World of Warcraft X Halo

Disclaimer: I don't have ownership rights to Bungie or Blizzard, so stop breathing down my neck about it.

Chapter 20

Part 1

Old Regrets…

( ): Thoughts

…

In the Inn…

The standoff went on for a while longer between John and the drunken Alliance soldier that tried to make a pass at Kaelyn earlier. The man's fellow guild members were ready to move to their comrade's defense and John knew it. Fighting this many people was not new to him as he had faced many odds since then, but he knew that fighting here was not a good idea. There was always a chance that word of the fight would reach the attention of the Alliance back in Azeroth and that was something he was not in the mood for.

He did not feel the Alliance High Command and it's leaders all that much since he was a neutral party, but he knew that going into a fight was not a wise idea. And that was why he was hoping that the man before him would finally get it into his ale addled brain to leave well enough alone, though judging from the smell of the man's breath, he was not going to count heavily on that. The standoff would have continued had the man decided to end it and strike out in a drunken fury at the Spartan.

"Stay away from this you bastard!"

The man lashed out with a fist but John casually knocked it aside and struck at a nerve cluster at the neck area that was going to send the man to unconsciousness. Once he struck that spot in the way that he was taught, the effects were there as he fell down on the ground in a clash of armor. That was more than enough to have the others reach for their weapons until a male Dwarf wearing some of the most outlandish but fully utilitarian armor he had ever seen got between him and the other Alliance troops. The man carried a massive one handed warhammer and also a large one bladed axe and spoke sternly to the men under his apparent command.

"This is enough, all of ya simmer down and get back to yer drinks!"

The soldiers under the dwarf's command looked at their leader and decided not to counter their leader's command. They moved away and placed away their weapons and two of them helped get their unconscious friend though John noted that one of the people in the guild, a High Elf Mage looked at him with a slightly dark stare and directed a slightly annoyed look at Kaelyn. That told him that just maybe the woman was someone who had some attraction to the man that he had managed to take down. He did not bother with those details as he was now facing the leader of the group who was now also looking right at him.

The dwarf soon spoke to him and while he seemed relaxed, the Spartan could hear the tone of wariness in his voice.

"I have to apologize for da mess ya had to deal with laddie, but ya have to excuse my men at times, hours of trudging through this blasted land and fighting through all the demons and monsters that call this place home ain't exactly conducive to calm tempers."

John could see that the dwarf was sincere, at least he could tell he was sincere since he was no expert on dwarven expressions and attitudes.

"Fair enough."

"I heard of ya laddie, the Spartan as they call ya back on ol Ironforge when I was last there, and the stories about ya seem to be fairly accurate considerin how tall ye happen ta be, I never thought I'd be running into ya myself. The name's Koran, Koran Steel Pike, leader of the Gryphon Raiders, hard to believe ya would be here in this Light forsaken wastelands. What brings ya here and your companions?"

John thought it over and decided to inform Koran of his reasons, and it was obvious the Dwarf was interested as he rubbed his beard and listened to the tail carefully. As soon as it was over, the Dwarf spoke seriously.

"That's quite the tale, strange that Prince Kael'thas would willingly side with the Burning Legion of all things. The Blood Elves weren't always bad, but that blasted racist Human Marshal just made things worse, and the rest of his lackeys too. And now they're with the Horde, but this is something I did not expect, let alone hear about since news in this part of Alliance held land is pretty scarce right now. I take it the Horde's up and arms over this?"

"Pretty much."

"Can't say I blame them, unlike the others of my kin, I respect them High Elves, lost count of the times they saved my hide back in the Second and Third war. No matter what name they us or flag they fly, I ain't going to forget the ones who gave their lives for the right cause and the right reasons. So you got dragged into this of yer own choice eh?"

"Yes, if the Legion win, then nowhere in this world is safe."

"True, but hard to believe you work with both Horde and Alliance…takes a lot of balls to keep both sides from tryin to go at each other's throats on the first try ain't it?"

"It does."

"Ya got my respect laddie, if ya can keep em from killin one another with things as they are right now, then ya deserve a bloody medal for yer trouble, anyways, I'll make sure that my men leave ye and yer friends alone for the time yer party are here. "

John nodded at that and soon he and the others of his group left the tavern to do some looking around and he also wanted to ask how the others were doing. Though it was clear that he was going to have to check on Kaelyn to see how she was handling herself. He knew that she was more than able to handle herself but he was not sure that wasting her energy on a drunken soldier was going help. Not to mention he wanted to make sure that she did not injure herself which could very well hinder her or weaken her on the off chance they would have to fight the things that happened to call this land home….or if an inherently hostile band of Horde members decided to attack them when they least expected it.

…

Later…

Kaelyn looked at John and could not help but feel some measure of happiness in her, he had stood up for her and defended her from a very rowdy drunk with less than noble thoughts towards her. Part of her mind said that she was not some fragile maiden, she was a Sentinel who had fought in many wars and could handle herself just fine if she needed to. But that did not mean that she did not have any problem with John's actions as he was very sincere in his actions to keep the man away from her and that was something she enjoyed.

