[Orcbane] Chapter 11 - Test

Naruto and the two high elves were inside the mage tower’s guest reception area, with Dar’khan serving Lady Liadrin and Naruto some refreshments. Although they visited his home uninvited, and Naruto had all but broken in, Dar’khan Drathir and Lady Liadrin had been friends for over a thousand years. 

However, upon hearing what the favour that Liadrin and Naruto wanted to ask of him was, Dar'khan's answer was an instant “No!”.

“Why not? Don’t be a stick in the mud, Dar’khan. Do me a favour this once.”

The Magister pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Liadrin, you know me better than most people. Did I ever strike you as the type to take disciples? In the thousands of years since we’ve known each other, have I ever shown the inclination to do so?”

“I am not close to any other Magisters.”

“That’s not my problem. I don’t have time to babysit random human children.”

“Alyndor saved your life. He saved all our lives. Without him, we would have both ended up bleeding to death in the Amani’s sacrificial chambers,” Liadrin said emphatically. 

Hearing those words, Dar’khan sighed before explaining in a voice that betrayed his irritation.

“He showed bravery and cunning when he saved us. I am grateful for that, and I showed it when he burst into my home out of nowhere and told me that the trolls were going to attack. But that and becoming a mage are two different things. To become a mage, you need knowledge, intelligence, and a deep understanding of the world. It takes decades of studying and research to become half-decent. Look at him; can you tell me this goof possesses all that?” the Magister said, gesturing with his head towards the boy. 

Following his gesture, Liadrin glanced at Naruto, who just happened to have finished picking at his nose. Now, he was staring at the booger on his finger, seemingly thinking of finding a place to stick it. When he realised that the two grown-ups were staring at him, the boy grinned and tried to secretly wipe his finger on the underside of the sofa’s armrest, acting all innocent.

The veins on Dar’khan’s temples started pulsing with his annoyance, and the priestess felt her face flush with embarrassment on Naruto’s behalf.

“E-Even so, he’s still young. He has plenty of time to learn!” 

Sensing that Lady Liadrin was going to pester him for hours at this rate, Dar’khan said:

“Fine. Let’s do it this way. I will give him a quiz with 30 questions. If he answers at least 70% of them correctly, I’ll take him in. If not, he should forget about being a mage.”

And with that, Dar’khan left the room, heading to his office.

The Magister returned 10 minutes later with a stack of papers and handed them to Liadrin. 

“Take a look first and confirm the difficulty of the questions. I don’t want to hear any excuses if he happens to fail.”

The priestess took the papers and started reading them with attention.

“Most of the questions are common knowledge. You can pick any random high elf from a village and ask them, and they should be able to answer at least 80% of them,” Dar’khan said while she was reading the papers. “The bar should be a lot higher for a mage apprentice. I made the questions easier out of consideration for our relationship.”

Once she was done reading, Liadrin had no choice but to confirm his words.

“You’re right; these should not be difficult to answer.”

⁂

1. Match the region to its correct climate type:

Stranglethorn Vale Alpine Tundra climate
Dun Morogh Subtropical climate
Hillsbrad Foothills Volcanic/semi-arid climate
Searing Gorge Highland temperate climate

2. What kind of weather is common in Loch Modan?

a) Snowy and cold
b) Wet and temperate
c) Hot and dry
d) Cold and arid.
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13. Describe the effect of the Sunwell on the flora of Eversong Forest. How does sustained exposure to arcane energy shape the forest’s ecosystem compared to a mundane woodland like the Silverpine Forest?"

14. What environmental safeguards did the high elves employ to prevent the Sunwell’s arcane energy from causing unintended mutations in nearby wildlife? How effective do you believe these were?"
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21. A magic staff costs 76 gold. A spellbook costs 63% of that. How much do both items cost together?

22. An alchemist wants to buy a potion brewing kit for 200 gold. The cost of ingredients for one potion is 12% of the kit’s price. If the alchemist buys the kit and 5 potions' worth of ingredients, what is the total cost?
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29. Solve this equation, step by step: 3(2x+4)−5(x−3)=2(3x+1)+4.

30. This is a map of Quel’thalas. Draw the main ley lines crossing through our land.

⁂

Naruto stared at the papers on the desk with a stupefied look on his face.

