Disclaimer: Eu não possuo Naruto ou mundo de Warcraft
But (I felt I should add this) I do own all characters that are not part of either world. Too many to count, this time.
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
I admit it.
I had seen this coming.
From the moment the girl spoke (or the princess, I should say. I can't believe I had been walking with a princess for two whole days! My mother would have whipped me had she known how crass I was in Kira's presence…I think) to my dear Lady, I had expected exactly what she was going to say. There is something that you should all know about Sylvanas.
She has a specific toleration level for just about everything that exists on this earth. I have yet to discover the tolerance level for many of these; however, I do know that her level for sarcasm is rather low—thus, I use it all the time. Interestingly, she has a pretty high tolerance for some other, rather obscure things: stupid jokes (funnily enough), puns (punnily enough), little anecdotes, and random mutterings in Common that one usually doesn't want her to hear.
However, there are two things that I know that she does not tolerate at all. These things, should you speak of them or utilize them, will evoke very different reactions, but both are extremely detrimental to your health.
The first is her age.
Being nearly ten thousand years old is not something, I gather, that one likes to be reminded of. To speak of her age, in any way, shape or form, in her presence, will usually result in an arrow or some form of pointed weapon driven through one's skull. I have seen it happen…she doesn't even need to use a bow.
The second is stupidity.
Sylvanas can never, and will never suffer fools. She cannot stand to be in their presence, normally, and when one finds her turning and walking away, in the middle of a conversation, it is generally agreed that the person that was she was conversing with was not the sharpest dagger in the armory…if you know what I mean.
But there is sometimes an opportunity that she cannot resist. When a fool (who in this case, though I regret saying it, was the little princess) speaks to her of something that Sylvanas finds intriguing, or perhaps exploitable, my dear Lady will waste no time in doing exactly that…exploiting the situation. Her mind is faster and more developed than anyone I have met; she can think up a plan in order to use the fool for her own benefit in the time it takes for Myrdraxxis to draw his dagger (which is quite fast).
When I heard that laugh, and saw that smile, I knew that was exactly what she was thinking.
But what she was going to do, I did not know.
But I knew that it would not bode well for these three humans (and one fox).
"N-no?" stuttered Kira, frozen by shock at the Banshee Queen's words.
"No?" Naruto muttered, entirely not surprised, yet at the same time angry that Sylvanas seemed to be enjoying Kira's reaction.
"No," repeated Sylvanas, her smile growing a little wider, as if to further stoke the shinobi's temper.
"No," said Fen, turning to Myrdraxxis and nodding, feeling a pressing need to speak the word as well.
Myrdraxxis glared at him hard for a moment, then turned back to Sylvanas, and bowed his head slightly.
Kira looked lost for a moment. Obviously, she had been less prepared if Sylvanas had refused, and didn't know what to say. Finally, she schooled her features as best she could. But the shock and despair that was so prominent on her face seconds before was still visible in her eyes. Her hope seemed to be dwindling.
"Why…?" she asked. She had really no idea why Sylvanas had refused. How did remaining alone benefit her and her people at all? Surely there must be more Forsaken like Fen: ones who wished to see the world and escape the dreary confines of Tirisfal Glades.
Sylvanas clasped her hands in front of her face, and crossed her legs. She looked extremely imposing, and even more beautiful, and her glossy white eyes stared straight into Kira's. The corners of her mouth, still stretched into a cold grin, were still visible behind her hands.
"Why…?" Sylvanas repeated. "Surely you could not have guessed by now? What you are doing is not truly an alliance at all. You are simply winning the hearts and minds of all the other rulers of this world. You don't truly seem to have looked beyond what you will do after you have forged this 'Great Alliance'." Her smile disappeared. "Perhaps you will do as all humans who have power inevitably try to do—you will take control."
"That's not true!" cried Kira, looked horrified at the notion. "The whole purpose of this is for us to achieve peace! Don't you want that for your people?"
Sylvanas laughed a little. "Peace? Is that not what we have had for the past few years? Without any form of alliance between the races, things have calmed down, haven't they? Not a single one of my warriors has been slain by a dwarf, elf, gnome or human in the past few years. Was it because of an alliance? Of course not. The only way to achieve peace is to keep everyone occupied, as they have been. I have no doubt that as soon as you announce this alliance, it will erupt into war once more."
"No it won't!" Kira was shouting now; her fists were clenched, her eyes were narrowed, and she was shaking with bottled anger and a torrent of other emotions whose presence were made known every time she spoke. "Everyone wants peace! Once they hear what I have to say, they will…!"
This time, Sylvanas erupted into her brilliant, sweet laughter again. "You are such a child," she said, as she recovered. "You do not know the true nature of people, no matter what race."
Kira opened her mouth in protest, but stopped when Sylvanas continued. "There are only two outcomes to your alliance should you actually manage to get the allegiance of every leader. The first," she raised a finger for emphasis, "is that as soon as you announce it, it will erupt into violence. Your people will turn against you, and soon the world will erupt into war again. The Scourge will only benefit from it, and it would likely allow the Lich King" she spoke the name with enough venom to murder an army, despite the fact that her face never changed, " to increase his army and eventually become the sole ruler of this world. Would you want that?"
Kira recoiled slightly from Sylvanas' words, and tried to speak, to offer up some defense. But she could find nothing; nothing that didn't seem as naïve as she felt at that moment.
"The second," Sylvanas continued. "Is that you will succeed. The alliance would possibly go strong, for a while, at least, but inevitably, those who would protest the decision will rise up, and it would take but a single attack upon another race for the alliance to crumble. The races you seek to unite have such enmity for each other that you cannot imagine, girl. They can never get along. Your goal is so disgustingly childish that I cannot imagine how you got this far. What you are attempting is utterly impossible, and it is so incredibly foolish that a girl like you should be ashamed for even suggesting it."
Kira's cheeks were burning with embarrassment. It was only her upbringing that evoked this, however. Her dream had never before been called childish. She had had the support of her master, Naruto, Kylia, then Magni and Mekkatorque, and finally Thrall, Vol'jin and Cairn. They had all had their doubts, but not once had they called it childish. She honestly believed that she could do what she was attempting to do.
But now, Sylvanas was wounding her in the most terrible of ways. She was crushing Kira's dream. She was belittling it, ripping it apart, and then stomping it to death with her boots.
And she was doing it with cold, clear, and nearly undeniable logic.
And that was why Kira suddenly felt so bad, so stupid and so unbelievably naïve. Sylvanas was using logic to stamp Kira's dream into the ground; and because Kira did not possess the strength of will that Naruto did, she found that she could not protest it.
But, she offered one final, feeble protest. "To defeat the Lich King…we need the power of all the nations…don't you wish to see him destroyed?"
Sylvanas smirked. "Nothing more would please me. But I have no need for an alliance to achieve that. When the Lich King falls, I wish it to be by my hand, and my hand alone."
"The Scarlet Crusade!" Kira cried desperately. If pleading hadn't worked, perhaps bargaining would. "We can help you defeat them! I have just as much reason to get rid of them as you do!"
"Those little red ants? I could destroy them at any time, and in any way that I see fit. They are nothing to me; nothing but annoying little insects that think they have a chance in getting rid of me."
Kira hung her head; she was defeated.
Fenritt watched her out of the corner of his eye socket. He felt a stab of pity for the poor girl. Sylvanas never made things easy for anyone. Even him.
But by this time, Naruto could no longer stand it. He had endured the belittling of his friend's dream long enough. His face red and his eyes blazing, he walked forwards, standing almost protectively in front of Kira, and snarled.
"You can't say anything about Kira-chan's dream. I won't have it. What she is doing is for the benefit of the whole world, even you. She's doing it because she's had enough of the death and the hatred, and is brave enough to try and do something about it. It isn't childish; Kira-chan is smart and she knows exactly what she is going to do when she has made her dream come true. Her people believe in her, and in their hearts, they want her dream to come true as much as she does. Even a wrinkly super old hag like you should be able to understand that."
Fen nearly passed out when the words, "wrinkly," "super," "old" and "hag" left the blonde's mouth. He quickly looked at Sylvanas, watching for a movement of the hand. He didn't see any arrows near her, but he expected she had a knife or something in her robes, that she was no doubt about to rip out and skewer Naruto with. He waited for the splash of blood, and the "urk" sound that would be issued with the blonde's final breath.
But, to his immense surprise, Sylvanas did nothing. She simply stared at Naruto a moment, almost in shock, before her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she drew herself up to her full height. Her eyes, though they still were as murky and emotionless as ever, now seemed to have hidden fires behind their white veils; he could feel the heat, hotter than any fire he had ever felt, upon him. But he did not wilt, and stared straight back.
Sylvanas watched the arrogant little blonde boy stare at her. In her entire life, all ten thousand years, she had never been treated as such, but by such a young child. However, because of that, she didn't feel the need to kill him as an example. No…she had far bigger plans for them.
"Leave."
Kira looked up, exchanging a quick, worried glance with Kylia, who now stood by her side. "What?" she said.
"Leave," Sylvanas said again. "I have nothing more to say to you and your foolish little bodyguard. I will not join your petty alliance. It will fail; there is no question about that. If you even attempt to return here…you will die. I do not care who you are; I will have you killed and fed to my guards. Now leave." She looked at Fenritt and Myrdraxxis. "You can give your report to Varimathras later. Take out the trash that you brought in."
Fenritt looked for a second to protest. Myrdraxxis, however, nodded to the Dark Lady, and with a push, made Fen nod as well. He grabbed the back of Naruto's jacket, while the blonde stared, seething, at Sylvanas, who had turned away. Naruto opened his mouth to shout something, but Fen, quickly, covered his mouth and pulled him away. Naruto kicked and struggled, but soon stopped when he realized that his mouth was in contact with rotted flesh.
He immediately went limp, and remained so for the rest of the way out.
How did I not see that coming?
Wait, I kind of did, sorry.
Sylvanas, lovely as she is, might be the harshest person I have ever met. She has long since abandoned any concept of dreams or really any optimistic, pleasant thoughts. She has seen many things, and experienced too many others to hold on to such "frivolous ideas" (her own words).
As you might see, I had not.
I had, perhaps to the point of foolishness, believed that Sylvanas might have listened to the cute-as-a-button princess; her words, though childish, still struck a cord in me. Sylvanas wasn't always right; I wanted the peace that Kira spoke of as much as she did. It served, perhaps, as a lesson to me. It was just another dream; it was something that could not be achieved in reality.
Even so, that didn't stop me from being bitter about it.
Fen and Myrdraxxis brought the two back up to the surface, and walked them down to the intersection of roads that they had passed earlier. They stopped there, and without another look, Myrdraxxis turned and walked back up the slope. Fen did not.
"I'm sorry," he began, sighing. "I should have prepared you for something like that; Sylvanas is not the type to believe in things like dreams or hopes. She has experienced a bit too much reality. I don't think she believes that such things can happen anymore."
"She's an idiot, then," growled Naruto, his arms crossed.
Despite thinking along the same lines, Fen felt the need to defend his queen. "Don't be too harsh judges, okay? Sylvanas, for all her pessimism, has done great things for our people. You wouldn't believe it, but I wasn't always the cheery, optimistic, and devilishly handsome and witty character that you see before you today…"
Naruto just stared at him, his eyes squinted, so he coughed and continued. " Right, the point is, Sylvanas helped me. She gave me a confidence in myself that I thought I could never have. I guess you really don't know what if feels like to wake up suddenly, and be told that you're dead and would look like a rotting corpse for the rest of your life, and that you would have some cravings for raw, usually human, flesh, and that you would be hated by everyone in the world. I was, not surprisingly, not the happiest of campers for quite a while. I wasn't alone, either. Just about everyone that Sylvanas "awakened", felt much the same. They hated their new forms, and their new lives.
"When we first came here, after all the fighting, and began to build a home, it wasn't the bustling metropolis that you saw. It was a cesspool, and the people that made it up were the worst tempered people in the world. Some people hated themselves so much that they stopped eating, sleeping and essentially living…metaphorically of course. If it wasn't for the fact that our metabolisms as so incredibly low that we need very little food, and we don't really need sleep, or even to breath, there'd be a lot less of our kind around now. I'll admit: I was one of those, at first. But, as I said, Sylvanas changed that.
" She forced us to stop thinking that we were just perversions of the human race—nothing but shadows of our former selves. She gave us an identity: we weren't just "the undead"; we were the Forsaken. We were a race in itself. She told us that we had no reason to feel sorry for ourselves, because we were now a part of another race. We weren't monsters anymore; we didn't think of ourselves as "inhuman". We began to think of ourselves as Forsaken, and nothing less. Sylvanas gave us pride in our race. She is our savior, and no matter how angry I get at her, or how much she does things that I don't agree with, that will never change."
"So you're just gonna go with it?" Naruto said, hotly. "You're just gonna let her decision stand, and not even try to do something about it? I thought you wanted to see the world again. I thought you didn't want to stay trapped in this dreary place, 'cause if you do, you're not gonna be able to write your story. If you let things continue like that, how the hell are you going to be able to do that?"
Fen sighed again, and offered the blonde what he thought was a sad smile. It turned out to look like he was grinning cheerfully, as a skull might, at it disturbed the shinobi quite a bit.
"You're right…but really, kid, do you think that in this world, anyone will accept us? We may think of ourselves as Forsaken, but to everyone else, even the Horde, we are just more Undead. There isn't really a place for us in this world."
Naruto said nothing. He looked away from Fen, at the ground for a moment, his features warping from pained to angry, and finally to acceptance. He didn't look at Fen again, and just began to walk down the road, towards where the sign said, "The Plaguelands," Tsuwabuki hot on his heels.
Fen sighed, and offered a skull-grin at the two girls, and a half-hearted wave. He really did feel sorry for them.
"If it makes you guys feel any better, the Argent Dawn—a group of humans and various other races, have a camp near the entrance to the Plaguelands. They have sort of the same idea that you have. You should head that way, and see what they have to say. I bet they'll be impressed with what you've done so far."
Kira smiled a little at him, and said a quiet "thank you" before departing after Naruto, Kylia by her side. Soon they were engulfed by the darkness of the trees. Fen sighed, and turned back up the hill. Myrdraxxis was waiting for him at the top, his face as unreadable as ever.
