh slicing and dirt being hit by steel, something he did not find particularly pleasing, he spoke with Adelina. They would need to act on this information, if Galen's apprentice was still alive, the master may be. And if what the Orc said was true, Morganth may have him, after all he gave the mage's apprentice to the Orcs.
"Could he be in the Keep?" Adelina asked, looking at Ichigo.
"No, the Orc said they were given the mage, and that Galen wasn't there, maybe they are somewhere in the east, beyond the Keep," Ichigo surmised, remembering that the warlock did try to get beyond Stonewatch, maybe Galen tried to follow him and catch the guy, only to be the one captured. "Doesn't give us much to work on, but whoever this apprentice is we need her, if she knows where Morganth is, that Galen is likely with him."
"I agree, but we cannot openly engage the Orcs, we need to remain with the group, we did give our word." Adelina replied.
Ichigo realized she was right in that regard, they couldn't abandon the people they were fighting for to make it easier for themselves. The next phase was to attack the pass, clear it out and then fortify it on both sides to prevent the Orcs from escaping Redridge and keeping the ones in the Burning Steppes from entering.
But from what he had learned they were also planning an offensive as well into the Stepped, something that could take a day or more to complete. That would take too much time for them, even worse the prisoners may be executed or are being tortured right now. Getting inside that fort is the most important thing to do right now, they had to get inside and free everyone.
"This is bad, we are between a rock and a hard place, if we leave those people are in danger of being executed, if we don't we may be letting down the rest of the forces that need us," Ichigo replied.
"We have little choice in our path; we can only go one way, to go to Stonewatch we will not be able to enter without incurring the wrath of over a hundred Orcs. Even we cannot defeat such a force alone and without aid," Adelina stated.
Ichigo knew that too, he may still have a good amount of his power left but that didn't mean he could swing it around randomly, he was bound to a body now. A Human body that could get sick and even the simplest of wounds could debilitate him. A single cut in the wrong place and he was gone, hell even a cut to his stomach and he was done, that was how bad it was for him right now.
So if a hundred orcs just swarmed him he would be as good as dead.
"Alright, let's get moving, we can come back and get to the keep when we can, just hope we can do it before the Orcs do something with them," Ichigo said, moving with Adelina back towards Lieutenant Marris who was arguing with Ferndale.
"I don't care, if you want more money dig up the gold from the ground," Marris said, looking annoyed at the warrior.
He turned and then motioned everyone forward, Ichigo and Adelina stepped up and then he spoke up.
"Alright, we are moving out," Marris ordered, before he turned to Ichigo. "Go get Anders, tell him were done."
Ichigo nodded and moved up for the hill, he ran to get to the rogue quicker, and when he did he found him perched on his rock looking to the east. Ichigo stood at the base of the mound and looked up, wondering if the guy had noticed him.
"Anders," Ichigo called, the rogue turned and regarded him. "We're done here, let's go."
"Not quite, we got a problem," Anders replied, looking off to the east, specifically a single hill along the edge of the mountainside.
There Ichigo law a large white tower just through the tree tops, overlooking the entire river, but more than likely looking over much of the surrounding region. Immediately Ichigo realized the significance, if that tower was there and it was manned by Orcs, did the attack go unnoticed.
"Did they see us?" Ichigo asked, worried that maybe they had been spotted.
"Think so, I saw a few of them running down and out it when the attack began, they likely know we are here," Anders replied.
They were further reinforced when they heard a loud dull horn sound in the distance, towards the keep no less. It was nothing less than a battle horn being sounded, the Orcs had seen them, and now they were on their way.
"Time to get moving," Ander said, leaping down and dropping next to Ichigo, before taking off running.
Ichigo was not far behind, running alongside the rogue back to the mill, they had to warn the rest of their party and then the people before they attacked the pass. Marris turned and looked at them sharply, clearly panicked at the sound of the Orc horn.
"What happened?" Marris demanded.
"There was a tower set up near the edge of the plateau where the keep is located, recently constructed as well, they saw us from there," Anders replied.
"What? But… there was no tower in the maps… where in the Nether did it come from?" Marris said, running his hand through his hair before he groaned loudly in aggravation. "Doesn't matter now, we need to get to the pass and pull everyone out."
"Wait, the attack is already underway? I thought we were to wait up and attack together," Ferndale said, looking a little surprised that the attack on the pass was premature.
"We had no time, we needed to attack and drive the Orcs out quickly, we were sent here to take off any stragglers that got through them and tried to alert the keep." Marris said.
"Doesn't matter now, they likely know we attacked the mill and then they will learn we attacked the pass as well," Ichigo replied. "How long do we have?"
"Thirty minutes, maybe less, but it will take us half as long to get to them and warn them, and by then we will be fighting our way back out of the pass and then likely be attacked by the Orcs," Marris replied, turning and walking out of the area. "We can't stay, every second counts now."
"Wait, shouldn't we try to slow the Orcs down, route them or something, or draw them off?" Ichigo asked, but the lieutenant looked at him grimly.
"Saying military tactics doesn't make you a soldier, nor a commander, we get to them and we warn them, after that we prepare for an attack on two fronts." Marris said, turning and moving.
"No, if we do that more people will die, if we can stop them maybe we can still take the pass and then focus on the keep later," Ichigo said.
"Are you mad, continue the assault while the Orcs are on our heels, it will be suicide for all, to try and hold that army back would be the death of us all, and to let the Commander deal with two armies at once would doom this entire region," Marris said, berating the boy for even suggesting it.
"If I can hold them back can you do it?" Ichigo asked.
"What?" Marris asked, shocked and dumbstruck by the suggestion, was he suggesting what he thought he was suggesting.
"If I can hold the Orcs back and draw them back towards the Keep, can you get everyone out of the pass?" Ichigo asked.
He knew that what he was suggesting was impossible, but if he got the Orcs to stay near the keep and away from the pass then the others could retreat or keep fighting. Either way those lives would be saved, he needed to think about that for the moment, if he could pull the Orcs back then maybe they would have a chance to counter them.
"No, we are going back and you are following my orders!" Marris said, jabbing his finger at the substitute.
"Sorry, I will be deserting right now, tell them to either get out or keep fighting, I will keep them back as long as I can," Ichigo replied, turning and running up the hill towards the east.
"Stop you fool!" Marris yelled after the Shinigami, cursing that he had let him run off like that, and worse that he couldn't go after him. "Everyone… back to the pass, he's on his own now."
"Wait, we're leaving him?" Barrett asked, looking to see that the substitute had simply vanished over the hill.
"I am not wasting time on a kid who wants to get himself killed; we have other lives to save now," Marris said, turning and running for the west, he needed to find Commander Tyresa.
"Sir, that Night elf is gone too," Ferndale informed, and again the Lieutenant cursed.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter
