Disclaimer: Greatfather Winter has this to say!
"No you can't sit on my lap."
I don't own Naruto or World of Warcraft!
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
Naruto stared up, his eyes wide and round.
He had never seen something so…immense!
High above him, mounted on a massive bluff, one could see the edge of the Tauren capital city. The flickering light of bonfires lit up the edges, making it appear to be a beacon in the night sky.
The walls of the bluff themselves seemed to stretch up forever, and were almost perfectly straight. There was no way an attacking army could even hope to scale it, and Naruto guessed that even some ninja would find it hard to traverse, as in some parts there was nothing but sleek and smooth stone; it would be hard for them to grip it even with chakra.
He, Golbarn, Kaine and the group of Tauren led by Veroden were walking alongside the bottom of the bluff, towards a pair of platforms connected by a thin catwalk. In front of the one of the platforms was large basket; with a circular bottom that was about five feet in diameter. Ropes suspended the whole thing; Naruto guessed that that was the way they were going to get up.
He was right.
He and Golbarn hung in the back of the procession, with Kaine in front of them, and Veroden and his pack in front of Kaine. No one had spoken much in the time that it had taken to get from the deserted Bloodhoof Village to the edge of Thunder Bluff. It hadn't made for the most exciting walk, but Golbarn and Naruto had been given a new problem to deal with.
Flashback"What?" Naruto started, stunned, "sick?"
"Yes," said Veroden, his eyes still trained on Golbarn, "sick."
Golbarn, too, was stunned by the revelation, and he felt his plans crumbling beneath it. This was not good; it set back their mission by a lot, in fact.
The orc, though speechless for a time, recovered, asking, "Why? What disease has the greatest Tauren been afflicted with that your druids cannot heal?"
Veroden snorted, "You must have a lot of faith, in our healers, orc. But this isn't any normal "disease." Chief Cairn has been cut down by an affliction that cannot be cured by normal potions and spells. The sickness that affects him is one of heartache."
Golbarn blinked, before he composed his face once more and asked, "What?"
Veroden turned away from the orc, and looked off into the distance, his nose wrinkled, his eyes hooded.
"You have no doubt seen the state of this land. Mulgore is in such a state that it had begun to physically affect the High Chieftain. From when it was just beginning, Chief Cairn claimed to hear the spirits of the earth in Mulgore, screaming out in pain and for aid. He began to grow weak, and as the days past, could not rise from his bed. From there, he slipped into a coma, from which he has yet to wake."
Golbarn lowered his eyes, both so that the sadness that he felt for the great and kind Tauren chieftain, and the similar rage he felt for Cairn for being so weak as to fall victim to the very spirits that were said to aid him. He noticed, however, out of the corner of his eye, that Kaine looked as if he was bursting to say something, something that Veroden might have neglected.
Naruto, despite the earlier warning from Golbarn to guard his tongue when dealing with the tauren's religious matters, couldn't stop himself from speaking up.
"That's stupid! How could someone Thrall said was so strong be brought down by something so stupid! How the hell do you know that he isn't being poisoned or something?"
Veroden finally looked at him, causing Naruto to blink at the strange look in the tauren's eyes. It was one of…admiration? The look disappeared swiftly, however, making Naruto doubt that he'd seen it at all.
But it was Kaine who answered the blonde, his voice heated, his glare withering.
"You stupid human! My grandfather isn't weak, and the reason isn't stupid! And don't you think we tried testing for poison? You're such a dumbass little pink sack of flesh!"
Naruto, his blood boiling from the insult, shouted back, " Shut up, cow-face! Why don't you-"
"That is enough, brat," growled Golbarn, sending a fierce glare in Naruto's direction. The blonde clamped his mouth shut, but still shot daggers with his eyes at Kaine, who returned the look full force.
Veroden cleared his throat, and then spoke calmly to the orc and human.
"It is getting late. We must be back in Thunder Bluff by nightfall. Since it would be a waste for you to come all this way, it might be best if you came with us. I am acting as chief in the time that Cairn lies bedridden. I will hear what you have to say, but it must wait until we return to the Bluff," he said.
Golbarn nodded, as did Naruto, and the entire group began to walk back towards the bridge that they had arrived on.
End FlashbackSince speaking with Cairn and attempting to get regain his allegiance was almost impossible now, they were relying on Veroden to help them accomplish the mission.
Golbarn, however, didn't think it'd be so easy. There was something missing, something that they weren't mentioning. Golbarn would have asked, but he guessed that if they had wanted to tell him, then they'd have already done so.
If Cairn were in such danger of dying, thanks to the Venture Co. then why wouldn't they try and drive them out?
It was puzzling, and for someone who hated the unexpected and unknown like Golbarn, it was infuriating.
Naruto silently shared his view. He knew something was wrong, and that from the tauren's explanation, that they hadn't given them the whole story. What was also puzzling was Veroden himself. The tauren seemed strong and able; so much so that the other tauren in the group looked up to him. If he was strong enough to be considered the temporary chieftain, then why wouldn't he launch an attack on the Venture Co. that was doing so much damage to Mulgore, and responsible for the current state of their true chieftain?
While the two puzzled over this, they arrived at the base of the platforms, and began ascending to the top. Once there, Veroden pointed across the catwalk to the other platform.
"Wait over there, the other elevator will come down as we go up." He said to Kaine, Golbarn and Naruto. All but two of his entourage piled into the elevator, which groaned slightly at the weight it was suddenly subjected to. The remaining two walked across the catwalk, Kaine just behind them with the two travelers behind him.
As he walked, Naruto followed the ascent of the elevator, then moved his eyes over to the descent of the second, which got nearer and nearer to them every second. It was really pretty cool; nothing compared to the gnomes, he decided, but definitely cool.
