Here it is, sorry for the delay, got a little ahead of myself and forgot to post it last night. But it is here now, also be on the lookout, going to be posting something else very soon. So be sure to keep a look out for it.
Transcendence
Chapter 25: All Your Base Are Belong To Us
"Lok-Narash, get your weapons now!" Tharil'zun roared, from the gate he marshalled the others, yelling as the Orcs began to file out from the Keep.
They wore little armor and appeared to be using weapons they scavenged from the Keep, likely realizing these arms were better than what they had on hand. Those steel weapons made this small army of Orcs an even more deadly force to fight against, especially now that they were marching for battle. They funneled unorganized out of the gate and moving along the path, using the main road to guide their advance.
They were circled around the back of Stonewatch and down to the path, moving towards lumber mill. An attack had been seen and they planned to crush any sort of resistance that may be trying to attack them. When they arrive they would see no one, but it was the pass they would notice, and the sounds of battle within that would draw them in.
That was something that could not be allowed.
"They are on the move," Adelina stated, watching as they moved around the Keep and down the dirt path towards the northern road.
Both she and Ichigo were situated on a small hill just north east of Stonewatch, out of sight and out of mind, here they had a good vantage of the area. Ichigo had gotten them here quickly with his unique movement ability, allowing them to reach their cover without being seen. But it did little to help them think of a means to enter the Keep without being spotted by the many orcs departing its walls.
"We can't wait for them to leave, we need to lure them out," Ichigo said, feeling antsy and wanting to just get out there and try to draw them away.
"No, if we lure them onto open ground they will pursue us. We need to enter the Keep." Adelina replied. "Once we enter we can easily lure them back, all we have to do then is reveal ourselves at the right moment and let them sound the alarm, the Orcs will come running back, but if the gate is barred they will not be able to enter."
"That sounds pretty reasonable," Ichigo sounded out, surprised by her actual expertise in this, he didn't take her for the serious commanding type, but she certainly did have a way with tactics.
"We can sneak around and pass through the gate, if it is on the south side of the Keep it should be easy to enter without being seen, although closing the gates will be the hard part, there will likely be those who will bar our way," Adelina said. "Also from what I know about the fortifications the gates are likely twenty feet tall and made of solid wood and metal bracings."
Ichigo groaned at that, there was no way he could move something that big. He had strength to do a lot of things, but he doubted this physical shell could actually do what he needed it to do. The only thing he could do was likely clear out any opposition in his way and work to get the gate closed. But actually closing it himself, he highly doubted that he could do anything in regards to that level of power.
"Leave the guards to me, if you can do something about the gate do it, I will keep them off your back while you work," Ichigo replied.
"Alright, we have a plan, now we need to carry it out," Adelina said, turning and looking off to the east, seeing a small array of trees nearby. "Go ahead of me and secure the gate and courtyard, I will be along with some help."
Without another word Adelina took off into the distance, changing her form midstride into that of a panther. Ichigo didn't know what she was planning but he hoped it would be good, because he doubted he could hold off an army by himself. A Getsuga Tenshou might work, but he didn't think they would line up to take it head on.
'No time like the present,'
With that final thought Ichigo disappeared with a quick burst of Shunpo, moving to flank the Orcs and work his way to the front of the Keep.
It took about five minutes to reach the south side of Stonewatch, Ichigo had to hide behind a series of hills and watched the Orcs continue to file out. They were moving intentionally slow, which was good in Ichigo's opinion, if they were not going quick they likely didn't realize there was an attack on the pass. If Ichigo could pull them back quickly before they reached the mill than they would be successful.
But he would need to wait before drawing them back; Adelina seemed to have a plan to close the gate, whatever it may be. But before then he could clear the Courtyard, hopefully they decided to empty out the place and would leave a skeletal crew for him to deal with.
As Ichigo saw the last Orc leave through the gate he moved, only waiting a few seconds to make sure there were no stragglers. As he moved Ichigo kept his eyes shifting between the Orcs moving down the slope around the side of the Keep and to the gate, where more Orcs likely were standing guard.
Without wasting another moment he used Shunpo to cover the distance, before glancing inside the gate. It turns out there was a channel towards the gate, two large sections of walls jutted from the main keep walls and created a funnel. It was likely used to funnel the enemy if they attacked, that way people on the walls could fire at the backs of anyone attacking the gate directly.
Ichigo looked down the channel to find six Orcs within, standing idly in the middle of the mostly dirt covered passage. They didn't appear to be that alert, something Ichigo was planning on capitalizing on. Ichigo scowled and quickly shot out of covered and ran forward for a few seconds, as one turned he pounced, stepping into a Flash Step. The first Orc didn't see him coming, and the substitute planted his boot in his face, knocking him out cold before he hit the ground.
Using the Orc as a jump board the substitute leapt over another Orc, who turned only just to see his ally falling. Ichigo grabbed his skull as he sailed over and as he came down he brought the Orc with him, forcing the back of his skull into his armored knee. The Orc was out cold like his buddy, and Ichigo was already going for the other four that had only just realized that had been attacked.
As one drew for his weapon Ichigo halted with a quick kick to their hand, before he swung his boot back around and clipped the orc in the jaw. As it staggered Ichigo shot forward and delivered three quick jabs to the stomach and then the chin. Ichigo ducked as he saw a sword came his way, while he evaded the blade the orc he just knocked around got hit right in the chest. His buddy ignored this and careless to his ally's plight ripped his sword free and tried to attack again.
Ichigo ignored the pained cry of the orc, rising to his full height and rushed the attacker; quickly he jumped up to his side to get a good shot in at the one who attacked him. Ichigo drew back his fist and when he could see over the orc's pauldron he struck, hitting the orc right in the temple. It fell to the ground in a heap, and Ichigo was left with one wounded Orc and two others that were still rearing to go.
'Time to come out Zangetsu,' Ichigo thought, drawing his Zanpakuto and quickly blocking the claymore of one's attack, that was aimed for his leg.
As the second orc tried to strike, Ichigo forced the claymore away with a quick kick, Ichigo swung Zangetsu up and cut his chest open, a minor wound to be sure but it had the intended affect. As soon as his blade went up Ichigo brought it down and around to deflect the claymore again, using the momentum generated by his swing to deliver a right hook to the orc's jaw. As it fell to the ground dazed and barely conscious Ichigo turned to the remaining two.
The wounded orc was kneeling and trying not to pass out, clutching at its lacerated chest with one hand and using the other not to fall. Leaving Ichigo with only the Orc with the mace, and already a good wound on his chest, it wouldn't take long to end this. Ichigo waited patiently for the thing to come at him, he would wait for its move and he would parry and then riposte.
When it did strike Ichigo easily deflected the blow towards the ground, using Zangetsu's edge as a guide, and then the substitute kicked in his knee and delivered the final blow with a knee to the jaw. After that all that was left was the wounded orc, a simple backwards kick sent him into the land of dreams easily enough.
'That was easier than expected,' Ichigo thought, as much as these guys were strong and had numbers on their side; he would have the advantage of speed and experience to work for him.
He doubted that any of these guys had ever fought against a Captain level opponent before, he has done that many times, and even more against Espada. But even so he wasn't going to get cocky, he can take out a tough opponent, but if these guys swarmed him, he was as good as dead. After all, it's the hit you don't see coming that does you in.
"Let's hope that not many of these guys are left," Ichigo thought aloud, stepping into the Keep and immediately wishing he had shut up.
All around him were waiting orcs, maybe twenty or thirty of them all armed to the teeth and covered in armor. It would seem that they left their better troops here to defend the Keep, and that meant Ichigo would be fighting a lot more experienced enemies.
"Perfect," Ichigo groaned, scowling as the orcs charged at him on mass.
Adelina moved slowly into the woods, her form reverting back to her humanoid appearance, but she did not relax or rest. Instead she grew serious; she looked down at the ground and pressed her hand against the surface. She would require aid and she needed to see if the spirits were here.
Adelina felt her body surge as the currents of life energy passed through her, feeling the touch of nature itself as she concentrated. They were here, she could feel it, already the land began to answer her, and soon she could do what she needed.
"Come forth warriors of the forests and the eternal dream, rise up and aid this one in saving those who preserve and live off the bounty of the earth, from those who see to tear it apart," Adelina said, calling to the trees, the plants and the very earth itself.
She watched as the trees began to shift in the wind, the leaves brushing against one another, but even when the wind died the trees did not halt their movement. Instead they grew more frequent and noticeable, and soon the very roots of the ground began to rise from the earth.
Adelina had always been in tune with nature, her father's training and teachings had been paramount for her learning. Even if her skills were not as how they should be, she still possessed enough power to call for aid. She would need it, for the battle to come would require much aid, from the spirits of nature, and from both her and Ichigo.
"Let us save this land," Adelina said, turning and moving towards Stonewatch, where Ichigo was likely in the midst of fighting.
Ichigo ducked and ran under the axe, turning and strafing behind the orc and slashing at his exposed back. But as he swung Ichigo turned away and moved onto another target, he was surrounded and being overwhelmed by these guys. They were literally all around him, he could barely get a second in where he wasn't defending himself.
He was actually lucky he had the armor now, it was shaking off some of the attacks, and he had been saved by seven strikes because of it. One of them was actually a strike from behind that could have skewered him, but his armor deflected the blow under his arm.
'Really got to thank Jaina and Bonkotsu for this, they saved my life,' Ichigo thought, swinging up Zangetsu and cutting down another orc before swinging again in the opposite direction to parry an attack.
But no latter did he feel his knee buckle as an axe hit him in the back of the leg, turning he saw his attacker attempt another strike, but Ichigo quickly rolled aside and got back to his feet. Swinging as he stood, another orc fell to the ground wounded; turning the substitute blocked three separate swords aimed for his head.
'Good thing most of the weapons they're using are steel and bronze, I would probably be dead if they used anything tougher,' Ichigo thought to himself as he pushed back the blades and skipped away.
Ichigo leaned back and evaded a spear, before he rolled away and gained some distance from his attackers. He really couldn't keep this up for long, he had taken down twelve of these guys already and about twice as many were still standing. He needed backup, a good deal of it as well.
Ichigo moved forward, using Shunpo to cover the distance quickly and slash at the first orc ahead of him; cutting through its flimsy armor and torso with ease. Before he turned on his heel and kicked another upside the head, its skull snapping to the side as its jaw was dislocated. Ichigo parried a strike before countering with a swipe of Zangetsu, slicing through an Orc's midriff and then kicking his legs out from under him.
Ichigo stepped forward and stomped on the orc's skull, knocking him out cold before leaping at another. Performing a dropkick the substitute knocked one attacker back, quickly flipping himself back to his feet, and countered another attack from behind. Raising Zangetsu he blocked a strike from above his head, before kicking backward at the aggressor.
It was pure chaos.
"Do you guys ever give up?" Ichigo growled at the falling attacker, turning and knocking aside an axe with Zangetsu and following up with a right hook to the orc's jaw. It did not fall, instead giving an annoyed growl before attempting to strike again.
Ichigo ducked and moved under the axe swing, slashing at the attacker's side and cutting it open, although the beast was still not done as it tried to attack again. The substitute ducked underneath the attack, but before he could retaliate another orc charged in and swung his sword towards his head. Ichigo raised his armored bracer and blocked the attack, glad that the armor had halted the blade.
Although he was starting to notice that there were a few dents here and there, and his left leg felt a little stiff and tight. Likely the joint had been damaged and he was being hindered. He couldn't take any more hits; if he wasn't careful they would get lucky and land on a weak spot.
Yet fate was against him today, he grunted when a boot connected with his back and threw him to the ground, Ichigo turned onto his back and quickly pushed himself back before an orc could cut off one of his legs. Kicking the attacker away Ichigo rolled backwards and back to his feet, raising Zangetsu defensively he waited for them to come to him.
'Still about twenty of them left, this is bad,' Ichigo thought.
