Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
Who wants to hear me talk in the middle of this action? Not me.
After Myrdraxxis' tussle with Vishas, he made a beeline straight for the main training hall, where he planned to set it off. Predictably, it didn't go as planned.
Myrdraxxis came, finally, to a massive pair of double doors. As red as the rest of the décor, with golden trimming and the large cross-symbol of the Scarlet Crusade etched into the front, they loomed like impassable mountains in front of him. From behind them he could here the loud, rhythmic chanting of hundreds of Crusaders, training to join the ranks of the greatest undead-slaying warriors in the world.
The hall behind him was deserted. He had needed to use a few distractions, but he had eventually managed to clear it without exposing his presence. He was now free to pick the lock and enter the sanctuary of the Scarlet warriors. It took him little time, and soon, with a click, he reactivated his camouflage technique and slid inside, so swiftly and silently that the door may as well have not opened at all. He found himself on a balcony, overlooking one of the biggest rooms he had ever seen. It stretched for hundreds of feet across, and was perfectly spherical. There were only two other doors that he could see: one directly across from him, and another below that, one the ground floor.
Filling the room to the brim directly below him were hundreds of young men and women, dressed in dull red shirts and pants made of cloth, and clutching wooden swords. They moved in a set, predictable pattern, performing a drill. They would raise their fake blades, take three methodical, near-perfect steps forwards, and then bring them down with a loud "HAH!" Then they would take three steps back, and perform it again, and then forwards and then backwards. They were beginners, still learning the basics of fighting, and had never likely slain or harmed a creature in their life. If worst came to worst, he would have to fight a group of untrained children, attacking him with wooden swords. The thought made him nearly scoff.
As they continued their practice, Myrdraxxis moved away from the door, hopping upon the railing, and creeping along it around the room. The light in the room was rather bright, but the trainees were far too focused on their drill to notice the slight ripple in the background above them.
It was admirable, he thought. Though they sought to destroy him and his kind, they had remarkable devotion. And all of them were united under a single cause—to destroy the undead by any means necessary. If that devotion, that discipline and drive, were not perverted by zeal, insanity, and hate, then he would find words to praise them. But now, to him, they were nothing more than opposition; an itch on his mistress' back, that needed to be scratched. They were simply weak-minded fools, and they would deserve their fates.
He then stopped. The most logical thing to do would be to throw the vial of plague into the middle of the room, and that would give him not only a good distance from it's point of release, but he would lessen his chances of exposure as well. He looked around again. He did not see the supposed leader of this bunch, the Scarlet Champion, Herod. It bothered him, and yet at the same time he praised his good fortune. For if he did not meet that brainless oaf of a teacher, then he'd be able to complete his mission that much quicker. He'd already wasted enough time in fighting Vishas and freeing the little human in the cage.
So, reaching into a pouch at his belt, Myrdraxxis grabbed hold of the vial of liquid, and prepared to lift it out. The second before he did, however, he felt a presence behind him, so close that he knew it would take only second for it to attack. So he leapt forwards, off the balcony, and landed deftly upon the floor below. Though he made no sound, and remained hidden, the trainees stopped their drilling, and looked up at the balcony, directly where Myrdraxxis had been standing before.
Standing there was a bull of a man, standing nearly seven feet tall. He was dressed in nothing more than thick iron leggings and boots, a single, massive shoulder guard over his left arm, so large that it could protect the entire length of the arm if it needed to; and a large, red metal helmet that covered his entire face. He clutched a huge axe, which rested on his bare shoulder. He attention, Myrdraxxis could feel, was right on his position.
"What's this? A little undead has breached the sanctity of this place? It cannot be!" the man thundered.
Myrdraxxis was silent for a moment, but it was clear Herod knew where he was. There was no point in hiding now.
"You sensed me," he said. "An amazing feat for a dumb brute such as yourself."
Herod roared in fury. "I can feel every warrior in this place, for only warriors may enter! It is sacred! You are no warrior, little man! Your soul is black and bottomless, you fight for the darkness! It is we who shall destroy you! That is your punishment, little freak!" He then pointed at Myrdraxxis with his axe, roaring, "Now come! I, Herod, will grind your bones to dust with my awesome might!"
Naruto growled furiously as the Scarlet Crusaders advanced towards the crowd of Stormwind refugees, their weapons drawn, their faces set in solemn judgment. They were simply doing their duty. These people would soon, in their minds, because the awful Scourge, and therefore needed to die as swiftly as possible. There was nothing in the world that could dissuade them from this mission, for they were doing everything a favor in destroying these people.
It was the Light's judgment.
Kira didn't know what to do. There were too many Crusaders, and she didn't know how they were going to distract them long enough to get her people to safety. She looked desperately at Naruto, hoping he had some sort of plan.
Luckily, he did.
Naruto's hands flew together, forming a familiar seal. " Taijyuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" he bellowed.
The whole courtyard was suddenly engulfed in white smoke, and for a moment Kira could see nothing. There was only white, and the sounds of her people's confusion. Then, when the smoke cleared, Kira gasped.
Between every person in the crowd, standing upon rooftops surrounding the courtyard, crouching on every perch they could find, stuck even to the walls of the Cathedral itself were clones. Hundreds of them. They easily matched the Scarlet Crusaders, man for man. All of them had Naruto's vulpine grin, and many were beginning to retrieve weapons from their shuriken pouches, or drawing their swords, or even just settling into a fighting stance.
"Kira-chan!" they roared. "Get them out of here!"
A cluster of Crusaders, led by Mograine, stood in front of the door, barring the path of any who attempted to flee. Mograine himself lifted his war mace, glaring stonily at the crowd. He, unlike his comrades, seemed unshaken by the sudden appearance of so many opponents. With a motion of his hand, he started forwards, preparing to attack.
The army of Naruto clones then moved as well, descending upon every warrior in red they could see. Naruto himself shot through the crowds, straight to forefront, using the Kazaashi to boost his speed to superhuman levels. He cleared the crowd of people and slammed his blade into Mograine's war mace, driving him back. Other Crusaders rushed to help their commander, but in a flash, they were engulfed in a cloud of Naruto clones, driving them back.
Mograine and Naruto were locked in a brief stalemate, each attempting to force the other back using only their strength and whatever leverage they could gather. Eventually, with a roar, Mograine pushed Naruto back, breaking the stalemate, and brought his mace swishing down, attempting to crush the blonde's head in as he had Paul's earlier. Naruto swiftly moved out of the way, causing the mace to smash apart the grassy ground of the courtyard in a cloud of dirt and grass.
As he tussled with Mograine, his clones were driving the other Crusaders back into the many passages that surrounded the courtyard, giving the crowd room to move and flee. Already, led by Kira, the Stormwind refugees were fleeing from the courtyard through the stairway towards the main entrance hall. Kira stood next to the doorway, ushering them through as fast as she could, while Kylia stood beside, her, daggers drawn, prepared to protect her mistress at all costs.
"Run!" Kira cried. "Go as fast as you can to the main gate!"
Suddenly, a flash illuminated the courtyard, and it was day again for a brief second. Then a tremendous boom blocked out the terrified, despairing cries of her people, and a bright crest of yellowish fire and light erupted near the back of the crowd. Nearly a dozen Stormwind refugees were killed in an instant, and sending dozens more crashing to the ground from the force.
Kira screamed. "NO!"
Naruto whipped around towards the source of the explosion, ignoring Mograine for a moment, and spotted a group of Crusaders that had managed to get past his clones. One of them formed a seal, and then pressed his glowing hands to his chest.
"FOR THE LIGHT!" he cried, rushing forwards at the crowd. Naruto suddenly had a horrible realization, and shouted at a group of clones.
"Stop him!"
As fast as they could manage, the clones launched themselves at the screaming Crusader, tackling him to the ground just before he breached the walls of the crowd.
The man promptly exploded, dispelling his clones in an instant and sending a group of refugees tumbling to the ground from the force of the blast.
'Shit! They're killing themselves, trying to take out as many people as they can!' the blonde raged silently, stunned at the carnage they created, and by the sheer insanity of the Crusaders. They'd kill themselves even just to injure a few women and children? What point was there in that? It was disgusting.
These people truly were the monsters.
