Disclaimer: Ego non possideo Narutonem aut Orbem Terrare Belli-artis.
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
Silas Darkmoone was a very happy gnome.
The words "happy" and "gnome" were usually redundant. Gnomes were almost always cheerful, for one reason or another, and Silas Darkmoone was no exception. However, unlike other gnomes, Silas had a very different outlook on life. He wasn't happy unless he was making money.
Silas Darkmoone was the owner and developer of the self-proclaimed "greatest show on the face of the world." The Darkmoone Faire, a magical, mystical, and above all, entertaining venture that he had developed many years ago. It had been a sure-fire way for him to not only pay off his extensive debts, but also set him for life where money was concerned.
And, for the first few years of the Faire, his hopes had only grown. People found the activities and the exhibits, the fun and engaging employees, really everything to be top-notch; and soon peoples from all over Azeroth had come to witness the attractions that Silas had created for them. For many, it was a chance to see the things that they could only see in their wildest dreams: beasts of all sizes and demeanors; trinkets and artifacts from the most remote sections of the world; games and activities that captured the hearts of all ages; and (perhaps the greatest reason) the cheapest and best alcohol in the world.
In those times, Silas had not been concerned about money. He had spared no expense, and had done every he could to attract patrons so that he might not only inspire them to keep returning, but get their money as well. They had come, and he had lived the high life. It was those times that he remembered fondly, but soon, they crumbled into dust, and he found himself wondering if the Darkmoone Faire could have even continued.
First the Alliance had broken up, and thus Night elves, dwarves, and gnomes had stopped coming by the fairgrounds in Elwynn Forest, where Silas usually set the Faire up when it came to the Eastern Kingdoms. To make matters worse, the forest had become infested with furbolgs, gnolls, forest trolls, and other atrocious beasts that kept the humans from wandering too far from Stormwind for too long.
With half his traditional customers gone, Silas had turned hopefully to Kalimdor. The Horde had always enjoyed the Faire, and he believed that as long as the trolls remained in the area, the tauren were as easily amused as ever, and the orcs still had their love of his beer, then he would be set.
Unfortunately for him, that wasn't so. The trolls had left, gone to Stranglethorn, the tauren were suddenly plagued with an onslaught of attacks by the Venture Company, and Thrall's people were too busy protecting themselves to even bother with Silas and his Faire. He had received few visitors in Mulgore, the place where he traditionally set up the Faire do to its earthly beauty and wide-open plains. Only large group from the Venture Co, and a few other sparse groups of people from the shadier businesses that operated in Kalimdor had come.
And it was then that he discovered something quite remarkable.
Crime did pay!
While he had received little money that year, he had received quite a few ideas from these people. They had enjoyed not only his practically free beer, but because they were the dregs of moral society, they had spent lots of their money on betting; daring each other to provoke animals in the zoo, drinking contests, Battle Tonks, and how far the person the loaded into the Blastenheimer 5000 would fly. They even paid to try it out themselves.
And so he had changed his focus. Rather than being a family-oriented business that allowed him to garner the patronage of everyone from orclings to the eldest of men, he had focused specifically on making his Faire a place where these smugglers, robbers, highwaymen, mercenaries and other such practitioners would be able to rest and have fun. They would be able to forget about the constant threat to their lives, the bounty on their heads, or angry employers that were out for their blood.
To change something from family-centric to criminal-centric was not as hard as he had thought it to be. He had hired a large number of mercenaries so that they would be able to protect the patrons of the Faire from being attacked within it. He made some of the games, such as Battle Tonks, a little more thrilling (adding real weapons to them, for example), so that those who had experienced the rush of battle so constantly would still enjoy it, and bet lucrative amounts of money on it. He turned the zoo into a petting zoo, adding a new depth to the fun, and even taught some of the more dangerous creatures little tricks.
His favorite of these was a silithid, a gargantuan armored bug that he had picked up on a trip to Tanaris several years back, that he had taught to beg, lie down, play dead, and even frighten grown men with its piercing insectine shriek. He wasn't entirely sure it was safe (it was known to periodically shoot acid upon those near it), but the first time he had shown it off, it had been a hit. So he named the creature Booboo, and it had quickly become the star attraction; though this year he hoped the Beer Drinking Frog would attract just as much attention.
While all of that had worked, the clincher had been cheapening the beer even further, so that despite the fact that not as many people came, those who did got drunk so quickly that they bought far more than they needed. Thankfully his mercenaries doubled as bouncers, so they were able to break up the fights that inevitably broke out.
Because of that, the Darkmoone Faire had been able to survive for many years, quickly establishing itself as a place that criminals and villains could come to relax and have a good time. It had gone on for years like this.
But this year promised even better things.
The Horde, for the most part, had been restored. The Venture Co. no longer roamed Mulgore freely, the trolls had returned to Orgrimmar, and Thrall was now unburdened by many of the threats that had kept him and his people from participating in the fun of the Faire. He had learned all this on his travels towards the fair plains of Mulgore, where he usually set up shop. He did not know why, but nor did he truly care. They were back, and that was all that mattered.
It made him burble with delight to think that this year he might garner the patronage of not only the usual crowd, but also the people of the Horde. It meant more money, and a better reputation so that more money could be made later on.
He might have to make some small changes so that he didn't scare off the potential target audience. He probably would have to put the larger and more ferocious beasts in cages rather than just chaining them to a post. He might have to station more of his guards inside the drinking tent so that they could stop fights before they started. He employed real healers in the infirmary, so that if any accidents happened (and they were sure to) it could easily be remedied. But those changes were easy to make. Right now, he needed to focus on setting up the Faire to open the following day.
Yes, Silas Darkmoone was happy.
This year, the Faire would make a comeback.
And he would be rich, and even more famous to boot.
He wondered sometimes, if it were not better that he had been born a goblin. For he certainly acted more like one that he did a gnome.
"Ahhhhh! It's great to feel the breeze again!" said Kaine, grinning as the wind ruffled his mane.
"It is!" said Kira, enjoying the feel of the cool air on her skin. It was heaven after many weeks in the broiling sun, and the dry and dusty air of the Barrens. She looked around her, at the endless sea of green grass, smiling. It was such a beautiful place. She could see why the tauren loved this place so much. She looked around her at her companions, then, noticing how peaceful they all looked.
The group that was making the journey was small. It consisted, along with Kaine and Kira, of Naruto, Kylia, Gen'rash, Tsuwabuki, a reluctant Golbarn, a group of ten merchants who wished to sell their wares at the group's destination, and a group of guards to accompany said merchants.
Their destination, of course, was the enigmatic Darkmoone Faire.
They were walking. The wind riders in Orgrimmar had all either been killed or had fled during the attack, and there simply weren't enough riding wolves for them to use. The merchants were bringing along their wares using a pair of kodo, which lumbered in between the eight Orgrimmar Grunts that had accompanied them. Truthfully, they were unnecessary, as Naruto, Kaine, Golbarn and Gen'rash were more than enough to deal with any threat that might present itself to them along the way.
Naruto walked a little ways in front of the kodo, his hands behind his head. He had lapsed into silence when they had entered the valley of rolling green, simply enjoying the relief that it brought from the heat of the Barrens. It also brought back memories of his previous time in this place, only a few months previous, both good and bad. But on his mind was also his penultimate meeting with Thrall, for a while, anyways.
Thrall had told them, after revealing the existence of the Darkmoone Faire, of what they needed to do. They needed to travel to the Faire, in Mulgore, and find the man known as Matthias Hindenborough. They would, using money that Thrall would give them, hire him to take them wherever they wished. Matthias, according to Thrall, was a smuggler extraordinaire, and an excellent zeppelineer as well. He would, and could, deliver anything anywhere, as long as enough money was involved, and he was treated with the respect and courtesy befitting a man of his talents.
After hearing that, Naruto had immediately marked him as someone he probably wouldn't like. He had a feeling that man who thought a smuggler should be respected was not someone he could get along with. Thrall had gone on to explain a little of his past dealings with the man. He could be trusted, as long as he was paid well. The conversation had ended there. He ordered Naruto and Kira to use their last two days in Orgrimmar as best they could, for it might be a long time before they returned to it.
The next two days had been rushed, and Naruto's memories of them were blurred. He trained harder than ever before, not because he was pushed to, but because he wanted to. It was his last few days with his trainers, and he wanted to be as strong as possible before he began the next leg of his journey. He trained hard, also, so that he could forget the sorrow he felt, knowing that he had to leave this place so soon.
His last (or what he had supposed was his last) meeting with Thrall had been in the half-reconstructed Grommash Hold. Rexxar and Misha had been there too, along with Cairn and Vol'jin. It had truly been one of the saddest, and yet the happiest moments of Naruto's life. It depressed him to know that he'd have to leave a place he saw as a home, and that he might not see the people that he had come to know and admire for quite some time.
But it made him happy too. It made him happy that he had come to know them. It reminded him of all he had done and experienced in the time he had spent in Orgrimmar, and in Thunder Bluff, and at the troll village, too. He did not cry, even tears of joy, because he found that it was entirely unnecessary. He was not leaving this place forever, nor was he never going to see them again. He was simply going away for a while.
But he was comforted in knowing that he now had so many precious people.
The meeting hadn't been long, nor had there been many goodbyes. Vol'jin had given him a wide grin and told him to "come back soon, eh brudda?" Cairn had patted him on the back, giving him a tired, ancient smile and a few words of wisdom: "Walk your path steady and strong, child, and never stop, not even when you take a wrong turn, or the path becomes shrouded in fog."
Rexxar had just nodded to him. There were no words that needed to be said. Every word he had ever spoken to Naruto had been full of wisdom, and had been meaningful to him. He had said everything that he had needed to say to the blonde in the past few weeks, during his training. Naruto remembered almost every one, remarkably, and had taken each to heart. He had never had a trainer quite like Rexxar, and he didn't think he'd ever have another.
Thrall had only said a few final words. He had told Naruto that among the humans he had met, Naruto was one of the very few (so few that he could count them on one hand) that had Thrall's deepest respect and gratitude. He then instructed Naruto to keep his skills up, and that when the blonde returned, he expected him to be able to keep up with Thrall at his strongest.
Naruto's heart had been full to bursting with emotion by that time. He didn't think he had ever felt such a surge of admiration for anyone. Thrall was his teacher, but now he had become something else.
He had become his hero.
Now Naruto would do everything he could to surpass him; as he had tried to surpass all previous Hokages, the people he had idolized since his youth. He would now surpass them all, including the Warchief as well.
Because he was Uzumaki Naruto.
Then, the bubble of admiration that had been forming inside the blonde's chest popped, when Thrall revealed that after he had found Matthias, he would return to Orgrimmar one last time.
"The Darkmoone Faire is the home of the greatest, and cheapest, beer in the world. Using the money I have provided you, you will purchase exactly two- dozen crates of it, for immediate delivery. This is your final mission."
Thrall then smiled at Naruto's gobsmacked expression, as he saw all the respect and admiration that had been welling in the boy's eyes drain away as what would inevitably happen to the Darkmoone beer that he was going to purchase.
The boy had then proceeded to vehemently curse out the Warchief, calling him a drunk and a slob and a bastard for ruining such a heartfelt and touching moment. The rest had watched, laughing, at the blonde's antics.
They would really miss him.
And so Naruto had left, with Kira and Kylia, but also accompanied by Kaine, Golbarn and Gen'rash. They had all decided to come (save Golbarn, who had been dragged into it) so that they could not only experience the Faire, but also spend Naruto's final days in Kalimdor with him.
Though he was quiet, Naruto was growing quite excited about the Faire. He had been to many of the festivals that Konoha held yearly, but he had found little to enjoy in them, being as lonely as he was. However, now did he not only have friends, but he was going to an entirely new, and promisingly interesting festival that he hoped would make up for the miserable times he had had before. The Darkmoone Faire, as he was beginning to understand, looked like it might prove that hope true.
