Shadow Trails in Azeroth

"How long will you follow me?"

In the icy and snowy Zul'Drak wilderness of the distant Northrend continent, Sylvanas Windrunner, wearing a cloak, screamed at the uninvited guy behind her with an angry face:

"Stay away from me! I am carrying out a secret mission in Quel'Thalas, and I warn you not to try to destroy it, let alone try to become my enemy!"

"There is only one way here, mentor."

Nathanos Maris, who was also wearing a hunting cloak, spread his hands helplessly and said:

"If I don't go here, I will have no choice but to fall off the cliff. Besides, it seems that the person following is not me, right? I got here before you, and the snow leopard goddess Hakoa is calling me."

"Don't call me mentor."

Sylvanas snorted.

Windrunner's second sister held her halberd and let her hunting cloak fly. She blocked the narrow road and said coldly to her former disciple, the human ranger who almost became her lover:

"You traitor who collaborated with the pirates! You betrayed me."

"I didn't betray anyone."

Over the past year or so, Maris has grown a lot. He is no longer the young man who would blush when facing Sylvanas.

Faced with the scolding of the goddess in his heart, the human ranger behaved very gracefully.

Amid the falling snowflakes in Zul'Drak, he said calmly:

"I was just trying to protect you from the harsh truth. You can see it as a betrayal, but everything I said to you that night was from the bottom of my heart.

I can admit that I came to Northrend. In addition to shouldering the mission of the secret passage, part of the reason was because I was worried that you would encounter danger in this place.

It turns out I was right.

You are heading to the temple of Quesluen, but the wind serpent is a cunning and vicious Loa. I don't think it summoned you to help you find the soul beast wandering here.

I clearly gave you a map, why are you still lost? "

"I'm not looking for that soul beast"

Sylvanas pulled her hood and said hoarsely:

"I said, I'm here on a national mission, so don't guess what I'm thinking."

"Quel'Thalas decided to start a war with Black's fleet in the North Sea. Their rangers and assassins were unable to break through the defense line deployed by the Uncrowned, so they sent you to collect intelligence?"

Marius shrugged and said:

"Then I have reason to ask you to go back. The Windrunner family should not be involved in this war. You have no chance of winning. This is what I must warn you on this trip, right?"

Nathanos's persuasion was interrupted by a looming guy in the blizzard.

He and the second sister Windrunner turned their heads at the same time and saw a strange guy speeding over in the heavy snow.

The slender jawed dragon wearing a red turban rushed to Nathanos, looked him up and down, then took out a letter from his bag and threw it to him, and disappeared into the falling snow in the blink of an eye.

Nathanos opened the envelope and looked at it, then at the arcane teleportation stone that came with the letter.

He hesitated for a moment and said to Sylvanas not far away:

"I have urgent matters and I have to leave for a few days. No matter what your reasons are, don't get too close to the Loa temple on this land. The savage trolls here and their equally savage gods are not tolerant of the elves.

If you need a soul beast, just follow the information I gave you to find it.

I'll rush back as soon as possible.

Take care of yourself. "

After speaking, Nathanos crushed the teleportation stone in his hand, and a flickering teleportation door opened at his feet.

Through the rotating arc of the portal, Sylvanas could vaguely see the desolate scenery of the yellow sand desert on the other side, as well as a looming fortress that existed above the elven ruins.

What is that place?

The second sister Windrunner frowned.

She watched Maris stride into the teleportation gate, and watched as the teleportation light dissipated. She pursed her lips and glanced back at the desolate and barbaric Zul'Drak.

Seeing Nathanos' serious expression before leaving, she knew that her former disciple must be going on a dangerous mission.

She was a little worried, but in the end she didn't choose to follow him.

We are no longer children, we all have our own missions and responsibilities to fulfill, and personal love must be postponed in the face of these things.

As for those unforgettable and entangled pasts, let them pass.

What else is there to say about protection?

When did the women of the Windrunner family need men to protect them?

What an unreasonably stupid idea!

When will you stop the pathetic machismo of you stinky men?

With this thought in mind, the second Windrunner sister pulled down her hood and turned around to walk into the dark and cold snow of Zul'Drak.

She didn't have much time to focus on Nathanos' actions.

She still has her own investigation mission to complete.

My mother has already joined the pirates, and the eldest sister doesn't know what is going on in her heart now, so she has an ambiguous attitude in the court, and even seems to be letting things go.

My younger sister and younger brother are even more hopeless.

Vereesa ran to the human mage Ronin all day long.

The younger brother Lilas went even further. It is said that he found a black-skinned elf as his wife, and he even used his wife's family background to plan to negotiate with Quel'Thalas officials.

The Windrunner family is full of loyal people!

Of this generation of popular travelers, at least one must be loyal to the motherland, right?

If they don't want to take responsibility, they have to do it themselves.

well.

As the second sister, she really paid too much for this family.

On the other side, as soon as Nathanos Marris arrived at Cenarion Fortress, he was given a "political lesson" by Pope Fao and Grand Duke Mograine.

The Grand Duke didn't make a long speech, he just told facts and presented evidence.

He outlined the battle plan for this time and described the consequences of the insect swarm once it was controlled by the orcs. Maris immediately boarded the "thief ship".

As a veteran who had participated in the orc war, Nathanos, although young, had a lot of hatred for the orcs.

He could not accept the result that the orcs obtained war weapons from Ahn'Qiraj while humans returned empty-handed, so he swore an oath to the Grand Duke and the Pope on the spot that he would also obtain the mysterious power of the swarm for human civilization.

But after walking out of the house, Maris felt a little regretful.

Just now, he had been summoned by the Grand Duke, and he had agreed to it. But now that he thought carefully about the difficulty of this task, Nathanos suddenly had a headache.

Especially when he saw that his companion in the secret passage, the green-skinned ace trainer Rexxar, was also carefully observing the silithids captured in the fortress, he became even more stressed.

I learned most of my animal training skills from Rexxa.

Now he had to compete with Lexa on the same stage, which made Maris a little unsure, so he decided to check it out first.

"Why can't you see Misha?"

Nathanos pretended to meet by chance and walked up to Rexxa who was reaching out to touch the black silithid bug in front of him. He leaned against the cage, folded his arms and said to the silent orc:

"Isn't it inseparable from you?"

"Misha was sent to Un'Goro Crater by me. Not only Misha, Spire and Hofer were also sent away temporarily by me,"

Rexxar didn't care about Nathanos' spying on intelligence. He maintained his attitude of sensing the silithid without raising his head, and said honestly:

“I don’t want them to be ‘contaminated’ by the emotions of the Silikens. Taming such wild bugs is an experience I have never had before. This unique rebellious life is completely different from ordinary beasts in every aspect.

They lack the emotions that animals should have.

It has become accustomed to acting under the instructions of the will of the insect swarm. After leaving the swarm, it shows almost no thought, and its remaining emotions are only the instinct of fighting and killing.

I feel the pressure.

A pressure I have rarely seen since I was able to pick up a battle ax. "

The Beast King's words made Nathanos become serious.

He also squatted next to Lexa, looking at the black soldier bugs locked in a cage in front of him. The latter's compound eyes were observing them, but as Lexa said, there was no emotion in those eyes.

It makes one wonder whether this bug can actually be tamed by hunters.

"What do you think is the difficulty?"

Although Nathanos hates orcs, he still admires Rexxar's ability to tame beasts, so he will take the initiative to ask:

"I won't hide it from you. I was summoned to Silithus just to help the human camp capture at least one swarm lord. I believe that the orcs also want you to do the same, right?"

"Um."

Lexa replied without any emotion:

"They did request that. I wanted to refuse, but...because of some reasons in my family, I couldn't refuse. But you don't have to worry that I will lead the insect swarm to attack you.

I will take them into another world.

If they desire to kill, then in my hometown, I will lead them to drink the blood of demons. "

"I believe you, but I don't believe your people."

Nathanos looked at the black bug in front of him, shook his head and said:

"So I will do my best to complete my mission. If you attack us with bugs in the future, I will definitely give you a good look. But for now, let's cooperate.

It can make a beast king like you find it difficult. I guess it might be a bit difficult to handle if I am the only one. "

"Yeah, a very sensible idea."

Rexxa curled his lips, retracted his hand, and said to Nathanos:

"I've been watching this bug for two days and I can tell you responsibly that it's very difficult to tame them.

I have read the "Insect Taming Technique" left by Ms. Lin Ge. The most difficult part of taming the alien insects is that we have to use our own will to fight against the will of the insect swarm carried by the insects.

The more powerful the insect, the stronger the will of the insect swarm. If we want to have our own insect swarm, we must tame at least one insect swarm 'Baron'. "

"baron?"

Nathanos asked in surprise:

"Did they all have titles within them?"

"Of course there is a title. The internal civilization system of the Insect Empire is quite complete. There are not only Lord Barons, but also Her Royal Highness the Princess. Maybe I can find an Insect Princess as a companion for my good-for-nothing brother.

As long as you can tolerate her mucus and mouthparts, then if someone bullies you in the future, you can shake them in your 'natal home'.

I'm also glad to see you two finally understand how difficult what you're trying to do is. "

Black's teasing voice sounded behind Nathanos and Rexxa. The stinky pirate came down the stairs above, shaking his wine bottle, and said to Nathanos:

"But think on the bright side, if this job is easy to do, I won't have to come to you, right?"

"I think I'll leave it to you to enjoy the insect princess. Anyway, you always have a very complex appetite."

Nathanos punched Black in the chest and said:

"Aren't you joining this hunt?"

"I'm going to hunt C'Thun, my idiot brother."

