Yeah, yeah, I destroyed Naruto's eyesight last chapter. It's going to be back… some day.
BTW, writer's block sucks. Period. So does familial problems. So expect the next few chapters to be VERY, VERY muddled with random events so I can get them out in the first place. Sorry.
Chapter 2 and 3 is being redone even as we speak… well chapter 2 at least… I'm still thinking on Chapter 3 for now.
Chapter 35: A Chance Meeting with the Past
Naruto groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. Trying to look around, all he saw was darkness. He paused for a moment, before recalling what Kyubi had told him.
Right… it'll take at least a week before my eyesight is back to normal… well that sucks, Naruto thought before he sensed another presence, as two arms wrapped themselves around him.
"Naruto, you're alright," Lina's relieved voice filtered into his ears as Naruto leaned in, enjoying the touch, "You're out for a whole three days."
"Were you here the whole time, Lina-chan?" Naruto croaked out as Lina snuggled into him.
"No, I left for food… occasionally," Lina replied as Naruto rolled his currently unusable eyes, gaining a giggle from the elf, "Are they working?"
"No, Kyubi said it would be at least a week before they're recovered from the strain. Until then I'm blind… or almost blind," Naruto replied as he sensed Sylvanas walking in, "Hi Sylvanas-chan. Miss me?"
"Naruto!" Sylvanas exclaimed as she hurried over, "You're up!"
"Yeah, yeah. Is there anything new?" Naruto asked.
"Theramore's been… stabilized," Sylvanas recounted, "Though there were still some casualties, mostly from the Kul Tiras and some from the civilians when Manda struck. Thanks to Mei's summon the snakes were repelled. There was massive damage to the superstructure of the castle and much of the surrounding was destroyed, only some of the civilian housings were actually damaged, and none were damaged beyond the point of repair thanks to the Horde and Kul Tiras, who actually worked together to hold off any stray attacks. Admiral Proudmoore has left to Durotar, intending on fixing a real peace treaty this time. It took a while but your actions, Thrall's, and Jaina's words convinced him… finally. Mei's gone with him in case of anything happening, since she's the only one capable of taking the Admiral on with you out of commission… or at least that's what Jaina said."
"Good," Naruto grinned satisfactorily, "At least nothing bad happened. What about the Recons and Ghosts?"
"Three Recons died while taking down Manda, and four Ghosts are wounded, one unable to participate in combat for another two months for intensive therapy, even for Priests," Jaina recounted as she walked in, "It's a miracle he was alive considering he was crushed by Manda. Why are you asking them anyways, they're not in charge of the programs… or know of the Ghost Program until that day, and even now the're still asking about them."
"Jaina-chan!" Naruto said happily, "You're here too!"
"And you shouldn't be more reckless," Jaina shot back, "Seriously, are you trying to give us heart attacks and make us die before you marry us?"
"No…" Naruto sweat-dropped, "That wasn't my intention…?" Wow, how did she get onto that topic?
"Feels like it," Sylvanas muttered as Naruto grinned and suddenly held her close, gaining a squeak of surprise from the elf woman, "What the… I thought you were blind?"
"I said technically, Sylvanas-chan. Look underneath the underneath," Naruto grinned, "My chakra's in the air, so I can sense any displacements. That's how I'll move around, but that also means I'm restricted to Theramore for the time being."
"Good, you're not going anywhere, I want my plushy time," Lina said as she grinned, and Naruto crawled a little back, "What?"
"Nothing," Naruto answered quickly.
"It better be," Jaina warned, "After that fiasco, Theramore's just beginning to stabilize, and the last thing I want is something to be amiss and you're not telling me."
"Jaina-chan, this is my home too you know… have a little more confidence in me…" Naruto faked crying, as Jaina rolled her own eyes, "And let me rest, I'm tired… please?"
"You're not going anywhere off this bed, got me?" Jaina said as Naruto nodded.
"I'll keep him here!" Lina volunteered happily as she suddenly jumped on him, "Plushy!"
"Lina…" Naruto groaned in pain, "My ribs…"
"Your ribs?" Lina asked before remembering, "Oh right, the fall… sorry…"
"It's okay…" Naruto groaned out, "Just not that hard…"
"Does that mean you're still my plushy?" Lina asked innocently. Naruto sighed as she giggled, "Don't worry Jaina, I'll keep him here."
"Alright," Jaina said reluctantly as she turned around, "Have fun then, and don't do anything that's going to exert him or aggravate his wounds more."
Lina blushed a little at the insinuation, "Jaina!"
"Just kidding," Jaina said as she laughed, "Usually it's you who tells me to lighten up."
"Shut up Jaina!" Lina said, now really bright in the face as Naruto joined her in laughing, though he held back a bit to prevent from hurting himself.
"Plushy?" Sylvanas asked as Jaina turned to her.
"Yeah, apparently, Mei, Lina, and I have some point in the past all thought Naruto was some sort of plushy…"
"Not meaning to interrupt your conversation but…" Naruto replied as they turned and gave him a kiss.
"Would that satisfy you?" Jaina said before she walked away, followed by Sylvanas. Naruto turned to Lina.
"How come…?" Naruto asked as Lina held him tenderly in her care.
"Because, you saved me… and I'm scared. All of us are. We're scared of losing you…" Lina said in a small voice, "I don't want to see you hurt… and I like being close to you…"
Naruto grinned as he brought her closer, careful with his ribs.
"This close enough for you, princess?" Naruto asked jokingly.
"I'm not a princess," Lina said with a small pout.
"Yes you are, your family's famous, your father's apparently…" Naruto said before trailing off, "Well…"
"A General, I know, and apparently a famous one at that," Lina said quietly, "Before he and mom… how did you know anyways?"
"Kael," Naruto replied, "He was surprised I was dating you, well… I'm not sure how to describe his reaction… but then he told me of your past and how you were more different than most of the elves, who think they're above humans instead."
"I'm brought up by human parents, you know," Lina reminded Naruto as he nodded, absentmindedly stroking her hair, "That tickles."
"So you don't like it?" Naruto asked, but she shook her head.
"No, it feels nice," Lina admitted, remembering the past, "Dad used to do that to me… at least before the Scourge invasion when he was killed off…"
Naruto just held her closer before closing his useless eyes, breathing in deeply, until he can feel her drifting off judging by the relaxing of her muscles, slumping into him, before Naruto himself too drifted off into unconsciousness.
For the next week essentially the course continued, though with each passing day Naruto's eyes grew a little brighter as they healed and readjusted, calibrating itself in the event the technique was to be used on such a scale again – not that Naruto would actually do it unless something drastic happened once more, which hopefully would not happen. One the fourth day, Jaina had a Priest wrap Naruto's headband around himself, to adjust himself to his new eyesight, and on the fifth it was removed, giving Naruto his complete vision back.
Testing the limits he realized that the Rinnegan would take slower to activate presumably due to the stress not completely recovered – after all, he had just used, or rather completely overused and abused one of the most forbidden and arguably powerful techniques in existence… and came out alive, never mind being blind for a week. Turning to face Jaina, he was not expecting Jaina to suddenly throw herself at him and kiss him silly, making him wonder if she really missed him that much considering she had been visiting him everyday… and making sure he would not leave his bed the same way Lina did… and Mei did… and Sylvanas did… how they managed to sneak onto his bed without him knowing was currently beyond him. In any case, now that he was nearly fully recovered, there was one more thing he had to do.
Find Garithos and Kael before shit hits the fan. As Naruto prepared to move, Jaina stopped him.
"Not now, please? You've only just recovered," Jaina begged as Naruto turned.
"I can't. You know how it is. When Antonidas fought Kael, that was nearly a week ago. I'm not going to bet on losing an ally just to recover myself. From what Admiral Proudmoore told me, Garithos is not that powerful… well he is but not on my scale… in fact nowhere close to my scale. Your father could go against me for a few minutes, but Garithos can't even go against your father for that long, never mind me. I'll be fine. I just need to track down Kael, and I have just the ability to do so," Naruto replied.
"At least take some Ghost with you," Jaina retorted as Naruto sighed.
"I will, Jaina-chan. Now be safe, all of you," Naruto said before Lina moved forward.
"I'm coming with you whether you agree to it or not. I need confirmation even if there's evidence already…" Lina said, "Sylvanas had her evidence… I want my own."