With that in mind she decided to speak to the Spartan once they were at her room in the Inn that they had been able to pay for. She had no plans to rest there just yet since the day was still fairly young and she had work of her own to do.

"Thank you for doing what you did back there."

John shrugged at that and replied honestly.

"The man was being too intrusive and I can tell that he needed to cool off, I am happy though that it did not become something that would have led to trouble."

Kaelyn nodded at that and was feeling pleased that she was not going to be bothered by anyone for now, she also felt happy that John had stood up for her as it reminded her of the time he had willingly stood before Fandral Staghelm when protecting Erin. The last thing she wanted was to be accosted by a drunkard who had less than altruistic intentions to her person even if by law she and he were to be on the same side. The Sentinel looked around the Hold and hoped that there was going to be a chance to finally get some much needed sleep before they moved towards the rest of the team.

Later, John took the time to find a person who had a map of the rest of the lands beyond Honor Hold. The map they had was only for the area around Shattrath City and the outlying territories. The rest of the land beyond it was still unknown and John knew that they were going to need all the data that they could get. On his side were Kaelyn and Sandra as well as Sandra's summoned pet. The three were a bit more relaxed and soon he managed to go to a nearby map maker and got the map he needed after paying the Gnomish map maker a good amount of silver coins and two gold ones as well. Most would have called such an action expensive and the Gnome was ripping the Spartan off.

But John cared little for the details for now as he took the map. He would look it over and allow Cortana to scan it while she was in his MJOLNIR's helmet. And once she was gathered the details she could make a 3D map for them to gain an even better sense of the lands. He also checked on Erin and was relieved that she had not reported anything that could be seen as a danger to the rest of the Horde members with him. The Blood Elf was a bit uneasy about the land she was in and he then informed her to take the time to meditate and not allow what she had seen to cloud her senses and her judgment.

Erin agreed and she wished him to be wary, even though he was in an Alliance town, she had no doubt that there would be trouble. He agreed but decided not to tell her about the altercation in the Inn earlier. The last thing he was in the mood for was friction between both sides over something that was in his mind a trivial matter.

As soon as things began to calm down, the Spartan began to relax a bit though he made sure to keep an eye on his MJOLNIR's motion sensors to make sure that there were no hostiles in the area around him. He also made sure to scan everyone with the special magic scanner to see if there were those who could be wielding demon fueled powers. He was soon taken to one sector of Honor Hold by Kaelyn as the Night Elf decided to see if she could find some spare supplies and also some new arrows for her to use in combat later on. The Spartan did not argue with the Sentinel and they were naturally followed by Sandra. They soon arrived at the market and headed for the place that dealt with weapons. John looked at the weapons and he could see that this place had quite an array of items that were useful. There were even old fashioned forms of bullets, no doubt for the various old style firearms he was looking at.

Kaelyn looked at the collection of arrows carefully and he could see that she was very critical in buying the best kind of arrows she would need for combat. Made sense to him quite easily since choosing the right arrows would be important for anyone to use if they were archers. Once she made her purchase she used her own money for that requirement. As she and John moved out they made their way to another blacksmith and she decided to check on her gear to see if they can be repaired since she did not want her gear to get too damaged for her to use when she needed them.

This time it was John who paid for the repairs and she was pleased that he was willing to do that for her. John was pleased to some extent that he did not waste too much of his funds since there was no telling what else he might need the money for. The armor she had was fully repaired and would be ready for use later when she would need it. As for the Night Elf in question she was hoping that she was going to make the most of their time here. This was balanced by the fact that she knew that they had a serious mission before them and this could play into something that would make things very dangerous back home.

As they left the area she looked around to get used to the sight of the land that was once home of the Orcs. The world made her feel very uneasy but she decided not to let it get to her as she followed John and she focused on doing her best to deal with the current mission that they were now part of even if this was not what they were supposed to be doing. But that did not mean that she was not going to try and spend some time to be with John himself as she privately recalled her own personal thoughts of a not so pure nature when it involved the Spartan II Commando as well. She had no plans to go THAT far but she did admit that she was not against the idea to be closer with the Spartan. She was however aware that she was not the least bit alone either since Sandra was there as well with them so she was going to be rather careful with what her plans were when it concerned a chance to be close to the Spartan.

…

As the pair moved about it was not long before they finally made it to a fountain park that was made in Honor Hold and the Spartan and the A.I were naturally surprised to see such a beautiful sight this far in the land of Outland, but at least there was something that would help lit the spirits of the people here. Kaelyn seemed to be very pleased as well by what she was looking at and she was moving forward to ouch the plants growing there and she enjoyed feeling the trees there before her.