They piled on to the elevator when it arrived, and seconds later it began to rise. It was quite a bit more rickety than the gnome's elevators, causing the blonde shinobi to fight down several impulses that one usually got high in the air on an old elevator with no sides.
'You sure this thing is safe?" he muttered to Kaine, whom he hadn't spoken to since their earlier fight.
Kaine blinked, then smirked.
"Why, you scared?" he asked, inching closer to the blonde, forcing him to back up a bit.
Naruto scowled and snapped, "No!" To prove his point, he stood up right next to the edge, and leaned slightly out, smirking in challenge as he did so.
Kaine glared at him, and in response to the unspoken challenge, inched up to the edge on the other side. Being quite a bit heavier than Naruto, the tauren caused the unsteady platform to tilt to the side, causing the other two tauren and the orc to stumble and then glare at Kaine.
Golbarn growled in anger at the young tauren, saying, "Watch it, boy. I'm in no mood to fall several hundred feet because you respond to such childish challenges from my equally childish companion."
Naruto glared at Golbarn. "You're just afraid of heights, aren't you?" he deadpanned.
Golbarn opened his mouth to protest, but Kaine stamped his hoof once, causing the basket to shake, and Golbarn let out a very uncharacteristic yelp, standing straight up, and planting his feet firmly on the floor.
Both Naruto and Kaine broke out in triumphant smiles.
Golbarn glared at them with an intensity that would have melted steel.
The other two tauren hid smiles, thoroughly enjoying the proceedings.
When the basket arrived at the top of the bluff, Golbarn immediately leapt out, giving himself a firm shake and stamping the hard, unmoving wood of the platform a few times. Naruto and Kaine got out next, both still grinning at the seemingly unshakeable orc's newfound mortal fear. Veroden waited at the end of the platform for them, his deep purples eyes focused unwaveringly on them.
"Come, I will speak with the orc about what the Warchief wants of us. Kaine, take the human to the inn and then come back to the lodge."
Naruto was about to protest at being left behind, but Golbarn silenced him with another glare.
"Don't argue, brat. The tauren are kind, but they still don't hold humans in very high regard. Don't push your luck in trying to get in political matters like this."
Naruto harrumphed, but acquiesced. Kaine grunted in annoyance at his own orders, but motioned Naruto to follow him. The blonde did so, letting his eyes wander to the other parts of the village as he walked.
While the village had been pretty large looking from the bottom of the bluff, it truly wasn't much more than a collection of cabins and strange conical houses made of a variety of skins. There were several levels of houses on the bluff; them being on lowest rise, with two higher portions across the deserted area, directly across from the elevator platforms. In addition, Naruto could see several separate bluffs, connected to the main area by long rope bridges. In front of him there was a small pond, where a bunch of blacksmithing equipment had been set up: several anvils, a forge, and all the tools that usually accompanied blacksmiths. They were larger than the one he had seen in Ironforge, but then again, a normal sized tauren could easily be as tall as three dwarves, each on sitting on the shoulders of another.
Directly in front of the elevator platform was a huge tower, decorated and carved to look like a series of head mounted on top of each other. At the top of the tower, there were four large holes, with small outcroppings of wood jutting out just beneath them. The outcroppings were curved and covered in straw, and Naruto was sure there was something in them; however, it being dark and Naruto having no desire to appear suspicious by activating his goggles, he wasn't able to tell what.
Kaine, however, seeing Naruto's interest, spoke, "That's the wyvern tower," he said.
Naruto turned to him, blinking.
"Wyvern? What's that?"
Kaine stopped, before turning, gaping at the blonde.
"You don't know what a wyvern is?"
Naruto glared at him, annoyed.
"No, I don't. Are ya gonna tell me? Or am I gonna have to beat it out of you?" He raised a fist in challenge, causing Kaine to scoff.
"You? Beat me? That's a laugh. What chance does a stupid little pink-fleshed human have against a powerful, famous, and all-round better looking tauren?"
Naruto sweat dropped.
"Powerful? Maybe. Famous? Don't know. Better looking? Maybe to cattle, but I dunno were you get off saying you're better looking than me!"
The two began to glare at each other again, a hidden fire ignited in both of them, made known in the background only by the reader's imagination and knowledge of anime.
"Let's fight."
"Damn straight."
Golbarn followed Veroden across the sparsely populated village. It was almost silent, the only sounds being the popping and spitting of fires and the natural sounds of the earth.
But when he strained his ears, he could hear something else in the distance. The grinding of axes on sharpening stones; the mechanical sounds of large, goblin-made machines toiling away at whatever task they had been put to.
It was truly a sinister backdrop to the silence of the night.
Veroden led him to a huge lodge, one that Golbarn had been to before. Back when Cairn had been High Chieftain, it had been open to any orc, troll, or even undead to come in and speak with the great chieftain of the tauren. Now, it stood hollow and empty. Though it was lit with a fire, as they walked inside, it wasn't as warm as before. It felt far different than before, and not in a good way.
The room was furnished simply, with only a table and several cushions surrounding it. The table was high enough so that a tauren could sit comfortably, his legs tucked underneath it. Other than that, there were only a few trinkets set above the mantelpiece and several wall scrolls to decorate it.
Veroden motioned him to sit, which he did. The tauren lifted his spear from its position on his back, and set it by the fireplace. He then set down opposite Golbarn, and looked plainly at him.
"What does Warchief Thrall wish of us, now?" he asked.
Golbarn set his sword to the side, and then said calmly, "Lord Thrall wishes for the tauren to once again become part of the Horde. Thrall's forces are stretched thin of late; he must keep the Barrens and Durotar protected, as well as attempting to deal with the false Warchief, Rend Blackhand, who gains more and more followers daily. Lord Thrall is in a difficult position, and he calls on the trust and friendship of Cairn Bloodhoof's people to help him through this."
