Chapter 5 Chapter 4 The Shadow Swells

"Those mangy dogs must be hiding in the bottom tunnel." Sheriff Duhan glanced at the deep passage of the Jasper Mine through the gap in his helmet, and said to his subordinates in a deep voice.Dust flew up his throat, and the sheriff turned his head and spat on the ground. "I guess it's okay to take a break." The clatter of armor clanging echoed along the walls of the mine, and the sheriff's fifteen soldiers relaxed their vigilance and rested.But Zaldima Wifshilt, the second-rate accompanying mage from the town of Gold, still stood there, staring into the darkness deep in the tunnel.

"I tell you to put down your weapon." Du Han shouted. The mage with gray hair and long beard walked back slowly.Although he is respected in Goldshire, Zaldimar is unknown in the big cities.However, although Doohan mustered enough men to deal with the bastards, he still believed that the mage's magic could execute them more quickly and mercilessly. The Jasper Mine in the foothills of the Elwynn Forest was once an important resource supply point, and the rare metals produced there could be used to make weapons and armor.However, as Stormwind came under pressure, the military guarding the forest's mines dwindled, and the Jasper Mine and other mines became infested with vermin.

The kobolds entered the area unhindered.Humanoids with long tails and beards, neither combative nor alert, they are more annoying than dangerous.The only problem is that they breed as fast as rabbits, and there's no end to them...but as long as Sheriff Doohan keeps going, their days will be over.The past few weeks have been fruitful for Doohan, from the Jasper Mine to the Fargody Mine to the southwest.The hunting was endless, and he didn't even have time to count how many he killed. Du Han took off his helmet, revealing his uneven hair and a square-shaped face with horizontal muscles.He fought for a long time in his early years, and was chosen as his successor after the mysterious death of his predecessor, bringing peace and stability to the town of Gold Shining ever since.Until the kobolds came back again.

"These bastards will fight us with minions, maces, and axes," Doohan said, "but the narrow passages will keep them huddled together... Now it's your turn, Zaldima..." Although the rest of the squad was covered in dust, the mage's purple blue badge was as clean as ever.He nodded gravely. "A chain of Arcane Blasts is most effective..." Du Han waved his hand to interrupt him. "Don't explain this to me. Just kill, maim, and scare as many as possible before we do. Can you?" Zaldima nodded.Doohan put his helmet back on and motioned for the team to move on.The dust in the cave seemed thicker than usual, and several people couldn't help coughing.And it didn't take long for them to find out why.A passage leading to a secondary exit had collapsed, revealing tons of earth and rock and broken wooden braces to the Sheriff's view.

"An accident," Zaldima announced. "I warned them the last time I came to mop up the kobolds. There was too much pressure on the place—" "It doesn't matter." Duhan replied, "This makes our task easier." Zaldima nodded and said yes, the Jasper Mine is deeper and more complicated than the Fargodi Mine, but there are only a few places where kobolds may appear.Now that the only exit has been controlled, an encounter is about to break out... Duhan held the mace tightly, and gently patted the dust on the battle robe with his other free hand. The golden and blue ferocious lion head on his chest was obviously more eye-catching than before.

Then, a solemn and deep voice sounded in the darkness far ahead, and after a moment, angry murmurs echoed. A light shone in the distance, like a candle... and then quickly extinguished. "Zaldima..." Duhan whispered. The mage stepped forward and raised his hands to gesture. A green light lit up and flew towards the place where the fire flashed with a rhythmic sound. Moments later, there was a bang...and another bang...and another bang.The mine shook, dust and rubble fell from the warriors, and the magistrate cursed the mage for his recklessness. The passage ahead was suddenly filled with a green halo, so bright that Du Han had to raise his hands to cover his eyes.There were roaring sounds coming from the opposite side.