"Shall we deliver our boring report to His Majesty the Pompous and Egotistical Demon?" Fen said, without his usual enthusiasm. Mocking Varimathras didn't seem quite as fun now, for some reason.
Myrdraxxis nodded, and they departed.
"Varimathras," said Sylvanas, hearing the slow, thundering gait of her second-in-command. She waited a moment, standing in front of her throne, watching the entrance to the Royal Chamber. A huge shadow suddenly emerged from it, making the Royal Deathguards back up a few steps as the monster moved towards the throne. It was only a few seconds later that the chandelier above Sylvanas cast light upon her commander, and to most, it was not a pretty sight.
Varimathras the Dreadlord stood at over eight feet tall, his skin as pale as his Lady's eyes, and as leathery as a reptile's. His face was wide and as stony as granite, but his chin was rather pointed and sharp, as was his nose. His eyes were an ethereal, glowing blue, with no pupils or irises visible. Twin, curved horns sprouted from the top of the front of his hairless head, and two large, bat-like wings sprouted from his back. He walked on hoofed feet, his immensely muscular body shifting and rippling beneath the dark, purplish and silver armor that he wore. A purple sash hung at his waist, falling between his legs like a loincloth, depicting a golden skull. Aside from the Dark Lady herself, there was no more fearsome creature in the Undercity.
"Milady," he rumbled; his voice was deep and powerful—it filled the room, as if he was making sure that even the rats within the walls could hear. "You called for me?"
"I did," said she, walking towards the titanic Dreadlord slowly. He shifted slightly at her approach; he had more of a reason than any to fear Sylvanas, for she had been the one to enslave him. "Have you spoken to Fenritt and Myrdraxxis?"
The demon nodded. "I have. Their report is as thus: the apothecaries in Tarren Mill have made much progress in their research, and they gave to the two a packet of notes of this research, which I have already delivered to High Apothecary Faranell. He says this will speed up the process immensely."
Sylvanas smiled a little. "Oh? Is that so? That is good news."
Varimathras nodded. "The supplies that they delivered, as well as the ones from Hindenborough will allow them more experimentation with the formula they have come up with so far. Faranell hopes to get a sample of this soon enough."
Sylvanas nodded too, her smile widening a little. "Good. But I want it quicker than that. Have Faranell develop a formula suitable for testing in the next few days—I have a sudden plan that may cut down on months of research."
Varimathras bowed, "I shall do as you ask."
"And send Fenritt and Myrdraxxis back in. I have need of their services once more" her smile suddenly became unbearably cruel, and Varimathras began to sweat slightly.
"As you wish." He stood, and turned to go. Then, however, he stopped, and turned back to face the Banshee Queen, his face set once again in stone. "My lady…has the boy gone?"
Sylvanas raised an eyebrow. "Boy? The loudmouth human child who came in earlier? I did not realize you met him."
Varimathras shook his head. "I did not. I heard of him from Fenritt, but even before that, I felt him. I felt him long before he even set foot in this city."
Sylvanas took a seat on her throne, resting her chin on her arms, which she had clasped in front of her. She looked almost interested.
"Felt? I felt nothing from him, other than an intense annoyance."
"He felt strange; there was a monstrous power in him, one that I have never felt before. It was animalistic, terrible; greater than my own. It was demonic, too, and was fighting to get free. If the boy wields this power…will he become a threat?"
Sylvanas' face remained unchanged, but her eyes seemed to gleam for a moment.
"Perhaps…but we shall wait and see. He is the first that I have not killed for commenting on my age. I wonder why that is?"
Varimathras coughed, but said nothing. This boy must be more frightening than he had imagined, to have survived such an ordeal.
Hours later, the group sat around a crackling fire, each lost in their own thoughts. Naruto was staring grumpily into the flames, ignoring everything around him, while Tsuwabuki rested her head near the log he was sitting on. Kira sat a little ways away, her head hung, her eyes downcast. She hadn't spoken a word since they had departed from Fen, and Kylia, who sat next to her, was getting slightly worried.
They had gone to the Undercity that very day, and in less than an hour, had been thrust out again. They had accomplished nothing save for angering Sylvanas, and probably eliminating any further chances they had with her. It was no wonder why nobody felt like talking, Kira most of all. Kylia looked at her mistress with eyes full of sympathy and sadness. She wanted to do something, anything if it meant that her mistress would look like her old self again.
It made her heart ache to think of what Kira was now feeling. The girl had firmly believed that her dream had been in the best interests of everyone. She had never stopped to think if it was childish, or stupid, or that it would fail. Those who had encouraged her to pursue it, and had actively pursued it themselves, had been nothing but supportive of her dream.
Kylia did not know how it felt to have a dream stepped on like Kira's had been today. She had never had a dream of her own; past doing her very best to protect and make sure Kira was happy. But at the moment, she didn't believe she was doing a very good job.
She shot a side-ways glance at Kira, whose face and posture remained unchanged. Deciding that it was best to break the heavy silence that had fallen since they had left, Kylia said, trying to be chipper (despite still stumbling on saying her mistress's name), "K-Kira, would you like something to eat?"
Kira didn't answer, nor did she move. Kylia sighed. Rummaging around in her pack, she found some bread and meat, both of which she offered to the girl. "K-Kira, it would be best for you to eat, you need your strength for the journey."
Kylia waited, watching, as Kira did absolutely nothing but stare into the fire. She sighed, and took a bite from the bread herself, drawing back. Just as she did, however, Kira spoke.
"Kylia?"
The girl immediately sat up straight, almost dropping the food in surprise and delight. "Yes, m-Kira?"
"Is my dream childish?"
Kylia eyes went wide. "M-mistress?" she blurted, looking at her in confusion.
Kira didn't respond. She just looked into Kylia's eyes, her own so full of sadness.
Her handmaiden calmed down quickly, and took a deep breath. Then, she slowly shook her head.
"I…do not think it is childish. You are fervently working to create a world where people can live without fear or war, where the great nations can work together in absolute harmony. To many, it may seem childish, but a child does not think about its actions, or the consequences. You have, because I know you very well."
Kira's eyes grew wider as Kylia spoke.
"You know it in your heart that what you are trying to accomplish is not easy, and will never be so. But you will do everything you can in order to overcome the hatred of the past, and to make this work. You are not seeking an easy way out; you know that there is none, and so you have committed yourself to working as hard as possible to making sure that your dream can be brought into reality, and can benefit the people of this world. Your dream isn't childish, mis—Kira, and I know that you know this."
Kira's eyes filled with tears. She said no words, but she could not have asked for a better friend.
"She's right."
Kira looked over to Naruto, who was watching them with a solemn face. His eyes, however, were filled with both wisdom and determination. He knew exactly what he was speaking of, and exactly how Kira felt at that moment.
For his dream had been mocked too.
"If you work your hardest, no one can call your dream childish. You've gotta keep going, and you've gotta realize that there are no shortcuts you can take. If you know that, then your dream can come true, in time."