"I went to it once, a long time ago," said Kaine, a little ways in front of Naruto. He was talking to a curious Kira, who had asked him if he had ever gone to the Faire. "I don't really remember it, but I've heard a lot about it since. It was a pretty reputable place until the Horde and Alliance broke up, and then it became a gathering place for smugglers, thieves, assassins and those types. I think they came even when the Venture Co. was still in operation, because its workers enjoyed it so much. But I've heard that it's a great place, and I can't wait to get there!"
Kira smiled a little at Kaine's enthusiasm, and turned to see that Naruto was looking just as excited. It was a little irksome; she hoped that Naruto would keep his mind on the reason they had come, and not go off and have fun as people at the Faire intended to.
But knowing Naruto, that didn't look to be so.
They traveled on, along the road that led towards Bloodhoof Village, and as the sun reached its highest point, they came to a sign stuck clumsily in the ground on the side of the road. In very bold lettering, "This Way to Darkmoone Faire" was printed upon it, with an arrow pointing off into the distance, away from the road. There were faint indentations in the grass, where a wagon, or several, had likely gone quite recently.
In the distance, near a cluster of trees, Naruto saw smoke rising steadily into the air and heard the distant hubbub of people. Several of the merchants, a little ways behind him, made known their relief, and so at once they set off towards the Faire. Their anticipation grew as the neared it, until even Kira got excited. She had heard tales of the Faire in her youth back in Stormwind, but had never been allowed to see it. She knew that they needed to look for Matthias, her more than anyone, but she still entertained the idea that she might enjoy herself for a little while. She cast a sideways glance at Naruto again. Maybe they could enjoy the Faire a bit, and then search for this Matthias.
They reached the cluster of trees, and could see the movement behind them. There was a large gap in the trees, with a path in it. Over the gap, hung between two wooden posts, was a large green banner, in the middle of which was a strange design. It was a purple sphere, with a golden crescent shaped design on top of it, with four golden prongs jutting out from around the crescent. On top of the sphere was a blue diamond with a shining star within. In the center of the crescent was a gleaming orange orb with a single dark slit down its center, reminding the blonde slightly of the Kyuubi's eyes.
Beneath the banner, on either side of the path, stood two large ogres, outfitted in nothing but large leather tunics, loincloths, and carrying large clubs. They glared menacingly at the group as they approached, but did not move.
"Ah! Welcome! Welcome! You must have traveled far!"
A small gnome, clad in a black shirt, pants, and hat, all with purple lining and starry designs embroidered along the edges, came forwards, beaming at all of them. He clasped his hands together, looking up at them with his wide, cheerful grin.
"I am Silas Darkmoone! Owner and founder of the Darkmoone Faire!" he said, puffing his chest out a little. "Since you all seem like a reputable bunch, I'm guessing that you are from Orgrimmar? Perhaps Thunder Bluff? Oh! But you have two humans with you! Perhaps you are simply a group of adventurers! Whatever else you are, it is welcome here!"
"Erm, thank you!" said Kira. He seemed like a friendly person. She had been slightly worried, for a moment. Silas Darkmoone sounded much more goblin than gnomish.
"Of course!" he said happily, ushering them past him. "Go in! Enjoy yourselves to your heart's content! We make it a rule that no one is allowed to not have fun here!"
Kira quickly went past, as did everyone else, as Darkmoone walked back to the merchants, beginning to negotiate with them.
They entered another vast expanse into the plains, but forming a huge ring around them were more than a dozen tents, striped purple and white. They saw many people walking about the fairgrounds, taking part in many activities that were going on. All of them, they dimly noted, fit the bill for being rather shady.
But they soon ignored it. They all stared wide-eyed at the goings on of the Faire; and, each drawn by their individual curiosities, the group members quickly headed off in different directions.
"Oi! Naruto! Let's go over here!" said Kaine, rushing away, the blonde shinobi fast on his heels.
"Dat be interestin'" rumbled Gen'rash, walking towards a small tent where a large group of people had gathered.
"Hmph. I need a beer," grumbled Golbarn, making a beeline for the largest tent of all.
Kira and Kylia were then alone, deserted before either of them had a chance to think.
"Geez!" said Kira, angrily. "They just abandoned us! Among these criminals no less! Ky' lets start looking for that Matthias person."
Kylia nodded distractedly, but did not take her eyes off a little shack where she saw a group of people tossing knives at dartboards. The girl had a kind of longing in her eyes that made Kira sigh.
"Fine…we can go," she said.
Kylia looked a little sheepish. "I'll win you something, mi–K-Kira!" the girl said fervently, smiling at her.
Kira smiled back. She needed to lighten up. They had all day, after all.
"Exotic Petting Zoo?" Naruto said, blinking as he saw the sign in front of a smaller tent. Walking through, he and Kaine spotted a group of cages, in which they spotted some of the strangest creatures either had ever seen.
"Heh, this looks pretty cool," said Kaine, approaching one of the cages. In it was a huge black cat, with bluish stripes running diagonally across its body; it was lying down. It had two large fangs sprouting from its front, and a little sign next to it identified it as a nightsaber.
"Cool!" said Naruto. Tsuwabuki followed him as he walked over, and stood a little ways in front of the cage, meeting the creature square in its dark green eyes. The nightsaber looked at her uninterested and did not lift its head.
'You seem to be enjoying yourself,' she said to the creature. Naruto didn't hear its response, but the "are-you-stupid" look on its face alerted him to its feelings. He admired the creature for a moment, and then noticed a small sign with the words, "Pet Me! But be careful!" hanging from the top of the front of the cage.
He sweat-dropped.
"Is anyone that stupid…?" he wondered, looking at the nightsaber's fangs.
Kaine laughed a little, shaking his head to say that he didn't know. He made to move on to the next cage, but before he could he spotted two human men walking towards them. In actuality, they were more like stumbling, and the heavy scent of alcohol that wafted from their direction alerted both that they were most certainly drunk.
"Oi….Barker! Barker! Llllllisten ta' me! Ssseee that? Ittt'sssaaaa KITTY!" one of them garbled, grinning drunkenly and pointing at the nightsaber. He was tall and had a black, bushy beard and fuzzy eyebrows, but had little actual hair on his head, as if he had taken it off and placed it on his face to give him the beard and eyebrows.