John decided to observe the Night Elf in question and think back on how they had first met, if he was honest to himself, and he was, it was a good thing he met Kaelyn, since despite her…less than stellar first impressions of him he was willing to help him out and at least she was more or less accepting of his situation. Her skills and knowledge were very helpful and he had no doubt that having her helping him navigate his way in this world was a very wise decision. Though the constant teasing that Cortana gave him when it concerned the female Sentinel he could do without right now.

The teasing he could understand to a certain extent since in human respects, Kaelyn was very attractive and the clothing she had on at times could be quite the distraction. He had no doubt that a lot of the UNSC's male personnel would have been quite taken in by all this, but he doubted that she was in the mood for that. She was a war hardened soldier like he was and had no doubt seen a lot of brutal and difficult things growing up and he could easily respect that as well as her conviction and determination to do what she could within her power to protect her world and her people. These observations on her person made John willing to trust Kaelyn though he did wonder at times what to do with the way she acted at times around him every now and then.

He was not completely blind to be sure about the whole attraction thing, partly due to Cortana teasing him about it every chance she got. And if he was a regular man he could easily see just what would attract any man towards Kaelyn. In terms of physical beauty, long ears, eyebrows, and purple skin aside, Kaelyn had ALL the right traits to make any man and even some women sit up and take notice. But he hardly qualified as normal to say the least with all he had seen and done over the years since being replaced by his Flash Clone and taken into the Program. Still…he admired her for her dedication to duty, strength of will, courage, and more as well.

As she continued to admire the plants there before her, he decided to take the time to think on another matter, not this time with the mission that he had taken though. More into the fact one what he would do once he located the target in this world and stopped this Kael'thas from doing what he liked. Once he did this, he still had to deal with the task of finding a way home, and options apart from magic…as…confusing…as it was to him even now, were very limited.

(Maybe the Naaru can help…if what they said is true, then perhaps they can open a portal back to UNSC held space…still…)

John thought about it carefully and realized that he still needed transport back to the UNSC if he did make it there. He had to be in a planet that was still within the sphere of influence of the UNSC and hopefully get a communications system online and try to contact any UNSC vessel. He had done that back in Azeroth but he had already begun to suspect that this world was far beyond the range of any UNSC beacon and comm.. system, and even Cortana eventually agreed to that idea in private. They kept in mind that when they had tried to escape the fall of the rebuilt Installation after fighting Guilty Spark, the portal collapsed so they would have been sent anywhere beyond the sensors of the UNSC.

Or he could be in a new galaxy…as far fetched as it sounded, but he kept in mind that when the portal collapsed, he was aware that the Ark was beyond the galactic rim when he saw the map of the Ark last time. This made him worry and he can bet that Cortana might know of that possibility as well and thus it would have to be something that they would need to work on. This meant they were going to have to make some plans on how to map out the current star system that Azeroth's world is in so they can at the very least try and match it to the Milky Way map that they had still in the Dawn's data-banks which was thankfully uncompromised due to the intense security locks that were present in the Dawn still.

He turned to see that Kaelyn had finished her observation of the plants and was now on the move to look at any part of Honor Hold that she had yet to explore, thus he moved from his current place of observation to accompany the Night Elf female as the day wore on in this undeniably alien world that he and Cortana had come to. They were soon joined by Shandra who was quick to comment to what she had seen with her long time friend Kaelyn and John merely stood by the side to observe the whole thing take place before him and get used to seeing the two act like the friends that they honestly were.

They soon decided to drag him along with them and while he protested a bit, Cortana soon spoke to him in private.

"Why don't you just relax for the time being John, we're going to be leaving this place soon enough tomorrow so no sense not making the most of the day."

"Cortana…"

"Relax for now John, it's not like you've got anything better to do, unless you plan to go and get drunk and start a bar fight like what those old vids used to show."

"And waste time trying to explain myself to the local authorities? No thank you."

"Then go out and mingle, at least these two lovely ladies are people you already know and are not complete strangers to you and me as well. And you do happen to trust them after all so why not loosen up…not enough to lose your sense of self, but enough to show you are still in the core a human being right?"

John sighed at that, as this was similar to some of the recent discussions he had with Cortana, and as much as he might not say it, being able to socialize with others was nice. He was also quick to remind himself that the two had become good allies of his in this world and over time he had grown to trust them enough that he had accepted them despite their obvious difference from humans, and even the Covenant races who now made up the Separatists. The one thing that obviously made him worry still was how to deal with their willingness, or rather Shandra's thus far, with the flirting bit. Sure he had gotten his fair share of comments from female Marines though he usually ignored the whole things and he could, but from human like female beings? Not so much.

But he went on to join them and did not argue when the two Night Elves took him to another place that sold food out in the stalls to buy something good to eat while moving around in Honor Hold for a bit longer. The fact that both women seemed to be in higher spirits than normal seemed to make him realize that this was indeed a good way to unwind and he decided not to argue any more for the rest of the day. He only hoped that this did not come to the point that' something he was not that used to would happen and that he would have to work hard to deal with said problem.

