First and Foremost, I want to apologise.

I have been away for too long, way too long, procrastinating and being distracted when I should be a little more productive with my time. No excuse, no matter how valid it may be, can give any credence to how I handled myself over that time.

Sure I can say with my recent promotion that I am lacking free time in doing my work and that my boss is a complete moron who wants to micromanage all my time to the point where I cannot get anything done because he actually wants me to handle the spreadsheets that tell me how exactly I should be micromanaging my time.

So yeah, not exactly fun.

But I finally got this chapter out, and plan to post a chapter for Hand of Suffering tomorrow, so stay tuned for that.

Also, I am thinking at the end of all these chapters I might be doing info dumps for things in the story. So if anyone has any questions about how and why the story is progressing in a certain direction please feel free to ask questions and I will try to answer them.


Transcendence

Chapter 83: Prepped and Ready

Stormwind City

Caren brushed the mane of her steed, using a fine comb to tidy its knotted hair, she couldn't believe how unkempt this horse was. She had to send it back to the Stable to be cleaned, his fur was dirty and there were even some fleas, even the Stablemaster had complained.

Saying all kinds of things about the predicament 'Why is this happening?' and 'This is irritating' how could she not share in his aggravation. She even suggested on reprimanded his stablehands to do better next time lest they get in trouble from the wrong kind of person.

"There, a steed worthy of a noble." Caren mused.

Even if her recent experience with her father, his arrogance and threats, she couldn't exactly say she wasn't still proud of her noble status. For unlike her father, who played the part foolishly, she sought to emulate it with grace and dignity. She wasn't going to tarnish her families name further, for any merit and adulations her family should receive will be due to her deeds rather than currying favour from others.

But there was little in the way for her to achieve such results.

Aside from her own family many nobles still despise her for the role she played in exposing their conspiracy to pillage the Vaults of the Wizard Sanctum. To earn recognition of any sort would be impossible, for many whom she had harmed with her actions would tear apart any effort she put forward. Not that she cared, the spirit of her actions were more important than the laurels anyway, to receive any praise from those dishonourable men would only sour the deed in question.

Even so, she doubted that they would be able to downplay her role here, going to rescue the Princess of Ironforge was not something anyone could ignore.

Looking around she found that the House of Nobles had put a lot more effort into this operation than first thought. Last time they had organised a force to fight had been months ago during the orc invasion of Redridge, which she joined near its conclusion, and it was not as well funded as this.

Instead of carts to transport the many Adventurers to Redridge they were instead providing horses and other mounts as needed, providing a horse for everyone was not a cheap thing. Even several stablehands were hired to take care of the steads, they were putting the money forward for this, lots of money.

"I suppose rescuing the Princess does warrant a greater expenditure." Caren mused, although given the number of people being sent she wondered if this was overkill.

One hundred people had been procured for the invasion, a hundred able bodied adventurers who had been tested and confirmed to be ready. Last she heard they only needed a quarter of that number, but now they had more on hand, made her wonder if they planned to throw everyone at the city gates and storm the city.

"Caren Willmourne."

Turning she found the silver blonde haired Paladin astride a white charger, large in size and made even more intimidating by the heavy armor adorning its body.

"Knight-Captain Joana Lightlance, how may I be of assistance." Caren said, giving a short bow to the officer.

"I am curious as to where Ichigo is, along with worried where he had run off to, please tell me he hasn't already head off towards Blackrock Mountain without us." Joana asked, as much as it might sound like a joke, Caren had the feeling that she was more concerned he might actually do that.

"He is simply picking up his armour, he went on ahead and…" Caren started, noticing the Paladin jerk her head towards her. "Not like that! His armour had been taken to a wizard in Elwynn, who resides near the Eastern Road, we will be seeing him in a few hours."

Caren watched as the Paladin let out a breath, likely relieved that he hadn't run off again, it would seem that his disappearance and recklessness wasn't something so easily forgotten. Although it is strange to see the Alliance officer so concerned with his disappearance, not given what she knew of Ichigo it wasn't surprising that they were anxious that he wasn't here.

Ichigo was a force of nature, many times his very presence turned the tide of battle and often saved many lives. Even if he had only ever worked with the Alliance Army on one occasion he had made an impact, left an impression that had made it clear that having Ichigo around was actually a good thing. Ichigo certainly knew how to win people over, even for only a day he made an impression, but what really sold it was the fact these people had no idea about Kalimdor.

If they had known about half of the things he had accomplished over there she would think that they would be aiming to giving him a lot more of their attention.

"Good, I would be quite annoyed if he had run off to the mountain." Joana said.

"Has that boy gone and run off again?" Commander Tyresa Morgan said, riding up to them.

"Yes, gone to some wizards abode in Elwynn, apparently his armour is there." Joana said.

"Wizards abode? Do you perhaps think he goes to the Tower of Azora?" Tyresa inquired, surprise creasing her brow as she made the observation.

