So sorry for the delay on this chapter, but good news is that I got a second chapter up just for you guys. I decided not to just give you one because I missed the previous deadline, only just finished it actually and editing it. You guys deserve it, so enjoy the chapter and I hope that you like them both.
No major update or anything to say, so enjoy.
Transcendence
Chapter 57: Little Chance of Success
The waters were churning wildly, with the storm high above and the quakes shaking the earth below adding to the turbulence. The very ocean thrashed as the two natural phenomena raged on, throwing around anything beneath the dark waters off the western coast of Kalimdor. Even the sea floor was being once the only rigid unmovable foundation of the sea was being upturned and torn apart by the currents.
While most sea life that once lived in these waters had long since fled, having sensed the danger and chaos that was befalling this particular coast of the continent. But one remained, a single sea fairing vessel that travelled beneath the waves, fighting against the heavy waters to reach its destination. Even if the distance was only a few dozen kilometres they fought for every single inch they could to reach it.
"Keep her steady and off the sea bed!" Marta called down to the drivers, not wanting a repeat of what happened when they got washed up on the shore.
"You got it captain!"
"How far is the city?" Marta barked, turning to the navigation officer just to her right.
"We are five kilometres out ma'am!"
"Good! Keep it up boys, we are nearly there!" Marta said.
Ichigo glanced up at the command post, finding the looming tower at the back of the bridge to be a little overcompensating. He found that Marta has some kind of issues when it came to her height, with her always standing on a box or from a perch when giving commands and orders. Kind of weird but he had seen other weird things than some short lady that is trying to make herself look bigger.
'Wonder if Rukia did anything like that… or Sui-Feng…' Ichigo thought amusedly.
"Once we enter the subterranean tunnels we need to work our way up to the surface." Iyeana said, continuing the briefing as she looked at her soldiers. "Expect to meet resistance while down there, we have information that there are Naga and Elementals lurking in the depths."
Ichigo turned back and gave his full attention to the table; they had acquired a map from Codexia of Ethel Rethor. They had procured it with his Enchanted Paper Weight and a piece of parchment lying about, now they had a detailed map of the city. Sad part was they didn't have any data on what was below the city, and that is where information was needed.
"How many levels will we need to traverse before we reach open ground?" Hymaercia inquired.
"Unknown, we may be looking at half a dozen separate levels of maze-like sewers before we can take in some fresh air." Iyeana replied.
It had been like this since they departed from Shadowprey Village, leaving at dusk and hoping to reach the city before dawn. For a trip that was meant to cover about eighty kilometres they were certainly taking a long while to get there. But when he felt the ship lurch slightly he knew the reason why it was taking so long, as fast as this ship was it couldn't cut through the pressure of water being displaced.
"Easy now, just breath, try to keep your balance." Adelina said, patting her hand on the back of Caren who fought to keep her stomach from being emptied.
Ichigo glanced at the mage as her face went through several shades of white and green as she tried to fight down her early dinner. While he shouldn't have been surprised she got motion sickness he was honestly flabbergasted that she had arrived in Shadowprey Village. But never mind that she somehow knew where they were, without them actually telling her where said village was and how to get there.
Yet somehow Caren had arrived about an hour before they had actually departed, reporting that she knows how to shut down the Obelisk and also report on some happenings in Sargeron. Sad to say that report had to wait until they reach Ethel Rethor, ever since boarding the Sub she has been less than capable of forming a whole sentence.
"I… don't feel so well…" Caren said, looking slightly green as she tried to fight off the nausea. "What is wrong… with me…?"
"Motion sickness, because the Sub is rocking you are losing your equilibrium and it is causing you to feel ill." Ichigo replied, recalling a similar incident when Yuzu had gotten motion sickness when she was already ill and nearly threw up in the car.
As well as the few lessons he remembered from his dad when he idiot tried to teach him how to play doctor, shit you not he actually said it like that.
"How do… you fix it...?" Caren asked, turning she tried to grab and force the substitute to tell the cure to this ailment that was slowing killer her.
"Just… try focusing on something ahead of you, it should take the edge off and get your sense of balance back." Ichigo replied, knowing that the tactic would only do so much but if it took her mind off it for the next few minutes it would be good for her.
Why she was coming along was odd in of its own, she just turned up with no one else and said that she had a means to disable the Obelisk and didn't go into any detail. But sadly prying that from her now was impossible considering that she looked ready to feint, after vomiting that is.
"We should see to it that we find Mordent, if he was successful he has been able to raise a resistance amongst the populace and is working to undermine the Nobles." Codexia said, dragging the Substitute's attention back to the meeting.
"If he is still alive, holding out this long against the rest of the Highborne would not have been easy." Iyeana said, seriously doubting that the mage could have pulled off that plan of his. Feigning to be captured and then breaking his allies out of their cells? It seemed foolhardy to think he could do so after fighting against a more powerful mage.
"We have little choice, if Mordent is still alive and mounting a resistance he is our best hope of determining the Highborne's current strength." Mairne said, he looked out the window as the ship lurched. "It seems that time is now."
True to his words the sub came to a sudden halt in motion, the waters seem to have calmed for the moment and the speed had picked up. Looking out through the observation port revealed nothing but darkness, as if the waters had a great shadow over them. That was true, for they were now beneath the city of Ethel Rethor.
"Looks like it is time we got underway." Iyeana said out loud, folding up the map and tossing Ichigo back his paperweight. "Ichigo, Mairne, you two are up front, anything in those tunnels when we step into them I want you both to take out."
Both gave their respective affirmatives before moving to the main hatch, both of them drawing their weapons and waiting for the ship to find a place to dock. Behind him he could hear the Sentinels, numbering a little over twenty, along with half a dozen Tauren warriors and a few trolls to boot readying themselves. Not a massive force but one strong enough to get them into the city and through it without being noticed.
The next few minutes were spent waiting for the Sub to find somewhere they could disembark; it felt like an eternity for Ichigo. A lot was riding on this mission here and he couldn't let it fail, if they did they would be looking at more than just losing everyone in the assault. The entire world was at stake right now and he needed to make sure his head was in the game, he had to keep focused.
"Alright, we're in!" Marta called out, leaning over the railing. "Once you are out we will hold position until you contact us, but make sure you hurry because if those Naga are still around we won't last too long down here!"
"Understood, we will contact you when we have the Heart of Veles." Iyeana replied.
Soon the hatch opened, a hiss of air as the pressure within the Sub and outside acclimatized, Ichigo took the lead and rushed out into the open. His eyes roaming around as he looked into the looming darkness, he couldn't see a damn thing.
"I need some light!" Ichigo called back into the sub, his reply was the spotlights on the Submarine flaring and giving some much need illumination.