"…" Naruto said nothing as he turned around, "Suit yourself, Lina-chan, but it's not going to be pleasant."
"If life is so easy we would never evolve," Lina replied, "That's why I must look. To face the truth and go through it."
"Wise words," Naruto said after a while, "Okay then, hold on to me. Jaina-chan, do you really need those Ghosts still?"
"I suppose not…" Jaina replied as Naruto waved, then disappeared, with Lina along, in a flash of yellow, reappearing above a hellish sky while Garithos stood in front of him.
"Prince Kael'Thas… you are hereby executed for the betrayal of the New Alliance," Garithos said with a sickening glee in his voice, before Naruto spoke up.
"Hold it," Naruto growled, mixing the Kyubi's malevolent chakra in his voice to project it. Eveyrone froze as Kael looked over Garithos.
"Naruto?" Kael asked in disbelief as Naruto turned.
"I thought I told you to call for me using that pendant if anything goes wrong?" Naruto asked as Kael shook his head.
"My people are in danger… I did not have time to remember it, sorry," Kael admitted as Naruto turned.
"And who are you to assume command immediately of the so-called "New Alliance" if there are remnants of the old leadership?" Naruto asked as Garithos recoiled back.
"And who are you?" Garithos asked with a sneer.
"I am Lady Proudmoore's emissary, Naruto Namikaze, High Overlord of Special Operations, as well as her court," Naruto said in an official tone as he snorted.
"That little girl? Who does she think she is? I may respect Antonidas, or her? Please, how can a woman run a place smoothly?" Garithos muttered before Naruto unleashed his killing intent.
"Watch your tongue, Garithos," Naruto growled out.
"That's Grand Marshall Garithos to you, High Overlord," Garithos shot back, "And who's this? Another Blood Elf traitor?"
"Lina!" Kael exclaimed, "Why are you here?"
"To confirm the destruction of Quel'Thalas…" Lina admitted quietly. Garithos snorted.
"You should know. Your kind couldn't keep your sacred home from falling into the hands of the Scourge," Garithos remarked making Lina even sadder as she was no there to defend her home. Naruto growled as he unleashed even more killing intent, as chakra-fueled winds began lashing out.
"What who you speak to, Garithos," Naruto said in a low voice, "I may tolerate you, but I will not tolerate you speaking ill of something who not only couldn't control the situation but someone precious to me. If you speak another word out of line, I will not regret striking out. Kael, move your troops over. I'll take them to Theramore."
"But… some have already left via the portal on top of Dalaran," Kael said in confusion as Naruto looked up.
"I sense demonic energies…" Naruto growled, "Darkterror…"
"Yes… he was, at that time, my only salvation for my people. I couldn't leave them behind," Kael said. Garithos, tired of being ignored, shouted out.
"Capture them all, traitors to the Alliance!" Garithos shouted as the troops moved and surrounded them. Naruto snorted and called out Er'ryl, who appeared in a loud blast of power, roaring at the troops, slowing them for fear of the unknown beast.
"You think that's enough to stop me?" Naruto asked before he disappeared, reappearing behind Garithos, his blade to Garithos' neck even as Er'ryl sent a loud sonic roar that knocked several people off their feet and onto their ass.
"Move and he dies. Stay away," Naruto growled out as the troops hesitated. Garithos, taking that time, casted Divine Shield on himself, and escaped from Naruto.
"Kill them now!" Garithos screamed as he took his blade and attempted to slash down on Naruto, who dodged nimbly, and allowing Er'ryl to sprint forward and stabbing his fans through the necks of several footmen, killing them instantly.
"Lina, take them out," Naruto sighed as Lina sent a gigantic array of fire blasting out from under the ground, killing many of Garithos' troops immediately. Likewise, Kael immediately sent a burst of flames at the troops, blasting them out of the way even as his own Blood Elven troops engaged the enemy. Naruto ducked under a jab from Garithos, and, taking the chance, whipped out Kyubi's chakra in abundance once more. The dreadful feeling filled the air as Garithos stopped.