"I assumed so as well, a surprised he was able to have that mage take a look at his armour. Not many receive such an honour." Joana responded in kind.

"You are indeed both correct, he goes to meet Archmage Theocritus, he had been commissions some days ago to enchant his armour." Caren said.

Caren couldn't blame them, when Ichigo had told her that his armour had been taken to the Tower of Azore she had been shocked. While it was understandable why Ichigo may not know the significance of meeting such a person but she did.

Theocritus was a well known and respected mage, amongst the few remaining elite that had survived the fall of Dalaran four years past. He was wise and powerful, having extensive knowledge and relics that rivalled even the contents of the Vaults within the Sanctum, his arcane knowledge could not be rivalled. When she realised it was he who was enchanting Ichigo's armour she could not fault him for not going back to Jaina to carry out the work.

Although he later admitted he didn't know who he was or if he was any good.

"Fair enough, he plans to wait for us correct?" Tyresa asked.

"Yes, do not worry, he also had a feeling you would be concerned so he left a letter." Caren said, producing it and quickly reciting its contents. "…"

Or at least tried.

She looked at the letter, reading its contents and for the life of her she couldn't believe what she was reading. Standing there motionless for a few moments had left her under the scrutinising eyes of the two Paladins. Both of whom looked at one another, before Joana plucked the letter from her hands.

"To Tyresa Morgan, Commander of the Alliance Army and Paladin of the Church of the Holy Light." Joana recited, giving a nod of approval as she read out the formal introduction. "I wish to inform you of my absence at the time of departure of our company, I apologise for my lack of forewarning. However matters outside my control have forced me to make an early departure from the city to the Tower of Azore. I will be waiting by the road several leagues from the pass leading to Redridge, I will have my own horse and my armour. Sincerely, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Joana looked over the letter before passing it to Tyresa, the senior paladin skimmed the message, and both of them seemed content with the message.

"I must admit that I am surprised, the boy came off as a little rough around the edges, I did not think he could be so articulate." Tyresa said, some humour in her words, the paladin handing the letter back to her. "I suppose that you have been teaching him a little, nicely done."

"I told him to be formal in the letter, to try and convey himself clearly." Caren replied absently, taking the piece of parchment and looking at its contents.

"It is working, he certainly has changed from what he was like before." Tyresa said, before urging her steed forward. "Mount up, we will be departing shortly."

Caren didn't respond, her mind was however stuck on something that for her seem more important, particularly the letter she was holding. She couldn't understand what was written here, looking over the words and the formality of the missive it made her doubt that it was Ichigo who wrote this.

When she remembered seeing him last night making the letter, asking her to give it to Tyresa to explain his disappearance, she was caught off guard. He was actually making a letter rather than just having her say it, that wasn't what she expected, he covered pretty quickly by saying it was the appropriate thing to do.

She had agreed, and then gone on a rant explaining the need for him to make sure it was formal and clear to the point. Offering a sincere apology as well as explaining the circumstances for his absence. He had looked thoughtful for a moment before he decided to remake the letter from scratch.

When she saw him do that she thought he might have done something half-heartedly, a line or two, maybe even something like 'I am busy, will meet you down the road'. That would certainly be within her expectations, at worst he would have rewritten it more sarcastically and even thrown in an insult her way. She expected that in fact, she believed without a shadow of a doubt he would do that.

But what she got was not what she expected.

He wasn't like this, he wasn't this accomodating, he wasn't this meticulous with his words.

Ichigo was stubborn, hot-headed, and aggressive.

What was written in this letter was something you would see in an apology letter from a noble to someone they had to cancel on or reschedule. Ichigo didn't do that, he didn't go out of his way to apologise for something so trivial as going to get his own armour, he didn't apologise for anything.

This wasn't right.

Something was wrong.

She didn't know how she knew that, but right now she was feeling a lot of dots connecting in her mind, something was definitely wrong with Ichigo.


"Company! Form up!" Tyresa called out, raising her hand and looking back towards the hundred strong force they had mustered.

They were an odd assortment, a good number of Dwarves had signed up to take part in the rescue mission, but they certainly had a diverse force. A few mages had signed up, something she was thankful for, these ones were skilled and more numerous than the few she had a few months back.

But they also got a few good warriors on their side, well trained and diverse in their skills, in fact she was certain some of them might actually be Legerdemains. Having a few rogues on hand wasn't exactly something she should feel comfortable with, but this was a dangerous mission and they couldn't afford not to have people like that. Whatever they may be, contract killers or back alley thieves, they had the skill to be here and she wasn't going to turn them away.

They were going to be invading the Dark Iron Dwarves home, a city that was damn near impenetrable, and from her sisters own words was somewhere no one had gotten inside of.

"Commander."