‘What… what the heck is this??’

Climate types? What was that even? He had never even heard of half of those regions, to say nothing of their climates.

‘And why are there letters in an equation?!’

He was getting Chunin Exams flashbacks, being reminded of the time when he had handed in his paper completely empty.

In the end, what he had feared became reality. Other than the questions where he could circle the correct answer or draw arrows, the rest of the paper was left empty. He had no idea what most of the things asked in the test paper were. It took Dar’khan Drathir less than three minutes to grade his test. The score he received was horrendous.

“Even a bloody troll would get more correct answers than you, yet you want to be a mage?”

That’s what Magister said and laughed mockingly before telling both Naruto and Lady Liadrin to go away and stop wasting his time.

The trip to Fairbreeze Village on the back of a Dragonhawk had been silent. Dar’khan's words hurt Naruto far less than the fact that he had disappointed Liadrin.

⁂

Days passed, and Lady Liadrin finally received a letter from Prince Kael’thas with an answer to her request.

Adopting Naruto went without a hitch; it wasn’t even something that the prince had to concern himself with personally. But the matter of binding the boy’s life to the Sunwell didn’t go as well.

Prince Kael’thas’ letter was lengthy, going into great detail about the discussion that he had held with the Convocation of Silvermoon, the governing body consisting of the Seven Grand Magisters of Quel’Thalas.

‘In the end, it boils down to them thinking Alyndor does not deserve it,’ Liadrin summarised the contents of the letter in her thoughts.

The priestess thought that the Grand Magisters would be worried about the presence of the “Wild God” inside Naruto’s body, but, despite being informed of Kyuubi's existence, they showed little concern for it. Instead, the main object of debate was whether a human boy deserved to have his life bound to the Sunwell or not.

‘I was hoping that the prince’s word would be enough. . .’ she thought, sighing bitterly.

In the end, it appeared that allowing Naruto to join the Farstrider as soon as he did may have worked for the best in the long run. It would give him more time to climb through the ranks and earn merit.

“Mother? Is everything alright?” Naruto asked when he sensed the spike in her negative emotions.

She smiled at him. “I really can’t hide anything from you, can I?”

Her smile dropped a bit as she continued, “I’m afraid the matter of binding your life to the Sunwell will have to wait for a few more years. They think it’s too early for that. . . Admittedly, the high elves had never given a human or any other race this honour.”

Naruto was not surprised to hear that. At the end of the day, he had been in Quel’thalas for less than two months. In addition, he was a human, not an elf. Although he had played a big role in the defence of the country in the latest war against the forest trolls, more time needed to pass for them to accept him as one of their own. 

“Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll work out,” he said, giving her a sunny smile. “I’ll make them acknowledge me in no time!”

Liadrin found herself smiling too at his sky-high confidence.

⁂

It was on a Saturday at noon that a young man wearing brown leather armour and a green hooded cape showed up at their door on the back of a Dragonhawk. His attire, the daggers strapped at his waist, and the longbow on his back betrayed his identity: he was a Farstrider.

Liadrin herself was not home; she was busy with her duties as a Priestess of the Light. But Naruto was at home, and the Farstrider was treated to the sight of nearly 100 identical children sprawled all over the courtyard, lying on the grass, in trees, on chairs, and on benches, all of them holding various books in their hands. 

After the shame he went through during Dar’khan’s quiz and feeling terrible for disappointing his adoptive mother, the blond had resolved himself to never let it happen again. He had never really cared too much if others called him dumb before. He even accepted it somewhat that he was not the brightest.

‘But if I look dumb now, they will laugh at her too.’

As much as he hated studying, he would do it for her sake. After everything that she had done for him, he wanted to make her proud, not ashamed of being related to him. 

“Guys, I’m going to leave with the Farstrider. Continue studying until 3 or 4 o’clock and then dispel, okay?”

“Yes, Boss,” they all replied in a chorus.

Though inwardly weirded out by the scene, the Farstrider didn’t comment on it.

