Chapter 17

Transcendence
Chapter 17: Traitor/s
The Barrens
Drekhve slowly opened his weary eyes, sleep or unconsciousness had done only little to lessen the weariness that had taken hold of him. He let his eyes refocus and the bleariness subside before looking at his surroundings and moving to rise. He was inside a small hut, incense and smoke assaulted his senses immediately. His dry throat begged for water and his muscles felt stiff and throbbing, he groaned as he sat up, his hands moved to his side and immediately he recoiled as he felt the tender scar that lay on his hip. He looked down to see that his armor had been removed and his upper body wrapped in thick bandages. He didn't remember coming here, but he did remember someone saving him, Mairne, Mairne Ragetotem, that name was known to him.
"You are awake. Odd, you have only been out for much of the night and half the morning and you are already trying to stand, quite impressive for a young warrior such as yourself," spoke a voice behind him. Drekhve turned to see a young female Orc stirring something within a small wooden bowl.
"Who are you?" Drekhve asked curtly, noticing she was wearing simple dull brown yet well-made fur robes that showed she was a shaman.
"I am Brine, I was asked to heal you," she said. Which was confirmed when Drekhve noticed that at the head of the mat he was lying upon was a totem glowing with blue energy and releasing a steady stream of vapor. Showing that she was using the totem to heal him. She did not turn to address him as she continued to ground whatever was in the wooden bowl, adding a few herbs and seeds into it as she continued.
"Then you have my thanks," said Drekhve. Nodding to the Orc shaman rather than bowing due to his current position, and the likelihood that doing so would aggravate his freshly sealed wounds. "Can you tell me where I am?"
"You are in a small hut just outside the Field of Giants; you were brought here last night," said Brine. Pouring the grindings into a wooden cup and stirring it with her finger, then waving her hand over the concoction with a few words, her hand was momentarily shrouded in a green light before it evaporated into nothing quickly as her chant halted.
Standing, Brine walked over to Drekhve's side, she kneeled down and handed the wounded Tauren warrior the cup, with a silent order she commanded him to down the drink. Not one to refuse the one who saved his life, he did so and almost regretted it. The drink was terrible to say the least, he had a hacking fit as soon as it passed down his throat, the liquid didn't even parch his dry throat in the slightest; but a moment later there was a water skin in front of his face being held there by another individual.
"Here, this will help wash it down," looking up Drekhve noticed the massive form of another Shaman, garbed in fiery red robes and armor. Instantly the warrior recognized his savior and clan sibling.
"Thank you High Shaman," said Drekhve. Taking the water skin and drinking from it greedily, savoring every drop that passed between his lips.
"So you know of me, which is to be expected from a warrior of the Steelrage Clan, your people have a close relationship with the clan I was born within," said Mairne, a small smile gracing his aged face. The two clans from which either Tauren originated from were allies during the times when Thousand Needles was a much more dangerous place than it is now. Suffice it to say the two clans allied themselves together and held against the hostile forces that assailed them within the canyon before they journeyed to the Barrens and settled there.
And for many generations since then, the two clans have always been at each other's back when the time has called for, although they may have different philosophies and ideals, they still share the same honor as any warrior, no matter which clan you reside in. Blood shed to protect another warrior's clan marks you as a trusted friend and ally; that has been shown many times in the past, and they were not going to forsake that sacred blood oath between each other. So when Mairne saw the young Steelrage warrior in trouble he was obligated to help.
"Yes, my clan knows of you very well. Raised in two separate clans and you learned both their ways, the art of the warrior and that of the shaman, you are said to be one of the mightiest warrior shamans in the world," said Drekhve, with actual admiration and awe in his eyes as he spoke.
"That was a long time ago, now I prefer to simply live out what is left of my life with my family," said Mairne, brushing off the young Tauren's praise and admiration. He had receive much when he was younger while travelling Kalimdor and fighting against the Centaur and Quilboar, but now he was getting old and willing to live out the rest of his life in peace.
"Even so, you still saved my life from those treacherous Grimtotem," said Drekhve.
"Not all who serve under the banner of a tyrant are tyrants themselves, remember, fear and coercion are often used to control others," said Mairne, surprisingly defending the Grimtotem who had tried to kill him the night before.
"But those who tried to murder me last night did not seem to be part of that minority," said Drekhve, to which Mairne nodded his head in affirmation.
"Speaking of which, how did you incur their wrath? Even ones as violent and quite short-tempered as them don't usually attack without reason," inquired Mairne.
"They were after me because I know one of their secrets," said Drekhve.
"What secret?" asked Mairne.
"They burnt down a Human village know as Shady Rest and killed all the people within," replied Drekhve, surprising Mairne and Brine. They had known of the Grimtotem's savagery and dishonorable conduct, but going so far as to attack an innocent town, that was more heinous then they thought they were capable of.
"Why? What reason do they have to burn down a Human village?" asked Mairne, his anger on the subject only displayed in his low and growling words.
"I do not know, but when a young Human boy came to me and told me of what happened I knew I had to prove that the Horde had not committed the atrocity," said Drekhve, actual vigor and determination coming from his words and eyes as he spoke, staring into the eyes of the High Shaman.
"So you intend to inform the boy of your discovery," stated Mairne, a little surprised he would tell a Human about those who committed the atrocity rather than his own people.
"Yes, I owe him that much," said Drekhve. Even though the warrior's words were short and to the point, Mairne could tell by the way he spoke of the boy that he had some form of respect for him. After all, he likely wouldn't have let the boy live had they met face to face otherwise.
"I see, then I wish you luck on your journey," said Mairne, which surprised Drekhve and Brine. They would have thought he would not be so supportive of the idea of a Tauren warrior helping a Human, even though it was revealing a crime committed by the Grimtotem. "If you wish to leave now you may, your wounds are healed and your armor is in decent shape, you should be fit to travel."
Drekhve was a little surprised that he was letting him off so quickly, he thought that with him being recently attacked and investigating the attack on a Human settlement he would be more curious, but it would seem like he wanted him to continue his mission. Drekhve was helped to his feet by Mairne; the Tauren warrior took a few strained steps forward before he started to get more sure with his steps and eventually he exited the tent and onto a small plateau , he looked around to see that he was just south of the Field of Giants. He saw his Kodo tied to a totem pole at the base of the rise and covered in small leather patches, likely to cover the wound he suffered last night, Drekhve approached his mount and placed his hand on his horned schnozzle.
"Your Kodo was luckly to have survived, as were you," said Mairne, moving out of the tent and carrying the young Tauren's armor: his chestplate, bracers, and gauntlets. With the elder Tauren's aid he suited himself back up and was given back his sword and shield.
When all was done and he was ready to leave, Drekhve turned to regard the High Shaman for a moment and wondered why he is simply allowing him to go off and warn an Alliance warrior about the Grimtotem plot, and the fact they had murdered many innocents. True it was the right things to do, but even in the Horde where honor and justice were paramount, there were few things they would be willing to do for a Human, other than give them a swift death. Even an aged spiritual leader such as him would likely not be too happy at his meddling with Human affairs.
"Why are you allowing me to leave?" asked Drekhve, his curiosity could not be sated on pure conjecture and he wanted to know why he was being let off the hook.
"Because you are healed and no longer need our aid," said Mairne. That was only half true, even if he was healed he still needed treatment to recover and it was unlikely that he would want him to leave so soon after being injured.
"You know what I mean, why are you allowing me to aid a member of the Alliance, even if it is against the Grimtotem, why are you allowing me to do this?" asked Drekhve. For a few moments Mairne did not speak, he simply stared at Drekhve with an expression of complete calm.
"Because I believe that what you are doing is just," said Mairne, his voice all but plain and carrying a serious edge to it. "The world is fragile, with every stone that moves there is a chance for drastic change, with every wave that crashes onto the cliffs it wears away at the rock, but they are little and insignificant to the change that the Horde and Alliance can bring if they were to clash with one another."
"If the Horde were to be blamed for the attack, there would be a reprisal, one town is sacked by the Horde and another is destroyed by the Alliance, then the Horde would retaliate whether or not they were responsible, and as it grows so does the bloodshed, then the battles, then the war, and then all that remains would be a world torn apart by conflict and rage," said Mairne. He was speaking low and in a very foreboding tone that showed that his assumptions were more than such, they were facts that were going to happen. "There is but a thin sheet that holds the two factions from destroying one another; a single tear in that sheet and it will eventually rip, and then there will be nothing holding anyone back."
"So you send me to stop what is likely to occur if this is not put to rest," said Drekhve. To which the Tauren shaman nodded, while Drekhve pondered the old bull’s words. They were true, the Alliance and Horde were all but ready to kill one another, the small skirmishes in Ashenvale were not enough to ignite the flames of war, and they were simple battles between the Sentinels and the Warsong Clan.
The slaughter of an entire village, with every man, woman and child burnt and killed no one, no matter if they were the Horde or the Alliance, would ever condone or stand for such a travesty to go unpunished; and the Grimtotem would never admit to their crime even if they were confronted. The Horde would be hard pressed to prove their innocence if they were implicated because of them, their dark past and the Alliance's animosity towards them would not help in the matter, in the end they would be found guilty without trial and then there would be retaliation. It was inevitable.
"Then I best go, the less I dally the quicker I can resolve this," said Drekhve, pulling himself up onto his mount and taking hold of the reins. He pulled them away and moved off, but as he did Mairne gave him one last piece of advice.
"Don't be too quick to throw off the duty others give, even the most trivial of tasks can sometime be worth the hassle for the unexpected rewards they bring," said Mairne, giving the young warrior a wave. To which he looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding and riding off towards the borders between the two regions.
"Mairne, why did you send him away so quickly?"
 Brine inquired, as healed as the young warrior was, he would still need treatment in order to fully recover.
But she could see it in the Tauren’s eyes; the fact as soon as Drekhve mentioned that he needed to send the information to someone caught Mairne’s attention. Not the fact that there was an attack or who was behind it, but who he was delivering the information to. She could see that the old bull was more interested in the boy than the fact he was part of the Alliance. Something was up, and the High Shaman's next words proved it.
"A mane of fire"
"A heart of might"
"Shall be the warrior of moonlight"
"He who contains misguided pride"
"Is also a guardian of shadows sight"
"A weapon, he uses, that wields Moonfang's flames"
"With a shadow, an enemy within his frame"
"A protector of nights first light"
"His duty is to guard what's right"
Brine looked on surprised at the Tauren's words, what he just spoke of was no simple poem, but a prophecy, she knew that as a skilled shaman, and a long lived one such as he, would have the prospect of seeing into the future and be given visions of importance by the spirits of what is to come.
"You know something don't you," said Brine. Whoever this prophecy refered to was likely the young Human boy in-question.
"The spirits are interested in this boy, they say "he will sacrifice what makes him who he is to do what is just," said Mairne.
Dustwallow Marsh
Six Hours Later.
Ichigo and Adelina were continuing their search through the marshes, for nearly eight hours now, searching for Reethe, but all they have come across was swamp and more swamp, and they were starting to think that maybe Reethe was dead. They had not run into anything dangerous as of yet, which was the only thing they were thankful for, there was enough they had to worry about then getting eaten by something that resided in the swamps. But sadly the awkwardness between Adelina and Ichigo had only slightly abated itself, there had been few words spoken between them since they entered the swamp, mainly to plan out their route and when they should be returning back. But as much as Ichigo was comfortable to stay silent for a while, Adelina had different ideas.
"Hey Ichigo?" asked Adelina. Ichigo snapped his head towards the diminutive Night Elf and watched her shyly murmur. "Can you… tell me about your world?"
Ichigo was silent for a short while, he was thinking that they should continue on their little quest to find Reethe and stay focused and not get distracted, but with how tiresome it was becoming, maybe a little talking would help pass the time.
"I don't know everything about my world, but I can start with where I am from," said Ichigo, "I come from a small town in Western Tokyo, a city located on a large island called Japan."
Adelina listened intently as he spoke about his home and the people who he lived with.
"I am Japanese; we are a traditional people, very respectful, depending on where you live I suppose," said Ichigo. "But mainly there isn't anything interesting that happens in my everyday life."
"What about your family?" asked Adelina
"I have two younger sisters, twins. Karin; she's the tough one, a bit of a tomboy," said Ichigo with a smile. He looked over to Adelina and saw she didn't understand what he meant by 'tomboy'. "A tomboy is a girl who acts kind of like a boy, aggressive, slightly temperamental, and is more hands on with things."
Adelina giggled to herself a little at the thought of it.
"Then there's Yuzu. She's the shy one, and isn't very outspoken, she usually does all the housework at home, and is very kind." Once again, a small smile lite on his face as he mentioned her, but then it turned into a frown as he continued. "Then there's my dad, to put it frankly, he is a complete idiot whose only purpose is to make my life miserable, and he does so by attacking me."
"Do you have a bad relationship with your father?" asked Adelina, concerned that he may have been raised in an environment where his father would hurt him, maybe even abuse him.
"What? No he's just like that, every time I get home he attacks me, saying that I have to stay vigilant and strong, and every time I kick the goat in the chin he congratulates me and says that I am definitely his son," said Ichigo, a sour look on his face as mentioned it. Although Adelina found it quite funny the way he described him, he sounded like some sort of instructor who would continually harass his students to make them ready for any situation they may find themselves in on the battlefield.
"He sounds funny," said Adelina, with a smile on her face. To which Ichigo 'tsked' with a smile of his own. It was funny in a sense, but only when he wasn't doing it to him. "What about your mother?"
Ichigo's smile dropped when Adelina asked about her, the painful memories of that night came rushing back to him, it almost felt like he was in pain at the mere thought of it. As much as he tried to be strong and overcome any adversary and situation, he just couldn't put that memory behind him. That night in the rain, the night that the most cherished person in his entire life had been taken from him. No matter how much he tried to reason that it was the hollow that took his mother from him, he knew from the bottom of his heart that it was his fault she died.
"She died when I was nine," said Ichigo. The hurt and sorrow in his voice couldn't be hidden even if he tried, Adelina looked on slightly shocked. She had always seen him as a strong and stoic warrior, but the sight of him with such sorrow on his face and the pain in his eyes made her heart ache for him.
"I'm sorry… I didn't know," said Adelina, turning away slightly. She was cursing herself for asking that, she shouldn't have said anything, she should have just listened.
"It's alright," said Ichigo, sending her a small reassuring smile, but the pain in his eyes could still be seen. Obviously it was more for her than it was for him. "You didn't know; don't beat yourself up about it."
There was a quiet silence for a while as Adelina tried to work up the courage to ask another question, even though when she asked the last one she sent her friend into a depression. She looked at him to see that he didn't carry the sad expression anymore, but she could see that his mind was wondering. Which was understandable when one just brings up a terrible memory such as that, the mind tends to dwell on it for a long while, she knew what that felt like and wanted to stop it before it caused him more grief then he needed.
"Do you have any friends back home?" asked Adelina. As much as she was hopeful to get rid of Ichigo's sullen mood by asking him about his past, she was worried that doing so would only make him more depressed.
"Yeah, I have a few," said Ichigo, his despairing tone leaving his voice slightly as he spoke. "There are several in fact. There are my friends in my normal Human life: Chad, Ishida, and Orihime; but even though they're Human they aren't exactly the run of the mill type of people you would find on the street."
"Yasutora Sado, or as we call him Chad, is what you would call a gentle giant; tall, strong, and quite intimidating, but at heart he is a kind and a loyal friend. He has a special power that allows him to cover his arm in a sort of armor that makes him hit harder, in fact he could take down a ten foot solid stone wall with a single punch."
Ichigo looked over to Adelina and saw she was surprised by this, obviously by the fact that he could take down a massive wall with a punch. There wasn't anyone that could do that without magic, and even then it would still be difficult.
"Then there Uryu Ishida. Well, to start off he is a smart-ass, he sometimes acts all superior and cynical towards me. He does that mainly so he can look cool, and has this weird obsession with being clean. Apart from that he is also a Quincy, which is kind of like a spiritually aware archer that can manipulate spiritual energy and form it into bows and arrows and shoot people with them. I think he can fire several dozen of them at once, don't know much about them, so I really can't say how good he is."
"Wow, it's like he is a sentinel," replied Adelina.
"Well, he is kind of a girl," mocked Ichigo, chuckling a bit, which was shared with Adelina as she giggled at Ichigo's little joke.
"Then there's Inoue Orihime, she's kind of like you: sweet, kind, and sort of a little odd," said Ichigo. To which Adelina pouted with a blush at his praise and his little mockery of her personality. "She is also a healer like you, although she more along the lines of removes them from existence. She can reject fate and actually remove the wounds as if they were never there."
"She can reject fate? She sounds like a Bronze Dragon," said Adelina. She knew that to do something like rejecting a wound from existence would mean that you would have to alter history and have it removed. But to have that power, which sounded like something only a very powerful being could possess, was extraordinary indeed.
"A Bronze Dragon? What can they do?" Ichigo asked in questioning voice.
"They are the guardians of the timeline. They ensure that the flow of time in Azeroth goes according to how it is supposed to. They ensure that fate does not change, they are the masters of time," said Adelina. Ichigo looked a little surprised by this, these guys could control time itself and actually see into the future. That would be something of a gift and a curse, and if they were making sure everything went according to schedule, they would see every bad event that would have to take place and make sure it happened.
"That doesn't sound exactly like something a person should have to do," said Ichigo. "Sometimes, you would see things you wish you didn't, and knew that there would be nothing you could do to change it."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can't try to make the future better," said Adelina, trying to remove the darkened mood that set over Ichigo again. "What do you plan to do when you get back home? You obviously have a duty as a Shinigami."
"That's easy," said Ichigo, his mood darkening. Not in sorrow or despair, but righteous anger and determination. "I intend to go back and kill that bastard Aizen and the Espada that sent me here. He said that I couldn't cut him, so I intend to beat him to death."
Adelina was a little surprised with the ferocity he had in his voice at mentioning Aizen, she hadn't heard him speak about him at all until now, but from the sounds of things he really hated the man, the way she saw his body tense up and a snarl appearing on his lips made her a little worried. She had never seen him so angry, even with the Dreadlord it was because he wanted to stop it from hurting anyone, but the way he spoke about this man, it sounded as if he was responsible for things that have earned him Ichigo's personal ire.
"What did this Aizen do to you?" asked Adelina.
"He kidnapped Orihime, and his Espada have tried to kill my friends," said Ichigo. Now Adelina realized where his anger stemmed from, he hated him because this Aizen had tried to harm his friends and even kidnaped one. He would definitely be angry at a man who would do such a thing to those he cherished and cared about.
"So when you get back…" stated Adelina, but she was interrupted by Ichigo as he finished it for her.
"I intend to go to Hueco Mundo, take out the rest of the Espada, and find my friends," said Ichigo. There was nothing in his voice that showed that he couldn't do it, that he wouldn't make it back there to save them.
"Can I come with you?" asked Adelina. Which caused Ichigo to pull on the reigns of his horse, halting it. He looked at the Night Elf Druid in shock, he didn't expect her to say something like that; in fact he was certain that what he heard was wrong.
"What did you say?" asked Ichigo. The last thing he wanted to do was to make a mistake in what he heard, especially with something so significant; why would she leave a world that was her own, her people were here and where he was going she would be the only one of her kind?
"Can I go with you?" she said. Ichigo was at a loss, he didn't know what to say at this moment, the fact that she wanted to leave here was something even he couldn't understand.
"I don't think that is a good idea… you should stay here, it's your home and your people are here as well," said Ichigo. As much as he liked Adelina – AS A FRIEND! – He couldn't put her in the position of being the only one of her kind on his world, he didn't even know what she could do there or even if she could hide herself.
"I don't have a home here, I don't have a family, and no friends to speak of. All I have is you," said Adelina as she looked at him. Her face tilted towards the ground as she thought deeply about what to say next. "I believe that home is where the heart feels the most at peace, not somewhere you are born or where you may rest you head for a night, and maybe if I go somewhere different I can start a new life, a better life, and maybe with your help make friends, and maybe one day a family."
Ichigo could see that she deeply believed that she didn't belong on her own world; he could tell that she wanted to find herself a place where she could feel at peace and begin a new life, to make friends and have a family one day. The last part made him a little flustered at the fact of him helping her find it, he turned away to try and make sure she didn't see the blood that was rushing to his face, he quickly reigned it in and composed himself before he responded.
"Alright, if you want to come with me back to Earth you can, just make sure that you are really sure you want to come with me, my home is not all it's cracked up to be," said Ichigo, being very serious with Adelina about what he was telling her. His world wasn't any better than this one. There were problems there, and if someone like her was found, then there would be no telling what could happen to her.
"It can't be that bad could it?" asked Adelina. From what Ichigo had told her, his world seemed much more peaceful than this one.
"You don't even know of half the problems that are going on in my world," said Ichigo. One of which was Aizen's mad bid to become a god, and he hoped that the plan was far from coming to fruition.