Thankfully it seemed that both Kaelyn and Sandra were not going in that direction and this day was going to be a lot smoother since they were able to meet more of their race. John merely followed them and was also making sure to be watchful for anything that may catch him off guard.

Soon he was joined by several other members of the Alliance half of the party he commanded, namely the female Priest who had healed his injuries back in Shattrath City, and one of the High Elves who was part of the Dalaran delegation and it seemed that they too were getting a lot more relaxed in their current location and that was something that helped him observe them all while getting used to working with a diverse group in a place like this and a situation like this one.

And naturally he was asked to join them in the whole affair and he was willing to do just that to make sure that he was not going to be seen as being unable to socialize by Cortana. He could have gone to the leaders of Honor Hold to get a more thorough idea of things between the Alliance and the Horde but decided against it since he doubted they knew who he was and he was not in the mood to have to repeat himself here in this land before the people in charge.

…

It was soon going to be night, or what passed as night time in this unknown world and John knew that now would be a good time to get some sleep. He contacted Erin first to see how the Horde members of the group he was now leading in this world was doing right now in avoiding Alliance patrols out of Honor Hold. And so far it seemed that they were not in a dangerous situation such as encountering Alliance forces or patrols and as such, he was not too worried. He then told her to make sure that the others were all right and out of sight until they got back to them. They were going to sleep in the city and meet up with them once everything was settled.

Naturally the Blood Elf was none too pleased with the idea of him being alone with the Alliance delegates, two Night Elf women in particular and John could hear that in her tone. After assuring the Blood Elf that everything was going to be all right, he logged off, but not before Cortana teased him about his current situation with the elven ladies. He snorted at that and tried to convince his long time friend that he was not going to get to that stage any time soon since he had far more important things to do. He had a feeling that Cortana was hardly convinced, but he decided not to drag the issue on for the sake of his nerves and state of mind. And it seemed that despite her getting a lot of amusement from the whole thing, she was willing to let the matter slide for now and for that he was thankful.

Once the others checked in with him, they all decided to get some much needed shut eye and soon they began to look for rooms to bunk down as this was by far he most recognized inn/tavern in the whole of Honor Hold and they were all in the need for some much needed rest as tomorrow they would be very busy on matters that involved their soon to come mission to stop Kael'Thas and his followers as well as rescue the apparently captured Naaru.

The only ones who had decided to stay with the Spartan were his two Night Elf companions and he did not do anything to dissuade them since he did trust them. John took a room as well and since he had gotten enough money for the payment of all the rooms, he paid for the rooms. He moved up and looked the place over to see if there was anything that was out of place. He took the time to check every nook and cranny of the room to see if there were any physical listening devices, and also any type of magical listening charms, spells and whatnot as he had already learned that such things were possible especially with magic being the culprit.

Once his search was done, he also scanned his own MJOLNIR's internal computer system and communications system to determine if the armor was somehow transmitting data to the beings back in Shattrath City. While many trusted the Naaru here in this reality and they were indeed very benevolent, he was not going to give up his habit of being wary. Once he was able to scan it well his side, Cortana did the very same thing herself and also to her own computer code sequences and Riemann Matrix at the very same time. Soon she spoke to her partner once she was done with her examination and also her own scanning of the room.

"All right, room is clear in all ways, both in the tech area and the magical area. Plus neither me nor the Armor are sending data to anyone it and me are not supposed to, you can go grab some shut eye Chief."

"Thanks, can you watch over the place?"

"Sure thing, there's enough power on the helmet's solar cell for the flashlight system for me to contact you via speakers so you will be fine. You need some sleep anyway John so get as much sleep as you can. Something tells me we're going to need every last bit of it for what we're about to get ourselves into."

…

The next day…

John was awake hours before what could be possibly be early morning though he doubted it would be considered close to a regular morning. But he did not mind that as he quickly scanned the room and was happy that the bed was reinforced and able to handle his weight, and finding the room to be clear, he got his helmet and wore it. He got the system back to full power and as the systems came online, he was greeted by Cortana who was in a good mood.

"Nice to see that you are finally awake big guy, how was your sleep?"

"Not bad…better than most, anything happening while I was out?"

"Nothing and you should be glad to know that no one tried to go in here and catch you unawares, and while I helped play a part in it as best I could, you can bet that Kaelyn and Sandra were helping in the defense of your room."

"What do you mean?"

Cortana chuckled and she replied.

"Go outside and see for yourself big guy."

John did just that as he got his helmet and then got his MA5C Assault Rifle and locked it on his back and opened the door and then looked around. He saw that both Kaelyn and Sandra were on either side of his door. The two Night Elf females looked as if they were sleeping but he could tell that they were alert and ready to spring into action if they felt something was out of the ordinary. The Spartan raised his eyebrow at that and then spoke to Cortana as he moved back into his room.

"Just how long were they there?"

