Disclaimer: After s o many years…I've finally done it…I've finally…wait…wait…never mind. Naruto or World of Warcraft doesn't belong to me…yet…hHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!1!LOLOLOL!
Here's the next chapter of: The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
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"Hello, Gelbin."
Mekkatorque's eyes narrowed, and his muscles tightened involuntarily. His focused his narrow gaze on the one person whom he had seen in his nightmares for the past few years, ever since that day…
Mekgineer Sicco Thermaplugg stood watching him from his position near one of the massive golden statues that surrounded the Tinker's Court. In the years since he had last seen his former friend, he knew that he himself had changed a great deal.
It seemed that Sicco had changed as well.
The gnome's inky black hair was almost gone now; leaving only a few sparse hairs that covered his green-tinged skin. Behind his the same green goggles, his eyes were no longer the cold, calculating black that they had once been, but were now a fading grey, soon to become white as the other leprous gnomes that inhabited the lower parts of Gnomeregan. The gnome was dressed in the same black jumpsuit, but now leaned on a sleek, reddish cane with an ornate dragonhead set on the end.
Mekkatorque felt a sudden pain lance through his side, right on the place where Thermaplugg's first bullet had struck him, the first sign of his betrayal. He looked at the other gnome's knee, which bent slightly to the side, and he knew that the cane was likely for that.
Somehow, even now, he could not help but feel sorry for his friend.
Thermaplugg limped out into better view, leaning on the cane as he did. He smiled coldly, gazing up into the bright lights that light the area, high above on the ceiling of the massive room. The whole effect was strange to behold, and with the gold light basking down on the leprous gnome, it made him seem like the great statues that surrounded them, imposing and powerful.
Mekkatorque grit his teeth, the question he had been waiting to ask for so many years ready on his lips.
However, Thermaplugg spoke first.
"Don't even say it, Gelbin. You're far too predictable." The question died on Mekkatorque's lips and before he could reply, or do anything for that matter, Thermaplugg continued.
"'Why did you do it, Sicco?' Isn't that what it was?" Mekkatorque scowled, trembling with rage, but said nothing.
Because Thermaplugg had been absolutely right.
He continued, "I believe we went over this before, didn't we? I did it because it was my destiny to rule this city, and being the proverbial golden boy that you always were, stole it away from me. Have you ever had you're dreams crushed, Gelbin? No? Then you'll never understand what it felt like for me. You'll never understand really, why I did it, because you can't put yourself in my position. There is nothing more to say, in that regard. Do you wish to ask something else, before I kill you?"
Mekkatorque was clenching his fists so hard that Linkizzle could see beads of scarlet drip from them, where his nails dug deep into his palms. So Mekkatorque asked the second question that he had been wondering, all those years.
"How? How did you know of the trogg's existence? How were you able to keep them from overrunning you this entire time? How?"
Thermaplugg smiled.
"Therein is quite a tale, Gelbin. Considering you will likely use this time to formulate an over-complicated and unnecessary plan, which will likely fail, I might add, I will nonetheless humor you."
"The trogg's, as you well know from history, were once the guardian race of this world, put there by the Titans in order to watch over it. However, because of some unknown factor, they reverted into a more primitive state, becoming brutish, cruel creatures that delighted in fighting and killing simply because it was amusing. Because of that, it is said, the Titans banished them to the center of the earth, imprisoning them so that they could not harm the other races that were to be born on Azeroth. Since that time, they have been there, unchanging as time flowed, waiting for a chance to return to the upper world.
"As to how I know, well, I had a most wonderful informant. She was extremely helpful in providing with both the information in how to release the troggs that dwelled beneath the city, as well as how to keep them…controlled, as it were. Taking this advice to heart, I suggested to you that we might build another level of storage facilities, to which you agreed, as you always did.
"When I got to the depth that I had been told that the troggs inhabited, I the workers that were loyal to me, and still are, and gave the shifts to other, unassuming gnomes, ones who had no idea that there was anything beneath where they were digging.
"As you know from there, the troggs came forth and took control of the lower levels with relative ease, astounding me with their brutish strength and amazing ability to adapt. I then put forth the second part of my plan, ridding Gnomeregan of all weakness, or, those loyal to you. Being the blind and foolish moron that you are, you flushed the tanks to the radioactive waste tanks, killing thousands upon thousands of gnomes, whereas only a few hundred troggs met their ends. The rest, of course, adapted to the radiation, and thus became even stronger than before.
"My true plan though, was to rid Gnomeregan of you and your followers, Gelbin. Only two days after the tanks were flushed, you ordered the retreat from the city, just like the coward you are. You, of course, tried to make me come with you, but what resulted was you fleeing in tears, after shooting me in the knee." Thermaplugg's dull grey eyes seemed to gain back some of the former life, but instead of the calculating glint, it was a psychotic gleam that seemed to twist his face into an insane look, despite it remaining as collected and calm as before.
