Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
You may be wondering what in the hell Myr and me were doing in that red ant hive.
I can assure you that it wasn't just to see what Myrdraxxis would be like if he and I switched personalities.
No, it boils down to the fact that good ol' Sylvie had some plans that were as dark as her title. She had a job for Myr' and me, and as soon as I heard it, I wish I hadn't.
It was only a few hours after we had sent the little humans packing. I felt like drowning my sorrows in alcohol, even if I really couldn't get drunk. So that was where we headed, and spent the next hours. I didn't feel like talking in the slightest—my dream had just passed me by again, and I was going to be bitter about it for as long as I could.
Unfortunately, after a few hours in the dingy little tavern that Myrdraxxis and I usually haunt (it is called the Rotten Pony; not a terribly appealing name, even to our kind) Lady Sylvanas' lovely little pet Dreadlord, Varimathras, came knocking, saying that Sylvie needed to see us. I did my best to ignore him, of course; I had little respect for Varimathras, mostly because he was gloomier company that Myrdraxxis and he turned to a frightened rabbit whenever he was in Sylvanas' presence. He was powerful, no doubt; probably even stronger than I, but it doesn't do well for one's reputation to stutter and shake like a cornered animal when the Banshee Queen addressed you.
So after much grumbling, and a few biting comments from both Myrdraxxis and Varimathras, we went down to the Royal Quarter again, where lady Sylvanas was waiting for us. She looked quite beautiful, as always, and I commented on how her dress looked particularly ravishing that night.
Of course, she had worn the very same outfit since I had known her, and so after sending me a withering glare, she spoke to us.
"I have a job for you two," she began.
Big surprise, I remember thinking. I was quite sure that she had called us down for tea; I was sadly mistaken.
"Ask, and we shall do it, My lady," said Myrdraxxis, bowing low. This was his typical statement before Sylvanas gave us a mission briefing. I bowed too, if only out of reflex.
My beautiful lady smiled and motioned behind her. Out came possibly the last person I wished to see at that moment.
Master Apothecary Faranell.
I am generally a pretty tolerant person. I had to be, because of my job as an ambassador. But then, and even now, Faranell is a person that really tests the limit of that tolerance. He is the worst sort of person that you could meet, even out of us Forsaken.
He was greasy and slimy looking, due to the chemicals that he was constantly around in his little laboratory deeper in the sewers. He had long, greasy black hair, wore drab, discolored robes, and to add insult to injury, did not possess a lower jaw. Now, this probably would have lowered his annoyance factor by ten or so, at least, but our race was gifted with a delightful in some cases, but extremely annoying in others, trait that allowed us to speak without really moving our mouths.
How is this possible, you ask?
Don't ask me. Perhaps it is a crazy sort of evolution, at best. As Scourge, we had no need for speaking, really. We were completely mindless, and therefore had nothing to say, rather than groan or gurgle or in some rare cases, snicker our name.
After regaining our senses, and our use of chakra, our bodies had to catch up with the fact that our minds still believed we spoke, and thus sought to rectify the fact that some of us no longer had tongues or lower jaws. So, instead of our tongues forming the words necessary to speak, our chakra does it. It's something about our chakra systems reworking itself, and that the coils that once ran through our throats and mouths have now wrapped around our voice boxes, and they do the work of the tongue. It is all very technical, and I've never received an accurate explanation for it, but all I know is that we can talk, and that that ability is not fitting at all for Faranell.
He's a wormy person; he is sniveling, shrewd, and horribly sycophantic. He's insane, to a degree, too. He was supposedly once a great Dalaran alchemist, but after death his mind warped and he became the intolerable boil of pathetic drivel that he is today.
In front of people like myself, he acts like a king. He is, after all, the Master Apothecary, and therefore he is far more important than all of us. He struts about, and when Sylvanas isn't present, orders people around like they were his subjects. He's very fussy, too. When something doesn't go his way, he acts like a small child and petulantly demands whatever it is, no matter how hard it is to acquire.
Now, if this wasn't bad enough, around Sylvanas he did a complete 180-degree turn. He becomes sniveling, pathetic, and carries out whatever Sylvanas orders him to. He would do a back flip and dress up like a girl if she ordered it. The point is it's impossible to watch such a display without at least dry heaving. Even Myrdraxxis has to visit Faranell on an empty stomach.
But, I digress. As much as I hate Faranell, it isn't relevant to the story. Now, as I silently seethed and prepared to be reintroduced to the alcohol that I had so recently consumed, Faranell walked over and bowed deeply in front of Sylvanas, holding out a few vials of poisonous green liquid, which reminded me horribly of the plague cloud that had taken my life.
"As you asked, My lady. I have completed it as fast as possible."
"Good," she said, taking the vial from him and holding it up to her eye, smiling that pretty smile of hers. She then waved her hand, dismissing him. I could hardly believe it.
Neither could he, apparently. He slunk off; obviously displeased that he hadn't been praised more than a single word.
"This," she said to Myrdraxxis and me, "is your mission."
"What is it?" I asked.
"My new plague."
At this, I stood to attention. Plague? This was the first I had heard of it. But what did she want with a plague?
"A plague?" I asked her, slightly stunned. "For what?"
She laughed sweetly (in my opinion). "What else? Would it not be the most terrible irony that I kill that fool Arthas with the same weapon that he killed all of you? This is our weapon against him, and against the other fools in this world. Once I release this plague, it will destroy the Scourge, as well as annihilate all my human enemies. It is my ultimate weapon."
I was stunned. Elated, in a way, but stunned even more. A plague was not the type of weapon one usually thought of. It was uncontrollable; once a plague broke out, unless a cure was found, it would continue to spread. Obviously, Sylvanas intended this. And I doubted that she was going to bother with a cure.
"But, as any scientific discovery, it must be tested. While I could find a round of Scourge to test it on, I believe I have found a much more suitable target."
"Who?" I wondered.
"Why, those nasty little red ants in the mountains, of course," she said, delighted.
I nodded. It made sense. I hated the Crusade as much as anyone. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all.
"But I have some specific requirements for this mission, Fenritt. I stayed off punishing him for this reason."
"Him?" I asked, frowning.
"The little blonde boy, and the little princess, of course."
My heart plummeted (to this day, I cannot tell if it was metaphorically or literally).
"What?" I was not feeling particularly verbose after such a statement.
"You are to make contact with the boy and you
are to stay with them until they have encountered the Crusade. It
shan't be hard, for there are plenty of them patrolling the road
towards the Plaguelands. They will no doubt pick them up, and take
them directly to the monastery, where you will then release this
plague, and exterminate those bothersome little pests for good."
My mind was still reeling. I looked at Myrdraxxis, but his face was as a rock: stony and unmoving.
"But what is the point of getting Naruto and Kira into the monastery?" I asked her.
Her smile widened. That was probably the only time that I did not enjoy seeing the smile.
"I intend to show him and that little girl exactly how childish her dream really is," her smile then died. "She must learn that the world is not the nicest of places, and that things will not always go her way. Only when she had tasted despair like I have will she learn what the world is truly like."
If I had eyes, they would have been the widest they could be. She was going to teach Kira a lesson…by killing her and her people?
I tried to speak, to do anything to dissuade her from this course of action. But her word could never be contested. She had made up her mind, and I knew that once she had done that, she could never be convinced otherwise. I slumped.
She spoke again, just before she sent us off.
"And the brat called me old. I never let anyone go without a punishment for that."
She dismissed us to get fitted for our costumes then, but I left feeling hollow. There had to be another reason for why she was doing this. Perhaps it was just a test and a life lesson, but something told me, deep down, that Sylvanas was doing this for far different reasons.
And I could do nothing but obey.
The Cathedral of the Scarlet Monastery could easily, in Kira's mind, compare to the ancient and ornate Church of Stormwind where her master worked. The floor and walls were made of cold, grey stone that was dressed with scarlet banners and torches. The ceiling was made up by a series of buttresses holding up the ornate stones that made up the roof. The rafters, though old looking, were still extremely decorated, and it must have taken their creator quite a while to carve such intricate details into something that people wouldn't see very well.
She stood at the entrance to the Cathedral, staring directly down a large aisle where many monks dressed in scarlet robes and tabards were kneeling in prayer. Large, ornate columns had been constructed on either side of the aisle, each one with a different statue of a famous hero carved within. As Brother Jakkan led her and Kylia past, she could not help but shiver at their gaze. It felt like she was being judged, as if they wondered why such an unbelieving, traitorous girl would dare look upon them.
So she averted her eyes. She did not feel much like watching them anyways.
Kylia was traveling by her side, her eyes darting around the room and the silent monks every second. In a room full of potential enemies, with only herself and her mistress, she did not want to be surprised. So she kept herself alert as they walked down the center of aisle, towards the massive altar at the very end of the Cathedral.
Kira looked behind her, wistfully wishing she had let Naruto come with her. It certainly couldn't have hurt, and it had made her ache to just brush him off like that, especially in such a dangerous place.
But she thought again. This was something she needed to do, and as much as Naruto had helped her in the past (and that was quite a bit) she couldn't have him shouting or making a ruckus in this instance, no matter how meaningful his words could be. That was going to be her job.
Besides, this would give him a chance to see the rest of the monastery, and possibly plan out an escape route. She doubted Naruto could do such a thing, as his plans usually came to him in the heat of battle, rather than formal planning before. Nevertheless, she hoped he would at least pay attention.
The altar was set on a dais that was only raised a few feet off the ground, so low that one could access it by only two steps. The dais itself was quite wide, and on the corners of the highest level were four braziers, burning brightly. A massive, illuminated scroll was spread out in the grandest fashion upon the altar, so that the people who looked upon it would be smitten by its beauty, and drawn like moths to a flame to the words that it held.
Standing in front of the altar, his solemn, blue eyes catching her own purplish ones, was Mograine, the Scarlet Commander. He seemed even larger than when she had seen him earlier, walking amongst her people. She hadn't even noticed that he had left.
Brother Jakkan bowed deeply in front of Mograine, who gave a simple nod in return.
"My lady wishes to speak with you, young princess," he said, affixing her with a granite stare. His face had been carved, much like the statues in the columns, into a powerful scowl; but rather than there being any anger behind it, it seemed to simply be his normal expression. She wondered what he would look like if he did scowl.
She nodded. "Yes," she said stiffly. "I know."
Without giving her another look, he pointed behind him. There was a small, red wood door, with the emblem of the Crusade carved most illustriously upon the front, directly behind the dais.
"Through there lies Lady Whitemane's chambers, where she is waiting. Go quickly, she does not like to be kept waiting."
She nodded, and headed forwards. Jakkan made to move as well, but Mograine gave him a hard look, and he stopped. So they went on alone, through the door and into a large, circular chamber.
A bright, large chandelier that reminded her of the one in Sylvanas' throne room lit the chamber in a warm and inviting light, much more so than the meager lighting of the torches and braziers in the previous room. There was a large table off to one side of the room, and an opulent four-poster bed opposite it. But her attention was soon drawn to the center, where two chairs had been set up, facing each other. In one chair, the one facing her, sat High Inquisitor Whitemane.
She was unchanged from the last time she had seen the terrible scarlet witch. Her hair, still the unnatural pale blonde, was tied in a single plait behind her. She wore the same scandalous garb she had always worn in front of her father (so it hadn't been a ploy to seduce him, evidently), and wore red chapeau atop her head, giving her much more of a priestly look. Her legs were crossed, and she had laced her fingers together in front of her. She was the picture of patience and serenity; smiling a beatific, if disgustingly faux, smile at her.
She rose when Kira came fully into the room, and gave a heavy sigh of relief.
"Praise to the light that you are safe, Kira. I have been terribly worried, having heard that you went missing all those months ago. To think that you have come to this place, safe and sound. I am glad that—"
"Shut up!"
Whitemane stopped smiling, appearing quite shocked. "W-what?"
Kira's patience had been obliterated the moment Whitemane had opened her mouth. To hear her speak such words, as if she actually cared, as if she were her mother or something, infuriated the girl. Who did this bitch think she was? She had destroyed her father, and now had the gall to act like she was worried for Kira's safety?
"You have no right to say anything about my safety, you monster! You're the one who put me in such danger in the first place! How dare you act like that!" she cried.
Whitemane still looked stunned. She began to recover, asking, "What do you mean, Kira? What have I done that—"
Kira nearly slapped the woman. She was even trying to deny it! It made the hate and anger that she had buried for so long, and the sadness too, surge up and nearly burst from like a volcano erupting. While he had promised herself she would remain civil, it was long past that point. She could not contain her disgust, her fury, or the pained sadness that still lingered any longer.
"YOU KILLED MY FATHER!" she screamed. "YOU TURNED MY PEOPLE AGAINST EACH OTHER, AND HAVE HELPED DESTROY THE ALLIANCES THAT HELPED MY KINGDOM PROSPER! HOW CAN YOU EVEN BEGIN TO THINK THAT YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING?"
Kylia had backed away from her mistress, eyes wide. The room still rang with the girl's words, and Kira was shaking madly. There were tears in eyes, the sadness of her father's death bleeding forth again, the wound reopened.
Whitemane looked at her with wide, unblinking eyes for a moment. Then, the kindness in her eyes died a little, and she looked down.
"So that is it?" she asked, her posture sinking slightly in the chair, giving her a brooding pose.
Kira wiped the tears from her eyes, and stared straight into the gaudy, fake emeralds that were Whitemane's eyes. "Yes," she said, coldly. What more was to be said? She had made it clear her intentions, and now she knew that something was going to happen. She readied herself for whatever it may be.
Even so, she was unprepared for Whitemane's next words.
"Forgive me, little princess, but you are a fool."
Kira's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Whitemane stood, clasping her hands behind her as she did. Her face was hidden from Kira, as he had turned away and down. "I would like to ask you what I possibly had to gain from doing what you speak of."
Kira hardly blinked, answering almost as soon as the last word left Whitemane's mouth. "To get my people to join your ranks and support you!" she cried. "To cause as much dissention and create a rift in the my people so that you gain more people to continue your horrible crusade against everyone non-human on this world!"
Whitemane glared at her, showing an immense amount of emotion swirling in her jewel-like eyes. There was so much of it that she wasn't able to tell exactly what Whitemane was feeling, but she soon made it known.
"Do you see soldiers
out there, girl?" Whitemane's tone was now clipped. The warmth
and calmness that she had demonstrated before were gone, not even a
memory.
"I ask you, do you see a single person out there who is
capable of helping me in any way? Do you see those people getting up
and fighting, or even willing to fight?"
Kira blinked, bewildered. She had not seen anyone like that, to be sure. There had been mostly women, children, and older people. There had been men, to be sure, but none of them had looked like they were able, or even wanted to fight.
Whitemane continued, her eyes blazing. "I did not accept those people in here with the hope that I could make them into Crusaders, girl. I have not supported and given them shelter just because I intend to use them. I took them in because no one else would; because right now your city is in turmoil and they cannot stand to see it in such a way, and because they need help and I intend to give it to them!"
Kira's face went white for a moment in sheer astonishment. For a second she had let the woman's words touch her, wondering if what she said could possibly be true. But just as quickly, it reverted once more into rage, and she stalked forwards angrily.
"But you brought them here!" she bellowed. "You're the cause of the turmoil, you and your Crusaders spoke lies to my people, turning them against each other! If you hadn't come then none of this would have happened!"
Whitemane stalked forwards as well, as furious as Kira. "What reason would I have for doing that? I wanted an alliance with your father! I wanted, yes, to continue the Crusade for which my people have been named, but I wanted to do it with your father! I wanted for him to help me, and wanted to help him, destroy the Lich King and the awful monsters that plague this world!" Her face was white with rage, and her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. She was shaking so much that it almost looked as if she was going to have a seizure. "How dare you accuse me of doing such a thing! I wanted to help the people of this world, and I did not want at all to hurt your father, whose death has hit me as hard as it has you!"
Kira's choler then reached a crescendo. It flooded her body, igniting each vein, artery, each nerve and cell; she had never hated anyone more in that moment. She had never believed herself capable of such wrath, but at that moment it took all of her remaining willpower not to kill Whitemane where she stood.
'How dare she! HOW DARE SHE EVEN COMPARE HERSELF TO ME LIKE THAT! HOW DARE SHE SAY THAT MY FATHER'S DEATH AFFECTED HER IN ANY WAY!' she thundered within. Out loud, she spoke, her voice deathly silent, every word laden with enough explosive hatred to raze a city.
"What…makes you think…you can say something like that…?"
Whitemane stared back at her, and for a single moment, her features softened.
A single emotion passed through her eyes, a signal flare in the eye of the storm.
Kira's rage died instantly. She backed away, as if terrified, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.
'No…' she thought. It couldn't be true. Something like that wasn't possible.
"No," she repeated aloud, taking a step backwards, her body going numb.
Whitemane's rage died too. She looked almost defeated. "Why is that so hard to believe?"
"It can't be true!" Kira cried. "Someone like you can't have…!"
Whitemane smiled sadly, sitting back down in the chair and slumping. "Have fallen in love?" the woman offered.
Kira felt sick; because this horrible witch had somehow fallen in love with her father, who was now dead, and because she had believed that someone like Whitemane couldn't fall in love: Benedictus had called her and her faction monsters.
And monsters couldn't fall in love.
But it was more than that. Whitemane's reaction, her posture, everything, all seemed genuine. There was nothing false about her words; even the emotions that she felt wafting from the woman could not be faked. Because of this, Kira was suddenly introduced to the slayer of every belief and dream.
Doubt.
Had Benedictus been wrong? Had it been someone else who had killed her father, and Whitemane's intentions had been nothing but beneficial? Had all of this been necessary?
Now Kira truly did wish for Naruto's company. His words, she knew, could make anyone feel better.
But, even if he wasn't there, she could borrow something from him.
His never-ending tenacity; his rock-solid belief in everything he did and said. It was about time that she learned something from him, for it was something that had gotten them here today.
Kira steeled herself. She adopted a demure attitude, and deflated. "I'm going," she said, turning and walking back towards the door.
Whitemane said nothing in response, and Kira took a final look at the woman's bowed head, and her quietly shaking shoulders. Before the doubt could return, Kira left the room, Kylia in tow.
But she did not know that the shaking shoulders were not from tears, but from silent, sadistic laughter. Whitemane looked up, just as Kira left, with a broad, insane grin stretched across her beautiful face.
"And these are the stables, where the horses are kept!" said Maya, pointing to the long row of simple looking stables with thatched roves, only half of which housed a horse. Naruto nodded, his eyes having long since melted into a bored squint. He had clasped his hands behind his head and had been walking along like that since Maya had started the tour. He was only half-listening, for he had other things on his mind.
Kira's brush-off, for instance; at first he had been rather angry that Kira had done something like that. It was a rather sharp reminder of what most of his childhood had been like, and it was the first time Kira had done something like that. But as he thought about it, he realized that he'd be butting in to a very personal situation with her. She probably figured that he'd blurt something out that would make someone angry, and had accounted for that by telling him not to come.
Still, as much as he trusted her, he felt as if it would have been better for him to be there. Kira-chan was strong, no doubt, but no way was she strong enough to even put a dent in the sheer number of Crusaders that he had seen walking around. If they turned hostile, Kira and Kylia would be doomed.
But then again, she probably wouldn't let that happen, since she had a much better grip on her tongue that Naruto himself did.
Nevertheless, Naruto brooded the majority of the tour, only nodding every so often to make it seem like he was paying attention. It was something he had learned during Iruka's lectures in the Academy.
The Scarlet Monastery was massive. Naruto had had really no idea how large it was, but it far surpassed what he felt a monastery should be like. He and Ero-sennin had passed by one or two in the six months he had trained in the Fire country; they were small, fortified places with only a few aging monks, who spent all their time drinking tea and blubbering about philosophical topics Naruto didn't understand. They had also possessed none of the extravagance and beauty that this place had. Weren't monks supposed to be simple folk? This place reminded him more of a small town than a building, and its people were comprised of mainly soldiers.
Not a single Crusader that he could see walked without a weapon by their side. These weapons ranged from small daggers to immense war maces strapped across their backs. They passed places where Maya told them early morning training exercises were done, and spotted a group of Crusaders marching in a frighteningly militaristic fashion. The Scarlet Crusaders, evidently, were as hooked on discipline as they were on destroying the undead.
After a while, he got bored (that is, bored to a point where he couldn't take it any more, and decided that he needed to do something about it). Looking over at Maya, who had lapsed into silence and was focused on leading them to the next place on the tour, Naruto asked, "Why'd you join the Scarlet Crusade?"
