Chapter 21

 Transcendence 

Chapter 21: Into the Fire

Ichigo and Caren rushed through the wide open pass, moving around the bodies of several dozen Orcs and a few Alliance warriors. They had been gone for nearly an hour and they hadn't heard a single sound from up ahead, no clashing of steel or even war cries from Alliance or Blackrock warriors. The only thing that took some worry off Ichigo's shoulders was the fact that there were more Orc bodies than there were Human or otherwise.

But the feeling of his boots sinking into the blood soaked ground didn't exactly lift his spirits; he had been fighting hard yes, even killing. But still he couldn't help but feel sick at the sight of so many bodies; even if they were Orcs, he still couldn't keep himself from feeling nauseated. Before Ichigo could think more on the matter he found what he was looking for, he saw two guards standing at attention at a fork in the pass.

Ichigo pressed forward and was halted by the guards. "Halt! Identify yourse-" before he could finish the second guard spoke up.

"You're that kid that attacked Stonewatch Keep a few hours ago," the second Guardsman said.

"Yeah that's me," Ichigo said with a nod.

"Wait, that's him?" the first Guardsman said, surprised, he had no idea. "Uhh, sorry 'bout that."

"No problem," Ichigo waved it off, he looked ahead and saw an Orcish tower just over the hill. "What's going on?"

"We took out an Orc outpost; the men are using it as a staging point to attack the Burning Steppes," the first Guardsman replied. "Go inside, the Marshal will likely be briefing you all soon enough."

"Thanks," Ichigo said. He then moved past the guards, and with Caren behind him entered the former Orc camp.

Looking around, he could see Guardsmen on small mounts and towers acting as sharpshooters and lookouts, while a small contingent of them were standing guard near several barricades. Ichigo moved past them all, with them partially ignoring him, but there were a few he could see giving him odd looks and some neutral stares. Obviously a fifteen year old kid in armor was something they didn't expect to see. But Ichigo didn't care, he didn't need their approval or respect, he was here to do a job and he would do it. But still the previous nagging thoughts made it hard for him to think about continuing forward, there were so many dead, a hundred alone had been killed at the Keep, and who knew how many more had been killed in the pass.

He had no love for these Orcs, just like he had no love for Hollows, but still he didn't kill them out of spite, he wasn't like that. But why was it that when he looked at those Orcs he felt like he was doing the right thing, what the hell was happening to him? Again he was brought out of his musing when he noticed a familiar face moving towards them.

"Ichigo," Adelina called out to him, waving at him as she jogged forward, Ichigo coming to a halt as she stood in front of him. "It's good you're alright, things were getting serious up here."

"I can bet, what's going on anyway?" Ichigo asked, to which Adelina motioned him to follow.

"We took this camp as a base of operations; we're going to be invading the Burning Steppes in an hour," the young druid spoke. Leading them around the camp, where the many warriors were recovering, either from their wounds or from the previous battle.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Invade? I thought the Burning Steppes were a blistering wasteland, with nothing left alive in there," Caren said.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I don't know the details, but we're going to go somewhere called Morgan's Vigil, it's an outpost just outside the pass," Adelina said, finally stopping near a small campfire where several warriors were having some rations and a drink.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ah the little hero returns, how was the Gnoll army?" one soldier asked, obviously taking a jab at Ichigo.

<p class="MsoNormal">"They ran away," Ichigo said plainly. Not bothering with them and walking off, Caren and Adelina with him.

<p class="MsoNormal">They found a nice quiet spot to rest for a moment, Ichigo reached into his bag and only found a single water skin left. Remembering he rationed all his food to the soldiers who were being held prisoner in Stonewatch; sighing at the lack of food, he simply took a swig before he handed it off to Adelina.

<p class="MsoNormal">"So Caren, now that your free and got the book back, you going back to Stormwind?" Ichigo asked. The young mage was currently on her knees in a sitting position and tried to look dignified, how can you try to look regal when sitting around a camp fire?

<p class="MsoNormal">"No, might stay here and see this thing to the end," Caren replied offhandedly, waving her hand at Ichigo in a way a person dismisses a servant.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Why?" Ichigo asked. What reason would she want to remain? This was a life and death situation, and didn't she really need to return that book?

<p class="MsoNormal">"Isn't it obvious? This is to repay you for saving me; can't just up and go without repaying you for helping me, it would tarnish my reputation," Caren said. Slightly annoyed and also raising her voice in a manner that would be similar to a woman who wanted to flaunt herself.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Okay I guess," Ichigo replied. Before getting his water skin back from Adelina and passing it to Caren, who hesitantly took it and took a few gulps before passing it back, it remained like this for a short while.

<p class="MsoNormal">"All soldiers to attention!" came a cry over the camp; quickly everyone got to their feet and made their way to the nearby hut off on one side of the camp. Ichigo and the others got up and followed after them.

<p class="MsoNormal">Soon over a hundred warriors were standing at attention in front of an Orc tent, then two people came into view, the first was Tyresa and the second was the Knight Ichigo saw when he returned from Stonewatch.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Soldiers! We have taken the pass!" the Knight called out. "But have yet to vanquish the ones we took it from, the Orcs have retreated back into the Burning Steppes, and from what we know they have a base of operations within that burning hell hole. As such, we are going in after them."

<p class="MsoNormal">It was Tyresa who spoke next.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Marshal Windsor will be leading us to Morgan's Vigil, a small outpost just east of the pass; we will regroup with the forces there and plan out our next move," Tyresa said, before she continued. "Pack up your gear; we are moving out in ten minutes, get the horses ready and anything you can scavenge from the camp."

<p class="MsoNormal">Quickly the soldiers moved out to get everything ready, they were not going to be caught dawdling in the presence of a living legend such as Marshal Reginald Windsor. The soldiers were packed and ready to leave in half the time allocated, much to the expectations of a seasoned soldier, as well as a group of adventurers who wanted to prove their worth to the man.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Well, looks like we get to leave early," Windsor said with a smirk, before he snapped his reigns lightly to motion his horse forward, and soon the army of soldiers and adventurers moved forward to enter the Burning Steppes.

<p class="MsoNormal">The land was a wasteland, charred and blackened by fire and ash; there was no green or any array of color aside from several hues or red and orange in the sky. The Burning Steppes was a molten ruin that was once part of the Redridge Mountains, until three hundred years ago when the Dark Iron Dwarves brought ruin upon this land.

<p class="MsoNormal">Three hundred years ago, during the War of the Three Hammers, the Dwarven clans fought against one another, The Ironforge Clan and Wildhammer Clan fought against their dark brothers, the Dark Iron Clan. This battle was costly and resulted in the Dark Iron Dwarves summoning a powerful elemental being, the Elemental Lord, Ragnaros the Fire Lord.

<p class="MsoNormal">The mere summoning and presence of the Fire King had turned much of what was Redridge into a blistering wasteland dominated by fire and ash, its streams to molten lava and its skies blood red and crying ash. Nothing lives within these lands, except for the now enslaved Dark Iron Dwarves and the Blackrock Clan who take up their name from the Mountain in which they reside.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo looked over the hellish landscape and wondered if this is what Hell is like, he knew such a place existed as he had sent several Hollows there before. But he had no idea as to what the actual confines of that dark dimension may be, and from what he had read and what was theorized, he could almost say that this would be Hell.