In his distraction, Naruto suddenly realized he had forgotten Mograine, who had not stopped to see the blonde's reaction to the brutality. The blonde ducked, avoiding a sudden swing of the Scarlet Commander's mace, and he danced away, cursing. Mograine moved after him, lifting his mace once more.
Meanwhile, other Crusaders had begun forming seals, pressing glowing hands to their chests, causing them to shimmer as well. They rushed the crowd, of which half still remained in the courtyard, intent on following their brothers to death.
Kira moved to head them off, fear fueling her. Her hands flashed through a quick bout of seals, and with a cry, she bellowed, "Psychic Scream!"
The kamikaze Crusaders, before fully intent on diving straight into the throng of people, were suddenly struck with such an overpowering sense of fear that it shattered through their mindless zeal, making them flee back towards the courtyard walls. They exploded en route, some not even making it to the buildings. Those that did blew apart the finely sculpted stone statues and beautiful marble walkways that surrounded the courtyard, peppering the fleeing people with debris.
But even as she did this, her people were still in grave danger. More Crusaders began to pour from the passages around the courtyard's edge, and even from the Cathedral in front of them. There were too many of them, and she didn't think Naruto could hold them off much longer.
Naruto agreed with her.
"Damn it!" he roared. "This is going too slow!"
He roared an order at the clones that remained (and there were still quite a few) and they quickly went to work. Abandoning their fights, they rushed at the crowd, grabbing and lifting up as many people as they could. Crusaders rushed forwards to stop them, and several succeeded in dispelling the clones and laying into the helpless people they had been holding. More clones filled the gaps, attacking the Crusaders, and driving them back. Two more Crusaders detonated themselves, but by then most of the clones had already left with their precious cargo, and so few were harmed.
Naruto himself disengaged himself from his battle with Mograine, by leaping away and lifting several explosive seals from his pouch, and quickly affixing them to kunai. He aimed the kunai at the large groups of Crusaders on his side of the courtyard, hurling them at the ground beneath as he ran across the bloodstained grass. Halfway down the courtyard, he bent his legs and took a flying leap over the thinning crowd, landing deftly on the other side. There, he launched his final two explosive notes into the smaller patch of Crusaders, before leaping into the air again, landing atop the waterfall above the pool. As he did, his notes began to go off, lighting the courtyard once more, this time in orange and red, rather than white and yellow.
Naruto's clones, meanwhile, began leaping over the buildings, and hurrying across the rooftops towards the exit. Kira gave a cheer at Naruto's ingenuity, just as the last of the refugees escaped into the stairwell. The courtyard was now empty of all but Crusaders, who were desperately trying to reorganize themselves after Naruto's devastating attack. Many Crusaders now lay upon the charred grass, dead, and many more were attempting to heal themselves from the wounds caused by Naruto's explosive barrage.
Kira gave Naruto a final look from across the courtyard. She wanted to say something encouraging to him, but before she could, she met his stare, his shining blue eyes boring holes straight into her teary ones.
'Get outta here, I'll be fine,' they said. Naruto was grinning reassuringly at her, and then he stuck out his hand, thumb raised up.
Kira smiled gratefully at him, through her tears.
'Good luck…' she thought, turning away.
As Kira left, following the trail of the refugees, Naruto now stood alone in the courtyard, among the many Scarlet Crusaders that still remained. He saw more begin to appear too, called by the sounds of battle. Falling into a ready stance, he glared at all of them.
"Oi, who's first, bastards?" he called.
Mograine was approaching him from across the field. The other Crusaders gradually converged on his position, their weapons raised, a great red madness in their eyes.
"The Light punishes those who would side with darkness, boy," rumbled Mograine. "But fear not…we shall cure you of that affliction soon enough."
"Hurry up, old man, I'll be as old as you are before we even start this fight," grumbled Fenritt, smirking amusedly as his opponent slowly got to his feet.
"Patience, child. I am old, give me time," Doan wheezed, dusting his robes off and adjusting his glasses. "And it is a mistake for you to wait, why not strike me down now, when I am at my weakest?"
"Because I don't believe you're at your weakest. Who was it that said, 'The wisest of fighters are always ready, even when they appear weak?'"
The man's eyebrows shot up. "That would be Anduin Lothar, High Commander of Stormwind during the Second War. You know your literature, boy, I'm impressed."
Fen grinned a Forsaken grin. "Thanks old man, I am a writer, you know."
Doan nodded simply. "I see." Then, pushing his glasses up again, he said calmly, "I do enjoy this conversation, but perhaps it is time that this battle began? Or perhaps end, for I do not intend to draw it out very long."
Fen was already halfway through his seals as he spoke. "Way ahead of you, old timer. Arcane Missiles!"
Thrusting his hand forwards, palm out, Fen released five large purple blasts of chakra, shaped like arrows, from his fingertips. They flew directly at Doan, who didn't appear concerned about them. On the contrary, he seemed uninterested in them, and didn't even lift his eyes from his book when they struck a barrier, mere inches from his rickety old body. The glowing blue barrier absorbed them, briefly encasing the man in a shimmering ball of blue light.
Fen frowned. 'Mana Shield, huh? Kind of expected that.'
As it faded, Doan looked sharply at him.
"Don't mock me, boy. We are both the same type of fighter—would this not be the first defense that you would employ?"
Fen nodded briefly. "True enough. I though you might have forgotten. No seals, either, huh? You really are old."
Doan chuckled softly. "I have been around for quite a while, yes. It does have its advantages. Take my counterattack, for example: it is a special ability that is rarely used anymore, and that I have rediscovered and mastered to a point where nobody else has. It is already in effect, and you have yet to notice it."
Fen frowned. 'What?'
There was a sudden gust of wind, and Fen, sensing danger, backpedaled immediately, avoiding being struck by…paper?
He opened his mouth to mock the man's attack, but it died on his lips as he saw both sheets of paper slice straight through two tabletops on either side of him, causing the tables to crash to the ground. Fen moved again, just in time to avoid another barrage of paper missiles, which collided with the ground, sinking into the stone floor as if they were the sharpest of blades.
Fen's hands flew into a series of hand seals as he moved backwards, watching as a veritable storm of paper began to gather between him and Doan, who was watching the events with keen interest now. His hands hung limply by his side, meaning he was controlling everything without the use of any seals.
'What control…' the Forsaken mage muttered. He himself could only perform on or two, very simple techniques without seals, but this man appeared to be able to use everything without them. He saw the paper begin folding itself into different shapes, some beginning dagger like and sharp, others folded into boxes, likely as hard as rock.
But Fen did not plan to just watch his enemy ready the potentially fatal attack. He finished his seals, and sucked in air into his shriveled, barely used lungs.
"Fire Blast!"
He released a massive gust of white-hot flames, which surged forth, engulfing the storm of paper and passing through, heading for Doan. The stream of fire struck another barrier, but instead of a barrier of simply chakra, it struck one of freezing cold air. The fire struck the water particles that had gathered around Doan, immediately filling the room with steam and a hissing sound as they fire went out. Both fighters were hidden in the white cloud for a moment.
"Paper? That's your special ability? Wow. You really are a nerd," Fen called into the steamy air.
His enemy gave a raspy laugh. "Is it? There is plenty of it around, boy."
There was a sudden dark blur in the white of the steam, which was quickly fading, and Fen's hands were only just able to crash together, forming a shield of chakra as a spear of wood, that once may have been the leg of a chair, smashed into his midsection. The protective chakra stopped it from striking his flesh, but the force knocked him back, slamming into a table behind him, causing it to splinter apart. The chair leg clattered to the floor, the end frayed and splintered from where it had struck Fen's barrier.
Fen stood shakily to his feet, spotting Doan in the very same position as before. Doan readjusted his glasses (as all scholarly men must regularly do) and focused his sharp, bronze eyes upon Fenritt.
"But it would be wrong to assume that I can manipulate just paper. My ability is psychokinesis; psycho for mind and kinesis for movement. It is an ancient art, created by mages long since dead. I rediscovered it, and have learned to use it in ways that you cannot imagine. Nothing is beyond my capability to move."
In battle, I love to talk.
Why? It's a thrill. You can say things that normally you wouldn't, and not feel bad about it. If one can hold an intelligent conversation, in battle, then that speaks volumes about his skill.
