17 A Shinigami.
She was laying down, bloodied, in the snow. She had wondered where it went so wrong. What had made the man, whom she came to love, plunge a blade into her.
She remembered how they first met as children, in Lordaeron. By their status they were bound to meet in an official capacity eventually, but it was not like this. They met as children, and they played.
It was only later that they came to know each other's identities.
She had to separate from the first friend she made after only a few days, they lived very far away from each other.
She thought about him a lot over the years, the feelings in her heart eventually grew into young love. She had always hoped that the feelings were mutual.
She finally met the bo…man again after being sent on a mission by her teacher, Archmage Antonidas. They were to investigate the plague outbreak in a small village near Lordaeron.
The sparks ignited between the pair. It was young love.
This made it even harder to watch his descent Into madness.
The plague started to spread at an exponential rate. And the Prince began to push her away, he focused purely on the plague. He was taking drastic measures to curb the infection of undeath.
He started to purge towns and villages that even showed a hint of infestation.
He wouldn't listen to reason and she left.
She followed the suggestion of a certain prophet and made her way to Kalimdor.
She eventually founded the city of Theramore. She thought her life was finally stable, she pushed her love to the back of her heart and focused on expanding her city.
That was until the incident. Her father arrived and instigated a war with the horde. She refused to intervene. The horde were her allies and friends and he had to sleep in what ever bed he made.
Though his death still hurt. He was her father after all.
He home called her a traitor. They blamed her for her father's death. He was the Lord Admiral of the Kul Tiras and her the daughter of the leader was shunned.
Whispers and rumors started to spread, Jaina Proudmoore killed her father. She did nothing to squash them, she was still mourning at the time.
It was months later that the incident that would resound around the world happened. Arthas Menethil fell into depravity and took up the frozen throne, becoming the Lich King and ruler of the Scourge.
The scourge was the name given to the undead abominations that was plaguing the world.
The horde and alliance alike had mounted attacks on the king, he repelled them all with ease. He began his conquest of the world. The living quickly were pushed back from Northrend.
All the petty squabbles stopped between the various living races, they all tried to strengthen themselves against this common enemy.
Her heart was heavy, the man she still had feelings for was the enemy of the world.
Months later when a battle occurred near Theramore, she brought her army in as reinforcements.
Both her forces and the ones she tried to help were promptly overrun.
She had refused to retreat, her army disobeyed and retreated without her. She scorned them as cowards but deep down she knew it was the correct choice. She was doing this not out of some sense of duty or honor but love. She convinced herself that he could be saved.
She was captured by the scourge and finally met him. On these snowy fields he stood there much different than the man she remembered. He was cold, his hair was white and his armor radiated the power of death. In his hand, the infamous blade.
He did not take the chance to speak or gloat at the women he once loved.
He walked over to her, he grabbed a blade from a fallen soldier and plunged it into her chest. If he had used Frostmourne it would have taken her soul, and he did not want to raise her into a member of his scourge.
As she laid there bleeding he spoke for the first time.
"This is the last of my humanity and I offer it to you Jaina, my mercy is now spent" He said, taking his army and leaving.
She did not cry. She refused to. If she was to die then she would do it with dignity. Her eyes slowly closed for what she thought would be the last time, darkness embraced her.
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Jaina had woken up. To her surprise she was not dead. She felt towards where the wound should have been. There was nothing, not even a scar.
"You're awake." Jaina heard from her side. An orange haired women was sitting near her. Her healer she presumed.
"I healed you, but your still weak. Take it easy." The young women said towards Jaina.
"Can I have the name of my Savior?" Jaina asked.
"Orihime Inoue" She replied with a smile.
"That's a strange name….where are you from?" Jaina asked.
"Far away" Orihime said, deflecting the question.
Jaina could hear voices outside, arguing or playing around, she couldn't be sure.
"ah, would you like to meet my companions?" Orihime asked the mage.
"If you would be so kind, I would like to thank all of my saviors." She said to the healer.
Orihime helped Jaina out the door to meet her companions.
Jaina was surprised, they were an odd bunch. They introduced themselves and they all had strange names except the red head and blonde. Their cloths were really odd except for the blonde who sported some kind of armor if only a bit unique.
She had noticed they were indeed armed though. Even their weapons were somewhat odd and a few of them looked as if they carried nothing, but she could sense a power on all of them. They could be a type of spell caster she mused to herself.
"Thank you for saving me" Jaina said with sincerity.
"Not a problem, and if I may ask, what happened? Ichiog asked the mage.
Jaina could only sigh as she explained what led up to her predicament. She didn't know why she was telling all this personal information to this group. Maybe she was still shaken by the events that recently happened.
"So what are you going to do now?" Rukia asked.
"I don't know….my army left me and I doubt they would want me to return. They probably already have new leadership…I was not the most liked leader." She said with sad expression.
The girl was barely holding it together. The man she loved had just tried to kill her, he home declared her a traitor and her territory all but abandoned her. She didn't have anything left.