Both Kaine and Naruto sweat-dropped this time, and if one looked closely, they'd see Tsuwabuki doing it as well (which was rather remarkable, considering she had no sweat glands).
The other man didn't say anything; instead he just stumbled drunkenly over to the cage, and noticed the sign hanging in front. Grinning stupidly, he reached out and began to stroke the nightsaber's head, mumbling "kitttyyyy!" as he did.
"Oi! Barker! Lemmmmeee touch it! Barker! Ye' listeni—"
"ARRRGGGHHHH!"
Naruto's eyes bugged out as the second drunken man, Barker, stumbled back, clutching the large bleeding stump that was left of his hand. He flailed around a bit, his words made incoherent by both pain and drink. All the while, his companion commented on the man's actions. "Ohh! Hhhheee got yeee Barker! Looookkk attttt allllll that blooood! Hahaha! I need another drink! By me one, Barker? I got the last round!"
Barker and his companion then stumbled off, Barker seemingly forgetting his pain, missing limb, and the fountain of blood that was spraying from the stump in favor of muttering that it was his friend that was supposed to be buying. All the while Naruto and Kaine watched them, slack-jawed. The nightsaber burped, licked its chops, and then lay down again.
"Did that just happen…?" Naruto said, stunned.
Kaine was speechless, and could only shake his head disbelievingly.
'I saw that coming,' said Tsuwabuki, yawning.
The three of them stood there a moment longer. A pair of ogres had already gotten the man and pulled him off to the infirmary tent. They moved on.
The next cage contained something both had seen before: a large, teal colored raptor. It glared menacingly at them, making several strange sounds as it did. Neither found it particularly interesting, so they moved onto the next one.
In it was a huge spider, covered in a fuzzy orange fur. It clicked its claws furiously as they walked over. The sign called it a Darkfang Lurker. It seemed to be doing anything but lurking, at this point, and continued clicking angrily as the walked away, thoroughly disgusted at having been so close to a spider of that size. For Naruto, it brought back horrors of that creepy Kidoumaru guy that had worked for Orochimaru.
"I thought you liked orange things," snickered Kaine. Naruto sent him a dirty look as they reached the next cage, which was empty.
"Where's this thing?" he wondered, looking at the sign. It read, "Booboo the Silithid" in dark lettering.
"'E's makin' an appearance in a few, if ye wanna' see 'im."
Startled, Naruto whipped around to face a crotchety looking old man with a short beard, little hair, and a hunched posture. He leaned on a spindly wooden cane, and his clothes—baggy trousers, suspenders, and an old, ripped t-shirt; were covered in dirt and muck. He smelled as bad as he looked.
"Making an appearance? Doing what?" asked Kaine, looming over the ancient man.
He grinned at Kaine, and gestured behind him. "Go and see! It's not something to miss!"
The two did so, walking towards a steadily growing crowd of people, all of whom were dressed in darker colors and long cloaks to conceal the majority of their forms. All of them, Naruto noticed, were smiling. Some were cheering, too, and held bottles or mugs of beer, taking big gulps in between baying for the action to start. It was hard to believe that they were criminals. Despite some of them looking rather menacing, they were clearly enjoying themselves, and in a way that Naruto had never really thought criminals could.
He tried to imagine Orochimaru, or even Sasuke's creepy brother here. It made him nearly burst into uncontrollable laughter (which he smothered just in time; so all he got were a few weird stares). He could just see it: Orochimaru getting shit-faced and stumbling around with Kabuto on his shoulder (both of them would be blushing, as Naruto was sure at least one of them liked men), and Itachi would probably spend the entire time glaring at the nightsaber with his Sharingan so that he could pet it, or trying to kill its family.
That did make him give a slight burst of laughter, and he resolved to remember that the next time he met the guy. Itachi wouldn't be so scary then!
Naruto slid his way through the crowd, being shorter than most of them and nimbler as well. Kaine simply pushed past them, as he rose at least two or three feet above the majority of the crowd.
In the center of the crowd, Silas Darkmoone stood, clutching a whip in one hand, and a whistle in the other. He was beaming as he had back at the entrance. Behind him was a large black square of wood. Imprinted on the side was the symbol of the Faire, as well as the word "Booboo". It wasn't moving, but Naruto there was a scuffling sound coming from inside of it.
When a sufficient crowd had gathered, he cracked the whip once, silencing them.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlefolk! You have come to witness one of our star attractions! He hails from the shifting sands far to the south of here, in one of the most treacherous places on the face of this planet: Silithus! But, sparing not a cent, we have brought him here, trained him, and you will now see quite possibly something that you will never see again in your life. Without further ado!" he blew the whistle, and cracked the whip again, "HERE COMES BOOBOO!"
The black box suddenly exploded in a cloud of smoke, obscuring the entire ring and everything in it. People stepped back, and when the smoke cleared, standing there was the most bizarre creature Naruto had ever laid eyes on.
It was about the size of a full-grown man, and stood on four long, jointed legs that came into a sharp spike at the end. It had two spider-like claws on both sides of its plated, insectine head, and large mandibles on either side of its mouth. It was covered in bright turquoise chitinous plates, which sloped up its back and ended on the upturned abdomen. Its eyes were shiny and black, filled with a sense of self-awareness, even intelligence. It made a strange shrieking noise, which made the hairs on Naruto's neck stand to attention.
"Yes! Booboo! Gaze upon one of the most fantastic creatures to have ever appeared on this world!" cried Darkmoone, grinning around at everyone who looked upon the strange creature.
Booboo shrieked again, rising on its hind legs and waggling its claws and front legs at the crowd. They "ooed" and "aawed"; and when Silas cracked his whip, making Booboo leap into the air and do a perfect back flip, it sent the crowd into a frenzy of inebriated cheering and calling.
"MATES! THAT BUG IS SWEET!" they shouted, or "HARDCORE!". Most, however, were unaware that they were even speaking.
Naruto and Kaine cheered along with them, both thoroughly enjoying the show. Neither, of course, remembered to ask whether anybody knew a Matthias Hindenborough.
"Hahaha!" laughed Darkmoone, reveling in the audience's reaction. "Just remember not to get too close! Booboo has a special type of acid that he can secrete from those forelegs of his that can eat through iron!"