Glancing around he found that they were in some kind of sewer junction, an oddly ornate one if you had to ask him. The walls appear to be of smooth, sludge covered, marble that looked to still be in good condition if you were to brush aside the foul things growing over it. Ichigo glanced down to find a platform a few feet from the sub, just waiting for them to step off.
Ichigo took a running leap and landed, barely keeping his balanced as he slipped on the slush. Steadying himself he beckoned the rest to follow after him, first was Mairne who did not even slide when his massive form slammed into the stone ground. Both he and Ichigo took off in opposite directions and guarded their allies as they got to ground.
Ichigo glared down the tunnel as the Sentinels and Horde soldiers got off the Sub, his eyes narrowing as he peered into the darkness to see if anything moved in the shadows. Once everyone had disembarked the Sub began its descent back into the depths. Ichigo turned to regard its passing for a moment before looking to Iyeana, giving him a quick signal to show everyone was present.
"Let's move." Iyeana ordered, walking over to Ichigo and handing him a torch.
Knowing the plan he took point of the group and began walking forward, Iyeana just to his back right and ready to help him navigate the sewer maze. Raising the torch up and illuminating the passage he drew Zangetsu and began to trek through the damp smelly passage and hoped they would find a way out of this hell.
For the next hour they moved through the maze, slow and steady as their feet could carry them through the gunk and slime. It was even harder due to the passageways seemingly random and haphazard design, taking one route often led them back to a previously scouted tunnel. They were going in circles it seemed and it was wearing on everyone's nerves.
"Maybe we should pull over and see if we have mapped this place." Ichigo recommended, the Paperweight could shed some light on things.
Iyeana gave a nod before they found a nice little cozy hole in the wall that thankfully didn't have much shit in it. Laying down the map they had Ichigo produced the paperweight and placed it against the parchment. Within a minute the map had been made and it was as detailed as it could be, it showed off a lot of the different passages and sadly from the looks of it they had skipped a large section in the middle of the map. Completely blank and having nothing on it, the middle of the map had no info, it would seem they had gone around this section completely.
"At least we know where to look now." Ichigo said, scowling as he looked at the parchment.
"I am more worried we haven't met any resistance." Iyeana replied.
"You think that the tunnels are still inhabited?" Ichigo asked.
"Most definitely, if the Highborne haven't tried to clear them out then they are unwilling to come down here for a reason." Iyeana said, scowling as she looked to the water and watching it ripples slowly. "The Naga hiding is more likely than them not being here, and it worries me more that they are being so cautious."
"Isn't it a good thing that they are not confident to attack us?" Ichigo asked, turning and looking at the water as well.
"No, an enemy that is predictable and plays by their nature is easy to dispatch, but the more cunning an opponent makes for an even more costly victory." Iyeana replied, glaring down at the murky water before turning to the rest of the party. "Come, we have a path."
Ichigo folded the map, grimacing as he found that it had begun to get soaked and dirtied, with a sigh he placed it back in his pouch and then pocketed his paperweight. Torch in hand and Zangetsu in the other he lead their forces through the sewers once again, this time on a set path.
The next few minutes were quiet, only the drip of water and the squish of slime and other fowl muck beneath their feet giving ambience to their search. Wasn't a pleasant feeling really, Ichigo could feel the water and slime actually begin to seep through and into his boots, every steps now something soft and foul squishing between his toes. It was a shuddering feeling having who knows what between your toes.
Luckily they found something ahead that lifted their spirits; they found a large chamber with several paths and a large drainage slope. They could also see a set of stairs on either side of the ramp that lead up to a higher level, something that would hopefully take them to the surface.
"Looks like we found our way out." Ichigo said, turning back to the group and moving forward, leading them across a small bridge.
"Keep a lookout." Iyeana warned from behind the Substitute.
Ichigo followed her instructions and kept Zangetsu at the ready, if there were Naga nearby or elementals he would need to be ready to swing. His eyes moved left and right as he kept an eye on the water, watching to see if it was disturbed. When he reached the other side he kept his eyes open and waited for everyone else to cross and get to the causeway without issue. Honestly he was surprised that they weren't attacked, he expected that this would be the most plausible point to attack from.
"Kind of underwhelming, nothing really happened." Ichigo mused.
"Don't become lax now, we still have more levels to traverse, and who knows what we face as we ascend them." Mairne warned the substitute, moving for the causeway where Iyeana stood with a torch.
"He is correct; all of you stay on…"
Iyeana was interrupted sadly when a trident flew over her shoulder and impaled one of her Sentinels, throwing the woman off her feet and back onto the slime covered floor. The moment of shock passed quickly before everyone reacted, weapons were drawn and they were all on guard for the ambush they had just sprung.
Iyeana turned and threw her torch up through the causeway and it struck the attacker, revealing a hulking Myrmidon Naga at the very top of the ramp. It let out a hiss before more of the monstrous serpents surge from above and down towards the party. They slid down the sludge covered ramp quickly and fell upon the Sentinels and Horde warriors instantly.
"To arms, kill the Naga!" Iyeana called, leaping back to the flat base at the bottom of the causeway and drawing an arrow.
Ichigo turned and rushed up to halt the Naga on the slope, stabbing his blade forward he impaled the hulking myrmidon through the chest and then backhanded the one next to it. Ripping his blade free he severed an arm of a third and then decapitated the one he had dazed. Leaping back he avoided a sword swing, his footing being less than graceful as the slick on the ground made it hard to keep any sort of traction.
Luckily for him he wasn't alone to deal with these guys, because as soon as he stepped back support came forward and started hacking into the opposition. While the Tauren did not seem to have as much finesse as the Sentinels they sure did make up for it with brute force. Mairne had torn a Naga's head off its shoulders and even threw one off the ground with his swing, while his fellow warriors did just as much damage.
They could easily push back the oppressors from up the ramp; with the Sentinels at the back offering cover fire to those caught in the melee they would get through the serpents in no time. But not everything was as simple as Ichigo soon discovered; the scream he heard behind him was the first thing to tell him something was wrong.
Ichigo glanced over his shoulder to see the Naga slithering out of the water, dragging themselves onto the stone path and attacking the Sentinels from behind. Several had already fallen and the others were being dragged into the water.
"I need some help over here!" Ichigo yelled, turning and rushing the nearest Naga, spearing him through the chest, before heaving the blade to the side.
He ripped through his impaled victim and then decapitated the one next to him, rushing past the dead he saved a Sentinel from being skewered and dragged her back. When she was far enough away he leaped back in, slashing and hacking at the Naga as they rose up from the dark waters. Three were cut down with one swing, blood spraying from their lacerated chests and leaving them to fall back into the waters.
Ichigo speared his blade down and impaled another serpent through the skull as it tried to lift itself out of the murky depths. Kicking it back into the water his eyes scanned the waters ahead, the few torches they had left illuminating the entire reservoir. Those few that had been pulled into the waters were not dead, fighting for dear life to keep themselves from being dragged under. But with the Naga grabbing them and attempting to rip them apart it made their lives all the more harrowing.