Tyresa turned to the speak and found a serf rushing up to her, he came a stop and handed her a sealed envelope. It had the seal of the House of Wrynn on it, that was a surprise, the King's disappearance was far from old news but she knew that this couldn't be from the Royal Family.

"The instructions are in the envelope, they are to be only opened should you find Galen Runecrest." The serf said.

"Why only if I find him?" Tyresa asked, but she received a shrug in response.

"I do not know milady, it was all I was told."

"Told by whom?"

"Lady Katrana Prestor."

The serf rushed off after that, leaving her to ruminate on what she had just been told, looking down at the letter she couldn't help but scowl. It would seem that the Royal Advisor to the King was starting to exert some of her new found power, using the families seal like that isn't something you can just do.

Certainly the Prince was only ten years old, far too young to be ruling the Kingdom, but to think the Reagent had allowed her to acquire this much power. Bolvar Fordragon was no fool, he may not care for the politics of the House of Nobles and often stamped out their more brazen scheming, but to allow Katrana Prestor to actually use the authority and power of the King was unacceptable.

'When I return I will need to speak with him on this.'

With a wave of her hand she ordered the company forward.


Tower of Azora, Province of Sunnyglade

Ichigo looked up at the lonely tower in the middle of the forest, pristine white stone with a blue tiled roof, it was imposing to say the least. Wasn't as big as the Citadel in Theramore, maybe a little big larger than the tower he fought that Warlock in Redridge.

"This is it." Bonkotsu said, dismounting the horse.

"What is this place exactly?" Ichigo asked.

"It's a wizard's tower, I told you this already, this is where the enchanters are." Bonkotsu replied.

Ichigo didn't mean that, he had heard it when Bonkotsu had turned up at the Inn and told him where he had sent his armour to be enchanted. Caren had a fit, saying that the legendary Theocritus was going to be enchanting his armour. Ichigo asked who this man was, he was apparently an Archmage of Dalaran and a very knowledgeable wizard.

Wizards it seemed were different from the run of the mill mages.

It would seem that there was more to being a magician than he first thought.

Mages was less of a calling and more of a broad term to describe those who took up the path of wielding the arcane, strangely enough almost anyone who trains in the Arcane is classified as a Mage. It is only through time and training that determines if you can become more than that, shockingly enough he kind of understood the basics of the teaching at Dalaran when Caren dumped it on his head.

Mages are taught literally everything and from there they develop and grow, after that it comes down to finding individual talents and skills that they can apply themselves towards.

Depending on how well one studied in certain schools could take up careers in said fields, for example there were Enchanters, Diviners, Conjurers and Transmutationists. If you excelled in one of the Nine Schools you could make it a primary profession you take up. But apparently most of the people who trained as mages did take up this kind of distinction to find work or employment during or after they finished their tenure in Dalaran's academy.

Mages and Archmages were different only in experience and power, but the way they apply their power is no different, they harness the mana in their bodies to control the arcane energies in the atmosphere. They effectively utilise the power within and around them to create magical phenomenon. The better you are at that the more prestigious you become.

But then you have Wizards and Sorcerers.

How Caren put it was something like this: If you are a Mage you usually are someone who is wise and holds a great deal of knowledge in your craft allowing you to harness the arcane. If you are a Sorcerer you have an innate talent for magic in your blood, being able to harness and cast spells with seemingly no effort or resistance. If you are a wizard, you are a between those two extremes, having both the wisdom and skill to utilise everything you know and control and using it towards whatever goal you set yourself towards.

In short: A Mage uses the knowledge he has to harness the Arcane to perform any magics he requires. The Sorcerer however has the Innate Talent and power to make magic bend to their whims. The Wizard had the best of both worlds, having both the extensive knowledge of magic and the power to utilise said knowledge to its fullest potential.

And if this guy was a Wizard, classified as an Archmage as well, that specialised in enchanting, it was his lucky day that he in the market for an enchanter. Whatever mojo he could whip up and slap onto his armour was definitely going to keep him alive for the fight that was to come.

But that wasn't what was holding his attention.

"What the fuck is in this place?" Ichigo muttered, he could sense something from the tower.

There was something there, he could tell that something resonating through the stone of the tower, he wasn't able to tell exactly what it was. He sometimes griped about his lack of skill in certain areas, but he usually made up for it by being at least competent enough to know the basics.

Yet right now he was sensing something quite dense here, powerful even, how the hell did he not notice this on his approach?

Dismounting his horse he walked up to the tower with Bonkotsu, as the blacksmith wrapped his knuckles against the door Ichigo examined the tower. He tried to concentrate, see if he could detect what this presence was, wasn't his strong suite but he could at least try.

He touched the stone and tried to pry the some information from it but he felt some resistance, then he felt a strange pulse that pushed him away. There was something resonating through these stones, something powerful and oddly enough it felt familiar, could this place house…

"Can I help you?"

Ichigo turned to the door and had the look down, standing at only three and a quarter foot tall, was a pink haired Gnome in an orange dress and blue apron carrying a bucket.