The sheriff blinked. "My king!" He gasped. The passages were filled with kobolds, more rat-faced goblins than any report had ever mentioned—much more.Suddenly, Doohan's well-trained men were nothing. The kobolds at the forefront howled savagely and brandished their weapons.Their tails flicked back and forth, showing growing impatience.It looked like Zaldimar's attacks had no effect at all. "Prepare to retreat in an orderly manner," Duhan ordered.The fighters were not prepared to face such a situation.Now it's not a matter of raiding the mines, even their own lives are in danger.The light from Zaldimar's attack spells was fading as he stood in front of the sheriff, watching them silently.

"Do it, mage! Do it again!" Zaldima looked left and right with a look of bewilderment and bewilderment. "I... I have to wait... these spells, they are draining from my body..." Even though he wasn't a mage himself, the constable knew Zaldimar needed to go all out now.He quickly grabbed Zaldima's arm and dragged him back into the crowd. "You have to try, Zaldima! Our lives...will depend on you!" Before the mage could answer, the kobolds had already swarmed forward.These grotesque monsters, no more than four feet tall, who normally frighten children, are now a terrible and deadly menace to all.

"Back! Back! You three! Stand in front with my mace!" Doohan pushed Zaldima back, and even if the mage was useless, the sheriff couldn't let him be killed . The first wave of kobolds charged against the defenders.Doohan knocked one down with a blow, and then he was greeted by a much bigger guy. "Don't take my candle!" it howled.The thing is secured to its head with a small candlestick, and although the kobolds have good vision in the dark, they need light in the darkest depths of the mine. "I don't want any of your fucking candles!" Doohan yelled back.

He swung it up and down, and mouse faces flashed one after another, but he was knocked down by the sheriff one by one.Around him, brave soldiers beat, slashed, and stabbed the kobolds mercilessly. The tide began to turn.The army of kobolds was now reduced to piles of corpses, and a sneer appeared on Doohan's face. Finally, the militiamen of Shining Gold Town stood knee-deep in blood and corpses.Dead kobolds stink a hundred times as much as they did in life, but people love to smell the stench and celebrate their victory. Commander Duhan counted the number of people, and there were quite a few of them.A few people failed the lottery, most of them were arrested a few times, but all of them were fresh and healthy.