Scowling Ichigo reversed the grip on Zangetsu and then threw it at the nearest Naga attempting to drown a Sentinel. The blade pierced through its side, killing it instantly, but Ichigo kept a tight hold on the cloth attached to the blade's hilt.
"Grab it! I'll pull you in!" Ichigo yelled, watching as the Sentinel complied and grasped the handle of the Zanpakuto and let herself be dragged back towards solid ground.
As he dragged her in he noticed that the Naga were starting to get a little too close for comfort, both to him and to the one he was rescuing. He turned as he saw a Naga attempted to split his head open with an axe, raising his bracer he blocked the strike only narrowly from touching his nose.
"Piss off!" Ichigo barked, kicking out with his leg and into the Naga's stomach.
He produced a short knife from his belt and buried it in the Naga's bowed crown; ripping it free he turned back to the woman he was saving and finding a Naga latching onto her shoulder. He flipped the knife and threw it at the serpent, got him right in the eye.
The Sentinel ripped the knife out of the dead enemy and used it to slash at anything getting too close. Ichigo pulled her through more Naga and to the shore, grabbing her by her arm he heaved her out of the water and onto dry land. She collapsed and was breathing hard but the substitute did not falter, the Naga were not giving up in their attack.
He swung to the left and cleaved it nearly in twain; he twisted to the right and impaled another just as it made to lunge at him. Before the blade could be removed the Naga was knocked aside and a second Myrmidon attempted to stab Ichigo through the face, ducking to the side he evaded the attack easily enough. But before he could free his blade and make a counter attack the Naga was blown off the walkway by a ball of green energy.
"Ichigo, we have to go now!" Adelina called out, gathering another bolt of natural energies in her hand and tossing it.
"We're coming!" Ichigo yelled back, turning and grabbing the fallen Sentinel and quickly hoisting her up and making a run for the causeway.
The Sentinel's provided some cover as he made the retreat, he cast his gaze behind him to see the Naga were still in pursuit and not giving up so easily. He adjusted the grip of Zangetsu and his passenger before jogging up the incline to get to the next level. Several warriors and Sentinels holding the causeway, hacking into any of the serpents as he helped the Sentinel in his arm up the steep and sludge covered slope.
"Take her." Ichigo said, handing off the wounded and tired Sentinel to Adelina and another.
"They're everywhere!" Caren yelled, tossing balls of fire at the nearest Naga and nearly charring the hair on the head of a Tauren. "In spite of that I can't hit any of them because some people are in the way!"
"Pull back! Do not engage them!" Iyeana ordered, turning and moving to the top of the causeway before drawing her bow along with the rest of the Sentinels and begun firing over the heads of the Tauren and Trolls. "Move!"
They complied, scrambling up the causeway and keeping low to keep traction as well as make sure that the arrows didn't accidently lodge themselves in their heads. The retreat was quick and orderly; the Sentinels keeping themselves busy with lobbing arrows into the Naga that got too close.
They turned to retreat themselves after one final salvo of arrows, quickly all turned to run and escape from the pursuing Naga. Yet in the rush to escape Caren slipped on the greasy floor, Ichigo turned towards her when he heard the girlish squeal as she face planted into the muck. Had the situation been any less serious he may have made a joke about her ruined dress.
Instead he moved to try and get her back onto her feet, but someone else beat him to it. Anaesia rushed to the fallen mages side and hoisted her up and pushed her on, saving Caren from a horrible fate. But one that Anaesia had taken her place for, immediately a large claw wrapped around her ankle and dragged her to the ground.
Anaesia was pulled towards the causeway and a hulking Myrmidon, it let out a hiss as it tried to tear out her throat. Raising her hand she sacrificed the limb to the jaws of the Naga before reaching for her knife, lodging it into the beast's neck as it gnawed into her forearm. As it squirmed and reared up in path and agony, hoisting up the unfortunate officer alongside it, its body fell back into the pack of Naga and down the causeway.
"Anaesia!" Ichigo called out, watching as the woman was dragged down to the base of the chamber and among the pack of Naga.
She ripped her arm from the jaws of the dead Myrmidon and lashed out, slicing into the throat of the nearest enemy and trying to keep them back. But more had noticed her, circling the bleeding Sentinel like hungry sharks.
"Ichigo, we need to move!" Iyeana called out from across the passageway.
"Anaesia is down there!" Ichigo yelled.
"She's gone! We can't do anything for her!" Iyeana called back, cursing as she drew an arrow and fired it quickly, passing by the substitute and lodging itself into the eye of another Naga.
Ichigo turned back and swung out, cutting down a second before following to deal with the third and fourth that attempted to swarm him. His eyes turned down towards Anaesia who was fighting for her life, she would be torn apart down there in the next few seconds if no one helped her.
'Dammit!' Ichigo growled, turning and rushing to the edge of the causeway and leaping at the closest Naga.
"What are you doing?!" Iyeana yelled.
"Go on! I'll catch up!" Ichigo yelled, impaling the myrmidon and then using his body as a board to surf down the slope.
He ripped his Zanpakuto free and begun swinging it left and right to at least clear a few of the Naga aside while he skidded down towards Anaesia.
"Head's up!" Ichigo called, giving the Sentinel enough of a warning to move aside as the Naga's body came sliding down and barrelling through two aggressors.
"What are you doing?" Anaesia yelled, slashing out and trying to keep a Naga at bay. "You should have fled with Iyeana!"
"I ain't leaving you to die down here!" Ichigo replied, swinging up and cleaving through another enemy. "Shit! How many are there down here?"
"Enough to be the end of us both!" Anaesia yelled back, before she let out a cry as a trident stabbed itself into her leg.
Ichigo was quick to react and lunged at the Naga and impaled him, kicking the corpse off his blade he turned and tried to reach for Anaesia but already another was on her. It was on top of her and trying to tear her apart with its teeth and claws, dragging her along the ground and towards the water.
"Ichigo! Run!" Anaesia cried out, just as she and the Naga were pulled into the water.
Ichigo swung hard and cleaved through three of them before moving to the bank of the water, looking into the waters to try and find her. He called for her but he got no answer, even quickly trying to reach out with his senses to locate her yet nothing came from it. That was as far as his search went before two Naga tackled him from behind, throwing all three into the dark waters and submerging them to the bottom of the channel.
Ichigo grunted as the Naga above him tried to gnaw through his shoulder, all the while dragging him through the water. He punched and tried to kick the guy off of him but it wasn't doing any good, and he started to feel his lung burn from lack of oxygen.
'Shit! This is bad!' Ichigo thought.
He couldn't see anything, the waters were too dark and he had no idea where the hell anything was anymore. Quickly he drew power to Zangetsu and tried to flare his power, if he could release some of his spiritual power he might be able to make some light.