<p class="MsoNormal">For he could feel the hot air drying his throat and the sweat already accumulating on his brow. This place was still an inferno, despite the fact that the fires of the war that made this place as it is were extinguished centuries ago. Ichigo wanted to reach into his pack and take a drink, but knew that if he did he would likely drink it all, even the Barren's couldn't compare to the heat this place generated. For there was a difference between a desert and a land that had been scorched clean by fire, and that was several degrees and also the fact that everything around you was hot as hell.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Come on, keep moving," Caren said, pushing Ichigo forward. She was sweating as well, despite her affinity for fire it really only helped so much. "By the Light I wish I was a Frost Mage."

<p class="MsoNormal">"I know; I can't believe it is so hot here, Redridge was just beautiful and here it's like the Barrens," Adelina said, pulling on the hems of her neck to let some air in, but the air on the outside was hotter than it was on the inside, so it didn't really help at all.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Tell me about it, who would have thought that after three hundred years this place would still be a fiery hell hole?" Ichigo said, glancing at the large open expanse of blackened earth and red skies. It looked absolutely horrible.

<p class="MsoNormal">"My grandfather fought here during the War of the Three Hammers, said it was beautiful," Ichigo heard the nearby Dwarf say. Looking down Ichigo saw he had stood on a root, which crumbled to ash as soon as his foot touched it. "But now, all that remains of that day is the molten husks of those who didn't escape."

<p class="MsoNormal">The dwarf pointed off to the side, which Ichigo followed, and any who were paying attention could see the body of dwarf struck in the wall, but it wasn't a body. It was an ash shell that covered the victim after they died, hot ash cooling over the body and creating a perfectly preserved shell of the person before or when they died. Ichigo could see the man reaching forward, as if trying to ask those passing by for help, but his hand was missing, revealing a hollowed out interior to the shell. The man's bones and body had turned to ash long ago, and all that remained was an outline of his very last moments before death took him.

<p class="MsoNormal">"That is no way to die," Ichigo heard someone say. And he silently agreed, that was not a way a person should go. Dying in a place like this, suffocating on the ash and gaseous air or from the intense heat, this was not a way that a person deserved to go.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Move up men, we are nearly there," Tyresa called out. She was leading ahead of the group on foot; Ichigo cast one last glance at the fallen Dwarf before turning away and continuing on. He was not here to dwell on those who had died three hundred years before he was born, he was here to protect the people that existed in the now, and once they get to Morgan's Vigil they could start.

<p class="MsoNormal">Morgan's Vigil

<p class="MsoNormal">Thirty Minutes Later.

<p class="MsoNormal">Tyresa and Windsor moved up the slope of the camp, if you could call the ruins they were in now a camp, a ruined tower which was so badly destroyed that you could't even enter it. As well as two ruined inns which appeared to have burnt down, the only form of shelter provided seemed to be a small group of tents that seemed only large enough to house two or three people at once.

<p class="MsoNormal">Moving through the small camp they walked by many soldiers, most were wearing the regulation armor of the Stormwind Guard, and the others were simply priests, mages and paladins who had joined up with this Militia. Morgan's Militia; a group of warriors and adventurers looking to get some payback against the Dark Iron Dwarves who had caused all of what had made the Burning Steppes what it is now.

<p class="MsoNormal">"There she is," Windsor said. Tyresa looked on and saw the woman herself, Morgan, she was sitting on the steps of the ruined mage tower that would have dominated the area had it not been destroyed.

<p class="MsoNormal">She was garbed in thick brown metal plated armor, it fit her well and wasn't bulky, at her side was a long serrated edged spear that was nearly half as long again as she was tall. Short black hair neatly trimmed, and a pale complexion that had nothing to show but a determined scowl.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Morgan," Tyresa greeted with a nod.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Commander Tyresa Moran," Morgan intoned, looking the woman up and down before continuing. "I never expected to see someone like you in a place like this. Shouldn't you be off in the Plaguelands killing undead rather than Orcs?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"We came to offer assistance in removing the Orc influence in the area, and also see about providing some assistance against the local Dark Iron Dwarves," Tyresa replied. To which Morgan scoffed.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Took those damn nobles in Stormwind long enough to send out a bunch of would-be adventurers to clean up some Orcs," Morgan said bitterly, rising from her seat and moving forward. "Oddly I thought they were going to take longer."

<p class="MsoNormal">"We tried as best we could under the circumstances; there is much turmoil within the city as there is outside of it," Marshal Windsor said. And that was partially true, the nobles had become frantic over the loss of the King. While some believed he was alive, many thought otherwise.

<p class="MsoNormal">With the gap in power, the young Prince had been forced onto the Throne and under the regency of Bolvar Fordragon; but even so, there was strife at every turn.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I highly doubt that," Morgan said, glancing at the knight before realization dawned on her, and she smirked a bit. "Today is full of surprises, Marshal Reginald Windsor, shouldn't you be back home resting comfortably in retirement?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Watch your tone girl, I may not be as young as I once was, but I can still smack you upside the head with Ironfoe here with little trouble," Windsor retorted, slightly annoyed at the jab about his age, he really wasn't that old.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I'll keep that in mind, but right now I am more concerned about the rabble you brought with you," Morgan said, looking at the less than fifty rag tag group of adventurers and a dozen short of a full platoon of knights. "Looks like most of them can't take the heat; I can only imagine what they could do on a battlefield."

<p class="MsoNormal">"They can do their job well considering, they can match up to these knights with little effort," Tyresa said. Though she could tell that Windsor was not happy that she said that a bunch of amateurs with swords were just as good as his knights.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Really, I can tell that many of them aren't really fitted for this, and some look a little too young in my opinion," Morgan said. Tyresa glanced at what she was looking at and saw the same orange haired boy that had gone off to Stonewatch and then off again to stop a fallen Magi, she had not realized he had returned.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Although I can't say anything much for the young Night Elf or the mage, I can tell you the boy has promise," Tyresa said. Although she wasn't defending him for his sake, but the fact that she didn't want Morgan to fall back on taking up their support, because as much as Morgan needed them, they needed her.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I'll believe it when I see it," Morgan said, to which she motioned to a small table nearby. "So tell me, what are you all planning on doing now that you are here?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"There is an Orc stronghold in the area, from what we know they are planning on setting up a fortification in the Burning Steppes to fully take over the Region," Tyresa replied, looking over a map that was on the table, before pointing to a specific spot. "Here, this is the area in which we were informed."

<p class="MsoNormal">"The Pillar of Ash," Morgan said. Her scowled deepened as she looked at that specific area on the map, staring so hard that it was like she was trying to cut through it with her gaze alone. "That area is very deep into the Steppes, you will need a good force to get there."

<p class="MsoNormal">"We have that, and if you can offer any assistance we would appreciate it," Windsor said, glancing at the map as he surveyed the area. It was a long way from where they were, and it would probably mean they would likely be returning by nightfall if they didn't depart soon.

<p class="MsoNormal">"That's not the only problem," Morgan said, pointing to an area which was given the name Dreadmaul Rock. "This is a mine for the Blackrock Orcs; they are using it to supply their army with metal and by extension weapons."

<p class="MsoNormal">That was not good; the mines appeared to be large and also very close to the main roads that led in and out of the area. If they passed them they would be attacked, but if they were able to bypass them and attacked the Orcs they would be surrounded and attacked on two fronts, as whoever is in the mines would come to aid the Orcs.