Thermaplugg continued,
"Afterwards, I did what I could to make this city prosper. The gnomes who remained behind, both those who were loyal to me, and those who were loyal to you, remaining only because they couldn't escape in time, I put to work on cleaning up the upper floors. I myself traveled to the lower levels, and met with the troggs' chieftain, making sure that he understood what was his, and what was mine. He was a very agreeable creature, well, mostly. I had to implant one of my control units in him, so that he wouldn't decide to get greedy and attempt to take control of the upper levels.
"The same control units I used on the gnomes that didn't swear allegiance to me, of which, I am disgusted to note, was quite a few. It seems that your followers are almost as craven as you, Gelbin." Mekkatorque flinched again at the "coward" remark, but remained silent, staring with unconcealed rage at the leprous gnome.
Thermaplugg once again smiled frostily, now more crazily, at the look that Mekkatorque was shooting him, and limped farther into the center of the room, standing just below the cocoon-like structure of the control room above. He smiled into the light again, before turning back to Mekkatorque, his smile fading.
"I hope that explains it, Gelbin. I also hope that you have put the finishing touches on whatever plan that you have created, so that we can get no with this."
Mekkatorque let his hand fall onto his sword, before speaking, his voice soft,
"Did our friendship mean that little to you, Sicco? You never once told me that you wanted this position, so how could I have known? If you had just –"
"Told you? Told you that I wanted the position? Would you have given it to me? Would you have admitted that you were not fit for the position, and that you would give it up simply for our friendship? Hah! You are a naïve, little child, Gelbin. You know as well as I that you would have done no such thing. But it doesn't matter. I am now the High Tinker, and you are nothing but a pathetic, little gnome who thinks that he can make up for putting his people through so much suffering!"
Mekkatorque's eyes burned with a bright, almost insane anger and the grip on his sword was so tight that he didn't think he'd ever be able to let go.
"You are the child, Sicco! Just because you didn't get your way, you had to destroy thousands of your own kind in order to get it! You are a MONSTER!"
Thermaplugg cocked his head to the side, his smile becoming more twisted.
"Monster? Perhaps. Child? Oh, no, of course not. You never believed in destiny, Gelbin, but I knew that it was mine to become High Tinker. I knew that I would become the most powerful gnome and engineer in history. I am right, aren't I? I am the first in thousands of years to have caused the downfall of this city. It could only take someone of my intelligence and strength to bring it down, and using those same traits, bring it back, stronger than ever. With me as leader, I have no use for alliances. The Dwarves, Night Elves, Humans, all pale in comparison to the might that is Gnomeregan."
"You are insane." Thermaplugg laughed, his insanity made clearer by his high-pitched voice.
"Perhaps the radiation has gone to my head. But then again, you must be insane leading only a small group of gnomes, and one human, into this city, which is under my control, thinking that you can retake it. It is sad, however, that despite the fact that you seem to have had a temporary burst of enlightenment, choosing a plan that isn't so complicated as the ones that you tried previously, you still seem to overlook even the most obvious of details."
Mekkatorque's anger dwindled some, confusion taking its place.
"What are you talking about?" Thermaplugg chuckled, shaking his head slightly.
"Perhaps you didn't hear me earlier, Gelbin, likely too wrapped up in overcomplicating your plan to defeat me. I said that the troggs long to return to the upper world, but are they in the upper world? Of course not. So while you, the 'king' of the Gnomes, are here, chatting away with me like the hero and villain in the old stories my mother used to read, while my machines are completing a tunnel in the first basement level that will lead up into the main entrance. I will open the doors, and the troggs, eager to see the light of day, will pour out into the world, rush across the fields in front, and completely obliterate the first thing that gets in the their way…your army. The troggs have only grown in numbers, while yours have steadily dwindled. They won't stand much of a chance."
Mekkatorque's anger had completely disappeared, replaced by a sickening cold spot in the middle of his stomach.
No! This can't be…I thought…he…saw through my plan…again.
Thermaplugg, now sporting a truly psychotic grin, said,
"Honestly, Gelbin, even if you had, by some chance, taken the city, how would you rid yourself of the troggs? You weren't able to do it before, so why now?"
Mekkatorque could hardly believe it.
He doesn't know! He doesn't know about the TrogAway! We might have a chance!
Mekkatorque suddenly smiled, and Thermaplugg frowned slightly, wondering what his old friend was up to.
Though he was insane, he was not stupid, and having known Mekkatorque for many years, he knew almost every facet of the other gnome's personality. He knew that Mekkatorque knew something that he didn't, and that bothered him a great deal.
Mekkatorque said calmly, drawing his sword as he did,
"It seems you don't know me as well as you thought, Sicco. You too have overlooked something in my plan, one that will cost you greatly, I think. But we have finished talking, now is the time, like in the stories that my mother used to read, that the hero fights the villain, and wins."
Thermaplugg looked impassively at the other gnome, then said,
"You are still a child, Gelbin. I was merely using that reference to poke fun at the fact that you listened to my entire explanation without even trying to attack me. Before this, you could have struck me down in a second. I know that since you destroyed my leg, I am unable to fight as well as I used to. You could have ended this fight, and taken your revenge, but you didn't, and now it is going to cost you. This isn't a story, Gelbin, and you're going to find out that there is no such thing as a 'hero.'"
