Of Mice and (Proto) Men [Exemplary]

[Proto Man]

If he hadn’t been in the Omniverse for so long, Proto Man would have looked upon Yggradrasil with all the wonder of a child his age. While he wouldn’t deny that it was a wonderful place and something straight out of a fairytale, he couldn’t relax enough to enjoy the splendor of a society living amongst massive trees. From the moment they met up with the other night elves, he’d noticed how uncomfortable Mireya had become, and he knew that this was a massive mistake. Despite the fact that she was seemingly only some low-ranking member of their military force, the half-night elf took more than a few glares as the trio was ushered into the main ‘structure’ in town.

A few minutes later, the trio found themselves a few hundred feet above the forest floor. All around them, the antechamber was filled with attendants and petitioners—all of them hoping to receive an audience with the High Priestess or to simply bestow alms upon her and the other members of Elune’s inner circle.

After waiting for close to a half hour, the massive wooden doors swung open, and a pair of individuals crossed over the threshold. Unlike the rest of the night elves that filled the room, they stood out like a pair of sore thumbs—two clearly human men. They made it a few steps before they both noticed the mouse and the robot boy waiting for their audience with Tyrande. Once they stopped moving, Proto Man’s contacts app verified their identities.

“Hello, Shang,” Proto Man said politely to the sorcerer. Although the black-haired man looked to have shed a few years, he was still the same individual that the robot had encountered while separated from Mireya and Snake Man in the Pale Moors. “You’re looking very young.”

The comment elicited a smirk from the man with Eastern tastes but no discernable accent of any kind. “Some time off from the Pale Moors will do that to you, Blues,” he answered as he took a knee and reached out for a handshake. Proto Man obliged him, even though he was still undecided about the sorcerer and his Spartan associate. They were an odd twosome. Although Atelos was clearly the more physically impressive specimen, the preteen machine had watched the long-haired sorcerer manhandled people twice his size.

“Were you meeting with Tyrande?” Proto Man inquired as Mickey joined him.

The mouse waved gently to the pair and stuck out his hand, emulating his metal companion’s earlier gesture. “Name’s Mickey Mouse!” He shook hands with Shang Tsung, but when he swung his hand to point at Atelos, the Spartan merely grunted. “Nice to meet’cha both.”

“A pleasure,” Shang replied without standing back up. “And yes, we just met with the High Priestess. We found one of her… couriers out there in the wilderness being attacked by orcs. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to come see such a wonderful place, so we escorted her here. We met some interesting characters in the meantime.”

“Oh?” Mickey and Proto Man both asked—their curiosity properly piqued by the sorcerer’s remarks.

“Yea.” Shang replied even as Atelos grunted and rolled his eyes. “Some green-skinned guy with antennae got into a fist fight with my friend here,” the sorcerer smacked a hand on Atelos’ shin pad, prompting the Spartan to shrug his shoulders.

“I still would have beaten that creature, Sorcerer.”

“Green guy with antennae?” Mickey inquired, rubbing his chin as his thoughts drifted to the past. “Did he have lots of muscles and an angry-looking sneer?” When Shang nodded his head, the mouse’s eyes widened just a little bit. “I met him…”

When Mickey didn’t offer any more information, the sorcerer simply turned his focus back to Proto Man. “Well it was nice to see you again, Blues, but Atelos and I have to return to Darkshire. Are you coming from there? How has it been?”

Proto Man shook his head and scowled beneath his visor. “There’s some stuff going on with the government and the military, but no one wanted to tell us anything. Mireya…” the preteen machine pointed to his half-night elf companion, who remained glued to the bench for the time being. “She and I were swept out of there like dust on a windowsill. I don’t know what to tell you,” he offered, eliciting a frown from Shang Tsung.

“Then it looks like we should hurry back,” the sorcerer replied as he stood up and shared a silent moment with Atelos. He then turned back to the pair of short primes. “It was nice to see you again, Blues, and a pleasure to meet you, Mickey. Now if you two don’t mind, we must be going.”

With nods, Proto Man and Mickey stepped to the side as the pair made their way out the antechamber. Once they were out of earshot, the robot turned to the mouse. “They’re a bit strange, but they seem like okay guys.”

Mickey shrugged his shoulder and pointed to the open doorway. “Let’s go,” he said with a smile as Mireya slid off the bench and followed them into the hallway that connected to the space where Tyrande spent many of her days. Once they were inside the room, the door was shut by a pair of armored soldiers who glared long and hard at Mireya.