Several Miles North West
Drekhve was travelling down the path towards the Stonemaul compound, Brackenwall Village, he had hoped to go there to speak with the people and see about getting a message sent to Theramore, and even though they would be quick to discard his message he had to try. Ichigo was likely there, still going about the investigation inside the keep and looking for any information on who was behind the attack, and the only way he was going to do that was to make sure that the information he had reached Theramore and Ichigo.
He noticed the Ogre compound a few hundred yards ahead of him, the smoke and the smell easily identified this as the capital of the Stonemaul Ogres, he quickened his pace and moved off to learn if he can send a message to Theramore. Drekhve charged through the gate and into the Ogre stronghold, he could see dozens of them milling about aimlessly along with several Orcs and Trolls among the crowd, he moved his mount to the Worg dens and a drinking trough. He dismounted and tied off his mount, he turned quickly and moved off to find someone who could deliver the message, but going through the entire village would be a problem. He had to go to the source to find the one who point him in the right direction, the leader of this band of Ogres.
"You," said Drekhve, pointing to an Ogre. Said Ogre stopped and looked at the large Tauren in armor. "Where is the leader of this village, I must speak with him."
The Ogre didn't respond but pointed to a large formation of stone and jagged spikes on a mound, it was obviously a den for the leader of these Ogres, and he could see the guards and the markings that were at the entrance of the tunnel. He moved to speak with the lord of this village but before he could enter he found himself halted by two of the guards, large burly Ogres in spiked armor and large weapons in hand, he growled at them from barring his path.
"Out of my way, I wish to speak with your chieftain," said Drekhve.
"Nuh uh, Overlord Mok'Morokk speak with Orc, he have no time to speak with you," said one of the Ogres. Again Drekhve growled at the Ogres, he would have retorted but he heard the conversation from within the Den.
"I don't give a damn what you think you small minded fool!" looking inside, Drekhve saw an Orc arguing with a heavily armored Ogre, who didn't look too pleased with being insulted. "I have been sent here to investigate the attack, I have no time to listen to you ramble on about these raids on your damn supplies!"
"Me no care about Human village, only this one, someone stealing our stuff, we want it back!" roared out the Overlord at the Orc, who growled at the Ogres thick-headed response.
"Then send out some of your damn Ogres to find him, I don't give a damn!" roared the Orc right back at the Ogre. "The Warchief wants to know who attacked that Town and I intend to get results."
Drekhve was surprised, the Warchief had sent out someone to investigate the attack, this was good, he could speak with him and give him the details he needed to continue his investigation, he retreated from the meeting and waited for the Orc to leave.
And soon enough the Orc did just that, storming out of the tent with a furious expression on his face, obviously the meeting did not go as well as he had planned it would have, Drekhve followed after the Orc to tell him what he knew.
"Orc," said Drekhve, immediately getting said Orc to stop.
"What do you want Tauren?" he asked, his tone less than friendly.
"You have been sent by the Warchief to investigate Shady Rest," stated Drekhve. To which the Orcs brow furrowed itself even further than before.
"What is it to you?" he asked.
"I too have been investigating the massacre and have turned up some information, including who was behind the attack," said Drekhve. To which the Orc's eyes shot wide open.
"Tell me all that you know," he demanded. His snarl returning with much more ferocity, Drekhve was a little concerned with his aggressive line of questioning.
"The attack was orchestrated by the Grimtotem Clan," started Drekhve. To which the Orc had a surprised expression on his face, before his composure returned along with his scowl. "They attacked the town because of recent raids on their caravans and believed that the Humans in the town were responsible, and therefor attacked them."
"How do you know it was them, and how do you know they attacked?" asked the Orc investigator.
"Because I was approached by a boy who had one of our shields, one made specifically for a Tauren. I searched for the maker and found he had been producing shields of its like for the Grimtotem and has been sending them via caravan to Thousand Needles," said Drekhve, giving the Orc all the information he needed. "Caravans which have suffered greatly due to raids and attacks by unknown marauders."
"If what you say is true, then the Grimtotem have much to answer for," said the Orc investigator. He never had expected the investigation would turn up such information in such a short time.
"Yes, but this information needs to be sent to Theramore, the people there are investigating it as well, and they believe the Horde is directly responsible for the massacre," said Drekhve, which surprised the Orc even more so.
"Damn it! I was hoping they wouldn't jump too quickly to a conclusion that involves us," said the Orc. "But sadly all trade this village had with Theramore has stopped as of late. There has been someone stealing it seems, and also the Theramore guard have sent a message calling for it to halt."
"I can understand why, they wouldn't want to risk another attack on their own capital or some sort of ploy against them," said Drekhve. "Is there nothing that can be done?"
"As much as I would like to have this sorted out, that damn fool of an overlord will not allow me to go to the Inn and investigate, he wants me to search for the damn lost supplies that are being stolen," replied the Orc.
"But you have my word on this, I have told you of the one who organized the attack," said Drekhve.
"Sadly that's inconclusive at the moment, I need to go to the ruins and verify what information I have, the shield, do you still have it?" to which Drekhve shook his head, and the Orc cursed, that would have been useful. "What about anything else?"
"The Grimtotem tried to have me killed while I travelled here," said Drekhve, to which the Orc snorted.
"They attack anyone for no reason. That won't hold up against them, we need physical evidence to convict them of their crimes, without it we have nothing," said the Orc.
"Then the Inn is the only hope we have, and hopefully my testimony will help in this manner," said Drekhve. The Orc nodded, but in truth the Tauren warrior was furious that all his effort may be for naught because he didn't have any evidence other than his word, he was still a Youngblood and therefore not worth that much of anyone's time.
"Listen, I know you think that this won't go anywhere, after all those Grimtotem bastards are slippery snakes to catch," said the Orc, understanding the young warriors anger at the fact that his word alone wouldn't carry this investigation through. But it would help in ensuring that the people responsible are brought to justice.
Drekhve was lost now, he had nothing he could do to help and he had no way of delivering a message to Ichigo in Theramore, what was he supposed to do now?
"If you really want to help me…," said the Orc. Drekhve's eyes darted right to him, hoping that he could do something that could aid him in the investigation. "I was told that there is a deserter in the swamps, he is the one stealing the supplies from us. I can't leave until someone decides to help in searching for the supplies, I already got one guy looking for him but he is coming up with nothing. So if you can help him, then maybe I can continue to investigate without that damn overlord breathing down my neck."
As much as Drekhve wanted to help and see if he could gather more information on the Grimtotem's involvement, he didn't expect to be used to search for someone stealing from this village, but if it helped in the investigation then he couldn't complain.
"Where is this person you have sent to investigate the thefts?" asked Drekhve. His obvious distaste for the task ahead of him very evident, he didn't want to go searching through the swamp to find a thief. Even if it was to help, it was less than appealing. He couldn't tell if the Orc caught onto his distaste for his task; he either simply ignored it or did not see it in his expression, he simply told him what he needed to know.
"He is outside the eastern gate, his name is Ogron. He'll let you know what you have to do," said the Orc investigator, before walking off back towards the den. Likely to inform Mok'Morokk about him going to Shady Rest and putting someone on the supply thefts. Drekhve groaned to himself and quickly set off to find this Ogron and get started, the sooner he found this man the sooner he could do something more productive, such as finding the evidence on the Grimtotem clan who took part in the massacre.
Drekhve didn't have to search long to find the Ogre he was looking for, the large brute was standing in front of the main gate with a pike in his hand and a naturally stupid look on his face, this was Ogron and the Ogre he would be helping find the thief. Drekhve groaned, as he would have to search for one man through a swamp with one of these cretins. As much as he didn't care one way or the other about these Ogres, the thought of spending an indefinite period of time with them didn't seem to be the most appealing thing on Azeroth at the moment. But none the less he agreed to help in any way he could, and to go and help the Ogre look for the thief so the investigator could leave and search for clues at the ruins was the best thing he could do for the moment, and maybe he could also look for a way to send a message to Theramore.
"Big Tauren, what you want?" said Ogron. Already Drekhve was starting to dislike the man, but none the less sucked up his distaste and replied.
"I am Drekhve, I have been asked to help you in your search for the thief," said the Tauren Warrior, not wanting to say to much more. After all, Ogres are not considered to be the smartest race out there.
"Okay," said Ogron in a dull toned voice that sounded as if he was yawning rather than actually speaking. Without another word the Ogre turned around and moved out into the swamp, Drekhve sighed before following after the massive creature.
The next hour was spent searching through the quagmire of the marshes, searching for any clues that could lead him to locating the thief, a broken branch, that hasn't already been sucked into the swamp, a foot print, that didn't appear to be a two foot hole in the mud. But as much as it was a nuisance to try and locate the man stealing from the Ogres, as stupid at it may sound, and likely the person perpetrating the crime may be, the real annoyance came with the damn Ogre who Drekhve was following. On multiple occasions the massive brute had worn away at his nerves, even though he appeared to be a descent tracker and even a descent investigator, but what he wasn't was good company, on multiple occasions Drekhve had to restrain himself from killing the Ogre.
Ogron would occasionally stop to pass gas and laugh about it, then he would scratch his bottom half most of the time and sniff his finger, and on one of those occasions he asked Drekhve to smell it and ask if it smelt funny to him. Drekhve would have drawn his sword then and there to cut off the offending limb before removing the annoying Ogres' head, but he maintained his calm. With barely contained rage he held back in murdering the Ogre, who appeared none the wiser to the Tauren's rage and intent to murder him. But aside from the Ogre's horrible social etiquette, there was nothing they had found, no tracks other than the wildlife and no signs of any of the lost supplies, or even if there was a person out in these swamps; it appeared to be hopeless.
But as he kept walking he felt his hoof clang against something. Stopping, Drekhve moved his hoof and saw something silver glisten beneath the mud. Dropping to his knee, he wiped the dirt and mud away to reveal a piece of metal beneath the surface. Digging more he eventually pulled out a solid shoulder-guard, but not just any shoulder guard, a Human sized shoulder-guard of grey silver which was definitely one of the pauldron's of a Theramore Guard. But why would it be out here? Could the man they be searching for be a former member of the Theramore Guard? If so then maybe he could use this to his advantage, he could find the guard and have him send the message back to Theramore; even if he would be charged for desertion the message would still be delivered.
He looked down at the hole he dug the pauldron up from, the ground was fairly soft here, it would have easily sunk in without any assistance from another source, he dropped it on the ground and watched as the metal penetrate into the dirt easily, and at an incredibly slow but sure rate it sunk into the mud. The person was likely nearby, if he lost his armor and left it here. After all, it would maybe take a day for the pauldron to sink through the soil, so that meant the one who had stolen the supplies a few days ago was nearby, perfect.
"Ogron," called out Drekhve. Getting the Ogre's attention, he lifted up the pauldron and tossed it to the Ogre. Who caught it and looked over the piece of metal for a moment before looking back at Drekhve.
"This belong to Human, maybe Human who steal our stuff," said Ogron, looking over to the Tauren to see if he was thinking along the same lines as what he just said. To which Drekhve nodded in confirmation.
"Maybe, he has to be close, let's search here for a while," said Drekhve, rising to his full height and moving off towards the east. It would likely be the closest place where someone could escape by the coast, and likely where the Human had set up a camp.
"Okay," said Ogron, following after the Tauren warrior, trusting him to lead them somewhere. Even though he was dumb, he was smart enough to know how to get around these swamps and locate a person when he had to, and at the moment he was having little luck finding anyone.
So they searched the area, hoping to find the thief and bring him in, but in Drekhve's case, he hoped to find him and force him to send a message to Theramore so that they knew who was responsible for the attack on Shady Rest; clearing the Horde's name in its destruction. The search continued on for a few more minutes, and that was all they needed before they found it, a few yards away from them they could see smoke rising out over the canopies and into the sky and the feint smell of ash and smoke reached their nostrils.
Quickly the Ogre and Tauren charged forward to find the person who had stolen from them. And when they passed over a small incline they saw a camp with a single individual inside, an average height Human with dark tanned skin and dull pale blonde hair. An eye patch over his right eye, and wearing simple armor over his lower legs and chest, while most of the rest of his body was covered in bandaging and a tabard of the Theramore Guard. He was sitting on a stool in front of the fire and appeared to be worried. Drekhve moved quickly over the rise and towards the Human, who noticed their approach, but made no move to escape. Instead he simply got to his feet and waited for them to come to him, and soon Drekhve stood over the Human.
"So you finally found me," he said, and for some reason Drekhve could almost hear relief in his voice. "So you're planning on killing me?"
"No, we will take you back to Brakenwall Village to answer for stealing our supplies and then you're going to Theramore," said Drekhve. To which the man's eyes shot wide open.
"I would rather stay in that Ogre compound then go back there, they'll kill me if I go there," said the thief.
"I care little about the punishment for desertion, but I do have a message that needs to be sent," said Drekhve.
"And what is that? The Horde will not stand for Alliance towns or villages near their border?" said the thief, an angry growl in his throat as he said it. "You have no honor. You are brave enough to attack a village in the west, yet you are cowardly enough to steer clear of Northwatch Hold."
"It was not the Horde who attacked Shady Rest," said Drekhve, staring with tranquil fury at the Human before him. "And when you get to Theramore, you are going to tell them just that."
As Drekhve spoke he heard something approach, turning he saw something move over the hill and towards them, he drew his claymore and his shield, ready to fight off whatever decided to come and try and attack him. But he was surprised by what he saw; he didn't see a group of unknown warriors, but two people he had met previously, Ichigo and the young Night Elf Adelina on horseback, staring at him with an equally surprised expression.
"Drekhve?" asked Ichigo. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you," said Drekhve, relief in his tone at the fact that he had found the boy and could now do what he came here for. But before he could say anything else he noticed the Ogre tense up, grasping his spear tightly. "Hold Ogron, they are friends, they will not harm us and will not be harmed."
Drekhve sheathed his blade and kept his shield on his arm, Ichigo dismounted his horse and moved to speak with him, but first they clasped each other's hands and greeted one another like any other warrior would to another.
"Good to see you are alright, you look a little beat up though," said Ichigo. To which the Tauren nodded his head.
"Yes I ran into some trouble," said Drekhve.
"Yeah, but why are you out here?" asked Ichigo.
"Him, I was sent to retrieve him for stealing from Brackenwall Village. I was hoping to have him deliver a message to you, but that is no longer needed," said Drekhve.
"Wait, you… you're Paval Reethe!" said Ichigo, charging up to the man and grabbing him by the collar. "You know what happened at Shady Rest, you know who the traitors are in the Theramore Guard."
"So you found out about that huh?" said Reethe, his head lowering itself as he realized that there was no going back now. He had hoped to remain out here for long enough to try and escape when he had enough supplies, but it would seem he was done for. "If you protect me from them, then I will tell you who the traitors are."
"Alright, just tell me who is leading them. Who is in charge?" asked Ichigo. The Lieutenant moved to speak, but before he could a bang rang out through the swamp and Ichigo felt the man he was holding jerk forward before going limp.
Reethe fell to the ground with a squishy thud, a bloody patch on his back showing that he had been shot. Ichigo looked up to see a woman with short cut auburn hair standing on the ridge with a smoking blunderbuss in her hands. She wore light brown leather armor with a tabard over it, and had a sword and shield strapped to her back. But what shocked Ichigo was the fact that both the shield and Tabard had the symbol of the Theramore guard emblazed on it.
"Private Hallan?" said Adelina, shocked that the woman that had helped her a few days ago had just killed the one person that could identify the traitors. But she didn't have to think long to know why she did it, she was a traitor and she was simply covering up the evidence.
"That's one lose end tied up, now to remove four more," said Hallan. On cue, other Theramore Guard soldiers charged out of the area and surrounded them; they had been hiding in the swamp and waiting for them to appear.
Ichigo looked around and saw that there were twenty of them, he looked around and saw that they were an assortment of sergeants, privates, and one lieutenant; Ichigo growled when he noticed that the lieutenant was the same one he doubted he could trust.
"Lieutenant Caldwell," stated Ichigo, his tone hostile. His grip and stance only enforcing his aggression towards the man, but all he saw was the man give Ichigo a diminutive sneer before he spoke in a tone that matched.
"Now that Reethe is dead, he can't interfere with us anymore," said Caldwell, looking at them all before smirking at the boy below him. "Once you're dead, we can start repairing the damage you have caused, it took you long enough to find him though. But it doesn't matter, we will finish this now."
"You won't get away with this, they will know," said Ichigo.
"All they will know, is that you went missing. And when they send out a search party for you they will find you, the girl, and Reethe dead. As well as the bodies of a Tauren and Ogre at the scene," another smirk played at his lips at the cover-up he was planning. "I think you know where I am going with this."
"That all depends on if you can kill us all," said Drekhve, drawing his sword and readying his shield, while Ogron grasped his pike, Ichigo drew Zangetsu, and Adelina pulled her staff from the leather brace on her back.
"Don't worry; we have just the right tools for the job," said Caldwell. Before several of his men stepped forward and drew similar blunderbuss rifles as Private Hallan. Ichigo readied Zangetsu to strike, but before he could Drekhve struck first.
The Tauren's massive claymore sailed towards the first warrior and impaled him, the force carrying him and sticking him in an awkward position as the sword embedded itself into the ground, leaving the impaled soldier to slowly slide down towards the ground. The shock of the sudden attack gave the Tauren the time he needed to charge forward and retrieve his blade, while the still shocked gunmen could only watch as the massive hulking behemoth drew his sword out of the ground and their dead comrade.
Ichigo charged forward, right towards Caldwell and his four guards, including Private Hallan, who raised her blunderbuss to shoot; but before she could, both she and her weapon were blown away by a quick spell by Adelina, Ichigo raised Zangetsu and slashed it down at the traitorous Lieutenant. The traitor raised his iron shield in time to halt the blade, but that did little to keep him on his feet, the blade had warped the metal and dented it inwards, forcing Caldwell to his knee as he tried to fight back against the force that was pressing down on him. Ichigo would have continued to do so until he sunk the traitorous bastard into the mud, but when two swords came veering towards his neck he had to leap away, landing a short distance away he looked up to see Hallan and another guard standing in front of the Lieutenant.
Ichigo looked on at the scene with some apprehension, not for the fact that he was facing five armed guards, he had fought more than these few and they were much stronger as well, but there was a single fact that gave him pause in his attack; they were Human. They were living and breathing Human beings, they may be traitors and were behind the reason that Shady Rest had been attacked, but how could he give reason to murder them here and now, he wasn't a killer, these people were not monsters or hollows. They were simply a bunch of soldiers that did what they did because they were greedy and wanted to get back at the people they hated, he wasn't above such a thing, he couldn't justify killing these people, he didn't have the right to be the judge who sentences them.
Before he could even move the two other guards charged forward, leaving Hallan and the other guard to protect Caldwell, Ichigo raised Zangetsu to block an attack to his left side, the marines blade bounced off Ichigo's zanpakuto with a ding. But as soon as that attack was deflected the next came from Ichigo's right, Ichigo twisted his blade around and the second marine's sword before it could stab him in the side, Ichigo retaliated and his strike was blocked by the soldier's shield. As Ichigo forced the marine to his knee the other attacked, shooting his sword towards Ichigo's exposed chest, but with speed that defied someone with a blade that size, and an age so young, he deflected the sword away and attacked. Slamming his blade down onto the man's shield, the marine was knocked away by the force of Ichigo's strike and landed in the mud a few feet away, where he met the end of the Ogre's pike, who then lifted him up and tossed his still screaming body away.
Ichigo halted in his attack for a moment to watch as those around him fought and killed the Marine's around them, giving them no mercy what-so-ever, even Adelina was doing her best to dispatch the enemy, although she was a healer she didn't hesitate to use lethal force. Drekhve had cut down another warrior with little care, nearly cut him in half from neck to groin and yet he was moving on to the next person without a moment to think about what he had just done, was killing here so common that you discard the person from your thoughts as soon as their dead. He couldn't finish his musing, as he noticed a sword moving to cut his head in half, he raised Zangetsu and blocked the blade of the soldier he had been fighting, he looked into the man's eye behind the metal helm that he wore and all he saw was anger.
There was no hesitation in the man's eyes, no regret in doing what he was doing, he was simply going to kill Ichigo because he was in his way and there was no way around it, he was going to kill him so he and his fellow traitors wouldn't be caught and punished for their actions. They were willing to make sure that no one found out about who had murdered all those people, they were willing to let it all slide away just so they can be free and no one can blame them for what happened, they didn't deserve to live free, they didn't deserve to live at all. A traitor that allows innocents to die so they can live and then tried to cover it up, they don't deserve his mercy, they only deserve to die by the end of his blade.
Ichigo forced the sword away and attacked, the marine had no time to raise his shield to block the attack; and because of that the soul cutter met his chest and tore away at the metal chest plate and the flesh that it did so little to protect beneath it. The man flew away as blood flew from his chest with a dying scream from his throat. But Ichigo didn't give him another moment's thought before he charged forward, right towards Caldwell and his two body guards. All three met him halfway, all moving to attack at the same moment. But Ichigo was ready; Hallan attacked his right side with a rising strike to his chest, while the other guard moved to do the same but with a downward swing, while Caldwell himself moved to pierce the substitute's heart.
Ichigo twisted the blade in front of him, blocking the upward slash from Private Hallan and halted the piercing strike from Caldwell with the flat of his zanpakuto, and the strike from the other marine Ichigo halted by grabbing hold of the man's arm and then throwing him over his shoulder. As Ichigo twisted around to throw the third man away he knocked both Caldwell and Hallan's swords away, and as he did a full turn he swung Zangetsu in a wide arc right at Hallan, who raised her shield to block the incoming blade.
The force nearly made her collide with her superior, she was barely remain standing on her own two feet from the power behind the attack Ichigo had delivered, her shield arm felt like it had been broken in several places and was about to fall off. Ichigo saw Caldwell move to strike, trying to bring his sword down on top of Ichigo, but Ichigo pulled his blade back and slid it along the surface of the Privates shield before snapping it as it slid free and towards the Lieutenant's blade. Caldwell stumbled to the side as his blade was forced away, but he had little time to recover as the blade was veering right towards him, seeing his only option was to duck, he did so, despite the ramifications it would have on his subordinate. Private Hallan was cradling her arm when she noticed the boy was attacking, she watched as Lieutenant Caldwell ducked under the strike and allowed the blade to continue on right towards her. She tried to move her shield to halt it, but it was too late.
She managed to get the shield to connect with the sword first, but she didn't have the strength or have the shield in the right position to block it, the blades edge had connected with the side of the shield as it moved to protect its wielder. As a result it was knocked away and the deadly edge of Zangetsu sunk into her stomach, leaving a mortal wound along her abdomen. She was knocked aside and fell to the ground, feeling the painful sting of her flesh being cut and her lifeblood flowing free into the already drenched mud. She had only enough strength to look around to see that already half of their standing force had already been eliminated by these four, the Tauren and Ogre were more formidable then they had anticipated, but the boy was something else, she should have known this wasn't a simple warrior.
Hallan watched as two more met their end at the Tauren's large claymore. One losing his head and the other nearly losing the top most part of his torso as the blade cut through it like a hot knife through butter, this wasn't supposed to happen. Her eyes slowly fluttered as darkness crept into her vision; she hoped that the light would see that she did this only to protect her home and people. The Horde would destroy Theramore if they had the chance; they would kill everyone there without mercy. She just hoped that her actions were enough that it would not happen. But even as she made this wish she felt darkness swallow her, and then she felt nothing more. And with that Private Hallan of the Theramore Marine Guard, was dead.
Ichigo raised Zangetsu over his head, ignoring the fallen form of the Private to his right. Focusing solely on the Lieutenant before him, he slammed his zanpakuto right down onto the man's shield, and as he fell to his knee he had to use both of his hands to halt the blade. Ichigo slashed his blade across and dislodged it from the shield, forcing the Lieutenant to his other knee as he tried to prevent himself from falling over completely; as he lifted himself up, he saw coming right for him was the silver edge of the boy's blade. Quickly he raised his shield to defend himself, discarding his sword so that he could at least try to stop the inevitable from occurring for one moment longer, but his shield along with his hope was shattered by the sharp edge of Zangetsu.
Caldwell watched the shield break apart in front of him, and then he felt it connect with his chest plate, he felt the air rush out of his lungs and blood fill them as one of his broken ribs pierced them, but it wasn't there that his agony ended. He was blown off his knees and clear out of the small camp, he landed near the shore of the small river separating the small mounds of mud that made up the swamp, he tried desperately to get to his feet, but he could barely move his arms without him having a coughing fit and hurling up blood. He could only crane his neck around to see the boy advancing on him, he had no weapon, no shield and his armor would do little other than making sure his protected body parts stayed neatly within without falling out or apart. Caldwell looked up at Ichigo for a moment, before he lowered his head in defeat. There was no escaping this now, the boy had him and he was going to end him. He and his men would be exposed as traitors and then what remained of his forces in Theramore would be left leaderless.
"You have… no idea… what you have… done…" wheezed out Caldwell. Even though he was at deaths door no matter what the boy did, he thought that if he confessed his crime he could find some form of atonement, a reason to justify his actions.
"I killed a traitor and a murderer, but do you know what you have done?" asked Ichigo, glaring down at the wounded Lieutenant for a moment before continuing. "You knew about the raiders in the town, you knew the risk of leaving them there, and yet you allowed them to remain so you could fill your pockets with gold and get some revenge on the people you hate."
"We… couldn't allow… an opportunity to… weaken… the Horde… pass by…" said Caldwell, coughing up another wad of bile and blood; although there was much more of the latter then the former.
"So you sacrificed the safety of the town, allowed the Raiders to draw the Horde's attention to it, and when they slaughtered them you tried to cover it all up," growled Ichigo, struggling to keep himself from killing the man below him. "Eighty people are dead because of your greed and anger, innocent people, woman and children, it's not me who doesn't know what he has done; you don't even know what you did wrong."
Ichigo leaned down and grasped the badge on the Lieutenants tabard and pulled it off. He looked it over and saw Caldwell's name emblazed on it as well as his rank, Ichigo put it in front of the mortally wounded man so he could see it.
"This showed that you were a Guardian of Theramore, you were meant to protect the Innocent. But you let them die for you own personal gain; you don't deserve to be redeemed," said Ichigo, rising up and moving off back towards the camp.
"Your… not… going to… kill me?" Caldwell asked. To which Ichigo stopped and glared at the fallen former Lieutenant of Theramore.
"I don't have to," said Ichigo, pointing off to something behind the Lieutenant. Who could only turn to look on in horror at a large crocolisk swimming just above the surface of the murky waters towards him.
"Help... Hel-!" he couldn't finish, he had another coughing fit before the crocolisk attacked. Its massive maw wrapping around his torso and crushing it even more. He felt his life blood flood his lungs and throat, choking him as much as the beast was.
He was tossed around like a ragdoll, screaming and begging for help, but Ichigo was silent to his pleas and simply turned around and walked off, he didn't feel any better about leaving him there to die, but didn't feel any worse about it.
Drekhve cut down the last of the traitors, he had tried to flee but a quick thrust of his sword had stopped him from doing that, he looked around and saw Ogron was nursing a sword wound to his stomach and Adelina was breathing a little heavy. She had actually surprised him, she had actually put in some effort to actually defend and fight back against the attackers, although she killed only two, she had allowed the others to get the drop on them and softened the rest up for them to deal with. But as he moved around further he couldn't find Ichigo, last he saw he was dealing with that Caldwell fellow, he noticed the woman that had killed the Human he was sent to interrogate, dead and the mosquitoes and flies already on her soon to be rotting corpse.
"Ichigo!" Drekhve called out. Trying to find out where the young substitute had disappeared to, he got his answer when said reaper called back.
"Over here!" looking, he saw him moving back towards the camp, his sword already on his back and a small silver badge in his hand. Drekhve knew who it belonged to and he chose not to ask if he had dealt with the man, for when he first met the boy he was very clear that he detested killing.