"AAARRRGGGHHH!"
"Ooh! That's smarts, can we get a medic over here?"
The sun was swiftly setting, and Kira had not yet found a trace of Matthias Hindenborough. And that was not for lack of trying. She asked anyone who looked friendly enough to approach, and at least a little tipsy. She did not even think of approaching the ones who sat at the tables in the food tent, talking in low voices and glaring her as she walked past. She also didn't approach those who looked like they'd pass out at any second, or vomit, or a combination of the two.
All in all, she had heard nothing of the strange man; she had, however, listened to the drunken ramblings of at least a dozen men and four women, all of different races. She was fed up with it (though she had enjoyed some of them) and was now in search of more of her friends, so that they could look together. She didn't feel entirely comfortable doing this alone, as Kylia was still throwing knives at boards. She had gathered quite the following, and when Kira had left her she was showing a couple of mercenaries how to correctly throw them.
The Faire was larger than she had originally thought, so it took her some time to find someone she was familiar with. She relaxed when she saw Gen'rash at the head of a small line in front of a dark purple tent with "Get Your Fortune Read By Sayge!"
Walking up, she discovered, to her surprise, that Sayge was a gnoll, covered in dark brown fur, and wearing a flowing magenta robe heavily decorated with all sorts of designs. He wore a large amount of glittering gold jewelry as well.
He was scowling at Gen'rash, as were most of the people behind the troll. When Kira got close enough, she heard the gnoll flinging heated, angry words at the oblivious looking troll.
"I have told your fortune a hundred times, you moron! I will not do it again!"
Gen'rash held out his palm, "Gimme da' fortune, eh?"
"No! I will not! Leave or I'll get the guards to take you away!" Sayge shrieked.
"I be needin' da' mo' fortune, eh?" grinned Gen'rash, not retracting his palm or moving at all.
It suddenly occurred to Kira what the troll was talking about. She sweat-dropped, realizing that Gen'rash believed he was getting luck, not his fortune read, from the gnoll, and thus was wishing, as any person would, for more of it.
Shaking her head in a resigned way, she walked over and dragged the troll away, saying, "Looks like I'm not as good a teacher as I thought I was. Let's go have a chat about contextualized meanings, 'kay?"
"Jubjub?" said Naruto, staring blankly at the female orc, Morja, who stood in front of a smaller tent near the back of the Faire. Naruto had and Kaine had parted ways after the petting zoo, each attracted towards a different spectacle. Naruto and Tsuwabuki had found a small crowd, all of eager-looking people, standing in front of the tent, and a pretty (and stacked) orcess within.
She looked desperate, but relieved at the steadily growing crowd.
"Yes! Jubjub is my frog…I seem to have lost him," she said sadly.
Naruto looked around, as did many of the others, all of them eager to help the pretty orcess find her lost frog.
"Oh no!" she said, shaking her head. "Jubjub is very clever, and he won't be found just by looking! You need to bring him to us!"
"But how?" slurred a drunken man in the back.
Morja smiled then, ruining her pathetic façade slightly. "Might there be anyone here who has a tankard of Dark Iron Ale in hand?"
Naruto was knocked to the ground when a dozen hands thrust their tankards forwards. "I DO!" they bellowed as one, further injuring the blonde with the deafening bellows.
She smiled again, plucking at random tankard from the ones offered, and then turning and setting it down on the ground a few yards behind her, a little ways past her tent. She then backed away, putting a finger to her lips to silence them.
Naruto sweat-dropped. She was giving beer to a frog?
'I've heard stranger,' said Tsuwabuki.
They waited. For a while, nothing happened, and the tankard simply sat there. Soon the crowd began to fidget, growing with anticipation. The one who had given up his beer was looking particularly annoyed, and soon the crowd began to vocally express their impatience.
"I'm sure he will come!" Morja said, looking at them pleadingly. It was enough to silence the men, but the women didn't look to be buying it. Then, there was a rustling behind the ale, near a few bushes.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Then, from the bushes, a small, orange frog leapt, making its way slowly over to the tankard. It paused in front, and then, to everyone's surprise, stood on its hind legs and dunked its head into the tankard. The sounds of its slurping and drinking could be heard for a while, and finally it sat back, giving a large belch that sent the crowd into a flurry of cheers.
Naruto didn't cheer, simply staring at the frog. Was it him, or was that thing…?
"Do I know you?" he said.
The frog blinked, looking at the blonde in a shocking display of awareness. Its eyes then bulged, and it suddenly said, "Oh crap! Naruto! What are you doing here?"
"Gamakichi!" Naruto shouted, stunned.
"Shit! Uhhhmmm... you haven't seen me! Pops'll kill me if he learns I'm doing this! I'm underage!"
"But how…?" Naruto said, wondering how on earth the toad had managed to get summoned by someone other than himself and Jiraiya.
"Hehehe…long story. Oh crap! I'm not supposed to be able to talk! Bye!" The toad vanished then, in a puff of smoke, leaving a bewildered Morja, and a stunned audience. Nobody spoke for a moment, before a bunch burst into laughter.
"Och, I'm so knackered I thought that frog just talked," said one man.
"Aye, met too. Wanna 'nother?."
"I'm in."
Naruto shook his head, and turned away. This place was too weird.
He never did find out how Gamakichi had managed to get summoned without his help, especially to this place, though truthfully, he didn't ask. He never mentioned it to Gamabunta, either.
"Ye be holdin' ye drink pretty well there, orc! What say you for a contest?" said a man in Orcish to the hulking Golbarn. They were both sitting at a bar in the Food Tent.
"Not interested."
"Not e'en a little bit?"
"No."
"Come on, this is a place to be havin' fun, ya know? Ye can't sit there looking sulky the entire time!"
"I can if I want to."
"Why would ye want to?"
"No reason."
The man whom Golbarn was conversing with had flaming red hair and small, clever blue eyes. He was dressed in a blue coat, white tunic and black pants, and had a large tri-corner hat sitting atop his head. He stroked his trim red beard and said, "What about if I buy? I'm in a givin' mood!"