It was a success, for Ichigo could see everything now was bathed in a bright bluish glow as his blade pulsed with contained power. The Naga was still vainly trying to bite through his pauldron, Ichigo stopped this by bragging hold of the fin on its head and pulling it back. Once it was no longer trying to eat him he plunged his sword through its side and rolled through the water and tried to surface.
Yet something ploughed into his chest and slammed him into the wall, his grip on Zangetsu was lost and it sunk to the floor. The glow of the power within beginning to fade and returning the underwater realm to darkness, Ichigo scowled as punched at the Naga. He had to get away from this guy and get Zangetsu back before all the light was gone, and before he drowned.
Putting both legs against the Naga's chest he pushed it away and then pulled himself down towards the floor, kicking off the wall he glided towards his dropped weapon. Wrapping a hand around it he raised it up and turned back towards the Naga, who was surging towards him. He only had to raise the weapon and allow the Naga to do the work, impaling himself and throwing Ichigo further into the water.
'I… gotta get some air…' Ichigo thought, his vision begin to blur and go dark in spite of the glow from his Zanpakuto.
Yet as he continued his travel through the murky waters he noticed something pass into the light he was generating. He found a Naga chewing into the shoulder of the unconscious Anaesia, his eyes widened and with some quick work he removed his blade from the Naga and then used its body to propel himself towards the Sentinel.
Even if the water slowed him his blade still cut through and into the myrmidons chest and left it reeling. Ichigo wasn't worried though, instead he grabbed hold of Anaesia and pushed himself up and to the surface. When he breached the water he took in the sweet air, coughing and hacking up the water in his mouth and lungs before paddling towards some solid ground.
"Anaesia… can you hear me…?" Ichigo asked, breathing hard and pulling himself up along the walkway.
Setting Zangetsu against the wall, his hand wrapped in the while cloth to keep the blade fed with power, he laid the Sentinel on the ground and looked over her wounds. The bite mark on her right arm and shoulder looked bad, yet the puncture through her left leg was even worse. But the one thing that scared him most was that her chest was not rising, Anaesia wasn't breathing.
"No… no no no no." Ichigo said quickly, already removing some of her armour and trying to take the pressure off her chest.
He knew that he had to try and resuscitate her, if he was quick enough he might be able to save her and stop any permanent any damage from occurring. He took her knife and cut away some of her armour straps and allowed her chest to be free, and then he began to administer CPR. He cleared her airways of any water and then began compressions.
Her heart had to keep itself pumping, she needed to air to reach her brain to prevent brain damage, and if he was lucky maybe he could restart her heart. He went on to blowing air into her lungs, going over the steps in his head as he tried to perform them on someone. Ichigo knew the chances were never good with CPR and resuscitation but he had to try even if they were wounded like this.
He continued on for a minute, his mind slowly losing it's by the book and pragmatic approach as he begins to think that she was gone. He continued on despite the rising dread, it made him more determined to succeed, and with each passing compressing he made he kept his cool and didn't count the seconds.
As he breathed into her mouth one final time however she reacted, waking into consciousness and expelling the water in her lungs. She spat it out before rolling onto her side and hacking it up the water and taking in greedy breaths, Ichigo was there keeping her steady and making sure that she was still able to breath. If there was any more water in her lungs she might suffocate again.
"What… what were…?" Anaesia tried to speak, but with her wounds and that she had just been revived likely didn't help her.
"Stay still, I need to patch you up." Ichigo said, trying to clear away some of the filth on the ground so that she didn't get it in any of her wounds.
Reaching into some of his pouches he produced some pure water, bandages and salve. He grimaced to see that the bags didn't hold out the water, the bandages were soaked, for all the good an expandable pouch it seems making it waterproof appeared to be off the list.
He wringed out the bandages and went to work on patching Anaesia up, covering the wounds and placing the salve on them to at least keep the infection from setting in. Ichigo knew that keeping her down here wasn't going to work, he needed to get her to the surface and find Adelina.
"What… were you… doing…?" Anaesia asked again, her head lulling to the sides and her eyelids drooping.
"Hey, stay awake!" Ichigo said, jolting her so that she stayed awake. "If you pass out again you will get worse, trust me on this, stay awake."
Anaesia seemed a little delirious but she was able to give him a short nod before groaning and trying to rest against the wall and not close her eyes. Ichigo knew that without stitches or even a good patch the wounds on her arm and shoulder would bleed profusely. The best he could do was clog and bandage it up, her legs was likely going to be what gets her if not unconsciousness.
A splash took his attention and he reached for Zangetsu and raised it up, he let the light expand over the entire passageway. He scowled as he realized that there was nothing familiar about the tunnel, they had really been washed away when they got thrown into the water.
"It can't be far from here." Ichigo said, kneeling down next to the wounded Sentinel and bandaging up her leg before thinking up a way to carry her.
"Leave me… if the Naga find us… I will only…" Anaesia tried to say, fighting off the fatigue and nausea to try and warn Ichigo.
"Keep talking, it will help you stay awake." Ichigo said, ripping the cloak from her back and begin tying it together.
He knew he couldn't carry her in one arm and wield Zangetsu in the other, she was too wounded to walk and she would just wear herself out and drag him down. Carrying her was the only option, but one that kept his arms free to use them, with that he tied another knot in the cloak.
"Leave me… here…" Anaesia said, growling out the words to try and actually sound serious in her request.
"No, so try a different subject." Ichigo replied, finishing his little bundle and moving over to Anaesia.
Lifting her up he put her arms over his shoulders and around her neck, telling her to hold on, and then using her cloak he tied it around his waist and then hers to keep her legs supported and off the ground. Tying it tightly around his waist once more he grabbed Zangetsu and began to walk, the tunnel illuminated with his spiritual energy.
"You are… too important to risk… leave me and get out of here…" Anaesia said, trying to make him see reason and actually think about what he was doing.
"I am not leaving you to die down here in the dark." Ichigo shot back, his words as hard as granite and unwavering as a mountain of that same stone.
"I am a single Sentinel… just another that will die in this battle… there are always casualties…" Anaesia said, her next words caused the Substitute to pause for a moment. "I know that you do not wish to see people die… you think that with all that power you can protect everyone… but you must know that even you are not capable of that… save those that you can above and don't worry about me… more lives are at stake while you are not among them…"
"You are not just another person, you're my friend, and I am not going to leave a friend down here afraid and alone." Ichigo replied, with his scowl in place as he marched on.
He had lost a lot of people, fighting alongside the Sentinels has opened his eyes to the harsh reality of war and what to expect. That people are going to die, a lot of people, giving their lives so others won't have to lose theirs.
The people that were lost at Feathmoon Stronghold, Dire Maul, and in Feralas was something he couldn't change. Not because it was the past but because he was never there to help and protect them when he could, hundreds are dead and he couldn't help prevent it. He can rationalize it all he wants, he might have saved some lives with his actions or cost them more, but what happened was still echoes through his mind every day.