"Hey, I am Bonkotsu the Blacksmith, I have come to see Theocritus."

She glanced at Bonkotsu, giving him eyes as she looked him up and down, stopping to admire his exposed arms. Ichigo also glanced and recalling how the guy had decided to only go with a tight fitting shirt that had his arms exposed. Also, he appeared to have showered and oiled his hair to make it look slick and vibrant.

What the hell was he up to?

The woman then blinked before signing, before she gave a shrug and walked off she said one last thing.

"Go right ahead, not like I am a guard or anything, I just sweep the floors."

Bonkotsu slowly walked inside and then took a deep breath before strolling in, where the hell did all that confidence come from? Ichigo didn't bother to think about it before he followed after the Blacksmith, only giving one last glance towards the stone he had been touching a moment ago.

He walked through the tower and up the winding staircase in the centre of the building, its structure was very reminiscent of that of the Citadel in Theramore – but on a smaller scale. Walking up the winding staircase they came to the top level and found all around them an army of attendants. A lot of them were gnomes, and the vast majority of them were female.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, he had a feeling about this place.

Then he watched as Bonkotsu took another deep breath and strolled up to a woman, with long blonde hair and wearing a blue and white dress. The moment he was in front of her there was a subtle shift in his stance as he placed a hand on his hip. Ichigo noticed the way he tightened the muscles on his arm, he was flexing it, the way he was standing was also an attempt to look more confident.

"You got to be kidding me." Ichigo muttered.

The bastard was trying get friendly with a girl, who was likely an attendant to this mage. But the fact he looked around and saw mostly women working here he had an idea on what kind of man this Theocritus was.

"Is this old fart some kind of philanderer." Ichigo mumbled as he looked at all the different women roaming around. "Lot of Gnomes though, that's a bit worrying."

"I wouldn't go that far."

Ichigo jumped as he turned and looked to the one who spoke. Too his surprise he found an older gentlemen, well groomed with a neat beard and combed hair, even though his hair had greyed fully he didn't seem encumbered by age. His clothing was neatly pressed and fitted, a mix of gold, blue and white, he must have had it tailored.

"While many of the servants here are part of the experiments I perform here I can assure you what relationships I have with them is very professional." He said, giving a small smirk as he extended his hand towards the Substitute. "You must be Ichigo, a pleasure. I am Theocritus."

Ichigo took the offered limb and gave it a firm shake.

"Lot of people you have around here." Ichigo said, seeing an army of gnomes and only a few others of differing race.

"Very true, although not for the reasons you likely suspect." Theocritus replied.

"Sorry, just seeing Bonkotsu over there flirting with that girl kind of gave me an impression of this place, also the fact they're all mostly women." Ichigo replied.

"Well, one can be forgiven for jumping to conclusions given the circumstances I suppose." Theocritus replied, a low laugh escaping his throat. "Mr. Sheldon, if you would please leave my supplier alone I would appreciate it."

Ichigo glanced over to Bonkotsu, who froze in surprise as he glanced between the girl and her master, before he gave a small bow and jogged back over to them. Raising a brow Ichigo looked at the man, whose last name was Sheldon apparently, and wondered what brought about this bout of stupidity.

"Did you only come here to try and get laid?" Ichigo asked, looking at the blacksmith who seemed to splutter at the accusation. "Don't try to deny it, I can tell that you washed your hair and wore a shirt that was too small and with no sleeves. I am not an idiot."

Bonkotsu tried to deny it with all his might, but Ichigo didn't care.

"So, were you the one who enchanted my armour?" Ichigo asked, turning back to Theocritus.

"That I am, I actually put in the work when Bonkotsu put out a request for an enchanter." Theocritus said, gesturing to the side of the chamber and to a small side room.

Ichigo followed the wizard and entered the chamber, finding his armour on a rack and flowing with arcane energies. Along the surface of the armour were runes along with intricate magic circles and patterns, a lot of work had gone into making this. He was actually worried to approach, the amount of arcane energy being released by this might actually be dangerous for him.

"No need to worry, you should be fine, that glove of yours should prevent the energies from saturating your body." Theocritus said, nodding towards the glove on Ichigo's hand.

Ichigo looked down and for a moment realized he had actually forgotten about the glove, surprising given that it had been a major lifeline for him since arriving on Azeroth.

"You know what this is?" Ichigo asked.

"Quite, it is actually something I am quite familiar with." Theocritus said. "Those are known as Mana Sealing Gloves, they were designed to prevent mages from being able to cast any spells. The gloves seal a natural release valve located in the wrists."

Ichigo glanced down at the gloves and was surprised, he recalled Galen giving a description on what it did but that sounded different than what he got.

"That wasn't what Galen told me." Ichigo said.