Veroden was silent for a moment, the reflection of the fire almost completely swallowed by his deep purples eyes.
"We cannot," he said simply.
Golbarn frowned, his eyes focused hard on the tauren's.
"Why not?" he asked, the question that he had been dying to ask almost since he had met the tauren in Bloodhoof Village.
Veroden sighed, his face looking weary and old.
"Because our people are needed hear. The villagers love Mulgore as much as they do their own Chieftain. With Cairn's sickness, they have lost the will to fight, and remain here, tending to him and waiting for him to pull through."
"He will never pull through unless something is done about those goblins of the Venture Company. Why do you not take arms to them?"
Veroden looked down for a few seconds, his face once again older than it should have been.
"Because…they are in possession of something that our Chieftain holds dear. This thing makes it impossible for us to retaliate, for if we did, we would surely kill the High Chieftain."
"What is it?" Golbarn muttered, his hard eyes staring darkly at the acting Chieftain.
Veroden sighed.
"It is…"
Naruto grinned, dodging a second strike from Kaine's hammer. The blonde shot forwards, hammering several strikes into the young tauren's face. Kaine stumbled back, temporarily stunned, but he recovered swiftly, driving the handle of his hammer into Naruto's stomach, leaving the blonde bereft of any air in his lungs.
The tauren followed the powerful blow with a second, this time punching Naruto in the face. The attack blasted the blonde away from the tauren, causing him to skid across the ground several yards away, coming to a stop near the edge of the circle.
Jumping to his feet, the damage from both strikes already healing, Naruto grinned. He wiped a bit of blood from his mouth, and then drew his sword, holding it out in front of him, the edge gleaming in the light of the fire.
Kaine slung his hammer over his shoulder, but grinned the same grin that his opponent was. They stood like that for a while; neither moving save for their hard breathing.
Then, Naruto struck.
He shot forwards, summoning two clones to accompany him as he rushed the tauren, who lowered his weapon and readied himself for impact. The blonde however didn't meet the tauren's weapon with his own. Instead, he grabbed one of his clones' hands, and began to spin, swinging the clone around several times, before he released. The clone shot across the distance between the tauren and the boy, curling itself into a ball as it did.
"Kongou!" Naruto bellowed, applying the same technique that he could use himself to his clone.
Kaine, blinking at the blonde's shout, suddenly realized what Naruto intended to do. He barely had time to leap to the side as the clone shot past, smashing through one of the totem poles that decorated the circle they were standing in. The clone soared for a few more yards, then crashed to the ground, creating a huge skid mark as it burrowed into the ground, coming to a stop just near the edge, half buried in dirt.
He combined that weird orc-style shaman technique with a throw! If that had hit me…ouch… the young tauren thought, looking back at Naruto.
But the blonde wasn't there.
Shit!
Mere milliseconds later, Kaine found the blonde right behind him, followed by the appearance of several clones, completely surrounding the High Chieftain's grandson.
"U!" Naruto roared, leaping off a clone's back into the air, while the clone kicked Kaine in the face.
"ZU!"
Falling back, Kaine was struck by a second kick into the gut, lifting him upwards
"MA!"
Another kick to the abdomen…
"KI!"
…And Kaine was air-born.
The huge tauren opened his eyes wide as the true Naruto shot down, sword out, prepared to deliver what would probably be a deathblow. However, in the last second, Naruto twisted his blade, and with a shout of, "Naruto Kiriorosu Rendan! (Naruto Falling Slash Combo!"
The back of the blade slammed hard into Kaine's meaty neck, and if it had been anyone other than a tauren, would have crushed his windpipe. Instead, the blow caused Kaine to choke and cough, and provided enough force to send the tauren and boy back to earth. A loud BOOM characterized their return to the earth; the ground cracked and broke underneath the combined weight of an adolescent tauren, a ramen-addicted shinobi, and the force that the former had been subjected to.
Naruto grinned slightly from his position on Kaine's chest, lifting his sword and sitting up straighter.
Heh, who's stronger now, bastard? He thought, thoroughly enjoying the victory.
THINK AGAIN, BRAT.
Huh? Was his only coherent thought before Kaine, who had been lying prostrate on the ground since the impact, suddenly sat up and drove his forehead into Naruto's own. There was a sickening crack, and Naruto fell back off of him, dazed and stunned by the blow to his head.
Meanwhile, Kaine sat up and swiftly kicked Naruto in the jaw, lifting him off his feet. He wiped a bit of blood from his mouth, and then flashed through a group of seals.
"Windfury Totem!" he bellowed, driving his palm into the ground, hard. Runes spread out in a circular formation around his palm, and in a puff of smoke, another totem emerged. This time, instead of a totem with a cow's head, it possessed the head of a bird, and suddenly Kaine felt lighter, faster, as if he weighed nothing more than a feather.
Naruto got up in time to see Kaine suddenly appear in front of him, before he was subjected to several brutal attacks, none of which he could see, and thus had no ability to defend.
How the hell did he get so fast?
Kaine didn't let up; his lightning fast blows flung Naruto around like a rag doll, and the shinobi could do nothing to defend himself.
With a final cry, Kaine drove his hoof downwards, slamming it into the ground right near Naruto's head. A powerful surge of chakra was sent streaking through the ground, ripping it apart and knocking Naruto senseless.
Or rather, it would have if Naruto had been there to be subjected to it.
The Naruto that lay before him disappeared with a puff of smoke, replaced by a splintered head from the totem pole that his clone had smashed through earlier.