"If you buy me a beer, then yes. No contest."
"Och! Come on!"
"No."
The man sighed, and sat back in his own chair, apparently defeated. He made to drink his own beer, looking morosely at the bartender (or he could have been just staring forwards, since the bartender was standing right in front of him), when suddenly a loud voice drew his attention to the tent flaps.
"Oi! Golbarn!"
The orc beside him turned, grunting, towards the blonde that had just walked in. "Whaddya want, brat?" he said, testily. Unlike the majority of the people at the Faire, Golbarn was not a happy drunk. In fact, he got downright nasty as one.
"I'm just lookin' for something to eat," Naruto said. "Anything good here?"
Golbarn went back to his beer, "Not sure, haven't tried anything except the beer." He then noticed that Tsuwabuki wasn't with the blonde. "Where's the fox?"
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Geez, even you turn into a drunk at this place! I thought you'd at least set an example! And Tsuwabuki went hunting, she said she needed to get something good to eat."
Golbarn gave him a dirty look. "One could say that it is the stress of being with you that's driven me to the drink, brat."
Naruto sweat-dropped. "Heh…right." He sat down on the other side of the orc, and pulled one of the menus towards him. He scanned it, looking for anything ramen affiliated, and saw to his immense surprise, and even more immense joy, it listed every type of ramen that he had had since he had arrived on Azeroth.
"Awesome! Hey, Golbarn! Look! They've got Bear Tongue Soup, and Gnome Whisker Soup, and loon'des, and men'ra, and emokanda and even Stormwind Noodles! I can have all of them at once!"
And so the blonde did just that. Soon there was a large set of steaming bowls in front of him, and he looking almost epileptic with cheer at the thought of devouring the contents within.
Golbarn shook his head, while the man next to him watched in morbid fascination as the blonde attacked the noodles. Instead of eating one bowl first, and then moving onto another, Naruto attacked a different bowl each time he went to grab some noodles.
The blonde finished quickly, letting out a contented sigh as he downed the last bowl of broth.
"That was great!" he said, happily.
The man stared at Naruto oddly, sipping his beer. It was uncommon nowadays to see a young boy at the Darkmoone Faire, considering its reputation. However, something about the boy got his competitive instincts flowing.
"Hey, lad," he said, grinning cheerfully at the boy.
Naruto blinked, and looked at the man. "What?"
"Care for a little contest? I'm in a sporting mood, and I've been trying to find someone to help me satiate it all night. Your friend here has been a stick in the mud…"
Golbarn grunted.
"…But perhaps you might be more interested?"
Naruto thought about it. "What kind of contest?"
The man grinned. "Battle Tonks, of course! The greatest game ever to be invented!"
Naruto cocked his head to the side, "Battle Tonks…?"
"Aye, Battle Tonks! It's in the tent just across from here! What say you? I'll make it worth your while!"
"How?"
The man frowned a moment, trying to think of a suitable reward that would entice the boy into playing. He grinned when the thought came to him.
"I'll give ye, and any one of yer friends a ride on me zeppelin, if ye win! It's the finest craft you'll find anywhere, fastest too! Whaddya say?" He waggled his eyebrows in addition to saying this, smiling widely.
Naruto thought about it. He really was supposed to be looking for that Matthias guy, and the thought of going on a zeppelin wasn't exactly as appealing as the man made it out to be. Seeing the shinobi's reluctance, the man said quickly, "Well, if yer scared, then I won't—"
"You've got yourself a deal, old man!" Naruto cried instantly, slamming his hand on the table. Uzumaki Naruto was never afraid to accept any challenge!
Golbarn snorted. The boy was too easy to predict sometimes.
Brushing off the "old man" taunt, the man grinned. "Well then, let's get going, shall we?"
Kira finally caught sight of Naruto standing next to a small purple and white striped tent, which in turn stood next to a large square-shaped fenced off area. There was a sign next to the tent that read, "Battle Tonks" in big bold lettering, with a small crudely drawn picture of a Dwarven tonk next to it. Sighing in relief at spotting another of her friends, she grabbed Gen'rash and hurried over.
"Finally!" she said. "I've found you! We need to start searching, Naruto! He could be anywhere!"
She was not in the mood to argue with the blonde. He had had his fun, and she knew it was necessary for them to find Matthias Hindenborough as quickly as possible.
The boy turned, briefly to look at her. His face lit up. "Kira-chan!" he said, happily. "I'll be there in a minute, I just gotta teach this old guy a lesson!"
"Oi, brat, I ain't old," a rather handsome man with red hair called over to him. The man stood at the other end of the pen, clutching a metal box in his hands. A small flimsy dowel of metal pointed from the end, and there were numerous knobs and buttons displayed over the surface of the box. Kira saw that Naruto held one as well, though he did not appear as confident with its use as the man did.
"Don't bother, girl," said Golbarn, appearing beside the errant princess. Kira jumped a little at the sudden appearance, but collected herself and looked at Golbarn.
"Why not?" she said, slightly irked by several things. The first being the orc's words, the second being the heavy stench of alcohol that wafted around Golbarn. It was so thick she felt that she might get cirrhosis of the liver just standing next to him. Despite that, his face was a guarded and solemn as ever.
"Just wait. I think this might be more beneficial than you both realize."
Kira frowned at him, unsure of what he was talking about. Before she could ask him to clarify, however, he turned back towards the Battle Tonks pen, and watched. Sighing, so did she.
In each corner of the pen, there was a miniature Dwarven tonk, much like the ones that Naruto had spotted outside of Ironforge (and had almost been killed by). Each one was a different color: the one by Naruto was green; then red by the man; blue by a thick-necked, black-haired dwarf that stood diagonally across the square from Naruto; and yellow by the orc that stood in the only remaining corner. All four contestants seemed to be shaking with eagerness to get the game started, and Kira could almost see the competitive spirit that burned in each of them.
Then, an old dwarf who stood by the tent blew once on a whistle, and the battle began.
The orc's yellow tonk moved quickly forwards, before any of the others could even move. It headed straight for Naruto's green tonk, and from the little cannon it fired a stream of fire, which nearly engulfed the green tonk. Naruto moved it out of the way, however, albeit a little clumsily since he had never done this before. He sped away from the flame-throwing tonk, nearly crashing into the blue one as he did.
