Here it is, the final chapter for 2016, it has been a fun year for me and this story, gotten a lot of it done and I feel that next year I can get most of it done, or at least most of it. I really hope so.
Enjoy the New Year and Christmas.
Transcendence
Chapter 52: Old Face, New Problems
Ichigo looked on towards the South-West, his senses were tingling ever so slightly that even at a distance he could feel something happening in that general direction. While he could feel ripples of energy, noticeable just on the edge of his senses and growing it was impossible to tell exactly what it was. Yet he didn't need to guess, if everything he has heard about Maraudon is true than that has to be Princess Theradras.
"You can feel it, can't you?"
Ichigo glanced towards Codexia, she was sitting next to Mordent with three Sentinels guarding them, her eyes drifting from him and out towards the general direction of Maraudon. It was obvious that she was picking up on what was going on out there, likely sensing more than he was.
"It is only going to get worse, if you let me help you we can fix this before it gets worse." Codexia continued. "You have no reason to trust me for what I have done, but now we have no other alternatives unless we risk a possible elemental invasion."
He turned from her and glanced off into the distance, he didn't need to listen to her to know that things were getting worse. Whatever the Highborne took it was causing all kinds of problems out there, the entire region was being invaded by elementals and they were attacking anything and everything in their vicinity. So that left two options left for them, get that Source back and seal whatever was released or beat these things into submission.
Either way worked, it was just going about it that made the job harder. Because the one likely leading the show was powerful enough to be a real challenge to him, Bankai or not.
"How powerful is it?" Caren asked, looking at Ichigo and knowing what was on his mind. "You said so yourself back in Maraudon it was powerful, even gave it a rank, what does that mean to us then?"
He glanced at her and then back to the mountain, his expression belayed his calm and focus and despite the chaotic situation he remained oddly focused. It was going to be a daunting fight, especially since this was a foe that needed to be fought with a Bankai more than likely and he couldn't access it without complications.
"I would say Captain-Level, maybe in high range of that, back where I come from Shinigami are ranked from one to twenty, usually only those of worth are given a rank." Ichigo replied, not taking his eyes off the general direction of where the mountain was. "Twenty to three usually are not very special but there are a few that are good and more powerful than the rank implies. Then there are Lieutenants and Captains, those guys are the strongest there is. This thing I am feeling is Captain-Level, hands down."
This was the first time he had actually found something that could even be considered on par with a Shinigami, especially a Captain. He remembered the Burning Steppes and the residual energy there but this was without a doubt the first time he sensed something coming directly from the entity and not residual spiritual energy from three hundred years ago.
"You said that your own power is comparable to a Captain, correct?" Adelina asked, remembering him saying that he has faced off against several Captains in the past, so maybe this entity wouldn't be a direct challenge for him.
"Yeah, I fought a few and won, got a lot of wounds from it and had to use my Bankai to stand a chance, but I did win." Ichigo replied, his brow furrowing, he could sense their concern.
Saying it felt like a Captain may be an overestimation on his part, but he could be wrong and not in a good way, based on what was known this thing was thousands of years old and very powerful. Also from what info was brought up from the stories Adelina had told him once this thing had turned the entire region into a desert, that is the scope of its power and if it can do that than it may be even stronger than a Captain. This thing was growing stronger as time went on, meaning that his initial reading on this thing may be way off. Also if it had its own brand of magic than he was in deeper shit as well, because that meant it could do stuff that even other Shinigami couldn't.
He knew that going at this alone would only do so much, right now they needed to work together to fix this. Sadly he had no idea on how to do that other than bashing this thing in the head with his sword, so that means he needed people in the know.
"Oi, Codexia, you said you were not responsible for all this happening, that you should have stopped the Highborne from doing this, what did you mean?" Ichigo asked.
The shift in conversation was noted by those closest to him, Adelina and Caren discerning the contemplative look on his face as he made the inquiry. It was obvious he was thinking deeply on something other than the Elemental Princess, maybe a means to fix this situation before it got any worse. Or maybe he knew the solution and was trying to go about to figure out how best to make that solution come about.
"I had intended for them not to continue their Arcane practices, I wished for them to become Primalists." Codexia replied. "The idea was to force them to forsake the art when they became starved of the energy and felt that there was no other way out, and had they not detected the Source within the Mountain they likely would have done so."
"Do not be too sure." Mordent muttered, keeping the words quietly under his breath, but Codexia heard him regardless.
"It was for your own good, for the good of many I might add, just look at what is happening and your leaders are the cause. The Centaur are running amok because of the Highborne's reckless actions against them, and now we have an elemental Invasion occurring." Codexia said, glaring at Mordent who returned it with his own. "What I intended would have seen you all cured of your addiction and leading lives that were actually productive instead of the same self-serving dogma that your people practiced in that empire of greed you are so desperate to recreate."
"It is not your place to decide what is best for us, or to judge our methods, we deserve to decide our own fate and do as we see fit to live." Mordent growled back, eyes narrowing as he glared into the Primalists.
"You are so arrogant, do you actually think you would live long enough to continue this damn culture of yours? That you are not above reproach for every crime and dark plot you unfold?" Codexia bellowed in response. "You wanted to continue a philosophy built on the hoarding of power and having it at your fingertips constantly, the mere thought of not having the arcane is so terrifying to you it almost borders on actual fear of being weak."
She shook her head as she looked at him, she had just figured it out now, just realized how pathetically low the Highborne had become.
"I was wrong, you aren't free at all, and you will never be free because you are afraid to be, afraid to no longer be under the tyrannical rule of the Arcane, how low you have fallen. Once masters and now slaves to a power that is out of reach." Codexia said, she wanted to laugh as she realized it, they were weak and they hated it and feared it so much, more than anything.