The real Naruto stood a few yards behind the tauren, gasping, bleeding, and still grinning.
Almost every part of Naruto's body was quivering with excitement. He had never had such a fun fight in his life. Sure, joke fighting with Sasuke, beating up Kiba, and being beat up by Lee had been fun, but Naruto had never had someone his own age to just fight with. Sasuke had never really enjoyed their spars, but Naruto hadn't either; those had been to prove who was stronger. This, although both seemed to fight under such a pretense, Naruto found himself not caring if he won or lost. This was a fight that he could happily walk away from, either in victory or defeat.
Kaine shared Naruto's sentiments. Being the chief's grandson, people had never truly taken him seriously in a fight before. They had always "lost" in order to keep themselves in good favor with both his father and his grandfather. It hadn't been a true gauge of strength for him. He'd always be fighting someone "weaker" than him, regardless of how strong they truly were. He'd had to train himself in every way possible, and yet he still hadn't been able to find anyone or anything that'd truly test his strength to its fullest.
Until this pinkskin came.
Kaine found himself enjoying the fight. He also found himself beginning to like the blonde. The blonde didn't treat him like someone who should be feared or respected, or someone who should be coddled and protected. He treated him like an equal, something that Kaine had never been before.
Of course, the blonde's annoying personality was a downside to the budding friendship, but he decided he could live with that.
Naruto found the tauren fun to be around as well, even though his annoying personality was something to be desired.
He's like Konohamaru…the blonde thought irritably.
Is it not funny, that even when looking in a mirror, one cannot recognize himself if he has a mask on?
Kaine wiped his mouth, then sat on the ground, letting the Windfury Totem disappear. Naruto dropped to the ground as well, feeling drained and tired.
Not to mention hungry.
"Whaddya say that we take a break, huh?" Kaine muttered, looking over at the blonde.
"Sounds good…I'll beat you next time…" Naruto muttered, stretching. "You guys have an food around here?"
"Yeah," said Kaine, pointing off into the distance, across the bridge that they had crossed in order to get to Hunter Rise, "there's a pretty good place back on the main bluff if we go."
"Sounds good," the tired blonde muttered.
The two weary youths got up, retrieved their weapons, and then slowly made for the bridge, too tired to even think about running.
Thunder Bluff was apparently not just one bluff, but several. In addition to the main bluff that they had arrived on, there were three other, smaller bluffs that were connected by large bridges. There was Spirit Rise, Elder Rise, and Hunter Rise.
Spirit Rise was the place that Kaine went to receive his shamanic training from the resident shamans that were there. They also had a healer who worked there, but apparently was almost continually at Cairn's side, attending to the fallen tauren chieftain as best she could. Beneath the rise was a place called the Pools of Vision, where priests of the other races had congregated, but now was mainly recognized as a place where druids, shaman and anyone else could go to think, pray, or meditate.
Elder Rise was where the druids, like the Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem lived. Hamuul was one of Cairn's greatest friends, and was responsible for taking care of the ancient tauren along with the healer on Spirit Rise.
Hunter Rise, the place where Naruto and Kaine had fought, was where battle tournaments, trials, meetings of war, and hunting expeditions took place. They had a large battle arena for warriors to spar in if they needed to brush up on their skills.
It took them some time to cross the bridge, and then even longer to find the place they desired. It was a small hut with a pleasant smell wafting from out of the entrance. There was a fire lit inside, and when they entered they met an old female tauren, who was sitting on a stool behind a counter. It was smaller than Sarjak's, Stormwind Noodles, and Ichiraku, but Naruto didn't mind much, as it felt much the same in atmosphere as the other restaurants.
The tauren female smiled kindly at Kaine, obviously recognizing him.
"Ah, young Kaine, I was wondering if you were going to be back today. How was the trip?" she asked, apparently not noticing Naruto.
Kaine grinned, sitting down on one of stools at the counter.
"Pretty good, Hontas. It was a bit long, though, and I had to deal with this weirdo human as well."
A vein throbbed in Naruto's forehead.
"Who you calling a weirdo, bastard!" he growled.
Apparently gaining some of his fire back, Kaine turned and sneered at him.
"You, moron!"
Naruto nearly leapt at the tauren before he stopped, seeing the look of astonishment on the Hontas' face.
"Oh my! A human in Thunder Bluff! That's quite the surprise, young Kaine. What is your name, little human?" she said, smiling down at Naruto as if he were a small child.
While Naruto could cuss at girls, he rarely did so for one reason or another. Tsunade was the exception, of course, but this one was kind to him, even if he was a human.
"U-Uzumaki Naruto," he said, blushing slightly. He was never good at speaking to girls who showed him such kindness.
"A strange name…but a good one nonetheless. You must sit! Any friend of young Kaine is a friend of mine!" she said happily, gesturing to the stool next to Kaine.
"He's not my friend," they muttered at the same time, both out of earshot of the tauren, who had gone to get menus for the two.
She returned, handing them each a piece of animal skin with the menu written on the front. Naruto blinked at the choices.
"What's this?" he asked pointing to the first dish on the page. It was something called emokanda, and front what the ingredients were, it reminded him strikingly of both ramen and loon'des.
Hontas smiled cheerfully.
"That's the specialty of the tauren! It's a bowl of plants, grasses, grains and others compacted into long strips, which are then put into a pot of many different herbs and spices. It comes in several flavors- Fadeleaf, Kingsblood, Briarthorn, and Peacebloom. Would you like to try it?"
Naruto might have gagged at any other time, but wanting to be on his best behavior, suppressed his revulsion at eating ramen made out of only vegetables.
But, he decided, it was probably better than any of the other things on the menu, which were all made of vegetables as well.
"Sure," he said, "I guess I'll try the…uhm…Fadeleaf?"