Thermaplugg pressed the small button on the tip of his cane, and the ground beneath him exploded upwards, shooting him high into the air, as a monstrous shape erupted from the golden disc that signified the middle of the Tinker's Court.
Thermaplugg landed, wincing as he did, on the outstretched hand of a monstrous, crimson robot, larger than the previous one that they had encountered, and far more dangerous looking. The hand that held Thermaplugg was a huge metal claw, while on the other was a giant cylinder with a hole in the center, and three large, claw-like clamps surrounding the hole.
The machine was probably ten feet tall, a gleaming crimson and was far more human-like and developed. It was sleeker and less bulky than the previous versions that Mekkatorque had seen. Huge pipes on the back spat greenish fire and smoke into the air. A small red glowing sphere sat in the middle of the front of the chest plate, and instead of a single, glowing eye where the head should have been, a clear dome of glass was visible, with just enough space inside for a gnome to fit.
The machine pulled its hand back, holding it just above the small compartment, and Thermaplugg, after pressing a second button on the side of his cane, jumped into the compartment, which shut in an instant.
Mekkatorque and the others could do nothing but gape stupidly at the monstrous form of Mekgineer Thermaplugg.
From inside his Mekgineer suit, Thermaplugg's voice filled the Tinker's Court, high and cold, as he said,
"Do you like it, Gelbin? I made it myself, to make up for the fact that I cannot fight unaided anymore."
Mekkatorque felt a slight shiver of fear run through his body, as he faced the gigantic robot that he was going to have to fight. He steeled himself, however, for he knew that if he lost, then so would his people.
The fate of the Gnomish race would be decided in the next few minutes.
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"Ho ho ho! He's a persistent little brat! How is he going to fight me, if he cannot touch me? Hu hu hu!"
Naruto bared his teeth in a snarl of frustration as he picked himself up from the ground, smoke rising from his body, pain shooting through almost every nerve in his upper body, a reminder of the many burns that he now sported.
The blonde stared at the spiderbot-riding gnome, his anger growing as he saw the shit-eating grin and hearing the twisted insane laughs that dotted the leprous gnome's speech. His body was healing, but it wasn't fast enough to recover fully between each attack, and the he had yet to get a hit. After his initial failure, he had hurtled several kunai, but the machine simply dodged them, using the eight powerful, jointed legs to propel it out of the way.
Naruto cast a look at the group of still trapper leprous gnomes, his Kage Bunshins keeping the crowd together. Strangely none attacked, despite the order that Terko had given them.
Terko suddenly lunged forwards, almost catching Naruto off guard. The blonde created three clones as the Electrocutioner rushed forwards, which blocked the path it was taking to attack him. Crying out an insane war cry, the Tekgineer's spiderbot thrust its two front legs forward, impaling two of the three clones, while it hit the third with its main body, knocking it backwards. Naruto had by this time gotten out of the way, and seeing a chance, threw some shuriken at the spiderbot, which had by now skidded to a halt. Seconds before they struck their intended target, the spiderbot crouched and leapt in the air, avoiding the shuriken, and to Naruto's left, it's rider still laughing insanely.
"He he he! He still tries to get the drop on Terko! What a complete idiot he is! He can't even hit me! But I think that it is time to kill him, and help out the High Tinky Winky in exterminating his other foes! Hai hai hai!"
The Electrocutioner 6000 leaned forwards, and the two "mandibles" on the front began to glow even brighter. Blue sparks crackled around them and the leprous gnome that was controlling it cried out, "Electrocution Spear!"
The tips of the mandibles suddenly flashed, and twin bolts of lightning streaked across the room, faster than Naruto could react, and struck him in the midsection. The electricity shot through his body causing his muscles to tense and his body to freeze. Pain erupted in every direction, and seemed to grow exponentially as time passed. Naruto cried out in agony, before the electric current died away, and Naruto slumped to the ground, unmoving.
Terko gave a twisted giggle, saying to himself,
"Hyuck hyuck hyuck! He doesn't know what he got himself into! Better go finish him off! Har har h-"
"Shut up."
The Electrocutioner froze.
Naruto stood up, shakily, his limbs giving off spasms every few seconds. He stood hunched when he finally made it to his feet, and he through involuntarily gritted teeth he said,
"You know… this is about the time…when I usually spout some moral crap that pisses you off, or makes you laugh, and then we fight again. But…I am so…freakin' pissed…at that laugh of yours…that I'm gonna just save that badass shit for later, okay?"
Terko blinked, and even his messed up mind seemed to pause slightly, before he uttered the first word that wasn't between two fictional laughing sounds,
"Huh?"
Naruto summoned two clones, which charged forwards the second they were born into the world, Naruto following a little behind. The startled gnome didn't do anything, knowing the attack would fail, but also trying to comprehend the boy's previous statement.