"This feeling… demonic… you are a warlock?" Garithos asked as Naruto shrugged and closed the distance, grabbing onto Garithos. Contrary to Magroth's Divine Shield, Garithos' was nowhere as strong, and the corruption given by the Kyubi's chakra destroyed his Shield, and the residue malevolent charka began burning away at him.
"ARRGH!" Garithos screamed in pain as he attempted to disengage, and Naruto helped him and slamming a hard kick to his solar plexus, sending him crashing and tumbling back from his horse and onto the ground, eventually smashing into the side of the ruined Dalaran. His troops disengaged as they moved to help Garithos, and Kael joined up with them.
"What of my people who are over the side?" Kael asked frantically as Naruto turned.
"I will go in, alone," Naruto said, "No, Lina-chan, you're not coming with me, I don't know what's there and I-"
He was cut off with a kiss before Lina replied.
"I told you I'm coming with you," Lina said stubbornly as Naruto sighed.
"You weren't kidding were you?" Kael joked dryly as Naruto turned, "So, did Sylvanas confess yet? I'm really surprised that she would fall for you considering that she has never expressed an interest in anyone before. You are truly blessed… but try anything that break their hearts and I will go after you as the leader of my people."
"Jeez Kael, lighten up," Naruto said, "I'll be off now."
"Do you need me to send a few men over?" Kael asked as Naruto shook his head.
"I'll be fine, Lina-chan's powerful in her own right too you know? If anything she can just take them out if I didn't get the chance," Naruto said, "And that's if I don't spot them first."
With that, Naruto stepped through the portal, followed by Lina, as they disappeared within, and Kael directed his troops forward.
"We will have confidence in Lord Namikaze that he will find our brethren… but for now, our priority is to get to a ship and leave for Theramore… Though Garithos has betrayed us, the Alliance never had the intention of doing so as evidenced by Lady Proudmoore's willingness to send help," Kael said to his people, "Until we have enough ability to sate our thirst… I'm afraid we cannot go back to Quel'Thalas. We cannot go back empty-handed and watch our people suffer."
"But what can we do, milord?" A spell breaker asked as Kael turned.
"Long ago, during the Second War, there existed… not quite a mage, but one nonetheless, in the Kirin Tor. She had the ability to banish and lock away a demon's power by backtracking through them… She was lost when the portals to Draenor was destroyed, but perhaps Jaina knows more about this… mage, or warlock," Kael explained, "That's what we will use as the basis."
"Yes, milord," the Blood Elves chorused as they began their long trek, avoiding the New Alliance troops.
Meanwhile, as Naruto stepped through, he was faced with a land, utterly and completely devastated beyond anything he could possibly imagine. Landmass literally floated in the middle of space, and the laws didn't match up with the standards.
"So this is Outland…" Lina observed.
"Outland, huh?" Naruto replied, "So this is the place where Sylvanas-chan's sister went missing… along with the entire legion of troops that entered the world with her. I wonder…"
"How do we track this?" Lina asked as Naruto sat down, meditating. However, after a while, he stood back up.
"This world's been completely devastated… I can't track through Sage Mode… nor is there any Senjutsu chakra active around here," Naruto replied, "Kuso… this is going to be harder than I thought… Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Half a dozen clones materialized beside Naruto as they leapt off, spreading out in different directions to cover maximum ground even as Naruto sniffed the air.
"I can get some scent… but it's weak… and… Illidan?" Naruto asked as he turned around, looking at the far side, "Why do I sense Illidan's powers emanating from there? Does that mean he's found Darkterror…?"
"Should we go and find out?" Lina asked as Naruto nodded before suddenly hoisting her up.
"It's a long trip, so get comfortable," Naruto said with a devilish smirk as Lina paled, gripping onto him tightly before Naruto disappeared in a burst of speed. He had left Er'ryl with Kael so that he could guide the Blood Elves to Theramore once they approach Kalimdor, as Er'ryl despite being an animal, was far more intelligent than anyone had expected, and was even capable of some navigation provided he knew the route in the first place, which made it perfect as Er'ryl was the only one who knew Theramore completely, inside and outside, as well as the land masses surrounding it in a radius of nearly 25 miles. How Er'ryl managed to get onto the mainland or anywhere else was beyond Naruto as it was done on Er'ryl's spare time when Naruto wasn't training him or he wasn't walking around and cuddled.