Kira very nearly sobbed, but held it in. Instead, she gave Naruto was bright, teary smile and bowed her head a little. Kylia inched forwards and hugged her softly, while Kira stuttered out thanks to both of them. She was grateful that she had such amazing people around her; she knew that without them, this dream of hers would've been just a distant, impossible hope. It was because of Naruto, and of Kylia and everyone else she had met that gave their support to her dream that she was this far.
But mostly Naruto, she thought with a smile.
She wiped away the last of her tears, and looked up. Though her eyes were still slightly puffy, it was clear that she was getting her old spirit back. Her mind settled back down, and she began to think.
"What do we do now?" she asked, quietly.
Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest, squinting in concentration as he thought. "Dunno…we could go and see those Argent Dawn people that Fen mentioned…or we could go back and fight until she listens to us."
Kira sweat-dropped. "That last idea doesn't seem so good…but perhaps we could speak with the members of the Argent Dawn; I have only heard a little about them from master, but it seems that they are fighting the Scourge at their very source, and don't care who joins them, as long as they are willing to fight."
Naruto nodded. "Then we'll go there, huh? But what do we do about Sylvanas?"
Kira shook her head. "I don't know. I don't think we can do anything right now…. Sylvanas sounded quite serious about what she said; I think you're comment on her age might have had something to do with it."
Naruto blushed a little. "But it's true…" he mumbled.
Kira glared at him, but then gave a slight nod of assent. He was right of course. Ten thousand, which was said to be Sylvanas' relative age, was quite a bit over the hill for some people. She sighed. "We can't do anything. We have to find some other way to get her to listen. When I find out how, I'll tell you, but right now we should at least find people who might be willing to help us. I think the Argent Dawn will."
With a nod from Naruto, it was settled. They would follow the road to the Plaguelands, and find the Argent Dawn camp near it. They would think of what to do once they got there.
So they lapsed into silence once more, but this time it was far less tense. Kira and Kylia began eating their packaged meals with gusto, while Naruto tried to keep his food away from a hungry Tsuwabuki, who claimed she was too tired to hunt anything for herself, and that everything still smelled rotten.
Then, they all prepared for bed. They would begin their trek in the morning, and with Tsuwabuki keeping watch, all planned to get the best night's rest they could in a strange, dark forest in the middle of undead territory.
And they did.
Naruto awoke suddenly, responding to more than a slight nudge from Tsuwabuki. Sitting up, he looked blearily around him. It was still dark, and the forest was silent. It had always been silent, he remembered, but it somehow hadn't registered before. There were no insects buzzing or owls hooting or wolves howling; it was dead (in every sense of the word) silent.
"What is it?" he whispered. He didn't know why he whispered, but it felt like he shouldn't disturb the silence. In an eerie sort of way, it was rather nice.
"Do you smell that? Humans, coming this way."
Naruto sat up straighter, his hand suddenly going for his sword. He stood slowly, his eyes watching the blackness between the trees for any sign of movement. The fire still crackled, though it was small and gave off very little light. He had not set up any traps, which he now regretted.
He then wondered what humans were doing around here, of all places. Could it be the Argent Dawn, sending out scouts to search for undead along the road? He then remembered what Kira had said about this place. It was where the Scarlet Crusade had a base, the monastery in the hills, where many of her people had fled after the death of her father. Could it be them?
He slowly drew out his sword, making sure that it didn't make a sound. The smell of human flesh suddenly caught his attention, as did clumsy footsteps, obviously making no attempt to conceal their presence. He waited a moment. Tsuwabuki had melted into the shadows behind him, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Despite her odd coloring, she had learned very quickly how to keep hidden.
It was only a few moments before Naruto caught sight of two dark figures moving towards them through the trees. Both looked rather hunched, in almost Forsaken-like postures, but he couldn't tell much else.
When the first stepped into the clearing, Naruto had already bent down into an attack stance. He very nearly leapt forwards when there was a sudden, startlingly loud fart, which made Naruto stumble forwards in surprise, and then quickly back when the smell hit him.
"Ugghh!" he cried, clapping his hands to his face, and squeezing his nose shut as tight as possible.
"Ho ho ho ho! Sorry about that, sonny! Didn't expect that baby at all! Musta been somethin' I ate, or just cause I'm old. When you get old, yer body has a way o' reminding you o' that every step o' the way."
Naruto blinked, and met the amused gaze of a hunched, smiling old man. He had a gray beard, very few teeth, skin so wrinkled that it looked like a wad of rolled up paper, and was dressed in brown robes which covered his entire body. He was leaning on a gnarled staff.
"A geezer?" Naruto blurted. What was an old man like this doing out here?
"Geezer? That'd be me. Two o' us, actually, me brother's back here somewhere. Bart! Bart! We are yeh? Ye still alive, eh, Bart?"
Seconds later another old man shuffled into the campsite, dressed in the same clothes, leaning on a similar staff, but had quite bit more skin hanging off his face, so much so that it seemed as if it was about to all fall off into a heap on the ground. He was beardless, toothless, and one eye was shut, while the other was comically large. He was easily the strangest looking old man that Naruto had ever seen (and Naruto had seen his fair share of strange-looking old men).
"Oh good, Bart, though ye might've passed on back there. Had me worried, eh?"
Tsuwabuki slunk from the shadows, looking almost depressed. "Just two old humans… and I was ready, too."
"Oh my, ain't that a pretty little creature? He your pet?" the first old man said, grinning at Naruto.
Naruto couldn't resist a small snicker at the fox's expense, but said. "Nah, she's my friend."
The old man nodded, scratching his chin. "I have a friend like that, his name's Jenkins. He's right here somewhere, I know it. Jenkins? Jenkins!"
Silence answered him, but he suddenly turned and said happily, "There ye are! I been wonderin' where ye been, Jenkins!"
Naruto cocked his head to the side, watching where the man was watching. He saw nothing, but the man hobbled over to a patch of bushes and mimed picking something up. He hobbled back into his original position, stroking the air in front of him as if he were holding a small animal of some sort.
"This here's Jenkins! Ain't he sweet? Say hello Jenkins!"
Predictably, Naruto heard nothing, and the growing sweat-drop on the back of his head began to weigh his entire body down so that he slouched forwards. He stared dumbly at the man; he embodied, so far, all the senility that an old man could possess. He wondered if Jiraiya would get like this someday.
That made him snicker again.
However, the old man's rather loud words had stirred Kira and Kylia from their deep sleeps. Kira slowly opened her eyes and sat up, looking blearily around. "Naruto? What's…going on?"
The old man stopped petting his invisible creature, and bent down and looking straight at Kira. "Oh hello there, lassy! Didn't see ye down there. My eyes must be goin' too!"
Kira blinked, not reacting for a few moments, before she suddenly gave a loud yelp and leapt from her bedspread, backpedaling until she stood next to Naruto. She was clutching her chest and breathing very deeply, her eyes wide and her hair almost on end from fright.
"W-w-w-w-who a-are you!" she cried.
Kylia had leapt up as well, her weapons drawn and she was looking wildly around for whatever had caused her mistress such fright. She stopped when she saw the old man, blinking a few times to get the sleep from her eyes. Had this old man attacked Kira? Or worse, had tried to defile her?
"Oh! Beggin' yer pardons, missies! Name's Matt Siscardry, this old bag o' bones behind me is Bart, me brother. He don't speak at all, had his tongue chopped out when he was little for disrespecting our daddy, he did. I do all the talkin' for him, ye see!"
Naruto turned his head to the side, staring at Matt with questioning eyes. He was suddenly reminded of Fen. This old man acted rather like him. He was bit cruder, yes, but he seemed to have the same strange sense of humor.
Kira had regained her composure by then, and after taking a few more calming breaths, she looked at Matt in confusion.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Siscardry? In a place like this, at this time of night, why are you two wandering around?"
Matt scratched his beard again, and said, "We smelt yer fire, and decided to have a look-see! Good thing we did, too. But yer mighty disrespectful to your elders, not giving yer name or nothin'!"
Kira blushed a little, looking embarrassed. She quickly introduced herself and Kylia, while Naruto introduced himself and Tsuwabuki.
Matt grinned at all of them, before taking a seat on a log that they had used for a bench near the remains of the fire. He set his walking stick aside, and barked at Bart to sit down as well, as well as telling Jenkins to stop mewling for food, because he wasn't going to get any right then.
'Is he crazy…or just old?' Kira, Kylia, Naruto and Tsuwabuki thought as one, staring at the old man as he chastised empty air near his feet. When Matt began beating the air with his walking stick, and then railing out into the darkness, shaking a fist, that Jenkins wouldn't be getting any dinner at all, again, until he apologized!
It then occurred to them that there was a very fine line between crazy and old.
Bart sat down next to him, not saying a word. His hunched posture reminded Naruto once again of a Forsaken's, but the old man not only looked, but also smelled like a human, he just wrote it off as him being old.
Matt said, "Why we're headin' down that there road, towards them there Plaguelands." He pointed off into the darkness, probably not in the direction that he was planning to head.
"Why?" asked Kira
Matt gave her a thumbs-up. "We're going ta join the Argent Dawn, we are! Goin' to offer our services ta' fightin' the nasty undead beasties of the Plaguelands, we are! Ain't that right Bart?"
Bart nodded jerkily.
Naruto stared at him, his gaze lidded, and wondered what they could possibly do to help aside from probably confuse the heck out of them, as they were doing now. He opened his mouth to say this, too, but Kira stopped him with a look (after wiping the sweat-drop off her face), and then turned back to them.
"We're going that way too. Do you want to come with us?"
Matt looked delighted. "Aw, thankee little miss. We'd be honored ta' accompany such a fine batch o' ladies such as yerselves! The more the merrier!"
He fell silent, and then Naruto, noticing that Matt hadn't distinguished him from the two girls he was traveling with, which meant he had just been called a lady.
"Oi! I'm a guy you old geezer!"
"Eh? Who are you again?"
Kira sweat-dropped as Naruto seethed at the man.
And so they were six (seven if you counted Jenkins). As she watched them, however, there was a buzz in the back of her head. Who did they remind her of?
"Ah! What a beautiful day!" cried Matt the next morning. They had just left the confines of the forest and were walking along the road towards the Plaguelands. Everyone had awoken rather early due to Matt's sudden bout of extremely bad gas, so bad that even Kira and Kylia had been able to smell it in the land of dreams.
They kept off to the side of the road, nearest the forest. That way, if they encountered something that appeared hostile, it would be easier for them to escape. Kira and Kylia were up front, Tsuwabuki and Naruto in the middle, with the two ancient men bringing up the rear.
Matt's comment made Naruto sweat-drop, as he looked up at the dark, smoggy sky and around at the still dark and misty trees that lay on either side of them. "Beautiful" wasn't exactly the word that he would use for this sort of situation.
"So, Mr. Siscardry?" asked Kira falling back so that she had fallen into step beside the old man. "Why exactly do you want to join the Argent Dawn? I mean you are rather…old…not that that's a bad thing or anything!" she added quickly.
Matt rolled his head to the side a few times, thinking. "I like the tabards."
Kira missed a step and face-faulted at that, making Kylia squeak and hurry back to help her mistress. Matt shook his head.
"You should watch your step, missy! You never know what's goin' to greet ya when you hit the ground!"
Kira allowed herself to be helped up, and quickly hurried back to the front. What a weird person….
Naruto, however, was snickering under his breath. It seemed like a good enough reason to him.
On they walked. Since there was no sun for reference, nobody could tell what time it was. But it was after a few hours like this that they decided to stop to eat for a bit. They took rest near a small patch of trees on the side of the road, and settled down in the most comfortable positions they could.
Naruto and Tsuwabuki watched Matt, as they ate, as he periodically snuck peaces of his food and offered them to the invisible Jenkins. He would just drop them onto the ground and then quickly bring his hand back up to where it could be seen. So far there was a small pile of meat, bread and cheese pieces where he had dropped them all.
Kira did her best to ignore them. She instead focused her attention on their surroundings. She could see for a fair distance around her in the forest, but couldn't hear a thing. It was silent, as usual, which continued to disturb the girl. No forest should be silent.
Only a few minutes later, Naruto and his spirit beast suddenly stood alert. Tsuwabuki looked around sniffing the air a few times, slinking back behind a tree, while Naruto's hand went for his sword.
"What is it?" whispered Kira, ducking over to where Naruto was standing. The boy frowned.
"We smell more people," he said. He looked over at Matt and Bart. "Do you guys have any friends out here somewhere?"
Matt thought a moment. "Nope!" he said cheerfully. "Do you?"
Naruto didn't answer. He scanned the trees around them, looking for any sign of the humans they had sensed. Whoever they were, it was obvious that they were making more of an attempt to conceal themselves than Matt and Bart had.
Then he caught sight of a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. 'There!' He spun quickly to face it, drawing his sword in a flourish, and came face to face with a group of five humans. All of them were dressed in clothes of the deepest crimson.
"Stop!" the foremost person cried, a girl, probably only a few years older than him, with long blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. She was dressed in a form-fitting robe of red, with a golden emblem resembling a mace set on the front. "Stay your weapons! We are humans, like you!"
But Naruto didn't relax. He saw Kira, who was shaking with shock and fear, and realized that these guys must be the Scarlet Crusaders that she had talked about. He didn't lower his sword, but he didn't move either. He waited as they walked over, as did Tsuwabuki and Kylia, who were also prepared to attack.
The girl stopped a few paces away from Naruto, eyeing his blade with slight trepidation. "Please," she said. "We really don't mean you any harm. We are friends." She offered him a warm smile, still laced with a bit of wariness.
Naruto finally relaxed. It was a girl, he reasoned, and she seemed honest, if anything. Kira looked at him almost in horror. What was he doing!
Matt and Bart stood, waving cheerily at the newcomers. "Salutations, little missy and good sirs!" The other Crusaders were all men; heavyset and tall, dressed in red armor and wearing the same red and gold tabard across their chests. They all had clean-cut hairstyles, and wore no beards.
The girl gave a slight bow to Matt. "Good evening, good sir." She then turned back to Naruto and Kira, smiling a little bit more warmly. "We are fortunate to have found you before nightfall. We have heard from another group that a small band of Scourge may have entered the area."
"F-fortunate?" Kira whispered, wondering what she had done to deserve this. She was standing in the presence of the faction that had essentially killed her father, and was ruining her kingdom. It was making her more than a little anxious.
The girl nodded. "Yes. You must be refugees from Stormwind, yes? If you are seeking sanctuary, then you needn't do anything but follow us. We have had so many refugees in the past few months. We shall take you to the monastery."
Naruto opened his mouth to protest. He didn't think Kira would want to be in the camp of the people who were essentially her enemies, and he knew it would pose too much of a threat. But Kira beat him to it.
"Y-yes…Thank you."
Naruto stared at her, eyes wide. What was she thinking? She gave him an "I'll explain later" look, and then turned back to the girl, who seemed relieved.
Matt stroked his beard, thinking. "Well, we were gonna go that way…" he pointed off into a completely random direction again, the look of concentration still on his face. "But if it's sanctuary you're offerin' then I'm all for it! Sides, I like those tabards!"
The girl sweat-dropped. "Oh good! It will take us some time to get there, so we'd best go no—" One of the large men nudged her, giving her a hard glare. She nodded, realizing that she had committed a mistake of some sort, and then approached Kira.
"I forgot…we have to test whether or not you have contracted the Plague. It will only take a moment." She seemed afraid now, as if at any moment Naruto or Kira or Kylia or even one of the old men would reveal themselves to be a ravenous ghoul.
She weaved a few seals, causing her hands to glow a bright, golden yellow. She reached up, making Kira stiffen and close her eyes. The girl laid her hand across Kira's forehead, for only a few seconds, and then retracted it, sighing in relief.
"You're clean."
She repeated the procedure with Naruto, Kylia, and the two old men. Tsuwabuki stayed out of sight, prowling behind the trees, watching the group.
The girl finally relaxed when she was assured that they were all uninfected. "Shall we go then?"
"We're so lucky we found you before you got infected!" said the girl, whose name turned out to be Maya. They were walking up a sloping path into the mountains, much later that day. They had done a heavy amount of backtracking before they had found another path, which led high to the mountains of Tirisfal Glades. "You don't know how many we encounter like that…it's terrible."
Kira, who was walking alongside her, asked as politely as possible, "What was that spell you used?"
Maya smiled. "It's a special spell; it was developed by the monks up at the monastery, and is taught to everyone who seeks to become a Scarlet Seeker. It allows us to tell who has been infected, by showing us the status of the person's life force. A Plagued person has a mutated life force, perverted by the evil plague within them, and though they remain alive, their body dies and rots like a cadaver's. That takes a long time, to be sure, but the life force perversion takes only a little while. The spell allows us to read your life force and see if it has mutated or not. We do it to everyone, twice. You'll be read a second time once we reach the monastery."
Kira nodded, and then lapsed into silence. Maya continued talking, about anything and everything, so Kira slipped back and fell into step alongside Naruto.
"Why did you say that we would go with them?" he whispered to her, as soon as he was sure none of the large Crusaders, who were listening to Matt talk about Jenkins, could hear them.
"I need to see my people," said Kira, quietly. "She said that many of them have come here. I need to see them; I need to see if they are all right."
Naruto frowned, crossing his arms over his chest and looking broody for a moment. "Be careful," he said.
She nodded, "I will."
Both of them knew that there was a big chance Kira would be recognized. If that was the case, they were in deep trouble. The last thing they needed was for Kira to be noticed in such a dangerous place. But Naruto respected Kira's wishes. This was something that she had to do.
And so on they walked. Maya was very upbeat, and quite friendly to everyone. She was not at all like what Kira believed the Scarlet Crusaders to be like. Far from being fanatical and overzealous, she was kind and polite, even a bit timid. She seemed like a normal girl. She did her best to get Kira and Kylia to open up to her, and succeeded for the most part. Naruto liked her. She was cute, and nice, and far cry from what he expected members of the Scarlet Crusade to be.
She was very knowledgeable as well. In order to keep things from falling totally silent, she would talk about the area, and some of its history. She knew a lot about it, considering she had grown up in a small town near just inside the border of what was now the Plaguelands. But she also talked about her profession: the Scarlet Seeker.
"We are sort of like priestesses," she explained, "but our only job is to discover who possesses and who doesn't possess the Plague. We learn everything about the Plague in order to be as effective as possible, as well as learn a bunch of different techniques including the one that I used on you to find out what has the Plague or not." Then she blushed. "But I'm still in training. When I'm a full-fledged Seeker, I hope to have a bit more confidence."
Naruto cocked his head to the side. "'What has it'? You mean things other than people can get it?"
Maya nodded. "Yes, that is what makes it so dangerous. Almost everything can get it—plants, animals, people; it can even grow as a sort of fungus, by itself. They call these 'plagueshrooms'."
Naruto shivered. Kira did as well, before asking, "How is it transferred?" It was one of the few things that Benedictus had not taught her. Very little was known about the Plague, even now. Hence, there weren't many decisive theories on how it could be transmitted.
Maya thought a moment. " Thankfully, there are only a few ways. It can be by breathing it, since it is an air-born disease originally. But that is very rare, nowadays. It has settled down, mostly, and that's why the Plaguelands are as they are now. The 'plague smoke' that originally delivered the Plague mutated the area until it became the horrible place that it is today. That was what gave birth to the 'plagueshrooms'. Their spores are the only surviving airborne form of the Plague.
"Another way is very simple—if you are bitten, or exchange any sort of fluids with a Plagued person, you will be infected. That's why you must avoid Scourge as much as possible. Even a bit of drool getting in an open wound can infect you. Thankfully you won't get it just by touching or being touched by an infected person, creature, or plant."
Naruto relaxed. That was good. Never until now had he ever feared getting sick. This place was a whole lot more dangerous than he originally thought, and it brought out the hypochondriac in him. But he knew now to avoid any strange looking mushrooms and to avoid being bitten or otherwise injured by anything that looked as if it were rotting in any way.
It was early evening (probably) when they reached a towering stonewall with a closed portcullis gate in the center. It was at the very top of a long slope, and they were quite high in the mountains. Naruto had at one point been able to see the ocean, far below them. The air was cooler, and clearer up this high. Things smelt less rotten, and didn't look as strange.
Maya and the four large men approached the gate, and saluted as another Crusader, a man, appeared behind it. He saluted them back, and they whispered to each other for a few moments, occasionally glancing at the small group behind them. They must have a looked quite a sight: Naruto in his outlandish, foreign garb, and his suspicious glare; Kira and her beauty; Kylia and her unconcealed weapons; and Matt and Bart, waving cheerily at them, with Matt occasionally rebuking an unseen Jenkins at his feet for doing something or other.
As this was happening, Naruto caught sight of Tsuwabuki out of the corner of his eye. Positioning himself behind Kira, he made a seal with his hands.
'Kokoro Heisetsu no jutsu (Spirit Link Technique)' he thought, letting his chakra flow through the bond between him and the fox. He could suddenly feel what she did, and could sense her confusion and wariness.
'What do you want me to do?' Tsuwabuki said, through the link.
'Try to find a way in without being seen. I don't think they'd let a silver fox inside. Stay out of sight, okay?'
'Fine. Be careful."
Naruto gave the slightest of nods, and released the jutsu. He stepped away from Kira again, just in time to see Maya finish up her conversation.
Maya turned and hurried back to them. "They're allowing you in. You just need to come up and get tested again before you can enter the rest of the monastery."
Kira swallowed. She felt as if she was about to enter a den of demons.
But it was for her people.
She led them through the gate, and then up a long, very ornate looking staircase inside the wall. Simple torches lit it, and many ornate designs, probably runes, were carved into the walls as they walked up. At the top of the staircase they entered a large, rectangular room, with two rows of four large columns dividing the room into three sections. In the middle, a heavyset man dressed in robes similar to Maya stood, waiting for them. He had a severe face, which was turned permanently downwards in a scowl. He didn't move as Maya walked up to him and gave a deep bow.
"Master Astonius."
The man nodded. "So you have brought us refugees, Seeker Maya?" He looked past her at them, his eyes scanning them over briefly. "You have checked them thoroughly, have you not?"
She nodded.
"Good," he said. He then walked up to Kira, gave her another quick look down, and then placed his hand on her forehead. He closed his eyes, and just stood there a moment. He retracted his hand, and then made a seal, making it glow like Maya's had. He pressed it to her forehead, and then quickly retracted it.
"You are blessed, child. I see that you not only are uninfected, but you follow the path of the priestess. You may enter our humble abode without fear now. May the Light give you protection, and may you be safe as long as you reside in these walls."
He was smiling now. It was a warm smile, too. There was no trace of ulterior motive, no falseness, nothing. His words were true.
Kira was baffled. Her fear didn't disappear, however; indeed, she got even more wary.
Master Astonius moved on. He repeated the gesture with Kylia, and pronounced the same thing as he had for Kira. On Naruto, he took a bit more time, and at the end, spoke something different.
"You are pure. You walk the way of the warrior, child. May the darkness fall to thine blade, and may you learn much in your stay in this place." He smiled at Naruto, and gave him a little pat on the head before moving on to Matt and Bart. Naruto stared back at him dumbly, a little weirded out by the man's final gesture.
'HE IS A FOOL. HE CANNOT EVEN SENSE ME: A GREATER DARKNESS THAN ANY PLAGUE.'
Naruto raised an eyebrow. 'You're back.'
'WHERE WOULD I HAVE GONE IN THIS PUNY LITTLE BODY OF YOURS?'
Naruto scowled inwardly. 'Mind telling me what the hell you've been doing?'
'THINKING.'
'About what?'
'WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT ME TO THINK ABOUT, BRAT?'
Naruto didn't answer.
By this time, Astonius had laid his hand on Matt's brow, and was frowning. "You are a bit cold." He made the seal and used the Plague scanning spell. He nodded. "You are clean." He then added, "Perhaps our healers can do something about your fever. You seem delirious."
Matt scratched his beard. "Eh? Do I?" He turned to Bart and smacked him upside the head. "Why didn't ya tell me!"
Everyone present sweat-dropped.
Master Astonius coughed, and then did a quick scan on Bart. When he turned out to be much the same as Matt, only a bit warmer, he was pronounced clean and Master Astonius smile at all of them.
"Enter, and find peace."
Maya gave a final bow. "Thank you master!"
The four Crusaders that had been accompanying Maya had already gone off, through a large metal door at the end of the hall. Maya led them towards another door at the end of the row they were standing in. It was metal as well, and there was a large slot for a key of some sort to go through. Maya smiled at the guards, and one of them drew a large, unsurprisingly red key attached to a leather thong from beneath his armor, and slid it into the hole. The door gave a loud creak, and slowly began to open.
While it did, Maya turned to her charges. "This door leads to the Main Square and the Cathedral, where the majority of the refugees are staying." She gestured to the other doors, "And these two doors lead to the Armory and the Library. The armory is where we keep the weapons we use to fight the Scourge, and where the warriors are trained to fight them. The Library is where not only we keep the entire history of Azeroth, but where the monks continually attempt to research and develop new ways of dealing with the undead. They are even trying to develop a cure!"
Kira looked stunned at this. A cure? Was that even possible?
When the door had finally opened, Maya led them down another long staircase that looked much the same as the one they had come up earlier. At the end, they came to an immense courtyard, and were greeted with a shocking sight.
Almost every square inch of the courtyard had been filled with people. They lay on blankets, their supplies strewn about them, or stood in small circles, talking to each other in low voices. They ranged from the smallest of children to the most ancient of elders. They were dressed in the most fancy of cloaks to the most tattered tunics. But there was one, unifying theme that bound them all together, and it was not their surroundings.
It was their disposition.
They were happy.
Some were smiling, and talking animatedly with their neighbors about this and that as they ate small servings of bread and cheese, and drank from little wooden bowls. Others chatted amiably with Crusaders that were walking along the large, stone pathway that surrounded the courtyard. Children played happily in the small pool and waterfall at the very end of the courtyard, while Crusaders walked by, smiling at their delight.
Kira could not believe it.
Her people were happy.
They were not suffering, or being treated poorly, or angry or at all distressed. They seemed as at home in this tranquil garden as they had been in their own city. It felt like a punch to her gut. These people were happy, and it wasn't because of her. They were happy because they had braved the terrible wilds and come to this beautiful place. The Scarlet Crusade was making them happy. She could feel their absolute comfort in this place. They were at home, and they were safe.
It almost made her retch. It was only Kylia's quick thinking that kept her from falling to her knees.
She saw the smiles the Crusaders gave them; they weren't fake, or at all forced. They were genuinely pleased that so many people were happy. They weren't preaching radically about death to all Plagued ones, or to orcs or to any other races at all. They were just doing what they could to help these people, her people, who had endured entirely too much pain.
Maya looked at Kira worriedly. "Is something wrong?" She sounded concerned, even going so far as to lean forwards and look directly into Kira's eyes. "Miss Kira?"
Kira wanted to look away, but she didn't. She looked into Maya's eyes, and searched with all her power for some sort of falseness. Some sign that Maya was not concerned, and that she was as fake as this entire place was supposed to be. But she found nothing.
"I-I…I'm fine," she said, recovering. She schooled her features, and smiled. " I was just surprised…do you have enough room for us?"
Maya blinked, and then smiled cheerily. "Of course! We have room for everyone."
"What about food?" it was Kylia, surprisingly, who asked this.
"We have plenty; most of its conjured, but it still tastes great and fills you up nicely. The water is pure and untainted, despite the children playing in it now," Maya said, giggling. "Come this way, we'll find you all a nice place to settle down."
They followed her along the stone walkway towards the stairs that led up to another level of the courtyard. There were many more people up there, as well, but less enough to allow Maya and her charges to find a small section near the ledge, and settle down into a circle. A monk dressed in bright scarlet robes hurried over, carrying a basket of bread for them. Another came with a pitcher of water and some bowls.
Maya eagerly tore into the bread, as did Naruto, Matt and Bart. Kira didn't feel at all like eating, so she just nibbled a little, and watched her people. Kylia ate slowly as well, as if testing the food for poison.
Maya began talking about the Cathedral, giving them all a brief history on it, and how it was made. It had been established, many years ago, by the former High Inquisitor, a man named Jaquin Fairbanks. He was the uncle of the current High Inquisitor, Whitemane. It was extremely durable, and could withstand even the harshest attacks by the undead.
As he ate, Naruto gazed at the people as well. He then spotted a group of Crusaders moving among them, led by a huge, barrel-chested man dressed in blood-red armor, and a white tabard with a red flame in the middle. He had a brown, clean-cut beard, and tidy, silky brown hair. Standing at the head of the small group of Crusaders, this man was obviously quite important. He nodded occasionally at people he passed, who would smile back at him, almost adoringly.
"Who's that?" he asked Maya, pointing.
Maya turned and a dreamy smile crossed her face.
"That's…the Scarlet Commander Mograine!" she said, swooning slightly. "He commands the warriors that are trained here, and is one of the most powerful warriors in the Crusade! He's the son of the former Highlord, the Ashbringer!"
"Ashbringer?" Naruto said, cocking his head to the side.
Maya nodded. "Yes, it was the name given to Highlord Mograine because of the weapon he wielded—a mighty sword known as the Ashbringer. It was said that he could kill undead so quickly that in mere seconds he could reduce whole bands of them to nothing but ashes. It is so unfortunate that he is dead…."
"I have heard of him…" said Kira, thinking back to her teachings. "He was slain in battle against the lich, Kel'Thuzad, wasn't he? A long time ago, before I was born, even."
Maya looked sad for a moment. "Me too. It is such a shame that he is no longer with us. His blade, too, is lost. But if it is recovered, I know that there is no one but Commander Mograine who is fit to wield it!"
Kira gave a simple nod, but said nothing more. She went back to watching the people around her, sipping her water as she did.
Across the courtyard, watching from a small window high above the massive doors of the Scarlet Chapel, sat High Inquisitor Andria Whitemane. Her beautiful green eyes stared, almost bored, at the large crowd that had been living in the monastery for many months now.
She observed them in a manner not unlike a careful buyer inspecting a merchant's goods. She wished she could reach out and pick them up, weighing them in such a manner. But she couldn't, so she watched.
And today, she was quite glad she had. For she had spotted something that greatly interested her. At the far end of the courtyard, just in front of the ledge, sat the missing Princess of Stormwind.
What luck.
Smiling as a cat might after catching his mouse, but before he had eaten it, she called a monk to her.
"I need you to do something for me, Brother Jakken."
Maya had finished her bread and water, and now stood. Naruto patted his stomach pitifully, wondering how these people could function after eating so little. He wanted to get out some of the food he had left in his pack, but didn't know if he was going to need it or not later.
Maya smiled at all of them. "How about a tour? I can show you all around the monastery, or at least where I'm permitted to go."
Naruto stood, shrugging. "Sure."
Kylia looked over at Kira, who didn't look as if she was going to answer. So she did it for her. "I don't think we should…"
"Are you sure? It won't take very lon—"
"Seeker Maya?"
A tall, young man with a smiling face walked up to her. He was dressed in much more ornate crimson robes, and had ice blue eyes behind a pair of spectacles. Though he was smiling, Naruto did not like him. Out of all the Crusaders he had seen so far, his smile was the most unnerving; for it was the kind that Orochimaru or Kabuto made. The blonde tensed a little at the man's arrival.
"Brother Jakken?" said Maya. "It is good to see you! What can I help you with?"
Brother Jakken gave a bow. "The High Inquisitor has expressed a wish in seeing the young Princess. Might I borrow her for a bit?"
Maya looked stunned. "P-princess?" She looked back at Kira, and looked shocked as well.
'How did they…?'
Naruto stepped forwards. "What does she want?" he said, glaring into the man's eyes.
Being cut from the same mold as Orochimaru, the man didn't react to Naruto's hostility. He just smiled wider and said, "Simply to meet the young princess, nothing more. She has been very worried, you see. You need not worry. She can take her young bodyguard, if she wishes." He smiled at Kylia, who stood up straighter, and stepped in front of Kira, protectively.
Kira suddenly spoke.
"I will go to meet her."
Naruto and Kylia turned to her, alarmed. "Kira-chan!" " Mis—Kira!"
Kira shook her head, looking at them as reassuringly as possible. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Lady Whitemane was a friend of my fathers, so there's nothing to fear."
Naruto gritted his teeth. He knew what she was doing. She was playing along, so as not to alert the hundreds of Crusaders around them, all likely battle-ready. She offered Naruto an extremely false smile, her fear and anger simmering just behind it.
"Well then, follow me," said Jakken, turning and walking away.
Kira did so, and Kylia followed quickly behind. Naruto made to go as well, but Kira turned and shook her head. "Naruto, you don't need to come. I'll be fine. Go on the tour, okay?"
Naruto stopped, stunned a little, and before he could protest even that, Kira was gone, following Brother Jakken across the courtyard.
Naruto scowled. "Fine, let's go."
Maya looked after Kira in amazement. "She was a princess…wow. I mean…come along then!"
Matt and Bart stayed behind, sitting in the remains of the small circle. They were completely silent for a while, watching the surrounding people. Then, Bart spoke.
"How come I'm the guy who got his tongue cut out? Why can't I be the crazy old man for once?"
Matt's features remained in the same, disturbed look as before, but his words were different. They were harder, deeper, and far more serious.
"Because you can't act. And you can't lie. And I enjoy the silence."
Fen harrumphed. "So what do we do now?"
"We wait for the opportune moment. Then, we strike," said Myrdraxxis, fingering a small pouch hidden beneath his cloak. But he was careful not to disturb it much.
For in it was death.
Hah! I bet you thought I was the crazy old man, huh? Whoo! Fen: 1, Audience: 0!
Long chapter again, and no fighting. Oh well. Still fun to write.
Not much to say at all. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter, because I have been looking forwards to this arc for quite a while. I will do my best not to crap it up.
Can anyone guess what this week's language of the Disclaimer is?
Well, that should be all…
I think…
Next week: Whitemane speaks, and Myrdraxxis and Fen make their move!
Spellbook:
Plague-Sense- Used by Scarlet Seekers, and developed by the Arcanist Doan. It is used to detect whether or not a person has the Undead Plague, by sensing if their life force is pure or not.
Kokoro Heisetsu no jutsu (Spirit Link Technique)- Allows a person who possesses a spirit animal to feel what his animal feels, and communicate over long distances.
Bestiary:
Scarlet Commander Mograine (Humanoid)(Elite)- Commands the legion of Scarlet Warriors that are garrisoned in the Scarlet Monastery. Son of the Scarlet Highlord Mograine the Ashbringer. His skills are as of yet, unknown.
Varimathras (Demon)(Boss)- Servant of Lady Sylvanas Windrunner. A Dread Lord (Nathrezim) who was enslaved by Sylvanas and forced to kill his brother Balnazzar. Immensely powerful, and quite afraid of Sylvanas. His powers are unknown.
High Inquisitor Whitemane (Humanoid)(Boss)- Leader of the Scarlet Monastery, and a powerful priestess. Might be responsible for King Anduin's death. Extremely cunning and beautiful. Her full powers are unknown.