"The Arcane breeds arrogance and pride, turning those who carry its vices for so long and know no other way than to simply embrace it and let the power flow through them. I know of the Highborne well enough, know of their arrogance and pride that overshadowed everyone else, did you actually think you could change them?" Caren inquired, raising an inquisitive eyebrow, giving a huff of laughter. "It would be easier to try and make an orc become a priest and join the church. The Highborne are addicts and careless, they used demons to feed themselves and didn't care for the consequences of their actions; the proof is in the past and in the now. Did you actually expect them to change?"
She received a glare from Mordent, the comment obviously offending him but he did not speak in his defence. They knew that there wasn't a silver lining to the motives of the Highborne, it was all driven by greed and the desire for more power, he couldn't deny what he still himself sought day after day.
"Kind of why I had to force them, even with the threat of extermination by the Sentinels they still didn't even try to change, in fact I made them all the more determined to get out from under my thumb." Codexia said, actually shaking her head and smirking as if she found the entire thing funny. "But only now I realized just what they feared more, the loss of that power and the exhilaration the Arcane gives those who wield it. I never had a chance in changing them."
"But you had led them here and made them follow you, the Warlocks and Demons that were once dominating this land are gone now, and you saw to that." Adelina said. "How could you go from leading these people to being betrayed by them?"
Codexia was silent for a minute; it came to her quickly how that had happened. It was the moment she realized just how callous and cold she had been, not only to the Highborne but also her friends and allies. People she thought she cared about, but the people she ultimately sacrificed and didn't so much as give a glance towards when they died.
"I became uncertain of my mission, of what I was doing and the actions I was performing. It had caused some doubts to rise up and make me question my motives and how far I had gone and the people I had involved in it."
"And you feel guilty for that? Involving the Highborne in this?" Ichigo asked.
"No, what I did to them was right, it was for their own good and they would have survived… it is other methods I employed that were not to my liking." Codexia replied. "It got people hurt that it shouldn't have, people I should have cared more about, people I shouldn't have betrayed."
Ichigo glanced at her, his eyes narrowing as he thought on her words, there was something deeply personal about what happened to her and he knew it was still eating at her. She didn't have issue with doing this and from what she said just now he guessed she thought that the ends justify the means. Considering that she resorted to the kind of 'means' that involves manipulating an entire culture it was obvious that even she had standards and morals, for even compared to the Highborne her actions were not overtly evil.
'Almost reminds me of Urahara, doing what needs to be done regardless of the moral greyness of the acts you are performing.' Ichigo thought, the man had sent four kids on a near suicide mission after all and did it hoping they would succeed.
Codexia was trying to do something important, but in turn it came back to bite her on the arse and make her realize that the way she was doing it was hurting people it shouldn't. That is what shook her up the most; she was remembering her own humanity.
"Get those two up."
Ichigo turned from the Primalist and towards Iyeana who strolled down the incline towards them, he could tell she was on the war path and ready to murder anyone in her way. Sad to say that Codexia and Mordent were in her way, or were her targets for her anger right now. Quickly both of them were hefted to their feet, the Mage forming a determined glare while Codexia maintained her composure with a scowl that even had Ichigo impressed with how it looked.
"Both of you are coming with me." Iyeana growled, having the Sentinels drag them both towards the lodge.
"What are you planning to do with them?" Ichigo called out.
"Information extraction." Iyeana replied back, not breaking stride as she moved up the hill.
"Maybe you should actually ask them for it and not beat it out of them." Ichigo said, getting up off the stone he was sitting on and looking at the retreating Iyeana. "You might actually get some useful information other than silence."
"I will, and the more information the give the less pain they will be in before the end." Iyeana replied, before she halted when Ichigo appeared in front of her with a whoosh of air.
"Yeah, I got a problem with that." Ichigo said, running a hand through his hair in an annoyed manner, usually he wouldn't cause a problem here but he needed to.
"Stand aside, I am the leader of this task force, you do not dictate how I command my soldiers here." Iyeana said, she didn't have time for his headstrong ideals and opinions right now, she had to get whatever they knew out of them before things got worse.
"Not going to happen." Ichigo calmly responded.
"Do you actually understand what is happening right now? What is going to happen if we do not stop it before it becomes irreversible?" Iyeana inquired, straining to keep herself from lashing out at the boy as he went off on another one of his morally supremacy rants that is meant to justify how they are wrong.
"Don't know everything that is going on, hell I even doubt those two know what is happening, but it doesn't mean you have to go off the deep end and take your anger out on them because you think you can." Ichigo said, scowling as he glared into the Sentinel's eyes.
"What I do now is for the safety of not only my nation but the entire world, what the Highborne have unleashed here has far reaching consequences that go beyond just Kalimdor, but the entirety of Azeroth." Iyeana responded.
"So that justifies you taking these two off and torturing them for information?"
"Where is this coming from? Is this one of those damn ideals of yours? Some sense of honour that you cling to and have no idea how to express in words?" Iyeana asked, clearly her irritation was growing. "That may have served you well in your world, but here on Azeroth we have our ways of dealing with things, things you are complete ignorant about, so do not preach to me about justification."
"Ideals huh? Then what ideals are you using to make it right what you are doing here? I can tell that from the little interrogation back in Maraudon these two know jack shit about what is happening out there and what the Highborne are up to." Ichigo said. "So why are you really doing this?"
"Why? Because look at what is happening, Elementals are running rampant across the region, the Centaur are fleeing the Desolace and my people are dying in droves to keep them at bay." Iyeana growled out. "This all stems from the Highborne and their ruthless disregard for all other besides themselves, because of them more people are dying and they repeat the same mistake that will lead to another Sundering upon the world."
Ichigo was silent for a moment, thinking on her words and knowing that the implications she was throwing around obviously meant that this problem was bigger than previously thought. Yet he didn't budge on this, he could tell Iyeana was going to self-destruct with the way she was acting. She obviously didn't know how to handle something like this and her own misgiving towards the Highborne were overshadowing her logic.