"The whole night, I detected them when they came into the room to see if anything was going on with you. As soon as they were done watching you sleep peacefully, they headed back out and they stayed there. The reason I knew they were there was…what mom would call, female intuition and I was right."

"I see…I guess I should wake them up."

"Do it gently, considering their posture, they might accidentally think they are under attack."

John did that and thankfully his actions did not get misinterpreted by the two, Kaelyn and Sandra smiled and the two of them greeted him and he did likewise. Once that was done, he asked Kaelyn to check on the others and the Night Elf did just that and that left him with Sandra and the female Night Elf was pleased to have some time with the man. She started things off by speaking to the man.

"How was your sleep Spartan?"

"Been better, how about the two of you?"

The two smiled a bit and replied that they were all right and did not have anything happen to them while they had been there outside of his room. John was not entirely convinced and had spoken to Cortana to find out if the two Night Elves were lying to him or not. He only relented when the A.I confirmed that they were telling the truth, and she had not detected any sign of injuries on them, and they were not acting as if they were injured and trying to hide it. That was soon forgotten as he and the two headed down to get some food and they were soon met by the ot rest of the Alliance members. After he had paid for their food, though the others willingly contributed funds to pay for their own meals went to gather supplies and also get as much information as they could manage. He also checked up on the Horde members, and it was good news on his part to learn that no one from the Alliance had found them yet.

Thankfully throughout all of this, the band of Alliance soldiers he had dealt with before had not shown up and had caused trouble for him and the others. Proof at least that their Dwarven leader had kept his promise to keep his people on a short leash and for that John was pleased since he was not in the mood to waste any more time with drunken members of other groups.

…

As the day wore on, he managed to get a more updated map of Outland and had Cortana scan the map and store it in for reference on the off chance the map they had was destroyed, ruined, or lost. No sense not having a backup map in his head and that of his MJOLNIR's database for him to use when things went bad. Once the map reading was done and they compiled whatever data the could get, John asked them to finish whatever shopping for supplies they all needed to do as they were soon going to move out and enter Horde Territory.

This naturally did not sit very well with the members of the Alliance group with John and Cortana but they decided not to make too big an issue out of it. They had to trust the man who was leading them right now and all of them knew that they had very serious skills to offer into the field on what can possibly be a very dangerous mission for all of them to be taking part in at this very moment. That did not mean however that they were happy with the idea of being in the land of the other faction that technically they were in something of a cold war in.

The Horde members on the other hand were very eager to finally be in territory that was familiar to them. The Orc members were more interested in this land as they were familiar that this land was once the home of their own people. Many of them however were born many decades after the Orcs left Draenor so they did not have much memory for the land. The other Horde members took thing differently and for different reasons, John and Cortana were more than willing to do what they could to help keep the peace between the Horde and the Alliance members of this group of theirs. But their real concern was the other members of the Horde party who were not natives of this land. The Trolls, Blood Elves, Tauren, and the Undead would not be able to feel comfortable here in this land, even more so for the Alliance as well.

All that he and the A.I could hope for was that they were going to end this quest soon and make sure that it was going to be a chance to end whatever new threat was going to come their way. In the meantime they were going to make sure that when they left Alliance lands here in Outland they were going to be all right and find out what they can to help stop the incoming danger that came with the kidnapping of this Naaru and the plans that the former prince of the Blood Elves had in mind for the rest of the world of Azeroth.

The Spartan decided to make sure that everything was ready for their leaving Honor Hold but not before he asked one of the Alliance members to go back to the world of Azeroth to see how things were fairing for the world that they all had left behind earlier, and if there was any possibility that Kael'thas and his servants were making new attacks on the world of Azeroth while they were here in this world since it was not unlikely in the Spartan's mind that the prince would make such a move. Risky to be sure if one was not yet at full strength and when every other power was now well aware of one's dark intent. But also a worthwhile gambit if you have the right target in mind, the right number of people, the right set of skills, experience, equipment and the determination to do so.

And if what he learned of the former Prince of the Blood Elves was any indication, defeat by the hands of this…Lich King aside, Kael had that in spades. And if what he experienced with those Fel Blood Elves who injected themselves with Demon blood was any indication, they were MORE than willing to do anything to achieve victory. That was why he was going to make sure that he had some eyes at least since even with the copy of Cortana holding the fort in their base back on Azeroth, it was limited in it's operational window and doctrine.

…

Days later…

John checked the map that he had acquired concerning their next destination, the Orc that they had to look for was naturally in territory that was between the Alliance and Horde Lands. But even if that place was not owned by either faction, the residents of that place were anything but friendly. The very name of it also made the Spartan feel even more uneasy and the rumors pertaining to the location did not make things any better. Rumors about such things and the kinds of…sentient life that inhabited places with names like this were not usually considered as viable information by John, but after all he had seen since landing on Azeroth and coming here, he was willing to be a bit more receptive to details no matter how odd they would sound to him and Cortana at first.