"Now… time to find your lost brethren…" Naruto muttered as he stood on top of a tall spire overlooking several plateaus, before sweat-dropping, "I may have underestimated the size of this place…"
"I guess you have," Lina giggled as she looked around, "This used to be a lush world if I remember right…"
"You were in the Second War?" Naruto asked as Lina nodded.
"I was only a sorceress, but I was one of the many that was sent in here and survived. The fact that I survived was warrant enough to be given a promotion and be sent to the violet citadel for study, not that I needed the promotion in the first place, but I insisted on it," Lina replied, "And that's how I met Jaina."
"So Jaina's at least twenty years your senior?" Naruto asked as Lina nodded.
"Technically, in relative terms, I'm younger, because Elves are considered adults only when we reach around the age of… around one hundred. I'm barely fifty in human terms, which means I'm barely into my teens despite being fully capable of combat," Lina said, "If you repeat that to anyone, I'll deny all accusations of my age."
Turning around, he tried to pinpoint Darkterror's position, before spotting a bright flare that was blasted into the sky, followed by a burst of light as each individual balls fell to the ground, exploding in the far distance.
"That's not going to be easy… I guess that's Maiev…" Naruto said as he leapt off the spire with Lina still in his arms. He had only gone a couple hundred meters when a blast of lightning nearly hit him, forcing him to dodge as he looked backwards. Two Thunder Lizards stomped their way towards him as he narrowed his eyes.
"Thunder Lizards here? They're not native…" Naruto said as he let Lina down and turned to engage, but before he had a change to do so the duo shot lightning once more, prompting Naruto to blast Chidori all over his body to dissipate the deadly arcs of energy before dealing with them, but they died suddenly as a blaze of fire, reminiscent of a phoenix, roared out from beside him and incinerated the Lizards.
"That was fast," Naruto commented, "How did they get here in the first place is something I want to know though…"
"With the dozens of portals that were opened during that time I think, and this is just one of the few… tribes, I guess, that survived the ravage that destroyed the land," Lina replied, "But there was no sign of the Orc that opened those portals in the first place. Ner'Zhul or something, I think his name was."
"Ner'Zhul?" Naruto repeated, "Crap, I think I know."
"Where?" Lina asked as Naruto turned.
"That's no the right question, Lina… the better question is, who is he now?" Naruto replied, "He's the Lich King, commander of the Scourge. I heard Arthas muttering to himself… or to Frostmourne, and said the name Ner'Zhul. Not to mention those acolytes that Arthas gathered also said the same thing. It all adds up to the Orc's story of being manipulated by the Burning Legion, only this time he's far more dangerous. If Darkterror just wanted to destroy Northrend I might've let him complete his spell before destroying the Eye, but the fact remains that his crimes are worse than Illidan's, and his insanity is past even what we ninjas call norm, and that's a lot to say."
"You don't seem insane," Lina said as Naruto cocked an eyebrow.
"You've never seen me do pranks or anything have you?" Naruto asked rhetorically, "What kind of guy unleashes a genjutsu on a whole city or destroys a tomb when I could've just made an exit by digging? Actually… why didn't I just dig my way to the surface instead of blasting it out in the Tomb…?"
"Right…" Lina trailed off as she carelessly flicked a bolt of lightning over her, incinerating a vulture that was about to dive and attack her, and which Naruto ignored as the charred remains fell to the ground in a heap, "In any case, how far do you think the flare of energy is?"
"About a four day walk at the least and maybe two days if I use shunshin, but you have no teleport abilities," Naruto said, "I didn't give Illidan or Maiev my kunai, so there's no point in trying to locate them that way."
"I got my Fiery Soul ability… a… bloodline, did you call it?" Lina asked as Naruto turned.
"Yeah, from what you told me it's an innate bloodline, since you said your father had it as well. Considering what it does and how Jaina-chan was never able to activate it, that's my guess at least," Naruto said, "But it barely increases your speed by that much, so it's not going to be helpful. Nevertheless… Can you forcibly inject your mana into people so they have a pseudo ability like that?"
"Well… yes, but they suffer from extreme withdrawal later, like Jaina that one time… she wanted to know what it was and predicted that it had something to do with my mana, so I injected some into her… only thing is, she suffered from the lack of energy once she used it all up," Lina replied, "Why… no, Naruto."
"I use chakra," Naruto replied, "Chakra's a lot more potent if you remember, so in my case I should be able to purify it and not suffer from withdrawal later… that also means I can give a much greater boost in speed than even you can, even if only for short periods of time. How much faster did you say you can go up to?"
"The last time I checked I could go up by about 10% of my original speed," Lina replied as Naruto turned around and looked over at the burst of light.
"At that range, with the speed of the shunshin…" Naruto muttered while making quick calculations, "Provided you're able to constantly give me a supply of mana when I run out, maybe we can get there even faster, in about 36 hours."
"What about your Lightning Dash ability?" Lina asked as Naruto shook his head.
"For one I don't have full control over the element yet, and two your body isn't calibrated for that, so in the end you'll die. I am not having you go out on me like that," Naruto replied before kneeling down, "Hop on, hold tight, and take a rest. I'll stop after twelve hours and you can inject me with mana again."
"Alright," Lina said as she called up her mana, and pumped nearly half of it into Naruto, who could acutely feel the warmth that it spread through, integrating with his chakra. Preparing himself, he turned back to the direction of the fight, and with a burst of speed he disappeared in a whirlwind, activating Lina's ability, appearing hundreds of feet away and dashing forward at an ungodly speed, Lina clutching his back tightly.
"I'm so not letting you take some mana again… your normal speed is scary enough as it is…" Lina muttered herself as Naruto grinned.
"You got to admit it's pretty nice though, right?" Naruto replied as he did a shunshin again, increasing his speed even faster. This continued until Lina was too tired to argue, and simply fell asleep.
It didn't occur to Naruto to just summon a Phoenix until a few hours later, which he woke up Lina for so she could get down for him to summon.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled as he slammed his hand onto the ground, erupting into a cloud of smoke. And out came Ichigo, as expected.
"Naruto, is there anything you require?" Ichigo asked as Naruto looked over the distance.
"A few hours ago, I teleported to Prince Kael, just in time to stop the execution of their people the Blood Elves," Naruto explained as he saw Ichigo's fire flare up in anger, "And right now, I'm chasing a group that has entered the Outlands to save them and send them back. While I was here, I also sensed Darkterror's energies flaring, as well as a starfall that I think was cast by Maiev considering she was a former Priestess. We need to get there, fast."
"I see," Ichigo said as he lowered himself, "By all means, come and direct me to their location. The Blood Elves have a pact with the Phoenix of this world, and as the descendant of Al'ar I feel obliged to help."
"There's one more thing… Though I would hate it if this happens, but…" Naruto said hesitantly, knowing both Ichigo and Lina would likely not support this decision, "I fear the Blood Elves may have joined Darkterror instead of the Night Elves like we assumed."
"Why?" Ichigo asked in surprise as Naruto outlined the Blood Elves' current situation to Ichigo and Lina, who listened raptly.
"But if they have the means to sate their hunger through our own well… would that not suffice?" Lina asked as Naruto shook his head.
"I think they've tapped into… Fel energies, you called youki?" Naruto said uncertainly, "I felt flashes of demonic energy, similar to the way Illidan would tap into it, only on a much larger scale. I avoid using Kyubi's chakra because it's still poisonous, even if addicting. At such small amounts with such affinity I doubt your people would feel the side effects, especially once they have dosed on it enough to be given immunity against the after-effects. They would be forever addicted to the energies, and nothing I say would bring them back. The best thing we can do now is to try and retake Quel'Thalas before they use their own powers to reclaim the land and call Fel energy as the future of the Blood Elves… unless you're willing to establish a new kingdom elsewhere on Kalimdor."
"I won't accept this…" Lina tried to say as Naruto swept her into a hug, when she finally broke down, "I won't… accept this…"
"Lina-chan," Naruto tried to call her back, before looking at Ichigo desperately, "Ichigo… what will you do then?"
"If I must… then I will follow your orders, even if it goes against what my code of honor is…" Ichigo said sadly as Naruto bowed.
"If that's the case, I could…" Naruto tried to suggest as Ichigo shook his head.