Blake rolled his eyes and said:

"How can I have time to catch bugs with you? However, there is good news."

He reached out and patted Nathanos on the shoulder and said:

"Someone has already taken on the most difficult taming task for you. I have just determined the task target with the High Priest of the Moon, and she is responsible for the most difficult part.

The death knights will cooperate with you to kill a high-level Zerg and Zerg commander General Rajax in the ruins on the ground outside the temple, and then tame the remaining two lords.

Look, I brought you all the target information. "

The smelly pirate took out a map of the Qiraji ruins from his hand and unfolded it in front of Nathanos and Rexxar. He pointed at the two red X's drawn on it and said:

"'Hunter' Ayamis, a high-level swarm lord, commands the Qiraji flies. There is also 'Swallower' Blue, a high-level swarm lord, who is responsible for commanding the Qiraji worms and is the incubator of elite insect eggs. protector.

My fieldwork confirmed that these two are bugs that can be tamed.

They are powerful, each guarding one side, each has its own insect swarm, and can share the will of the insect swarm, which is just right for you two to show off your talents.

But actually you know I don't care about that.

I have great confidence in the strength of you two, especially Rexxa, so let's talk about something interesting. "

The smelly pirate winked, patted Nathanos on the shoulder and said:

"By the way, you've been going to Northrend for a while. Have you met Sylvanas?"

"Met."

Nathanos sighed and said:

"Before I came here, I was chatting with her and we had a good conversation."

"Oh, not bad."

Blake was filled with admiration and said:

"Is there any specific progress? When will you get married?"

"Isn't this too fast?"

Maris was a little embarrassed and said coyly:

"She has her own mission. She has to investigate various strongholds of the Undead Fleet in Northrend. That is a mission of the Quel'Thalas military. You also know that she is always very focused when performing her mission.

We didn't talk much about it. "

"Well, your covert explanation and attempt to change the subject make me feel a little bad?"

The smelly pirate squinted his eyes and said:

"Tell me the truth! Is your dog-licking syndrome coming back again? You have been silently guarding me and haven't shown up to meet me? Do you still feel awkward about what happened last time?"

"I don't!"

Nathanos retorted subconsciously.

But looking into Blake's gloomy eyes, he turned away and whispered:

"I just wasn't ready, and I've been waiting for the best opportunity to explain these things clearly to her. As a result, today the Snow Leopard Goddess Hakoa deliberately summoned me, causing her to feel the fluctuations in her aura.

It happened quite suddenly, and I was a little panicked, so..."

"oops!"

Black waved his hand angrily and pointed at Nathanos, speechless, with a look of hatred on his face.

He said:

"I have confirmed it for you in front of my mentor, saying that you will definitely bring happiness to her daughter! General Lilesa also thinks that you are a good young man because of my persuasion.

I feel that if you are responsible and ideal, you will definitely be able to do something great in the future.

But look at your poor performance.

Ronin from Dalaran asked Vereesa out several times, and Vereesa went to meet Ronin in the name of traveling, and they were about to live together.

Our Lord Turalyon's love letters are sent to the Tower of Windrunner several times a day. Whenever there is an opportunity to patrol the border, he will go there and sit there, and use every opportunity to cultivate feelings.

Look at you again!

Take the initiative, brother, you are a bad start!

I went through so much trouble to send you to Northrend, not to let you protect Sylvanas!

The second sister of the Windrunner family is much thinner-skinned than you. She is a arrogant and sinister girl. Didn't I analyze it for you last time? She took the map you gave her, and going to Zul'Drak means that she still has you in her heart.

Do you still expect others to take the initiative in this situation?

Let me tell you what's good about you! "

Black cursed a lot, and he was so angry that he took the dwarf pipe in his mouth, lit it, and said in a long voice:

"I can tell you, my tutor has already said it.

Her three daughters, except Vereesa, are all very young. She plans to intervene in their family affairs after she has dealt with the matter of the Secret Path.

She prefers Lord Halduron, who is young and promising, handsome and has a good family background. He is an elf and has many things in common with Sylvanas, and there is no problem with lifespan.

The Brightwing family has always been close to the Windrunner family.

If she opens her mouth, Sylvanas's character will probably not refuse. If you don't hurry up, don't cry to me if the duck flies away from your mouth.

I won't bother to care about you then, do you understand? "

"Understand!"

The stinky pirate's true and false words put Nathanos under great pressure. He felt that Black might be lying to him, but the problem was that he didn't dare to gamble.

"So this time I will show off in front of my mentor."

Black said to Nathanos:

"After you're done, hurry back to Northrend. Take your daughter as far away from the North Sea as possible. Once she decides to join the possible conflict or war between me and Quel'Thalas, don't count on my men. Show mercy!

If your wife is missing an arm or a leg, you will be responsible for taking care of her for the rest of your life. I know you won't dislike it.

Understand? "