No... one person is not there. "Where did the mage go?" People shook their heads.Doohan walked to the place where he had last seen Zaldima and rummaged through the piles of corpses on the ground. There was no sign of the mage being present or leaving. Doohan guessed that the incompetent Zaldima might have fled the battle, and he'd be sure to find the coward when he got back to Goldshire. "Go ahead," the commander decided, "check the other passages." He doubted that a few more kobolds would be found after the great battle, but he would kill even one. Du Han led them back.Although the people walked farther and farther away, the smell of the kobold's corpse seemed to be getting stronger, and the sheriff couldn't help covering his nose.Next time we'll have to lure them outside so the wind will... Suddenly, the Jasper Mine shook, as if an explosion had occurred deep in the mine. Ahead of the line, the wooden supports of the passage began to creak ominously. Du Han pointed forward with his sword. "Go!" However, just as they rushed over, another support in front broke into two pieces and fell down. "Be careful!" the commander yelled. The roof of the mine collapsed from its weak point, and to make matters worse this set off a chain reaction in which more brackets snapped. A large pile of earth and rocks poured down. People turned and fled, but the top wall had collapsed.Dust and darkness blinded Doohan and his men as they pushed each other to find a way out. Then the sheriff heard a horrific scream. As the cave-in began to subside, Doohan accidentally burst into an open space.Coughing loudly, the sheriff struggled to regain consciousness and made out at least three figures in the darkness.After the surrounding area became quiet, he shouted, "Report the number!" Eleven people answered him, some with pain in their voices.Eleven, not fifteen. After such devastation, it was pointless to see if the remaining four survived.In fact, Doohan had to lead the rest of the people to escape safely.Now there is only one choice, go back to the place where you fought the kobolds before.Sometimes, kobolds will dig secret passages in the mines, a way to escape.At least, hopefully. "follow me!" The road was darker and longer than he remembered, and only the strong stench convinced Du Han that he was approaching the same place.However, when he quickly ran through the passage with his men, he bumped into a stone wall head-on. "What's going on here?" Hitting a wall means that they have already passed the place where they first encountered the kobold...but where are the corpses? Doohan groped in his bag for something to illuminate, but found nothing. Suddenly, a green light lit up beside him.The sheriff turned around, the mace in his hand ready to strike. Zaldima stared at him from behind the green light.The sheriff could see nothing but the mage's tired and eager face. "Is this okay?" The mage's voice was a little harsh. "Where did you go? Do you see a way out? The side we came from is blocked." Zaldima nodded. "I know. I know all about it." "You—what?" The light expanded, and Duhan's eyes widened. The mage's attire has changed.He now wears a black armor with skulls on the knees and chest, and the hood of the cloak is pulled back.There was a strange purple-black glow in his eyes. "To escape from here, a simple spell is enough." Magistrate Doohan pointed his mace at Zaldima's jaw. "Then take us away!" Something moved at the edge of the light, nearly knocking off the sheriff's weapon.While Doohan gripped the mace tightly, he caught a glimpse of a familiar long mouth. "Kobolds—" His voice stopped abruptly, as Zaldimar further increased the brightness of the light. That's not just a kobold... it's a dead kobold.There was a big opening in the thing's stomach, and pus-soothing viscera hung out from it.Weapon in hand, the kobold stared blankly at the sheriff. As the light stretched into the distance, Sheriff Duhan saw that there were more, many...all the kobolds that he and his men had killed, no, even more than that. "What's going on?" he asked. "They obey me now...as I obey my master..." Zaldima grinned harshly, as if he were one of the undead himself. "And you will too, dear Sheriff..." The kobold stepped forward.The sheriff and his men drew close to each other. "The pain won't be too long..." In the dead silence, the kobold rushed up.Duhan hit a monster in the throat with a hammer, but it didn't work.Desperately, he struck harder and knocked its entire head off. Yet the body is still fighting back. "I have to let you play for a while." Zaldima whispered, "I still have to make preparations for the next step, Gold Town..." "You fucking—" But Sheriff Doohan cut his voice, the necromancer was gone...and the light with him. The atmosphere is dignified and serious.The stench of the kobold zombies was everywhere, and without the magic lighting, he couldn't see the pounced figure at all. A scream.The fearful voices of others rose one after another.But Du Han was powerless and could only desperately resist the tide of terror that was killing him. Another person called out.A moment later, there was a terrifying sound of something being torn apart in the passage. "Sheriff?" pleaded the