As her eyes turned red with grief, she was embraced.
Yoruichi had walked forward and wrapped her arms around the girl. Yoruichi may not act like it, but she was the oldest one there.
The mage let it all out. The group walked away to give her privacy as she let out all the emotions she held back.
Jaina calmed down after a few minutes.
"Thank you" she managed to whisper towards Yoruichi.
"You're welcome" She said before giving her a final hug and letting go.
The group re-gathered at the mage.
She was re-asked the question from before.
"I don't know…I guess I will wander around and help fight the scourge anywhere I can…." She said without conviction.
"We can offer an alternative" Yoruichi said.
"But be prepared, it's a long story" Yoruichi added in.
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The day passed into night as Yoruichi told their story. The mage was captivated, other dimensions...Magic and abilities she couldn't possibly fathom.
But she became hesitant when she heard what she would turn into….a devil. She was not unfamiliar with the word. And she was shocked when they said they themselves were devils.
She could feel no Fel energy from these beings. They had explained the difference between the devils and demons she knows to the ones they were.
They asked her to join them. To join their "family". They were all broken In some aspect and they sought out individuals like them to lend a hand when they needed it.
She was still hesitant. This was big, leaving her world behind. She nearly blurted it out without thinking.
"Save my world and ill join." She said to the group. Which got an answer she was very surprised by.
"No" They said almost in unison.
She looked at them, not knowing what to say. Did she misunderstand their personalities? Did she give them her trust too easily….
"We are not negotiating with you to become one of us, it's a simple yes or no if you want to follow" Ichigo said.
"We are going to save your world regardless" He finally added, bringing a smile to his groups face.
"If you join us, its going to be without any strings attached, you will owe us nothing. You will be one of us." He stated firmly.
A beautiful smile blossomed on her face. She had only known them for a few hours but…she had found a place she belonged.
"I guess I need to give you a rundown on current affairs." She said to her new companions.
"But first" She said extending her hand towards Ichigo.
Ichigo had a smirk as he handed her his last piece, the bishop.
She pushed it into her chest with no hesitation in her eyes.
She felt it, the piece merged with her and strengthened her in various aspects. It didn't take long for her to reincarnate and she couldn't complain. Her new body felt good.
"How shall we proceed from here Lady Proudmoore" Saber said towards the mage.
"Please, call my Jaina." She said with familiarity towards her new friend.
"Very well, Jaina." Saber said with a soft smile.
"I vaguely understand how strong each of you are, so how about we show the world?" She said with a smirk.
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All around the world, various leaders were stressed. Their defense lines have been pushed back to their city gates.
They heard news that Jaina Proudmoore had fallen in battle near Theramore.
The new Lich king was targeting the Major cities, Stormwind, Orgrimmar, Darnassus, and Ironforge.
Stormwind was the center for the Alliance, it was an obvious choice to remove quickly. Orgrimmar
was the center for the Horde races and if it fell they would all have to scramble to reform their coalition. Darnassus had thousands of years of history and was the stronghold for the Night elves. And lastly Ironforge was the strongest city/fortress of the dwarves. With their forging skill, it was an obvious choice to remove.
And the Lich king sent massive armies to attack them all at once. He was not subtle about it, he marched across the land masses unimpeded. All the leaders boasted an alliance, but when it came down to it, they were going to save themselves over others.
King Varian Wyrnn couldn't be mad at them, he was doing the same thing. But it didn't make this situation any less stressful.
Westfall had been burned to the ground, their crops had been hit hard and they were trying to ration as much food as possible, but it wouldn't last long. They had some secret grain and other food supplies stored elsewhere that could get them through a famine, but they were with their backs against the wall. The scourge were literally knocking at their gates.
King Varian Wrynn was busy shouting orders and commanding the battle from atop the gate of stormwind. He barely noticed the mage portal that opened near him.
He only stopped what he was doing when he noticed who walked out. It was Jaina proudmore and two other unknown females.
Varian looked over the trio, the two mystery females were wearing a match, albeit odd looking, uniform.
"Jaina I thought you were dead?" He said excitedly, they were friends to some degree. He assumed this was Jaina arriving with the forces of Theramore.
"Almost, my friends save me." She said gesturing to her companions
"Where are your reinforcements?" He asked hastily.
"Your looking at them." She said coyly.
"Jaina I'm not in the mood to hear jokes…"
He was abruptly cut off by Orihime, "Can you please tell me where the wounded are" She said with assertiveness.
He took a moment to catch his witts, apparently this young lady was some type of healer. He gestured towards one of the nearby soldiers and told him to escort the young lady to the wounded soldiers.
"I suggest you move your men back" Rukia said towards the king as she walked down from the wall…on the air.... like it were stairs.
"You should listen to her Varian." Jaina said sternly.
He barked orders at his captains to withdraw his troops from the front lines.
"You better have a plan Jaina" He said with annoyance in his voice.