To anybody who thinks talking in battle is foolish, and a waste of energy, as assuredly missing out on an experience (I know a few, as well; one of them is quite close to me, in fact).
Usually, I just comment on what my opponent is doing (with a rather satirical edge, of course) but the fight with Doan was the first fight I had ever had that my opponent loved to talk as much as I. Doan just liked to talk about books, which I do enjoy, but I hardly find it a thrilling topic for a battle.
Fen dusted his robes off. "Looks like I underestimated you, four-eyes. 'Course, I have a few tricks up my sleeve, too."
Doan rolled his neck to the side, the light reflecting off his glasses, shielding his eyes from view briefly. "Oh? Let me see, boy. I do not wish this battle to be one-sided."
Fen's hands flew together, forming two quick, concise hand seals. Sucking in air again, he breathed out a blast of frigid air, which came in the form of a white mist. Doan raised an eyebrow as Fen began making more seals.
"I won't even bother telling you about this one. It's a special technique I invented," Fen said, ending his seals, and then thrusting his hands apart, extending them out in opposite directions. The white mist moved with them, and an instant later, Fen clenched his fist and brought his hands swishing back in front of him.
The white mist, really an extremely heavy concentration of water molecules, converged suddenly, forming a series of icy spears, which flew forwards at Doan. The Arcanist raised his eyebrows in surprise, just as the icy spears converged on him, smashing through the stone floor and completely crushing the man within the mass of icicles.
"I don't have a name for it yet. How about Icy Hell? That sounds a bit cliché, but really, let me know what you think."
"It is far too cliché," muttered a voice from behind him. Fen spun, wide-eyed (metaphorically), and spotted Doan behind him. The old man adjusted his glasses, faintly amused. "Perhaps Frost Veil?"
Fen blinked a few times. "Oh, right…Blink…"
The old man nodded. "One of the most useful tools of our trade. A mage is not so easily defeated."
Fen sighed. 'I hate mage fights.'
Blink was extremely useful, as Doan had said, but also an entirely necessary tool for a mage to survive in larger battles. Using their extreme control over their chakra (mages relied on this, for they were weak in hand to hand combat, and rarely used weapons unless as a last resort) they would instantaneously shift themselves through time and space, appearing in a place in their line of sight. It was known as "Blink" for the fact that it took but a blink of the eye for the whole process to complete itself. Fen himself knew a few techniques linked with Blink, but it was clear that this man had a much better grasp of the technique than he. He would have to, to be able to use it without so much as a single hand seal.
Doan brought his hand into the air, and Fen felt a sudden gust of wind flow from behind him. He suddenly realized that Doan was making do on his earlier words.
There wasn't really anything he couldn't move.
Indeed, he seemed to be moving the very air itself.
Doan brought his hand down with a swish, thrusting the dense air that he had gathered in his palm. Fen blinked away, just as the ball shot past him, crashing into a table, obliterating it utterly.
Fen reappeared behind the old man, his hands working into seals as he returned. He breathed another cloud of mist, much smaller than the last, and with a second set of seals, gathered the particles into small, paper-thin slivers. Grunting with effort, for controlling such a process was no easy feat, Fen thrust the icy weapons forwards, sending them shooting at Doan's back.
The Arcanist vanished in a flicker of light, and the blades shot harmlessly past, scything apart a few tables and bookshelves.
Doan reappeared instantly, thrusting his hand forwards to send pieces of the table he had destroyed mere seconds ago with his air ball at Fen. The crashed against his chakra barrier, put up in the nick of time, but Fen grunted when he realized that the weapons had come quite close to piercing it. He reinforced his objects with enough chakra to pierce through nearly anything.
In battle, a mage did very little moving. In large battles, they fought alongside those who were in a position to protect them, due to the fact that mages trained specifically for having the most powerful and damage-dealing techniques in the world. They also had the best control out of everything, but the cost was that they neglected their bodies. They rarely fought hand to hand, as they always had someone nearby to protect them.
In this case, since both Fen and Doan were mages, the battle basically consisted of the two trading techniques until one ran out of chakra, or got a lucky hit. Therefore, it soon became clear to both of them that it would be quite a while yet for one to strike the other with an attack.
Doan, specifically, wanted the battle to end as soon as possible. The longer it dragged out, the larger the chance was that his precious books would be destroyed.
Blinking away, Doan appeared at the very center of the reading area, directly in front of Fen. His breath was wheezing, but he did not seem overly tired. He seemed excited, if anything.
"I have enjoyed this battle, boy. However, I believe neither of us will get anywhere by this, as you children call it, 'shooting the breeze.' Perhaps it is time that I end this."
Fen grinned. He was not particularly tired, and so he knew that had that kept up, it would have been Doan who would have fallen first. Just the same, it meant he now had to be extra careful, for Doan's final attack would likely be a doozy.
Reaching inside his robes, Doan lifted out a sheathed dagger. Fen frowned. What type of mage attack was this?
"This is a power that I developed all myself. This blade is a science, a technique that can defeat even the strongest of warriors. Let us see how you fare against it, shall we?"
Lifting the dagger from its sheath, Fen saw that the blade was one of the strangest he'd ever seen. It seemed to glow, but not with any one color. It was a kaleidoscope of colors and flickering lights, contained within the shiny surface of the blade. It was hypnotic, and Fen soon found that his attention was solely on the blade.
"This weapon is called the Hypnotic Blade, boy. I see that you have already found out why. I have designed it so that the patterns and colors that you see open up one's subconscious, and makes one hypersensitive to suggestion. A human doctor named Mundsig Fraud developed the original technique of hypnosis long ago. After reading his notes on the subject, I developed this blade, making it much easier to coerce unsuspecting people into being subjects for my experiments. It even works on your kind. Now, let us begin."
He walked slowly forwards, holding the dagger in front of him, so Fen could plainly see it. The Forsaken mage had already gone limp. He suddenly felt extremely lethargic; his arms hung like dead weights, his back slumped even further than it normally was, and a glazed look passed over his frightening face. Doan stopped a few feet away from him.
"You feel tired, yes? Your mind is a blank slate; you are without any thought or emotion at this moment, correct?"
Fen gave a slight, tired nod.
"Now stand still. I have no need of you alive, Forsaken. It was a good fight, and for such a wretched creature, you were interesting to talk to. Nevertheless," he adjusted his glasses a final time, and then raised the dagger, preparing to thrust it into Fen's throat. "Your kind does not belong in this world. You are unnatural, and therefore all of you must die. The Archbishop Alonsus Faol once said: 'The Light accepts all things, from the smallest of ants to the greatest of giants. The Light gives birth to life; and life is the Light.' Goodbye, boy."
Thunk!The sickening wet sound of steel striking flesh filled the air, and for a moment, all was silent. Then, as Doan's blood dribbled down his front, and dripped onto the ground in slow, rhythmic drops, sound returned, and he gurgled, stepping back. Buried up to the hilt in his stomach was a dagger, put there by Fen. The Arcanist stared dumbly at the dagger for a moment, coughing a few times as he did. Blood sprayed from his mouth, wetting his beard and smearing his face.
He looked at Fen, who was grinning at him.
"How…?"
Fen shrugged. "Hypnotism's a crock. It only works if you're unconsciously willing to submit to it. Hence, I imagine that's why you went into such detail to describe the ability before. 'Course, that could be because you like to talk, so I guess why its worked for everyone else."
Doan stepped a few feet back, trying to gather his wits. Fen walked towards him, making a few seals as he did.
"I've read that book too, you know. Too bad, eh? But I'll take your advice. Frost Veil sounds much cooler than Icy Hell."
Sucking in his breath, Fen blew a stream of white mist in Doan's face. The old man gasped, inhaling some of the steam, and that was all Fen needed it for. His hands flying through more seals, he placed a hand on Doan's chest; the man stared dumbly at it, unable to do much else do to the pain of his wound.
It was over in a few seconds.
"Frost Veil: Blossoming Winter Flower!"
The white mist, mixing with all of the water already inside Doan, did its work spectacularly. Seconds later, Doan exploded as hundreds of large icy spikes erupted from his body, tearing it apart is a spectacular display of gore. All that was soon left of the Arcanist was a mass of bloody flesh, torn robes, and a spectacular ice sculpture that looked like a massive sea urchin made of icicles.
Fen stepped back, admiring his handy work. That took care of that.
He turned to leave, before the sudden patter of footsteps—a lot of footsteps, stopped him again.
"Over here!"
"I heard something!"
"Find Arcanist Doan, we must inform him that there are undead present!"
Suddenly, a mass of Scarlet Crusaders appeared from all sides. Apparently he had been found out, and they had been rushing to find Doan in order to gain his guidance on the subject.
But all they found was a single Forsaken, surrounded by ruined tables and signs of a recent battle, as well as a large, bloody star, with remnants of a scarlet robe, and a pair of bloody glasses nearby, glittering in the light.
They stood stunned for a moment, watching Fen. Then:
"Get him!"
"The monster has slain the Arcanist!"
"We must purify this place! DESTROY HIM!"
More soon arrived, as the first rushed towards Fen, their weapons drawn. The Forsaken mage grinned; lifting from his pocket a small vial, in which Sylvanas' Plague was contained. With a quick smile and a wink (which wasn't really a wink, but more of a wrinkle in the flesh around his eye sockets), Fen popped the cork and tossed the Plague at his feet. He blinked away just as it hit the ground, releasing a sudden explosion of purple gas, which engulfed the attacking crowd of Crusaders.
Fen reappeared atop a bookshelf in view of the reading area, and watched as the great cloud of purple began to expand outwards, forming a thicket of the disgusting purple colored smoke. From within, for a moment, he could here nothing but the confused shouts of the Crusaders.
Seconds later, those shouts began bloodcurdling screams. They were screams of pain, of hatred, of terror. They were unholy, and even Fen had to wince at the sheer horror that the screams brought. They brought back vague memories of how he had screamed, when he had first felt the Plague descend upon him too.
He turned away. They wouldn't die right away, he reasoned, or else they'd have no chance to transmit the disease. He didn't feel like hanging around for that time.
He hoped Naruto and Kira had been able to get as many of her people away as possible.
Then, the screams stopped.
Frowning, Fen turned again. Could they have died already?
He then heard snarling.
No, it was not snarling, first came wailing moans, followed by slavering screeches and burbling barks and gargling grunts; the most horrible, animalistic sounds possible, from the middle of the dissipating purple cloud. What emerged from them were not human; but nor were they undead.
They were monsters.
And as the monsters let out their horrible calls, and slunk away into the depths of the Library, towards whatever exit they could find, Fen got the feeling that what he had just seen had not been supposed to happen.
Sylvanas' plague had not killed them.
And so, in his mind, it had failed.
Kira and Kylia ran quickly through the gates that they had come through only a few hours earlier. There were hundreds of people milling around on the slope, confused, scared, and many weeping for those that had just been lost. She spotted several Naruto clones just finishing laying down the people they had been carrying, before giving her a salute and then vanishing in puffs of smoke. Kira's own heart ached with her people and it only made what she was about to do even more horrible in her eyes.
When she got into view her people swept upon her, begging her to tell them what to do. Where were they to go? Back to Stormwind? They would be killed along the way! There was nowhere for them to go.
Kira desperately tried to calm them. But the more she reassured, the more distressed they got.
Finally, she decided to end it.
"ENOUGH!' she exploded, shocking her people into silence. Kylia looked at her mistress with wide eyes. The command, the power, in Kira's voice had been reminiscent of Anduin Wrynn's. Looking at the faces of the people, Kylia guessed that they felt the same thing.
Taking a deep breath, Kira spoke calmly to them. "Listen, I know you're scared, and I know that you have just been driven from what many think was a safe place. But it never was! You were nothing to them! But you aren't nothing to me! I need all of you to be strong! I need all of you to show the spirit of Stormwind, the spirit that my father and my grandfather and his father before him instilled in you and your ancestors. Be strong, and help each other."
She could see they were listening, and she took another deep breath.
"Go along the road, towards the Plaguelands. Just before it, you will find a camp, where the Argent Dawn have set up, to keep the Scourge at bay. I want all of you to go there. They will provide you with protection, with food and a place to rest. You will be safe there, I assure you! Safer than you ever were within those walls!" she yelled, pointing at the Monastery, looming behind her. She could still hear the sounds of battle within. The Crusaders would come for them, soon enough, she realized. Not all of them would stay and fight Naruto.
She turned back to her people. "Please, be strong, and you shall overcome this! I believe in you, and I know that in your hearts, you believe you can do this too!"
Then someone shouted. "Lead us, then, young princess!"
"Yes!" said another. "Take us there! We'll follow you!"
Kira faltered. For a moment, she stood silent, her body rigid and her face downcast.
"I cannot."
A ripple of shock ran through the crowd. What did she mean?
Kira took yet another deep breath. She looked up. Where Kylia had expected tears, there was nothing but determination. They were eyes that Kira's father, and Naruto, would be proud of.
"I must do something…something that will one day benefit you all. I must put my all into this, and I cannot go with you…for now, my duty is elsewhere."
Shocked protests rang out among the crowd, making Kira falter again. She looked ready to burst into tears. But she held them back, and taking a shuddering breath, she said, "I am your princess, and one day I will be your queen. I know my duty is to you; but for the greater good, I must do this task that I have set out to do. I am doing it all for you, and therefore I must be away from all of you for a little bit longer. I know you are strong, I know you are capable of fighting for yourselves. For that is what Stormwind has done for many years—it has fought, and it has triumphed, and it has always risen, greater than before, from the ashes that once destroyed it. You are all made of the strongest spirit—for you are all of the kingdom of Stormwind. Now, I beg of you: go to the Argent Dawn; they will shelter you, and in time, you will return to the city, and when you return, our nation will be stronger than ever before!"
Kira's voice nearly cracked at the end, and though her resolve was breaking, she did not cry. She stood stiffly, watching her people with her determined yet sad eyes. But her words had gotten through to them. They then began to go down the hill, away from her. Some stared back at her with still confused, but hopeful eyes; others did not bother—whether it was merely contempt or simply that her words had gotten through to them, she did not know.
Kylia watched Kira, who stared down at their retreating forms. She did not cry, even now, when her people were not watching.
'You think she is childish, now?' she thought, wanting to spit the words in Sylvanas' face.
"Miss Kira…?" whispered a tiny voice beside Kylia then.
Kira turned, spotting Maya there, staring at her with confused eyes, slumped upon the ground. The girl was lost. She had not known of the true intentions of the Scarlet Crusade. She had been blind to their faults, but that blindness had shielded her from their prejudices.
"Maya…" she said, walking slowly towards the girl.
"What am I going to do…?" the girl whispered, tears flooding down her cheeks. "What is going on…? Why are they doing this…?"
Kira bent down, putting a comforting hand on Maya's shoulder. "You must be really confused now, huh?" she smiled as reassuringly as possible at the girl. "I can't say that everything will be alright, but I can say this: go out into the world, and see it for what it truly is."
Maya looked at her, briefly, her eyes full of confusion. Kira gave her the warmest smile she could muster under the circumstances, and elaborated.
"If you base all your beliefs on what others say—what the Scarlet Crusade believes are right and wrong; then you will live only a shadow of a life. Up until now, you've only lived by what they have said, and what they have done. As hard as it is to accept, that doesn't necessarily mean what they say is true." Kira's eyes were suddenly downcast. "But sometimes, you learn that what others say is really what is true, even if you don't want to believe it. But you can only truly make that judgment if you experience what they did for yourself. I learned this lesson, just recently, in the hardest of fashions; so have you. Now you have to go out in the world, and make your own judgments—see what is true for yourself, and then act accordingly to what you believe. "
She finally stood and stepped away from Maya, who remained in her huddled position on the ground. She could say nothing more.
Maya stood tentatively, and began to walk down the hill. She stopped, and turned to Kira again. She took a shuddering breath.
"Goodbye…"
The girl then walked away, following the crowd like a lost lamb. Kira watched her go, dearly hoping that one day they would meet again, when both of them were wiser. Maya could still learn, her mind was not completely blotted by the madness of the Scarlet Crusade. In time, Kira knew that she would be a great person, and she sent all her prayers after the girl.
She turned away, then, back towards the monastery. She looked at Kylia, nodded, and started towards the gate once more.
They were stopped by a sudden yipping growl, and suddenly Tsuwabuki was there, leaping from some bushes near the side of the wall. The silver fox ran up to Kira, sitting on her haunches and looking up at the girl.
Kira wished she could speak to the fox as Naruto could. Before she had been able to listen into her and Naruto's conversations, but since then the bond had grown between Tsuwabuki and Naruto, making it difficult now to tap in. But in this case, she realized that she didn't need to speak to the fox. She knew exactly what it wanted.
"Naruto's inside," she said, smiling. "We're going in to help him."
She started off again, only to have Tsuwabuki nip her suddenly, causing her to yelp and jump away.
"What was that for?" she cried, glaring at the fox.
Tsuwabuki ran away, towards the bushes she had emerged from, stopping just in front of them. She looked hopefully at Kira again, who now looked confused.
"You don't want to come with us…?"
The fox shook its head. She then jerked it in the direction of the gate, and flattened her ears, growling. She then jerked it in the other direction, down the wall, and nodded a few times.
Kira understood.
"Let's follow her," she said to Kylia, walking towards the fox. As she did, she cast a glance at the gate again. Something was happening that made Tsuwabuki not want to go in the most direct way. Kira hoped that she didn't find out what.
"DIE!"
Herod's gigantic cleaver slammed into the ground directly beneath Myrdraxxis, splitting the hard stone as if it were soft cheese. Herod landed like a meteor upon the training floor, causing the stone to crack beneath the force of his fall.
The Forsaken rogue, having deftly avoided the attack, landed beside the titanic Crusader, Tuska and Poena flying into his hands. He then shot forwards, jabbing Herod in the side with one of his daggers.
Instead of piercing Herod's bare flesh, however, the dagger bounced off his skin, as it had struck solid steal. With a roar of laughter, Herod swung his axe to the side, nearly chopping Myrdraxxis in two. The rogue, instead, leapt over the mighty weapon, and Herod himself, landing upon the ground behind him.
"My skin is blessed with the Holy Light! It will take more than such puny little weapons to harm me, little freak!" Herod thundered, his voice muffled beneath the huge helmet that he wore.
Myrdraxxis twirled the twin weapons as he faced the Scarlet Champion, his luminous yellow eyes small and beady. All around him, Scarlet trainees stood watching their master fight in silent vigilance. They were far from the young, boorish sort that Herod seemed to be. They did not even cheer him on.
But, Myrdraxxis could guess that they had such absolute confidence in his abilities that they already knew the outcome of the fight. It made him chuckle. They were still young then. Perhaps he could teach them a lesson that Herod had so far failed to.
It would be the last lesson they learned, too.
Herod rushed him again, his axe whistling through the air. He swung it three times, each strike quick and only a hair away from striking Myrdraxxis. The rogue avoided each of them, swiftly, but did not attack. He could still see the slight layer of chakra that surrounded Herod's flesh, protecting it. It did not appear, in Myrdraxxis' eyes, to be something that the Scarlet Champion was he himself doing. No, he guessed that one of the monks, or perhaps even Whitemane herself had preformed the jutsu that protected this man.
But then again, it did not matter much to him. He would die just the same; no flimsy Scarlet protection could help this brutish fool.
Herod continued his attack, and Myrdraxxis continued to back away, avoiding each strike by mere inches. He was waiting for a chance, and that very chance soon presented itself, as Herod lifted his weapon up over his head, clutching it with both hands. Slamming chakra into his feet, Myrdraxxis stopped instantly, and then shot forwards, passing through the giant's guard. Tuska shot forwards, aimed at Herod's throat, while Poena went for his groin. They were the most vulnerable points, and with a bit of chakra to enhance the power of the strike, they could easily pass through and strike the warrior's flesh. With his hands up, Herod could not defend.
But suddenly something happened. Instead of hitting thick, meaty flesh, Myrdraxxis struck air. Herod had pivoted to the side with unearthly speed; so fast that though Myrdraxxis knew Herod was now behind him, he could still see a fading outline of him in front.
'What?'
Herod brought the axe crashing down, but Myrdraxxis still managed to just get away. The axe split the ground again, and there was a sudden flare of light, causing the training floor to burst apart in a tremendous flash of light and burst of sound. Myrdraxxis was unsettled by the force of the attack, and therefore was unable to dodge Herod's hand. The massive muscled appendage palmed Myrdraxxis' face, and then slammed him face-first into the ground.
Fresh green ichor gushed from Myrdraxxis' mouth and the remainder of his nose. There was a terrible ringing in his ears, and for a moment he was as limp as a rag doll. Herod loomed over him, triumphant.
"That was the second blessing of the Light! The Blessing of Zeal grants me great speed, and the Blessing of Might gives devastating power to my attacks! How does that feel, little man? Your power is nothing compared to mine!"
'What a fool,' the rogue thought, pushing himself to his feet. Herod let him stand up fully, watching him, his axe resting on one shoulder. Tuska and Poena remained in Myrdraxxis' grip, and he had already recovered. Twirling Poena in one hand, he suddenly tossed it into the air. It flew over Herod's head, driving itself into the ground behind him.
Herod seemed amused. "Giving up? Hah! So you have finally realized, little freak, how foolish you are in even attempting to fight me! Your death will be swift, Forsaken!"
Myrdraxxis was having a hard time not breaking his vow. He hated talking in battle. But this man was making him sorely wish he had reconsidered that unspoken oath. He wished Fen were here; the mage would have already responded to the man's inane jabbering with a clever word or two. Nevertheless, Myrdraxxis said nothing, his hands flying together into a seal.
In a flash of purple light, a bolt of pure electricity exploded through Herod's chest, arcing from Poena, still stuck in the ground behind Herod, to Tuska, still clutched in Myrdraxxis' hand. The Scarlet Champion roared in agony, stumbling forwards a few steps. Smoke rose from the patches of charred flesh on Herod's back and chest. With a mighty roar, he shot forwards, again, with the same unbelievable speed that he had demonstrated earlier in his fight.
But Myrdraxxis avoided Herod's strike, so easily it seemed almost shameful for the giant to have made such a clumsy attack. Whether it was the damage he had just taken, or the blind rage he was now in, it appeared that Herod had lost some speed and overall skill. He twisted again, swinging lightning fast attacks at Myrdraxxis, who nimbly avoided all of them.
The Scarlet trainees, seeing their master in such a state, stopped their silent meditation, and began to cheer him on. They were becoming worried. This Forsaken was doing far better than they had expected.
Herod let out an insane roar, now using his axe in every way it could be used. He swung it at the rogue, the flat of the blade forwards, as if to bat Myrdraxxis away; he twirled it around on its haft, striking with both blade and handle. He thrust forwards with his gauntleted arm, too, making to punch or grab the incredibly swift and nimble Forsaken. But nothing worked. Myrdraxxis was far too swift.
Myrdraxxis had maneuvered them back into the very same position they had started in. Poena was again behind Herod, and as soon as Myrdraxxis found a window, he thrust his hands together in the same seal as before.
Lightning again lit the room, searing through Herod and this time, knocking him to his knees. His whole body was quivering, and the slight sheen of chakra that once protected his body was now gone. His movements appeared sluggish, and it looked as if even lifting the axe caused him strain now.
"You…! Coward…! Face…me like…a real warrior!" Herod bellowed, gasping.
Myrdraxxis extended a hand out at the Scarlet Champion in response. "I am not, as you said, a warrior. It is shameful that you were ever elevated to such a position as Champion. You use enchantments given by others to make you into a competent warrior. Pathetic."
He made a gentle beckoning motion. Herod took this a gesture to continue to fight, and with a roar, he blundered forwards, lifting his axe. Two feet away from the lithe Forsaken rogue, he suddenly stopped, and there was sudden wet, splashing noise as Poena slammed into the small of Herod's back, driving itself all the way up to the hilt. It had responded to Myrdraxxis' call, via the small, nigh invisible chakra strings that had been attached to it.
The Scarlet Champion stumbled forwards again, now silent, perhaps in shock. He slumped to his knees again, right in front of Myrdraxxis. The rogue lifted Tuska, holding it directly in front of Herod's face. He then leaned forwards.
"Such scum is perfect for such a group as this. It is fitting that you die here, fool."
Myrdraxxis slammed his weapon into Herod's throat, and with a sudden, violent twist, he beheaded the Champion of the Scarlet Crusade.
Herod's head landed with a sickening wet sound, and rolled to the feet of a trainee standing nearby. The young man, still a teenager, stared dumbly at the still helmeted head, and then at the gushing, headless body that had just slumped forwards onto the ground at Myrdraxxis' feet, forming a pool beneath the rogue. The other trainees mimicked his shock.
Then, one of them recovered and let out a roar.
"WE SHALL AVENGE OUR MASTER'S DEATH! DIE, DEMON!"
The crowd surged forwards, lifting their puny training weapons, all preparing to attack Myrdraxxis en masse. The rogue stood in still for just a moment, before he suddenly vanished, as if the air had enveloped him in a protective shielding; his body simply blurred out, and was gone.
Something dropped to the ground in his place, however; a small purple vial, which shattered on contact with the floor.
Myrdraxxis did not even stay around to hear the screams of the trainees.
They soon died, however, and the inhuman calls of the mutant Crusaders, Sylvanas' failed plague changing them into beasts unlike any other that had been seen upon this earth, replaced them. The mutants surged from the room, in search of fresh blood.
It led them eventually to the courtyard, the smell of live human flesh drawing them like starving people to an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Mograine's war mace swept over Naruto's head, inches away from touching the flesh. The blonde, having just ducked under the fierce attack, shot up and kicked the Scarlet Commander in the chin. Mograine stumbled backwards, but remained standing. Before Naruto could press the attack, however, a group of Crusaders swarmed him, forcing him to leap high into the air, avoiding being cut to ribbons by their weapons.
This had continued for some time. In the first few moments of the battle, Naruto had been dodging kamikaze Crusaders every few seconds. They had no reservations about killing themselves, and even those they killed with them, their own men, did not affect their judgment in the slightest. Their possession of such frightening zeal and such a blatant disregard for life angered Naruto beyond belief.
But he was keeping that anger in check. He was not going to use the Kyuubi in this fight, no matter what. It had been a silent promise to himself, before he had even entered the monastery. The Kyuubi, as useful as it was, still terrified Naruto. He had not forgotten his experiences in his fight with Rend, and he did not at all want to duplicate that. Rexxar's advice, too, was still fresh in his mind. He would use his own abilities, now. As furious as he was in seeing so many of Kira's people lying dead upon the ground of the courtyard, he would save that anger. He knew very well whom he could direct it against, when the time came.
Soon, however, it became clear to the Crusaders that sacrificing their men in such a fashion wasn't aiding them. The courtyard, once a peaceful and beautiful place, was now littered with smoking craters and ruined architecture. The pool had been blown apart long ago, as had the fountain that gave birth to the water. The water itself was now murky with blood and debris. Mograine had ordered the Crusaders to fight Naruto on foot, with their own weapons. They were reserving their suicide-bombing tactics for when Naruto was unable to dodge.
It had been like that for a while now. Naruto was getting increasingly tired (a surprising feat, considering his stamina) and there were no chances for him to get even a moment's rest. Crusaders attacked from all sides, using all sorts of different techniques. The majority of them wielded weapons of some sort; and while those were easy enough to avoid, seeing as how the Crusaders possessed neither the speed nor the ability to keep after Naruto when he was leaping great distances, or using Kazaashi to speed away from them, there were still quite a few of the; and whenever they managed to engage Naruto in direct combat (either with him, or a clone) they put up enough of a fight to cause Naruto to more often than not abandon the fight. There were just too many.
And more continued to arrive. News was spreading like wildfire across the monastery, and monks, warriors, scholars, and healers were all coming to participate in the fight against a single child. Some of them broke off, eventually, heading towards where Kira and the refugees had fled. But for the most part, the ferocity and tenacity that the Crusaders were employing in trying to kill a single boy was remarkable.
Mograine, the Scarlet Commander, however, was easily the biggest threat in the area. Mograine was not only more relentless than a charging bull, but he had absolutely no regard for his fellow Crusaders. He swung his massive mace in every direction when he neared the blonde, bashing anyone foolish enough to get close enough to him.
Naruto, on several occasions, had engaged the Scarlet Commander directly. His superior speed and attacks should have been more than enough to take the giant down.
But Mograine didn't go down. Naruto's weapon attacks—kunai, shuriken, or even Magni's Pride, were all deflected by Mograine. It was as if his body was covered in some strange barrier, and that barrier was keeping Naruto from injuring him.
So he began to employ different tactics.
As Mograine neared him again, Naruto summoned a ring of clones around himself, pushing back any Crusaders who were attempting to interrupt the blonde. Flashing through a group of seals, Naruto sucked in his breath.
"Hyouton: Hyoushi no jutsu (Arrow of Ice technique)!" Though not by any means perfect, Naruto had worked on the technique he had learned in Ironforge for quite a while. Thrall had helped him a bit, considering the fact that some Ice jutsu were employed in the Water style of the Tetra-Elemental style.
Frozen air gushed from Naruto's mouth, freezing the ground and grass in front of him. The blast shot forwards, through a whole that Naruto's clones had made in their ring. The attack slammed into the charging Mograine, who was frozen briefly in his tracks.
But then something happened. Instead of covering him in ice crystals, forming a prison as Naruto had intended the attack to do, there was a sudden flare of yellow light, and a surge of warmth, and the attack was repulsed. Mograine hardly broke step, and with a mighty swing, cleared away a portion of the ring of clones around Naruto, and then attempting to clobber Naruto again.
With the other Crusaders still held back, Naruto was alone in his fight with Mograine for the moment. He avoided a downward strike, and then a few quick, successive attacks, which pushed the blonde slightly backwards. Holding out a hand, Naruto called forth his chakra, making it swirl and churn, and then gathering it into a tight ball.
Mograine did not acknowledge Naruto's new attack with anything more than a raised eyebrow. The giant Crusader thrust forwards with his war mace, the large barb on the top aimed for Naruto's side. The blonde sidestepped the attack, and then lunged forwards, the arm wielding the deadly Rasengan fully extended in front of him.
"Rasengan!"
The spiraling bullet of chakra smashed into Mograine's chest, halting the giant's rampage. It bored through the protective layer of chakra, smashing into Mograine's scarlet armor beneath. Another few seconds would have driven it through that, but Mograine, with his seemingly unshakable intent to win, locked onto the offending arm, and wrenched it violently to the side. The Rasengan was dragged with it, shattering the armor as it went. Mograine then pulled forwards, intending to knee Naruto in the chest, but the blonde, his arm still captured, leapt off the ground, twisting his body in such a way that he avoided the attack, but caused little discomfort to his arm. He locked his legs around Mograine's neck, squeezing with all his might, as well as wrenching them downwards. Mograine's head, and eventually his whole body, went with them, and he toppled to the earth with a crash, releasing his grip on Naruto's arm.
The blonde leapt free of the Scarlet Commander, landing in front of him, gasping. Mograine sprang to his feet a mere second later, unaffected by the attack. All of Naruto's efforts had been wasted: the only damage that was apparent on Mograine's body was the damage to his armor.
By now, the crowd had managed to dispel a healthy number of Naruto's clones, and was beginning to pour through, attempting to attack Naruto again. Cursing, the blonde's hands flew through another set of seals, and with a cry, Naruto plunged his palm into the ground.
"Doton: Tsuchidaigeki no jutsu!"The ground surged up in a massive wave around Naruto, traveling for a few feet before exploding in a colossal spray of dirt, grass, and rubble. Naruto's clones, as well as many Crusaders, were flung back, Mograine included.
His way cleared, Naruto jumped again, landing softly on one of the surrounding rooftops, nearer to the Cathedral. He was panting quite a bit, and glaring down at the small army of Crusaders, he wondered what he could possibly do.
Fighting them as he was now seemed pointless. He may have been stubborn, but he knew when a fight was hopeless. As slow and single-minded as the Crusaders were, they were apt hand-to-hand fighters, their healers were nothing short of superb, and they were led by a juggernaut that seemed to be resistant to all forms of attack, and far more skilled than the others.
Another thing that seemed pointless was running. If he did, he'd just lead them to Kira and Kylia, and he didn't need that. He had spent already so much time trying to get Kira's people to safety, and he had no intention of endangering them again.
So what could he do?
The Crusaders quickly reorganized themselves, and many began to weave seals, this time for attack jutsu, rather than just the support ones that had been using so far. With an exhausted sigh, which was more of a growl, Naruto settled back into an attack stance. A really powerful attack was what he needed, one to knock out a huge group of the Crusaders permanently. That way, he'd stand a much better chance.
But, aside from Tsuchidaigeki, he had no such attack. Goukakyuu no jutsu could work, but many of the Crusaders could defend against it, and Mograine had already demonstrated that he was immune to such jutsu. Naruto Fukuzei (Naruto Ambush) would be his best bet, but the Crusaders were too densely packed for him to get a group of clones behind them. All of this ran through his mind at several hundred miles an hour, he could usually come up with something, but at this point, all of his good ideas had been exhausted. Their tenaciousness was so goddamn annoying!
He almost felt a slight sympathy for those who had fought him in the past—he was rather tenacious himself.
The Crusaders prepared their attack again, Mograine spearheading the charge as usual.
Then something happened.
Near the back of the crowd, near the covered walkway that surrounded the area, a Crusader suddenly gave a cry, and was pulled violently into a dark room. Naruto blinked, having seen the whole thing.
'What the…?'
Directly below Naruto, he began to hear snarls. The attacking Crusaders stopped their charge, having heard them as well. Then, there was movement.
From the blackness of the doorway in which the Crusader had been dragged into, a horrible beast emerged. It was humanoid, hunched, its skin deformed and graying. It's face was a shapeless mass of blood and bone, with the only recognizable features being an eye, which glowed yellow, and a gaping mouth, filled with rows of blade-sharp teeth. A long, Orochimaruesque tongue hung from the mouth, whipping around like a tentacle. Its hands were bloody, and huge, bony claws had torn from what had once been flesh. Large, malformed, twisted spikes had sprouted from its back.
But the strangest thing about it was that it wore clothes. It wore the remnants of thick leather boots, torn pants, and it wore a red shirt, over which was a tabard. The tabard had the symbol of the Scarlet Crusade emblazoned upon it.
Naruto's eyes grew wide.
Fen's words suddenly came back to him. 'A plague…could that be…'
Could that be the result of the plague that Sylvanas was intending to use against the world?
Then, more creatures came. They leapt from the shadows, from all sides of the courtyard—even beneath where Naruto was standing. They charged, their horrible mouths stretched as wide as they could go, their long tongues out, writhing and twisting and slavering. The Crusaders turned to meet them, but the monsters were far too quick—they leapt upon the Crusaders, their long claws tearing at flesh, their slobbering tongues wrapping around limbs and pulling their grotesque heads to meet and rip the flesh of their quarry.
Soon the courtyard was full of screams. Beasts began to emerge in larger groups, attacking with wild abandon at Crusaders who were trying to escape the sudden slaughter. Naruto watched, from where he stood, with wide, unblinking eyes. The smell of blood was so strong now that Naruto felt sick to his stomach. The accompanying imagery did not do much to help this feeling.
But not all Crusaders perished. Some fought back, their long weapons piercing the mottled grey skin of their former brethren, and their holy jutsu striking those who came too close. Mograine stood among these, his war mace flying, tearing every beast he encountered apart in a single stroke. The Scarlet Commander was moving, and not without purpose. He waded through the thicket of mutants and Crusaders, eventually reaching the massive doors of the Cathedral. Others followed, their slashing at attacking monsters as they went.
The doors opened in a thunderous creak, but only enough to let Mograine slide through. Then, they shut with another creak, just in time for the other Crusaders to reach the door. Their cries became desperate and pleading; they scratched at the door and wailed to the Light for mercy. Just moments before, Naruto had seen their unbelievable determination; they had been prepared to die for their cause, and now they were whining like children in the face of death.
Other Crusaders, perhaps truer and more dedicated to their cause, ended their own lives using their kamikaze jutsu. Huge patches of plagued Crusaders were blown apart as their prey unleashed their final, desperate attacks. Once again the courtyard was lit with constant flashes of light, and thunderous booms as Crusaders detonated their chakra sources from within.
Naruto didn't stick around to watch much longer, however. Having seen Mograine leave, he knew now that he had a chance of winning. The plagued monsters would take care of the army out here; now Naruto had the chance to fight Mograine one-on-one.
Naruto ran towards the Cathedral along the rooftop, his fingers weaving seals as he did. Leaping then, just before he reached the wall, he landed softly on a patch of still-green grass. He ran towards the door, which cast a large shadow in the moonlight. As he ran, black markings blossomed across his face and body, and as soon as he stepped atop the shadow, he began to sink within it.
'Shadow-walk!'
Naruto's last glimpse of the courtyard was a Crusader destroying himself, his face lit in a triumphant smile, dying gladly with the knowledge that he had slain a few monsters of the dark.
Naruto was glad that he suddenly could no longer see them; what was happening was not humans being slain, and slaying monsters— it was monsters killing other monsters.
The entire floor of the Cathedral was cast in darkness when Naruto reappeared. Though he had never been inside, it occurred to him that no matter what, there would be a multitude of shadows in this place. He could sense them to a degree, but in this case, it was more like common sense (even though he didn't claim to have much, that didn't mean he was completely devoid of it, especially in a battle situation).
He did not see Mograine. The massive room was deathly quiet. He saw smoking candles, and knew that Mograine had doused them. Had he expected Naruto to follow?
Naruto went warily forwards. His hand gripped his sword tightly, while his other twitched, ready to use a Rasengan at the slightest movement.
But he did not see Mograine, who moved in a blur, frighteningly fast and silent for his size, straight at Naruto's behind. It was only the blonde's nose that alerted him. Drawing his sword, Naruto whipped around faster than he had expected. Indeed, it felt less like he had moved, and more like he had been pulled. His weapon met Mograine's war mace mere inches before his face, causing sparks to fly, and the cathedral to ring with the clash of metal.
Naruto didn't give way this time. He reinforced himself using the Kongou, and to Mograine, it felt as if he was trying to move a brick wall. He had to admit: the blonde was impressive.
Mograine pulled away this time, and Naruto pressed the attack, slashing at the Scarlet Commander's head. Mograine ducked the blow, and rammed Naruto with his whole body. The blonde took it using the Kongou again, but Mograine persisted, throwing all of his weight into a second body ram. This time, however, Naruto gave way, leaping backwards so that Mograine fell off balance. The blonde then aimed a kick at Mograine's head. It did nothing more than ruffle the giant's hair.
"My Divine Shield protects me from damage from only the strongest of attacks, boy. By now, you should have figured that out," Mograine rumbled. He swung his mace at the blonde, but Naruto leapt back, avoiding the attack. It crashed against a column, obliterating it. "You have nothing but the Darkness on your side, boy. My holy might does not differentiate between those who worship it—whether it be child or old man, I shall destroy all who oppose the Light."
Naruto panted heavily, dodging another oncoming attack from Mograine's weapon. He was quicker than the giant, he knew, but Mograine was more skilled than he imagined. Even now, after all that fighting, Mograine seemed unshaken; not a hair appeared to be out of place. He showed no signs of weariness, which shocked Naruto. He was used to being the one who outlasted his opponents.
Naruto, still panting, grinned slyly at the Scarlet Commander in the dark. "Who says I'm opposing it, dirtbag? You guys are the ones who have been torturing people who you say have the plague." He stood up straighter. "What really gets me is that you guys, even after drenching yourselves in their blood, still believe that they have the plague. If they did, wouldn't you be infected too?"
Mograine moved silently, circling the blonde. Neither took their eyes off the other.
"The Light protects those that accept it. We cannot contract the Plague."
Naruto gave a bark of laughter. "You guys are just assholes who want to blame everything on people who aren't part of your little group. People like you really piss me off." He pointed at the man in the gloom, his blue eyes shimmering. "I'm gonna kick your ass so hard it's not even funny. You guys are going to pay for killing Kira's dad, and ruining her kingdom."
Mograine stood up straight too. His eyes, a darker blue than Naruto's own, hardened into bottomless fathoms of ice. He gave a rumbling laugh.
"If only you knew…."
He lifted his war mace high above him, and with a thunderous cry, brought it crashing down to the ground in front of him. The stone floor burst apart in a thunderous flash of light, sending waves of heat crashing over Naruto, making him stumble backwards from the intensity. Mograine was suddenly in front of him, his weapon careening downwards towards Naruto's body.
Naruto kicked off the ground, and vanished abruptly. Mograine stopped, but only for a second. He twisted suddenly, blocking a sword strike from Naruto.
"Predictable…" the giant thundered, thrusting Naruto off him. He made to grab Naruto's head, but the blonde blurred away again, and suddenly Mograine felt dozens of punches smashing into his face. They did little damage, but the sheer number and speed of them threw him off.
That had been what Naruto was counting on.
Two clones appeared by Mograine's legs, and propelling themselves forwards, they ripped the Scarlet Commander's legs out from under him, while two more clones leapt upon Mograine's chest. He crashed to the floor, and the clones grabbed onto his arms, pinning them to the ground with their full weights. But before he could do anything to right himself, the real Naruto, clutching a glittering blue Rasengan, shot down from above.
"Don't insult me! I'm the least predictable guy you'll ever meet! Rasengan!"
His arms pinned, Mograine couldn't redirect the attack this time. He struggled as hard as he could, but the clones struggled just as hard, even using Kongou to harden themselves, making it nearly impossible to move their arms. His eyes widened briefly, showing the first sign of emotion Naruto had ever seen on his face, just as the Rasengan struck his chest.
The glowing sphere smashed through the Divine Shield technique that covered Mograine's body, and slammed directly into his mid-section. Mere seconds after it struck, however, something happened.
Mograine's body was suddenly surrounded by a bronze glow. It was spiky, erratic, and constantly in motion. It suddenly surrounded Naruto's hand, and suddenly it began to hurt. A lot. The pain lanced up his arm, and flooded into the rest of his body. Naruto began to scream. He retracted his hand, just as a huge barb of the bronze chakra shot up, spearing Naruto in the shoulder. He cried out in absolute agony, backing away, blood gushing from the newly created wound. His whole arm was bloody, covered in small puncture wounds. Still gasping, he didn't notice Mograine standing up, and approaching him.
"The Thorns of Light pierce only the Darkness," Mograine recited, his mind upon the passage in the Holy Scriptures that told of this power. The Aura of Thorns was his last defense, and easily his most effective. The blonde was finished.
He grabbed Naruto's head, and hurtled him across the room. The blonde crashed into a candlestick, and rolled along until he rested against one of the many columns. Coughing, he stood shakily to his feet.
Mograine pursued him. The giant Crusader lifted his war mace, eyes flashing, and brought it whistling down onto Naruto's head.
That should have ended it.
But, Naruto once again made due on his "most surprising" moniker.
The Naruto that Mograine had smashed vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a large chunk of stone from the floor that Mograine had ruined earlier. He had been able to form the seal for Kawarimi no jutsu mid-way through his flight, using a single hand. He was becoming far more adept in his use of the basics.
Mograine swiftly turned, believing that Naruto would attack from behind. But instead of a boy, he got nothing. Naruto moved just as Mograine realized he had been tricked.
A new Rasengan swirled in Naruto's hand. As Mograine turned, Naruto put on a burst of speed, and smashed the glowing orb into Mograine's exposed chest. Mograine made to push his hand out of the way, just as it struck the flesh, but Naruto was ready once again.
His ruined hand flew up, making a single half-seal, and then Rasengan did something it had never done before.
It exploded.
The sphere burst in a bright flash of bluish light, releasing all of the swirling energies within. Fire came with them, bursting forth from Naruto's fingertips, as the reason for why it had exploded became clear.
The Kaenhira.
"Bakuhatsuteki Rasengan (Explosive Rasengan)!"
The explosive surge of power thrust Mograine away from Naruto. He flew with such force across the Cathedral that he appeared to be nothing but a blur for a few scant seconds. He smashed into the wall opposite Naruto, causing it to crack and burst apart. Dust flew in every direction, partially obscuring the Scarlet Commander.
His hand still extended, Naruto gave a deep sigh of relief. His arm was a cacophony of pain, each movement making his body scream in the shrillest of voices. He dropped to his knees, breathing heavily, and watching Mograine for a while. He had long gotten used to the fact that people in this world didn't like dying. He was not going to be caught off guard if Mograine decided he wanted to live after this.
His whole body then relaxed, as he spotted Mograine. The Scarlet Commander couldn't have been deader. The explosive power of the Kaenhira, combined with the amount and form of the chakra of the Rasengan had turned his chest into something resembling an onion sliced to look like a flower. There was so much gore that Naruto almost gagged, if it were not for the sudden, rather vicious feeling of elation he got in seeing his opponent dead.
When he realized that he was reveling in the man's death, however, Naruto became nearly sick again. He could here the Kyuubi laughing softly behind its bars. Did it have something to do with that emotion?
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
Naruto looked down the aisle, towards the altar of the Cathedral. Walking slowly towards him was an extremely beautiful woman. She had long, flowing pristine white hair, gorgeous green eyes, and was wearing one of the sexiest outfits Naruto had ever seen.
But Naruto only saw that temporarily, before his attention was drawn to the woman's smile. It was so hideous, so disgustingly mad, so filled with a sick, delighted amusement at the situation, that her whole body suddenly seemed as repulsive as the mutants outside.
"Well done, child. I have not met you before, who might you be?"
Naruto glared at the woman distrustfully. "Uzumaki Naruto. You're Whitemane, aren't you?"
The woman didn't seem a bit surprised. "I suppose that the princess Kira has told you much about me, yes? Have you been protecting her, all this time? You have my deepest thanks for keeping her safe. I would regret not personally seeing to it that the little brat dies in the most horrible of fashions. She has put me through quite a bit of grief, since I have known her."
Naruto grinned. "Good," he said viciously.
She chuckled, amused. "Is it?" She smiled wider, and her eyes were suddenly touched with madness. "Looking at you angers me. How can two children cause so much trouble for me, I wonder? The Lich King is getting craftier, employing children like you to be his assassins." Her eyes grew madder still. "I'll kill you, now, boy. I'll send you back to you master in pieces. I have had enough of looking into your disgusting, plague-ridden face."
Naruto stood, his hand grabbing onto his sword. He was weakened, but he could still fight.
She laughed then; it was laced with insanity, for her eyes were wide, and her insane smile stretched to the widest it could on her beautiful face.
"No, no, no, no! That won't do! It would be improper of me to fight you, in such a state as you are!" She then turned towards Mograine's dead body. She cocked her head to the side, and her smile grew to more of a smirk. "But, seeing as how he did once, I'm sure he could again."
Naruto blinked. What was she talking about?
Whitemane began to make seals with her hands, and they began to glow the brightest gold in existence. She extended her hand, and the golden light formed a long tendril, which snaked out towards Mograine's body.
"He was useful. I'm sure he'll be useful again."
As soon as the tendril touched Mograine's body, there was a bright flash. Naruto shut his eyes, nearly blinded by the light, for a moment it was all he could see. Then, the light faded, and Naruto opened his eyes to a very familiar nightmare.
Mograine stood, not a scratch upon his body, and looked at Whitemane.
"At your side, my lady."
God, it's two AM in the morning.
But enough about my problems.
How'd ya like it? Seems Sylvanas' plague isn't as effective as she might have thought! Farenell's in trouble, to be sure when Fen and Myr tell Sylvanas about the effects.
The mutants that the Crusaders become are rather blatantly based off of some of the horror shows in Resident Evil. Think of them as a cross between a zombie, a hunter, and a licker.
Sylvanas' Plague is way different from what she intended it to be, and it is also different from the Undead plague. You'll be hearing more about it soon, and I'll probably include a little section in the next author notes about the exact mechanics of the plague.
There won't be any spellbook, armory or bestiary sections this time—I'm too tired, and they'll all be in the next author section anyways (I had intended this and the following to be in one chapter, but alas, I can't seem to write a chapter that isn't over 20 pages now.)
I'm graduating on Monday…thank the gods.
Well, that's it. I'll try to get the chapter out soon enough, because I have some things to do this summer…but more on that later.
Seeya!
General Grievous
Next week: Whitemane and the resurrected Mograine! HOT!