"It's fine, there's no need to summon Ryusei for matters such as this," Ichigo said as Naruto nodded, before leaping on and carrying Lina.
"Lina, you need to get a hold of yourself," Naruto said as Lina hiccupped and looked into his eyes.
"…Alright…" Lina said reluctantly as Naruto soothed her, even as Ichigo took off into the air, soaring at their destination just as another burst of demonic energy was pulsed out from the distance.
"Stay with Maiev and the Night Elf base… I'll see what I can do to bring them back," Naruto said quietly as Lina sat on Naruto's lap, looking over the plains desperately hoping Naruto's assumptions were wrong.
Her prayers were never answered as they flew over the battlefield, revealing the two sides battling for supremacy and the cage of Darkterror. Illidan and Maiev stood on one side as they launched spells after spells at the Naga and Blood Elves determined to retrieve the demon, while Naruto watched in horror at the Blood Elves' actions.
"You've got to be kidding…" Naruto commented as Ichigo dove down and launched a hellish sphere of fire right at the Naga formation, forcing them to scatter but allowing the current Blood Elf leader to launch a blast of flame from the ground.
"That isn't Light Strike Array is it?" Naruto asked as Ichigo flew above it, twirling around to avoid a dragonhawk before flipping and stabbing the rider in its seat, freeing the dragonhawk. Lina shook her head.
"That's Flame Strike if I'm right… but only Blood Mages use them," Lina replied, "For him to be able to use it on such a large scale though… I'm not exactly sure who he is… I'm not sure if Kael can launch a Flame Strike that large, but he specializes in summoning the Phoenix in any case as well as some other forms of mana manipulation."
"I'll go talk to them, Lina-chan, Ichigo, go to the Night Elf base over there while I take care of the Naga," Naruto instructed as he prepared to leapt down, only to be caught from behind by Lina.
"You're not going into this alone, I told you. Sure I would hate to fight my own kind, but they've made their decision, and it's too late to change it back," Lina replied resolutely, "I sense the corruption in their soul… they could be saved but I doubt they would want to be saved like you said."
Ichigo screamed to the sky as well as he gathered an enormous amount of energy in his beak, forming a bright pale yellow sphere of energy, before directing it down. The ball of energy exploded into a thousand strands, conjuring together into a thin beam that emanated from his beak and struck the ground, creating an explosion on its point of impact and cracking the ground as Ichigo moved it around, blasting the place apart even as Naruto landed with Lina in his arms.
"Lady Inverse! Help us against those Night Elves! They have captured our salvation!" a Blood Elf said before Lina blasted him out of the way.
"That thing is not our salvation," Lina replied, "Listen to yourselves! You are allying yourself with the very beings that orchestrated the destruction of Quel'Thalas! You're allying yourself with the Burning Legion!"
"All to sate our hunger, Lina," the Blood Mage said gravely, "I'm sorry you will not see things my way… or Kael's way."
"Kael has left," Lina replied, "All that's left is you."
"Why, have you forgotten me… sister?" the Blood Mage said with a small smile as Lina widened her eyes.
"…Brother…?" Lina asked as she stopped fighting, "Why…? Why are you betraying the Blood Elves? Answer me Athaniar!"
"Have you not felt the disappearance of the power from the Sunwell, Lina?"Athaniar asked, "Even with the powers running through our family, we still feel the drain… have you not feel it at all?"
"We've found a new source!" Lina argued back as Athaniar sighed.
"If you will not listen to me, then it is a shame. You pose too great of a threat against the Blood Elves if you continue your reckless ways. Leave now and pray I never encounter you as my enemy… or you will know my powers," Athaniar gave his ultimatum as Lina froze.
"Surely you cannot mean that, Brother," Lina said quietly as Athaniar sent a massive blast of mana right at Lina, "I will not leave without you, brother."
"Then I am sorry, sister," Athaniar said quietly as well as his eyes filled with sorrow, before suddenly appearing before Lina and smashing into her with his fist, "You know I'm much more refined in using the Fiery Soul ability than you, sister."
"You aren't the only one with that ability either," a male voice spoke from beside his as Athaniar was blasted away, "Rasengan!"
"Fiery Soul? I did not know there was another sibling in our family," Athaniar said calmly as he dusted himself off. A green glow surrounded him as he sent a powerful blast of fire erupting from the ground, forcing Naruto to dodge.
"That's because I'm not a Sunrider," Naruto replied as he slashed forward, "Kaze no Yaiba!"
"Dragon Slave," Athaniar replied as he waved his hands forward, and a powerful Dragon Slave was spawned which was cut through by the blade of wind, though the blade also dissipated, "Impressive. I don't suppose you're courting my little sister?"
"And if I am?" Naruto asked as he stared down the even taller Blood Elf. Lina was tall – even taller than some male High Elves, but her brother overshadowed them all, standing at an impressive 6 ft 7. Naruto was only 6 ft 4 by comparison.
"It's quite unusual," Athaniar shrugged, "But to speak back to the topic, I will not go back to the Alliance, not after they betrayed us."
"Garithos isn't the leader, Athaniar, it's Jaina," Naruto replied, "Garithos is just a stuck-up bastard who is greedy for power. You should know the saying…"
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely?" Athaniar asked as he launched a blast of fire at Naruto, "Yes… but this runs deeper than just Garithos. I'm sorry."
There was a sudden roar as Darkterror broke free of his cage, unleashing demonic energy that Athaniar took in, re-energizing him as he fired a particularly powerful blast of fire at Naruto, who dodged with some difficulty. Seeing the battle was mostly lost, Naruto leapt back to Lina even as Maiev gave the order to retreat back to their base.
"Naruto, what are you doing here?" Maiev asked as Naruto looked at her, before spotting a darker patch of skin on her neck which he was sure was not the result of battle.
"To chase after those Blood Elves… the so-called 'New Alliance' ordered their execution, and they've abandoned him, but that's not the real Alliance. I've been trying to get to them but nothing seems to work," Naruto said before grinning, "So… you and Illidan…"
Maiev blushed a faint violet which was nearly invisible on her skin, but Illidan noticeably stumbled. Naruto gave a low chuckle.
"How did you…" Illidan spoke before Naruto laughed out loud.
"I didn't. I had my speculation when I saw what looks like a hickey… but I thought you two hated each other…?" Naruto said with mirth as they looked at each other. Lina moved forward.
"Mind introducing me to her?" Lina asked as Naruto placed an arm around her, forgetting, for a moment, that they were in the middle of nowhere, and that they had just faced Lina' brother in combat.
"That's Maiev Shadowsong, former Priestess of Elune and now a Warden… and Illidan's new lover by the looks of this," Naruto smirked as Maiev choked, "Sorry, can't resist."
"I wish you were a bit more serious like before…" Maiev grumbled as Naruto shrugged.
"I feel like relaxing after all the fiasco back at Theramore," Naruto said, "Being so stuck up all the time can't be good for my health."
"Good for mine," Maiev said under her breath, "Then you'll stop talking about this the whole time. But what are you going to do now that you know their allegiance?"
"Try to take it back from Darkterror," Naruto replied, "I don't know what he wants with them, but I'm pretty sure it's related, at least partially, to what he tried to do at Dalaran."
"I remember a conversation when I spied on him and the Blood Mage," Illidan recalled, "You called him Athaniar, right? He told Athaniar that he was contacted by Kil'Jaedan, and then he revealed the conversation that I could not get – he aims to destroy the Frozen Throne, to kill the Lich King who has gone rogue from the Burning Legion's plans. What's more, Kil'Jaedan wants him to, after destroying the Throne, to try and summon him to this world and resume the invasion. And this time, he will personally lead the entire army here."
"But without a sufficient power source, he could not do anything," Naruto replied, "So what now? What are their plans?"
"That's what we're going to find out," Maiev replied as she walked further into the base, "Walk with me, all of you. We need a plan to defeat Darkterror."
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... chapter end! I really have no idea what to go on after this, so updates are going to be slow. Regardless, review please!
YAY! 100k+ hits! Thank you everyone! *Does a dance around my room* and now if you'll excuse me, I need to go maim a few family members for disrupting my work... and causing such a gigantic mayhem that I couldn't study for my last physics exam and failed it. Cya.