His fingers working quickly, Naruto pressed his attack button, and fired a stream of small bullets from his cannon. They peppered the blue tonk, creating small tents in the armor, and making the dwarf curse. The blue tonk turned its cannon towards the blonde's tonk, and fired a small iron ball, which arced through the air and struck the ground in front of Naruto's tonk. Naruto sped quickly away, just as the ball exploded a few seconds after hitting the ground.
In then came the red tonk. It sped directly for the blue one, smashing into it and driving it back towards the edge of the pen. It tried to offer resistance, but its left treads were up in the air, resting on the red tonk's front. As soon as it reached the pen wall, the red tonk's cannon began to glow blue, and suddenly a bluish shield surrounded it. There was a crackle of electricity—zzzackle; and the blue tonk was launched over the pen and onto its back. A small wisp of smoke rose from it, and the dwarf erupted into a cursing fit that made Kira blush. He threw the controller on the ground, shattering it, screamed a final "MOTHERFUCK!" and stomped off.
The man in red shook his head. "Poor sport, eh?"
Meanwhile, the yellow tank was attacking Naruto again. It shot flames at the green tonk every time it got close enough as it chased Naruto's tonk around the pen. Naruto, who was still trying to figure out the controls, found the knob that allowed him to turn the cannon around. He did so, and began firing bullets at the yellow tonk. They struck, dented, and ricocheted off the tonk's armor, but the yellow tonk did not stop.
Cursing angrily, Naruto stopped and reversed his own tonk; it crashed into the yellow one before the orc had a chance to use its flame-thrower. With a cry of "Take this!" Naruto fired a rapid-fire burst of bullets into the tonk's hull. They ripped straight through, being so close, and ruptured the gas-tank within that allowed for the flame-thrower to be used.
The yellow tonk exploded in a miniature flash of fire; Naruto's tonk just barely escaped being caught in the blast.
The blonde pumped his fist into the air, Lee-style.
"Don't be celebratin' yet, lad! I'm still here!"
Naruto returned his hands to the controls just in time to avoid being hit by the red tonk, which was still glowing blue. Swiveling the cannon to face it, Naruto fired a stream of bullets at it, but they hit the bluish glow and ricocheted off, causing no harm to the red tonk.
"I've got a shield, lad! Finest gnomish technology made, it is. Time ta win!"
He rushed Naruto's tonk again, but the shinobi guided it out of the way, all the while firing bullets at the electric blue shield. Both combatants had looks of intense concentration on their faces, and they never even stopped to look at their controllers. They were not just the masters of the tonks—they were the tonks.
Realizing that just peppering him with bullets wouldn't work, Naruto tried a different tactic; he drove his tank into the farthest corner from him, and waited. The red tonk moved after him; he was cornered, now, and could not escape.
But Naruto didn't intend to escape. Instead, he aimed the cannon a little lower, and began shooting the ground in front of the red tonk. It tore away the grass and loosened the dirt, slowing the red tonk down. Naruto then drove his tank alongside the wall, distancing himself from the other tonk, and then charged at it.
The man cursed, trying to turn the tank and meet the shinobi's tonk mid-charge, but only managed to turn three-quarters of the way around before Naruto's tonk crashed into his. The blue shield absorbed the damage, but the tonk was still pushed up against the wall, and Naruto began firing again.
Unfortunately, rather than piercing the shield and striking the hull, the bullets ricocheted, hitting the tonk that had fired them, and then lightning arced from the shield across Naruto's tonk. It stopped firing, suddenly, and then stopped moving.
"HEY! What gives!" the blonde shouted, mashing the buttons in an attempt to get his tonk moving.
The man chuckled. "Hohohoho! Looks like we know who one, eh lad?"
Just then, however, the blue shield disappeared, and the red tonk abruptly exploded.
The man gaped. "WHAT!"
The old dwarf that had been watching the fight from the tent coughed. "Using the Mana Shield too long causes it to short out and explode. That's its weakness. Hmmm… looks like it's a tie."
"HAH!" Naruto shouted, pointing rudely at the man. "It's a tie, you lose!"
The man growled, "We both win! It's a tie, brat!"
"But you killed yourself!"
"Which means I should get extra points!"
"You should lose points 'cause killing yourself is stupid!"
"This isn't a philosophical debate, brat! I beat you first, so I win, end of story! Now buy me a drink!"
"I bet that's why you challenged me! You're probably poor and can't afford it!"
"What! I'm not poor, lad! Take that back! I'm Matthias Hindenborough, greatest zeppelineer and smuggler in the entire world!"
"I don't care if you're—huh?" Naruto suddenly stopped shouting, and blinked a few times.
'What did he say?'
Kira too, was stunned. She looked at Golbarn, who caught her eye and shrugged. So he had known all along? Why hadn't he told her?
'Maybe those drinks did affect him…' she thought.
She came forwards. "Y-you're Matthias Hindenborough?"
Matthias turned in her direction, blinking owlishly. "Aye…but who are you?"
Kira heaved a sigh of relief. She didn't know whether to praise Naruto for being lucky enough to challenge Matthias to a game, or to chastise him because he nearly lost their chance.
"I'm someone…that is, we are some people who need to hire you!" she said.
Matthias's eyebrows rose into the air. "After tha' little brat had the nerve ta nearly cheat me? I don' think so, lass. Cows'll fly before I agree to take ye anywhere."
Kira opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off when a resounding BOOM filled the air, followed by a loud raucous cry, one that Kira, Naruto and Golbarn all knew quite well. Kaine flew high above them, letting out a loud continuous whoop, as he soared into the distance, and was gone. Seconds later there was a loud splash, far away, as Kaine landed safely in the lake surrounding Bloodhoof Village.
"Och!" shouted someone near the group, "that cow sure flew! Miss Blastenheimer musta' put a extra big batch o' blasting powder in the cannon, eh?"
Naruto and Kira blinked, and then stared expectantly at Matthias. The man sighed.