But he can handle it and push forward regardless though; he can't change what happens when he isn't there to take part. However, when he is there, when he had people's lives on the line and he has to power to save them he will do everything he can to ensure they come out alive.
"I always wanted power, not for some selfish desire or nefarious scheme to become some kind of king or warlord. All I ever wanted to do was keep everyone I cared about safe; I wanted it to protect everyone." Ichigo said, deciding to put an end to Anaesia's argument. "Strength for anything else seems pointless to me, I never thought to use it for anything other than making sure everyone I cared never had to cry because they lost someone they cared about. I wanted to save them from that kind of pain; I wanted to save all of you from it."
"Us…?" Anaesia asked.
"I can see it when you walk by the dead, how detached you Sentinels are when you pass the bodies of people you knew and fought alongside." Ichigo continued, and when he got no response from the Sentinel he continued. "I can tell that you hide your pain, because you know that you need to carry on and keep fighting, that you will mourn them when the time calls for it. But I also know that the more that die the more pain there will be, more families loosing mothers and sisters and daughters they care about."
He let out a sigh.
"Power, no matter how much of it I have, can leave you feeling so powerless when you don't make the difference you want to use it for." Ichigo continued. "I can't save everyone, and while I may once have said I would never risk my life for strangers, I never thought myself to be that kind of person who would sacrifice himself for others. But I won't stand by and let people die when they can be saved, I won't let another person become another name that people will mourn and despair in losing. I know what it is like to go through that, so I will get you out of here so you can see your family again."
Anaesia was quiet for a short while, Ichigo didn't know if he should be worried if she was unconscious or that she was just trying to digest his words. They continued on with the silence for a time, Ichigo navigating the tunnels and trying to find his way back to the causeway, while Anaesia rested on his shoulder. Eventually he decided to risk speaking to her to see if she was actually still awake.
"You alright?" Ichigo asked, knowing that he needed to keep her conscious and if he continued to pry her it would do the job.
"Yes…" That was her only response.
"So tell me about your family." Ichigo said, hoping that a little conversation would at least keep her awake and allay his own concerns about her falling into unconsciousness.
"Trying to keep me awake I see…" Anaesia tried to chuckle, he would like to think she was amused when she made the comment, but with her fatigue it came out as a half-hearted grumble.
"Hey, technically the moment I patched you up and resuscitated you, you've become my patient and it would be against moral code to let you get hurt." Ichigo deadpanned as he continued his trek, leaning around a corner and checking before continuing on.
"Resuscitated… you mean when you had your lips on mine…" Anaesia asked, and gave a soft chuckle when Ichigo hesitated to take a step and didn't reply back immediately. "I see… must be a very appealing practice… kissing a dying woman…"
"It is not like that, that was in no way a kiss, mouth to mount is meant to allow your blood to keep pumping so blood gets to the brain. The longer the blood is not supplied to the brain the more likely it is that you get brain damage." Ichigo countered, not believing she would stoop to saying something like that.
"So you gave me a kiss of life then…" Anaesia asked.
"… Sort of, yeah." Ichigo grumbled, knowing that he had to at least keep her alert and truth be told it was known by that name back in his world as well. He would take that blow and a bit of ridicule from her if it meant that he could keep her awake.
"It must have been your first time… with your lips on a woman's." Anaesia commented, before giving a dry chuckle. "Wasn't very good."
"I said it wasn't a kiss!" Ichigo yelled at her, face getting a little red at her attempt to irritate him. "I just breathed air into your lungs; it was far from being a real kiss anyway."
"No need to be… so defensive..." Anaesia replied, giving another soft chuckle.
"I'm not, just saying…" Ichigo said, grumbling the rest under his breath, at least she wasn't as bad as some people he knew.
Hell if that was Yoruichi she likely would have gone way overboard just to get his blood pressure to skyrocket so he would have a heart attack. Who was he kidding, knowing her she would have tried to be coy and offer to give him lessons if he is having trouble. Luckily at least Anaesia was only willing to have a little fun rather than… like, nibble on his ear or something perverted.
Ichigo strolled on before he finally found something familiar, he raised Zangetsu and his eyes hardened when he found the familiar reservoir chamber. On the far side of the room were the many bodies of dead Naga, yet to be cleared off and some bodies of dead trolls and Sentinels.
"Looks like we made it back." Ichigo commented, looked to the waters and scowling.
He knew that the Naga wouldn't think twice about attacking him when he walks across the bridge, so he decided to skip that and do the quick and easy route. With a quick word to Anaesia he used Shunpo and covered the entire chamber in a single stride before running up the causeway and to the next level. Turning down the hall he rushed down its lengths before he found another set of stairs that had foot prints on its surface.
Rushing up the stairs he followed several more winding paths before finally finding a damaged doorway, busted open and leading to a dimly lit street. Ichigo smiled as he rushed out into the open, finding himself on a narrow street with only orbs of light hovering overhead and giving limited illumination. He let out a breath as he took in the fresh air and thanks whatever Kami was up there that got him out of that hell hole.
"Ichigo… we are not alone…" Anaesia said, when Ichigo turned down the street he discovered she was right when he found just to his right were a group of Highborne looking at him.
"Oh god dammit." Ichigo grumbled, watching as the mages and warriors prepared to attack. He beat them to the punch by swinging around Zangetsu and releasing the stored energy within the blade.
A formless Gutsuga flew out and washed over the entire street, he doubted that it would kill them but they sure as hell were in for a ride. Turning in the other direction he noticed ten people in his way, they were mostly separated from one another and gave him a good opening to escape.
"Anaesia, hold on." Ichigo said, disappearing with a burst of Shunpo and with three steps he was at the end of the street and about fifty meters away from the dumbstruck guards. Well out of the way of any hostiles, but he did find himself in the presence of a few civilians, all of them gasping and shouting in alarm at seeing a human and Night Elf in the city.
"We need… to escape…" Anaesia said.
"I know, give me a minute." Ichigo replied, taking off again and weaving in and around the crowd as he tried to find somewhere to hide.
He could hear the frantic cries of everyone behind him and decided that he needed to get off the streets quick. Leaping into a side street he rushed to the very end and looked left and right, finding both streets occupied by a few people. He looked ahead and found a nice little house that he might be able to hide in; quickly rushing to it he busted in the door and closed it behind him.
Moving quickly he scanned the home and tried to find a way to get to the roof, if he got somewhere high he might be able to get a vantage point of the city and then see if he can locate his friends. That was the hope anyway.
"Hey Anaesia, if Iyeana got into what we are in now, what would she do?" Ichigo asked.
"Evade capture and find a location to hide, from there she would scout out for a new location that was secure and safe." Anaesia said, before groaning.
"You alright?" Ichigo asked.