All the soldiers on the wall looked on as this petite female in strange garb walked towards the thousands of undead that were besieging their city.
The undead did not make their move without orders, the more sentient leaders of the scourge were curious about what was happening. Was she here to surrender on their behalf?
Rukia continued to walk until she was only a few dozen yards from the undead monstrosities. These were blasphemous in her opinion. She was a Shinigami and here these things were, taunting her with their souls forcefully connected to the living world when they should have moved on.
She slowly drew her blade and stared off against the army, no hesitation or fear in her eyes.
No one uttered a word as this young girl stood against an army.
She was the first one to break the silence on the battlefield.
"Well, what are you waiting for." She said, taunting the army infront of her.
The undead captains signaled for a rather large abomination to engage the girl.
She did not retreat or show signs of fear at this appearance.
It approached her and swung down its massive fist. The solders on the wall closed their eyes, expecting a scream and an unsightly corpse. Varian had looked over to Jaina who had an expression of confidence, and he saw why.
She stopped that monsters fist, with her hand. She merely put her palm in front of it and block it with ease. She then stabbed her blade into its chest and something happened that caused all who saw to gasp.
Instead of the body just falling over and the nearby necromancers grabbing the soul for later use, the body dissolved and the soul disappeared.
It was purified. And the soul was sent on words to its final resting place.
The leaders sent a battalion at her in fear.
As the large amounts of scourge closed in on her, she disappeared from the spot and appeared behind the enemy line, calmly walking towards the rest of the army.
It took a second for it to happen. All the undead that had stood between where she was now and where she was before dropped to the ground and dissipated like the one previously.
Fast.
She cut them all down in a blink of the eye. That was not something a human could do.
Before she could approach the rest of the army, a skeletal being stepped forward.
"The leader of this unsightly army I presume" Rukia question towards the unknown being.
"That I am, you may call me Kel'Thuzad" He stated.
He hesitated for a second, expecting some kind of reaction to his name. He had become rather infamous in the world the past few years.
He broke the silence "You are not human?" He asked.
"I am not" she declared to all present.
"What are you?" He asked again.
"A Shinigami" She said.
The word was a foreign one, yet it held a strange significance when it was heard by the undead present.
"I have never heard of this "Shinigami" before, but it matters not. I will turn you into one of my minions and I will show you the beauty in the coldness of death" He stated with arrogance.
What he heard next was surprising.
She broke out in laughter at his proclamation.
He was angry at this point, he was being laughed at.
"And what is so funny?" He demanded to know.
"Your wanting to show the coldness of death to a Shinigami" She finally regained her composure.
"You probably don't know what the word means."
"Shinigami translated into your language would be....Death God" She said as the surroundings got heavier and a strange coldness washed over them.
Kel'Thuzad had no time to gawk at her proclamation as he felt a weight push down on him and a torrent of power be released from the petite girl in-front of him.
The soldiers and everyone on the wall heard what she had said and they also felt the power she was releasing.
Rukia was angered at this point, this abomination wanted to lecture HER on death. The whole thing was absurd enough to make her laugh.
"Allow me to show you the true coldness of death" She said.
"Bankai"
The word echoed out, they did not know the meaning but they all felt it in their souls. A god had descended in front of them. A goddess of death stood between them and an army of undead.
They saw the torrent of reiatsu and cold mist exploding outward from the petite woman.
"Hakka no Togame" She said in a cold voice
The people on the wall all stared in shock. She changed, she was like a goddess. Her form could only be described as beautiful, she looked like an ice sculpture that could shatter at any moment.
The entire army of undead were frozen, these creatures that boasted about the coldness of death had been frozen.
Kel'Thuzad was the last to go, intentionally on Rukias' part.
As the last of the undead were frozen, she remembered her Brother's Advice. Melt Slowly.
Slowly, she began to regain her usual luster, and the surroundings began to shatter, everything frozen by her was shattering into nothingness.
She turned around and walked back towards the Wall as her blade returned to its sealed state. The area she left was completely devoid of any life.
As she approached the wall, she Shunpo'd up to where Jaina was.
All the people were staring at her in shock. They didn't know how to react. A self-proclaimed God of Death was standing before them, and they couldn't even argue against the claim as absurd as it sounded.
"Wheres Orihime?" Rukia asked towards Jaina.
"I'm here Rukia." Orihime said as she approached them different soldier following her back than the one she went with.
Varian recognized this captain, he had lost an arm earlier in the day. Yet here he was, fully healed like he had never been in battle.
Varian chose not to engage with the "Shinigami" but address the newly healed captain.
"Captain...report…?" He asked with clear confusion.
"She healed me sir." He gestured towards Orihime.
"She healed all of us." He said in reverence towards the young lady.
Varian was….overwhelmed. The small girl infront of him had just taken out an entire army and the other had just healed thousands of injured soldiers to full health.
"I….uh…thank you?" He managed to get out towards the girls in front of him.
"Lets go back to the keep Varian, we have much to discuss." Jaina said towards her old friend.