"Is it because your people are dying that you are acting like it is a personal slight against you?" Ichigo asked. "That because they killed your friends and comrades you have the right to hurt them back because they are gone? What the hell are you thinking?"
"Their people have been…"
"They have been a lot of things and right now that doesn't matter, who they are and what they do, what matters is actually fixing the problem right now, and I can sure as hell tell you that torturing these two to make you feel better isn't going to do anything!" Ichigo yelled. "You have no idea what to do and you just want to punish someone, not just because of what they did ten thousand years ago but for the now, for what they did to you and your friends!"
"You are damn right! I do hate them, can you blame anyone who would not hate a people who would sell out their own kind to demons and willingly cause untold strife for other races and those lower than them just so they can feed themselves more power!?" Iyeana yelled in reply.
The argument had taken the entire camps attention; all eyes were on the arguing Sentinel Commander and the Substitute Shinigami.
"Considering the crap their pulling right now, I guess you could be justified with everything that is happening, but it doesn't mean you have to stoop to such low levels when there is a less brutal way to go about it." Ichigo said, he had seen hate like this and the cold disregard people showed towards a certain class or group of people because of the past.
The Highborne definitely had a past with the Night Elves, both of them use to be one in the same at one point, and the hatred had not died down at all in the millennia that went by. They stagnated on their cultures and their ideologies, staying exactly how they are and how they thought; it was a road that would lead to their own destruction. That was the problem with hate when it stays alive and festers, it becomes much worse than when it first appeared, just looking at Iyeana he could tell.
He knew for a fact she wasn't around when the War of the Ancients concluded, likely she was born sometime after and was fed on the stories of the Arcane and its dangers. He had seen her aversion with Caren for a time, showing that she was biased in her opinion, but he knew that the Highborne took the brunt of her hate.
"We cannot be lax when the fate of the world is on the line, this catastrophe is the beginning of an Elemental Sundering that could cause the Elemental Planes to fall into the material world, it would spell doom for everyone." Iyeana said, sending a ripple of shock through that listened, before she glared at the Highborne mage. "Again they prove themselves to be the same fools that would doom the world for the promise of more power, and like before they shall be punished for it, and none of them will be given the mercy of Exile."
Ichigo guessed now he understood why she hated them so much, why she was so righteous in her stance of making them Mage and Primalist pay. They had caused a calamity that would seek to doom the entire world and bring about the deaths of everyone on it, just like the War of the Ancients. The story she likely grew up knowing was happening right before her and she was the only one that was present to stand against it.
Coupled with the loss of her friend, and those she commanded, she likely felt that vengeance was the only option now. She doubted her own command, Iyeana did not think she could stop them, she was desperate.
"Stand aside, you cannot argue in their defence when the sins they committed back then are being repeated in the now. So do not bother." Iyeana stated.
Ichigo remained in place, eyes focused and wondering if he should let them go about the torture session. He knew that Codexia had more to her than meets the eye, he had felt it when they fought in Maraudon early this morning and he knew that she was but a shadow of herself. Her goals and philosophy that she so vehemently proclaimed felt so hollow and dull, he felt that they were just things she used to try and give herself meaning.
No, what he felt was a small shred of a person that was being bogged down by ideals that were imposed upon her or at least used to direct her. He knew that she felt that she was going good and that every action was justified because it served a purpose, but there was guilt over something that had been done that shook her to the core.
"Can't say anything about Mordent, but I know for a fact that Codexia isn't an enemy." Ichigo replied.
There was a tense silence between the two, along with many that watched the exchange with trepidation. Codexia herself was surprised with the statement, from their previous actions in the caverns beneath the mountain he was very clear on his desire to stop her. Yet what had changed between then and now that he considered her to not be his enemy, or their enemy.
Iyeana glared at the boy, what could he know that makes him think that he could make a decision like that? She had sent people to die to protect the borders of the Desolace, to keep other safe while her sisters sacrificed themselves under her orders. This was all caused by Codexia and the Highborne, every action they made had only resulted in more death and chaos.
But a part of her fought against the words he said, the strange logic behind them and how he had been able to deduce her feelings. Her doubts over trying to handle this ever escalating situation and her hatred that was coupled with the desire for vengeance against the Highborne who were instrumental in the deaths of so many of her people. She did not want to believe that he was right, that the same means he used to read her emotions and doubts could be used to find innocence in those two.
Yet before she could question him on the authenticity of his claim a call rang out over the camp, one of her Sentinels called from down from the dilapidated towers nearby.
"Centaur!"
Iyeana quickly turned from the Substitute and glanced up at the sentry, finding her pointing off towards the west. Shaking off the warring emotions with her, and casting one final glance towards the Shinigami, she took off running. Climbing the nearest vantage point she looked over the vast expanse of the region, and immediately she saw them, under the pale moonlight she saw a large dust cloud moving in the distance.
"Where are they…?" Iyeana thought aloud, noticing that their run was going somewhere other than towards the ruins, it did not take her another second to realize their intended destination. "Damn! They are heading for the Charred Vale!"
She knew they didn't have anyone truly defending that area at this point in time, the forces here were meant to be that defence but she certainly knew that wasn't true. Iyeana turned and began barking orders, getting riders to the gryphons, having them all mounted up in groups of three if she had to.
"Get over there and strike! Disperse their group and drop off your passengers! Then return to the skies and fire from above!" Iyeana ordered.
Everyone was mounting up and getting ready for battle, Sentinels clambered onto the Gryphons while Theramore Guardsman mounting up behind them. Once every single Gryphon was stocked they lifted off towards the battlefield, thirty people being sent off on ten gryphons.