"The Gloves also have a secondary function, to create a field around the mage, this causes the body itself to repel arcane energies in their vicinity. This function seems to have been made to supersede the primary function, likely for your benefit." Theocritus replied. "So, you have no need to be concerned with wearing the armour, you will be unaffected by the runes enchanted upon the armour."

That was good to hear, last thing he wanted was to risk getting sick from arcane energies. But it did raise a question: How did he know about his situation and why he needed this glove?

"How do you know about the Glove, and why I am wearing it." Ichigo asked. "You also said you took the job when Bonkotsu recommended it, so I guess you know who I am at least."

Theocritus smiled slightly, probably impressed.

"You are quite quick-witted, I would expect nothing less from someone that has gained Galen's trust, along with Jaina Proudmoores." Theocritus replied.

"What makes you say that?" Ichigo asked, he had never met this guy before or even heard of him, yet somehow he seemed to be impressed by the fact he knew Galen and Jaina Proudmoore.

"I have been looking into you for some time, it would seem that you have the ear of Jaina Proudmoore, but beyond that you also know two acquaintances of her that are very prominent in Stormwind. Bonkotsu's respect for you is not as obvious as Galens, but it is there." Theocritus stated.

"What gave you that idea?" Ichigo asked.

"That glove you are wearing." Theocritus replied simply. "There is no way Galen would hand over such a valuable relic to anyone, even if they were a friend of Lady Proudmoore. Even thought you saved his life he would never give you this. Whatever you did to earn his trust must have been quite remarkable."

Ichigo supposed that made sense, this was a relic of his vaults after all so giving it to someone he just met might seem a little rash. But Galen had become more interested in helping him ever since he spoke up about his origins and his desire to return home. A lot of the relics he had in his vault had been transferred over to Theramore, including these gloves, which now fell under the custodianship of Caren.

"Although, perhaps I am overestimating your ability to draw people in, you may have earned the favour of many in the Alliance and Horde but to say that you earned Galen trust enough to gain one of his relic might be a stretch." Theocritus said.

He stepped forward and ran his hand over the armour, the runes died down and the energies that once pulsed and swirled through the air died down. He motioned Ichigo forward and had a few attendants step forward to start take some pieces of the armour.

"Then what is your theory?" Ichigo asked, removing some of his layers of clothing so that he could fasten the armour to himself.

He didn't resist the attendants, he needed help anyway, getting into the armour was far from easy, he needed help every time he put it on or took it off.

"I think you can figure out why Galen would want to get as many of those relics away from the city as possible." Theocritus stated.

Ichigo had to think for a moment, his mind running through the possibilities as the attendants put the armour in place and jostled him. Then he figured something out, it came to mind after he recalled some of the talks he had with Caren and Tyresa.

He could guess on what happened, on the why too, Galen was being targeted and he was being forced into this situation to kill him off. Someone wanted him out of the way so that they can get access to those relics for whatever purpose they had. Likely this wasn't the first time this has happened, maybe even when Morgonth stole from there he was under orders to do it.

"Why do the nobles want what's in the Vault?"

"Because it is valuable, relics of Dalaran have always been sought after by all kinds of people, some see it as a quick means to make money and others to enact heinous deeds against their enemies." Theocritus said. "I don't live near the city for a good reason, the nobles are vipers and will do anything they feel is necessary to gain power or to stamp out anyone who could take it away."

"If that is the case why did he set up a Vault in Stormwind?" Ichigo asked.

"He was naïve, desperate to get those artefacts somewhere safe and secure, when he arrived he beseeched the King and High Sorcerer Andromath for aid. They both provided what support they could, yet it was the King's own actions that led to the current situation he finds himself in."

"The King is involved?" Ichigo asked.

"Not entirely, when the refugees came from the North the city was unprepared for such an influx of people, and the crown couldn't afford to take everyone in. So they needed the help of the Noble Houses to do that." Theocritus stated.

Ichigo had a good idea where this was going.

"The Nobles didn't do it for free." Ichigo said.

"Correct, allegiances were bough and whoever was desperate enough became lapdogs to the Nobles." Theocritus stated.

"I would think that the Sanctum would be worried about the Nobles having a hold over some of their people." Ichigo said.

"You would be surprised." Theocritus said. "The Court of Nobles have much sway in the Sanctum, even before the arrival of the refugees, the only true resistance they had was from the King. But even then there was only so much he could do to keep them under control."

"But now the King's gone right? The Nobles have lost a lot of opposition." Ichigo replied.

"Their only opposition, to be precise. His disappearance came about at the right time, not long after the Nobles were ousted in a plot to take and sell those relics after murdering their Keeper." Theocritus said, that caught Ichigo off guard. "They planned to kill him and have the position transferred over to another. From there that person would then steal the relics and give them to their benefactor and then sell them off to the rest of the nobility or to the Highest Bidder."