“Hello,” a soft voice said from across the room. Proto Man lifted his head slightly to see a slender figure standing on a small platform before a large window. Tyrande Whisperwind looked like most of the other night elves, but there was something about her eyes and the way she carried herself that betrayed her role in the city. Turning away from her view of the settlement below, Tyrande descended a small flight of stairs and crossed the room to where he trio of new visitors stood. “It’s a pleasure.”

“We’re here on behalf of Whirda Windstrom,” Proto Man spoke, prompting the tall night elf to look down at him. “Do you remember meeting here? She told me she had an audience with you nearly two years ago.”

The High Priestess thought for a few seconds before nodding her head. “A slender woman… she had stern eyes, white hair, and could saw through a group of armed attackers with nothing but the wind at her shoulders and a pair of blades.”

“That’s the best way to describe her,” Proto Man replied with a soft laugh.

“What of her companion? She traveled with a dark-haired woman versed in fel magic.”

The android shook his head. “When I met Whirda, she was alone. She and I teamed up to investigate the source of the Blight, but we were sidetracked by a giant monster.”

“The Tarrasque.”

“Yes,” Proto Man responded enthusiastically as the woman smiled. “Whirda and I lost contact when we returned to the city, but I was able to stop the Blight by banishing the Archdemon responsible for creating it. I can’t say if the effects will ever go away, but we shouldn’t have to worry about it spreading any further.”

“That’s splendid news…” Tyrande paused and dropped into a crouch in front of the two primes. “I don’t think we’ve actually been acquainted yet,” she said with a chuckle. “I am Tyrande Whisperwind, High Priestess of Elune and leader of the Night Elf Sentinels. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?”

“I’m Blues,” Proto Man replied, feeling quite comfortable around the slender, beautiful woman. “And this is my new pal, Mickey Mouse.”

“Hiya!” Mickey replied with equal parts enthusiasm (albeit rooted in other reasons).

“And this,” Proto Man gestured up over his shoulder at Mireya. “Is Mi—”

“Mireya Vasquez,” Tyrande interjected as she rose to a standing position and looked upon the other woman. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Must have been the human blood,” Mireya replied, her expression like stone as she stared into the eyes of her former leader and ruler. For her part, Tyrande didn’t take the bait—the High Priestess merely smiled at the soldier-turned-nomad.

“You always have a home here in Yggdrasil, Sister.”

When Proto Man saw Mireya’s expression sour and her mouth twist into an unpleasant shape, he grabbed her shin and squeezed before she said anything stupid. Fortunately for the preteen machine, the half-night elf took the point and just nodded her head at her former leader. “Thank you.”

“Here,” Tyrande spoke as she turned around and vanished into a little alcove underneath an elevated balcony. When she returned, she handed Proto Man a small bag. “This is a small token from me to you.” The prototype Robot Master opened up the mouth of the bag and poured its contents into his palm. What he was looking at was a large sort of seed or nut. “It’s a seed. If you plant it, it will grow. You’ll have to figure out the rest.”

“Thanks!” Proto Man replied as he put the seed back in the bag and stuffed it into the larger pouch that he used to carry the rest of his random possessions.

Tyrande turned and looked down at Mickey Mouse. “I apologize that I have nothing for you, but all three of you may feel free to take these.” The night elf handed each of them a small little metal coin that bore a bizarre insignia. “That’s proof that you work for me, and with it, you should be able to get the best treatment possible while you stay here at Yggdrasil.” The last remarks she made seemed to be directed at the resident pariah in the room, but neither Proto Man nor Mickey Mouse looked up from the shiny trinkets they now possessed.

“Oh!” Mickey yelped as he pocketed the metal insignia. “Lady Tyrande, I was told to mention our friend, Samus Aran. She’s working on creating a network of individuals dedicated to justice in the Omniverse, and I’m certain you’d fit the profile.”

The High Priestess smiled softly down at the two child-sized primes. “Thank you for telling me that, Mickey Mouse. I’ll keep that in mind. Now I hate to say this, but I have many more people to talk with today before I head out on my evening ride with the Sentinels. If any of you wind up here in the future, you know where to find me.”

With that, the trio left the High Priestesses’ chambers and returned to the large antechamber. Turning to his big-eared companion, Proto Man smiled. “So now what?”