"Och, I fell into that one. Let's go somewhere private ta talk, aye? I need a drink after seein' that."
"Aye? Ye say that Thrall's payin' me big bucks ta' send you guys off? Well then that changes things."
Kira nodded fervently. They were sitting at a small table in the food tent. A few empty bowls of various noodles sat next to Naruto, who was listening intently to the conversation. He was letting Kira handle things, since she was much better at it than he. Kylia had joined them as well, toting a large sack filled with various prizes, the largest of which (a giant, rather creepy looking stuffed gnoll) she gave to Kira.
"Me an' Thrall are like this, ye see," he said, crossing his index and middle finger, grinning. "I've done loads o' favors for him, and we have a bond o' trust. Since this here letter," he held up the animal skin scroll that Thrall had made, detailing what he wanted Matthias to do. "Proves that ye were sent by him, then it can't hurt to take a few extra on our next flight. How many o' ya are comin'?"
"Just us," said Kira, gesturing to Kylia, Naruto, and herself.
"Easy enough. Easiest hundred gold I ever made. We be headin' to Tarren Mill, in Hillsbrad, tomorrow, anyways. It won' be much trouble ta' accommodate yeh."
Kira blinked. "Actually, we were thinking that you might take us to Darnassus first, seeing as its closer."
Matthias shook his head. "Won' do. I need ta' deliver some very important cargo ta those creeps at the Royal Apothecary Society. Sylvanas'll have me head if I don' deliver them soon. Yeh either go with me, or yeh head off on your own. I'm no chauffeur."
Kira sighed. It didn't put much of a wrench in her plans, seeing as they would have eventually gone to Sylvanas anyways, but she would have rather liked to get the Night Elves on their side first. Nevertheless, she nodded to him, indicating that she accepted.
He grinned. "Then we have a deal, lass. Ye've got yourselves the helpin' hand o' Matthias Hindenborough."
It was later that evening that Kira and Naruto sat, along with the rest of their friends, on the grass a little ways away from the ring of tents. Their eyes were skyward, enraptured by the volley of fireworks that painted the sky with all the colors in the world. From vibrant greens, and deep blues, to bright oranges, and blinding whites and silvers. Some painted pictures, even, in the forms of dragons, birds, and all manner of faces (including that of Silas Darkmoone).
Kira sat content next to Naruto. She had no reason to really worry now. Everything was set, and they would be off on the next leg of their journey in the morning.
"We've both come really far, haven't we?" said Kira, watching the sky.
Naruto nodded, grinning his famous grin. "Yep. It's amazing that I've only been here half a year, and it feels like almost a lifetime."
Kira nodded, slowly. 'I hope you remember all of this after you return to your world. I hope you remember all of us."
Naruto looked at her in slight surprise. There was a note of sadness in her voice, as she had said this. It made him smile widely, knowing that he would be missed so much.
"Heh, I won't be able to forget even If I tried. But I'm not going back now, Kira-chan. We've still got a long way to go."
Kira smiled a little at the blonde's words. He had the amazing ability to comfort her, make her feel like everything would be fine.
"Yeah. We do."
And then she sat back, perfectly content, her eyes upon the beautiful canvas that the sky had become, now lit with dozens of bright streams and sparks. She too, would never forget this.
And tomorrow, they would be off on the next leg of their journey. It was there that they would meet Sylvanas, and it was her fondest hope that the Banshee Queen would listen. For it meant the world.
"Ah, Lady Prestor, you've returned."
The dark haired beauty stopped mid-stride, turning to face the wizened Benedictus. It was almost midnight at the great Castle Stormwind, and Katrana had just arrived. They were in the entrance hall.
"Ah, Lord regent, it is good to see you again. How have things been going here?"
The old man's sharp, raptor-like gaze didn't leave her glittering purple ones, but he gave a tired sigh nonetheless. "The situation is unchanged. In fact, it might have even worsened. People are growing angry with us, and we have done nothing to relieve their fears of attack. Thankfully few have left, but I think they may be baying for our blood soon."
Katrana nodded, sighing regretfully.
Benedictus then asked, politely, "May I ask where you were? You have missed two council meetings, and though we did not accomplish anything in either, it must have been dire news indeed for you to have needed to leave so swiftly."
She gave a tittering laugh. "Dire? Hardly." Her eyes, the deepest of purples, were glittering with an emotion that Benedictus, even with all his years, could not identify.
"It was simply family business, nothing more. I grew homesick. Forgive my foolishness, I am now here at your service."
He nodded, and with a wave, dismissed her. She turned gracefully, and walked down one of the connecting passages.
Benedictus stood alone now, in the entrance hall. He watched her, unblinking, until she had disappeared into the shadows.
He suddenly had an intense feeling of doom wash over him. There was something that was wrong, and he knew that soon something was going to happen. Things were going to change again, and he knew, without a doubt, that that woman would be at the center of it all.
For, a woman always was, in his opinion.
Well, done.
Did you all enjoy that?
Hope so, cause it was a bitch to write it. I don't think I was in a very funny mood when I did.
Anyways, to stop the questions before they start, DON'T ask me about how Gamakichi ended up in the Faire. It's a joke, and not meant to be taken seriously. I don't know really how he came, he just did, and that's that.
Second, I had to use the scene where Kaine was launched into the air by the Blastenheimer 5000, and the comment "When Cows fly". It was an obligation, so sue me.
Did you like my Latin translation? It was fun!
I think we can all sympathize with the dwarf that was defeated by Matthias in Battle Tonks, eh? I can't count how many times I've shouted that same word and thrown my controller to the ground when I play video games. Its a homage to all those who suffer from short tempers when dealing with games.
This is the final in-between chapter. Sorry if it seems a little rushed, but the next story arc has to start soon. The next chapter will contain the much-waited meeting with the one and only Forsaken, and the beginning of that arc will begin. It will be vastly different from the others (I hope), and will contain no huge war-battles (just one-on-one stuff, mostly). It will contain more plot and growth and all the juicy stuff that some of the other arcs lacked (just slightly, though. I know I could have made them better, but they just worked out like that).
Be prepared, then, for the coming of the Forsaken!
Seeya!
General Grievous