Soon enough the rest began rushing up and over the hill, intent on moving on foot to reach the battle rather than wait for the Gryphons or their comrades to return. Ichigo followed after them, watching from afar as the Gryphons descended onto the group and forced them to scatter, he ran ahead of the main group and had his Zanpakuto drawn. His eyes looking over towards the massive warband, this had to be just as large as the force he fought against back in Feralas.
There were hundreds of Centaur, luckily he could guess maybe those hundreds could be counted on one hand, he just hoped that the obscuring cloud didn't hide more than he could guess. Then the Gryphon attacked, swooping down and tearing into the surprised marauders and scattering them, while soldiers were dropped off and the battle began.
He continued the charge, increase his speed to try and reach the battle as quickly as possible, before he noticed a large group moving off back in the direction of the Charred Vale, the only entrance from the Desolace to Stonetalon.
"Crap, they're going to get away!" Ichigo called out.
"There is nothing we can do! Stay on course and move to the main army, hopefully one of the local Tauren Tribes can stop them." A Sentinel called out.
Ichigo knew for a fact that wouldn't do shit, there had to be a hundred of those bastards charging off right now and they were going to pillage anything and everything in their way. If there were any towns and villages along the way they would be screwed. He didn't care for what race it was, he had no beef with anyone here, if these things were going to cause mayhem he had to stop it.
With that thought she shifted direction and took off into a burst of Shunpo, covering at least a hundred yards before he took off into another burst. He continued to use Flash Step and move towards the wide valley that led to the Vale; if he could intercept them he could gather his bearings and then hit them with a Getsuga Tenshou.
Yet with each use of Shunpo he felt the world around him swim as he kept coming in and out of the short bursts of speed, so much so that he was beginning to stumble with each step he took. But he made it in time, reaching the valley and intercepting the Centaur, before he collapsed to a knee and felt his world was spinning in circles. He felt light headed and dizzy, the symptoms were starting to show now.
He had experienced this before, constant use of Shunpo put a lot of pressure on his body and because of the constant acceleration and deceleration his blood blow often got restricted because of the pressures. That was especially true around his heart and brain, being in a clinic most of your life was certainly useful, that was the best diagnosis he could give himself. He guessed it would stabilize itself soon enough, all he needed to do was just rest and let his circulation straighten itself out.
'Don't take too long though, I'll have company soon.' Ichigo mused, already hearing the thundering footfalls of the approaching horde.
Shaking off the feeling he took in several deep breaths and waited, he could hear the ground shaking with their approach and he got ready to attack. He could hear the pattering feet against the ground, it sounded pretty close yet he could see they were still a good eight hundred yards or so from him. He could see the dust cloud that followed in their wake, like a damn sandstorm was coming right for him.
"Wait…"
If they were so far away and on the sand than how was it that he could hear them?
But the better question would be why he heard patting against sand when it sounded like it was on stone or rock?
And another would be why it sounded like patting instead of clopping of hooves, and also, why had it suddenly stopped and he heard growling from right behind him.
"Don't fucking tell me."
He turned and he was not disappointed to see that he was nearly face to face with a large snarling wolf, despite the thing being in striking distance to rip his face off he couldn't help but feel annoyed. He had been here for less than a minutes and he hadn't seen or heard these guys coming, because from the look of it there were a lot more than just one wolf.
He glanced up at the rider, finding a heavily muscled orc with a large blade in his hand. Ichigo glanced at the weapon that probably was just as long as his own Zanpakuto, and looked like a damn short sword in this bastard's hand. He was not the only one too, he could see three dozen riders with him, all mounted up and ready to kill something.
"Move."
That was the only warning he got before the Wolf leaped forward into a sprint, nearly barrelling over the Substitute who tried to get out of the way. But he wasn't the last, dozens more riders passed him and charged forward to meet the Centaur in melee. Ichigo couldn't shake off his befuddlement at the fact they hadn't attacked him and who these guys were.
"The hell?" Ichigo mumbled, watching the last of the riders rush off towards the approaching marauders, before he heard a thundering footfall and someone speaking.
"My apologies for Murauro, he is not overly fond of humans, even if he was saved by one just recently."
Ichigo turned to the voice, finding to his annoyance and even less conspicuous riding beast and rider, it was a large tauren in maroon armour and robes riding a freaking Kodo. There were about twenty more of them behind him and all riding similar beasts, his eye twitched over the fact that they all snuck on him.
"Shall I presume you are part of Marta Gearspanners crew?" The grey haired Tauren inquired, his inquisitive blue eyes locking with the Shinigami's.
Ichigo did not respond to that, he knew for a fact that meant that he was referring to that mercenary company that used to work with Codexia. But how was it that this guy knew them by name, and if that was the case then why would they spare him even if he was part of that Company? He got the feeling that if he didn't give the answer they wanted than this hospitality would change real quick, and that feeling must have been sensed by the Tauren who was swift to offer reassurances.
"You have no need to fear us boy, we come under orders from Warchief Thrall to speak with Codexia and create a dialogue." The Tauren said.
"You want to see Codexia?" Ichigo asked, that was a surprise he never expected.
"Yes, we have come to see about a potential meeting on neutral ground to discuss a trade of information." He replied, shifting in the saddle and glancing down at the Substitute, before his gazed turned towards the battle ahead. "But, perhaps we should deal with these curs before that."
Ichigo stepped back as the Kodo's took off into a charge, surprising to see such slow and lumbering beasts take off into a run like that. But Ichigo wasn't complaining right now, if these guys hadn't killed him yet than maybe he could see where this goes. Might also be good to see what they know about Codexia and why they came here, another potential ally or enemy they could be but it was best to find out before anything bad happened.
Ichigo charged in and fought, hacking into the Centaur and aiding these Blademasters and Tauren in the battle, it was a quick affair and Ichigo had only gotten in twelve strikes before it was over. But he did notice a bit of magic, lightning and fire being called down from above and the winds picking up.