“Bal'a dash, Alyndor. I am Ranis Moonforge, a Farstrider. I have been tasked by the Ranger General with bringing you over to the Windrunner Spire.” (1)

Naruto glanced at him in surprise. It was a dark-skinned high elf, the very first one he had ever seen. Not that he was any less good-looking than the rest. Even Naruto, as a boy, could tell that he was a handsome guy. His short red hair and bright blue eyes made a pleasant contrast with the dark colour of his skin.

“Surprised at my appearance?” Ranis asked with a soft laugh, dropping the formal tone from before.

“Ah, a little, yes,” said Naruto while rubbing the back of his head, which only made the elf chuckle harder at his borderline rude honesty.

“Let us go. The Ranger General is waiting for us. We can talk more on our way there.”

⁂

Unlike the impression he had given when he greeted him, Ranis was an easy-going man, and Naruto had fun chatting with him.

“It’s been years since I last rode on the back of a Dragonhawk,” the young man said. “It’s not often that I get the chance to see Eversong from so high up.”

“That long?” asked Naruto, surprised.

They were riding the same Dragonhawk, with Naruto sitting at the front and Ranis behind him. As always, thanks to the high elves’ Runestones and their use of arcane magic, the sky was crystal clear, the weather was warm and pleasant, and the yellow, orange, and red leaves of the Eversong Forest’s trees glittered like gold in the sunlight.

“Well, it’s not like I need to, do I? Dragonhawks are mostly for emergencies or for people with important positions, like a Ranger Captain or higher. They’re quite expensive,” Ranis said.

“Oh. I didn’t know that.”

He had travelled on the backs of Dragonhawks so many times lately that he had forgotten that most people didn’t get the chance to do it as often. Most elves commuted and travelled on hawkstriders, those colourful, ostrich-like creatures. Unicorns, white horses with a sharp, long horn on their forehead, were quite popular among the upper class as well.

“But I have to say, you are a lot younger than I thought. I did hear you were a child, but I never expected you to be so young.”

“I get that a lot,” said Naruto, laughing. He could feel from Kyuubi’s sensory ability that Ranis had no ill will towards him. “How old are you, by the way?”

“Well, how old do I look?”

“It’s impossible for me to tell. You elves could be 1000 years old and still look like you’re 20,” said Naruto. 

Renis laughed, filled with pride.

“That is true, indeed. Well, I’m quite young. For my people’s standards, at least. I’m just barely getting to 100.”

“Sheesh,” Naruto exclaimed, making the elf laugh again. “For how long have you been a Farstrider?”

“Five years,” Ranis replied. “I’m actually not the adventurous type, you know? I’m a blacksmith. It’s in my name too – Moonforge.”

“Really?” the boy asked curiously. “Then why did you join the Farstriders?”

“Family tradition. My family has been producing blacksmiths for thousands of years. It is like a rite of passage for us to serve as Farstriders for 10 years before advancing from Expert to Artisan in our profession. We believe that wielding weapons and wearing armour ourselves for a long time and testing them in combat gives us a deeper understanding of our craft.”

“So you can make weapons yourself?” asked Naruto. He had never interacted with a blacksmith before. “Can you make knives and swords?”

“Of course. Take a look at this. I made it myself,” said Ranis and handed Naruto one of the daggers at his waist.

“Looks awesome! Maybe I will come to you when I get my first salary to craft me some weapons.”

⁂

Soon, their trip on the back of the butterfly-like creature came to an end, and they landed in front of the stables at the Windrunner Spire.

Built atop a tall cliff overlooking the North Sea, the Windrunner Spire, with its majestic towers and spires, had been the home of the Ranger General for thousands of years. Due to the Sunwell's magic, even the buildings in Quel’Thalas did not grow old or deteriorate with age.

Naruto sighed quietly in awe as he took in the scenery. The Windrunner Village at the foot of the cliff, with its artistic white buildings and their gold and crimson roofs, looked like it was out of a painting. But with the high elf walking ahead, he could not admire the scenery for more than a few seconds; he quickly followed suit.

Ranis snickered quietly to himself when he saw the human boy gawking at his surroundings. Witnessing his childlike awe and innocence, it was difficult to imagine that this boy had played a pivotal part in the war against the forest trolls several weeks ago.