Hontas smiled again, pleased by his choice.
"An excellent choice! Fadeleaf is very salty, and if grounded improperly, causes blindness. But if it is done correctly, it can really boost your agility and immune system!"
She then turned to Kaine, saying, "What can I get you, young master?"
Already having made his choice, Kaine grinned, "I'll have the Briarthorn emokanda, please."
Nodding cheerfully, she took back the menus and turned around to begin cooking their meals.
Naruto noticed that she prepared them in much the same way that old man Ichiraku made them, and Sarjak as well. The difference was that she never added a single piece of meat into the broth, adding only bits of greenish plants and dashes of spices. Though he hated to admit it, it smelled great, as good as any meat-based ramen that Ichiraku could cook up.
He hoped that it would taste as good as well.
Minutes later, she set two steaming bowls of emokanda in front of the two youths, saying, "Eat up!"
Grinning weakly, Naruto picked up his chopsticks (which were very large, he noted), and snatched a bit of emokanda. He pulled it up, letting the broth drip off a little, before he steeled himself, and stuffed it into his mouth.
He chewed. Once, twice, thrice.
This isn't half bad…he thought, pleasantly surprised by the taste. It wasn't really like ramen, the spices were different, as was the texture, but it was good nonetheless.
He was shocked.
Vegetables can be good…He quickly dug in more, making Hontas smile, then turn and re-enter the back, leaving Kaine and Naruto alone.
They ate silently for a time, the only sounds being the constant slurping of noodles.
Then, Kaine spoke.
"Veroden didn't tell you guys everything."
Naruto paused, noodles hanging from his mouth. He swallowed first, and then looked up at Kaine.
"Whaddya mean?" he asked, watching the tauren slump slightly in his seat.
"There is another reason why my father is so sick. A reason that I don't think Veroden wanted to say because it is a great shame for us all. It is the same reason why we can't retaliate against the bastards that are doing this to our land…"
Naruto's interest was immediately piqued. He had been wondering about this for quite a while.
"Why?" he asked, with bated breath.
Kaine sighed.
"My father," he said quietly.
Now Naruto was completely confused. What did that mean?
"What about him?" the blonde asked, staring curiously at the tauren, whose mood seemed to be darkening by the second.
"My father is the reason…that we can't retaliate. Baine Bloodhoof. He…they…took his soul. My father's soul was taken by the Venture Co."
Naruto gaped, stunned by the revelation. What the hell did that mean? They stole his soul?
"What the hell? How's that possible? How d'you know?" the blonde asked, still taken aback by the tauren's words.
"It's possible…you just need a really powerful warlock or shaman in order to do it. When one thinks of the Venture Co., one doesn't really think of magic or anything like that. How they were able to get someone to take his soul is beyond me. My father used to be chieftain of Bloodhoof Village. He was a great leader, not as good as my grandfather, but getting there. My grandfather was planning to give my father the position of High Chieftain when he believed Baine was ready. But, as you can see, that never happened. One day, after I returned from hunting, I found my father lifeless on the floor. The druids looked at him, but they weren't able to help. Instead they simply said that someone…or something had removed his soul. In order to keep his body from dying, they froze it beneath the Pools of Vision.
"It was after that happened, that we received a message from the head of the Venture Co. himself," Kaine said, his face suddenly twisting into a baleful glare.
"Cyrussian T. Venture…"he said, his voice laced with enough venom to kill a kodo in seconds.
"This bastard…after taking my father's soul, said that if we tried any sort of attack against his forces again, that he'd send my father's soul to the Twisting Nethers, were it would be torn apart by demons for eternity. After seeing that he was somehow able to remove my father's soul without anyone knowing, we weren't willing to call his bluff, if it truly was one, that is.
"My grandfather, after hearing this, fell to the sickness that had bee plaguing him for so long. A combination of heartache for his lost son…and the unbearable strain of having his homeland destroyed…and being unable to do anything about either of them. That is the worst sort of torture that anyone could be subjected to…" he whispered, staring down into the bowl in front him.
Naruto said nothing, his mind digesting what he had just been told.
This complicates things…TOO TRUE.
"Then why don't you just find this Cymussien P. Venture and kick his ass?" the blonde asked, finally speaking.
Kaine glared at him.
"It isn't that easy, dumbass. Ninety percent of the time, he isn't even on this continent. He remains in the Undermine, where he rules as one of the strongest trade princes in existence. He only travels out occasionally to observe that his worksites are doing what they are supposed to. We don't even know when that is…"
Naruto harrumphed.
"Besides" the tauren continued, "his name is Cyrussian T. Venture, not Cymussien P. Venture."
Naruto scowled.
Silence befell the two then, and neither spoke until Hontas returned to collect their empty dishes.
"I'll take you to the inn, like I was supposed to," said Kaine sullenly, once they had said their goodbyes to Hontas and were standing outside, the clear night sky and everything that it held staring down at them.
Naruto nodded, saying nothing once more, and followed the young tauren across the village once more. They climbed the large spire up to the second rise, where Kaine showed Naruto to a small cabin, labeled The Wind's Song. Kaine went inside and spoke calmly to the innkeeper, explaining whom Naruto was and what he was doing there. The innkeeper nodded, mentioning that an orc had come by earlier and gotten a room as well. When everything had been settled, Naruto said a short farewell to the tauren, who returned it just as shortly. He then followed the innkeeper up the stairs, and into a small room, where a rolled up bunch of furs, a pillow, and a candle lay. There were no other furnishings that Naruto could see, but there was a small window, which looked out into the moonlit sky.
Naruto dropped into the pile of furs, unfurling them, before laying his head upon the pillow, and promptly knocking himself out.
"So what're we going to do now? As long as that old man is in a coma, we aren't going to be able to do anything, are we?" Naruto said, sitting next to Golbarn, who sat watching the sky.
"I don't know…there isn't much we can do," the orc said.
"Bullshit," Naruto snapped, "there's plenty we can do, it's just how what we're going to do first is what's hard. Maybe we could try to convince that guy, Veroden, to just attack?"
Golbarn let out a hollow laugh, his eyes full of bitter mirth.
"That is impossible, brat. These people would never do something to endanger their leader. They believe that if Baine dies, then Cairn dies. They will do nothing, as long as their leader's life is in jeopardy. They love Cairn that much."
Naruto looked up at him, frowning.
"They love him that much? So why don't they just end his suffering? Even if they fail…that's still better than never trying in the first place," he said firmly.
Golbarn nodded, "I agree. But they do not. Cairn is so loved by them, that many of his people see him as someone to be worshipped. They do not believe he is a god, but they believe him to be their hope, and their pride. They have so much faith in him that they'd follow him to the Twisting Nethers and back…not even Lord Thrall can boast of that about his own people." At this, Golbarn's face darkened slightly, his mind returning to his lord, and the problems that befell Orgrimmar and the Orcish people.
They had to get back…they had to accomplish this mission.
Naruto stayed silent for a few more moments, before he stood and dusted himself off.
"If we're gonna stay here, than I might as well go beat that stupid cow up again…" he muttered, walking away from the edge of the bluff that he and Golbarn had been sitting by.
Golbarn smirked a little, muttering about annoying brats and their stupid little rivalries.
Damn! That stupid Kongou thing just keeps him going! How the hell am I supposed to beat him if I can't even hurt him? Were Kaine Bloodhoof's thoughts as he dodged another one of Naruto's strikes.
The two were once again in the fighting circle on Hunter Rise, which was quickly becoming more a battlefield than an actual training area. For the past few days, Naruto and Kaine had used it so much that the grass had become blackened from Naruto's Goukakyuu blasts; there were numerous craters from the bodies of one or both of the two fighters smashing into the ground, and many more from where Naruto's Kongou absorbed the damage from Kaine's attacks.
They had also gotten so used to the area of the ring that neither needed to look for where the boundaries were; it had become almost a sixth sense for them to leap out of the way, just inches from the edge of the ring.
Their sparring matches had come in several forms. There were the more serious ones, where neither held back their own strength, and that usually ended up with one or more of them lying face down on the ground, exhausted of energy and desperately needing medical attention.
More often than not, Golbarn would be the one to get a druid to attend to them, up until the point where they just had a healer stand and watch them, waiting for one to fall unmoving to the ground.
Golbarn found the matches incredibly amusing. He also found them amazing. Neither fighter gave up- they would always fight until they were physically incapable of doing anything. Naruto, because he was smaller and less muscled, broke more bones than Kaine. But because of his healing abilities, he would always be back and ready after a moment's downtime, his seemingly endless source of stamina making itself known once more. His Kongou also helped in keeping him from harm, but at first, Kaine's attacks had been almost impossible to block using it. The tauren was so ferociously strong that it made Naruto wonder if Thrall had been holding back during their training sessions.
After a few days, however, Naruto could take one of Kaine's punches in the face without flinching. He had also gotten used to moving quickly, in order to keep up with Kaine when he used the Windfury totem.
Totems, as he had been told, were the basis of most of the tauren's shamanistic abilities. The totems used the power that was supposedly harnessed by the spirits of the world, and used it to boost their own abilities. Along with their stronger jutsu, they more than made up for the huge and heavy target they made.
Like with Golbarn's Bladestorm, however, Kaine refused to share with Naruto the secret of the attacks. Naruto noticed the casting process was much like summoning, and wondered if one had to make a contract.
But with what?
Similarly, Kaine seemed deeply interested the Tetra Elemental style that Naruto was still in the process of learning; or moreover, he was interested in how Naruto had gotten Thrall to teach him.
"I mean, it's not every day that an orc trains a human…how'd you get him to train you, anyways?"
Naruto scowled, looking away.
"I lost a fight, okay!"
Kaine smirked.
"Against whom?"
Naruto scowled again, remembering the fight clearly.
"Some bastard named Rexxar…"
Kaine gaped.
"Are you serious! The Rexxar? The one who saved my father from the centaur? No wonder you lost!" he said, laughing as he sat down on the ground, resting once more after the grueling sparring session.
Naruto growled in anger at the tauren's words, but his response was cut off by Kaine's next words.
"But why did you come here, anyways?"
At Naruto's perplexed look, he explained. "I mean why did you come to Kalimdor? One would think that you humans are completely tied up back in your own lands. Why come here, to Orgrimmar in fact, when that's the equivalent of walking into the wolves' den?"
Naruto blinked a few times, before slumping to the ground, his eyes downcast slightly.
"I…made a promise to someone…"he said quietly.
Golbarn, who sat near the boundary of the fighting ring, raised an eyebrow. Kaine leaned forwards, interested.
"To whom?" he asked, smirking at the slight blush that crossed Naruto's face.
"A good friend, I suppose…her name's Kira…the princess of the humans."
Kaine blinked, surprised that the annoying little brat was in good graces with a princess. He was then reminded of his own position, and scoffed.
"A princess huh? What was this promise anyways? She pledge her love to you or something?"
"No, you bastard!" Naruto snapped, blushing hotly again, "it's not a stupid promise like that…It's something a lot bigger than that."
Kaine cocked his head to the side, suddenly interested.
"'Sides," Naruto said, smirking, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Girls fall to their knees to be with me!"
Kaine sweat dropped, his eye twitching.
"They must have terrible taste," he muttered, making Golbarn nod his head in agreement, and Naruto pop a vein in his forehead.
"Bastard! It'd be better than going out with a stupid walking hamburger!"
"Did you just call me a pig? You bastard, take that back!"
"Make me! You probably don't even have a chance with a girl! I'll show you!"
Forming a seal, Naruto roared, "Sexy no jutsu: Style: Tauren!"
In a puff of smoke, something that will not, under any circumstances, be described, appeared. To those who aren't tauren, it would be a horribly, mentally scarring visual that would make you wish that still existed.
For those who were tauren, however, it would be the most beautiful thing they had had ever seen.
This was evidenced by Kaine's bulging eyes, slack jaw, and seconds later, gushing nose, which caused the tauren to fly back, landing hard on the ground near the edge of the bluff. His eyes were glazed over perversely and blood-dripped all the way down his front.
Golbarn twitched at the sight, mentally noting to dash his head open on a rock, as soon as he found one big enough.
Naruto transformed back, smirking triumphantly.
"Too…powerful…" muttered Kaine, from his position on the ground.
Later, when Kaine had sufficiently recovered from the loss of blood, he asked Naruto something.
"What was the promise, anyways? It must be something big, or else you wouldn't be running across half the world in order to fulfill it."
Naruto sat back, his eyes watching the sky. He was suddenly reminded of how interesting Shikamaru found the clouds, and finally could sympathize.
They really were peaceful…
After a while, he spoke.
"I made a promise…to help her achieve her dream. I don't know why…but I felt that I needed to help her; and I don't go back on my word. I'm going to see this through to the end."
Kaine was a little surprised at the blonde's conviction.
"Oh? So what's her dream?" he asked.
Naruto blinked, wondering if he should say it. He shrugged inwardly.
It couldn't hurt, I suppose.
So he said it.
"Hahaha! Are you serious? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Kaine said, looking down at the blonde, whose eyes flashed dangerously at the laughter.
"Shut up, bastard!" he growled, ready to leap on the young tauren.
"I'm just saying…that dream doesn't sound possible. I mean, there is so much bad blood between the races…it would be impossible for just one person to change all of that."
"I'm not one person…" Naruto said, frowning. "I have ta' rely on others all the time…whether I like it or not. And besides, how do you know it isn't possible? It sounds like your grandfather would have wanted something like that, anyways."
Kaine though a moment, then nodded slightly. "You're right…my grandfather would probably have supported that plan. He was always one for peace. He was wise enough to know that peace couldn't be solved through inaction and politics, and that it required a lot more than that, such as friendship, spirit, love and honor."
The tauren smiled sadly at the thought of his grandfather, so Naruto spoke.
"If he was that wise…then he'd know that simply letting this place die would be a waste. I once met a person who believed that everything would go wrong, given the chance. He believed that it was impossible to change things, and that you should just give up, and let whatever is plaguing you go by. He was stupid, in that regard, but he learned that that wasn't the case, and that people could change things, and that things don't always go bad. This is the same…you can't just let your people accept this…as long as that old man is in a coma, things aren't going to get better. You're going to have to do something about it."
Kaine glared at him, a familiar heat rising inside of him.
"Don't you understand? As long as that bastard goblin and his company have my father's soul, then we can't do anything! If my father's soul is lost, then my grandfather is lost as well."
"Both you and Thrall said that the old man was wise and strong…and Golbarn said that his people loved him so much that they'd do essentially anything for him. But don't you think that'd he'd do the same for them? If he was a wise as you say…and your father was his heir…then they'd know the consequences of their actions. They'd give up their lives, if it meant that their people could be safe…if it meant their home could be safe."
Naruto unconsciously touched his stomach, feeling the weight of the Fourth's sacrifice upon him. A true leader would be willing to do die for his people…and if Cairn was so wise…then he must've known that.
Which was why Naruto was so troubled that he was in a coma.
There had to be another reason why.
Kaine, however, was still stunned by the blonde's words. Was his grandfather really willing to give up his life for the people that he ruled…and if so, then why did he lie in a coma at this point?
But he couldn't deny the truth in Naruto's words. The single, absolute truth.
There was never a time when a choice could not be made. There was never a time when someone couldn't change something. They had dragged themselves into this trap…and only they could drag themselves out of it.
He stood; any fatigue that he had received as a result of his sparring with the blonde disappeared.
Now…he could do something. There wasn't much time to waste…but they could definitely do something now.
"Let's go…we're going to talk with Veroden."
Naruto grinned, and hopped to his feet, preparing to follow the tauren.
Golbarn did not stand up at first. He merely watched the two, in particular, his blonde companion.
Perhaps I see now what Lord Thrall sees in this boy… he mused, before standing himself, and walking after the two.
"No."
The single word was enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room. It was quite a full room, as well. The High Chieftain's advisors and healers, the Runetotems, were both present- Archdruid Hamuul and Magatha The Elder Crone. Then there was the leader of the Bluffwatchers and the strongest warrior tribe of the tauren, Taim Ragetotem. Among the others, there were the heads of all the major clans of tauren that resided in Thunder Bluff: The Skychasers, the most shamanistic tribe; The Stonehoofs; the Thunderhorns, greatest hunters; the Wildmanes; and finally the Winterhoofs. They had all been called to the High Chieftain's lodge to hear Kaine's proposal, as well as Veroden's answer to it.
Which had just been made known.
"We have to! We can't just sit here and let Mulgore be destroyed like this! We need to-"
"I said no, Kaine. The High Chieftain would not want us to put his son in danger. There is nothing we can do without bringing harm to our people and our leaders. We are trapped."
"No we aren't! My grandfather loves his people as much as he loves my father! And my father would always be willing to give his life up if it meant that his people could live happily again! We can't just sit here! There is finally something we can do! We can't just not try…it isn't right!"
Hamuul watched the young tauren curiously. This was quite a change for him. Before, Kaine had been adamant that they shouldn't take action. If it meant endangering the lives of his family, then he would not go through with it.
Yet now…now he wanted to take action. Now he wanted to rid Mulgore of the cancer that was the Venture Co.
And, if he was to guess correctly, it was all because of the small human boy that stood by his side, a fox-like grin set upon his face.
It seems that wonders will truly never cease.
Veroden was about to answer, most likely to rebuff the argument, but Hamuul made his presence known.
"I agree."
The words held as much power and command as Veroden's earlier one. Everyone turned to face him, so he spoke calmly.
"Cairn is an old friend of mine. I know him as I know the back of my hand. I believe that the boy speaks the truth. We must do something, no matter if it brings about the death of two of the finest tauren we have seen in this world. It is better, I think, than to have to return to the way of life that we had before Thunder Bluff…I daresay no one wishes to remember that."
Magatha nodded calmly, but said nothing. The other leaders seemed to come around to the idea, now that one of the most influential of the clans had made his position known.
Kaine's heart leapt.
We have a chance, now!Veroden's eyes flickered across the room, noting everyone who seemed to agree with the Archdruid's statement.
"Is that what you wish…?" he asked, his voice bringing their attention to him once more.
"Very well…I believe that if that is what you wish…then the High Chieftain would not have contested it." He turned to Kaine.
"What is it that you propose?"
Kaine grinned.
"We attack, and beat them into the dust!" he said flippantly.
"..." Was the general consensus.
The sad thing was that no one could come up with a better plan.
The next day, Mulgore would be alive with battle.
Another chapter done!
Pretty good timing, ne?
I've noticed that this might look a little like the beginnings of another Gnomeregan arc…it isn't. It will seem like that, but it will change, believe me. The next chapter will have lots and lots and lots of battles! More Kira, too, maybe!
Alright, review time!
Tokyo no Ecchi- I have no doubt that you are correct on all aspects. But, I have changed a lot in this world in order to make it fit. I wanted the Tauren and the Orcs to have different beliefs, but still get along together. So I made the Tauren believe in these "spirits" while the orcs believe in their own strength. I haven't read Lord of the Clans, so I don't really have anything to base Thrall's abilities on…Essentially, the Shaman in my world have three different "sects" if you will. They have the Tauren, who believe in spirits, and that their power is what allows them to do such amazing things, the orcs, who believe in their own strength, and the trolls, who believe in both, to a degree. I thank you for your corrections, but I intend to make the differences affect my story. Happy Winter Veil!
Legacy-zero- Humph…that's true, I suppose. As for Naruto kicking major ass…you can believe it. Happy Winter Veil!
Kodomo- basically, yeah. Happy Winter Veil!
Master Chaos- You truly have a talent at making people feel better…I thank you, private! NOW DROP AND GIVE ME TWENTY, SOLDIER! Happy Winter Veil!
Sir Grag- Yes, they are exactly like minotaurs. Happy Winter Veil!
mike- Thanks! It's great to know that I have such adoring fans! You can be sure that when Naruto gets back, he'll have a lot of adjusting to do…and a lot of catching up as well! But that's a long way a way…sadly. Happy Winter Veil!
Kaaera- Congratulations on finishing your paper! I know how annoying those can get…As for Naruto knowing medical jutsu, no, not right now. He may learn some healing jutsu in the future, but he doesn't really need them right now. Happy Winter Veil!
nantukoprime – That's actually very helpful…never thought about it like that. As for Naruto conversing with Varimathras is going to be fun…expect lots of pain and explosions, and heavy cursing. Happy Winter Veil!
Tatsu- Great questions, again.
Naruto will use the second Kyuubi form soon. He was about to use it during his fight with Rexxar, but the Beastmaster took him out before he could.
Yes, yes, when the time comes, he will get more. Hold your horses!
Hold your horses! Forsaken are second to last on my list, actually, next is trolls, then Forsaken, then Elves.
Happy Winter Veil!
BindeR- next chapter-all the action you ever need. And then some. As for the weight training…a bit too overdone. Everyone has Naruto weigh train…so I won't. Happy Winter Veil!
Unit Fox-Hound- Geez…you guys keep this running, and I may consider it. Thrall and Tsunade does seem like a good couple…doesn't it? Happy Winter Veil!
ShadowKunai- Thanks! And to answer your question, yes partly. Happy Winter Veil!
Well since that's everyone, I'm going to bed again! I don't think the next chapter will be out before Christmas…though its possible…
To all those I didn't say it too- HAPPY WINTER VEIL AND CHANUKKAH AND CHRISTMAS AND KWANZAA! GOOD NIGHT CLEVELAND!
General Grievous
Spellbook-
Windfury Totem- Increases speed of caster and those he wants to enhance. Very strong, but also very draining.
Naruto Kiriorosu Rendan- Modified Naruto Rendan, delivering a powerful slash instead of a kick. Fatal if used with blade, disabling if used with back of blade.
Cookbook-Stormwind Noodles- Noodles made by Eliza in Stormwind. Mmmm…smells like home!
Dwarven Bear Tongue Soup- A delicacy that all dwarves enjoy. Served with noodles, nice and tasty!
Gnome Whisker Soup- Thinner, but spicier and if you're lucky, you won't break your teeth on a loose screwbolt or cog!
Sarjak's Loon'des- Heavier with meat, spicier, but great nonetheless. Sarjak is much like old man Ichiraku…only big and green.
Emokanda of Thunder Bluff- Entirely Vegetarian!