Ichigo was surprised, it sounded so blatant and obvious, how the hell were they not caught? If this was their plan than he doubted they could so easily get away with it without being caught or suspected of the deed. But then it dawned on him, if they had people in the Sanctum working for them, and who knows how many and how far up they had control of the Institute.

"They would get away with it because they had the staff of the Sanctum on their payroll." Ichigo said, that was worrying, thinking that the mages there might be on the Nobles payroll.

"Not just the Sanctum, they have people everywhere, you likely have heard of that Priestess that often steals for the Nobles. A member of the Morgan Militia, a group known for their distrust towards the nobility, is working as an agent of the House of Nobles. They have reach everywhere and very little in the way of opposition that can challenge them." Theocritus said. "Hence why I stay away, less stress on my heart and less likelihood I will end up with a knife in the back."

Ichigo couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, this was like something out of an old TV show back home.

Corruption at the highest level, hearing about it was one thing but to experience it was another, back home he had no real idea on such matters. Sure, he had heard stories and news on politicians and major figures being ousted as corrupt or doing something illicit, but he never could say he knew anyone involved in a scheme or event.

Galen was being targeted people were after him and his relics, if he was alive that meant they couldn't do what they wanted, killing him was the easiest way for them to get the latter. This was just another ploy of theirs then, now that he was gone, they wanted to capitalize on the situation and get hold of the Vault.

"Is the Vault safe while Galen isn't here?" Ichigo asked, with Galen missing he was surprised they hadn't made a move.

But they never made an attempt in the two weeks he was trapped in Redridge, so maybe they couldn't do anything unless he was dead or they appointed a new Keeper. But the thing was there was still someone who could access those vaults, if she was in danger than he had to keep close to protect her.

"I am not familiar with the sealing methods used by the Vault but the Keeper and his apprentice have the only means of accessing the Vault, along with the knowledge of how to enter it." Theocritus stated. "If Galen dies than Caren would become the new Keeper."

"So they come after her next." Ichigo said.

"They likely already have." Theocritus said.

Ichigo thought for a moment, then something clicked in his head, Caren likely knew all this already and didn't speak on it. Why wouldn't she warn him? She was not only the Relic Keeper's Apprentice but also a Noble of some standing, why is she keeping this hidden. Her family were part of the reason the Vault existed, why she became an apprentice, she should know this.

Maybe she did know. But she never told him, because it would reveal something horrible. Little strings of information coming to the forefront of his mind as he thought about it, then it clicked.

"Her family is in on it." Ichigo said, he felt his head sag forward and a weight come down on his shoulders. "Caren was the one who would kill him and take his place."

She never spoke of her father or mother, often praising her grandfather and ignoring anything related to her parents. He had seen how she conveyed her respect and admiration to others, felt it at times as well, he knew she hated her parents. Seeing it in his visions would have clued him in even if he didn't notice it.

She even said so.

'You would send me one place to bloody my hands for profit and the next sell me off to some bastard to further your position!'

"You are quite methodical when you want to be." Theocritus stated. "Caren was groomed since she was young to fulfill a purpose, to never disobey and always do what was best for the Willmourne family, the fact she had magical talent was ignored until it was useful. She was to become Galen's apprentice and then murder him to take his position."

Ichigo needed a minute to digest that, to think that Caren was raised to be an obedient and subservient member of her house, it completely went against what he knew about her. He had no idea what kind of life she must lived through, or what kind of events that made her challenge the indoctrination she likely suffered under her father.

But in the end she did the right thing.

"She turned on her father, she's the one that exposed the plot against Galen." Ichigo said.

"Quite so." Theocritus said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Ichigo asked.

"Because you can expect that this will not end just because you rescue Galen, and neither will it end if he is dead, the former will delay their plans the latter will see it moving right on schedule." Theocritus stated. "You will need to be ready for when they make their next move, if you don't have anything in place to counter them you won't be getting out of this unscathed. Politics is a dangerous thing, you only survive it two ways: Knowing everything and everyone that is involved, or distancing yourself from it so that no one can see you."

That was probably the best advice anyone could give, either know the game inside and out or don't play it at all. Problem was they were already playing and they didn't have any idea what they were getting into, if Galen was being pulled around like this they knew how to manipulate them. Fighting against them is going well outside his comfort zone, he didn't have a clue how to handle this.

"I need to get Galen back." Ichigo said aloud, he could help them figure this out, and probably also deal with the Nobles down the line if it comes down to it.

"Might be difficult, given how far you wished for the enchantments to be taken I can only assume that you are facing a situation on par with that of Maraudon." Theocritus said.

Ichigo turned and gave him a look, he was more informed than he previously thought, but he doubted that the man got this information from Galen.

"You have been keeping an eye on me." Ichigo said.

Theocritus responded by raising his hand and summoning up several images, familiar places and people coming into view above him. Ichigo could see when he fought against the orcs in Stonewatch Hold, his fight along the Highway in Eldre'thalass, and finally his assault on Maraudon after leaving the Submarine. This guy had been watching him for a while now.