Eventually, they arrived at their destination: it was an elegant and luxurious study room with ceiling-tall bookcases, a dark oak desk, and a large and comfortable chair. Sitting on the chair was a handsome and refined middle-aged man. There was a soft glow in his blue eyes, as was common for high elves, and his long white hair was tied in a high ponytail that day.

“Bal'a dash, Lord Verath. I have brought Alyndor,” Ranis said as he performed a Farstrider salute with a closed fist over his heart.

“Thank you, Ranis. Lireesa has already left for the Farstrider Enclave. She left word for you to return to your patrol duties at the Suncrown Village. You may travel there by Dragonhawk.”

“Understood.”

Performing the Farstrider salute once more, Ranis left the study room.

Lord Verath was about to stand up from his seat when Naruto asked:

“Um, who are you, old man? I was supposed to meet the Ranger General.”

The high elf froze in the midst of his motion, staring at Naruto as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

“Old man?!”

“Well, you look like you’re about 30? But you’re a high elf, which means you should be at least fifty times older than you look,” said Naruto. 

“You really don’t mince your words, do you?”

When the blond laughed, the high elf let out a sigh.

“My task was to teach you the language of the trolls, but I think a lesson about manners should take priority. Haa… Shall we start from the beginning? My name is Verath Windrunner. I am an advisor to the King. The Ranger General, Lireesa Windrunner, is my spouse.”

“. . . Oh. Nice to meet you. I’m Uzumaki Naruto. Well, the prince also gave me the name Alyndor.”

“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance,” Verath said with a smile, and he shook Naruto’s hand before sitting back in his chair.

Interlocking his fingers and leaning forward over the desk, he said:

“From today onwards, I will be teaching you two languages: the Amani dialect of the Zandalari language, and Common, the language of the humans. Prince Kael’thas and the Ranger General wish to use your skills for the sake of scouting and espionage. To that end, being able to understand and speak the language of the Amani is vital.”

Naruto dropped the joking attitude from before and nodded seriously.

“Correct me if I am wrong, but anything that your Shadow Clones see and learn will be transmitted to you once you cancel the spell, right?”

“Yes.”

“The potential of this spell is, truly, boundless,” Verath said, sighing to himself in amazement because he understood all the possibilities. “We shall start first with the trolls’ language. Once you become proficient in it, we shall move on to Common. You will send a Shadow Clone here three times a week, and I will instruct you. Naturally, you will also do individual studying. Any questions?”

“You said you will also teach me the language of the humans. . . How are the humans in this part of the world?” asked Naruto. “I’ve never met any humans here.”

Verath let out a hmm-ing sound before replying:

“Lireesa did tell me that you hail from a different, unknown continent. . .  Though it would not be wise to think all humans are the same, there are some traits that can be observed in the majority. The humans I know are resilient, innovative, ambitious, hard-working and possess a deep thirst for knowledge. If they were to unite, they could achieve great things. Alas, humans can also be greedy, selfish, and warlike. Just today, I received a report informing me that the Kingdom of Alterac and the Kingdom of Stromgarde had declared war on each other [...]”

Verath Windrunner and Naruto spent the better part of the afternoon together, with the high elf explaining to him the geopolitical situation of the Eastern Kingdoms.

It was a difficult conversation for the boy because he didn’t understand many things. But Verath was remarkably patient and walked him through everything. In the end, Naruto understood the gist of it: 

Quel’Thalas, the Kingdom of the High Elves, was in the northernmost part of the Eastern Kingdoms continent, and it had two neighbouring nations: the Kingdom of Lordaeron, the strongest human kingdom, and the Amani.

While the high elves did have an amicable relationship with the humans, they were not particularly close. The quel’dorei kept mostly to themselves, living isolated in their paradise-like magical kingdom, concerned only with defending their territory against the invasion of the forest trolls.

Therefore, due to its remote location on the continent and its powerful magic and fortifications, the Kingdom of the Elves was largely untouched by the tumultuous events transpiring among the human kingdoms.



The Kingdom of Dalaran was a city-state, a neutral nation led by a council of archmages. Though its diplomatic influence was not to be ignored, the Kingdom of Dalaran seldom engaged in conflicts with its neighbours. That, however, could not be said about the rest of the kingdoms.