He couldn't keep fighting like this, eventually they would get him and then he was a goner, they only need a clean strike to his arm or neck. If he lost a limb Ichigo knew for certain he would bleed out, if he got hit in the head, that's it, game over. Also if his armor started to hinder him then the orcs would only have an easier time taking him down.
'Bankai maybe?' Ichigo thought, the idea seemed tempting, but he didn't know what kind of effect that would actually have on his form.
If he was in a human body then summoning his Bankai could have an affect similar to when he summoned it the first time in the secret training room. His bones would crack and his muscles would tear from the stress of all that condensed reiatsu, while in his spirit form he had an advanced pain threshold as he had no physical body. But this was different, cracked bone can be lethal, torn muscles and ligaments would see him hospitalized or even dead. Especially in a land like this, and that was even if he could get to a hospital before these guys did him in while he was screaming in agony on the ground.
'Can't risk it, not with the uncertainty,' Ichigo thought.
But there was something he could use; something he knew wouldn't cause too much risk to him.
Drawing back his Zanpakuto he channeled his spiritual power into the blade, and soon it was bathed in a bright blue light. The orcs stumbled back from the sudden display of power. Ichigo stepped forward and swing hard, calling out the name of the attack and giving the wave of force greater power through the use of its name.
The orcs ahead of him were engulfed in a wave of spiritual energy and thrown aside; the power wasn't a powerful explosive or cutting power, but more of a wave of force. That alone would take out anyone, overwhelming their bodies and simply rendering them unconscious.
It proved true when the orcs in his path were mowed down and laid out on the ground unresponsive. Ichigo scanned the courtyard and found, despite the damage to the far wall where the wave collided with, that only half a dozen Orcs remained. This would be a lot easier now, with that many left and so scattered he could pick them off quickly.
"Kazgoth'no!" An Orc roared, yelling up at the tower in the distance.
Ichigo glanced up and saw something that worried him, a large horn was placed within the remains of a wall tower, and an orc was moving to use it. It was likely to call back all those orcs that had just left the Keep, if that was the case, this place would be overrun within minutes.
"Not happening!" Ichigo yelled, drawing Zangetsu back for another swing, gathering his spiritual power into the blade and letting it loose as a condensed wave of force.
But even as the blade struck the horn was sounded, a deep bellow resounded across the area, and likely it was heard by those orcs that had left. Meaning that they were likely on their way back to see what was going on, and find the substitute attacking their new home. If that happened, well he didn't need to think of the possibilities.
"Shit!" Ichigo cursed. "I need to close the gate!"
Taking off towards the gate he moved to close the large doors, he slammed into the side and began pushing. Even with his enhanced strength he could not budge the massive wooden barricades. Ichigo continued to push, fighting to close the gate and save himself from having to run and fight off a hundred angry orcs.
Ichigo turned when he heard a loud war cry, looking he saw the remaining orcs were charging him, with a grimace he planned to defend himself. But before either could get within striking distance, an orc was violently thrown back by a bolt of green energy. As it fell to the ground vines appeared from the soil and wrapped around its body, binding it to the ground with thorns digging into its skin.
"I think your triggered the alarm, you should have been more careful, had I not been close I may not have arrived here on time." Adelina said, moving through the gate.
"Well excuse me, I try taking the place and then I am attacked by over two dozen orcs, what do you want from me?" Ichigo retorted, annoyed that she expected him to clear out the Keep like it was nothing.
"I'm not blaming you, I just said what you did," Adelina replied. "And that next time you should be more careful."
"Yeah, well let's hope there is a next time," Ichigo replied, he could actually feel the ground beneath his feet begin to shake, meaning that there were a lot of some people coming their way. "We need that gate closed!"
"I will handle that, you deal with the orcs still alive," Adelina said, turning and soon moving through the gate was a group of walking trees.
Ichigo stood there for a moment looking at them, his mouth slightly agape from the absurdity of what he was looking at. How in the hell were seven foot tall trees walking? It was physically impossible for bark and timber to actually be able to flex and move like that. Yet they were doing it now, although he couldn't really say anything, he saw a giant tree monster try and kill him once.
Although he for a while thought he was hallucinating, maybe he wasn't.
"I really need to brush up on stuff around here," Ichigo mumbled as he charged at the remaining orcs, planning on finishing them quick.
Adelina turned to the treants, guiding them calmly towards the edges of the gates. She asked for their aid in sealing it and preventing the orcs entrance into the Keep. They complied without complaint and quickly began to move the massive doors, pushing the mighty twenty foot tall barricades with all their strength.
Slowly it began to close and seal itself, the wood scrapping along the dirt as they were slowly but surely being sealed. Adelina looked between the slowly narrowing corridors between the two; she could hear the thundering downfall of boots. Soon accompanied by the crying of warriors, roaring for blood, she knew that the orcs would be here soon, she would need to cover the gate.
"Hurry," Adelina whispered, worried that she may not be able to hold back the army long enough for the gates to be sealed.
Adelina tensed when she noticed an orc round the corner, several more following after him a few second later. Running for the gate, attempting to enter before it could close, but Adelina halted their advance quickly. Raising her palm she directed the energy from the very earth itself, drawing upon what little life was present and channeling it into a single bolt of energy.
As the green projectile sored forward and struck the leading orc, he was thrown back and the rest were caught in the epicenter of a violent concussive explosion. It would do nothing more than give them pause, but that was all she needed to do for the moment, keep them back until the gate was closed. But that last attack only delayed them for a moment; against she would need to delay.
Adelina raised her palm again; energy coalescing around her fingers and soon the winds began to come to her command. It began around her fingers and soon it built up, growing in power and being pushed down the barbican. The narrow passageway aided the druid, creating a good corridor for the wind to keep its current without dispersing too quickly.
The orcs moved at a snail's pace, slowing down and struggling to gain any momentum against the galling winds. But in turn Adelina could only keep this up for so long, even she had her limits on how long she could manipulate nature around her. But with a mighty heave she pushed the last of her power outwards and against the orcs, knocking them to the ground.
With that done she watched as the doors sealed with a loud thud, and she quickly got to work. Moving forward she planted several seeds in the ground, finding them in the forest she visited, and quickly began to chant. Calling for the seeds to grow and thrive, to ensnare the wooden frame and rise up to the sky and the nurturing light.