"Just… tired…" Anaesia replied, and Ichigo glanced back at her and down at her arm, finding that the bandage was now being soaked in blood.
He had to get her to Adelina fast, but he had no idea where to begin searching for her or anyone else. With the storm above their heads and the spiritual energy seeping from it, along with being hunted down by the Highborne it would be hard to actually make any headway in locating his friends.
"If I can get to the roof I can see about locating them." Ichigo mused, searching the house until he found some stairs and then began running to the top floor. From there he found a window with a balcony and then climbed the rest of the way up, standing on the slightly angular roof and overlooking a good deal of the city.
He looked around to find that the entire city was a bit larger than he expected, compared to Stormwind it wasn't that massive but for a city of this world was still impressive. It was shocking to think that such a place could have survived being sunk to the ocean depths, especially about ten thousand years ago.
But he had to ignore it for now, he needed to find the others and he had a good idea on how to do it. Closing his eyes he tried to focus, search through his senses for Adelina and see if he could find her spiritual signature. He just hopes that with so many people here and the spiritual output of the storm wouldn't throw off his ability to sense her.
For the next minute he tried to find her signature amongst the many hundreds within the city, it was tricky considering the interference and other powerful signatures. He could sense four of them in the palace near the western coast of the city, likely all of them being the Primal Spirits that have been captured. One in particular felt heavy and overwhelmingly powerful, he wouldn't put it past him to say that the guy would probably give Yamamoto a run for his money on how heavy his spiritual energy was.
Returning to the task at hand, he could feel the people all around him pulsing with a decent spiritual signature as compared to the rest. In fact he would say that it was more prominent than when he met Mordent, how come they had so much of a spiritual presence as compared to the Archmage? Oddly enough the energy seems to be familiar, almost feels like the same energy from Druantia but with another mixed in. Codexia said that they were created a Draught, so maybe the spirits energies are mixing in with the populace.
In spite of the discovery it did little to help him locate Adelina or the rest of the party, he continued to try and find a single thread to locate and then he sensed something. He thought at first he was sensing a Gillian, a conglomerate of souls tightly bound together in a single body or location. Yet with how calm and peaceful these souls seemed to be Ichigo denounced the possibility of a Hollow actually being in the city.
"What was that?" Ichigo mused, focusing on that signature and trying to locate its source.
He found it quickly with the sheer potency of its power, latching onto the thread and following it to somewhere in the south-east. What came to be a surprise was how it felt, getting part the conglomeration of spirits he found the signature to be quite familiar. He narrowed his eyes and tried to figure it out but then he felt his sense brush against another series of threads close to the large one. Adelina and Caren being the ones he recognised immediately, but also Iyeana and several other Sentinels.
"I found them." Ichigo mumbled, smirking as he looked off in the direction where they were. "Hold on Anaesia, I will be getting you that treatment soon enough."
His only response with a low groan from the Sentinel, he knew that was bad, she was likely fighting now to stay awake. With the blood loss and revival it was best to get to them quick and then worry about anything else later.
Shouting from below alerted him to the Highborne searching for him, he didn't risk looking over the edge in case someone noticed and pointed him out. Instead he looked up to the next city block on the other side of the street, where he needed to go. It was a good gap that he wasn't sure he could leap over, but he had an idea, but he didn't know if he could pull it off or not.
'Well technically it is only taking a single step so I should be fine.' Ichigo reasoned, looking at the eight meter gap between the buildings and weighing the pros and cons of trying something completely untested.
In the end he gave a grunt and decided that winging it was better than just waiting for those guards to eventually find them. He took off into a burst of Shunpo and immediately appeared on the adjacent buildings roof, turning back Ichigo smirked as he realized he had found a quick and easy way to get across the buildings.
Ichigo took off running towards where he last sensed Adelina and Caren, running across the roofs of the elven city and traversing most of the city through Shunpo. He glanced over his shoulder to Anaesia, finding her eyes drooping and her expression to be a shade paler than her usual purple. Closing his eyes for a moment he searched out for Adelina, quickly finding her and narrowing in on her locations.
As he landed on the location where they were he narrowed his eyes as he tried to locate them once more, he could sense they were on the move but it didn't feel like they were above ground. Why were they going back underground? Wouldn't they want to avoid getting into a fight with the Naga?
'Might want to see what they are doing.' Ichigo mused, turning and finding an opening in a roof and deciding to drop in to see them.
Iyeana walked through the doorway and examined the chamber, finding a brightly lit room filled with some furniture and stolen supplies from the Highborne. All the while around the room several mages were moving too and about organizing everything and trying to tidy up. It was almost as if they were worried about making a bad impression for herself and her horde 'allies'.
"It was fortunate that we found you when we did, had we left you on the streets the Guard and Shen'dralar would have hunted you all down eventually."
Iyeana looked to Mordent, finding him standing in the centre of the room and passing on a piece of parchment to another mage. He looked no worse for wear despite his supposed fight with Maluineth some days ago. He gave a gesture to the side of the room, several mats and beds were located there so they could rest.
"You certainly have made yourselves comfortable." Iyeana said, looking over the room before moving up to speak with the mage face to face. With a gesture all her soldiers moved for the spot, they were tired, wounded, and in need of some medical attention. Luckily Adelina and Mairne survived to put their magical arts to good use.
"It has its purposes." Mordent replied, folding his arms behind his back and looking at the Sentinel commander grimly. "I had not expected you to arrive, should I expect a Sentinel army breaking down the gates soon?"
"No, we are here to retrieve the Heart of Veles, get it out of the city and back to Mauradon." Iyeana replied.
"Then you will need to contend with the entire might of the Nobles army, for the Heart is sealed within the palace. In the Council's personal chambers in fact, a place that even with your forces here could not hope to breach." Mordent said.
Iyeana knew that it would be a problem; after all, their initial attempt to try and reach the Palace from their position had ended in failure. Contending with the Guards and Shen'dralar has been a costly affair that had cut their forces in half of what they originally came here with. Forcing them to retreat into the streets and fight a backwards battle somewhere that they could hide.
Had it not been to luck of them finding one of Mordent's mages they may still have been on the run, or forced into the ocean by their pursuers. They still may be in danger if they remain here though; this place was not as secure and protected as she thought it to be.
"How many do you have?" Iyeana asked.
"Twenty five, including myself, and I am afraid that we do not have the power to launch a major counter offensive." Mordent replied, producing a bottle of draught from a crate nearby and showing it to Iyeana. "Our powers are still drained and we have inadequate substitutes, even in my drained state in Mauradon overshadows the power I now have at my disposal."
"Iyeana." Codexia strolled up, hand on the Sentinel's shoulder and looking at her imploringly. "We need Ichigo, the spirits said that he was the only one that can help us, we need to go and rescue him."
Iyeana knew that, how could she not know that, brushing off the hand on her shoulder she looked to Mordent.