<p class="MsoNormal">"What are we dealing with here?" Tyresa asked, getting very serious now, she didn't want another play like Stonewatch; she didn't want to be boxed in and forced to either retreat or give up.

<p class="MsoNormal">"The mines are run by the Firegut Ogres," Morgan replied, to which both Windsor and Tyresa scowled, Ogres were not on the criteria for them, fighting an entire clan of them did not sound like a good idea. "There is no way you can attack either the mines without suffering severe casualties and the Orcs coming in to finish you off, or the Orc stronghold without resulting in the Ogres coming in behind you."

<p class="MsoNormal">"She's right," Windsor said. They didn't have the numbers to take on a clan of Ogres. Even if there were half as many Ogres as them in the mines, they would suffer for it. "This operation cannot continue unless we can either take out the mine, or attack the Orcs without raising suspicion from either."

<p class="MsoNormal">Tyresa was silent for a moment; they were right in the regards that attacking the Orcs would result in the Ogres coming to their ally's aid. But she doubted the Orcs would come to the aid of the Ogres, they were too focused on their own matter to worry about the giant dumb brutes, so maybe they could do more than just deprive the Orcs of soldiers.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Do you know a way we could force the Ogres out of the mines?" Tyresa asked, studying the map and looking for the finer details. "Maybe even force them to scatter."

<p class="MsoNormal">Morgan saw what she was on too, she was seeing if the Ogres could be scared out of the mines and either force them to retreat or scatter across the Steppes; either was good. With the Ogres scattered they couldn't reinforce the Orcs, and if they retreated it was the same, and likely would mean the Orcs would try to retake the mine. Either way they would be able to meet the Orcs on the field and take them apart, here plan was a bold one but there was still one problem with it.

<p class="MsoNormal">"You attack the mines and the Ogres will be all over you," Morgan said, to which Tyresa smirked a little.

<p class="MsoNormal">"That's if they actually know someone is attacking," the Paladin Commander smirked, to which Windsor and Morgan's eyes narrowed in thought. "We send in a small group, they infiltrate the mines and wreak havoc within, find the leader and kill him."

<p class="MsoNormal">They saw it now, the Ogres would likely be driven into a frenzy and try to find a new leader, and this usually involved them killing one another to determine who was the strongest. But that would do little, for even if they realized their leader was dead, they would still remain organized enough to respond to the summons of their masters.

<p class="MsoNormal">"You will need to do more than that; the Ogres won't scatter so easily," Morgan said. To which Tyresa went deep into thought to find a solution, but Morgan had her own. "I might be able to help you though, I know someone who might be able to give you a few ideas."

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo sat down against the side of a crate with Caren and Adelina sitting beside him, there were beads of sweat rolling off the three teenagers; the climate had done little to help in the matter. Ichigo was from a very cool climate and both Adelina and Caren were from more lush environments than this place.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I'm so thirsty," Adelina whined, and Ichigo groaned, this is going to be the Barrens all over again.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Adelina, please remember that talk we had a while ago about voicing your discomforts," Ichigo reminded. At which Adelina looked at him and had the decency to look embarrassed and nod her head before turning away and leaning against the crate again.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I have to wonder if we are actually going to attack, I mean it's well past midday and we haven't been on the offensive for at least two hours," Caren said, glancing off to the many soldiers who were waiting patiently to move on.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Likely the Orcs are a lot more fortified here than anywhere else," Ichigo said. He was still wondering how they could survive in such a place, this place was hotter than a desert and it was likely still as hot at night. "Maybe they're just going over the plan of attack and seeing about what is the best way to strike."

<p class="MsoNormal">"A likely scenario, but still, from what I know about the Blackrock Orcs in my time of study, they are allied with Ogres, Trolls, and Black Dragons," Caren said, to which Ichigo looked at her. He had fought against Ogres before, and seen Rai in action, but a Dragon was something he hadn't seen yet. And hoped to not see anytime soon either.

<p class="MsoNormal">"But I didn't see any of them while fighting the Orcs in Stonewatch, or even when we attacked Anders Mill," Ichigo said.

<p class="MsoNormal">"The Orcs, as far as I can tell, hold the Trolls and Ogres in little regard, a client race as it were," Caren said. "They even had red drakes under their control during the Second War, although it is odd they have black drakes now."

<p class="MsoNormal">"The Black Dragonflight has been known as the most ruthless and savage of all the Dragonflights, going so far as to inadvertently aiding in the Legions Invasion ten thousand years ago," Adelina said. She had extensive knowledge on many different subjects relating to history, including some about the Aspects and their respective flights.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Yes, the reds do appear to be the most docile of the Dragons," Caren said offhandedly, obviously not knowing the more intricate details of the Dragons that Adelina did.

<p class="MsoNormal">Before the subject could be broached upon further they saw Joana walking through the camp, she stopped occasionally to speak with certain soldiers and then moved on. Eventually she stopped before the group and stared down at Ichigo, he could tell that she was not very pleased about something; she let out a breath and then spoke.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Get up boy. You're coming with me on a mission," the young paladin spoke plainly before turning around and walking off, leaving three surprised teenagers to wonder what this mission was.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo got to his feet and walked after the Paladin leaving behind an anxious Adelina and a curious Caren.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo arrived with four other warriors near a small table by the destroyed tower, he noticed the glances he was receiving from the other warriors, but he didn't really care. Standing before them were the three commanders of the different warriors, Commander Tyresa, Marshal Windsor, and Morgan.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Gentlemen, you will be taking part in an operation to remove a valuable asset to the Orcs," Tyresa said her voice firm and commanding. "You will be infiltrating the Dreadmaul Mines to find the Chieftain of the Firegut Ogres within and kill him."

<p class="MsoNormal">The men were a little anxious about this, but Ichigo held firm and didn't really feel worried, it kind of reminded him of Dire Maul, déjà vu.

<p class="MsoNormal">"My Lieutenant, Joana, will be leading you, your mission is simple enough, but the execution is paramount," Tyresa said firmly. "You need to remove the Ogre's quickly, the death of their leader will drive them into a panic and they will not be able to support the Orcs when we attack them."

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo remembered something, he remembered Turok telling him that Ogres value strength over almost everything else, so when the leader is gone and a new one is needed, they simply fight until they decide on who it is. Although Ichigo doubted that if he killed this guy he would be crowned King of the Ogres again, it is as Caren said, they are servants of the Blackrock Clan. The leader's death would likely make them kill one another to decide who would lead the clan, or at most drive them into confusion as to what they had to do next.

<p class="MsoNormal">"You will be leaving shortly, if you need to resupply I advise you to do so now. Good luck out there, we're counting on you," Tyresa said, before nodding and turning away. Joana moved in front of them and gave her own orders.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Meet at the base of the hill in ten minutes, if you are late I will make you pay for the same amount of time you delay us," Joana said with a scowl, before moving off towards the exit to the camp, likely to wait for them.