Soon it began to occur, thick vines sprung from the ground and moved up the wooden doorway, slinking across it and sinking into the wood. Eventually it fully grew and covered the gate, and even some of the stone became rooted in the thick flora. It was done and Adelina felt herself sink to her knees in exhaustion, using that much of her power was hard to do, especially in such a short amount of time.
Looking up she saw the gates shudder as the orcs batted themselves against it, attempting to enter. Adelina nodded her head; the vines would keep the gates barricaded long enough for them to do what was needed. She turned the looked to find an almost comical sight, aside from the bodies adding to the gloom.
The treants milled about the courtyard, like children they examined all around them, randomly picking up objects and looking at them. Some even moving the dead bodies of the orcs, others found water barrels and drank from them, one even attempting to climb into it. But aside from what they usually do it was nothing new, she moved to find Ichigo having defeated the last orc and was looking upon her allies antics with a bemused expression.
"You got some weird powers," He said, and she smiled at his innocence in the ways of the druid.
"They may be strange to you, but you are equally as strange to me," Adelina replied, chirpy and glad, it was always nice speaking and working with Ichigo.
He was a bit rough and aggressive at times but he always meant well, that was something she liked about him. No matter how loud and annoyed he may sound it was usually because he didn't understand something or was concerned for someone's safety. She learned that about him, he was always concerned about the lives of others, even disregarding his own wellbeing for other people.
"I would think I am more normal compared to you, very normal," Ichigo replied plainly, before looking off into the Keep, finding beyond the courtyard two sets of buildings between them and it. "Let's go and see if anyone's home."
Ichigo took off in a light jog, moving quickly he made a beeline for the entrance, passing the two buildings. He found their doors ripped off, looking in he saw that one was a storage room, holding mostly sealed bags of grain and assortments of preserved foods. The other looked to be a dining hall, likely where the soldiers would eat and relax when off duty.
"No one is inside; they must be keeping the prisoners in the Keep, if they have them." Adelina said aloud.
Ichigo nodded and picked up the pace, running inside and finding that the place was completely deserted. He moved down the corridors, the design similar to that of the Theramore Barracks, meaning that this place likely had an office where the leader had taken position.
Also it may have a cellar.
"Let's find the survivors first," Ichigo said, and Adelina nodded to his suggestion, as they moved around a bend they quickly took cover, seeing three Orcs moving down the hall, thankfully their back to them.
Ichigo leaned around to see the Orcs open a door and move inside, they likely were some of the few guards left. But Ichigo followed after them, he had the distinct feeling that the door they went through was the cellar door.
Ichigo nodded his head to the door as he moved, drawing Adelina to nod her head in understanding. They both quickly and quietly moved forward and drew close, as they passed through the door they found a stone stairwell leading down to a narrow hallway.
Quickly traversing the steps they found a short corridor to a room, inside they found bound prisoners being presented in front of Orcs. Nine were present; five donned strange robes and were surrounding a strange circle. While the rest were on the opposite end of the room, three stood before a larger armored orc, who loomed over them menacingly.
"What?! An attack, why wasn't I informed earlier?" The armored orc roared, grabbing the one who had informed him.
"It begun several minutes ago and the horn was sounded, from what we saw the attackers are a single Human and an Elf," the orc replied, being strangled in the larger Orcs grip.
"Useless, two were able to enter this citadel, and they are not dead!"
"I am sorry… Warlord Gath'Ilzogg, we did not… expect an attack…" the Orc gurgled before expiring in his master's grip.
"Worthless! Kill the prisoners! Mount their heads on the walls!" Gath'Ilzogg roared, looking to his cadre of warlocks, who were standing around the strange circle.
Ichigo looked to see cages around the room, captured soldiers and civilians were present, and Ichigo could see a woman in colored robes as well. It had to be a mage; no one else would wear such vibrantly colored garb.
Ichigo saw his chance and lunged forward; raising Zangetsu he slashed into the back of one Orc before slashing at another. Both orcs fell to the ground, blood spraying from their open wounds along their torsos, but Ichigo wasn't done, he moved for the leader. Raising his Zanpakuto he slashed at the massive orc, who stood a good foot over him.
"Human filth, I will kill you for coming here!" Gath'Ilzogg roared, blocking the Zanpakuto with his large iron shield. The metal buckled and bent under the weapon's frame, but it held back the lethal edge from striking something vital.
"Give it your best shot!" Ichigo yelled, leaping back as a sword moved towards his neck.
As he regained his footing he saw the other two orcs beside the leader were going to be joining the fight. Ichigo wouldn't have it any other way.
Ichigo shot forward, slashing Zangetsu to the left and deflecting a blow from the Orc there before lifting his blade to parry a strike from the Warlord. As the blade was knocked aside with a quick push Ichigo followed up his counter on the first orc. Slashing across his chest, he cut open his torso and stomach, it didn't knock him down but gave Ichigo some breathing room.
But even then Ichigo was constantly on the defensive. Turning the substitute attacked the orc to his right, knocking away the sword before following up with deflecting a blow from the warlord and then returning his attention to the orc he attacked. With a quick thrust he pierced the Blackrock warrior's stomach, the tip sinking a few inches into his midriff.
Turning back to Gath'Ilzogg he saw the sword moving for his head. Ichigo pulled Zangetsu back and twisted around and away from the strike; turning around full circle he slammed Zangetsu over the top of the blade. As the sword hit the ground Ichigo twisted his blade and took a swing at the orc Warlord.
Gath'Ilzogg raised his shield, but that did not stop him from stumbling back, caught off guard by the power of the single handed swing. Ichigo was glad he had his Zanpakuto, it may be completely weightless in his hands but it still had mass, and you make something that big move, it will knock you on your ass.
"Come on, I'm not done yet," Ichigo taunted, but he stumbled forward as something collided with his back, he fell to his knee as a force struck him. A strange tingling moved over his skin as he felt his entire body ache from some kind of foreign feeling.