Similar to Dalran in its neutrality was Kul Tiras; it was a nation at sea, removed from most of the struggles happening on the continent.

Nevertheless, the relationship between Gilneas and Lordaeron was often strained, while Stromgarde and Alterac had armed conflicts against each other every few years.

Finally, there was also the Kingdom of Stormwind, but Verath only told him that it was a kingdom located very far away, in the south of the continent; thus, it was not relevant for them.

Unbeknownst to Verath, by the time he finished explaining the relationship between the kingdoms close to Quel’Thalas and started teaching him the basics of the Amani dialect, Naruto had long since substituted himself with a Shadow Clone and slipped out of the study room.

It was not the mere fact that he had grown sick of listening to political talk; it was the mental fatigue that was getting to him because his clones had started dispelling themselves. He had left over 100 clones at home, all of them studying and memorising the contents of dozens of different books. The influx of memories and the fatigue he received from his Shadow Clones sapped him of his energy and made him drowsy.

While his sole remaining Shadow Clone continued studying the Amani dialect together with Sylvanas’ father, Naruto sneaked out into the garden and lay down on the grass with his hands behind the back of his head, hiding behind a bush. 

The warm weather of Eversong and the cool sea breeze lulled him to sleep in no time.

Little did Naruto know that an extremely curious young girl had been watching him from a distance all along. As curious as she was, however, the little girl was also terribly shy. It was only fifteen minutes after Naruto fell asleep that she mustered the courage to walk closer to him.

A quiet sound of wonder came from her mouth as she knelt next to his sleeping form and studied his appearance. It was the first time she had seen a human. His hair was shaggy and messy, and his ears were round and really small compared to hers. Furthermore, those marks on his cheeks-

‘Do all humans have whiskers on their face?’ the little girl wondered inwardly as she slowly raised her hand, unable to rein in her impulse to feel them. 

But, just as her hand was about to touch his face, Naruto suddenly opened his eyes and caught her by the wrist.

The girl let out a startled squeal and tried to pull back in a panic.

“Shhh!” Naruto shushed her hurriedly. “I’ll let you go; just don’t make any noise, please!”

Fortunately, the girl quickly became quiet, seemingly not wanting to attract the nearby people’s attention either.

“Who are you?” asked the girl.

“I’m Alyndor. I’m a Farstrider.”

The girl’s big blue eyes widened in awe.

“Really?? But you're not an adult!”

“Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“My mother and my big sisters are also Farstriders. And when I grow up, I’ll be just like them too!” she said, filled with determination and pride.

Her words, her presence at the Windrunner Spire, and the fact that she bore a striking resemblance to Verath Windrunner had tipped Naruto off that she must be his daughter, but he still asked:

“Who are your sisters?”

“Alleria and Sylvanas. But I call them Lady Sun and Lady Moon, and they call me Little Moon!” the little girl said.

“And your name is?” asked Naruto, involuntarily grinning at her because of how adorable she was.

The little girl, seemingly no older than 5, had big blue eyes, long pointy ears, and her white hair was styled in a short bob-cut haircut. Naruto wasn’t exactly the best when it came to interacting with small children, but even he had to admit that she was the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

“My name is Vereesa Windrunner.”

At that moment, the voice of a young woman rang in the garden:

“Vereesa? Where are you?”

The little girl showed a panicky expression and broke into a run on her small legs, quickly hiding behind a tree.

“You skipped your afternoon nap again! Lady Lireesa will be angry with both of us if you don’t come back!”

“Vereesa!”

“Is that your babysitter?” asked Naruto in a very quiet whisper.

“I’m not a baby!” she retorted hotly, but that had been a mistake.

The elf lady’s sensitive hearing picked up the noise, and she headed straight to them.

“Ah, no, it’s your fault, Alyndor!” Vereesa whined in chagrin.

Just then, her babysitter reached her hiding place and put her hands on her waist in disappointment.

“Why are you giving me such a hard time today, Little Moon? Come, your mother won’t like it if she hears that you skipped the afternoon nap again. Leave that little fox, and let’s get you to bed.”

“What fox-” Vereesa began to say, only for her to gasp when she realised that, without her noticing, the human boy whom she had been talking to had been replaced by a small red fox.