Maya looked at him in surprise, then her face drooped and she sighed. She didn't speak for a moment, simply remembering.
"My family used to live in Tarren Mill, a long time ago, before I was even born. Back then it was a prosperous town, until Sylvanas and her Forsaken attacked and took it over. My parents then took my two older sisters and fled into the mountains, where they and bunch of other survivors rebuilt a small portion of the town, and tried to live in peace. I was born there, and lived there until I was around six years old." She then gulped, and took a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself. Naruto winced at his foolish words; he had obviously brought up some very painful memories for the girl.
After another deep breath, she continued. "When I was six, a massive band of Scourge came…and they utterly wiped the village out. They killed and infected everyone…but me. I watched as they tore my father and mother to pieces, before my sisters tried to get me away, and fight them off. They were killed too, but thanks to them I managed to get away into the forest. I just wandered along for a while; I didn't have a family anymore, so I figured I would probably die.
"But I didn't," she said, looking up, most of her sadness gone. "I was picked up by a group of Crusaders, who took me to the monastery. They did some tests to see if I was infected, and I wasn't, so they let me stay here. But I didn't want to just stay here like some, and just be a bother, so I joined the Seekers. I'm still training, but I'm on my way to becoming someone who can help destroy those evil monsters for good," she smiled at him. "The Scarlet Crusade are going to be the ones to get rid of the Scourge, I know it. I'm going to do all that I can to help them in that endeavor!"
Naruto smiled faintly. He wasn't sure if she was going in the right direction, but her dream was definitely admirable—it wasn't at all that different from Kira's. So he gave her a grin and a nod, to show that he thought what she was doing was okay in his book. She smiled back, proud to have a supporter.
They continued walking, and Maya pointed out a few rooms where some of the monks lived and conducted teachings. Naruto quickly grew bored again, and so he once more tried to divert Maya's attention from their surroundings, and back to something that was both useful and more interesting.
"How do you guys plan to keep feeding and housing all these people? There are a lot of them, so do you plan to just keep them here forever?"
Maya shifted. "I don't know. I imagine Lady Whitemane and Commander Mograine have an idea of what they are going to do, but I really cannot say. It has me bothered too."
Naruto nodded, lapsing back into his previous position, with his hands behind his head.
"But…" said Maya, frowning suddenly. "What bothers me more is the fact that many people who came here originally have left, quite mysteriously."
Naruto looked at her in surprise. "Disappeared?"
The girl nodded. "We have had numerous people coming to us saying that they woke up one morning and their husband or son or daughter or brother or…well the list goes on. There are a lot less people than when they originally began arriving. Many of us are not sure what to make of it."
Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Could the other Crusaders, the older ones I mean, have something to do with it?"
She gave him a confused look. "Why would they keep such things from us? I believe they are as baffled as we are, and so they have even posted more guards near the entrance to ensure that they are not being captured, or even led away by some otherworldly force. Why would you think that they knew?"
Naruto shrugged. "This place is supposed to be the safest place for miles, right? How safe can it be if you guys don't know what happened to a group of people you are taking care of?"
Inwardly, he was sighing. Even a nice girl like Maya seemed to be blinded to the thought that her faction might be the one that was doing something wrong.
Maya looked alarmed for a moment. "It is safe!" she cried, defensively. "But there are a lot of people, Naruto, how can we expect to keep track of all of them?"
Naruto shrugged. "Dunno, but you have quite a few people yourself. Most of the refugees are gathered in one place, you know? I'm not trying to say that the Crusade has anything to do with it…but you have to keep your mind open…okay?"
Maya frowned at him. "Even if we did have something to do with it, it is likely that they are safe and will be returned to their families soon enough." She then looked at him severely. "We are a just and noble faction, and all humans are our friends, Naruto. We're here to protect them, not hurt them!"
Naruto shrugged again. The two of them then lapsed into silence. After a few minutes, Naruto shot a look at Maya, and saw that she was thinking quite hard. He grinned mentally. At least he had gotten her to consider it. He wished he could have such great luck with all girls.
Then, maybe, he'd be able to get Sakura-chan to go on a date with him.
Eventually, to Naruto's surprise, they ended up right back in the main entrance room where he and the rest had been tested for the Plague when they had first arrived. They stood in the frame of a smaller doorway, while the three doors that led to the Library, Cathedral, and Armory lay on his right, and the exit passage his left. The room was deserted, save for a few guards who watched them as they walked towards the Cathedral entrance. Naruto glanced at the two other doors.
"Aren't we going in those?" he asked.
Maya shook her head, blushing a little. "I'm afraid not. They only let those who are needed in there. Not even I can go in without permission from Master Astonius or another senior officer."
Naruto sighed, but nodded. The Library would have been boring anyways, but he believed he was missing out on the Armory.
They descended the staircase that led to the courtyard, and to Naruto's surprise, they encountered Bart, who was walking up towards them.
"Where are you going?" asked Naruto, not really expecting an answer.
Bart thought a moment, stopping a few feet in front of them, and then made a bunch of weird hand motions, which Naruto guessed was a type of sign language. Maya was just as confused as he, so the two of them just stared at Bart for a few moments, while he tried, in vain, to tell them what he was trying to say.
"Where's Matt?" asked Naruto, frowning. He hadn't expected the old man to leave his brother.
In response, Bart let out a rather obnoxious fart, and pointed to the offending orifice.
This time, both Naruto and Maya understood, much to their disgust.
Bart moved on past them, and just as he walked past Naruto, he swayed suddenly, as if he was going to fall.
Naruto grabbed him, quickly, and steadied him. "You okay?" he asked, again not expecting much of an answer.
But he got one.
"Don't say anything," Bart whispered, his voice startlingly familiar. "You need to get these people out of here, fast. If you don't, they're all going to die. This isn't a joke, and it will be on your hands if you don't act quickly. I'll try to stall as long as possible, but I'll have to do it eventually. I'm going to release a plague, and it's going to kill everyone who is infected with it and that doesn't have immunity to it…like Myr and me. Now go, as fast as you can."
And then he was gone. Naruto stared forwards, unblinking, Fen's words ringing in his ears. Maya asked him something, but he didn't hear it. Grabbing the girl by the arm, Naruto bolted down the stairs towards the courtyard. He needed to find Kira, and fast.
Perhaps I should explain a couple of things—namely, our disguises, and our supposed "immunity" to Sylvanas' homemade plague cocktail.
The disguises are pretty simple to explain—the Royal Apothecary Society designed them for the sole purpose of infiltrating human settlements. Now, here's the thing—there is a technique that is taught to rogues like Myrdraxxis that achieves much the same affect. However, it is just an illusion, and could be seen through if one was intelligent enough.
Now, because Sylvanas is hooked on changing things that would benefit her more (a delightful trait, In my humble opinion) she decided to add some insurance, and thus make sure that every infiltration job worked out splendidly. So, gathering the nerds of the Apothecary Society together, she had them create a synthetic "suit" which could be applied over our bodies, much like human skin. It even smelled like human skin, felt like human skin, and could bleed like human skin. It could be molded for a short period of time before it hardened, and then it lasted for several days—and voila, one becomes a perfect imitation of a human.