"Kind of creepy old man." Ichigo said.

"I approached Galen after I learned a few things about you, interesting things. A god from another world, a ferryman of souls, how he was fighting some spiritual war against another god." Theocritus said.

"We aren't really gods, more like spirits, but whatever, why did you approach him and want to learn about me?" Ichigo asked, this guy had seen a lot and was likely aware of more than he was letting on, Ichigo needed to know what he knew.

"That can come later, while I have seen much and been made aware of things I am not actually privy to all the details. After all it would be improper to make myself privy to ones life is not exactly the nicest way to get to know someone." Theocritus said, giving an apologetic smile.

As he said this the last piece of the armour fell into place, immediately he felt a surge of energy prickle against his skin. Across the armour the runes flared with power, he was protected by all forms of incantation, he had a feeling this was going to protect him from more than just fire elementals.

"This is a lot of protection, is all of it to protect from fire?" Ichigo asked.

"Most of it yes, I decided to go the extra mile because I had a feeling that you might be going up against something well out of your league." Theocritus said, staring at Ichigo seriously. "So I will repeat: Is this going to be a Maraudon situation?"

Ichigo looked at him for a moment, he didn't have an honest answer to give but he had a feeling that he might be up against a threat even more dangerous than Princess Theradras.

"No, I think this is worse than that." Ichigo replied.

Theocritus stared at him for a long minute before he turned and took a deep breath.

"If you are proven right, make sure you avoid coming into contact with what is down there, last things we need is you waking something up that we have no hope of facing." Theocritus said. "The Firelord ravaged this Kingdom three hundred years ago, and it has not recovered, if he returns there will be nothing left. Because I know that if you try to fight him, you will die, enchantments or not, you won't come out of this unscathed."

Ichigo took the warning to heart, he believed it, there was no way he could fight against something supposedly more powerful than Theradras. His powers were on the fritz, even if they weren't, he had no way to know if at full power he could challenge an Elemental Lord.

"I believe you." Ichigo said. "How much extra is this going to cost me?"

"I didn't charge more than a standard fee, having you come back alive I think is more important than rescuing Galen." Theocritus stated. "You really have no idea on how important you are at the moment, so I will explain it to you when we you return. Trust me, you will want to hear what I have to say."

Ichigo didn't know what to say to that, only watching as the wizard strolled from the room with his attendants in tow, looks like this old hermit knew a thing or two everyone else didn't. Walking out of the room he turned to Bonkotsu and together they exited the tower.

"You going to be alright on your way back?" Ichigo asked.

"Won't be a problem, just take care of yourself and try not to destroy that armour." Bonkotsu said, before he chewed his lip for a moment. "And if it does get damaged, take it off as fast as possible, better you lose some warped metal rather than having it melt into your skin."

Ichigo didn't like the prospect, hence why he had this stuff enchanted, but if it wasn't going to be enough he would need to follow that advice and actually run rather than fight. That was probably something he had not done for a long time, to turn tail and run if the fighting got bad.

He waved off Bonkotsu as they reached the road, Ichigo staying where he was and the blacksmith trotting his way back to Stormwind. He tied his horse to a nearby tree and then took a seat, he would have to wait a few hours more before Tyresa arrives with the Company. He had time to think, to consider a few things and then how to go about handling the threats he will be facing in the future, he needed a lot of help.

He was out of his league right now, with the threat of Ragnaros and the Stormwind Nobles, he knew he needed help to combat these threats. It was almost a self-fulfilling prophecy that he would be dealing with them sometime in the near future.

A few hours passed without any fuss, then he heard them coming down the road.

Standing up he looked down the road and saw the column of horses trotting his way, at their head was Tyresa and Joana. He mounted up and waited until they passed, both of them looking his way and giving a nod, he had a good look along the column and found Caren somewhere near the middle.

It surprising to see how many people were here, there had to be at least a hundred people. Hiring that many was a lot of money, he had to wonder if they were expecting to bring a lot of people back or not. Who knows, maybe he would make sure they all survived and have the Nobles pay over six thousand gold coins to everyone, that would show them.

"Looks like a lot of people got signed up." Ichigo said, saddling up next to Caren.

"Yes, they certainly have, likely we are walking into a battle rather than an infiltration." Caren said. "We might be assaulting Shadowforge City."

"You think we can do that? Attack a city?" Ichigo asked.

"This isn't Ethel Rethor, this isn't even Eldre'thalass, we are fighting the Dark Iron Dwarves, they are not to be taken lightly." Caren said.

Ichigo had only touched the surface on the Dark Iron Dwarves history, what he had heard was compelling, but he had no idea what to make of them. The Dark Iron Dwarves had been unheard of for the last three hundred years, only snippets about them coming to light over those three centuries. Most thought they had been driven to near extinction, when they summoned Ragnaros and literally incinerated their entire home.