The two clones slashed their cloned swords at the spiderbot, before both received huge electric shocks from the barrier surrounding the Electrocutioner. As they disappeared in twin bursts of smoke, which obscured the Tekgineer's vision, two kunai flew out of the smoke, striking the middle of the Electrocutioner, puncturing the metal easily as they were buried deep into the metal plating.
Terko jerked backwards in shock, leaping away from the still clearing smoke, back near the ledge that led down to the first floor of the Launch Bay.
When the smoke had vanished completely, Naruto stood unmoving, his blue eyes glaring hard at the Electrocutioner 6000. He made no more moves to attack, simply standing and watching.
Terko grinned insanely again, before a soft sound filled his ears. The crackling of burning paper, and a slight hissing sound that one might hear if the fuse of a bomb was lit.
Bomb.
Uzumaki Naruto said in a perfectly audible voice,
"Ninpo: Naruto Ansatsu Bakudan (Assassination Bomb)
Terko was able to utter a final laugh before the two explosive notes that Naruto had attached to the kunai he had previously thrown detonated. The Electrocutioner was completely engulfed by a tremendous fireball that utterly obliterated everything within. The machine was torn apart, flinging debris in every direction, and Terko Electrocut was completely wiped from the face of the earth.
Naruto let out a sigh of relief, saying to himself,
"Geez, that guy made me skip out on the badass stuff…and I had a really great speech too!"
He turned to leave, absentmindedly dispelling all his clones, before looking up.
The crowd of leprous gnomes stood in front of him, barring his path, a sea of green skin and blank faces.
"Get out of my way." Naruto said, his voice raising not a decibel.
The gnomes remained unmoving.
"You guys…are you so weak…that you let yourself be controlled by that freak? If you're that weak…then you don't deserve to be called gnomes, because if old man Mekkatorque is your king, then you shouldn't be that weak. Get out of my way, or I won't hesitate to beat the hell out of all you guys, so that I can get through and teach that old bastard that you can't always fight alone."
The gnomes stood for a few more seconds, completely still.
Then they slowly parted, creating a path for Naruto to go through.
He grinned.
"Thanks!" With that, he hurried off towards the door that the other gnomes had left through, unaware of the gnomes stares as their eyes followed him all the way through the door.
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Mekkatorque took a few steps away from the gargantuan robot, his mind racing. Though he hadn't come up with a suitable plan while Sicco had been talking, the one that he had been thinking of had been shot to hell by the emergence of the body armor. Linkizzle, Rurizzle and Renikle remained frozen in their positions for a few seconds, but soon began to move as the body armor became mobile.
Thermaplugg shot forward suddenly, moving faster than Mekkatorque could believe of something of that size, and swiped at Mekkatorque with his huge clawed arm. The King of the Gnomes dodged the attack, which buried itself into the floor, causing the ground to reverberate, unsteadying the gnomes. Mekkatorque dodged a second attack from the behemoth, as he readied a counter, forming seals as he did.
"Energy Beam!" a flash of bluish light shot from his sword, and was promptly deflected by the heavy armor plating of Thermaplugg's mount. Thermaplugg then moved in swiftly, hammering his huge clawed left hand into the floor once more, this time purposely, throwing the other gnomes of balance once more.
Thermaplugg then rushed and thrust the claw forward, ready to impale the Gnome King, but Mekkatorque expertly grabbed one of the claws, flipping over the danger and landing on the body suit's forearm. He rushed up the side, taking several bombs from his satchel, and tossing them at the "head." They bounced off at first, but when they had fallen to about mid-chest level, they exploded, causing the later ones that hadn't fallen so far to explode.
Mekkatorque leapt off the arm, propelled by the blasts, and landed a few feet away.
Thermaplugg's suit was engulfed in at first fiery red smoke, which drifted off to a charcoal black, obscuring the main section of the body. The suit remained motionless, but Mekkatorque knew that Thermaplugg wouldn't have built a machine that couldn't take a few gnomish bombs.
And he was correct.
From beneath the veil of smoke, Thermaplugg's voice, slightly distorted by the speaker, cried out,
"You wish to play with bombs, Gelbin? Then we can do so, but you should realize that you are far outclassed when it comes to designing weapons!"
The sounds of gears turning and machinery coming to life suddenly filled the air, and Mekkatorque got a slight cold feeling in his stomach, which he desperately tried to crush down. As the sounds grew louder, Mekkatorque suddenly caught movement above. The mouths of the great statues that encircled the Tinker's Court suddenly began to move, at first shaking slightly, before one of them, to Mekkatorque's right, opened completely.
A small dark object fell from the open mouth, which closed quickly, and a beeping sound reached the gnomes' ears.
At the foot of the statue, a small, perfectly spherical, black object stood. Two small metal, "feet" protruded from the bottom, holding it upright, and blinking red lights had been horizontally along the circumference of the object. Occasionally, it would emit a high-pitched beep, and it began to move forwards, steadily increasing in speed as it neared the group.
The beeping sound grew louder and more rapid as well, and Mekkatorque roared to the others,
"GET OUT OF THE WAY! IT'S A BOMB!"