For now they were going to be in Horde land, and the Spartan knew that this trip was going to be a different situation altogether so he would have to be ready for anything. He and Cortana were also aware that there was the fact that the Alliance members of this group they were leading were not going to be the least bit welcomed in Horde Land so they would have to be out of sight, just as the Horde members were when they were still in Alliance held land in this place. He also wondered just what sort of Orc was the one that he and the others had to find about the Cypher of Damnation. The name alone was something of concern for the Spartan so that told him that the Orc in question must have some rather deep ties to the artifact.

As he looked over everything, and recalling just what had transpired ever since coming here, he hoped that he lived long enough to return home. He knew that even with the War over, there were still going to be things done there. Those duties would naturally include peace keeping efforts, reconstruction, relocation of displaced colonists, and more vital tasks in the rebuilding of the UNSC's shattered interstellar empire. He also felt that the Insurrection would come back now that they had no more reason to hide from the UNSC and they no doubt would make the most of the period to rebuild and go back to their old ways.

All he could hope for was the chance to have a portal form and somehow send him back to his own reality. He had seen enough of the portals to know that despite it still being something that flew in the face of physics, then it was his only option. The only technological equivalent he knew that could match these portals was the teleportation grid found on all the Forerunner structures he had seen thus far. And on a much larger scale, the Slipspace portals made by ships back home.

If it could connect to a world that was in the UNSC, then it would naturally a point in the right direction. But right now he had to do what he could to put an end to whatever plans the former Blood Elf Prince Kael had in store for Azeroth. That train of thought however moved into another direction as he knew that if everything he saw was true, then portals worked both ways. Meaning that whatever was going through the portal was bound to bring something back…and THAT troubled him as he began to think of the implications of that particular train of thought but he decides not to think too deeply on that for now since there had to be more data on hand before he could make a more informed choice on whether pursuing the idea of learning how to open a portal through the use of Magic was a good idea.

…

It was not long however that his sensors picked up something that definitely was not anything he had any familiarity with. He quickly stopped and the rest of the group noticed this and soon enough the Spartan took out one of his SRS-99D AM S2 Sniper Rifle and moved forward and his posture was quick to tell the others to take his action seriously as all of them took out their weapons and those who could use their magic got ready for battle.

It did not take very long for him to finally spot what had alarmed his senses…a pair of humans fighting off the native beings that called this Outland home, thankfully none of them were Fel Elves, but that did not mean that they were not dangerous in the least. John zoomed in and soon spotted the pair, with his sensors that were attuned now to the various forms of magic on the land of Azeroth picking up the signs that said that the man was using Holy magic while the woman was using Arcane Magic. Judging by the way the man fought, his clothing/armor, and weapons he would be a Paladin, the woman was wearing the clothes of a Mage and the unleashing of fireballs from her staff and hands confirmed it to the Spartan.

He had no idea who they were and what they were doing here in what would be considered Horde territory but he might as well find out. He quickly located the most common threat to them and pulled the trigger. The roar of the Sniper Rifle was heard and soon the bullet sailed through the air and slammed right into the head of one of the Fel Orcs that had been attacking the pair. John wasted little time and routed his targeting to the next set, firing another round just as the others came to see just what he was shooting at.

They soon spotted the Paladin and the Sorceress and the Fel Orcs heading their way, and the same could be said for the Fel Orcs as they roared out their anger and attacked the new arrivals. John fired another shot and this time around killed two Fel Orcs with one round as the massive .50 AP round tore into their throats and cut their windpipes hard and deep, dropping them as the others soon attacked. The Paladin and Sorceress had no idea just who had come to their aid, but they were not going to complain in the slightest as this gave them a chance to catch their breath and then they moved to join their rescuers. They were not too sure about the Horde members they saw there, but the fact that the Alliance group were not attacking the Horde there was something worth keeping in mind.

John placed aside the Sniper Rifle and moved to the more suited Battle Rifle and began to pick his shots as he was soon joined by Kaelyn and Sandra as the two Night Elves fired their arrows from their bows to hit their targets dead center with arrows. Erin was not going to let the two show her up as she moved in and engaged the nearest Fel Orc in battle and soon cut down with several precise cuts her first foe of the day. She was not going to be alone for long as the other members of the Horde began to close the gap and fight the Fel Orcs.

…

The other members of the Alliance wasted little time to take down the Fell Orcs and so did the Horde members who were now deep into the fight, but it was the Orc members of the Horde that did the most damage to the Fel Orcs. John saw this while reloading his weapon and he had no doubt Cortana did likewise. He had read enough of the Orcs' history to know why the Horde would not take kindly to their former kindred, and it was something he could relate to easily enough.

After all…there was one among the Spartan IIs who went rogue among them.

Soren…

Even recalling his former Spartan sibling years after what happened made his blood boil. While he could to some extent understand Soren's reason for leaving and siding with the Innies, he could never forgive his former brother for his betrayal and siding with the Insurrection. The situation with the Orcs and the Fel Orcs reminded him of that to a certain extent and he could understand why many who have embraced the new Horde look upon their now Fel former kindred with disdain, anger, and horror. No doubt a reminder of the actions taken by their kindred who were the grip of greed and lust for power unaware that they were going to be nothing more than expendable pawns for the Legion to use.