man beside him. "Continue fighting!" Doohan barely got his footing, though, as the soldier was dragged away from him.The unfortunate creature screamed again... and there was a terrible scream, and the familiar sound of weapons piercing flesh echoed from the cave walls. The sound of sword clashes gradually faded away... less and less... Sheriff Doohan knew he was the last man alive.He felt the undead kobolds coming towards him.For the first time he saw the light in their eyes, a dead white that sent shivers down his spine. He suddenly noticed that there were some taller figures among them-torn and broken figures. His own men now joined the evil army. They swarmed up, Magistrate Doohan flailing his weapon wildly, his mace falling to the ground.However, kobolds and mutilated soldiers surged up unstoppably.They were everywhere, grabbing him with their claws, tearing at him with their teeth, and striking him with their weapons.Doohan screamed as the undead horde engulfed him— It was already sunny in Gold Shining Town, but Sheriff Duhan was still lying on his bed.He moved with difficulty, his brows furrowed and his body wet with sweat.His lips moved as if to say something, or to scream.His hands clenched into fists, the joints were pale. Doohan sat up suddenly and let out a scream.Still, the sheriff didn't wake up, but fell back on the bed again, writhing in sweat again, as if fighting something in his dream. His screams rang through most of the town.But no one, no relatives, friends, or servants, came to see the sheriff.They can't come.Nobody from the whole town could come...they were all in bed, fast asleep. And they're all struggling with nightmares. Despite being a High Priestess of the Moon, Tyrande considers a sunrise to be a beautiful sight, even if the sunlight stings the eyes of a nocturnal creature like her.When she was young, very young, she had never felt so much pain.In fact, she, Malfurion, and Illidan often went out riding in the daytime, exploring the world of light while others slept.Malfurion even began training with Cenarion during the day. Maybe I'm finally starting to age, she thought.Among the night elves, Tyrande is the longest surviving.She outlived most of her friends and family, with the exception of two. The long journey to Moonglade required the High Priestess, her personal guards, Archdruid Fandral, and his druids to rest there for a full day before returning to Darnassus.While many druids found comfort in the dens, these crypts reminded Tyrande too much of unpleasant things, such as the dungeons of Azshara's palace. As queen, Azshara chose to sacrifice her people to satisfy her vanity and grandiosity, and opened the door of the Burning Legion for this.Her minister, Harveys, was even more helpful, and the two caused countless lives to die tragically at the hands of the devil.Tyrande wished not to think of Azshara again, but many things forced her to recall these memories. In this way, she, her followers, and some druids who bid farewell to the den made tents out of natural grass. In her tent, away from Fandral and the druids, the night elf leader practices her fighting skills.Ten feet square, the tent was woven from the branches of Teldrassil.The master weavers embroidered the patterns of the Sisterhood of Elune on the tent, especially the symbol of the moon, which was repeated constantly.The tent blessed by Elune had a silver halo. There were not many furnishings inside the tent, and Tyrande only cared about useful things.Small wooden tables and stools are the only furniture, and these are also provided by the druids.She had left her Moonblade on the rug - also woven of Teldrassil boughs - which was also her bed.This ancient three-bladed weapon is favored by her people, especially the elite sentinels.Tyrande, who knew that there were many threats in this world, often practiced with a moonblade. Right now, though, she just wants to practice unarmed combat, mainly because she needs to relax her muscles.Just negotiating with Fandral was enough to make her nervous, but traveling to see Malfurion's body made her feel unimaginably tired. Fandral... Although she respected his identity and status, his plans did not satisfy her.She remained silent for the moment, but his planned longer and longer waits had run counter to her quick-witted warrior nature. Tyrande, battling his desires, drilled himself harder and harder.The high priest bent his arms and kicked his legs.She had come a long way from her apprenticeship, farther than Malfurion had traveled to the Emerald Dream of perfection for the past ten thousand years.When he was gone, she sometimes felt angry that he had abandoned her...but their love always triumphed over these dark thoughts. Tyrande turned around and swung her left hand vigorously. Her fingers were closed together, like a sharp blade that could ruthlessly cut the enemy's throat.She centered her weight on the forefoot of her right foot and moved her right hand up—and that's when she realized something was behind her. The high-ranking priest stepped on the ground, his body spun violently, and a roundabout kick hit the assassin viciously.No one can enter here without permission.Where's her sentinel?However, Tyrande