<p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile the other warriors simply moved off to do their own things before they left, Ichigo knew he needed to resupply, he had little water and no food. And in a place like this they were both a commodity needed in order to survive, he remembered seeing a Quartermaster nearby, he may have something on hand.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Can't believe we're going into a damn Ogre mine," Ichigo heard one of the soldiers say.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Even worse is it's only four of us and a kid," said another. Obviously speaking about Ichigo, who was getting annoyed that they thought he was useless. But he kept his cool, he wasn't going to be seen as a damn child in their eyes, when the time comes he would show them how much of a warrior he was.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ten Minutes Later.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo walked down the hill and saw Joana patiently waiting, he was the last to arrive, the others had arrived a few moments earlier, and much to the substitutes annoyance they decided to pick on him.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Finally here," One soldier said, he wore thick green plated metal armor and had a large claymore on his back, his face was covered in a solid green helm that had a T-shaped opening. "Well at least you know when to get here in time."

<p class="MsoNormal">"Enough we're moving out," Joana ordered. She turned and immediately moved off, with the five warriors following after her.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo knew that entering the mines was not going to be easy, and it would likely mean they were going to be fighting through an entire horde of those Ogres. He just hoped that this time around that he was able to protect everyone, despite their obvious dislike for him; he wasn't going to let people die.

<p class="MsoNormal">One Hour Later.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Dreadmaul Mines were actually a very large mound, nearly fifty meters high and over two hundred from one end to the other, with several entrances along the top most part of the mound. The Ogres continuously dug downwards looking for precious metals to supply to their Orc overlords, from Truesilver to Mithril, the perfect metals to forge armor and weapons for the Blackrock war machine. One that the Alliance intended to destroy.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana led the warrior's right into the Dreadmaul mining hub, they were situated behind a small rock formation, and were waiting for a patrol to pass before they made their move to another hiding spot. The Ogres didn't really have much in the way of patrols however, most were standing around doing nothing but chatting to one another or just wondering around, which actually made it harder to navigate through them.

<p class="MsoNormal">"On my mark," were Joana whispered as she watched three Ogres move by. As they moved past, she waved her hand and the group charged across the open area and into another crevice in the ground.

<p class="MsoNormal">"How much longer are we going to do this?" hissed one of the men. To which the others looked at him sternly, he needed to be quiet.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Keep quiet you fool, if they find us we are all dead," Joana growled back. The man went mute shortly after.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo glanced around and noticed the area ahead of them had three separate groups, two small groups of Ogres talking to one another and a single guard on a small overcrop looking over the Burning Steppes. The two groups were positioned in a way that circumnavigating them would put them into the direct path of the one watching over the steppes, and to avoid him would put them in direct sight of one of the two groups.

<p class="MsoNormal">"This is taking too long," Joana groaned quietly. Their mission should have started as soon as they got here, but they had spent the last thirty minutes trying to find a way in without being seen.

<p class="MsoNormal">Glancing around Joana could see that there was an actual opening just behind the two groups of Ogres ahead of her. But getting there would mean going across a large opening and without knowing if there was anyone guarding the entrance from within the cave; although unlikely, she didn't want to risk it.

<p class="MsoNormal">She would need to find another way into the mines without going directly for the mine entrances, but where could they go that would allow them to gain entrance. Joana scanned the area around them again and then she noticed something, off in the distance she saw plumes of steam, usually you only saw such concentrations when there was a magma channel nearby or…

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ventilation shafts," Joana grinned, she had just found a way inside, all mines needed them to get oxygen into the mines so that the miners didn't suffocate, which meant that they may have a way in. "Follow me and keep your heads down."

<p class="MsoNormal">For the next ten minutes they moved through the ditches and towards the shaft, avoiding the patrols and any lingering Ogres that were passing by the trenches in which they resided. Soon they found it, a narrow meter wide shaft that led down into the mines and it was a straight drop into it, and it looked like it would be a hard climb down.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Stay here, and don't follow until I give you a signal," Joana ordered. Going into the shaft feet first before beginning her decent, she halted momentarily to say one last thing. "Don't get caught."

<p class="MsoNormal">She descended before anyone could reassure her, but they wouldn't anyway, the group waited patiently for the signal to come, but they mostly kept their eyes open for anyone who might see them. For the next few minutes everything was fine, until they noticed a large group of Ogres coming their way, ten in total and they looked like they were going to pass right next to the ditch.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Shit, their coming this way," said one soldier, Sumner was his name, black light metal and chainmail armor with two swords on his waist; he glanced over the edge to see the Ogres approaching quickly.

<p class="MsoNormal">"What do we do?" Martin asked, the same man in the green plated armor.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We have to go in," Fredrick said. They all glanced at him and although it was a bad idea as they no idea what they would be getting into, they couldn't remain in their present location.

<p class="MsoNormal">As the Ogres drew close, the group knew they couldn't remain and so they each quickly entered through the shaft and into the mines.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana looked through the exit of the shaft and into the mines; it was a massive cavern with many Truesilver veins running along the walls, but there were few Ogres within. She had noticed a patrol move by a moment ago, but she could tell that they wouldn't be moving through here often, this was likely a very old section of the mine, which would work in their favor.

<p class="MsoNormal">Before she thought any further she felt some stones drop on the back of her head, turning back she saw that boy, what the hell was he doing down here.

<p class="MsoNormal">"What are you doing?" Joana hissed with venom.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We were going to be seen, we had to come down," Ichigo replied, his back against the side of the vent and his feet keeping him from falling any further.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana, while annoyed they disobeyed orders, was thankful they were smart enough to know when to get out of trouble; she just hoped that they didn't cause anymore. She glanced back to the mine and saw the patrol had passed; she slid down and then landed gracefully onto the stone, reaching for her sword for a possibly unseen foe. When none were noticed, she motioned them to come down, she watched the boy land beside her and move forward, his hand already on his sword, soon the others joined her and did the same with their own.

<p class="MsoNormal">"This way," Joana ordered, jogging down the tunnel, her sword and shield already in her hands. Behind her the five warriors followed closely behind, they had a lot of ground to cover and weren't going to get caught too early in their infiltration.

<p class="MsoNormal">They quickly covered the mines, avoiding patrols and miners with little to no difficulty, but still they were no closer to their target than before, they still had no idea where their Chieftain was. They had been moving through the mines for over an hour and were far behind schedule, most of it resulted in them getting lost more times than not, and they were getting frustrated with the lack of progress.

<p class="MsoNormal">Every cavern was the same no matter where they went, there were many diverging paths and even if you eventually went down a path you somehow ended up going up a level. How that was possible was beyond any of them, but still they were making little progress, the guards were increasing, and their deadline was starting to come up short. If they didn't find the Ogre chieftain soon they would likely be unable to kill him before word reached them of the Alliance attack on the Pillar of Ash, and then their mission would be a failure.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana forced them to a stop just before another turn, looking down she noticed a group of Ogres moving their way, eight in total. Joana scowled for two reasons, the first was because you don't have a large guard routine unless something important was nearby and the second was that she and her party would need to fall back away from here.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Fall back, a patrol is coming," Joana ordered, but her command was stopped before it could begin.

<p class="MsoNormal">"That might now be possible," Arden said. He wore simple plated armor with a large axe on his back with another on his waist which he used in conjunction with one another. He motioned up the path they came from and saw that several shadows were moving along the walls, showing that another patrol was coming their way.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Shit, looks like the time for stealth to go out the window has finally come," Joana said, fastening her iron shield to her arms more tightly before the battle and then loosening her muscles for the coming fight.

<p class="MsoNormal">The sounds of the Ogres drawing closer increased; their unintelligent muttering and even worse, stink, were soon heard and sniffed, some of warriors were nervous, not believing that they would get through this. But none the less they drew their weapons and waited for the Ogres to round the corner and discover them, and soon they did.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Ogres passed their position for only a few seconds before one turned his head and saw six humans pressed against the wall, weapons drawn and ready to attack. Before he could scream off a warning to his allies his throat was sliced open by Joana's blade, he gurgled on his own blood, which was warning enough to the other seven Ogres that they were under attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Where d'ey come from?" One Ogre cried out, shocked and stupefied.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Who care, smash them!" Another bellowed out, charging forward going straight for Ichigo.

<p class="MsoNormal">The substitute watched him come with a scowl of determination, the four other warriors called out to him, but he ignored them before he quickly drew Zangetsu and slashed forward. The Ogre's clumsy swing was deflected upwards, leaving the poor fat red skinned Ogre to the mercy of Zangetsu's sharp edge. With a wide swing Ichigo slashed across the Ogre's stomach and forced him to his knees and then finished with a quick step to the right and then a downward swing to remove the Ogre's head.

<p class="MsoNormal">Not a moment later was Ichigo attacking another, ducking under a swing from one hammer before dodging to the side to avoid the other coming down on top of him. But he didn't evade without leaving behind a mark for every miss, a slash across the Ogre's right shoulder and left hip showed that. The Ogre turned and attempted to smash Ichigo into a pulp with both his mauls at the same time, but Ichigo raised Zangetsu and halted both spiked hammers with only one hand on the hilt. Ichigo then reared back his free fist and punched it right into the Ogre's gut, physically stronger than a normal human and with a magically imbued gauntlet the Ogre lost its lunch. As the beast fell to its knees having lost its stomach contents, breathing heavily and sick, Ichigo slashed in an arch at the Ogre's chest and finished it off.

<p class="MsoNormal">Two Ogres down in less than six seconds, he was getting better, Ichigo stepped around his recent opponent and moved towards the last four. Two had been taken out by Joana, and only half remained, leaving the other four warriors to simply watch as they took out opponents that were physically stronger than them easily.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I see you're not as useless as first thought," Joana stated. Her eyes focusing on the four Ogres ahead of her, taking into account their weapons and positions.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I get that a lot, and then I usually shatter their beliefs quickly so they don't baby me," Ichigo replied, his eyes on the enemy ahead of him as well.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I see, then I will ensure that those skills of yours are put to use in the future, if you survive long enough not to get to overconfident," Joana said, before raising her shield and pulling back her sword, while Ichigo pulled Zangetsu back for a powerful swing.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Do you want us to do anything?" Fredrick asked, not really sure if he should be joining in or simply watching them do all the work.

<p class="MsoNormal">"You can deal with those guys if you want," Ichigo replied, not bothering to look back at them, only jerking his thumb over his shoulder and in their general direction.

<p class="MsoNormal">The four warriors turned to see six more Ogres coming their way, their weapons in their hands and roaring in challenge, they all groaned a bit at that. But none the less they charged in to meet the beasts in combat while Joana and Ichigo fought against the other four Ogres.

<p class="MsoNormal">"You take the one on the far right; I'll get the other two and the third when he attacks," Joana ordered.

<p class="MsoNormal">"How about I take the two on the right and you take the two on the left," Ichigo deadpanned. Why was she trying to get more than him?

<p class="MsoNormal">"You're not that good boy," Joana groaned in clear exasperation.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Tell you what, if you can get the third before I do, then I'll agree with you," Ichigo said, a small smirk playing upon his lips.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Don't get cocky boy," Joana warned.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I won't, but don't underestimate me," Ichigo replied, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, she was doing the same and for what seemed like an hour was over in a heartbeat.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I'll take the two on the left and the third if you're not quick enough," Joana said. To which Ichigo smirked, before he nodded and then both charged forward. Ichigo rushing towards the right and Joana the left.

<p class="MsoNormal">The first kill went to Joana; blocking the Ogre's hatchet with her shield then, a backhand swing with her sword she cut open the Ogre's throat with a spray of crimson several shades deeper to its skin. But Ichigo was quick to follow; moving quickly within the Ogre's guard and avoiding its bastard sword, he stabbed it through the stomach. Quickly freeing his zanpakuto with a tug, Ichigo turned before dropping his weapon onto the Ogres shoulder and cutting it from shoulder to opposite waist.

<p class="MsoNormal">As the Ogre fell away Ichigo noticed out of the corner of his eye the final remaining Ogre, behind was Joana, having just finished off the second with a stab through the heart and she was just removing her sword to finish of the last. He wasn't letting that happen. Ichigo quickly turned and slashed aside the Ogres crappy little sword before raising his zanpakuto level to his shoulders and stabbing it forward, piercing the Ogres chest and heart.

<p class="MsoNormal">As this happened Ichigo noticed a second after he struck another sword came though, just under his own, he looked past the Ogre to see it had been stabbed through the back by Joana. Who looked annoyed, maybe she didn't like the fact that he got her kill before she did, or possibly she was angry for a completely different reason.

<p class="MsoNormal">Both turned to see their comrades were holding against the Ogres, although they were not as quick as them to finish them off, only three were dead and the remaining half were quickly being dealt with. Joana charged forward to finish this quickly, and Ichigo was close behind her, as they drew close they both attacked. Ichigo, aiming high, cut down one Ogre with a slash to its stomach before passing on. Joana moved past Fredrick, and while blocking the Ogres attack, stabbed it through the skull; she quickly twisted out from her execution and moved to get the last one.

<p class="MsoNormal">As both the paladin and the Soul Reaper charged towards the last Ogre they struck, both stabbing forward to pierce the enemy's chest first, both collided in a near instant, so narrow a time to determine who was first. Both glared at one another, this had somehow become a personal challenge between them, and they were not going to be backing down until the other proved they were superior in the eyes of their opponent. But their glaring contest was halted when something fell between then and their field of vision, looking down they saw the head of the Ogre on the ground, looking up they saw the bloody stump.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Ogre fell to the side and like a curtain revealed the performer who had done the deed, Arden was standing there with a bloody axe and an awkward looking expression on his face. Both Joana and Ichigo looked at the corpse for a moment and then looked at Arden, who did his best not to seem threatening, as they looked a little angry over something and he had no idea why. Joana turned away and moved off, Ichigo sheathing his zanpakuto and following after her, and soon the rest of the group followed.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana led the group further, but as she did she spoke with Ichigo, she was not happy that the boy was with them, but she could understand now why Tyresa had asked her to take him on this mission. The buy handled well under pressure and he was also a skilled swordsman, on a caliber similar to herself and her master, but she could tell he was young and had a naïve view on the world. She saw it when he looked at the bodies they passed, even if he had killed them himself, death was something he did not take revel in, he was not a killer.

<p class="MsoNormal">The boy may strike an enemy down, but how long would he be able to stand doing it, not everyone was cut out to be a soldier. One could be a great swordsman or a fantastic shot, cleaving through steel and shooting an apple off a person's head at one hundred yards. But to know if that swordsman could cut through the flesh of another man and that marksman to shoot the man through the head was another question entirely.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Steel yourself boy, there is more killing to be had up ahead," Joana said. To which he looked at her sharply and after a moment of hesitation he steeled himself.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I'll be fine," Ichigo replied. To which Joana simply nodded her head, he had answered the unseen question she had asked him, she didn't need him freezing up while in the middle of a battle.

<p class="MsoNormal">The last thing she wanted on her conscious was a dead boy plaguing her mind, especially when so many were already within, she shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. The battle was still in full swing and she was going to lead these warriors into the very heart of this mine and turn it into a bloody warzone, it was time to take some direct action.

<p class="MsoNormal">The very heart of the mines was massive, a giant open cavern where dozens of Ogres were mining through the stone and expanding the already immense hollowed earth for more precious metals. Behind them foremen were cracking whips with a flick of the wrist and skulls with a hard swing of their fists, the Ogres were in overtime, hundreds of tons of rock and ore was being transported several hundred feet above ground.

<p class="MsoNormal">In the center of the entire operation was a single large red skinned Ogre with a mace over his shoulder and decorative black plated armor over his body, save for his bare chest. This was Chieftain Gor'tesh, The Brute Lord, ruler of the Firegut Ogres and leader of the mining operating within these mines. Around him were ten of his best and most trusted warriors, his own personal guard routine who followed his every command.

<p class="MsoNormal">"This will be difficult," Joana cursed. The Ogres were concentrated mostly in the central cavern below; it was likely they were not going to be getting down there easily or unseen.

<p class="MsoNormal">"There's got to be a hundred of them down there," Fredrick said, clearly uneasy about being so near an army of Ogres.

<p class="MsoNormal">They were situated in an abandoned mine shaft that now was several meters above the main floor of the cavern, which offered them a good bird's eye view of the area and the locations of all the Ogres. But this did them little good with the way the cavern was populated, there were at most a hundred Ogres below them, which meant that this operation had become a lot harder.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We need a distraction, either to take some out or to scare them off," Joana said, allowing her fellow warriors a chance to show their prowess through their minds rather than their swords.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Lure them away?" Arden asked, to which Fredrick scoffed at.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Who would be suicidal enough to do something like that?" the warrior asked in a quiet irritated tone.

<p class="MsoNormal">"He's right; the person would be cornered and killed before they could lure them far enough away," Joana said. It would seem her charitably was a mistake, she would need to figure this out herself, and soon she did. "There," she pointed to a large cart in the distance. "Blasting powder, we ignite it and collapse the area, from there we attack, most of the Ogres would flee and that leave us with the leader."

<p class="MsoNormal">"What happens if the explosion causes a chain reaction and collapses the rest of the mine?" Ichigo asked. He wasn't much of a miner, but he knew that if you break one support and a part of a mine collapses, the rest could fall in with it.

<p class="MsoNormal">"It doesn't matter, either way the leader will be dead and we would have effectively crippled the Ogres and prevented them from reinforcing the Blackrock Orcs," Joana said, but there was still one problem, they needed to get to it. "I am going to need a distraction."

<p class="MsoNormal">Ten Minutes Later.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I hate that woman," Ichigo groaned.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Yeah, get in line; I am likely going to die along with you, so don't act like this is just your problem," Sumner growled back. Both had been assigned as the distractions for the attack, Joana would have liked to give them another, but said that they were all she could spare.

<p class="MsoNormal">When Sumner asked why he was going with the kid, this resulted in a kick to the back of his head by said individual, Joana replied that he was skilled enough to count as a warrior, and then told him to man up and get going.

<p class="MsoNormal">"So how do you want to do this?" Ichigo asked. They both knew that they had to enter the cavern and lure the Ogres away from one section and from there hold out, but that would be the problem. Surviving long enough was actually the real challenge; an army of Ogres was not something either of them could hold off for long.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Doesn't matter, let's just lure them somewhere and then deal with them," Sumner replied with a defeated sigh. He was going to die, he knew it for a fact and there was no changing that.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Alright, let's go," Ichigo said in finality. Reaching for Zangetsu and pulling it from his invisible sheath on his back and then charged forward and around the corner, right behind him was the duel sword wielding warrior.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo skidded to a brief stop before launching himself forward, catching the attention of one Ogre who looked shocked by Ichigo's sudden arrival, Ichigo swung Zangetsu around and cut through the Ogres stomach and out its back. The large red skinned beast let out a dull groan before collapsing to the ground dead, its body nearly in two halves, while his killer charged forward and into the open cavern.

<p class="MsoNormal">Their presence was quickly noticed by the Ogres, shouts of 'Humans!' and 'Kill them!' were heard by the Soul Reaper and warrior, and soon enough they were being surrounded. Ichigo slashed quickly to his left and cut down an Ogre with a mining pick, Ichigo turned again to strike once more, another Ogre at his right fell from Ichigo's second swing, a large gash over its chest. Ichigo was able to glance behind him and saw Sumner was holding his own, quickly dashing in an out of range of Ogres to escape their strikes or inflict his own.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo's instincts alerted him just in time to duck; he glanced to the side to see a large axe was moving over his head, a second later and he would have had his head severed from his body. Ichigo twisted from his crouch and swung up at the Ogre, and felt his weapon bite both flesh and the armor of the Ogre's chest. As the Ogre fell away with a roar of pain, Ichigo regained his footing just in time to block another axe aimed for his head.

<p class="MsoNormal">Holding off the Ogre with Zangetsu and both hands, Ichigo prepaired to counter, but was beaten to it, the Ogre let out a roar of pain as its back erupted in a spray of blood and Sumner charged past. Ichigo threw the axe off and for good measure slashed at the Ogre, carving into its chest, before running off to catch up to Sumner.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We can't stay on the ground like this, we'll be slaughtered," Sumner pointed out loudly, slashing to the right with one sword to deflect an attack and then again with his second sword to slash into the Ogre.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo agreed, they were sitting ducks down on the low ground; they needed to get somewhere high so they could see the Ogres coming and take them out while they had some warning. Ichigo noticed there were many different large rock formations they could use, nice and high and with steep slopes that would make it hard for the Ogres to get to them.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Over there, get to that boulder!" Ichigo called out, and soon enough both he and Sumner were rushing through the Ogres towards the stone; that would be the place they made their stand.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo charged up the slope and stood on the surprisingly flat top of the boulder, turning he saw that Sumner would have some trouble doing as he did, Ichigo extended the cloth on Zangetsu and threw it to the warrior. Sumner grabbed hold of the white cloth and Ichigo pulled him up, saving him from being caught by three Ogres in the nick of time. Looking down they could see the sea of Ogres moving towards them, all looking to kill them for the simple reason being the fun of it all, Ichigo and Sumner retreated to the center of the boulder and waited.

<p class="MsoNormal">They didn't want to risk being near the edge and dragged down or pushed off from an attack, so the middle was the best place for them to be, and soon enough they would see if their positioning would prove efficient. Standing back to back both waited, and soon enough it came to an end, rushing towards them were five Ogres.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo met the first, rushing towards the burly beast he deflected its axe upwards and then slashed open its stomach, letting the beast crash onto the floor with a thud. Leaping back quickly, he evaded a large maul and then blocked a sword strike aimed for Sumner, who was fighting off the two other Ogres.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Thanks," Sumner said. Before charging forward and meeting his two Ogre enemies himself, sliding past the two Ogres and cutting twin gashes along their sides to get boths attentions.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ducking under the two edged axe, he arched himself right under the weapon without having to sacrifice his firm stance, which helped him parry and deflect the sword that came shortly after the axe. Sumner rushed forward and over the second sword swing and right at the Ogre's head, its single eye widening at the warriors brash attack, and then shot his blade forward and right through its minuscule brain. Planting himself on the Ogre's chest he pushed back and pulled his blade free at the same time.

<p class="MsoNormal">As he landed he shifted himself to the right and avoided the cleaving strike of the Ogre's massive axe, which would have cut him in half, planting one foot on the shaft of the weapon he attacked. As he moved to decapitate the Ogre, who tried to grab hold of the human warrior only for its hand to be impaled on said warrior's second blade, and with one clean swing the head was severed from the body.

<p class="MsoNormal">Looking back he saw Ichigo had just finished off the last Ogre, his blade having pierced the beast's heart before it could attack, and Ichigo reeved his blade free and pulled the Ogre forward. Turning out of the Ogre's path he simply stood there as it hit the ground with an audible thud, but this was a small victory. Looking around they could see seven Ogres had just gotten to the top of the boulder and were making their way to the intruders who have infiltrated their mine.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo hefted up Zangetsu and readied for the next round, this was going to take a while; he just hoped that Joana was going to be able to get to that powder keg of explosives and blow them in time.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana leapt from the shaft in the wall along with the three other warriors with her, they slid down the wall with little trouble, most of the opposition had already taken off to try and kill Ichigo and Sumner. Although she didn't want to leave them there for a long while she had to ensure that the Ogres were drawn away; and that they were, only half a dozen stood between her and the objective.

<p class="MsoNormal">As soon as they touched down they hit the ground running, charging right for the stock pile of blasting powder, Joana raised her sword and leapt up at the first Ogre. Who only turned his head quickly enough to see the glistening edge of the paladin's blade before his throat was cut open. Joana landed and kept running, behind her were the three warriors, keeping her safe from anything that may come for them in their rush to collapse the mines.

<p class="MsoNormal">Weaving through the small channels between the rocks and the ditches within the chasm they moved closer to their goal, nothing stood in their way, either focusing on the battle or going to join it.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Cover me, and when it goes we don't want to be here," Joana called to them. They all nodded their heads, halting as the Paladin rushed forward and her hand alight with holy fire.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo ducked and then leapt over two axes aimed to cut him in half, he had been weaving in and out of this for the last five minutes, barely getting a chance to fight back.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Shit!" Ichigo cursed as he leapt right into the path of a very vicious maul with jagged spikes adorning the spherical head. Raising Zangetsu over his head he blocked the attack to his left side and only felt the force behind the blow, which was strong enough to send him skidding away.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo turned and let Zangetsu swing wide, which allowed him to score three direct hits, two minor gashes over two Ogres, and a mortal wound over one's chest. But as the Ogre fell two more rushed in over their fallen comrade to attack, the battle was going to end with Ichigo and Sumner being swarmed. But that was if Sumner survived long enough for that to happen, while he was a very agile fighter, he wasn't fast enough to dodge every attack that came his way. His armor did little against the blunt force trauma of the maces and blunted instruments they used as weapons; they were being picked off slowly but surely.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Gahhh!" Sumner's cry of pain was heard. Ichigo turned and saw his ally fall to the ground, clutching at his side, several Ogres surrounded the downed warrior intent on finishing him off.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo quickly flash stepped to his comrade and without a moment's hesitation channeled his spiritual energy into his zanpakuto, his blade roared to life with a thick coat of blue energy. The Ogres halted in their attack at the sudden appearance of a strange power, frightened as it grew in intensity and the world around them felt heavy and their lungs seized.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo roared out, sending his zanpakuto in a wide arc, catching many Ogres in his wake and sending the rest toppling away from the shockwave that accompanied the swing and the blast.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo swung Zangetsu once more to remove the dust and debris, the boulder had been mostly cleared of the Ogres, and all that remained were the dead and the scant few that had used their massive girth as purchase on the stone. Ichigo raised his weapon once more as they themselves rose up to fight, this battle was only beginning and he needed to make sure that both he and Sumner survived long enough for the explosion to go off.

<p class="MsoNormal">"What the hell is taking them so long?" Ichigo groaned. He wasn't tired as he usually was when he exerted himself as such, but still the strain was there. He was actually regaining it faster now, but still the exertion on his body was no longer just on his reishi, but also his actual body, what was going on with him.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Don't worry, I have a feeling the final act for this show is about to begin," Sumner replied with a pained wheeze, all the while a small smirk was on his face. Ichigo looked up and saw that the barrels of blasting powder were on fire now.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Well no reason to remain, this isn't our scene anyway!" Ichigo shouted as he grabbed Sumner by the collar and leapt off the boulder, in between the Ogres, and charged forwards.

<p class="MsoNormal">Slashing and swinging Zangetsu in his free hand around him, deflecting blows and wounding anything to close, all the while moving to a small stone overcrop not far from where he was. When the bang went off he wanted to be somewhere safe, too bad he didn't have a few more seconds to get there. The explosions rocked the entire mine, the ground shook and the air was displaced by a strong shockwave, knocking everyone in the open onto their backs. Ichigo landed a few feet from where he was a moment ago, his grip still on Sumner's collar who was groaning at the sudden burst of air that hit them.

<p class="MsoNormal">"That hurt a little," Sumner said. Ichigo ignored him and charged towards the rock crevice, soon the sound of stone cracking and striking one another could be heard.

<p class="MsoNormal">Looking around he saw the mines begin to collapse; large stones and mineral deposits fell from the walls and ceiling, crushing the unprepared and stupefied Ogres beneath hundreds of tons of rock. Ichigo weaved in and out of danger, dodging falling rocks and Ogres either stupid or brave enough to continue to try and attack him despite the chaos going on around them. He closed in on his target, the small crevice beneath a large rock formation; it would be his only chance for him and Sumner to survive the cave in, Ichigo leapt forward as a large boulder fell towards them, only inches away from both safety and death.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana ducked into the tunnel leading out of the massive mine, she shielded her eyes as a wave of dirt and dust assaulted them from a particularly large and close collision. She along with Fredrick, Martin, and Ardin had been quick enough to duck into the tunnel before the mine completely fell apart, but there was still some worry among them.

<p class="MsoNormal">Both for themselves, that the little tunnel they currently resided in would survive, and also the fate of their comrades who were in the middle of the mines and a small army of Ogres when it was collapsing. The event took no more than a minute from beginning to end, the rocks ceased to fall and the frantic shouting of the Ogres within had silenced themselves in half the time, the danger had passed.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana moved to the tunnel entrance and pushed away a slab of stone to reveal the greatly reformed cave system, the floor which was once flat with few dips and rises was now a canyon on many massive pillars of stone and rock. The roof had increased in height, revealing many more passages above that had fallen in with the mine, but it was the blood and guts of the Ogres that was most apparent to the four warriors. Many Ogres were dead and all over the place in many pieces or in very grotesque piles of gore and blood, it was a gruesome sight to behold.

<p class="MsoNormal">Moving around they searched, for either their fellow comrades or what was left of them that could be identified, although they could hope they were alive, it was not good to have hope that they could have survived something so chaotic. Their fear that both Sumner and Ichigo had been crushed wasd thought to be true, they had not responded to their calls and no trace of them had been found.

<p class="MsoNormal">Before they called off the search they felt a surge, it felt as if the very air had become heavy, the world around them was weighing down on their shoulders. They looked around frantically for the source of the strange phenomenon, and soon they noticed beneath a pile of rock a bright blue glow. Before they could discern what they were seeing the rocks exploded in a bright flash, showing them with pebbles and stones, quickly looking back to the formation they only saw a large overcrop and two figures.

<p class="MsoNormal">"How did…?" Arden started, but couldn't even finish his train of thought, shock clearly present on his features and voice.

<p class="MsoNormal">Standing there was Ichigo, panting lightly with his blade in one hand, with his other being used to support Sumner, his armor was covered in dust and blood with a few chinks and pieces missing. He had fought hard and survived the cave in without any difficulty and was now ready to continue on.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Hey, I could use some help over here!" Ichigo called over to them, shaking them from their stupor at the sudden and dramatic entrance of the young substitute Shinigami.

<p class="MsoNormal">All of them charged forward to meet him, Arden and Fredrick taking Sumner from Ichigo and sitting him down, Joana came next and kneeled next to the wounded warrior. Using her holy powers to heal any wounds she could, while the others kept watch for anything that was also still alive that shouldn't be.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ma'am," Fredrick said, gaining Joana's attention. He pointed off towards a small boulder nearby, a dead Ogre beneath it, and to her surprise and relief it was the Ogre leader who was in charge of the mine.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Take his head; we're going to need it soon," Joana ordered, to which Fredrick nodded and walked off.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Why the hell do we need his head?" Ichigo asked. A little surprised that they were taking it with them, what possible use could they need a severed head for?

<p class="MsoNormal">"You will see soon enough," Joana replied curtly. She didn't want to tell him the truth, he would likely object and get frantic about what she planned on doing. True, it was a savage thing to do, but it was needed and she was not going to get into an argument with the boy over morality when dealing with a savage tribe of Ogres.

<p class="MsoNormal">As soon as Sumner was healed they all rose, they had their new objective, escape. Joana led the charge, she had to reach the surface, they still had one last mission to perform before they could consider meeting up with the others at the Pillar of Ash. And with all the Ogres likely outside the mine and confused, what was to come next would send them all into a panic.

<p class="MsoNormal">Twenty Minutes Later.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana and her group exited through the main mine tunnel and onto the highest point of the Dreadmaul Mines, below them were over two hundred Ogres congregating around the hill in confusion.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Well it looks like we're back to fighting for our lives; again," Sumner said, drawing his swords and readying himself for battle.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Ogres noticed their presence and with a roar they moved up the hill slowly, obviously confused and likely angry that their mine had been destroyed and looking for someone to fight.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We need to get out of here, we can't beat so many!" Fredrick cried out, drawing his large serrated axe and waiting for them to come.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo didn't like this, he could barely hold off a couple of these guys on his own, over a hundred or two of them was going to be a slaughter, he was actually considering going Bankai to fight. Hopefully the transformation would last long enough with his depleted reserves to fight them off, but before he could even take up his stance the Ogres stopped.

<p class="MsoNormal">Shock and fear on all their faces, Ichigo didn't know what was going on, what got them spooked all of a sudden? When he heard the sound of flesh being torn and bone scraping against steel he turned, and to his shock and utter disgust he saw Joana hosting the head of the Ogre onto a spear and then planting it like some sort of twisted banner. The message was clear to anyone with half a brain, this is the fate that awaits you all if you challenge us, and the fact that it was the head of their leader even further emphasized that point.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana needed his head for this? To scare the Ogres in such a sick and barbaric way, what was wrong with her? How could someone who was meant to be a warrior of righteousness be so brutal?

<p class="MsoNormal">"Run!" called out an Ogre; this was followed by many more cries of alarm. "Humans gonna murder us!"

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo watched them run away, and he couldn't blame them, an enemy that would display such cruel twisted tactics was not someone you would want to fight and risk losing to. He heard a sigh of relief around him and he saw his fellow warrior relieved and content at the Ogres who were fleeing in terror.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Well that worked pretty well," Arden said, sheathing his sword and placing his shield onto his back.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo however was not content with this; he turned to look at Joana who had no emotions playing on her features as she simply held the spear deftly in one hand and looked down at the Ogres fleeing.

<p class="MsoNormal">"What the hell is this?" Ichigo growled out, his anger and disgust obvious to anyone.

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana looked at him and scowled at the boy, she knew this would happen, he didn't even understand a single thing about what she was doing here and her mission.

<p class="MsoNormal">"What do you think?" Joana hissed back, glaring at the boy with equal ferocity. "I came here to clear these savages out and I have done so."

<p class="MsoNormal">"By propping the Ogre's head on a fucking spear, and showing it to the rest of them!" Ichigo called back, his anger coming in full force. "What kind of person does that without even a single ounce of disgust for what they just did?"

<p class="MsoNormal">Joana looked at him fiercely.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I do this for Stormwind, for the protection of my city, and the Alliance; I would kill every single Ogre, Orc, Troll, and undead abomination on this continent if I could!" Joana yelled at him, releasing her spear and moving forward and gripping Ichigo by the neck guard and pulling him forward and glaring directly into his eyes.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Then what makes you any different than them!" Ichigo glared back at her, demanding an answer.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Different? Your naivety is shocking, do you think that line of thinking really has any merit on the battlefield?" Joana replied flippantly. "There is little honor in this world; if you want to survive you need to make the hard choices, to kill, to invoke, fear and to show no mercy to your enemies."

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo flinched at her reasoning for this savage display, his glare faltering a little as she spoke, but returned back soon after.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I know where to draw the line," Ichigo said.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Then you are a fool who doesn't know how the world works, as expected of a child, whose views of innocence have clouded him to what is really in front of him," Joana said, casting Ichigo off and moving away. "You have no purpose in this world if you do not know where you stand, either as a soldier on the field of battle or as a cowering child who cannot stomach the real world beyond the walls of Stormwind."

<p class="MsoNormal">Ichigo was shocked a little by her words.

<p class="MsoNormal">"You don't deserve to wield a sword if you cannot raise it in defense of your people," Joana finished before walking off, with the other warriors close behind her, leaving Ichigo standing there with no idea what to think.

<p class="MsoNormal">He looked at the head on the pike and then to the retreating forms of his comrades, she was right, he did feel regret for killing when he did, he did not like raising his blade and aiming solely to kill. He had been taught to strike for the kill, but to actually do the deed was something he could not accept, he had never killed anyone before. But ever since he came here all he had ever done is kill and slaughter.

<p class="MsoNormal">That weighed heavily on him, the Ogres of Dire Maul, the Traitors of Theramore, and most recently the Blackrock Orcs and Firegut Ogres; every single death was on his hands. And he could feel nothing but regret for murdering them, he was not a killer, he was a protector; that was who he was born to be and to always be no matter what. How could he continue fighting if he regretted every swing of his sword and every life he took, how could he return home to face his friends and family knowing that he has shed so much blood.

<p class="MsoNormal">'How can I remain in this world where I do not belong?' Ichigo thought. He was nothing here, simply because he could not kill without feeling remorse for what he had done. For this world was one of war and death; you were either the innocents behind the wall or the warrior on the battlefield, and he could not be the latter for he was not strong enough to dampen his hands with blood.