He place those thoughts aside for now however as more of the Orcs came at them and he had to fight more with the others to end the threats before all of them. One Fel Orc was gunned down by him and another managed to lunge at him with a spear, he side stepped the weapon and he smashed a side kick to the ribs of the Orc, the sounds of broken bones and the scream of rage was heard from the Fel Orc and soon that was ended as John fired a three round burst into the face of the Orc in question. He turned and fired a burst into another attacker before he side stepped another attack from a secondary attacker and in the same motion took out a Combat Knife and quickly stabbed the Orc at the back of the head, severing the neck bone right at the base of the skull, killing his second attacker very quickly before he used his Battle Rifle to kill yet another Fel Orc while the rest were attacked by the others.

They were not alone though as another band of Fel Orcs came out from the woodwork to engage them all. But John was quickly able to spot them alongside the others as he quickly told the combined Alliance and Horde forces to break into two bands. One to continue with helping the two humans and the other to fight off the incoming force of Orcs that had appeared spoiling for a fight, a fight that was now in full swing as the other half of John's little team were now engaged. So far though they had not lost anyone but the Spartan had no doubt that there would be injuries since no one got away scot free from injuries in a fight.

John quickly unleashed several more bursts from his Battle Rifle and then moved to using his Sniper Rifle when he spotted some of the Fel Orc Warlocks, now recognizing them for the aura of magic they released and this he focused on them first while letting the others deal with the regular Fel Orcs. This was indeed going to be a very long day for him and the others, but at least they were going to make good time and possibly cut down on the number of threats that resided in this place for anyone to deal with if they came in the same direction they did.

…

Soon it was not long before many of the Fel Orcs were slain by both the Alliance and the Horde, but as John predicted, they did not leave the fight without some of them getting injuries so John and the others would need to stop for now and heal. John quickly had some of the ones who could still use their weapons and be able to move to secure the area and help provide security and tend to the wounded members of their forces here right now.

Naturally he decided to talk to the two and hopefully find out more about why were they out here on their own. Not to mention they could at the very least provide some intel on the land and what kind of dangers were there. Not to mention they might also have some useful information regarding the current actions of Kael and his loyalist Fel Blood Elves. There was no doubt in his mind that at this very moment the Alliance and Horde were getting ready for this incoming war with the former leader of the Blood Elves and he, reluctant or not was already part of it.

He also took the time to study the Fel Orcs he had fought with to allow Cortana to run some DNA tests later as well as some more data that he felt was going to be useful in the right time and the right moment. The Orcs were very similar to the regular Orcs but this was the first time he had been able to see one himself. And already he could see just why these Orcs were not seen with good intent by their kindred, their bodies radiated a lot of the energy that he and Cortana now acquainted with the ones using Fel Energy and the biological changes done to the Fel Orcs, compared to the original Orcs was very obvious to the two of them.

"They definitely underwent some serious biological changes, all of which seem to focus on increased speed, strength, pain tolerance, and more. If I did not see this for myself, I get the feeling these Fel Orcs were similar to how the UNSC created the first Spartans and then you and the others."

John growled mentally at that as there was some truth there but the idea of being turned into…this disgusted the Spartan.

"We're nothing like them Cortana."

"Never said you were big guy, still the principle is there, but we can discuss this later, we have guests to talk to,"

And sure enough, the Paladin and the Mage was walking towards them and thus John placed aside his weapons to show to them that he was not a danger to them, even though he was with Alliance members. That was simply because he had Horde members with him too and that odd sight was naturally bound to get attention from anyone who did not expect this to happen unless something REALLY important was up.

…

To be continued…

…

Author's Notes:

Here we are again with this story and I am happy that it has finally been brought back to life and I hope that this will show that it is far from dead, though naturally this is going to be cut short due to a lot of things going on recently that has bitten off massive chunks of my time here in front of the PC.

The chapter merely deals with the situation that John finds himself in at the Alliance held fortress of Honor Hold and also allows Kaelyn, Sandra, and some other characters in the Alliance delegation to be alone wit the Master Chief. You can bet that the Night Elf Archer is going to be enjoying the time with John and no doubt she would also use this time to make her move on him.

Though you can bet that it will not always be easy to do with the location they are in, and I do plan to have some more interesting interactions with the others in the Alliance group. The same can happen with the Horde faction once they go to the main Horde fortress in Draenor. That will mean that Erin will have her turn and you can bet that she will be more than willing to take all the time she has on hand to get close to John.

And what will John be doing in all of these moments you ask? One such thing is trying to focus on the job while also getting his mind wrapped around the idea that he will soon be facing actual demons in battle is one thing. Not those demons created in games, movies, or books, but actual demons. Second is dealing with this new world he and Cortana are in and getting an idea of just how important it will be to defeat whatever plans the Legion and Kael'thas have in their minds.

As for the possibility of the women who are interested in John making more serious moves after this arc in WOW/Halo, there will be more and you can bet that it can get very interesting and vocal.

...

I also wish to apologize in advance for the fact it might be old data but I did put this story on ice for a while and due to the fact that I have way too much data in my head and I needed to flush it all out.

…

For the benefit of the naysayers of this story, here is the deal so far. The ONLY way that they could be able to access all the vital data is if they somehow hack and decrypt all the data and literally tear the ship into pieces. I cannot understand why is it people complain about that when you have to remember that the data of the UNSC is VIRTUAL COMPUTER DATA!

Not the kind one finds in scrolls or books for crying out loud! THERE ARE NO COMPUTERS IN WOW AT THIS TIME IN THE STORY! OR ANYWHERE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER AT THIS TIME!

And there ARE security locks for the whole base and also the archive room. Do you honestly think that I did not factor that into my plans? I'm not that blind you know…

…

And the vehicles…seriously? Being able to operate Steam Tanks, Gyrocopters, and the vehicles seen in WOW DOES NOT translate to being able to drive UNSC vehicles. The tech difference between the two realms of vehicles is so high it's like trying to compare a Volkswagen Beetle to a Lamborghini Diablo. So stop bringing it up, it's bloody embarrassing to even discuss that!

There is also the fact that I do plan to have the town become it's own entity in the future. It will be left behind at some point in the story and it will remain that way. And will play a part in the remaining arcs of the story which will one day end with the Chief finally gaining a chance to go home. But the question is how?

That will have to wait until the time comes for me to end this story once I am done injecting in the Mists and Pandera expansion. Once that is done, then this story arc naturally comes to an end. All I can say is that in the end of this arc that includes the Burning Crusade, John is now one step closer to achieving his goal of either being rescued or going home by his own means. Though to be honest I am leaning more on latter than the former since I have recently gotten some ideas into my head for the return home idea.

…

As for the unrealistic things the Master Chief has done, I am confused by that since all the things he has done already in his reality would also be called unrealistic by other people's own standards. And keep in mind that the only time we learn of the super human feats of the Master Chief is in the movies, novels, anime, and comics. We don't know about them in the game since we don't get to have the Chief cut loose. Only in Halo 4 does it happen as the game is now more athletic and fluid.

And he will not be invincible either here, he will gain new wounds, scars, and more here in this world. I had only focused on him getting used to this new world in the chapters and now we go to the more serious details as he will be taking part in everything in WOW. BC, WOTLK, Cataclysm, and MoP. John will bleed, he will feel pain, he will be tested in ways he was not tested before and he will not leave unscarred. But he will not give up either.

And for the whole 'Spartans are from Earth' thing is over, get it? Over! It's been done already in several chapters I will no longer mention it so don't worry about so bloody much.

…

Will I included elements from the Novels and Comics that have been recently released since this story does take place before the canon events of Halo 4?

Not too sure about that and I am still busy reading all the data to make sure I get it all right. I have sworn not to make a new Halo story until the new Reclaimer Arc is over and done with so don't ask. I have no desire to write any new Halo stories right now simply because it would be wrong for me to make a new story using the Reclaimer saga until it is over so I have all my facts straight. This is why most if not all of my Halo stories take place and the end of the triology. That way everyone already gets the idea.

However the previously stated Halo ideas I have are not gone and are actually going to be made in the near future. I will personally make the prologue myself to show if and when I am going to make the story and what to expect from it

…

As for Lemons…I have said it before so do I really need to repeat that old mess again for you? So far Kaelyn is still high on the score board in my book along with Erin and possibly Sandra and Jaina. They are the most promising thus far of the women who might develop an interest in John, but they are NOT yet set in stone.

When the time comes to make the lemons in question I sure as hell hope I have not lost my touch in writing decent lemons. Though I have to admit I am very much looking forward to that part.

But until then, NO lemons for now…maybe a lime or two but that's going to be it for now.

…

On the next chapter and the chapters to follow, he will go through the Burning Crusades, but will be doing his best to help and will face off with Kil'Jaeden and Kael'thas with others who are going to fight with all they had so John is not going to be the lone star here, and he will not go away from these encounters unharmed.

This is why I took so long to update…the Burning Crusade is a major event arc in WOW and I have to make sure I get a lot of it right once I go back to fully working on this chapter. I do not want to go in half cocked with ideas and only find out I royally fucked up on the home stretch of the story, that is something I desperately wish to avoid.

Until then, this story is now on ice so don't bother me about it for a while as I get my thoughts organized. I am trying to update all my non Halo works here and once I am satisfied that they are done, I am going back here…there is TOO MUCH Halo data in my noggin right now and while I am a major fan of the game, I do have to let my brain relax in light of all the new data that has been shot into my head for that.