"We may not have the forces but we have someone that can turn the tide for us, Ichigo is still trapped beneath the city when we arrived." Iyeana said, hoping that Ichigo was alive and holding up, if they could send someone below they could retrieve him. "If you can give us maps of the sewers and maybe some of your mages…"
"That is somewhere I would not advise doing, the Elementals and Naga below cannot be contended with, even the Shen'dralar and Guard do not venture below." Mordent replied, shaking his head. "I am afraid that any allies that are down there are dead."
Iyeana dreaded the thought that Ichigo had met his end down in those dark sewers, he was the strongest among them and had fought in many battles and always turned the tide. If he was gone than she feared this missions may fail before it could even begin, something she knew that her other warriors would also believe.
Ichigo had become a legend among them all, many knowing of his otherworldly origins and his status as a god. He had fought in and ended many battles with a single swing of his sword, some that had been seen by herself and her squad. To think him dead would cause ripples that would make them despair that the mission was doomed for failure.
"We have to try, I know him, and he would not die so easily down there." Adelina said, frowning as she looked to the Archmage, although Iyeana was certain the young druid was just as scared of the possibility of his death as she was.
"I don't have the warriors to send down below to search for him, the time and dangers alone would cost us too much." Mordent replied.
"He vouched for you, spared you from my wrath." Iyeana stated, narrowing his eyes at the man. He knew nothing of the boy and his power, had he known what she knew he would risk all to try and rescue him.
"Yes, he did, but that does not equate to me sacrificing all my people's lives for one man that saved me so that I could be here to make a difference." Mordent replied, frowning in reply to the Sentinel's glare. "You have fewer warriors left than I, and in spite of it you would go back below to rescue one man. Would you sacrifice all your Sentinels, and your allies, just to save him?"
"I would." Iyeana replied a heartbeat later. "Because I know that he is more valuable fighting here than any of my warriors."
"And yet you are unwilling to make that sacrifice, so why should my people be the ones to die for this one man that you think is worth so much?" Mordent asked.
Iyeana could only glare at him by making that remark, she knew that sending her people in would be the death of many if not all of them. Yet Ichigo was someone that she knew could turn the tide of any battle if he was present, to not have him here would be disastrous for morale and their objective.
She would have continued to try and force Mordent to comply, even threats now would seem appropriate to rescue Ichigo from below the city. Yet before she could speak the words a hand landed on her, ensnaring her entire shoulder and some of her arm. Looking up she found the elder Shaman giving a hard look and speaking with a stare that spoke as if to remain calm.
"Do not fear for him, there is no need to worry, he said he would follow us, and I believe his words." Mairne said. "Just give him a moment."
Iyeana didn't understand what he meant, did he actually think that Ichigo could escape from those depths alone and against so many Naga? They had to fight through nearly a hundred of them and they barely escaped with their lives, and he thought Ichigo would be able to survive so easily trapped beneath there?
"Oi!"
Many turned abruptly to the shout, shock and disbelief, finding the young Shinigami standing at the doorway with the injured Anaesia strapped to his back. He let out a few breathes before he spoke again, ignoring Adelina and Caren who came rushing over to him.
"I need some help over here!" Ichigo said, strolling forward and towards the nearest person.
"Ichigo! Are you alright?" Adelina asked, grasping onto his shoulder before looking to the barely conscious Anaesia. "What happened to her?"
"She drowned, I brought her back but she needs help now, she's lost a lot of blood and was clinically dead for a minute or two." Ichigo said, undoing the strap and lightly placing her on the floor. "Her bandages are soaked and unclean, they need to be removed and her wounds treated, can you do it?"
"Yes, I need help carrying her!" Adelina replied, turning towards two Sentinels and beckoning them to help her with Anaesia.
"Keep her awake, don't let her fall asleep." Ichigo cautioned, before he raised his hand and shielded himself from being struck by Caren.
Turning towards her with an expression of shock on his face, a little startled from the surprise attack the came out of nowhere. The young mage in contrast had one of complete fury, obviously she was angry about something and Ichigo had a good idea what it was.
"Again you run off! Again you nearly get killed! Do you learn nothing with these stunts of yours?!" Caren said, throwing two more swings at him just to prove the point of how vexed she was with his actions.
"Calm down!" Ichigo yelled back, grabbing her staff and forcing her to stop her little attack.
"How can I be calm when you run off into a horde of Naga! We thought you were dead!" Caren said, angrily trying to get her staff out of Ichigo's grasp so she can hit him with it.
"Listen I am sorry, but I came back and I rescued the person I went after, so it is a win." Ichigo replied, but when he noticed Iyeana walking his way he knew he was in for it.
He knew running off without saying anything or doing something monumentally dangerous often rubbed her the wrong way, truthfully he could understand why. But considering the circumstances and the results he hoped that she would look the other way and not care, Anaesia did the same back in Dire Maul.
When she was in front of him and gave him a once over, checking for wounds or any damage it would seem. Once her inspection was complete and looked him in the eye, glowing white to dull brown, and not a word was said for a moment.
"How did you find us?" Iyeana inquired.
"I tracked Adelina's Spiritual signature, lead right here, skipped over the rooftops and followed you down." Ichigo replied, releasing the staff in his hand and turning to face her fully.
"So you were not followed?" Iyeana asked, words still as neutral as before.
"No, ditched them a long way from here." Ichigo replied.
A small silence followed soon after, but it was ended when Iyeana did the strangest thing and something he never expected. She gave him a pat on the shoulder before a small relieved smile appeared on her face.
"It's good to see you are alright." Iyeana said, before turning to Caren and giving her a nod.
Ichigo was momentarily confused as to what just happened, Iyeana he had expected her to go off on him for jumping in and trying to rescue someone. Considering the circumstances and also Anaesia's own judgment he expected as much, maybe even a light scolding. More than likely because of his confusion he did not see the staff coming back in, this time connecting with the crown of his head.
An expletive escaped his mouth as the metal headpiece connected, his hand shot up to cradle the point of impact. He turned and glared at the woman, fighting back tears as he entire head stung, who looked on with a frown before turning away with a humph.
"What the hell?" Ichigo yelled, turning from Caren to Iyeana. He was certain that she had some role in making her smack him on the head like that, considering she nodded towards the mage before she struck. "I thought you weren't mad?"
"I am displeased with your insubordination and while I will overlook it for this moment, I want you to know that there are still consequences to your actions. That hit on the head wasn't the consequence I am afraid." Iyeana replied, gesturing to the side where many of her Sentinels and Horde warriors were being treated.
Following her gaze he found a dozen people all taking seats on the ground, some even confined to the mats as they were being given treatment. But then he shifted around the rest of the room, finding that maybe five or so other warriors were present that were unharmed. It hit him when he realized just how many of them had actually escaped from underground and then made it here, the force of about forty had been reduced to less than half its original number.