"I would think that Eldre'thalass would be harder than this." Ichigo said, remembering that they fought against an entire army here.

"Well the difference here is that we had many times as many warriors as compared to now and also the Demons were not fight just fighting us." Caren said. "We have a hundred people of varying skill and ability that have very little experience fighting as an army. Besides, from what you have told me already we might be going into this against more than just Dwarves."

Ichigo knew that very well.

"What did Jaina say? What about the Primal Spirits, could she get anything to them and back?" Ichigo asked.

"Nothing, no contact whatsoever." Caren replied. "We are in this alone, nothing more we can do."

"Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse." Ichigo muttered. "Theocritus has told a few things, helped me figure out who we might be dealing with in the future."

"Ragnaros?" Caren asked quietly.

"No, your father. Along with the House of Nobles." Ichigo replied, watching as Caren freeze in place and causing her horse to halt for a moment. "Caren, we both know he is the reason Galen got sent to rescue the princess, and we both know he is trying to take what is in the Reliquary."

Caren jerked her horse forward, turning away from him and not looking him in the eye.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, now might not be the best time, but this is important, we are walking into the same trap as Galen did. Going under the orders of the same people who wanted him dead." Ichigo continued, he knew getting through to her would be hard, but he needed her to trust him.

"I don't want to talk about this, as you just said, so drop it. Why do you ever care? It's not like any of my stories ever interested you." Caren said, trying to deflect the conversation.

"I listened, I heard what you said, I know you hate your father, knew that the moment you first mentioned him. Knew that you were afraid of him too. Knew what he tried to make you do." Ichigo said, watching as Caren froze again.

"I am not like that, I did not murder anyone." Caren whispered harshly, looking to be on the verge of having a panic attack.

"I know you Caren, you don't have to convince me, I know you aren't what he tried to make you into. You stood up to a man that for all intents and purposes you had to obey without question, you defied him and brought him to his knees on your own." Ichigo said. "You are exactly who I think you are and who you know you are, never doubt that, because I can say for sure no one else will."

Caren was silent for a long while, unable to form words, they were just crossing into Redridge when she spoke up again.

"Exposing them won't be easy as last time, they have protection and the King is gone. If we do this we will have little to no support, Jaina can't help us, Galen can't help up, even Theocritus can't help us." Caren said.

That didn't exactly give them much to work with, because from the sounds of it no matter what they bring up it won't be able to gain any traction because too many would be against them. Ichigo knew that fighting against the most powerful groups within Stormwind wasn't going to be easy, not unless they could expose them completely that others would have to act.

Maybe the military could help them, after all the current Regent is actually the Highest ranking military officer in the Alliance. If they exposed it to him they could effectively nip this in the bud, problem was getting it to him and having him trust them.

"We find people who can help, the military, some nobles that aren't part of the corrupt circles, we find those who can stand with us and we build it up from there. Find something so damning that no matter who we show it to they have no choice but to act." Ichigo said.

"From the sounds of it you have a plan in mind." Caren said.

"Tyresa doesn't seem to fond of the Nobility, and if that goes up the chain we might be able to get others involved. If the military sees a threat to the stability of Stormwind we could have them act against the Nobles in the interests of protecting Stormwind." Ichigo said.

If the Nobles were trying to get weapons and powerful artefacts in their hands it would cause all kinds of chaos, the military likely wouldn't want something like that to happen. Caren has told him that the Reagent and Advisor to the Royal Family have not been on good terms, constant disagreements. They get this information to him, prove to him without a shadow of a doubt, maybe they can crack down on the nobility.

"You certainly seem to be thinking like a detective now." Caren said, appearing impressed with his deduction. "How do you know it will work."

Ichigo didn't know, but back in the Soul Society he once remembered hearing about how the Noble Families often couldn't be convicted of a crime unless they do it broad daylight and in front of someone of upstanding character. Even then it could still be swept under the rug, some money here and a few stabs in a dark alleyway could make it all go away, he just hoped it wasn't too similar here.

"We do this quiet, find out who is against us and then we start going against them." Ichigo said.

Wouldn't be easy, he had people who might help him but he certainly didn't have as many friends as he did in Kalimdor. Hopefully with this operation they might be able to score some points with the right people, rescue the Dwarven Princess? That hopefully will get him in good with the Dwarven King.

"Once we rescue Galen we can plan out our next move." Caren said. "He will know what to do."

Ichigo nodded, they would plan this out later, for now the assault on Shadowforge City takes precedent. They get through this in once piece and with Galen coming back home with them, he would take that as a win.

There you go, it is done for the time being, plan to bust out another chapter soon and start getting into the Molten Core arc. Let me know if there is anything you want to know about the story and I will try to answer them. I am sure people are interested to know why I went a certain way or direction with the story so feel free to ask and I will post the responses at the end of the next chapter.