Looking over his shoulder he saw a robed orc raising his hand, green fel energy forming in his palm. Ichigo's eyes widened at the implications and quickly attempted to evade, leaping aside he avoided a second bolt, before raising Zangetsu and using it as a shield against a third.
Before another could be cast the warlock was violently knocked aside by a wave of air, Adelina leaped off the steps and lunged at the warlock. Transforming midair into a panther, her fangs bared she sunk them into the Orc's skull and gave it a violent twist. As the orc's neck snapped she turned and attacked again, dodging to the side before lunging forward and cutting into an warlock's chest with her claws and then fighting to rip out his throat.
Ichigo lifted himself up and turned, ducking quickly to avoid being decapitated, before twisting to the side to avoid having the shield bash in his skull. Deflecting a third attack Ichigo dueled against the Orc, swinging up Zangetsu he parried the strike, before twisting the blade around and trying to hit the Orc with his hilt. Sadly it was blocked by the shield and Ichigo was pushed back by his foe, who followed up with a flurry of wild strikes.
'Damn, this guy's getting difficult, can't get through that armor, and that shield is pretty damn thick,' Ichigo thought.
The Orc's armor was solid black plate; even the helm was a solid piece of steel. Even if Ichigo could cut through steel, his blade really couldn't just cut through solid slabs of metal. Worst part is the fact it seems to have no solid openings, how the hell was he meant to even stab the guy?
Ichigo looked around and at his opponent; he could knock him out, that always worked. Blunt force was always a weakness to heavy armored fighters, they can take a stab or cut, but blunt force trauma always transferred.
Ducking under another swing Ichigo swung up Zangetsu, catching the side of the shield and brushing it aside, before shouldering the Orc in the chest. He stumbled back, mostly unaffected, but Ichigo followed up with several hard strikes with Zangetsu. He got in two good ones before the shield came back around, but the armor held firm.
'They really do know how to make good armor,' Ichigo thought, surprised that simple metal could hold back a spiritual weapon.
Although his sword got held back by simple concrete pillar in an abandoned hospital once, so he really shouldn't judge and say that he could cut through anything. That was especially so since he couldn't even cut through that damn Arrancar's skin.
"Die you maggot!" Gath'Ilzogg roared, swinging his sword around, but it was easily countered and redirected above the substitute and towards the ground.
Taking the chance Ichigo stood on the blade and held it down, before swinging up and clipping the Orc on the shoulder, throwing him around and forcing his blade free from his grasp. Next Ichigo grasped the shield and exposed the back of it, finding two metal bindings holding it in place. He swung hard and shattered them, along with the Orc's gauntlet and bracer. Tossing the shield aside Ichigo ducked under a wild swing from the Orc, before striking with Zangetsu.
He hit the Orc right in his stomach, as the Orc stumbled back gagging Ichigo swung his Zanpakuto up and struck the Orc right in the face. The metal helm held together, although it became deformed as a large dent appeared vertically along the front of it. But the Orc fell back and collapsed against the Alter behind him. Taking some initiative Ichigo stepped forward and quickly kicked the Orcs face, driving its head through the stone block and embedding it there.
Satisfied that the Orc was down Ichigo turned, finding Adelina standing a few feet away panting while covered in some blood. A portion of it moving down her lips, and for a moment Ichigo thought she was wounded. He rushed over to her side and kneeled next to her, placing a concerned hand on her shoulder as he looked her over.
"You alright?" Ichigo asked.
"I am well, although the taste is quite vile," Adelina said, grimacing as she spat out a wad of blood. "The prisoners, they were being sacrificed."
Ichigo looked down at the strange circle, finding a bound man present; around him were three other people. All sacrificed with ritual daggers, they likely were trying to summon something, or gain favor.
"Demon worship?" Ichigo asked, moving over to the cages, where the prisoners were unconscious.
"No, demon summoning, these were sacrifices to bring them here, I have heard of these sorts of things from my father," Adelina said, grimacing as she looked at the sight. "You give the demons the souls of victims and they often offer something in return, sometimes services, other times power."
"Well that doesn't matter now, we got to get these people out of here," Ichigo said, destroying one of the locks and opening the cage.
Ichigo stepped into the small cage and kneeled in front of the mage, he gently took her shoulders and tried to coax her awake. He noted that her thin silk robes were dirty, dust and grim covered the once pristine and elegant looking dress of gold, red and blue.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at Ichigo for a moment, before she grimaced and groaned, her hand went to her head as she lifted herself up. Pushing him back she got to her feet and walked out of the cage, massaging her head and trying to gather her bearings.
"What happened?" She asked, looking around the room with some confusion.
"You were captured and brought here, we are here to rescue you," Adelina said, wiping the blood from her mouth and rinsing it with water before spiting that out as well.
"Really, what took you so long? We have been locked up here for over a week," She said, looking down at the Orc warlock and growling, she quickly snatched up the staff and glared at the body. "Animal was using my staff, he better have not corrupted it."
"Who are you?" Ichigo asked.
"Caren Willmourne, Magi of the Academy of the Arcane Sciences, and Apprentice to Galen Runecrest," She said proudly, holding her staff in hand and standing tall and proud.
"That's nice," Ichigo replied with a drawl, ignoring the indignant looks she sent him for the casual dismissal of her introduction. "But we need to find him, he was captured I think by Morganth."
Ichigo and Adelina moved to the other cages, breaking them open and rousing those within. Soon they were getting the soldiers up and awake, although the civilians were still scared out of their minds. They had about fifteen men and woman of the guard, with about a dozen other civilians in rags.
"You are correct, my master and I were captured by Morganth, he retreated into the east in to Gnoll territory, but we didn't expect him to bend the beasts to his will. We were ambushed and captured; Galen was taken by Morganth and I to the Orcs as a peace offering," Caren replied, angry over the ordeal. "We need to get to the tower, and find my master, he may still yet live."
"We got other problems to deal with first, like the Orcs at the gate that are trying to get in," Ichigo said.
"Wait, I thought you said you came here to rescue us, didn't you kill all the Orcs when you arrived?" Caren asked, looking at them in shock, had their forces not dispatched them all yet. "How many are still alive?"