These guys had a few Shamans and Druid with them; he could tell from the robes and armaments they wore that they were not typical warriors. So it wasn't a surprised that when he looked around to find that the battle had already concluded, only a minute in and the fight had reached its end.
"Good, I did not wish for a long drawn out battle." The Tauren said. "Now young man, tell us where Codexia is, we need to speak with her immediately."
"Who the hell are you guys?" Ichigo asked, shouldering his blade and wondering exactly why they would be here.
He could tell they were from the Horde; the symbol on the Wargs armour and saddles were testimony to that and also the fact that he mentioned the Warchief. If these guys were part of the Horde why were they coming to see Codexia? More than that would him being here actually cause more strife?
"I am Mairne Ragetotem of the Ragetotem Clan and the Dawnstrider Clan, I have been sent on behalf of Thrall to learn of the path this Codexia walks, Primalism." Mairne replied, but his eyes seemed to notice something regarding Ichigo, they narrowed slightly. "Tell me your name boy."
Before Ichigo could say anything however a screech was heard from above and glancing up Ichigo noticed the Gryphons circling overhead. Mairne seemed to make no move to react, although that couldn't be said for his orcish allies, and Ichigo wondered if he expected this. But he knew from the way they were circling that they were preparing to dive and attack, in fact they were already offloading Sentinels on nearby overcrops in the hills.
"Ichigo, move aside now!" Caren called down from a Gryphon, raising her hand and forming a ball of flame.
"Hold Sentinels!" Mairne voiced boomed, the air shaking as he bellowed the cry. "I come on behalf of the Earthen Ring and the Cenarian Circle, there is no need for violence here between allies."
Iyeana perched her Gryphon on a nearby overcrop along the valley wall, glaring down at the Tauren who made the proclamation. Ichigo could tell that her anger was getting the better of her now, she was starting to vent it and just like Shandris in Dire Maul she was eager to fight rather than negotiate.
"You use that name a think we will spare you!" Iyeana called out. "The Horde has no business being here, be gone or we will force you out!"
"He speaks truth!" Another Tauren walked forward, passing Mairne and presenting himself. "I am Hamuul Runetotem, friend of Malfurion Stormrage and Druid of the Tauren people, will you not let me speak on behalf of us all?"
Iyeana was quiet for a while and continued to glare down at them, she must have known who Hamuul was but she seemed uncertain as to how to proceed. Ichigo guessed she either doubted his identity or was wonder of the implications of taking action against a representative of the Cenarian Circle. But then oddly enough Adelina comes to the rescue and made it for her, landing quickly on the shelf and speaking with Iyeana. A few unheard words were spoken before Iyeana relented, looking down at the warband and then speaking.
"Hamuul Runetotem, you are welcome here along with your Druid and Shaman allies, if you serve the Cenarian Circle than you are not my enemy. Come with us to our camp and we can discuss things there, but your allies will remain here." Iyeana said, surprisingly calm and diplomatic as compared to before.
Ichigo was astonished with the sudden turnaround; he didn't expect Adelina to actually be able to pull something like that off with Iyeana so easily. He had to argue with her and keep his cool and even then that failed, but she actually got her to back down on attacking the Horde outright.
"Wonder what she said." Ichigo mumbled.
"She knows of me." Hamuul said, glancing at the Substitute. "I once knew her father and often frequented Stonetalon Peak to visit the Druids in training there, and I am well acquainted with the girl."
Without another world Hamuul and Mairne moved off, but the latter turned and regarded the Substitute for a moment. Ichigo wasn't sure but he was certain he saw his eyes flash for a second, while he wasn't sure of that he was sure of what he felt, a good deal of spiritual energy emanated from him.
'Weird, he's a shaman, but that felt really eerie just now.' Ichigo wondered, the energy he felt so strange and odd that it was almost like he was picking up mixed spiritual signals from many souls at once.
He heard a growl to his left and found an Orc on his Warg, although it was the former that was growling at him rather than the beast he was currently mounted upon. He glanced around to find that most of their eyes were on him, aggressive and obviously irritated with his presence. They all were around him, and while they were staring at him as if he was some sort of outsider, but did nothing other than glare.
Ichigo had no idea what these pricks problem was but he wasn't going to take it lying down, he returned the glare to the first guy he noticed starting him down. While the orc was glaring at him as if he just wanted the Substitute to drop dead, said Soul Reaper returned it with one to match. Ichigo held his gaze for a long minute, hell he refused to even blink, the way he was acting it reminded him of those over aggressive gang members back in Kararura Town.
Those guys pissed him off to now end with how they acted and the crap they pulled around his home.
'These guys think they can scare me with their big wolves and a few glares?' Ichigo thought, giving a silent huff if he thought he was that weak willed. 'I've seen scarier and tougher things than them.'
Hell, he could remember all the things that he had faced down ever since he became a Shinigami, Hollow and Arrancar along with a few other Shinigami. He even wanted to chuckle at the fact that he originally thought the orcs were like Kenpachi, far from it it would seems, the only thing similar is the damn thirst for battle and fighting, apart from that they were poor imitations of the bell wearing man.
Hell the guy he was glaring at right now looked as threatening as Ganju when…
Ichigo snorted for a moment, the memory coming to the front of his mind so quickly that it nearly made him bark out a laugh, yet he could not hold back a snigger as he thought about it. He saw the Orc look confused for a moment, along with several other riders, and it almost made the image perfect in his mind.
'Oh god, this is just like when I met Ganju and his 'Gang', this is priceless.' Ichigo thought, remembering his initial meeting with that boar riding idiot and his posse.
It may not have been funny back then, but since he was remembering it now just made him crack up, he didn't know why but it just was so damn funny at this moment the he could help him. A hand went over his mouth as he shook his head and his shoulders shook with mirth, he couldn't understand it but damn did he find it funny.
Sadly, a few others did not share in the humour.
A group looming shadows made him halt in his chuckling, looking up he found himself surrounded on all sides by a group of snarling orcs who all were a head or two taller than him. Their fangs were bared, waiting to tear into him, and wide red eyes were glaring with a fiery hate. A few were reaching or already grasping their blades and just waiting for the opportunity to swing.
"What are you laughing at human?" The leader, Murauro, snarled, teeth clenched and ready to bury his blade in the Shinigami's head.
"Whoops." Ichigo said, before leaping up and over the orc, and as soon as his feet touched the ground he took off into a burst of Shunpo.
He left behind a lot of unhappy orcs, because even at the distance he appeared away he could hear them howling for blood. Ichigo glanced back and found that they were not following thankfully, although that might change if they get their sights set on him. He really didn't want to be the start of some damn Sentinel and Warsong battle when it could be avoided.
"While I can condone staring a warrior in the eye to make oneself appear strong, laughing at them is probably not the wisest course of action." Mairne said, not too far from the Substitute, beside him Hamuul stood by and regarded the boy for a moment before continued on the trek.
"Sorry, kind of just… remembered something funny…" Ichigo replied, rubbing the back of his head and letting out a sigh.
They moved slowly back towards the camp and did so in silence, the Sentinels flying back towards it while several guided the two Tauren forward. Ichigo, now with his humour safely buried, had to wonder what was really going on out here, he knew that the Elementals were rising up and an elemental invasion was in the works. While in Ethel Rethor the Highborne were basically hoarding a lot of power and planning something with it, none of it could be any good. Now the Horde was here and looking for Codexia and wanted to learn about her craft.
'Things are getting really complicated now.' Ichigo mused.
He needed to figure out what was going on, things were going to get worse before they got better and he for one wasn't going to let this get any worse. With the Centaur, Elementals and Highborne running amok it wasn't exactly going in their favour. He didn't know what was coming over the horizon, but whatever it was he would be ready for it.
But right now he had to make sure everyone was ready for it, he had a lot of work ahead of him now and he would need a lot of peoples help to do it. Luckily he had three people he could rely on to get the point across, or two at least, the last one would be a bit iffy.
"Let's just hope this works, never really tried asking for others to fight my own battles before, it should be interesting." Ichigo mumbled.
Maraudon Depths
"Awaken…"
She moved slowly, her form has not moved in centuries and the stone that made up her form was stiff and covered in many roots. But with a grunt and groan of rock she freed herself from the vinery prison, first one of her arms and then the second, following by the third and fourth. She felt her power return to her ever so slowly, the oppressive presence that had once forced her into submission now was gone.
"My home is mine again." She said, rising up and letting the dust and loose rocks fall away from her pale stone form.
After so many centuries of being trapped within her own abode she felt relieved that the interloper had been expunged from here. A smile formed over her face as she let out a laugh, now none would hold dominion over her, she had been bowed but not broken and she would never allow it to happen again.
"Will and stone erode quickly… did you forget this was always your prison…"
Her sapphire eyes roamed her expansive cavern, the smooth pale blue walls were lined with flowers and vines, yet she found none within her domain. She walked forward and glanced towards the grave of her beloved, his horns fashioned into a small shrine in his honour. A simple thing, something she hoped he would have loved.
"You reassure yourself with falsehoods… how broken you must be to believe such delusions…"
"Who speaks!? Who enters my home now?!" She bellowed, demanding the terrible echoing of the unknown to show itself.
"The shackles upon your heart and mind have slackened… but only words need be given to tighten them again…?"
She fell to her knees, the aura of the dark twisted entity came to her and pushed upon her thoughts and mind. It was tormenting to feel a familiar and dark presence worm its way into her soul, it has been so long since she felt this guiding power upon her. Nice since the fall of the Black Empire has she felt such malevolence, and she knew who this being was.
"What is it that you wish of me, my master?" She said, lifting herself up onto her short legs.
"The world above is fragile… would it not bring you jot to see it shattered…?"
She smiled, yes it would be good to bring ruin upon the world above, to see it tumble and break apart. But to do so alone is not enough, no, if her kin were here it would be more enjoyable. They deserved to be here, not imprisoned as they had been by the Usurpers and their servants.
"Yes… let the World break apart and let our temples and spire rise again!" Theradras said aloud, already calling out for her servants to rise up back into the world above.
Omake: Spirits and how they go Poof!
Ichigo ducked, the arrow whizzing past his head, and didn't break his stride as he charged the archer. As he drew close he quickly swung Zangetsu up, lopping off the paw of the undead bear that tried to take a swipe at him.
As the bear fell to the ground with a roar of outrage its owner released another bolt, forcing Ichigo to swat it out of the air with his blade as he drew closer. Closing the distance he took a swipe, but she evaded quickly and calmly, bow already notched and ready to fire.
'I would be surprised if she didn't have that uncomfortable feeling about her.'
Ichigo leaned to the side, letting the arrow whiz past his ear before he made another attempt, and then swung again, like before she dodged it narrowly and counter attacked. Aiming low she made an attempt to cripple him, had to give her credit for being creative, he pulled his leg back and twisted around towards her.
The blade wouldn't come close to touching her but he hoped it would force her off balance, wishful thinking considering that for the last five minutes he had been fighting her. This girl was fast, agile and never lost her cool and at this moment he had only scored a single hit on her and something like that should have debilitated her.
When the weaponed passed in front of her, missing her by an arm's length, he noticed an arrow ready to be set loose.
"Seriously, what the hell are you?" Ichigo asked, leaning to the side as the arrows edge left a small scrape on the side of his neck.
No one can be this, he could feel the soul within but it was like it was being chained to the body as if it was being forced to remain within. He needed to get in a good hit and free the soul. Luckily for him someone did it for him, as a heavy gust of wind slammed into the Night Elfs side and sent her flying across the ground and then colliding with a pillar.
She tried to get back to her feet but Ichigo was already upon her, blade poised for a stab and aiming right for her heart. The elven archer had no time to react before she was ran through, the body rigid for a moment before a sudden burst of light struck him. The elf's eyes, mouth and body were shrouded in light and he saw the soul hovering just behind the body and trying to free itself.
He could feel the soul of the afflicted and whatever was keeping it in place was not letting up, he glared as he help her there and tried to figure out why the damn spirit wasn't being freed. Back on Earth he did this all the time and yet never met this kind of resistance from spirits that need to pass on. Maybe this was the damn magic he heard about, he remembered Caren once talking about Necromancy and how it often involves spirits and the undead.
'Could this woman actually be a zombie?'
Then like that the body went limp, lurching forward and collapsing onto the blade, the glow was gone and he couldn't feel the spirit anymore. Guess he overpowered the spell that was keeping the spirit bound to the body, good.
"Is she dead?" Caren called over.
"She already was, but now she's pretty much dead dead." Ichigo replied back.
"Your grasp of the Common language is exemplary." Caren said.
Ichigo removed his blade from the body and let it collapse to the ground; he gave himself a stretch before moving back towards the group. It had been three days since the battle with the demons came to an end and he had been busy, mainly helping clear the western parts of the city.
"I can feel more spirits around." Ichigo said.
"Do you intend to let them pass on?" Adelina inquired. "You also have not told us how you accomplish the purification ritual."
Ichigo glanced at her for a moment before waving it off, he would tell them later.
"Got a few spirits to deal with, come on." Ichigo said, strolling off towards the nearest source of energy that he could detect.
Quickly enough he found several, wandering spirits that seemed lost and despairing about their predicament. Ichigo walked forward and quickly tapped them on the head and sent them on their way, but oddly enough they didn't turn into butterflies or get sent through some sort of gateway.
They turned into wisps of energy, and he was certain that those wisps had faces, and then somehow the air would turn some sort of emerald green colour and they would fade from view. It was weird, and while some could see it only Adelina seemed to have an explanation for it.
"I think they are being sent to the Emerald Dream, the energies of the portal that is opened feels similar to that realm, but it is strange that it would open there for them." Adelina said, frowning slightly. "Usually it is reserved only for Druids and those physically bound to the dream."
"Maybe it is just sending them to the closest spiritual plane, not that hard to grasp." Ichigo replied with a shrug.
"Actually there have been many accounts of multiple realms for spiritual dimensions." Caren said, and Ichigo had to resist the urge to role his eyes. "It is said that often ones faith and calling can determine where one will go upon death. Druids, as Adelina has said, go to the Emerald Dream. Followers of the Light are taken into its radiance, demons worshipers into the Nether, Shamans are said to join the spirits."
Ichigo could understand that he guessed, even on earth there were more than just one spiritual realm. He knew about Hell and Hueco Mundo, the former being a place of punishment and the latter being the domain of the Hollows. So certain dimensions being reserved for certain people didn't seem too farfetched to him.
"Okay, doesn't answer the question but who cares?" Ichigo replied, turning to another spirit and sending them off in a similar manner to the last.
But he could feel hundreds, possibly thousands, of souls around here, could all of them actually be from ten thousand years ago? It was daunting to think that so many people could have been here and so few remained, maybe they were killed by the demons and the ogres when they took over the city.
"That seems to be a frequently used line of yours regarding anything of note." Caren said, giving a huff. "You know, you still haven't told us about that ability of yours, you keep avoiding it."
Ichigo glanced at her, noticing that Caren along with the dozen or so Sentinels present seemed to perk up at the line of questioning. He knew that the Sentinels have actually been quite vocal in voicing their curiosities about him and his power, specifically his Bankai and when he released it. Hell he was even approached by a damn Ancient and questioned on what he was because they had no freaking idea, and then he went off to eat another tree.
Kind of weird, he wondered if it was considered cannibalism for one tree to eat another.
"There's nothing really to tell, actually." Ichigo replied, giving a shrug before sending off more of the spirits.
He sent his senses out and tried to see exactly what the realm felt like, he could sense something but it felt different and weird. Couldn't put his finger on it but it was certainly different from what he was used to, he could noticed subtle differences between the energy in the Present World, the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, even Hell he sensed unique energies. But this Emerald Dream certainly was different than what he expected.
"Of course, likely not wanting to relive the painful moment where it crushed your bones." Caren said, waving her hand before she smirked. "Or was it the recovery afterwards that has you embarrassed?"
Ichigo stumbled in his step and turned to glare at her, how dare she bring that up!
"Shut up!" Ichigo yelled back, cheeks burning bright and growing brighter when he noticed the Sentinels seemed to be whispering to themselves in their own language.
He could tell that they were making fun of him, their leers and giggles to themselves were easy enough to distinguish. But he just turned away and continued his trek in freeing the spirits from their eternal torment.
Ichigo strolled up to the spirit, who was looking out over the area from the bridge she stood upon, she turned to regard him for a moment before turning away. Her expression was one of despair and loneliness; likely she had been here for a long time and probably had never moved from this spot.
'Wonder if there is anything like encroachment on Azeroth.' Ichigo thought, although he had seen wraiths and vengeful spirits there was nothing like Hollows around, made him wonder.
"You should leave stranger, only misery and pain awaits those who remain here, save yourself before you are consumed like so many others." The Spirit said.
"No." Ichigo replied, straight faced and seemingly uncaring about the warning. "Can you turn to look at me, the seal won't work unless you're facing me for some reason."
"Why are you talking to her?" Caren asked, stepping up and glancing towards the spirit.
"I'm not, she's ignoring me." Ichigo said, glancing at the mage before looking at the spirit once more. "Hey, can you listen to me for a second?"
"This place has claimed so many lives, all of us have been trapped here for a millennia, locked away from the world because we feared what the world had become after the Sundering." She said, completely ignoring Ichigo's request as she descended into a monologue. "For so long we hid, struggling to survive and even when we had another source of power we only aided in our undoing."
Adelina strolled forward, standing next to Ichigo and looking at the spirit.
"What do you mean spirit?" Adelina inquired.
"When the War of the Ancients ended and the Sundering shattered the World we were cut off from the energies of the Well of Eternity, and slowly our Immortality and magic faded. Within a few decades we had lost nearly everything and our people began to die and suffer from the withdrawals." She said, her voice rising as she spoke of the horror of it, likely having personally lived through the events she now described.
"What did you do?" Caren inquired, strolling forward.
"Our Prince had found a way to sustain us; across the cities Western Wings he created pylons that would create a powerful barrier that would contain the source of the draught that we would use to sustain our population." She said.
"Of course, give an addict some more, do not consider sobering up but drowning yourself more in gluttony." Caren said, sneering at the elf.
"Hey, don't put her down any more than she already is, if she wasn't a ghost right now she likely would have jumped off the ledge with that comment." Ichigo said, glancing back at the mage with an annoyed frown.
"But she is not wrong, our addiction and lust for power went too far, it drew us to more dangerous sources to keep ourselves alive." The Shen'dralar ghost said. "The Prince imprisoned a mighty demon, a great Void Terror named Immol'tar, it is believed that it's potent and near limitless magical energy reserves could sustain us. And for thousands of years it did, this entire city continued to flourish."
"You used a demon to feed yourselves?" Caren said, appalled by the idea of using demonic energies to feed themselves and try to stop the addiction, it wouldn't do that, it would make the addiction worse.
"Yes, for a time we did not think anything would go wrong, that the powers we would take from the beast would sustain us indefinitely, but over a thousand years ago that all changed." The Spirit continued. "Soon the energies needed to sustain the barriers began to grow, what was once a boon had become a loss, and people began to starve once more and we began to fall into a lethargy not unlike that which affected us after the Sundering."
Ichigo looked at her and then to the many other ghosts that roamed the streets and plaza below, all of them lost and some vengeful. But he didn't think that they all died of starvation though, ghosts only remain because of deep trauma and the unwillingness to let go. The loss of their immortality may be the cause, but he thought that something else happened, something worse.
"What happened?" Ichigo asked.
"We were slain, what was once a city of thousands had been turned into one with only a few hundred." The Shen'dralar spirit said. "Yet it was not by demons or some other force, it was by the hands of our own people that we were slain, our Prince who had saved us once now sought onto to sake himself and a select few."
Ichigo bowed his head and scowled, he was right.
"He slaughtered us all, so that his immortality and limitless power could be maintained, he had murdered us all so that he would not die or be weak." The Shen'dralar ghost continued. "While those that were slain now wander these ruins below, lost souls who were taken without mercy, while he and his few loyal zealots live above in the Upper Ward."
So then that demon he killed in the palace was the demon the Prince was using to keep himself immortal and powerful, could explain why Shandris and Pained had been able to kill him. The bastard got what he deserved if he had done this to his own people.
"Don't worry, he is gone now, and soon enough you and the rest of these souls will be on your way somewhere better." Ichigo said.
"That is not possible; we are bound here and will remain forever." She said, turning to look at the substitute. "It is almost fitting, a just punishment for us, to be cursed to wander these ruins forever, it is our sin to bear and suffer through for all that our people have committed."
But she let out a startled cry of shock and pain when she felt an armoured gauntlet chop down on her head, she almost felt alive again when that happened. The sensation of actual pain, even if it was spectral in nature, sent a wave of shock through her entire being. She looked up at the scowling orange haired human who had somehow been able to strike her.
"The hell are you talking about?" Ichigo said, clearly annoyed. "Deserving to be here and be punished for your sins? Like hell you do!"
This spirit had it all wrong, they all had it wrong.
"You guys were scared, living for so long and without the concept of death hanging over your heads probably never prepared you for the end that everyone usually has to deal with." Ichigo said. "But when you were in fear of dying you did the only thing you could to survive and you cannot be blamed for that, you have every right to fight for your lives and to live no matter what anyone says."
"But… what we did…"
"You followed your leader, a bastard that killed you all because he got greedy and didn't want to die." Ichigo replied. "Every single one of you that died here didn't deserve that, you had that choice taken from you and for so long you all thought it was your fault, we it isn't."
"Tortheldrin killed your people, you are nothing more than victims that are still clinging to the past and unable to accept that it is gone. But I can promise you that you have nothing to be afraid of, you didn't do anything wrong, you didn't get killed because of the evils your people had wrought." Ichigo said. "The only one who wrought evil are those that killed you, and I can promise you that you are not like them, you are different and you are deserving of being released from this."
Ichigo brought up Zangetsu and tapped the pummel against her forehead, she immediately was surrounded by a bright green light as her form began to dissipate. He could see her expression turn from shock to awe, and with the final few moment of her existing on this plane she spoke to him in a hushed whisper.
"Thank you…"
Then she disappeared.
"Nice speech, but why did you do it?" Iyeana inquired.
"She deserved to know that it wasn't her fault what happened to her, she got stuck here not because of some curse or magic, but because her own guilt and self-accusation made her think she deserved to suffer." Ichigo replied. "None of these spirits are evil, they are the victims of the real people that should be despairing for their crimes they committed."
There were many more spirits still here, but he didn't care about the numbers. Because right now he had a reason as to why they should all be freed, because they all had been victims and they all wallowed in shame for crimes they imagined up for themselves. They deserved to be free, and he was going to give it to them.