still had some reservations, and only used the strength to subdue the opponent, otherwise the assassin would surely die.The intruder must be left behind and asked about his origins. Surprisingly, she didn't kick anything, and Tyrande watched as her feet swept past a dark emerald figure.This shadowy and invisible assassin broke into countless fragments, and then returned to its original appearance. However, the Moonblade was already in the hands of the night elves, and at this moment, she saw two other equally illusory figures.Although they were too vague to make out, Tyrande could still vaguely see that they were half beasts.But because of this, an inexplicable fear rose in her heart. At this moment, the two ghosts stabbed at Tyrande, but she swung the silver long sword in time, and the sharp blade cut them in two. Again, the long sword only temporarily separates them into upper and lower parts.They immediately returned to their original shape, and the demons grabbed her with the sharp claws that did not know when they grew. "Ugh!" Tyrande fell backwards, hoping to minimize the damage caused by the attack.Although there was no bleeding from where the claws slashed, the night elf felt the icy blade piercing her skin.Her body was even a little disobedient, and she wanted to drop her weapon and curl up on the cold ground. But this will undoubtedly lead to death.The High Priestess swung her longsword savagely, hoping that by doing so she would injure her foes, as they regenerated. In the next second, another scream escaped from her throat.The enemy in front distracted her, causing her to ignore the enemy behind her - a cold dagger pierced her back. Her trembling hands could no longer hold the long sword.Tyrande was a little puzzled, she called out twice, but no one came in to check.Perhaps it was the masterpiece of these demons, but there was still no sound outside.These assassins will kill her, and others will not come in for no reason. No... It must not become like this... Tyrande told himself firmly.I am priest of the great moon god Elune...the light of Elune flows within me... The thought that crossed her mind immediately melted the frost in her body, and dispelled the fear that had shaken her will. "I am the high priest of the moon god Elune..." she yelled at the shadow. "Feel her light..." Silver light filled her tent.The emerald black shadow flinched under the light. Although the crisis has passed, the night elf did not relax.She called to Elune.She was gently comforted by Elune, the moon god, who would protect her daughter. The silver moonlight has been enhanced thousands of times. The terrifying assassin let out a weak hiss, and really disappeared like a shadow. Suddenly, the surroundings fell into darkness again.Tyrande gasped.Elune's light faded, and she sat on the ground in a meditative position.The high priest glanced at her long sword—it was still leaning quietly by the side of the booth, as if there had never been any intruders.is that true?There was another pain in her back—but maybe it was just the chill running down the back of her spine.She swallowed, her lips were dry, her heart was still beating violently. Tyrande stood up, and a guard burst into the tent.She concealed her agitation, and Tyrande caught the suspicious look in the sentry's eyes.And according to what the priestess said, she had no knowledge of the assassination just now. "Sorry," the guard murmured. "I heard gasps and thought something was going on inside..." "I was a little bit over-practiced and I was almost out of breath." The other night elf frowned, but nodded.She bowed and backed out at the same time. A thought suddenly entered Tyrande's mind.This strange and ominous sight caught her attention, but if she wanted to act alone without attracting the attention of Archdruid Fandral, she had to confirm one thing first. "etc" "priest?" "I have a task for you, related to those druids..." Although Blore Bearskin had been a gladiator, he still found the den too crowded; so, like most men, he chose to camp in the open grass somewhere in Moonglade, where Hamuel slept. Not far to his right.There seemed to be some kind of blood relationship between them, and they seemed so unique among the many druids. Indeed, on the whole, Hamuul was the night elf's closest friend compared to Varian Wrynn and the young blood elf thief Valeera Sangunar.This makes him a freak in the eyes of others.But at this moment, Blore doesn't care about other people's eyes anymore. The night elf lay there, several annoying thoughts swirling in his mind, preventing him from falling asleep.The tauren on the side had already started snoring, but Blore was concerned about Valeira—she seemed to be his own daughter.Perhaps the blood elves were born this way, and as a young woman she had become obsessed with drawing the power of the arcane magic that once destroyed their ancestors, the high elves, the Sunwell.Blore had almost gotten her through it...but circumstances had left her halfway.Shortly after the call, they cut off contact—at least temporarily.He wanted her to be better, but was afraid that the addiction would make her worse. Blore grunted uncomfortably, trying to calm himself down.Now, unless he could immediately bring their great teacher back to this world, there was nothing he could do for Valeera.The core of the whole incident has exceeded his imagination.Druid tried again and again to concentrate on solving it, but things backfired, and the truth of the matter became farther and farther away from him.he almost— There was a cry from the bushes behind him, and it felt like someone was breathing. Father... The night elf froze.What did he hear... was it her? Blore sat up quietly. Father… The voice came again.He knew this voice better than anyone.He trembled.It can't be her. This can't be...absolutely...Ainasha? He glanced at Hamuul, who was still snoring heavily.This did not attract the tauren's attention.This made Blore understand that what he was hearing was just a hallucination in his own head. Father... I need you... Anasha!Blore's breathing became short of breath.It's her voice! Druid stood up instinctively, staring at the woods, carefully observing every detail, hoping to see his daughter.He didn't cry out.Not only because it would attract attention, but he was afraid that it would make his beloved daughter run away. But...a part of his mind reminds him...Anasha is dead...and he is responsible for it... Although he was well aware of this fact, Blore's heart was beating violently.He tentatively walked towards the direction of the voice. father... help me... Tears welled up from the usually indifferent druid's eyes.He thought of her death, and what he had done.The pain in the depths of memory burned again.The battle is still vivid now. Yes, Anasha is dead... But she is calling me!He insisted on the simplest idea in his heart.This time, I was able to save her! A shadow danced in the woods.Blore turned to the looming shape.Suddenly, ripples appeared around the Druid.The trees trembled like smoke.The blurry figure drifted away.The whole world was spinning, and Blore felt like his bones were melting.He tried to call his daughter. Something came towards him from the forest.They are getting closer and bigger in shape.At this point, the druid hadn't reacted yet.They look like- Blore was about to scream...he woke up. His focus refocused.Gradually, the night elf remembered several abnormal places around him.He was not standing on the edge of the forest, but lying on the ground, as if he had just woken up.His eyes narrowed, and Blore looked up.According to the position of the sun, several hours have passed. The breeze was accompanied by birdsong, but another sound was missing from his ears.He looked to the right and saw Hamuul staring at him alone.The archdruid was kneeling beside his trembling friend. "It's good that you're up," the tauren emphasized, seeming to read Blore's doubts. "Is there something wrong? You look—" The night elf didn't let him finish. "It's just a dream, or rather, a nightmare..." "A dream... you said..." Hamuul was silent for a while, then said, "I got up a little earlier than you, the weather was fine and I'm not a night elf. I heard your voice. You were Saying a name," the tauren seemed a little hesitant. "A name you know well." "Anasha..." The bitterness of the nightmare rose again, and Blore shuddered.This wasn't the first time he had dreamed about his daughter, but it was the first time he was heartbroken over it. The tauren bowed his head slightly as Blore mentioned his lost daughter. "Anasha, yes..." He faced the night elf. "Are you better now, Blore Bearskin?" "I am fine, thanks……" "I don't think it's normal, Blore Bearskin... the same as the fantasies you've seen before... though they're a little different" "It's just a bad nightmare, Hamuul." Blore's tone was hard, as if he didn't want the other druid to discuss it further. "Whether it's this, or something else, they don't mean anything." The tauren blinked, and finally shrugged. "I won't force you to say it, my friend, it may only add to your pain...but we both know..." Before he could go on, there was a faint rustling in the woods.Blore's nerves tensed immediately, and Hamuul's eyes widened. A figure came out of the woods. In any case, this was not Ainasha who had returned to the world, but a priest who accompanied Tyrande to Moonglade. "My master wants to speak to you, druid," the slender figure whispered to Blore.She looked at the tauren. "She wants you to go alone...sorry I didn't mean to offend, Arch Druid..." The priestess did not wait for their answer, but instead turned and disappeared into the forest leading to the den.As far as the druid was concerned, Blore could easily catch up to her, but her cautious demeanor and brief but cryptic dialogue told him that it was not wise to do so.He needs to make his own decisions. "Are you going?" Hamuul asked. "Yes," the night elf replied simply. "I go." "I won't tell anyone else." The promise of the tauren was important to Blore.He nodded, and the night elf followed in the direction of the priestess.He was already thinking about what secrets he would hear from Elune's high priestess, leader of the night elves.What plans does Tyrande Whisperwind have and doesn't want others to know...including Archdruid Fandral Staghelm. Blore, however, had a terrible feeling that what she wanted was exactly what he knew.