"About a hundred," Ichigo responded, freeing the last of the men and woman.
"Alright kid, how many soldiers came with you?" One of the guards inquired, he was an older man with a small beard and greying hair.
"Only me and her entered, there is no one else," Ichigo replied, making everyone look at him as if he had lost his mind, he just admitted he invaded a fortress crawling with orcs with only one person to help him.
"You came here alone? Are you mad?" Caren asked.
"We had no choice, we have people assaulting the Burning Pass, we were able to get in here because the orcs here were trying to go there." Adelina said, explaining them the situation in the fewest words possible. "If the Orcs were to attack them from behind it would be a slaughter, this was never meant to be a rescue mission, only a distraction to allow them to retreat."
"So what in the Nether do we do then? We only got fifteen people here that can fight, and the Orcs got over a hundred still kicking. Most of our weapons are gone and we don't have a means to beat the Orcs." Another soldier yelled, clearly frantic about what was going to happen.
There was an awkward pause as the thought sunk in; they were trapped in the Keep until they could beat the Orcs back. But the Orcs would tear down the keep's gates long before reinforcements could come, and even then the reinforcements may not be enough to beat them.
"What do we do?" Ichigo asked, looking to the commander of Stonewatch, he simply sighed and ran his hand through his hair, until Adelina drew their attention, she had thought of something.
"I may have an idea, it will be risky but I do not think we have any other choice," Adelina said, turning towards the young magi.
"Get that gate open!" Tharil'zun roared, his red plates shaking as he paced up and down the barbican, it had been fifteen minutes and they had yet to budge the gate an inch.
"It is barred by something!" An Orc replied back, but kept pushing, not willing to defy an order.
"No excuses! Get it open now, I don't care if the walls around the keep fall and offer us another entrance, we will go through this gate!" The leader of the outriders yelled.
They needed to get inside, whoever attacked them had likely dispatched all the warriors within and their Warlord was likely in danger. He would need to get to him and either ensure his safety or see if he was dead, the latter would look good for him getting a promotion. But the problem is that if word got back that they had left the fortress undefended then he would feel the brunt of Rend Blackhand's wrath for losing in such a pathetic manner.
A loud groan drew his attention, looking he saw the gate move all but an inch forward. A fanged smile worked its way onto his face, now they were making progress, and with a roar of command he had them continue to push.
Slowly, but surely, the gate was beginning to open, the twenty warriors pushed with all their might and tried to pry open the massive barricade. As soon as one Orc could move through Tharil'zun ordered the rest in, they charged through the narrow opening between the massive wooden barricades and into the open courtyard. They found the broken and dead bodies of their warriors on the ground, all having been cut down by likely the same weapon.
"Get in the Barracks! Find these dogs!" Tharil'zun roared.
He looked over to the gate, the men were still filing through it, it would take a while before they were all through, one at a time would take a while. But they were still moving towards the Barracks; as soon as they got there they could storm it.
Turning he looked towards the barracks itself, standing tall and looking intact, although the interior would likely be much more different. His gaze fell onto the roof, just near the rampart along the second floor, he saw someone there.
Before he could say or even think of why she was there, he saw her strike; raising her hand she sent a ball of fire towards the store house. It exploded violently; the Orcs that ran next to it were enveloped in a cloud of fire that spread along the ground. Those lucky enough to escape from the shockwave were unlucky enough to be slowly burning alive as the fires spread along the ground.
They screamed as the fires ate away at them, writhing as it continued to spread along the ground quickly. He snarled as he realized that the ground must have been doused with oil, they had walked right into an ambush.
Before he could bark an order the dining hall exploded next, a similar result as the first occurring. Those unfortunate to be close were consumed in fire that spread along the likely oil drenched soil, igniting the dirt and those that stood on it. Tharil'zun glanced down and was relieved to see that the ground he stood upon was dry.
But he was angry, the fortress had been separated into two halves thanks to the fire, the keep was out of his reach and he had lost close to thirty of his warriors alone from that ambush. Things were not looking good for his promotion.
It became even worse when he heard something behind him, looking he saw the mage they acquired from Morganth standing there. He didn't need to think twice to know she was responsible for the deaths of one third of his forces. He growled as she casually walked towards the wall and kneeled in the dirt, before running her fingers along the dirt.
Soon a veil appeared and then disappeared, revealing behind it a host of warriors. Fifteen armored guardsman and about a dozen treants all standing there. He couldn't believe it, of all the things to happen, he had walked right into an ambush like that.
"That was remarkably easy, Orcs truly are unintelligent animals," Caren said, brushing her hand free of the dirt, having damaged the shielding seal she had placed on the ground it simply vanished and revealed what it was hiding.
"Now we capitalize on that shortcoming," Commander Ethel Carter called, behind him stepped five men, all carrying rifles.
Without further wait they opened fire, shooting dead three Orcs and wounding one other. With that they all charged in, Caren raising her hand and sending a bolt of fire towards the gate, engulfing the small entrance in fire, halting any Orcs from entering.
Adelina stayed back and directed the treants into the fight, all the while picking off any Orcs she could see. Ichigo charged in with the soldiers at his back, meeting the Orcs that had invaded the citadel before the gate was sealed off by flames.
Ichigo swung up Zangetsu as he got close, cutting through an Orc's chest, as it fell back and hit the ground Ichigo continued with the motions. Turning he hit another to his right before following up to the left, he continued to move forward, hacking and slashing his way through the opposition.
Five Orcs were down by the time one attacked him, he easily parried the blow, and he actually knocked the weapon out of his opponent's hand and then delivered a reverse kick to his jaw. With a roar two Orcs attacked him from both sides, and Ichigo moved quickly to deflect either of their strikes. Turning between them both Ichigo fought to parry every strike and then counter, but he was having little opportunity sadly.
But oddly enough Ichigo was starting to get into a rhythm fighting like this, actually having to rely on his memory of the opponent and also keep in mind their individual fighting forms. The substitute was surprised how quickly he was doing it, he was continuously turning and having to take in their position when he struck and afterwards plan out the next counter when he turned back to them.