So we used those, and became Matt Siscardry (which, phonetically, if you haven't noticed, is Myrdraxxis' name short one letter, which was added onto his first name) and Bart.
But how did we fool the "plague-sensing" technique? Easy. It's basically a life-sensing technique, so Sylvanas gave us little stones that she keeps on hand, called soulstones, which contain the soul and life energy of someone whom Sylvanas didn't like particularly.
So we just slip those around our necks, and when the time comes, use a bit of chakra to hide our own life energy, and let the technique do its work. We don't have much life energy anyways, and so that makes it easy to hide.
The "immunity" is much the same. Faranell (as much as I despise him, he is rather smart) developed something to help protect us from being slain by Sylvanas' own concoction, which makes no difference between Scourge and Forsaken.
So there you have it. Armed with my "human suit" and my immunity, and a batch of plague, I headed towards my intended target—the Scarlet Library, where almost a third of the entire population of monks hang out, copying, reading, and doing whatever regular monks do.
The Library had been chosen because it was a popular spot, and therefore a very large number of people could be infected at once, and thus the plague could be spread faster. I knew that setting it off in the middle of the crowd of people would have achieved the same effect, but you know the reason why I didn't. I wanted to give Naruto and Kira a chance to get those people to safety.
Surprisingly, Myrdraxxis had not contested my decision to attack the Library first. He himself turned out to be heading to the Armory, another place where there would be a great many Crusaders gathered. He wouldn't, however, likely waste as much time, so I prayed that Naruto and Kira would be able to get those people out in time.
If they didn't, then they'd all be dead.
The air was thick with the tangy musk of hardworking men, with a slight hint of the coppery scent of blood. Myrdraxxis had entered the Armory not too long ago, weaving through many long halls and spotting few Crusaders along it. His body was hidden from view with a special technique taught to all rogues—Camouflage, something that while it didn't make him invisible, made his body the same as whatever background he had. In the dark, it was impossible to see him, and even in the light it was difficult.
He sought the training hall—a massive room where the Scarlet Crusade trained all of their new warriors under the watchful eye of the strongest warrior of them all.
Herod, The Scarlet Champion.
But he had not yet gotten even close to that place, for he had been distracted by something. Something that made even him sick.
Deep within the confines of the Armory, there was a place that had little to do with training warriors to combat the undead Scourge. He had discovered it due to two young trainees being led by a senior officer through a trick wall, which led into one of the most gruesome places Myrdraxxis had ever laid eyes on.
A torture chamber.
He had seen very few such places in his life. There were no torture chambers in the Undercity (aside from Faranell's lab, that is), because there was really no need for them. Sylvanas herself could extract anything from anyone, without the use of violence. But Myrdraxxis had seen quite a lot of death in his life, from being a rogue for the Alliance and assassinating many of its enemies, to being a rogue for Sylvanas, and carrying out her most treacherous and bloody missions.
But this was something that crossed every moral line that had ever been made: a place where the stones were so stained with blood that they seemed to glow red in the darkness, and the smell of death was so intense that it hung like fog in the air. He saw devices of all sorts, each of which could be employed to make a person spew their innermost secrets and any sought after information in the most ghastly of ways. He saw cages, sitting in a corner—some occupied by still living humans, watching the horrors that went on below as their minds snapped in two from sheer terror. He saw the remains of victims of the atrocities that went on in the room, piled in a corner. Some had rotted away to just the bones, while others were still in that process—from ones still bloated with gas and fluid, stiff as boards, to ones that had deflated, their skin stretched tightly across their faces like masks.
In the middle of the room, a tall, ghastly looking man stood, addressing the two trainees and the other officer. He was dressed in robes of a different color than the others, one much darker, more like blood. His hair was dark, greasy, and matted, and didn't look like it had ever been washed, even after the tortures that had likely stained his clothes. His face was pinched and his nose hooked, and he was scowling at everything. Myrdraxxis did not know what he was saying, but then again, he didn't bother to listen.
Observing the death around him again, Myrdraxxis came to a single conclusion—these people had to die. As driven as he was to complete the Dark Lady's mission, he could not stand to let such atrocities go unpunished, and seeing as how he was in the very same room, hidden behind the camouflage technique that all rogues were taught, it made sense to dispose of them by his own hand.
He moved without a sound, leaping across the room and landing directly behind the three Crusaders the man was addressing. The only sound they heard was the sudden drawing his blades, before all three collapsed to the ground, their heads falling just a moment later, spewing blood in every direction.
The man who had been addressing them was drenched in the blood, but didn't seem to mind it so much. Before Myrdraxxis could attack him, however, he drew a disgusting looking dagger, covered in dried blood and adorned with wicked spines along the blade, and attacked the rogue, his clever eyes spotting Myrdraxxis amidst the carnage, despite his camouflage.
Myrdraxxis parried the man's initial strike, and then thrust forwards with his other blade.
He was met with the man's hand, locking around his blade and then wrenching it to the side. The blade bit into the man's flesh, but he only seemed to enjoy it.
The man leaned forwards, both of them still struggling to push the other back, and said in a soft, deadly voice, "What brings you here, Forsaken? I haven't had one of you to play with in quite a while…" he smiled a perverted smile, and looked at the blood dripping from his hand. "Feels nice, Forsaken. I don't feel pain…I am Interrogator Vishas, how do you do?"
Myrdraxxis didn't answer. He had always refused to speak during battle, for it not only wasted time, but also energy. Ending the tussle, Myrdraxxis spun away, wrenching his dagger from the man's grip. Vishas ran forwards after him, but once again Myrdraxxis blocked his attack. He countered with a powerful kick to Vishas' belly, driving the air from his lungs and knocking him backwards.
The interrogator of the Scarlet Crusade got up swiftly, hardly winded, and once again feeling no pain; he warded off a strike at his head, and then plunged his dagger forwards, hoping to hit the Forsaken.
Myrdraxxis leapt over the blow, spinning in mid-air like the arms of a windmill, his blades forming a deadly circle around him. The first one scythed through Vishas' outstretched left arm, causing it and the weapon it clutched to drop to the floor. Blood shot from the wound, but still Vishas did not show the slightest bit of agony. He merely grinned, and stared at Myrdraxxis, who had landed beside him, through one sickly, burgundy eye.
"Ouch," he mocked softly. With his remaining hand, he formed a half seal, and then raised the bleeding stump that had once been his arm. The blood stopped spraying, suddenly, and began to come together into a solid mass, which gradually lengthened into the shape of an arm.
Moving the fingers on his new arm, Vishas smiled sickeningly at Myrdraxxis. "What naughty secrets do you hold, Forsaken? Let me rip them from you!"
He stretched the bloody arm forwards, molding another half-seal, and immediately the appendage shot out in a long, sharp spike. Myrdraxxis leapt to the side, avoiding being punctured, and then moved forwards as fast as he could, aiming for Vishas' guts. The interrogator, however, turned and whipped the spike of blood at him. Long spines shot out from it, adding extra distance and deadliness to the makeshift weapon, but Myrdraxxis ducked beneath it, never breaking stride. He slammed his left dagger into the man's side, puncturing a kidney, and in the same instant drove the other through his chest. Blood exploded from Vishas' mouth, and the newly created wounds, but he did not appear to be in pain. With a cry of delight, he drove the arm of blood, now a claw, into Myrdraxxis' right shoulder. The long blade-like claws sunk in all the way, spilling greenish ichor onto the ground.
Forsaken did not have blood; all that flowed in their veins now was the essence of Undeath, a sickly green perversion of the essence of a human's life. It was one of the reasons the Scarlet Crusade hated them so: they were not creatures, merely corruptions of the greatest race on Azeroth. They were the opposite of everything that was human, right down to the color of their blood.
The two fighters parted; Myrdraxxis grunting, and Vishas snickering. The wounds in his side and chest were no longer bleeding, and he was looking at the green bile that drenched his fingers now. "So many secrets…" the man mused. "It isn't good to keep so many secrets. You even hide your pain…why? Reveal to me your secrets, Forsaken…REVEAL THEM!"
The interrogator rushed forwards again, bringing his claw back to deliver a fatal blow to Myrdraxxis' head. The Forsaken's right arm hung limp, still clutching his black dagger, and it appeared for a moment that he had resigned himself to death at the hands of this madman. But at the very last second, when the sharp tips of Vishas' blood claws were mere inches from his face, he moved. Both blades, in an instant, were thrust forwards, slamming with bone-breaking force into Vishas' chest. The mighty force of the attack sent him flying, both blades still buried in him. The wall cracked beneath the force of Vishas' flight, and there he remained still, leaning against the slight indentation he had made in the wall. Blood stained the wall behind him, and the ground beneath him; it dribbled from his mouth and chest, forming a pool at his feet, and drenching his robes even more.
He was still smiling, and as Myrdraxxis walked towards him, began to struggle to move.
"Did…I not say…that I do not feel pain?" he asked, lifting a hand, and grabbing the hilt of one of the daggers puncturing his chest. "You'll have to do more than that…Forsaken."
Myrdraxxis stared at him for a while, as the interrogator attempted to ready himself again. His face twisted into a Forsaken scowl: his mouth could not, so the rest of his face did.
"Prepare for it then…" said Myrdraxxis, forming a seal in front of him. "For it shall be all you feel in second."
Within the bleeding flesh of his chest, in between his lungs and liver, the black blades began to glow bright purple. For a moment, Vishas stood stalk still, a very strange feeling coming over him.
Then…
He screamed.
Jolts of purple electricity erupted from his body, arcing around him in a fantastic display of light and sound. His body began to convulse, and his blood arm began to bubble and burn. Vishas gave a terrible final scream, feeling all the pain that he had ever inflicted upon his victims, and died, his body burnt to nothing more than bones.
"There are no things greater than Tuska and Poena in causing pain, fool," Myrdraxxis rumbled, pulling the two blades from the Vishas' charred ribcage. Sheathing them, he made his way across the room, back towards the wall, before he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.
Huddled in one of the cages, a man watched him. He was filthy, covered in grime and dirt, and a bit of blood, too. He was shaking madly, watching Myrdraxxis with wide eyes. Out of the three humans that appeared to still be living, he was the only one that was moving.
Myrdraxxis walked towards him, and he backed as far away into the cage as possible. He made a few pitiful sounds, his eyes going wide with fear. Myrdraxxis stopped in front of the cage, and drew his dagger in a flourish, destroying the lock. He turned, and walked away.
"Get out, if you can," was all he said. Then he left, seeking his original target once more. The training hall wouldn't be far, he knew.
The man watched him disappear through the trick wall, back into the Armory. Then, he scrambled from the cage, and ran.
He needed to find his wife.
He needed to tell everyone of what was happening.
The Scarlet Crusade was not going to help them.
They were going to kill them.
You expect that? Seems Myr does have a heart, metaphorically speaking.
As Myrdraxxis was leaving the torture chamber, Fen was grunting as he leaped behind a bookcase just in time to avoid being seen by a group of Scarlet monks that were heading in his direction. He had just arrived in the Library, and had just realized that he wasn't exactly the best person to be doing the "stealth thing" (as he like to call it in front of Myrdraxxis). Not being nearly as fit or as nimble as the rogue, he had been relying on sheer luck to avoid being seen.
Now, Sylvanas would not have sent Fen unless she was sure he could handle himself in such a situation. She also never sent any of her warriors unprepared, and this case was no exception. She had given him, courtesy of Master Apothecary Faranell, a large bottle filled with bluish liquid, the color of the sky. Now, aside from being rather pretty, this had a purpose—it could be applied topically, over the synthetic skin that still covered Fen's entire body, and would make him invisible for a short time. There was a cost to it, however, and that was that the skin would disappear rather swiftly after applied, so it only lasted a few minutes.
Which was plenty of time for him to get in, drop the Plague, and run.
However, he hesitated in using it. It was not because he rather enjoyed his human form (and he did, really), but because Faranell, the wonderful Master Apothecary, had been the one to make it. Fen was wary of anything that Faranell made. He knew it was stupid, but he'd rather take his chances with the Crusade then put something mixed up by Faranell on. He'd feel unclean.
But, after narrowly dodging another group of Crusaders, he gave a resigned sigh and drew the bottle from a bag inside his robes. Uncorking it, he poured the liquid over his head, draining the entire bottle, and covering himself in the bluish liquid. He must have looked extremely interesting, at that moment, standing covered in blue liquid, waiting for it to take effect.
Soon it did, and after shuddering a bit (both because of the icy feeling the liquid was bringing, and because he was now covered in something that had likely been touched by Faranell at some point), Fen looked at himself.
Or rather, the lack thereof.
Smiling proudly, Fen moved. He had to get to the very center of the Library, where the most people would be. Then he'd just drop the Plague and leave. It would take, he hoped, some time before it reached the courtyard, and thus allow Naruto and Kira plenty of time to get the people out.
He cheerily waved at a passing group of monks, who couldn't see him, as he made his way deeper into the Library. It was amazing how many books were there. He would have stopped to admire them, being a writer and all, but he didn't quite have the time.
It wasn't long before he reached a massive circular area, in the middle of rows and rows of books. There were few tables lying around, but to his annoyance, there wasn't anybody there.
In fact, it was almost deserted.
He frowned. Dimly, he remembered something that a passing monk had been talking about: "Doan wants to be alone" or something along those lines.
'Doan…' he wondered, wracking his brain for any knowledge of such a person. Finding none, he sighed. Releasing the plague when nobody was around would do nothing, and so that meant he had to search for somewhere else to set it off in.
He listened for a while, hearing nothing but voices in the distance, carried through the aisles of bookshelves from all parts of the great library. He cursed. He'd just have to pick a direction and go, hoping it would lead him to a much more populated place.
But it was then that he heard the slight, but very near, shuffle of feet, and whirling around, he spotted a very old man, dressed in scarlet robes, shuffling towards one of the desks, his face buried in an absurdly large book. Fen watched, blinking, as the old man set the book on the table, and then lowered himself gingerly into one of the chairs nearby, his eyes never leaving it. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles in front of a pair of bronze colored eyes; had long, white hair with a receding hairline, and a trim beard.
As interesting as the old man was, Fen needed to move. Turning towards an aisle that he had not yet traveled through, he started to move, only to be stopped by a raspy voice that, though soft, still managed to echo throughout the area.
"And where do you think you're going, young man?"
Fen blinked. He looked around, wondering if there was someone he had missed. But the area was deserted, leaving only him and the old man.
"Yes," the ancient scholar said. "I do mean you, Forsaken. Come a little closer, I am old, and my eyes are not what they used to be."
Fen stood stalk still. "How did you know I was here?"
The man made an impatient noise. "A mixture of Khadgar's whiskers and Kingsblood, boiled over an open flame, and then strained and added into a mixture of earthroot and Peacebloom. Add a dash of powdered silverleaf, some murloc blood, and the fur of a shadowmaw panther. That is the recipe for the potion of invisibility, dear boy. I know it by heart, and I can smell each ingredient. Do you take me for a fool?"
Fen shrugged. "That or senile, but they really go hand in hand. So you discovered me…exactly what do you intend to do about it?"
The old man sighed, and shut the book with a clap. He looked up at Fen, his eyes the color of bronze, and said calmly. "I intend to kill you. Or rather, destroy you and then use your body in my experiments." He stood, stretching, and then turned to face Fen, who seemed amused by the man's actions.
"I look forward to it, old man," he said, throwing off the old brown cloak that he had been wearing all this time, revealing his green robes. The bluish liquid had yet to dissolve the remaining faux skin, but now that he had been discovered, it would do no good. Reaching up, he ripped the skin away, revealing his true face, which was stretched into a Forsaken grin.
The old man adjusted his spectacles, and then spoke.
"And the Light spoke to him, and filled him with its everlasting glory. 'The Darkness must be punished, and it is with this that I give you the instrument to do so.' And he accepted, and forevermore the Darkness would be crushed by the unending power of Light. I am Arcanist Doan. I do not know how you made it in here, Forsaken, but it pleases me, for I have not fought in many years."
"Kira-chan!"
Naruto had dragged Maya, who was protesting that she could walk just fine on her own all the way, up to where there things had remained in a heap amongst the other refugees of Stormwind. The girl, along with Kylia, was already there.
"Naruto?" said Kira, blinking at Naruto's state. "What's wrong? Never mind…we need to—"
"We gotta get everyone out of here right now!" Naruto half-shouted, drawing confused looks from everyone near him. Kira blushed and flashed them all a reassuring smile, before she grabbed Naruto and pulled him down.
"Quiet!" she whispered quickly. Then, she smiled. "But you took the words right out of my mouth."
She did not believe Whitemane's words. She had come here believing what her master had said. It was Whitemane who had killed her father, and that she knew. She had not loved him. Ever since Kira had left her meeting with the woman, she had been working on a plan to get her people out of this place.
But Naruto shook his head viciously, and said in an urgent whisper, "You don't understand! We have to get them out now, or else they'll all die!"
Kira frowned. "What?"
Naruto quickly told her of his meeting with Fen. At the end, her face went white, and she began to shake.
'Sylvanas…did she order that?' she thought, stunned. If Fenritt and Myrdraxxis were there, then that was the only explanation. But why? Why had she planned it now? Was it just a coincidence, or had it been because of her meeting with the Dark Lady?
She looked desperately at Naruto. "We have to do something!"
The blonde nodded. He crossed his arms a moment, and squinted his eyes, thinking hard. It was only a moment before he grinned and looked at her.
"Got it."
He stood up, took a deep breath, and then shouted masterfully, his words as dangerous as gunshots. He suddenly had everyone's attention.
"UNDEAD!" he roared.
A sea of heads whipped towards him, eyes wide.
"THERE ARE UNDEAD IN THIS PLACE! WE JUST SAW THEM! EVERYONE HAS TO LEAVE, NOW! THEY'RE PLANNING TO DESTROY THIS PLACE AND EVERYONE IN IT!"
The crowd of people didn't move for a moment, though panicked looks broke out across their faces, and many began to shift. It was such a Naruto plan that Kira immediately saw what he was doing. He was telling the truth, to all of them. He was facing the problem head on, as he usually did.
She got to her feet. It was only when Kira stood and shouted, that they truly reacted.
"HE'S NOT LYING!" she cried. "THEY ARE AGENTS OF THE LICH KING! STAND UP AND FLEE! THIS PLACE IS NO LONGER SAFE!"
Many, upon seeing Kira, gasped as they recognized her. It was the princess! Whispers soon broke out, as the news that their princess had returned to them spread. The ones nearest to Kira approached her, looking stunned.
"Princess Kira!" an old woman gasped, coming forwards. "We thought you were…"
"It doesn't matter!" she screamed. "Everyone, please, listen to me! This place is no longer safe! You need to leave, as fast as you can! Swords and shields cannot protect you from the weapon they plan to use! I swear on my father's name that this is no lie!"
Fear once again rippled through the crowd. People began to rise, gathering their belongings as their princess' words rang in their ears. Nearby Crusaders sought desperately to restore order to things. They approached large groups, assuring them that nothing was true, that the girl was obviously mistaken. But their assurances fell on deaf ears. Kira's heart soared when she saw that her people trusted her more than the Crusade. While she had made very few official public appearances, she had met many of them during her wanderings in Stormwind. It was something Benedictus had told her grandfather had done.
A ruler's relationship with his people was the most important aspect of being a good ruler. A good relationship, one based on trust, had and always would make a kingdom prosper.
Kira could not keep the smile of her face as her people rose in great waves, readying themselves to leave. She knew that part of the reason why they were so quick to obey was that she hadn't mentioned anything about the Crusaders. These people had supported the alliance with them, and thus mentioning them in any negative fashion would have ignited the fierce debate once more, and she would have lost their trust. The other was the simple mention of the undead—creatures of their nightmares in Stormwind, but a very real threat in this place. It was like shouting fire into a crowded building in any other circumstance. But thankfully, people were thinking, and did not break out into pandemonium.
But people were confused. Like sheep, they wanted to know where to go, and what to do. If this place wasn't safe, then what other place was there?
"Down the road!" she cried. "Towards the Plaguelands! The Argent Dawn can offer all of you protection!" She hoped they could, at least. Anything would be better than leaving them here.
People began to move, despite the Crusaders' continued attempts to get them to stay. Some remained where they were, intent on staying where they believed it was safe, but still they did not look entirely confident that what they were doing was right. What if she was right?
Sometimes, Kira learned, doubt could be a very good thing.
But suddenly, a voice rang over the crowd, titanic, nearly drowning the furious mutterings and panicked cries. The windy sea of winds changed direction once again, turning towards the door that led out of the courtyard, towards the monastery's exit.
Scarlet Commander Mograine, garbed in his glowing scarlet regalia, stood, his body filling the doorframe completely. His scowl seemed even more intense now, and it all seemed to be directed at Kira.
"We have destroyed them."
Kira's eyes went wide. Naruto's did too. What was he talking about?
Mograine continued. "We have already captured and destroyed the undead that young miss Kira and her friend has mentioned. You are safe. The weapon they plan to use has been destroyed as well. You have my word that you are in no danger in this place. You are protected by the blessed Light, and always shall be."
To Naruto and Kira's horror, people began to settle down. They were relieved.
Naruto's idea and Kira's hope had both been shattered to pieces. To shout anymore would make them look like fools, fear-mongers, even, and she didn't want that. At this point, there was nothing she could say or do that would turn the tides back on the Crusaders. She looked desperately at Naruto, her eyes wide.
'What will we do?' was the message that her eyes conveyed to the blonde. He was scowling. They needed to get these people out of there, and right now that seemed impossible. Fighting wouldn't do anything, for once, and thus he had no real idea of what he was going to do.
But, whether it was his damned luck, or an act of whatever gods existed in this world, the opportunity came.
"Stop!"
The shout, from a guard at the top of the stairs, echoed through the stairwell behind Mograine, and half-turning to see what was happening, he was unable to block the way of a small, emaciated man, with ripped, dirty clothes and a bloody face and matted hair. He tore past Mograine, faster than one would have thought a man in such a state was capable of, and fell to the ground in front of the crowd, who stared at him with wide eyes.
"H-help!" he rasped. His voice was thick with fluid and he coughed a few times, spitting up blood onto the grass, making many back away in fear that he had some sort of sickness.
"R-run!" he cried again. "R-run! G-get away! M-monsters! MONSTERS!"
"Oh my god!"
More heads swiveled, and the crowd parted for a middle aged woman, who rushed across the courtyard and dropped to her knees in front of the man, clutching at him madly, tears in her eyes.
"Paul!" she cried. "Paul! You're back! Oh my god, I thought you had disappeared! Where have you been? You're back! You're back!" she sobbed, hugging the man tighter.
He didn't seem to notice her. His eyes were wide, and he was staring forwards dumbly as she clutched him, before he wrestled himself from her grip and scrambled away.
"Monsters!" he cried again. He stretched out his hand, and pointed. "MONSTERS! K-killed them all!"
His finger was pointed straight at Mograine, who was now the center of attention once more. The Scarlet Commander's face was placid as he stared down at the man.
"I-insane! A-all of them! Monsters! Killed them all! Tortured them! B-blood! S-so much blood! No plague! Killed them all! NO PLAGUE! NO PLAGUE!"
"Honey!" cried the woman, grabbing onto him again. "W-what are you saying? W-what are you…?"
The man looked desperately at her. "Sarah!" he cried. "They killed them all! They're going to kill all of us! They're insane! They didn't have the plague! They tortured them until they confessed to having it! NO PLAG--"
There was a sudden, sickening crunch, and then Paul's head burst apart, spilling all of its contents onto the grass beneath him. His wife, Sarah, stared dumbly, her face drenched in his blood, at her husband's now headless body, and the massive war mace that was being lifted from the gushing wound, and then at the arm that was attached to it, and the face that was a part of that body.
Mograine hefted the weapon back over his shoulder, his face grim.
"He was about to turn," the man said, calmly.
There was absolute silence. They had all gone into shock, staring wide-eyed at the display of carnage, all of them unable to move.
Mograine's eyes then swept across the courtyard. He gave a nod, and Crusaders began to approach the silent crowd, slowly drawing their weapons.
Naruto's eyes blazed, clenching his fists so hard that they bit deeply into his palm, drawing blood. 'That bastard!' the roared mentally.
Kira's hand was at her mouth, stunned.
Kylia moved towards Kira, ready to protect.
Maya fell to her knees, shaking. What was going on?
Mograine then spoke.
"You've all been infected now," he said, slowly. "There is no cure for the plague…save for death."
Done.
How'd you like it? I tried my best to get the emotions correct in the Kira/Whitemane scene, and tried to make it rather powerful.
The Forsaken facts, such as being able to talk without a lower jaw or tongue, I figured had to be explained sometime. I mean, it's obvious they can talk without the jaw, so how can they? Human bodies are very developed and responsive, it would make no sense that they would be anything less in Undeath. So the chakra coils usually found in that place wrap around the voice box, and with the mind dictating, they use their chakra to speak. No jutsu involved, or chakra wasting, since the chakra is being used internally, to form words.
Does that make sense?
If it doesn't, let me know, and we can work out something that does work.
Vishas fight: Fun to write, but rather pointless in retrospect. Vishas was a pointless character to begin with, whom I only included as an obstacle and a reason for Myrdraxxis freeing Paul (who alerts everyone that the red coat—er, red tabards, are coming to kill them). I like his power, but not his personality. Maybe I could do it again, and make his power a type of special jutsu… hmmmm….
It also gave us a little bit more on Myrdraxxis' personality. Despite being so loyal, he does have some morals, it seems.
Now news. I plan to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, before Sunday, because I am graduating from high school then, and won't be able to. It might be a bit shorter than the previous ones, but that shouldn't matter, since it's going to be mostly fighting. It will likely be two chapters of fighting, then another chapter or two ending the arc.
I'm looking forwards to it; much fun in the next chapter: Naruto vs. Crusaders/Mograine fight as well as Fen vs. Doan fight, and Myr vs. Herod.
That should be all. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
General Grievous
Armory-Tuska and Poena (Daggers)(Myrdraxxis)- Daggers created by a Forsaken smith who imbued them with incredible power, Tuska (Finnish for Agony) and Poena (Latin for Pain), are Myrdraxxis' constant companions, and are incredibly powerful. Not only can they cut through almost anything, but also using his chakra, Myrdraxxis can supercharge them to nearly destroy everything they hit. He can wield the purplish electricity in many ways. He can control the direction and movement of his blades remotely, using his chakra, and hence they can never be removed from him for long.
Spellbook-Blood Manipulation- Using ones chakra, allows one to mold their blood and use it in many ways, including creating limbs or weapons. Very strong.
Bestiary-Interrogator Vishas (Humanoid)(Elite)- A twisted man who is the chief interrogator for the Scarlet Crusade. He tortures those who are brought to them until they confess everything he wants to hear, including things that they are not. He is so good at this that he has never lost a person to death before he has gotten what he wanted. He is a master of Blood Manipulation, and can not only heal and stem the flow from wounds, but create new limbs and weapons. He wields a diseased dagger called the Torture Poker.
Arcanist Doan (Humanoid)(Elite)- The chief scholar and researcher for the Crusade. Despite being old, his memory is near perfect, and he can recall every word from every book he has ever read. He powers are as of yet, unknown.