"Ichigo, are you alright?" asked Adelina, moving forward to help him if he needed it; either with healing his body or helping him with the internal pain that she couldn't heal with her magic.
"Yeah, I'm fine," said Ichigo. He slumped down onto a crate and let out a tired sigh, he had not wanted this to happen and yet here he was in the middle of the swamp surrounded by twenty dead Theramore Guards, a blow that will likely be felt for a long while.
Ichigo remained quiet for some time, thinking over a few things that had happened and what he knew about the attack and the traitors; and likely the reason behind the attacks.
"So Drekhve, I assume you didn't come here to say hello?" asked Ichigo, looking up at the Tauren warrior with a weary look in his eyes. To which Drekhve moved forward and stood a few feet in front of the Shinigami.
"No I didn't, I came here to find this man," said Drekhve. Ichigo looked down at the body of the late Paval Reethe, Ichigo was right in front of him and still couldn't keep him alive. He may have been a traitor but he had enough conscience to feel guilt about what he did. "Do not feel pity for him, or these ones here. They betrayed their honor for gold and vengeance without reason."
Ichigo nodded his head, but the weight of this still lingered heavily on his shoulders. Death was not something he was accustomed to, he would have laughed at the irony of that statement. He was a Death God, and yet death was something he couldn't stand.
"Yeah, but why are you here? What were you after him for?" asked Ichigo, to which Drekhve just shrugged. He thought it was just luck that he found the right person in the middle of the swamp that was being sought after by the only other person he was looking for. But the Tauren warrior knew there was more going on here than that. He would need to speak with that shaman when he was done here; he knew more than he was letting on.
"He was stealing from Blackenwall Village, the Ogre compound a few miles from here, I was sent to get him," said Drekhve.
"Why would he steal from the Ogres for?" asked Adelina.
"Because he thought the camp was being used as a base camp to launch an attack against Theramore," said Ichigo, remembering the details he got from that deserter at Lost Point yesterday. Reethe was stealing from them to either slow them down or try to get anything he could to survive out here before making a run for the border.
"He thought the Horde was planning an attack on Theramore Isle?" asked Drekhve, to which Ichigo nodded. "Then he would be disappointed to know that the Horde was not responsible for the attack."
"What do you mean?" asked Ichigo. The fact that he had information on who had attacked the town was good, and if it cleared the Horde of wrongdoing then there was less chance of a scandal leaking out due to the knowledge of the attack coming out.
"Shady Rest was attacked by the Grimtotem Tribe, a rogue faction of Tauren who are affiliated with the horde by name only, and that is just in Thunderbluff," said Drekhve, motioning to the dents and openings in his armor. "They are the ones who tried to stop me when I left to warn you; luckily someone came to my aid in time."
"Why did they attack then?" asked Adelina. She knew about them, there was a tribe in Stonetalon. In fact they were suspected to be responsible for aggravating the local spider population while trying to acquire their venom; which stirred up their nest and, caused them to spread and attack anyone too close to their territory.
"From what I know, that shield you brought was one of many. It was being sent to Thousand Needles by caravan, they were attacked and their supplies lost," said Drekhve. "And sadly the village was attacked, likely because they needed someone to take out their anger upon."
"Actually, I learned that the town's guards were actually a group known as Quarvel's Raiders. They are marauders who attack caravans along the gold road," said Ichigo, surprising Drekhve. With his insight, things were coming together now. "It is likely they realized the marauders were in the town and using it as a cover."
"Then they would have passed it off as a simple centaur attack," said Drekhve.
"Not just them, there were a few people in Theramore who were supporting the Raiders," said Ichigo, to which Drekhve looked right at him. To say such a thing was saying that they were declaring war. "The guards here were among them. They were supporting the raiders and keeping them from being apprehended as long as they provide some of their spoils to Kul Tiras."
"Kul Tiras," said Drekhve, his words bitter and full of disgust. They had caused much strife in their time with the Horde, both in their attempt to destroy Ogrimmar and also now in attempting to undermine their forces in Duratar. "So they are part of this grand plot as well."
"Yeah, when the town was destroyed the Guard's that knew about the truth tried to have me killed to cover up the attack. Since I was a survivor, they likely thought I was also a witness," said Ichigo
"I see, so the town was occupied by marauders who target the Gold Road," surmised Drekhve.
"And the Theramore Guard found them, but made a deal so that they could continue to attack Horde Caravans," said Ichigo, adding his own input into the mix.
"They attacked the Grimtotem caravans in their raids, earning their ire and therefore their vengeance," said Drekhve.
"Then they attacked Shady Rest, destroyed the village, and removed any witnesses," said Ichigo.
"And with the Theramore Guard involved, they moved to cover up the crime so they would not be implicated and accused of aiding in the raids," said Drekhve. "It was a conspiracy on both fronts, both sides seeking to cover up the crime but for different reasons."
"Yeah, had me and Adelina not survived we would likely not be here to learn about this discovery," said Ichigo, to which Drekhve nodded in agreement.
"This could prove that the horde was not responsible. Sadly with Reethe dead along with the rest of these traitors, there is little we can do about getting them to confess," said Drekhve.
"Yeah, but at least we did learn what caused this. Hopefully our words will be enough to point the finger, and maybe stop the Horde and Alliance starting a war over this," said Ichigo. Though his hopes were high, it would likely be a little chaotic between the two factions because of this event getting out, especially when they realize that two small groups affiliated with them tried to cause the other harm.
But hopefully the Horde could denounce the Grimtotem as a separate faction only affiliated with the Tauren of Thunderbluff rather than a group that is integrated within the Horde, and therefor under their orders and jurisdiction. And the Theramore Guard could hopefully show that their actions were that of deserters and traitors within their ranks, rather than soldiers acting under orders, that way they wouldn't think this was some pre-emptive strike against the Horde.
"I will report this to the investigator when he returns and also report my findings to my Battlemaster, as well as send messages to Thrall and Cairne to alert them of the Grimtotem's treachery in attacking the town," said Drekhve. "Although my word would mean little, I hope it is enough to give them reason to look rather than ignore what they have been told."
"Yeah, let's hope we both can do some good with what little we have," said Ichigo, rising from the crate and walking over to Drekhve, and sticking out his hand to the large bull. "You upheld your end of the bargain; you proved that the Horde was not responsible for the attacks."
Drekhve took the young Human's hand and gave it a firm and stiff shake, not wanting to show weakness to the boy, and also because he didn't really understand how the shaking of someone's hand really worked.
"It has been an honor to prove the innocence of the Horde and also to fight by your side once more. I hope that one day we may meet again," said Drekhve. Although Ichigo would have said that he was going home and likely never to return, he had the feeling that he should remain silent and allow him to believe that fate may have something in store for the both of them in the future.
"Let's hope so," said Ichigo, moving to his horse and mounting it with Adelina running up and doing the same for her own horse. "Good bye Drekhve."
"May the Earthmother guide you on the right path, and let us hope that your path cross with my own," said Drekhve, giving his blessing to Ichigo and Adelina. Both the Human and Night Elf took to their path, while Drekhve and Ogron took to theirs, with the hope that one day they would meet one another again, as any honorable warrior would.
Chapter 16	Chapter 18