It didn't take him a moment to realize that while he was trying to get Anaesia out of the tunnels Iyeana was up here trying to keep everyone alive. Then he understood the consequences and how they relate to him, it was because he wasn't there to help. She was telling him that his actions may have saved one life but in the long run he could have saved more had he not run off half-cocked.
He balled his fist and scowled at the lesson he was being given, did she actually think she can try and lay this on him? Take the blame for what happened to all the people that didn't survive up until now? Ichigo wanted to refute the idea that he was responsible, yet in truth it came down to the same conclusion. His recklessness and bull-headed approach may have resulted in the deaths of many of the people he was meant to protect.
"Don't hold onto it." Iyeana order, her brow was creased and her words resonating like a hammer on an anvil.
Ichigo looked at her for a moment, not understanding what she meant.
"I know what you are thinking, that this is your fault and that you are responsible. Circumstances have made you pick one path and in the moment where you chose it you were in the right, but later it proved to be the lesser of a more logical decision." Iyeana continued. "Don't let it haunt you, these warriors knew what it meant coming to this city and what likely awaited them. No action leads to a good or bad result, nothing is ever is a straight and narrow path. Sometimes it is a bit of both, sometimes it is one and then it turns for the better or for the worse."
"What are you trying to say?" Ichigo asked, scowling at her and demanding an answer that made sense.
"Don't always hold onto the consequences of your actions, it will only hold you back and make you question every decision you make from then on. You need to remain determined and assured that every action you make will be towards the goal you set, regardless of the consequences that befalls yourself or others you must keep moving forward." Iyeana replied, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Would you sacrifice your life for others? Would you give up everything to protect thousands of innocent people?"
"You know I would." Iyeana knew that to be the case.
"Then don't sully their memory with despair and doubt, take their beliefs and goals and make it your own. Let it grow so that you are more determined to achieve what they died fighting towards, because I know if you give up now you will only be making their deaths one in vain." Iyeana stated, jabbing her fingers at the wounded. "Do not shoulder their deaths; carry on and bear the burden of what made them so willing to sacrifice their lives."
Ichigo knew that she was putting this on to try and make him realize the mistake but not let it hinder him, instead he should continue forward in spite of the tragedy. He clenched his fist, but only for a second, before he released it and took in a breath. He understood where she was coming from, this was a situation where he couldn't be bogged down with the deaths of his comrades. He needed to keep moving forward and fight to see that this madness is ended so that their deaths can actually have a purpose here.
They may be gone, but the mission remains the same, and in their place he will move forward to see that what they fought for is achieved. He had just made a similar speech to Anaesia not too long ago and he nearly contradicted himself. Maybe it was good that Iyeana did this for him, remind him and make him understand what he needs to do so that it didn't strike him when he wasn't looking.
"What is our next move?" Ichigo asked, looking at Iyeana with hard eyes.
Iyeana smiled when she saw the resolve within his eyes, it seems she was able to get through to him. Her instincts were right about Ichigo, the boy is a valiant protector and will defend any and all around him if he feels that it is a must. Yet his greatest flaw comes from that same strength, for failure is what weakens him more than any wound could.
So he must be reminded of what he must always do, that he must not let the moment rule him and instead continue to fight with all his strength and conviction. Once he learns to control his fear and hold back despair will he be able to make a difference, just like he already is. But for now a small lesson on the necessities of war would be enough for now.
If they were lucky they would not lose too many more, maybe this would end with no more lives lost.
"We bring in reinforcements." Iyeana said, turning around and towards the young human mage.
Caren stood near an archway and was busy scribbling a few runes into the stone passageway, writing it with pure magical energies. Ichigo strolled up next to Iyeana and watched her work, what was she doing?
"Caren, is it almost ready?" Iyeana inquired.
"Yes, the anchor I set up in Nijel's Point should be functional, and then we will have our Portal." Caren replied.
"Portal?" Ichigo asked.
"It is why I came here, I couldn't discover a way to make an entire army invisible to the sensors of the Obelisk and get them to the city unscathed." Caren responded, not turning away from her work as she explained. "So instead it was better that we find an alternative means to enter the city, one that involved as few people as possible, luckily for us Marta's Submarine was a perfect means to do that."
"So… you didn't actually come up with anything to get into the city? How were you expecting to get inside then?" Ichigo asked, it also brought up another question he had been meaning to ask about how she actually knew how to come to Shadowprey Village.
Before he could ask her she produced a pair of Bracer, specifically those used by Elementals to tether themselves to the material world. Yet he noticed that instead of the craggy brass and black rock that they were made of they were smooth teal and blue metal.
"Those look different from the ones used by those Earth Elementals." Ichigo noted.
"That is because they are Water Elemental Bracers." Caren replied, smirking as she tossed them aside. "While the mechanics of the bracers are the same they are calibrated and moulded specifically for specific elemental forces. I intended to use these Bracers to bind an Elemental to my will and have it enter the city for me, and through it create a summoning Circle to transport myself in. From there I create this same portal and bring in the army right behind me."
"That would have worked?" Ichigo asked, wouldn't the storm have fried the Elemental when it got close. He actually asked her that as well just to make sure.
"Yes, mainly because the Storm doesn't actually target Elementals. I was told this when Earth Elementals were making their way towards the city and were not being targeted by the Storm." Caren replied, giving a content smile as she placed down several more runic sigils. "From there I decided to delve into learning all I can about the Obelisk, and determined that the Scrying spell has a particular function on how it targets hostiles. It locks onto the mana signatures of anything within its outer radius."
A smart design, the Obelisk detects the mana within the body of anyone approaching and the storm brings down a potent bolt of lightning to eradicate the person below. All living creatures on Azeroth have mana coursing through their veins; this is why all the wildlife near the city was being killed as was anyone moving towards it.
"Mana… you mean the arcane energies within the body right?" Ichigo asked.
"In a way yes, comparing Mana and the Arcane would be like comparing water and pressurized steam. But the reason the Elementals are unscathed is because their signature is purely spiritual, meaning that even if they had any mana it would be shrouded by their own spiritual power. They could walk right up to the city and be unscathed." Caren said, arms held out wide as if waiting for applause.
"Well that was a good plan, too bad it is useless now." Ichigo said, thinking that the entire explanation sounded pointless now.
"Not so, I have extensive knowledge on how the Obelisk of Elune works and how it was designed. With that knowledge I will not only be able to deactivate it, but also alter how it works entirely, I may have a plan to help us retake the entirety of the Desolace." Caren stated smugly. "Not so useless now."
Ichigo had to admit he had a good idea on what plan she had up her sleeves, it was ingenious if you asked him.
"No time to gloat, we have a coup to plan." Iyeana said, turning and moving back towards Mordent. "Finish that portal and get our reinforcements inside, we are going to need all the troops we can for this fight."