The girl could only watch in a mixture of confusion and amazement as the fox dashed into the bushes, disappearing.

⁂ One Year Later ⁂

Although he had been living in Quel’Thalas for a year now, to Naruto, it felt as though that time had passed like the blink of an eye.

Seeing as the Kingdom of the Elves was magically locked in a state of perpetual spring, there were no seasons. Furthermore, there had been no other troll attacks ever since their crushing defeat at Dawnstar Village.

Every day felt the same, but Naruto did not dislike it. Not one bit. The past year had been the happiest period of his life.

Before arriving in the world of Azeroth, Naruto had never experienced the feeling of belonging to a place. He had been an orphan and a jinchuuriki to boot. Not only did he not have a family, but the rest of the village ostracised him too. He had always been an outcast.

However, things could not be any more different in this world. The prince of the high elves himself had acknowledged him. Instead of being treated like a curse, the elves called him their champion – that’s what the name 'Alyndor' meant. Moreover, he had also made many friends, real comrades with whom he laughed and had a great time every day. He was on great terms with all the Farstriders he came in contact with.

Above all, in this world, he had obtained something that he had always wanted: a family. He had a mother in Lady Liadrin and a grandfather in High Priest Vandellor.

And Naruto had done his utmost to make Liadrin proud of him, to never shame her like he did during Dar’khan’s test. Over the past year, thanks to his Shadow Clones, the blond had learnt the Amani dialect and the language of humans, Common, to perfection. In addition, he had also started to learn Dwarven.

Furthermore, while he may never be a scholar, he had stopped being ignorant about the world. He had learnt about the history of Quel’Thalas and the high elves, the history of the human kingdoms, and the Troll Wars from 2800 years ago.

High Priest Vandellor had even taught him the secrets of the long-gone past, about the cataclysmic event following the War of the Ancients from 10,000 years ago, the Sundering.

And that was also how Naruto learnt about the threat of the Burning Legion, the demonic powers looming in the shadows, seeking to destroy their world. Lastly, Lady Liadrin decided to tell him the contents of the Vision that she had received from the Light.

It was because of all these reasons that, even after one entire year of peace in Quel’Thalas, Naruto never became complacent. Not one day passed without training and honing his skills, both alone and with the Farstriders.

⁂ 

It was a cool morning in June. The sun had yet to fully come out from beyond the mountains, but the Farstriders living in the Barracks at the Farstrider Enclave were suddenly woken up by a shriek.

With that being said, Naruto was, in the end, not even 14 years old yet. At the end of the day, he was still a child. The rivalry between the human boy and the Ranger General’s second daughter had long since become the talk of the Farstriders, but, for once, it was not the two of them who were kicking up a ruckus in the morning. 

Unexpectedly. . . that shriek had come from Alleria, the eldest, no-nonsense Windrunner sister.

Half a minute later, Naruto heard a loud banging sound from the door of his bedroom, and he was shaken awake. His roommates, two high elves, were also startled awake, their hands instinctively going to the daggers they kept on their nightstands.

“Open up, I said! This is an order!” came Alleria’s shout from beyond the door. 

“What did you do this time?” one of his roommates asked.

“Nothing!” said Naruto, just as surprised as they were. At their sceptical faces, he insisted, “I swear, I really didn’t do anything this time!”

It appeared that whatever had happened had lit a fire under Alleria because, a moment later, the door was blown off its hinges and the furious she-elf stomped inside, her face twisted from anger.

However, at the sight of her, before he could even stop himself, Naruto burst into laughter.

“Bwahaha!”

If he had not been abruptly woken up and if his brain had functioned at full capacity, like during the day, Naruto would have tried to control himself. But in his current state, it was impossible for him to do so.

Alleria Windrunner, the next in line to receive the position of Ranger General, a stoic and serious Farstrider, had a black circle drawn around her right eye and a black moustache under her nose.

⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂

AN: "Aerie Peak" that you see on the map I posted in the chapter is Dwarven territory.

(1) Bal’a dash = a Thalasian expression that means “Greetings”, “Hello”. 

This is a map of the full Eastern Kingdoms continent:

And this is a map of the entire world of Azeroth: