Chapter 14

 Transcendence 

Chapter 14: The Shady Rest Massacre

Theramore Isle, Barracks

“You claim to know who was behind the attack”

Ichigo looked at the aging solider sitting behind his ornate wooden desk; he had long grey hair and a matching moustache over his lightly tanned and creased face, he was much broader and better built then some of the other soldiers that were present in the room. Showing that even as old as he may appear, he was still a warrior capable going toe to toe with anyone who got in his way and come out the victor. He could see the doubt in Captain Garran Vimes eyes and in his tone as he stated Ichigo’s proclamation, Ichigo knew he couldn’t blame the man for not believing him; he was only fifteen and in the aging captains eyes nothing but a boy who shouldn’t be wielding a blade that size in the first place.

“I do, I was trapped under some rubble when the Inn collapsed, I overheard two people speaking to one another.” Replied Ichigo; not in the slightest perturbed by the fact that the Captain didn’t believe him. “I only know one man’s name, it was Quarvel, but the other had the rank of Lieutenant.”

“Quarvel” murmured Vimes, he knew that name, but he needed to make sure that it matched the person, they had been looking for him for a long time and needed to confirm it was him. “Tell me: what else did you overhear?”

“Quarvel was said to be attacking caravans on the gold road, and by the sounds of it, they were Horde caravans.” Said Ichigo, quiet murmuring broke out between the officers who were present in the room, some saying something about ‘Raiders’ and ‘Possible retaliation’, but they were quickly silence by a raised hand from Captain Vimes.

“I know of this Quarvel, he is a mercenary leader who attacks caravans that move down the gold roads, they call themselves Quarvel Raiders.” Said Vimes, his fingers entwined in front of his face and an angry expression on his face, he had been looking for them for months now, and last word on them was that they may be somewhere near Shady Rest but that was reported as inconclusive by the investigator that was sent out to determine if it was true. “Why was he there?”

“He and his men were posing as the Garrison who protected the town.” Said Ichigo, Vimes eyes shot right up at Ichigo, who stared back into them unflinchingly “They were using it as a cover so they couldn’t be found by the Horde or the Alliance, and continue their raids.”

“They were sneaking right under our noses.” Said Captain Vimes, his anger quite evident, the fact that his investigators found nothing when searching for them, even he wouldn’t have suspected that they would hide out as guards in a town, but the worst part was that they may be on the brink of open war. “How could they have remained undetected for so long.”

“They had help” said Ichigo, everyone’s attention was brought back to him “The lieutenant said he discovered who they were, but made an arrangement with the Raider’s, he wouldn’t rat them out to you and they would supply weapons, armour and whatever else they acquired from the caravans to a group known as Kul Tiras.”

Eyes shot wide open around the room, Kul Tiras, those traitors were aiding the Raiders in attacking Horde Caravans, those fools, and they should have known their actions would not have gone unnoticed by the horde. They thought that openly attacking horde forces would not result in a counter-attack, first the reports of deserters and then a sizable force in Durotar and now their involvement in the massacre of an entire town.

“Those deserters, I’ll have all their heads for this” growled Vimes, slamming his hand into the table, he would make sure each of them went to the gallows for their crimes.

“I think that there is more to this than just a bunch of deserters.” said Ichigo, Vimes looked up at the boy and immediately knew where he was going with this.

“What are you saying boy?” asked Vimes, his tone was heated, but not at the boy but the fact that he may actually be right.

<p class="MsoNormal">“That there are traitors in Theramore” Shouts and screams of defiance erupted from the people inside the room, the very thought that one of their own and even some of their people would betray those at Shady Rest for some traitors and gold.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Silence!” roared Vimes, his glare silenced them better than his own words, and the aging captain turned back to the young Substitute and asked him in a much more civil tone, although it was less of a bark and more of a growl. “What reason do you have to believe this?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Because if this lieutenant was a deserter, I doubt you would listen to his claim about where the Quarvel Raiders were, also when they were talking Quarvel made it out that the Lieutenant was working with Kul Tiras rather than being part of the group, and only a day after I got here I was nearly killed.” Said Ichigo; his eyes boring into that of the Captains who was also doing the same, the accusation was made stronger when he spoke again. “There is no way that whoever sent the assassin would know I was from the town and the only people who knew I was in Shady Rest and inside the Inn is the Theramore Guard.”

<p class="MsoNormal">There was tense silence in the room as they took in his words, his logic was sound, the words of a traitor would be met on deaf ears and the only people that had knowledge of this Incident were all soldiers in the guard, and no longer than an hour after they were informed one witness was nearly assassinated. Things were not looking good for them; there were traitors within their ranks, and if that were anything to go by, then it was possible that the lieutenant may actually be one of the people in this very room right now and also who knows how many more accomplices he has under his thumb.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Leave us” said Captain Vimes, his words however were not directed at the young boy in front of him, but every single officer inside the room, people wanted to protest but his words left no room for argument.

<p class="MsoNormal">Soon everyone was filing out of the room and eventually it left Captain Vimes and Ichigo alone in the small officer of the Captain, there was a long pause, none deciding to speak, Ichigo seeing the Captain was in deep thought chose not to interrupt it. Vimes indeed was in deep concentration, he was in a predicament that would not be easily solved, he had to figure out more than just who destroyed and ransacked the town, but also who was the instigator that allowed the Raiders to continue their dangerous game on the Gold Road. But with the Raiders either dead or fled, there was no way they could track them down and find out who was responsible, they could be halfway to Tanaris by now and soon they could be anywhere the port on the coast of that desert could takes them, they were out of his and Theramore’s reach.

<p class="MsoNormal">Now he was left to his own devices, but even that was a gamble he couldn’t take, if there were traitors within the ranks, as much as he didn’t want to believe the fact that the men he had been working with for the last four years would turn against their brothers in arms. For gold and likely animosity to the Horde, but the boy’s statement and the assassination attempt on his life made it likely that was the case. Vimes knew that if he was to investigate this he would need to do it with as few people as possible, and with only those he could trust to get it done, if he didn’t then he would risk the potential traitors destroying or covering up evidence that could instigate them. And then the rest of them would be none the wiser.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You have left me in a horrible predicament boy” said Captain Vimes, grimacing as he thought over how he was going to handle this “First I hear about the attack and that the Horde may be responsible and now you tell me that my own men, people I have served with for years, may have allied themselves with Kul Tiras and the Quarvel Raiders.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Would you have rather I not say anything and then risk them using it to their advantage to cover up evidence or this entire event.” Said Ichigo; even his clenched teeth barely held back the anger in his voice as he spoke, the captain didn’t seem affected by his words in the slightest.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No, but it still doesn’t make this any easier” said Vimes, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temple. “I can’t trust anyone else in the guard; it’s too risky, maybe a few Captains and some men under my personal command, but not much else aside from them.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“What do you plan on doing?” asked Ichigo, he was curious on how he was going to perform an investigation when all he had to work with was some sketchy details on who may have attacked and also the fact that there are enemies within the walls of Theramore as well.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I will send an investigator to look through the town, find anything and see if it points to someone.” Replied Vimes; the captain lifted himself out of the chair and moving towards the door “Thank you for speaking with me; you have done a great service to Theramore, and I personally thank you for your assistance.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I want to help.” said Ichigo, Vimes halted as he reached for the handle to the door, before he turned back to the boy and looked him square in the eye, he wasn’t suggesting what he thought he was suggesting was he? “I want to find out who attacked Shady Rest.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“This is no place for a boy such as you.” Said Captain Vimes, not wavering in the slightest in the fact that he could have someone who could help in the investigation, he may have brought to light more than they would have ever likely found out without his help, Vimes still wouldn’t allow him to take part in this.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I was there, I heard the people screaming, I watched from the windows as the town burnt.” said Ichigo, his tone low and livid as he spoke to the Captain, his eyes burning with determination and righteous anger. “I won’t stop until I find them, and when I do, I will make them pay. You can say whatever you want; I will go with or without your permission.”

<p class="MsoNormal">For the next minute both Ichigo and Captain Vimes stared at one another, not blinking or averting their eyes from one another, they simply stared and gauged the other, Ichigo was trying to get him to concede with his demands and Vimes was trying to force him to step down from his childish antics. As much as Vimes needed help he couldn’t allow this boy to just take part in the investigation, he was one of the witnesses and also had what appeared to be a personal vendetta against whoever was responsible for the attack. If the Captain allowed him into the field there was no telling what could happen, he could get angry and cause an incident that might cause more trouble. But in his eyes he could see someone who would go out of his way and anyone else’s to do what he has to, even if it is against the rules, he would do it anyway, he would investigate the incident with or without his permission.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Alright boy, I’ll let you investigate the attack, but you won’t be going alone.” Said Captain Vimes, turning and opening the door, walking into the hall he turned and saw one of his guards down the hallway. “Private, come here”

<p class="MsoNormal">Said Private moved quickly towards the Captain and saluted before saying “What can I do for you Sir?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I need you to get Inspector Tarem, have him meet me here in ten minutes” said Captain Vimes, to which the soldier saluted and whirled on his feet and paced away to find the man his Captain had asked for, the Captain then turned back to Ichigo who followed him into the hall. “You want to take part in this investigation, then help my man in finding some clues as to who attacked the Inn, who the traitor is and also any clues where either could be.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo nodded

<p class="MsoNormal">“Good, meet Inspector Tarem by the stables in about twenty minutes, he will be leaving here as soon as I am done, and I’ll have him keep a look out for you.” Said Vimes before he walking back into his office, Ichigo didn’t wait for him to close the door before he moved off, going down the hall and towards the exit, he had to get packing and also see about getting Adelina ready as well. He couldn’t risk leaving her here, whoever tried to have him killed could try the same, even though they have a look out for possible traitors it doesn’t mean that they can tell who they are.

<p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile ducked around the corner was Lieutenant Caldwell, listening in on the short conversation between Ichigo and Captain Vimes about the boy taking part in the investigation, this was starting to become a massive complication for him. First the report he sent to the good Captain is found almost immediately when the sun rises and then the assassination attempts on both the Night Elf and that boy are thwarted and allowing details that should never have come to light being released. Also the boy had overheard Reethe at the damn Inn, he had overheard him speaking with the Raider about the attack and also the agreement made between them, but he was lucky that he didn’t mention any names and didn’t instigate Theramore or the guard. Although it was clear that the guard may be involved, which made moving against the boy and that Elf impossible without being caught or instigated, he would need to handle this delicately and find the right moment to strike.

<p class="MsoNormal">Twenty Minutes Later

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo and Adelina walked towards the stables, Ichigo was now back in his armour and had Zangetsu holstered to his back with his invisible sheath, although his armour was damaged it was still in working order and could be used without causing any hindrances. He was still getting use to the armour and was finding it odd to use, he had no qualm about using it, but the fact that he was going to need it made him think about what other things out there he is going to have to fight against to survive. He shook his head, he was going home after he sorted this thing out, and he couldn’t leave while the threat of war was looming over these people’s shoulders, he was there and he could change this before any more harm came to these people.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Are you alright Ichigo?” asked Adelina, turning the young substitute saw the young druid looking at him with a worried expression on her face, and he could only smile and calm her nerves.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yeah, I’m find, just thinking on who could have done that to Shady Rest.” Said Ichigo, in truth however he was depressed, the deaths of those people were weighing down on his more than anything he had ever experienced in his life. He was there and he was unable to save them, they were all dead and he was buried under some rubble protected from the fire and the monsters that destroyed that place and murdered all the people in it. But as much as he was despairing over the loss of all those innocent people, he was angry, he never felt so livid in his entire live, not even when he faced Grand Fisher was he this furious, he just wanted to kill something.

<p class="MsoNormal">He shook his head again, he needed to keep calm, he couldn’t allow his anger to get the better of him, he got angry he made mistakes and when you make mistakes you get killed, he had learned that many time before even coming here and it was even more apparent here than back on Earth. Here there were hundreds of things aiming to kill him, and in ways other than just running at him intent of carving him apart, some with poison, others with magic and others by showing him that he was what he never thought he would be: fallible. He had been taken down with only a single strike and then those he was protecting, Lynn and Jimmy, his heart sank when he thought about it, they were dead, that was for certain, he just hoped… he prayed that they didn’t suffer.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Excuse me, are you Ichigo?” looking up the young substitute saw a blonde haired man wearing full body armour of azure and grey, and Ichigo knew exactly who this man was.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Inspector Tarem?” asked Ichigo, to which the man nodded before handing Ichigo the reins to one of the horses.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I was told that you would be accompanying me, I was told you have an interest in the outcome of this investigation.” said Tarem, mounting his steed and looking down at Ichigo and waited for him to do the same.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo looked at the white stallion before him with a confusion written all over his face, he had no idea how to ride this thing, he looked at the Inspector he was to travel with and noted his confusion as well, although for completely different reasons.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Wait, do you know to ride?” asked Tarem, to which Ichigo sighed in defeat and shook his head, to which Tarem sighed as well, although this time in exasperation, he had thought this boy had at least some experience in riding a horse.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Alright, just mount up and we’ll take it slow, we got a long way to go and a lot of swamp to get through.” Said Tarem, as he turned his horse away and started to ride off towards the gate, Ichigo stared at him for a moment before looking back at his stallion who reared its head around to look at its rider with an expression that was almost like ‘We gonna do this or what’.

<p class="MsoNormal">“God you’re a dumb ass” he heard his inner hollow berate him, after all the conversations they had about the King and Horse and who rides who, he was still the one who couldn’t ride the horse.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Shut up” Ichigo groaned out, his irritation for his inner hollow and the fact he had no idea how to ride this white beast started to annoy him.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ichigo?” turning he saw Adelina with her own horse and already mounted up and waiting for him to do the same, Ichigo let out a groan before he put his armoured boot into the stirrup and hoisted himself up and into the saddle.

<p class="MsoNormal">He shuffled around in the saddle to make himself more comfortable, it would take some getting used to but he could probably do this, he snapped the reins forward lightly and the horse went into a small gallop forward. Ichigo shifted in his saddle as the horse moved, trying to maintain his balance, it wasn’t that hard all he had to do was keep his body centred and he wouldn’t fall off, Ichigo pulled on the reins slightly more on the right and the horse changed direction. This shouldn’t take too long, if this was all he had to do then there shouldn’t be a problem, he turned to Adelina and shot her a smirk.

<p class="MsoNormal">Four Hours later, Shady Rest

<p class="MsoNormal">It was a little more difficult than expected; Ichigo rode into the ruins of Shady Rest, covered in mud and drenched in murky water, the ride here was not an eventful one but still an irritation for both him and his two companions. Multiple times had Ichigo fallen from his horse and into the swamp and gotten stuck, relying on Adelina and Tarem to pull him out of the mud or drown, and because of that they had wasted a lot of time that could have been used investigating for clues.

<p class="MsoNormal">But they were here now, they had arrived and all they could see before them was the remains of the once great town called Shady Rest, the skeletal frames of the houses were all that remained burnt black and still smouldering after nearly two days. The smell of ash and smoke still filled the air, covering up the stink of the marshes, but there was another smell that had remained; the smell of burnt flesh or rotted meat, the smell of the people who had died here. Their bodies still littered the ground and the homes in which they died in, either on the ground and lifeless or preserves in almost horrific statues of their last moments before being consumed; their screaming faces were morphed beyond what could be considered human.

<p class="MsoNormal">Charred black husks were all that remained of the former citizens of this Shady Rest, they came in many shapes and sizes, large bulky men and lithe woman and small… children, the fire may not have conscious thought, but the people who set them did. The bodies of entire families were seen cowering in corners of their houses, huddled together as the flames consumed them, even in death they didn’t leave each other’s side, remaining with one another till death took them all. Ichigo looked at this scene with horror and felt bile rise in his throat, all these people, they had been killed horribly, he knew that there were atrocities committed in his world like this, but to see it and think that whoever did this had no qualms about murdering innocent men, woman and children, disturbed him greatly.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Search the houses” said Tarem, his words just above a whisper so that they could be heard. “Find any clues you can.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Without another word Tarem dismounted his horse and entered one of the houses, Ichigo looked on for another moment before he dismounted himself and walked towards one house, Adelina close behind him. He tried hard not to look at the bodies, but their screaming visages were already engraved into his mind, their burnt out eye sockets glaring at him, accusing him of what he did not do, he did not save them. There was little inside the buildings, most had been burnt to nothing but ash, which was the only thing that showed the hoof prints of the people who had caused it, they were inside every house and all across the street. There was little doubt about who had attacked this place, even though they would likely think it was a Centaur attack at first glance, the fact that there was little evidence to be found showed that it was likely the Horde who attacked here.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo slumped down onto the ground in front of the last house on the main street, he had found nothing inside, but the bodies of a young mother and three children, she tried to shield them from whoever killed them, but it was futile. The children behind her were all burnt and only husks remained of what was left of their forms, he remembered her face along with everyone else, they all had fear in them and pain, their mouths still open in silent screams and in their hand whimpering. Eighty people called this place their home, all of them were dead, all killed in the same way, burnt to death in their homes or on the street, and their happiness and laughter was replaced with fear and dying screams. Ichigo jolted up when he felt something touch his shoulders, he leapt to his feet and away from whoever was behind him, he twisted around and reached for Zangetsu and halted when he saw Adelina standing there, her shock almost equal to Ichigo’s.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ichigo, are you alright?” asked Adelina, it may have seemed stupid to ask, but she had to do it, she had to ask and make sure he was at least trying to cope with this, if not he would break under the strain.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo let his grip on Zangetsu go slack and allowed his arm to flop down beside him, he didn’t know if he could answer that question, he wanted to come here to find the people responsible for all this and now he was wallowing in his despair. These people didn’t deserve to die like this, looking around he could see the bodies that littered the streets, cut down and burnt, some were even still alive after having their limbs removed, no one deserved this.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yeah, I’m fine.” Lied Ichigo, not wanting to make his friend worry, she didn’t need to worry about him, he had to handle this himself, he needed to make it through this, if not for himself then for everyone back home who is counting on him.

<p class="MsoNormal">Without letting Adelina another chance to speak he turned and walked to the final place that had yet to be searched, Shady Rest Inn, it was likely the still most intact of all the buildings present that remained in this so called ruin. The framework for the second floor could be seen and what remains of the roof of the ground floor, and all aside from the front and part of the right wall of the Inn were still intact and supporting up what remained of the second floor. The once brown and grey wood and brick that made up the building had now been charred black and appeared to be still decaying slowly; Ichigo stepped through the threshold of the building and almost shuddered when he remembered the attack that knocked him out.

<p class="MsoNormal">His hand travelled to his stomach and he felt even through his gloved hand that the armour had been slightly malformed from the intense heat of the lightning bolt that had struck him, only thanks to the magical enchantment on the armour had saved him. Ichigo could see how even in a world where Shinigami do not exist, here he is as vulnerable to powers and blades of any other being; great power or not he was still at the mercy of the hands of death and the mercy of his enemies. He shook his head, he would be here long enough to be at anyone else’s mercy again, once he finds these bastards, he was going to make them pay for what they did here, and he still needed to find out who these bastards are.

<p class="MsoNormal">Turning towards what remained of the banqueting part of the Inn he saw Tarem looking over a large piece of metal on the ground, moving closer Ichigo noticed that it was a large metal shield, he faintly remembered seeing something like that before. Flashes of his fight with that Tauren came to his mind, the same Tauren that had his arm cut off by his zanpokuto, it looked like he had left the arms and his shield here, he saw a large piece of charred mass right next to Tarem that was likely the severed limb. Out of all the charred bodies in this village, that was the only one that deserved to be burnt, he was just angry that the rest of him got away before that could be done; turning his thoughts away from such dark and twisted ideas of revenge Ichigo looked at the shield.

<p class="MsoNormal">It was a simple square kite shield with a triangular base that gave it a sharp point, the edges were much thicker in order to help prevent the shield being cut in half if struck at the sides, but that did its previous wielder little good when he cut the cow-bastards arm off. It completely covered in black soot and the grey metal was turned completely black, it was unlikely they would get anything from this aside from the fact it was used by one of the Tauren that attacked the Inn.

<p class="MsoNormal">“This shield is too big for a normal warrior to wield easily, but maybe not for a Tauren” said Tarem, looking up at Ichigo, the substitute nodded to the inspector’s deduction, although he likely had previous knowledge of the attack thanks to his testimony to the Captain, but still he had to make sure.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I cut that along with the arm it was attached from its owner.” Said Ichigo, to which Tarem nodded as well before going back to inspecting it, that was likely all they were going to get out of that piece of metal. Turning Ichigo moved around the Inn looking for anything else, most of the upper floor now littered the lower, crating large mounds of debris and making traversing the Inn a little difficult, not to mention dangerous as it was now likely structurally unstable.

<p class="MsoNormal">Moving through the place he eventually passed through the place where the wall separated the kitchen and the dining hall, this is where he was likely thrown after he was attacked, he saw several spots where he could have been buried and still overheard everything that was spoken between Quarvel and that Lieutenant. Ichigo dare not go any further, the thought of coming across more bodies was inevitable, but the bodies he would find would likely be that of James Hyal and his family, thought there were many others in the village that he had found burnt and dead. They were someone he met with, talked to, sank with, and laughed with, if he found them in here, he didn’t know what would happen; he didn’t know what it would do to him.

<p class="MsoNormal">“He’ll bring you mead…” Ichigo heard a feint whisper, it carried through the quiet and charred remains of the Inn, he turned and tried to find it, was he hearing things.

<p class="MsoNormal">“He’ll bring you bear…” Ichigo’s eyes widened when he heard it again, someone was here, someone was alive, he felt his heart leap at the fact someone survived this whole mess.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hey! Someone is alive!” cried out Ichigo, trying to alert Tarem and Adelina that he had found a survivor; he paced around looking for the person he had heard. “Hello, can you hear me? We are here to help you.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“A… grinning face… ear to ear…” he heard a whimper, it was a man, but why was he singing that song, Ichigo looked over to the doorway he heard the once joyful song now contained untold sorrows.

<p class="MsoNormal">He ran to the door and looked down into the small room, there was nothing inside except for the James Hyal, Ichigo would have been glad to see he was alive, but all he could do was stare in muted horror of what the once kind hearted man had been reduced to. He was leaning against the wall, his eyes were full of tears and he was holding onto the bodies of two people, one appeared to be a young woman, her hair had been burnt away and only a charred husk remained and the other was a young boy. Ichigo could only stare in shock as he realised that he was cradling the bodies of both his wife and child, he would stroke his son head and he would hold his wife close and what would remain with him for the rest of his days was the words that were coming from his lips.

<p class="MsoNormal">“He serves… us all…” All those he once knew were all gone; he had no one else left now.

<p class="MsoNormal">“From year to year….” His life had been destroyed; there was nothing left for this poor man but years of misery and insanity.

<p class="MsoNormal">“They call him… smiling Jim…” he would never be known by that name again, he would never be the same again; he was a broken man who had nothing left to live for.

<p class="MsoNormal">Tarem and Adelina traversed the small pile that separate them from Ichigo and found him staring through the doorway, shock and horror were the only emotions on his face as he stared forward, not even bothering to acknowledge their presence.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ichigo, where is….” Tarem tried to ask where the survivor was, he would prove vital in determining who was responsible for the attack, but as soon as he looked through the door he saw him, the man was cradling the bodies of two people, a woman and young boy.

<p class="MsoNormal">“By the goddess…” murmured Adelina, bringing her hands to her mouth as if she was to be sick, the very sight of the man she had been served by only two days ago cradling those two bodies was one of the most horrible things she has ever seen done to a person.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo turned and left, not a word passed his lips as he rushed off and away from the man who had lost his sanity the same night he lost his home and family, Tarem and Adelina watched as he left and then turned back to the man who was still mourning the family he had refused to let go.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo went back into the dining hall and leaned heavily against the wall, he tried to stop his heart from leaping out of his chest, the very sight of what that man had been reduced to, sent a shock through his system like no other. Ichigo looked into his eyes and only saw misery and pain, so much that it overshadowed any other he had known, even he could not even begin to think he knows what that man is going through, the pain, the sorrow, the despair. No one deserves a fate like that, no one deserves to have their family taken from them, this shouldn’t have happened, they shouldn’t have died, he should have protected them; he should have protected them all.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo screamed out in anger and slammed his fist into the wall, the already weakened wall collapsed under the force of the blow and collapsed, bring down what little remained of the roof above the dining area down. Ichigo stood there quietly, ignoring the falling mortar around him and completely focused on what happened to James Hyal, how did they know about the raiders, how did they discover they were in the town, how did they know about the town, how could have they done this.

<p class="MsoNormal">“…for trespassing into our territory, you will answer to our laws and my blade.” the words of that Tauren passed through his mind when he heard it, he was willing to kill him and Adelina for no other reason than simply passing over what was his land.

<p class="MsoNormal">‘No, could he have known?” thought Ichigo; could he really have known of the attack? Could he have planned this whole thing and simply sent him here so that he could be killed in the attack when it came.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You trespass in these lands and I cannot allow you to leave here alive” It was the Horde who attacked here, it was the Horde who say that the Barrens were their territory, he had to know who attacked them.

<p class="MsoNormal">Adelina rushed into the dining area and nearly was hit in the head by a piece of roofing from above, she yelped before slowly moving towards Ichigo, she saw him standing there, deep in thought and the fact that the wall had been reduced to rubble scared her a little.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ichigo…?” she asked hesitantly, moving her hand forward to try and coax a response out of him, but before she could even touch him he turned on his feet, Adelina jumped back and nervously watched Ichigo moved away.

<p class="MsoNormal">Picking up the blackened Iron shield as he strode to the now open front part of the Inn, leaping over the small amount that was left he walked down the street towards his horse, behind Adelina came Tarem with James Hyal over his shoulder. The inspector looked at the destruction of the wall that was once standing and the fact the shield was gone, he saw Adelina staring off into the distance outside the Inn, he set James down and strode over to her.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Where is Ichigo?” said Tarem, before she could speak a high pitched neigh from a horse caught his attention and he saw Ichigo on his stallion going full gallop out of the town and westwards “Where the hell is he going?!”

<p class="MsoNormal">Adelina didn’t know at first where he could be going, she thought he would have charged off somewhere in the swamp to let off some steam, but he was going to the Barrens, he couldn’t possibly be thinking about going after the Horde. They would kill him no matter how strong he was, but he wouldn’t know where to look even if he was going after them, and that is when she realised that the people he was going after was located at a post near the base of the Mountains. He was going to find the only person that she could think of that could answer his questions, only one person that likely know who was responsible for this attack: Drekhve.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Barrens, North of Blackthorn Ridge

<p class="MsoNormal">Drekhve was sharpening his sword with a grinding stone, he was sitting just outside the small hut on top of a small overcrop near the base of the western mountains of the Barrens, he shared this place along with five other warriors. They were aspirants looking to earn the honour of being called warriors and the first thing they needed to do was start by dealing with the rampart Quilboar population, they were becoming a large threat for several months now. Something odd was happening down in Rozorfen, it would seem something has been driving them out, and this was forcing them to spread across the Barrens and into Mulgore and Durotar.

<p class="MsoNormal">He had dealt a serious blow to their standing forces a few days ago, and on his way back to this post he had counted forty more, he was definitely starting to get ahead of the other warriors, that brought him up to two hundred and seventy five. That would put his in third place with the rest, just thirty behind Shay’va and fifty eight behind Tarule, although scoring may appear childish for some warriors such as them, it was a good way to improve productivity and the willingness to get the job done, also it dealt with the boredom. But right now he was busy trying to bring his weapon and armour back up to working order, after his little brawl with Ichigo and that Quilboar army he had taken some substantial damage, sadly he wasn’t much of an armourer. Shay’va was the one who helped maintain their weapons and gear; he was admittedly more of a passive warrior than an aggressive one, and therefor took up a different art.

<p class="MsoNormal">Alchemy, they were as surprised when they heard him tell them, they didn’t understand why he didn’t take up something like smithing, weapon forging or even armouring, although he found those things to be important for a warrior, to maintain their armour yes, but he was drawn to another art. His mother and father were both from a different group, his father was a warrior of the Steelrage clan, some of the fiercest warriors that one could find in Tauren Society, and in fact many Bluffwalkers are from the same clan he was born within. But his mother was of the Druid, and part of the Mistrunner tribe, who were dedicated to healing the world in all its plights, even the Barrens were being treated by them so that it can heal and recover.

<p class="MsoNormal">But in the end he took up his father’s mantle as a warrior of the Steelrage, but unlike his father who was a force of nature that would strike without warning or mercy, Drekhve was more like his mother in character, calm, level-headed and only chose to fight when he had to. He also enjoyed reading parchment and was taught by his mother how to create potions, and soon enough he was on his way to becoming an alchemist, although his father thought he should leave the picking of plants to the druids and let the warriors nourish the soil with the enemies blood. But this was his path and he would see it to the end as he wanted, and right now he was sharpening his sword and trying to get it back into the condition he had it before that fateful day when he crossed blades with Ichigo Kurosaki.

<p class="MsoNormal">A neigh caught his attention, rising quickly he gazed over the empty planes before him, he could see nothing in the distance approaching, but if he heard that then it meant that whoever was here was close, moving towards the edge of the overcrop he looked down. He saw someone down at the base of the slope, a white stallion could be seen and its rider, a man in varying pieces of coloured armour and a large sword on his back wrapped in a cloth, with bright orange hair. Drekhve looked down at the person that had just passed through his mind only a moment ago, Ichigo Kurosaki was down below him, quickly the young human dismounted and climbed the slope.

<p class="MsoNormal">Drekhve took a few steps back; he may consider the boy an honourable warrior but the fact that he came here surprised him, why was he here and where was that elf girl that was always with him? But the fact he was walking up the hill threateningly made the Tauren Warrior prepare for a possible attack. Soon Ichigo was standing on the edge of the cliff and staring at Drekhve intently, for a moment there was nothing said between them, Drekhve wondered why he was here and in such a hostile manner, what had happened when they last parted that had caused this?

<p class="MsoNormal">“Did you know?” asked Ichigo, his voice barely above a whisper, Drekhve looked at his oddly, what was he talking about?

<p class="MsoNormal">“What do you mean? Know about what?” asked Drekhve, what was going on here?

<p class="MsoNormal">“Did you know about Shady Rest?” asked Ichigo, then he threw at him a blackened shield, the large metal object crashed into the dirt and slid towards Drekhve and ended up just at his feet. “Did you know about the attack?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Attack? What was he talking about?

<p class="MsoNormal">“What attack? What happened?” asked Drekhve

<p class="MsoNormal">“Shady Rest was attacked, everyone there is dead, they burnt it to the ground.” Said Ichigo, Drekhve looked on in shock; the town had been destroyed, how? Did the Centaur or Quilboar raid it? No, Ichigo was asking if he knew, but how would he…. Did he think he was behind it? “There were two Tauren there, that shield belonged to one of them.”

<p class="MsoNormal">He was insinuating that he knew of the attack, he was saying that it was his people that attacked the town and slaughtered all the people there, did he think that he was so low to take part and even know of such an atrocity.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I have no knowledge of that attack.” Said Drekhve, gritting his teeth in annoyance rather than anger over the fact that the boy would think his people would sink so low to murder innocents.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Then how do you explain this shield, it was off the arm of one of the bastards I cut down.” Said Ichigo, his anger now coming in full force on the Tauren; Ichigo’s hands were shaking as he stared at the massive bull before him. “The Horde attacked Shady Rest.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“That doesn’t mean anything, the Horde would never attack you village, there is a treaty between Theramore and the Horde, there is to be no open aggression between them.” Said Drekhve.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Then what about Ashenvale, they Horde is there fighting against the Night Elves over fucking lumber” roared Ichigo “What’s stopping them from going over their border and into Dustwallow Marsh and raiding the town.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“My people are not savages, and the Warsong Clan are some of the worst, but my people and neither the Warchief would ever tolerate an attack on a civilian population, especially without reason.” Said Drekhve, his temper rising at the disrespect the boy was throwing in his face about how his people had destroyed that town, there were only families there, no one else.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Then prove it, show me the honour that you have and help me find the bastards that did this.” Said Ichigo, levelling the Tauren a glare that dared him to give another answer, but even if his honour and life wasn’t at stake, Drekhve would still give the same answer.

<p class="MsoNormal">“On my honour and that of the Bloodhoof Tauren, I will help you in locating the people who attacked Shady Rest.” Said Drekhve; planting his sword into the ground, and placing his hand over his chest in a form of salute.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo strode forward and stood toe to toe with the massive Tauren who was a good two feet and six inches taller than himself, Ichigo looked into his eyes and for a moment considered and weighed his words, then he nodded and brought his hands out. The Tauren clamped around the boys wrist and they sealed their agreement, they would both search for whoever attacked the town of Shady Rest and would bring them to Justice.