The fight between the three had only lasted about eight seconds, but it was one of the most difficult eight Ichigo had ever come across. He had rarely faced more than one opponent, and even then they were not as vicious and aggressive as the two Orcs attacking him right now.
Turning Ichigo deflected a sword upwards before turning and parrying the axe from the second Orc, while delivering a backward kick to the first Orc. In those few seconds Ichigo twisted his sword to the side and buried it into the Orc's collar. It wouldn't kill but he sure as felt it from the way he roared, but Ichigo wasn't done; turning he saw the other Orc attempt to attack. Ichigo ducked down and pushed Zangetsu forward into a stab, the Orc's blade passed over the substitutes head, but the substitute's blade passed right through the Orc's waist.
Not waiting, Ichigo pushed on the blunt edge of Zangetsu and ripped it free from the Orc's side, twisted around and slashed through the other Orc's stomach. It gurgled and fell to the ground in a heap, clutching at the wound, writhing in agony from the hit. Ichigo would have contemplated the obviously brutal action and wondered if he was becoming a bit more violent and cruel considering he was leaving these Orcs in such a condition.
But sadly the time for thinking along those lines would come later; he had more Orcs to beat up before they finished off the last third that were behind the gate.
The battle was over within three minutes; with the treants leading the brutal assault the soldiers were saved the mess of close combat. The Orcs were scattered easily by the towering oaks and the soldiers mopped them up easily enough with their scavenged blades and trusty rifles. Several had been wounded, and they were being treated by the skilled Adelina.
"So you came here to find my master," Caren said, walking over to Ichigo, who stood off to the side, watching the gate still burning. "What do you want with him?"
"I was sent by Jaina Proudmoore to find him, I and she have something we wish to talk with him about," Ichigo replied.
"Really, you were sent by Lady Jaina? I didn't think she would send such a ruffian," Caren said, apart from his armor he looked like a lout who got into fight for no reason, and that scowl on his face that seemed oddly permanent showed he wasn't exactly friendly.
"Shut up, the way you walk and talk is as if you got some stick up your ass," Ichigo replied back heatedly, and got the magi to bristle at the comment.
"How dare you make such a rude and vulgar comment!" Caren said, grinding her teeth at the disrespectful statement.
"Well stop acting like your some upper-class snob that thinks other people are below her," Ichigo replied with a deadpan, although his brow did not rise, his scowl remaining in place.
"Oh please, just because I have etiquette doesn't make me some prissy child who needs to be pampered, I am more than capable of handling things myself, although with far more grace than whatever pig-brained ideas pass through your skull," Caren replied with a glare.
"Pig brained!? At least I don't go around flaunting my own ego like it is some kind of personal object that people should bend their knee to," Ichigo retorted.
"You little…!" Caren started, looking ready to strangle the man.
"Hey, if you two are done we got more Orcs to deal with!"
Caren and Ichigo turned to the commander, before glaring at one another one last time. They turned to the gate and the forces gathered, Caren raised her hand and doused the flames with a wave of ice. They had one last group of Orcs to deal with and then they were home free.
"I hate you right now," Caren said.
"Grow up you little baby," Ichigo growled back.
Hope you like the chapter.
Reviews:
Freedom Guard: Yep, he did do things differently than before, no rushing in like a buffoon this time. He went all Tom Clancy. Ichigo has not kept himself up to date with events of the world, he doesn't know much because he was mostly concerned with returning home, so he didn't focus on reading up on the world.
Kragh50: I can understand that, I find it interesting that I have two Bleach and Warcraft stories and only this one is the popular one. I find that very strange, can you tell me what sets this one apart from that one? Is it because there is more Warcraft in this one? Or is it simply because Ichigo can now be the biggest bad-ass on an entire planet?
Exanime Draco: Sorry for making you fell this story would not be updated, I had a good role with United and decided not to stop for a while and really got into it. Yeah, I have found that fights now are often something not to be considered good to have in walls of text. I feel development and actually story development is better than combat.
That is correct, Ichigo is not at his full potential, yet. That will be explained actually when this Arc is over by Caren. She will actually explain why he is like this and why his powers are so weak compared to what he was actually like.
That is correct the Combat Pass is a monitoring device and a limiter to Ichigo's power. All Substitutes are monitored and regulated, after all it is strange that the transference of Shinigami powers to mortals is illegal yet they maintain them and actually have them as a force. That is a contradiction and it will actually be addressed in later chapters as Jaina studies the pass.
Wrandral: I am glad you like this story, Can I ask why you like this story? Possibly compared to United?
Don't worry, no resets, I have this in the bag.
The age thing is because at Ichigo's age he is more suited to be a Squire rather than an actual Knight. He would have been old enough to be an apprentice to a Knight rather than a Knight himself, but even if he is tall and have specific racial appearance he still has a young face. People would see that. Also at his age he likely would not have the necessary experience, in their eyes, to carry out a battle. Often the young are the first to die in a fight, because they are not experienced enough to survive it.
Ichigo is still young and killing is not something that comes easy for anyone. There has to be reason to kill, otherwise your just a murderer. Ichigo doesn't hate orcs, he has never met them or seen what they do to hate them. It would be like moving into a new neighborhood and hating the neighbors for no reason than you just want too. Ichigo doesn't hold grudges or even hate people, he simply does what he does because he needs to do it.
Morganoth: Sadly no, this is a less and unimpressive Warlock that stole some of your name. Shame on him.
Guest #1: Killing Hollows isn't actually killing, it is cleansing. If a Shinigami killed a Hollow the soul of that Hollow and all the souls it consumed would be destroyed. Shinigami are meant to cleanse and help souls move on. That is why when a Zanpakuto destroys a Hollow the soul that became the Hollow passes on and their sins committed as a Hollow are cleansed. If Shinigami killed like that, they would be no different than the Quincy.
Also a reason to kill is needed, simply killing for the ease of it is not good enough. If that was the case he would have killed Dordoni and Grimmjow during their fights. Instead he healed the former and saved the latter who would have been killed by Nnoitra. Ichigo isn't someone who takes a life needlessly, if he doesn't kill his enemies who he has known longer than most. Why kill an orc that has done nothing to him and he knowns nothing about their race other than that humans hate them.
Reality Deviant: Glad you like it.
Impstar: Killing directly and indirectly is different, Ichigo won't strike down an opponent just because he can. Out of sight, out of mind. Ichigo is not someone who takes a life because the enemy does something, grudges he rarely holds. Grimmjow nearly kill Rukia, Orihime and Nel on different occasions yet he never resorted to killing him.
Chrome Cheetah: Yeah, that is the best moments of any story.
Krazyfanfiction1: Glad you like it.
Plums: Sorry for the long wait my friend, but we are finally here.
Reishin Amara: Sadly Orcs do not line up, they are very unorganized like that.
Telron: Hope that it was up to spec.
Meech Macho: Yeah, Ichigo showing off his stuff is going to be good. But it also comes with drawbacks as you said, and sometimes it is best that you do not get seen. After all Katrena Prestor, what would she do when she notices Ichigo's presence? What plans would she work on to bring him to heel.
Leapinglemur: There are soldiers or more along the lines of Squires and warrior apprentices, full-fledged warriors at his age are unlikely because they would have only recently been assigned to a Knight to learn how to be a warrior. Squires are trained to about thirteen at school before being assigned to a Knight to train and learn. Ichigo skipped all that.
Strength is hard to determine with different races, Tauren can uproot trees and use their trunks as damn battering ramps, that is strength. But still much is left up to interpretation sometimes. I will likely look into it deeper as time goes on, after all Orcs and Tauren and beefy blokes.
Ramnaleopard: Glad you like it.
Chronotimeguard: It has been a while, sorry for the wait.
StoneMountain204: Finding a reason to kill is not simple or easy, you need to be exposed to something that gives you cause to do it. Humans kills orcs because of the atrocities they committed against Stormwind and the human race. Demonizing and making something look less sentient and more of an animal makes it a lot easier to kill something. And when you have not experienced that, you usually do not have reason to kill.
MSG1000: Glad you like the chapter.
Vinayakdj1: I have changed it, a lot actually, this is very different than how I went about it before.
Saddas74: Glad you like it.
DragonDraw: Happy to see that this story is in the greats.
Flauntalittlelot: Okay, let me start by saying I value all my reviewers' opinions and thoughts. Now that is out of the way, you obviously forgot something. Ichigo is a sixteen year old teenager that has been through one of the most traumatizing moments in his life.
Ichigo the Soul Reaper, yes, but also Ichigo the Human. He has all the human weaknesses, fear, doubt, despair, pain and vulnerabilities. He is not a hardened soldier that can face off against anything you put in his way, he is a kid with powers that he got and now is involved in matter way beyond his kin. More often than not he cannot do a single thing without help. He has no one to help him here, not in the Nether, he is alone and without aid. He is trapped in a place with no friends and no idea what is going on or how to go about it. He knows less about his powers than almost anyone else, he doesn't know anything about the Shinigami aside from what he had already been told by someone else. He has never once shown interest or desire to expand on this unless he directly needs it.
He doesn't know about how the world around him works, how is he meant to immediately think that this is the best course of action when he doesn't have the aid of someone there to offer him advice or even show him the right way. Every moment he is aided by someone, Urahara in regaining his powers and Yoruichi aiding in his invasion of the Seireitei and saving his life, Rukia and Renji helping him in Hueco Mundo. When he is in the dumps or lost he has someone to pick him up and send him forward, he has nothing like that now, he has always needed guidance and a swift kick in the ass when he messes up and gets in over his head.
Like when he went against Ulquiorra, what happened then? He got stabbed through the chest, only saved by the good graces of Grimmjow, because he wanted to kill him himself. That is where Ichigo stands, he is brash and gets into situations he often cannot handle without help. Now he is trapped in the Nether surrounded by demons and hunted like an animal, alone, scared, wounded and unable to fight back. That terrifies you, scares you, break you. Don't give me crap that he Is ICHIGO KUROSAKI, SUBSTITUTE SOUL REAPER AND ASS-KICKER EXTRAORDINAIRE. He is a fifteen year old kid that doesn't know about half the stuff he is getting into, and often suffers for it.
Knowing his feelings off the bat? Despite Ichigo often being very charismatic at times he doesn't always get the desired result. If this is about Shandris, I would say she weighed her options and went about the only course she saw fit to do, send him away. Kill him for saving the fortress? Why? She got what she needed from him and learned what she could and decided to send a weary soul away.
How would anyone stand the sight of a massacre? They would be horrified by it, it is even worse when your survive it, and knowing Ichigo he would be traumatized by the nightmare that he was there and it did not matter. So he should just go in and suck it up to be stronger, deal with it. Yeah, throw a guy into the ocean when he is terrified of it, you don't throw that on someone. You never throw that on someone. It would be like telling Ichigo to get over his mother's death, tell him to suck it up and stop whining that she is dead.
Look at his inner world, filled with a sea of doubt and despair, his hopes drowning beneath it. That shows you his mental state, how vulnerable and unstrung he is. He is just waiting to burst and break, and you think that because he has these powers he is invincible? You are an idiot because you forget who he is, a young kid getting involved in matters that mortals never should be involved in. Putting on a strong face is easy, he has done it for years after his mother's death. He hides it, because he can't deal with it. How would that handle the different trauma's he has experienced over the last few months? He would fucking snap.
Ichigo is strong, yes he is powerful, how the hell is he meant to deal with all this emotional crap when he has no one to vent on. Adelina is a friend, but a dear close friend, someone to confide in and really express himself too. Nope, he had no one, and because of that he suffered, he is always suffering in the Mange, because of his lack of knowledge, his inability to understand and the fact he is in way over his head all the time. He is a kid in a big boy's game and he doesn't know what the hell he is doing.
Also, did you think that maybe Adelina has experience with loss? No, you simply assume what you assume because you can't read any deeper than the first few words you see.
It is obvious you have an image of Ichigo in your mind, and to me, it sounds like he has as much personality as Pubic Hair. Good day sir, hope this gets to you and that you realize that you don't know half of what you breach about.