Linkizzle, Rurizzle and Renikle bolted, but the bomb was no sprinting towards them, never veering from its path as it closed in on the gnomes.
Hissing in anger he grabbed a bomb from his satchel, activated it, and threw it at the running bomb.
It hit the ground a little in front of the running bomb, and seconds later exploded, causing the running bomb to explode as well.
In a colossal flash of light, Linkizzle and Rurizzle were thrown forwards, and Renikle, who had run in a different direction, was thrown near the base of the one of the other statues.
Mekkatorque scowled, whipping around to meet the creator of the bomb, only to have the huge mech bearing down on him. He avoided a strike from the claw, and began some half-seals, but as he did, Thermaplugg thrust his right arm forwards, the cylinder with the three prongs surrounding it. A fiery glow appeared in the center, growing quickly brighter as Thermaplugg's voice shouted,
"Fire Beam!" Mekkatorque could barely conceal his surprise as the attack exploded from the arm. He narrowly avoided it, so narrowly that he could feel the hairs on the top of his head burn away from the heat.
Mekkatorque moved away from the mech, but Thermaplugg pressed forward, another glow beginning to appear in hole on his arm, this time a blue. Thermaplugg slammed the arm into the ground bellowing,
"Electrostatic Blazer!" An impulse of bluish energy erupted into the ground, creating a huge shockwave of electricity that covered nearly the entire room. Mekkatorque countered the attack in the same way he had done before, driving his sword and molding his chakra into the ground. It took vastly more than he would have expected, but the suit must have enhanced the power of his attacks a great deal, because stopping the surge took a huge chunk away from the gnome's reserves.
He stood to his feet, shaking, but was unable to do anything else when a huge explosion rocked the Tinker's Court.
Earlier, when the first walking bomb had exploded, Renikle had landed near the feet of one of the large golden statues.
Groaning, he right himself, only to here the sound of metal striking metal as a small black object hit the ground in front of him. A beeping cut through the ringing in his ears, and he suddenly realized that he was in a huge amount of danger.
The tremendous explosion vaporize him seconds after he realized that, as it sensed a life form within a certain distance of its body.
Rurizzle covered his head with his hands as the bomb exploded, killing Renikle and stopping the battle between the two ex-friends temporarily. Linkizzle sat by him, in the same position.
From where he was standing, Thermaplugg couldn't help but snicker at the unfortunate gnome's death.
"And stay dead!"
Thunk!
Rurizzle's head snapped up at the sound, which he had felt more than heard in the din of the previous explosion. Another bomb had landed no more than two yards in front of him, at the foot of another statue, and grabbing his brother, he bolted away from the bomb, which began moving in their direction almost immediately, gradually increasing its speed as it went.
Linkizzle, having recovered from the initial shock, was now running on his own, and lifting a dagger from it's sheath, he twisted his torso, throwing the dagger at the running bomb, which was growing ever closer. It struck near the top of the bomb, knocking it backwards. It exploded not a second later, once again filling the room with a brilliant flash of light and a huge roar of fire. The two brothers were blasted forwards, tumbling along the floor next to another statue.
Thunk!
Gasping for breath, Linkizzle could only watch in horror as yet another walking bomb dropped from the mouth of the statue, beeping as it struck the floor, the red lights beginning to blink.
Mekkatorque watched the proceedings out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly an idea came to him.
"Run towards me!"
The two brothers didn't hesitate for a second in obeying their king, rushing towards the dueling gnomes as fast as their little legs could carry them.
Thermaplugg laughed.
"You're naivety is showing, Gelbin! I can remote control those bombs, meaning I can deactivate and reactivate them at will! I don't even have to press a button! The suit is connected to my spinal cord, and moves to my wishes, like my body should!"
The two brothers didn't stop, nor did Mekkatorque tell them to. The bomb was closing in on them, and Thermaplugg was moving towards Mekkatorque, preparing another attack, as its right arm was beginning to glow, this time a blue-white.
As the brothers rushed past their king, Mekkatorque withdrew a small cube from his satchel, and saying a silent prayer, and held the cube out towards the bomb.
The bomb stopped dead, the blinking lights on its chest almost solid from such rapid blinking, and the beeping reached a crescendo. Almost as the bomb detonated, Mekkatorque pressed a button built into one of the cube's faces, and the entire cube opened, emitting a glowing blue light. The fire from the explosion was almost immediately sucked into the glowing light, as were the remnants of the bomb that had only partially exploded.
The second the fire had vanished, Mekkatorque released the button and the cube closed, the light vanishing.
The Court was silent.
Thermaplugg was, for once, stunned. He had never expected Mekkatorque to create something like that!
Turning towards Thermaplugg, Mekkatorque pressed a different button on the cube and then threw it. It hit the ground a foot or so in front of Thermaplugg, who suddenly had a very strong urge to flee.
He didn't get the chance.
The cube opened, and still exploding bomb erupted forth, blasting the huge mech apart from below.
Thermaplugg disappeared in a huge flash of light, and Mekkatorque was blasted backwards by the force, landing a few yards away, breathless, as he watched the effects of the explosion.
As the smoke began to clear, and the fire died away slightly, Mekkatorque got a glimpse of Thermaplugg's mech. It lay against one of the statues, its arms and legs both at separate ends of the room. What remained was a large portion of the main body, though all of it ruined scorched by fire. The clear glass casing that surrounded Thermaplugg was cracked, though Thermaplugg himself was quite alive and awake.
EXPLOSIONS! MORE EXPLOSIONS! I GOTTA HAVE MORE EXPLOSIONS!"
Thermaplugg's crazed, high-pitched voice rang through the air, as he reveled in the destruction, even if it was his own mech.
Mekkatorque suddenly realized how far gone his friend was. Thermaplugg, grinning insanely, asked,
"What was that?"
Mekkatorque smiled slightly.
"My greatest invention, Sicco. The cube contains a pocket dimension, one that I took many years to create and develop, so that it can hold almost a limitless amount of energy and matter. There is no such thing as time within the dimension, so everything that goes in will come out exactly the same. Interesting, yes? This is why I became High Tinker, Sicco, because I am not as stupid as you seem to think."
Thermaplugg began to laugh psychotically, and once again a chill ran down Mekkatorque's spine.
The usurping gnome smiled insanely, the fire that was reflected in his goggles giving him an even more crazed look.
"Admirable, Gelbin. But I never underestimated your talent as an inventor. You are smart, in some respects, but in many others, you are as moronic as a trogg."
The glowing, pulsing red light in the middle of the chest piece on Thermaplugg's mech began to glow blue suddenly, and Mekkatorque had a horrible realization.
The magnetic repairing!
Almost immediately, the parts of the mech that had been blasted clear began moving at a rapid rate back towards it. What remained of its left leg reconnected to the socket, but it was slowly repaired, the glowing blue light intermittently changing back to red. The metal that had been distorted or broken into smaller pieces glowed white hot, and then automatically grafted themselves onto the limbs.
Within mere seconds, Thermaplugg had regained use of its legs, and the arms, which were more intact, were nearly repaired seconds later.
Mekkatorque took a few steps back, shocked at the spectacle.
"I built into this machine an enhanced version of the auto-repair. The core is part magic, part science, and uses aspects of both in order to repair my body with ease. I feel no pain, no anything, and I can recover as many times as I want."
Raising his right hand, Thermaplugg pointed the same bright blue-white glow at Mekkatorque, shouting,
"Gnomefire Bomb!" From the tip, a huge sphere of blue and white light erupted, shooting across the room, straight at Mekkatorque. Regaining his wits, the gnome leapt back, avoiding the blast as it struck the ground where he had just been. It didn't explode, but it burst apart, almost like a balloon filled with water, and began to eat away at the metal, spreading rapidly as it did. Mekkatorque backed away quickly, before focusing his attention back on Thermaplugg.
Thermaplugg moved quick, charging across the room towards Mekkatorque, huge feet creating dents in the metal, greenish smoke billowing from the pipes on the mech's back. He leapt, not high, but easily made it over the hole that his previous attack had created, slamming its claw down at Mekkatorque.
The gnome was able to avoid the first blow, but lightning fast, the right hand came across, smashing into the gnome with enough force to shatter stone. Mekkatorque flew backwards, slamming hard into a column near the entrance. If he hadn't absorbed a large amount of the blow using a thin layer of chakra over his skin, and enhancing his bones, he wouldn't have survived.
As it stood, he could barely move, and was helpless as Thermaplugg marched up to him, claw hand extended, ready to deliver the final blow.
Linkizzle and Rurizzle, nearly halfway across the room from having watched the scene unfold, found their wits and rushed towards their king, praying they would make it.
Shing!
Linkizzle stopped startled by the sound, as it wasn't the sound of metal hitting flesh.
It was the sound of metal hitting metal.
Rurizzle stared at the scene, a familiar elation rising in him as he saw what had happened.
Mekkatorque stood stock still, staring in amazement at the sight.
Thermaplugg was still trying to work out what had just happened.
Naruto, however…
"Geez, you leave you old geezers alone for what, ten minutes? You're already breaking out the giant robots."
The blonde pulled back, letting Thermaplugg's left arm fall to the ground as he pulled his sword through the rest of the arm. He held the gleaming kodachi out in front, smirking as he looked up into the leprous gnome's goggle-covered, insane eyes.
Thermaplugg sniffed,
"You're the human, aren't you? Terko failed, then, hmmm? Well, it doesn't matter…get out of my way, boy, this is my chance! I will rid myself of this pointless little thorn in my side! LET ME THROUGH!"
Naruto scowled, bringing the kodachi up, and said,
"I don't listen to anyone, you crazy bastard, so why would I listen to you?" Thermaplugg let out a feral growl, his anger rising. It seemed that the more excited the gnome got, he less rational he thought.
From behind the blonde, Mekkatorque stared dumbly at the boy's back, utterly baffled.
He still fights…he's covered in burns, and clearly didn't have an easy time with Terko…and yet even now he fights for me…why?
He spoke up, "Boy…get out of the way…this is between me and him…now at least…"
Naruto snorted, not even looking back at the gnome.
"I thought I told you, old man…this isn't your fight, I'm fighting because I want to get revenge on the guy who split up Furnizzle's family, and who helped kill a bunch of his own people, and enslave the rest." He finally did look back at Mekkatorque, and the gnome could see a great fire burning in the boy's eyes, like miniature suns at their zenith.
"Besides…you aren't the only one…who's been betrayed…by his best friend…"
And suddenly it all made sense.
The boy was doing this because he had felt the same thing Mekkatorque had. He was doing it to show the gnome that…you don't need to fight alone.
Thermaplugg was still simmering as Naruto finished his statement, his arm repaired, and growing both impatient and annoyed, he snarled,
"Then I'll kill you first, human!"
Naruto jumped over the first strike, allowing Mekkatorque to move away as well. Thermaplugg turned to engage the blonde once more, his right arm beginning to glow with a strange, grayish light as he bellowed,
"MekMissile!" The missile shot towards the blonde, who avoided it easily, rushing forwards to get in an attack. Thermaplugg, however, had already prepared a second attack, slamming his right arm into the ground, bellowing,
"Shock Pulse!" The wave of energy ripped the floor apart around the gnome as it expanded outwards, slamming hard into the shinobi. Naruto shot across the Court, slamming hard into one of the statues.
Linkizzle bellowed,
"Watch out for the bombs, Naruto!"
Naruto blinked; looking around, then up as a sound caught his attention above. The statue's mouth began to open, but seeing this, Naruto summoned a clone, which appeared right in front of the hole, catching the falling bomb as it dropped from the compartment. The clone leapt away from the statue, as did Naruto below, not wanting to draw the attention of another bomb. In mid-air, the bomb detonated, dispelling the clone and filling the room with light. Naruto clutched his ears in pain; glad he had taken off the earring earlier.
Thermaplugg let out a frustrated growl, lumbering towards the blonde, raising his claw to deliver another strike.
But Naruto was prepared. Gathering a huge amount of his remaining chakra, he pooled it into one seal, shouting, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"
The room was suddenly filled almost to the brim with Naruto clones, and Thermaplugg stopped mid-stride, staring around him in shock. The crazed gnome had never seen such a technique, and seeing the huge number of blonde humans was overwhelming.
The Naruto clones drew their swords as one, and the original spoke softly, so much so that it was almost impossible to hear him.
"This ends now…I won't let you hurt anybody else…"
Then, they spoke as one, their shout so loud that even down on the first floor, Quidneer swore he heard Naruto's voice…
"NINPO: HAYASHI NO TOUKEN (Forest of blades)!"
As one, the clones shot towards the stunned Thermaplugg, who looked in almost every direction, trying to find the original. He smacked three approaching clones out of the air, but more converged, their blades slicing into the body of his mech. But they moved past, allowing more to get in, each striking a different point, slicing through metal with little resistance.
In seconds, they had shredded the seemingly invincible armor into hundreds of pieces, leaving only a portion of the main body intact.
Mekkatorque suddenly rushed forwards, unable to stop his feet, weaving deftly through dozens of Naruto clones. He reached the torso, and with a cry, slammed his sword through the glowing core of the machine, leaping away to safety seconds after he did so.
The core destroyed, the armor itself was unable to function, despite having Thermaplugg still connected to it. In a tremendous flash, the rest of the armor exploded, ejecting Mekgineer Thermaplugg from his seat. He sailed through the air, twisting once, twice, thrice, before landing with a crash on his back, in the center of the room, near the hole from where he originally came through, one of the sharp edges from where his own mech had ripped through the floor impaling him through the chest.
Clones were flung back by the explosion, disappearing in puffs of smoke as they did.
The original landed near Linkizzle and Rurizzle, on his back, gasping. The two gnomes rushed to his aid, but stopped when they saw where he was looking.
Mekkatorque stood in front of his old friend's unmoving body. The flames danced in his goggles, concealing what his eyes were depicting. Thermaplugg stirred slightly, and he opened one graying eye behind the bright green goggles. He managed to croak out a few words before the blood completely filled his lungs.
"My…destiny…my…dream…why…did…you…steal…it…from…me…?"
Mekkatorque didn't answer, his own gray eyes never wavering from Thermaplugg's body.
Mekgineer Thermaplugg gave a final rasp, before he passed from this world for good.
Mekkatorque fell to his knees, tears forming pools in each of his goggle lenses.
He had done it.
He had taken back what was his…no…what was his people's.
No…they all of them…every gnome who had died in every foolhardy attempt to retake the city, every gnome who had rushed to their death, simply because he had asked them to. It was them. They had done it.
And so had the boy.
The boy had been the most essential part…whether he like to admit it or not. The boy…Naruto…had helped them achieve what they had been trying to do for years.
It was because of him.
"Boy…come here for a second…will you?"
Naruto, who was sitting cross-legged at the same spot he had landed, got to his feet, a little confused. He managed to hobble over, still slightly unsteady from the explosion.
When he stood directly behind the gnome, Mekkatorque turned, lifting off his goggles as he did.
He then handed them to Naruto, who stood stalk still, startled by the offer. From behind him, he heard to soft gasps from the Rizzle Brothers.
That…is the greatest honor the High Tinker can give a person…he is acknowledging that they are equals…amazing… Thought Linkizzle, gazing in awe.
Mekkatorque spoke,
"Thank you…Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto looked down at the gnome for a second, then, he lifted the goggles from the gnome's hands, slipping them over the top of his head, so that they came to rest where his forehead protector usually did.
He grinned back.
"No problem, old man."
Naruto then looked down at Thermaplugg, feeling no pity, but he could not help but think to himself,
It won't be like this…Sasuke. I'm going to bring you out of the darkness…
-------------------------------------------------------
Days later, King Magni Bronzebeard smiled as a gnomish messenger finishes reciting a message from High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque that the gnomes have agreed to enter the new Alliance, and were requesting help to rebuild and clean up their city.
I knew that it would be you…boy. You will be a legend, I am sure.
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Ahh, the final chapter to the Gnomeregan arc!
I found it fun to write, but I have also noticed that I am not the most verbose person in the world, having to refer to the Thesaurus often in order to find words that are fresh and new. I have also noticed that I repeat things a lot…I'll try to improve in the future.
The fight against the Electrocutioner…I kind of got bored with it, so I made Terko so annoying that not even Naruto wants to fight him, instead just taking him out in one fell swoop.
I just heard about the new expansion pack, and I am psyched! I already planned for a trip to Outland, so now it will be more in canon with the World of Warcraft universe!
Reviewer answers:
The Forgotten Lord – I just included the little argument for fun really. And chakras are actually points on the body that are particularly influential places, like the forehead, that chi congregates around (I think). As for what server, I am Burning Blade, with a 39 Undead Rogue named Myrdraxxis.
Slimeman- Yes Naruto does have a few, but he isn't skilled enough to use them without water around. As I understand it, only people like Hokage can create water out of their own bodies. The Link Clone would be effective, but it takes a lot of chakra and time to use in battle, so it isn't that effective unless it is created before.
The DragonBard- Well, I think that the clones can talk well because they are near Naruto, and basing their actions of his mannerisms. At a longer distance, it might be slightly harder for them to communicate, since they are just sacks of chakra. The Link clone is the same way, only it learns and adapts, eventually becoming as smart as the orignal, after prolongued exposure. And the Link clone can do jutsu on its own as well, but it is more effective when Naruto is manipulating it.
A very curious person- I thought that the High Elves and Blood elves were the same…The Blood elves being the High Elves after Arthas destroyed their city.
PersonaJXT- Nah, he can't if he dies, his mind dies, so it can't be possessing the clone. Naruto doesn't actually enter the clone, he merely extends his conciousness through the link into it. The same goes for the Kyuubi.
Well, if that's all, I'm heading to bed!
General Grievous
Next, we see what has been happening to Kira, and Naruto begins the next leg of his journey.
Armory:
Containment Cube- A cube that contains a miniature dimension that can hold an infinite amount of matter or energy in where time has no meaning.
High Tinker's Goggles- Given to Naruto by Mekkatorque, signifying that they are equals.
Spellbook:
Electrocution Spear- Used by The Electrocutioner 6000, emits a pulse of electricity which travels through the air and strikes anyone directly in its path. Very quick and dangerous.
Naruto Ansatsu Bakudan- Naruto creates two or more clones, then sends them to attack his opponents, then dispels them (or lets them get dispelled) and while the smoke obscures their vision, he throws two explosive kunai (or regular, resulting in the Naruto Ansatsu proper) which kill or maim his unsuspecting opponent.
Energy Beam – 'Nuff said.
Electrostatic Blazer- Emits a pulse of electricity through the ground (only works on metal surfaces) which damages anything it touches.
Ninpo: Hayashi no Touken- Naruto creates hundreds of clones, which attack en masse and scythe his opponent apart.
Gnomefire Bomb- Emits a huge blast of energy that spreads like a liquid, destroying anything that it touches.
MekMissile- Fires missile that explodes on contact.
Bestiary-
Walking Bomb (Mechanical)- A bomb that walks, immensely powerful, can be remotely detonated.
Mekgineer Thermaplugg (Mechanical/Humanoid) (Elite)- The betrayer of the gnomes, and one of the smartest gnomes in history, Mekgineer Thermaplugg went insane, both because he lost the title he believed he deserved to Mekkatorque, and because of the radiation seeping into his brain. Because of his ruined leg, he has built a powerful mech that enhances his speed, size, strength and magical ability. He can regenerate much quicker, and can produce attacks twice as strong as any other gnome's. Brutally insane, he also controls the walking bombs that drop into the arena in which he fights.